Jesus heals a man with leprosy

1When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy8:2 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’

3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’

The faith of the centurion

5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.’

7Jesus said to him, ‘Shall I come and heal him?’

8The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’

10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that moment.

Jesus heals many

14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill. 17This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

‘He took up our infirmities

and bore our diseases.’8:17 Isaiah 53:4 (see Septuagint)

The cost of following Jesus

18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’

20Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

21Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’

22But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

Jesus calms the storm

23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’

26He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’

Jesus restores two demon-possessed men

28When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,8:28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; other manuscripts Gerasenes two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no-one could pass that way. 29‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?’

30Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31The demons begged Jesus, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’

32He said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.