Matthew 9
9
Chapter 9
Jesus helps a man who cannot walk
1Then Jesus got back into the boat. He sailed across to the other side of the lake again. He went to Capernaum, the town where he was living.
2Some men came to see Jesus there. They carried with them a man who could not walk or move his legs. He was lying on a mat. Jesus knew that they believed in him. He said to the man who could not walk, ‘Do not be afraid, my friend. I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.’
3Then some teachers of God's Law said to themselves: ‘This man is speaking as if he is God. That is not right.’
4Jesus knew what the teachers were thinking. So he said to them, ‘You should not think these bad things in your minds. 5I said to this man, “I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.” Instead, I could have said to him, “Stand up and walk.” Which one is easier for me to say? 6But I want you to know this. I, the Son of Man, have authority on earth. #9:6 Jesus often called himself the Son of Man. He did this so that people would remember about some messages in the Bible. We can read about the Son of Man in the book called Daniel. (See Daniel 7:13-14.) I can forgive people for the wrong things that they have done.’ Then he said to the man who could not walk, ‘Stand up. Pick up your mat and go home.’ 7So then the man stood up and he went home. 8The crowds of people saw what had happened. They were very surprised and afraid. They saw that God had given so much authority to men. So they praised God and they said, ‘God is great!’
Jesus asks Matthew to come with him
9Jesus went away from that place. While he walked, he saw a man called Matthew. Matthew's job was to take taxes from people. He was sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, ‘Come with me and be my disciple.’ So Matthew stood up and he went with Jesus.
10Later, Jesus went to eat a meal in Matthew's house. Many bad people and men who took taxes also came to the house. #9:10 These people were Jews who did not obey everything in God's Law. The Pharisees did not like them. They thought that they were bad people. The Pharisees thought that they themselves obeyed everything in God's Laws. They thought that they themselves were better than other people. They came to eat there with Jesus and his disciples.
11Some Pharisees saw what was happening. They said to Jesus' disciples, ‘Your teacher is eating a meal with these bad people. That is not right. They are people who do not obey God, and some of them take taxes from people.’
12Jesus heard what the Pharisees were saying. He said to them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor. 13Go and study what it says in the Bible. God says there, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not want them only to offer sacrifices to me.” Some people think that they always obey God. I did not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help.’
14Then the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus. They said to him, ‘We often decide to fast for a time. The disciples of the Pharisees also do that. Why do your disciples never do that?’ #9:14 Some people stop eating for some hours or days so that they can have more time with God. This causes them to feel nearer to God when they pray.
15Jesus answered them: ‘When a man marries, his friends cannot be sad. They cannot refuse to eat food while he is with them. But there will be a time when people will take the man away from his friends. At that time his friends will choose to fast.’ #9:15 In this picture story, Jesus is like the bridegroom. Those who follow him are like his friends at the marriage. Jesus will not always be with them. That will be the time when they will stop eating for some time to pray.
16Then Jesus said, ‘Nobody uses a piece of new cloth to mend an old coat. If he does, the new cloth will cause the old cloth to tear again. It will make a bigger hole than before.
17Nobody pours new wine into old wineskins. #9:17 Some people kept wine in bottles made from an animal skin. Wine grows as it gets older, but the wineskins become hard. New wine would cause them to break. If he does that, the new wine will tear the old wineskins. He will lose the wine and the wineskins will spoil. Instead, you must put new wine into new wineskins. Then there will be nothing to spoil the wine or the wineskins.’ #9:17 Jesus is teaching the people that the old bottles are like the old Law. The new wine and the new cloth are like the new things that Jesus was teaching them. They could not mix the old things and the new things.
Jesus causes a dead girl to become alive again
18While Jesus was saying these things to the people, a leader at the Jewish meeting place came to him. The man went down on his knees in front of Jesus and said to him, ‘My daughter has just died. Come to my house. Put your hand on her and then she will live again.’ 19So Jesus went with the man. His disciples also went with them.
20There was a sick woman in the crowd. She had been losing blood for 12 years. She came near to Jesus, behind him. She touched the edge of his coat. 21The woman thought, ‘Even if I only touch his coat, I will become well again.’
22Jesus turned round and he saw the woman. He said to her, ‘Young woman, do not be afraid. You are now well again because you believed in me.’ And immediately the woman became well again.
23Then Jesus arrived at the Jewish leader's house. Some people there were making sad music and the crowd was making a loud noise. #9:23 Jewish people made music in the house after somebody had died. They also made music while people buried that person.
24When Jesus saw this, he said to everybody in the house, ‘Go outside. This girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.’ The people laughed at Jesus when he said that. 25The family sent all the people out of the house. Jesus went inside and he held the girl's hand. Immediately she stood up. 26People in all that part of the country heard about what had happened.
Jesus causes two blind men to see again
27Jesus left the house. While he walked along, two blind men began to follow him. They were shouting out to him, ‘Son of David! Please be kind to us and help us!’ #9:27 King David was an ancestor of Jesus.
