Miracles of Power

Conversations About Following Jesus

(Mt 8:18-22; Lk 9:57-62)

¹⁸When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave instructions to leave for the other side of the lake.

⁵⁷As they were going along the road, ¹⁹a scribe came, “Rabbi, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰Jesus said, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn’t have a place to sleep.”

⁵⁹He said to another man, “Come with me,”

“Sir, let me go bury my father first.”

“Come with me; ⁶⁰let the dead bury the dead. You go and announce God’s kingdom.”

⁶¹Another man said, “I’ll follow you, Lord. Let me go say goodbye first to the ones in my house.”

⁶²Jesus said, “Nobody that takes hold of a plow and looks back is fit for God’s kingdom.”

Stilling of the Tempest

(Mt 8:23-27; Mk 4:35-41; Lk 8:22-25)

³⁵That evening he said, “Let’s go to the other side.” ²³He got in the boat, and his disciples went with him. They launched and ³⁶left the crowd, and took him along as he was in the boat. Other boats went along.

²³While they were sailing, he went to sleep in the back of the boat on a pillow. A dangerous windstorm rushed down on the lake, and they were taking on water. ³⁷The wind was washing waves into the boat, and it was filling up. They were in danger of sinking.

²⁵They went and woke him up, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die! ³⁸Rabbi, don’t you care that we’re perishing?”

³⁹Now that he was awake, he said, ²⁶“Why are you so scared, you with little faith?” He got up and rebuked the wind and the crashing waves. ²⁴The wind stopped and the lake grew calm. “Where’s your faith? ⁴⁰Don’t you trust me yet?”

⁴¹They were even more scared now, and said to each other, “What kind of man is this that even ²⁵commands the wind and water, and they obey him?”

Healing the Gadarene Demoniac

(Mt 8:28-34; Mk 5:1-20; Lk 8:26-39)

They ²⁸got to the other side 5:1of the lake—to the area of the Gadarenes ²⁶and the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. ²As soon as he got out of the boat, two demoniacs from the town met him. ²⁷For a long time they hadn’t worn any clothes. They didn’t live in houses, but in the tombs. They were so vicious that nobody dared to go by there. ³Nobody could tie them up any more. The spirit had seized them many times, ⁴and people had often bound them with shackles and chains under guard. They’d pulled the chains apart and had broken the shackles in pieces. ²⁹The demons would drive them into uninhabited places. Nobody was strong enough to subdue them. ⁵Constantly day and night in the tombs and in the hills, they’d cry out and cut themselves with stones.

⁶When they saw Jesus a long way off, they ran and bowed down to him and cried out, ²⁹“What do we have to do with you, you Son of God Most High. Did you come to torment us ahead of time? We beg you by God not to torment us!” (They ⁸said that because Jesus had said, “Unclean spirits, come out of him.”)

³⁰Jesus asked them, “What’s your name?” They said, 9“‘ Legion’; there are lots of us.” They begged him not to send them away from the area, ³¹and not to send them away into the abyss.

³⁰A little ways from them a tremendous herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged, “If you’re going to cast us out, send us into the pigs.”

³²“Go ahead.”

³³When the demons came out and went into the pigs, the herd of about two thousand stampeded down the steep place into the lake and drowned. ³⁴The herdsmen saw it and fled. They reported everything in the town and the countryside, ³³including what happened to the demoniacs.

³⁴The whole town came out to see what happened and to meet Jesus. ³⁵They found the men clothed and in their right mind, sitting by Jesus. ³⁶Witnesses told them how Jesus delivered the demoniacs. When the ³⁷crowd from the area of the Gerasenes saw Jesus, they begged him to leave, because great fear gripped them.

¹⁸As Jesus was getting in the boat to leave, the men begged to go along, that Jesus not leave them. ³⁸But Jesus sent them away, 39“Go home to your families and tell them what great things God did for you and how he was merciful to you.”

They went away and proclaimed in every city of the Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for them, and everybody was amazed.

Raising Jairus’ Daughter;

Healing a Woman from Chronic Hemorrhaging

(Mt 9:18-26; Mk 5:21-43; Lk 8:40-56)

²¹When Jesus crossed back over to the other side, a large crowd had gathered alongside the lake. ⁴⁰They welcomed him because they’d been waiting for him. ²²A ruler of the synagogue, named Jairus, saw him, and came and fell in front of him. ²³He pleaded with him, “My little girl is dying. Please come to my house and lay hands on her so she’ll live.” ⁴²She was his only daughter—about twelve years old. Jesus and his disciples followed him.

