Matthew 9

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¹So Jesus took a boat back across the lake to the town where he lived.

²There they brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. When Jesus saw how they trusted him, he told the paralyzed man, “My friend, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven.”

³In response some of the religious teachers said to themselves, “He's speaking blasphemy!”

⁴But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why are you thinking evil thoughts in your minds?

⁵What is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?

⁶But to convince you that the Son of man does have the authority to forgive sins…” he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

⁷The man got up and went home.

⁸When the crowds saw what had happened, they were scared. Then they praised God that he had given human beings such power.

⁹As Jesus moved on from there he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth. Jesus called to him, “Follow me!” He got up, and followed Jesus.

¹⁰While Jesus was eating at Matthew's home, many tax-collectors and sinners came and sat down at the table with Jesus and his disciples.

¹¹When the Pharisees saw this they asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?”

¹²When Jesus heard the question, he replied, “Those who are well don't need a doctor, but sick people do.

¹³Go and discover what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifice. For I didn't come to call those who do what's right—I came to call sinners.’”

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came and asked, “Why is that we and the Pharisees fast frequently, but your disciples don't?”

¹⁵“Do wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus responded. “But the time is coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁶No one puts a new patch on old clothes, otherwise it will shrink and make the tear worse.

¹⁷No one puts new wine in old wineskins either, otherwise the wineskins will burst, spilling the wine and ruining the wineskins. No, new wine is put into new wineskins, and both last.”

¹⁸While he was telling them this, one of the leading officials came and bowed before him. “My daughter has just died,” the man told Jesus. “But if you come and place your hand on her, I know she will come back to life.”

¹⁹Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him.

²⁰At that moment a woman who had been sick with bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his cloak.

²¹She had told herself, “If I can just touch his cloak, I'll be healed.”

²²Jesus turned and saw her. “Be happy, for your trust in me has healed you,” he told her. The woman was immediately healed.

²³Jesus arrived at the official's house. He saw the flute-players and the crowd that was weeping loudly.

²⁴“Please leave,” he told them, “For the girl isn't dead, she's just asleep.” But they laughed and made fun of him.

²⁵But once the crowd had been sent out, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

²⁶News of what happened spread throughout that region.

²⁷As Jesus continued on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Son of David, please have mercy on us!”

²⁸When Jesus arrived at the house where he was staying, the blind men came in too. “Are you convinced that I'm able to do this?” he asked them. “Yes, Lord,” they replied.

²⁹Then Jesus touched their eyes, and said, “Because of your trust in me it will happen!”

³⁰And they could see. Then Jesus warned them, “Make sure nobody knows about this.”

³¹But they went and spread the word about Jesus everywhere.

³²As Jesus and his disciples were leaving, a man was brought to him who was dumb and demon-possessed.

³³Once the demon had been thrown out of him, the dumb man spoke, and the crowds were amazed. “Nothing ever happened like this before in Israel,” they said.

³⁴But the Pharisees remarked, “He throws out demons using the power of the chief of demons.”

³⁵Jesus went all over, visiting the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues, telling them about the good news of the kingdom, and he healed all kinds of sicknesses and diseases.

³⁶When he saw the crowds, Jesus was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷He told his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are only a few workers.

³⁸Pray to the Lord of the harvest, and ask him to send more workers for his harvest.”