A leper healed1When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds still followed Him wherever He went.2A leper came, knelt before Him and said: "Lord, You can cleanse me and heal me, if You want to."3Jesus reached out His hand, touched him and said: "Of course I want to. Be cleansed!" At once he was healed of his leprosy.4Jesus then told him: "Be sure that you don't tell anyone immediately, but go and show yourself to the priest who will verify you have been healed. Then offer the gift that Moses commanded, for this will be a testimony recognised as valid by everyone."The Centurion understands authority5When Jesus had arrived at Capernaum, a Roman centurion approached Him seeking help.6He said to Jesus: "Lord, my servant lies paralysed at my home and is suffering terribly."7"I will go and heal him," Jesus offered.8But the centurion replied: "Lord I am not worthy enough to have You in my house. You only have to issue the command and my servant will be healed.9As a soldier I am myself under authority, with soldiers under my authority. If I say to one, 'Go,' he goes, or to another, 'Come,' he comes; I only have to say, 'Do this,' to my servant and he does it."10Jesus was astonished at what the centurion said and told those who were following Him: "I tell you the truth, nowhere among all the people of Israel have I found anyone with such faith as this Roman soldier.11I tell you clearly that many will come from the east and west and will be welcome to take their places at the feast alongside Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven.12Yet those who you would think would automatically be considered as belonging to that Kingdom will be excluded and thrown into outer darkness, where there will be deep mourning and cries of despair."13Turning to the centurion, Jesus said: "Go! The healing will take place in precisely the way you believed it would happen." The soldier's servant was healed at exactly the time Jesus said this!Jesus heals and delivers many14When Jesus arrived at Peter's house He found Peter's mother-in-law in bed, sick with a fever.15He touched her hand and the fever left immediately. She was able to get up and prepare a meal for them.16In the evening many people possessed by demonic powers were brought to Jesus. He needed to speak only a word of command and the evil spirits were cast out of them, and He healed all who were sick.17This fulfilled what God spoke through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took our infirmities and diseases upon Himself.'18Because of the great crowds that pressed around Him, Jesus told the disciples that they would cross to the other side of the lake.19But first a teacher of the religious law came to Him, saying: "Teacher, I am ready to follow You wherever You go."20Jesus told him: "Foxes have holes to live in and the birds that fly around have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place of His own in which to rest."21Another disciple said: "Lord, I want to follow You, but first I have to go and bury my father."22But Jesus told him: "Follow Me now and leave the dead to bury their own dead."Jesus stills the storm23Then Jesus boarded the boat together with His disciples.24As they were crossing the lake a sudden furious storm arose, causing waves to sweep over the sides of the boat. Jesus was sleeping peacefully through all this.25In desperation the disciples awoke Him. "Lord save us! We are about to drown!" they cried out in alarm.26"What little faith you have," Jesus replied. "Why be so afraid?" Then He stood up and spoke with authority to the winds and waves, and it became completely calm.27They were amazed at this and asked among themselves: "What kind of Man can He be? Even the winds and the waves do whatever He says!"Two demon possessed men delivered28When He arrived at the other side of the lake in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men who lived among the tombs approached Jesus. They were so violent that no one dared go near them or the place where they lived.29They shouted to Jesus: "What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torture us before our appointed time?"30Some way off a large herd of pigs was feeding.31The demons in the men pleaded with Jesus: "If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."32Jesus spoke just one word: "Go!" The demons immediately came out of the men and entered the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake where they were all drowned.33Those who had been minding the pigs ran into the town and told everyone all that had happened, including the way the demon-possessed men had been set free.34The whole town came to see Jesus; but instead of welcoming Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)