As he was making his way along, the large crowd was pressing in on him. ²⁵A woman there had had chronic hemorrhaging for twelve years. ²⁶She’d been put through a lot by doctors and spent everything she had without any benefit—but got worse. ²⁷When she heard about Jesus, ²¹she said to herself, “If I can just touch his cloak, I’ll be cured.” ⁴⁴She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched the fringe of his cloak. ²⁹Right away the bleeding stopped. She could tell in her body that she was healed from the scourge she’d been dealing with for so long.

³⁰At once Jesus sensed that power had gone out of him. He turned around in the crowd, “Who touched my clothes?”

⁴⁵While they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, you see the crowd pressing in on you and jostling you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

³²He kept looking around to see who did it. ⁴⁶“Somebody touched me. I felt power go out from me.”

⁴⁷When the woman saw she hadn’t escaped notice and knew what had happened to her, she came scared and trembling. She fell down in front of him, and admitted the whole thing in front of them as to why she touched him.

²²“It’s okay, daughter; your faith has cured you. ³⁴Go in peace and stay healed from your ailment.” She was cured from then on.

⁴⁹While he was still talking, a person came from the synagogue ruler’s house, “Your daughter has died. You needn’t bother the Rabbi anymore.”

³⁶But when Jesus heard the message, he told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t give up hope; just trust me. She’ll be fine.”

³⁷He let only Peter, James, and his brother John follow him. ⁵¹He went in the ruler’s house, and wouldn’t let anybody go in with him except the three disciples and her parents. ²³He saw the crowd making an uproar—the flute players, and everybody crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went in and said, “Why are you making such a scene and crying? ⁵²Don’t keep on crying. ²⁴bThe girl’s not dead; she’s just sleeping.” They began to laugh and ridicule him, because they knew she was dead.

²⁴a“You can go.” ²⁵When he’d put ⁴⁰them all out, he took the father and mother and the three with him into where the girl was. ⁴¹He took her hand, “Talitha, cumi [Child, get up].” ⁵⁵Her breathing returned, and ⁴²she stood up right away and started walking around.

43He told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were completely astounded. ⁴³He gave them strict orders not to tell anybody what happened, but the news about this got out to the whole area.

Healing Two Blind Men and a Mute Demoniac

(Mt 9:27-34)

²⁷As Jesus was leaving, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us.” ²⁸When he went in the house, they came to him. Jesus said, “Do you believe I can do this?”

“Yes, Sir.”

²⁹Jesus touched their eyelidss, “Let it be done according to your faith”; ³⁰and they could see. Jesus strictly warned them, “Make sure nobody knows about this.” ³¹But they went out and spread the news about him all over that area.

³²As they were leaving, people brought him a mute demoniac. ³³When Jesus had cast out the demon, the mute could speak. The crowd marveled, “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel.” ³⁴The Pharisees kept claiming, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Last Visit to Nazareth

(Mt 13:54-58; Mk 6:1-6)

^6:1He left for his hometown with his disciples. ²When Sabbath came, he taught in the synagogue, and people were astonished: “Where’d he get this wisdom and such miracles he does with his hands? ³Isn’t this the carpenter, son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters all here?” They were put off by him.

⁴Jesus told them, “A prophet is respected everywhere but at home—in his hometown, among his relatives, in his own household.” ⁵He couldn’t do any miracle there—except he did lay hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶He was amazed at their disbelief.

He continued to move around the villages and teach.

The Mission of the Twelve

(Mt 9:35-38)

Jesus’ Third Tour of Galilee

(Mt 10:1, 5-11:1; Mk 6:7-13; Lk 9:1-6)

³⁵Jesus was going around the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news about the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were troubled and scattered around like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷He said to his disciples, “There is a big crop to harvest, but there aren’t many workers. ³⁸Ask the crew chief to put more workers in his harvest.”

10:1 He called his twelve disciples and got them ready to go out in pairs to announce God’s kingdom. He gave them power to heal every disease and sickness, and gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits.

⁵He told them,

“Don’t go among the Gentiles or to any Samaritan town. ⁶Go to the lost sheep in Israel. ⁷As you go, say, ‘The kingdom of heaven’s coming.’ ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You’ve received at no charge; give at no charge.”