28Jesus went into a house and the blind men came to him there. Jesus asked them, ‘Do you believe that I can make your eyes become well?’ The men replied, ‘Yes, Master, we believe that you can do this.’
29So Jesus touched the men's eyes. He said to them, ‘Because you believed in me, you will now see again.’ 30Then immediately the men could see again. Jesus said strongly to them, ‘You must not tell anyone about this.’ 31So the men went away. But they told everybody in that part of the country all about what Jesus had done for them.
Jesus causes a man to speak again
32While those two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not speak because of a bad spirit in him. 33Jesus made the bad spirit go out of the man and leave him. Then the man began to speak again. Everybody there was very surprised. They said, ‘Nobody has seen anything like this happen in Israel before.’
34But the Pharisees said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Satan gives him authority. Satan is the one who rules the bad spirits.’
Jesus wants God to send out more disciples
35Jesus went to visit all the towns and villages near there. He taught the people in the Jewish meeting places. He told them the good news about God's kingdom. He also caused sick people to become well again from all their different pains and illnesses.
36When Jesus saw the crowds of people, he felt sorry for them. They had trouble in their minds. They had nobody to help them. Jesus thought, ‘These people are like sheep that have nobody to take care of them.’ 37Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Many people are ready to believe God's message. They are like crops in the fields at harvest time. But there are very few workers to bring in the crops. 38So pray to God to send out workers. The field and the crops belong to him.’ #9:38 In this story, the master of the fields is like God. The fields are like the world. The plants that are growing in the fields are like the people in the world. The workers are like the people who know the Good News about the kingdom of God. They must tell other people about God and the Good News.
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Matthew 9: EASY
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MissionAssist 2018
Matthew 9
9
Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man
(Mk 2.1–12; Lk 5.17–26)
1Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake to his own town,#9.1 his own town: Capernaum (see 4.13). 2where some people brought to him a paralysed man, lying on a bed. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralysed man, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”
3Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man is speaking blasphemy!”
4Jesus perceived what they were thinking, so he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? 5Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralysed man, “Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”
7The man got up and went home. 8When the people saw it, they were afraid, and praised God for giving such authority to people.
Jesus Calls Matthew
(Mk 2.13–17; Lk 5.27–32)
9Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, “Follow me.”
Matthew got up and followed him.
10 #
Lk 15.1–2
While Jesus was having a meal in Matthew's house,#9.10 in Matthew's house; or in his (that is, Jesus') house. many tax collectors and other outcasts came and joined Jesus and his disciples at the table. 11Some Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such people?”
12Jesus heard them and answered, “People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. 13#Mt 12.7; Hos 6.6Go and find out what is meant by the scripture that says: ‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’ I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts.”
The Question about Fasting
(Mk 2.18–22; Lk 5.33–39)
14Then the followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus, asking, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast at all?”
15Jesus answered, “Do you expect the guests at a wedding party to be sad as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 “No one patches up an old coat with a piece of new cloth, for the new patch will shrink and make an even bigger hole in the coat. 17Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wineskins, for the skins will burst, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins, and both will keep in good condition.”
The Official's Daughter and the Woman who Touched Jesus' Cloak
(Mk 5.21–43; Lk 8.40–56)
18While Jesus was saying this, a Jewish official came to him, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and place your hands on her, and she will live.”
19So Jesus got up and followed him, and his disciples went along with him.
20A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will get well.”
22Jesus turned round and saw her, and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.
23Then Jesus went into the official's house. When he saw the musicians for the funeral and the people all stirred up, 24he said, “Get out, everybody! The little girl is not dead — she is only sleeping!” Then they all laughed at him. 25But as soon as the people had been put out, Jesus went into the girl's room and took hold of her hand, and she got up. 26The news about this spread all over that part of the country.
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, two blind men started following him. “Take pity on us, Son of David!” they shouted.
28When Jesus had gone indoors, the two blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I can heal you?”
“Yes, sir!” they answered.
29Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Let it happen, then, just as you believe!” — 30and their sight was restored. Jesus spoke sternly to them, “Don't tell this to anyone!”
31But they left and spread the news about Jesus all over that part of the country.
Jesus Heals a Man who could not Speak
32As the men were leaving, some people brought to Jesus a man who could not talk because he had a demon. 33But as soon as the demon was driven out, the man started talking, and everyone was amazed. “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!” they exclaimed.
34 #
Mt 10.25; 12.24; Mk 3.22; Lk 11.15 But the Pharisees said, “It is the chief of the demons who gives Jesus the power to drive out demons.”
Jesus has Pity for the People
35 #
Mt 4.23; Mk 1.39; Lk 4.44 Jesus went round visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. 36#Num 27.17; 1 Kgs 22.17; 2 Chr 18.16; Ezek 34.5; Mk 6.34As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37#Lk 10.2So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. 38Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.