Matthew 9–10

A Paralytic Healed

9And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own town.^{a 2}And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher, and when^* Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” ³And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” ⁴And knowing^b their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go to your home.” ⁷And he got up and^* went to his home. ⁸But when^* the crowds saw this,^* they were afraid and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Matthew Called to Follow Jesus

⁹And as^* Jesus was going away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, “Follow me!” And he stood up and^* followed him.

¹⁰And it happened as^* he was dining^c in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners were coming and^* dining^d with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹And when they^* saw it,^* the Pharisees began to say to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹²And when he^* heard it,^* he said, “Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those who are sick.^{e 13}But go and^* learn what it means, “I want mercy and not sacrifice.”^f For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

On Fasting

¹⁴Then the disciples of John^g approached him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵And Jesus said to them, “The bridegroom’s attendants^h are not able to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them. But days are coming when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶But no one puts a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for its patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse. ¹⁷Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwiseⁱ the wineskins burst and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are destroyed. But they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.”

A Woman Healed and a Daughter Raised

¹⁸As^* he was saying these things to them, behold, one of the rulers came and^* knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter has just now died, but come, place your hand on her and she will live!” ¹⁹And Jesus and his disciples got up and^* followed him. ²⁰And behold, a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage twelve years approached from behind and^* touched the edge^j of his cloak, ²¹for she said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak I will be healed.” ²²But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour.

²³And when^* Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, ²⁴he said, “Go away, because the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. ²⁵But when the crowd had been sent out, he entered and^* took her hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶And this report went out into that whole region.

Two Blind Men Healed

²⁷And as^* Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸And when he^* came into the house, the blind men approached 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 let it be done for you.” ³⁰And their eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one finds out.” ³¹But they went out and^* spread the report about him in that whole region.

A Demon Expelled

³²Now as^* they were going away, behold, they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak. ³³And after^* the demon had been expelled, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished, saying, “This has never been seen before^k in Israel!” ³⁴But the Pharisees were saying,^l “By the ruler of demons he expels the demons!”

A Plentiful Harvest But Few Workers

³⁵And Jesus was going around all the towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every^m disease and everyⁿ sickness. ³⁶And when he^* saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.”

The Twelve Commissioned and Sent Out

10And summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could expel them^* and could heal every^a disease and every^b sickness. ²Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James^c the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, ³Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, ⁴Simon the Zealot,^d and Judas Iscariot—the one who also betrayed him.

⁵Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them saying, “Do not go on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans, ⁶but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷And as you^* are going, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ ⁸Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you have received; freely give. ⁹Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your belts. ¹⁰Do not take a traveler’s bag for the road, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker is deserving of his provisions. ¹¹And into whatever town or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you depart. ¹²And when you^* enter into the house, greet 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 whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you^* are going out of that house or that^e town. ¹⁵Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!

Persecution of Disciples Predicted

¹⁶“Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷But beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸And you will be brought before both governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But whenever they hand you over, do not be anxious how to speak^* or what you should say, for what you should say will be given to you at that hour. ²⁰For you are not the ones who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.

²¹“And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his children, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death, ²²and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end—this one will be saved. ²³And whenever they persecute you in this town, flee to another, for truly I say to you, you will never finish going through the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

²⁴“A disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor a slave superior to his master. ²⁵It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household?

Fear God Rather Than People

²⁶“Therefore do not be afraid of them, because nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not become known. ²⁷What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^f And one of them will not fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent^g of your Father. ³⁰And even the hairs of your head are all numbered! ³¹Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³²“Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. ³³But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, But a Sword of Divisiveness

³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth! I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶And the enemies of a man will be the members of his household.^{h 37}The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

On Rewards

⁴⁰“The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will never lose his reward.”