“Ðon’t take anything on the road except a rod—no bread, no traveler’s bag for extra clothes. Don’t take two cloaks or put on two tunics. ⁹Don’t get any gold, silver, or copper coins for your money belts; no staff, no shoes—wear sandals. A worker deserves his pay.

¹¹“Whatever town or village you go in, find out who’s worthy in it, and stay at his place till you leave the area. ¹²When you go in a house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace rest on it. ¹³If not, take it back.

¹⁴“Whoever doesn’t welcome you or listen to what you have to say, go outside that house or town, and shake the dust off your feet as a statement to them. ¹⁵On judgment day it’ll be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

¹⁶“I’m sending youpl out like sheep among wolves, so be as subtle as snakes and harmless as doves. ¹⁷Watch out for people, because they’ll deliver you up to the courts and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸They’ll bring you in front of governors and kings because of me as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹When they deliver you up to the courts, don’t worry how or what to say. It’ll come to you at the time. ²⁰You won’t be the ones talking; it’ll be the Holy Spirit of your Father speaking in youpl.

²¹“Brothers will deliver up brothers to death; fathers will deliver up sons. ²²Everybody will hate you because of me. Whoever stays with it to the end will be saved. ²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. You won’t get around to all the towns in Israel till the Son of Man comes.

²⁴A student’s no better than his teacher, and a servant than his master. ²⁵It’s enough for a student to be treated like his teacher and a servant to be like his master. If they’ve called the head of the household ‘Beelzebub,’ how much more the members of his household.

²⁶“Don’t be afraid of them. Everything that’s covered up will be made public, and everything that’s hidden will be made known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light. ²⁷What’s whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸Don’t be afraid of the ones that kill the body, but can’t kill the soul. Be more afraid of the One that can kill both body and soul in hell. ²⁹Aren’t two sparrows sold for a dollar? and not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. ³⁰The very hairs on your head are numbered. ³¹So, don’t be afraid; you’re worth more than lots of sparrows.

³²“Everybody that confesses me in front of people, I’ll confess in front of my Father in heaven. ³³Whoever denies me in front of people, I’ll deny in front of my Father in heaven.

³⁴“Don’t think I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword, ³⁵to turn

man ‘AGAINST FATHER,’

‘DAUGHTER AGAINST MOTHER,’

‘DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST MOTHER-IN-LAW.’

³⁶A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE IN HIS OWN HOUSE [Mic 7:6].

³⁷“Whoever loves father or mother more than me, doesn’t deserve me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me, doesn’t deserve me. ³⁸Whoever doesn’t pick up his cross and follow me, doesn’t deserve me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the One that sent me. ⁴¹Whoever receives a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a good man in the name of a good man, will receive a good man’s reward. ⁴²Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cool water in the name of a disciple, certainly won’t lose his reward.”

11:1When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his disciples, he left to teach and preach in their towns. They went out and started traveling through the villages, and preaching that people should repent. They cast out demons, and anointed many sick people and healed them.

Herod’s Conscience Stricken;

Confusing John the Baptist and Jesus

(Mt 14:1-12; Mk 6:14-29; Lk 9:7-9)

6:14King Herod the tetrarch heard about Jesus, because Jesus had become well known. He was confused because people were saying John the Baptist had arisen from the dead and that was why miraculous powers were working in him. Some were saying Elijah had appeared; others, that one of the prophets of old had resurrected or that he was a prophet like one of the prophets. Herod said to his servants, “I beheaded John the Baptist. Who is this that I’m hearing such things about? Has John risen from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are working in him?” Herod kept trying to see Jesus.

Herod had sent and arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; he’d married her. John kept telling him, “It’s against the law for you to be living with her.” ¹⁹Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to have him killed; but she couldn’t, ²⁰because Herod was afraid of the general public; they considered John a prophet. He was also afraid of John. He knew he was upright and holy, and he protected him. When he listened to him, he was confused, but he relished listening to him.

²¹A chance came on his birthday when Herod threw a banquet for his lords, military commanders, and prominent men in Galilee. Herodias’ daughter danced at the banquet, and it pleased Herod and the ones reclining at table with him. Consequently, the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³He solemnly swore, “I’ll give you whatever you ask me for up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”

She said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵At once she came to the king, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶Although Herod became deeply grieved, because of the oaths and the guests, he wasn’t willing to refuse her. ²⁷Right then he sent the executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and she took it to her mother.

²⁹When John’ disciples heard about it, they came to get the corpse and put it in a tomb, and went and told Jesus.