Passage: Matthew 8, 9, 10 (RSV)


Matthew 8


1When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him;
2and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
3And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."
5As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him
6and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress."
7And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it."
10When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
11I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
13And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever;
15he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him.
16That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.
17This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."
18Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
21Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
23And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing."
26And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"
30Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them.
31And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine."
32And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs.
34And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

Matthew 9


1And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
2And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."
3And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
4But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise and walk'?
6But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic -- "Rise, take up your bed and go home."
7And he rose and went home.
8When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
10And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
18While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
20And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment;
21for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well."
22Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
23And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult,
24he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.
25But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26And the report of this went through all that district.
27And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."
28When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord."
29Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it."
31But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
32As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him.
33And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel."
34But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."
35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.
36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Matthew 10


1And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.
2The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'edee, and John his brother;
3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.
9Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,
10no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.
11And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart.
12As you enter the house, salute it.
13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.
15Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.
16"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,
18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
19When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;
20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
22and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.
24"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master;
25it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
26"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.
28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will.
30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven;
33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36and a man's foes will be those of his own household.
37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
41He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."



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