Matthew 8
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 28 – AD 30 · Life of Jesus · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
34 verses · 697 words · ~3 min read · ~5 min listen
The Leperʼs Prayer
1When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “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!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you donʼt tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”
The Faith of the Centurion
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him, 6“Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.”
7“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.
8The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy 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 one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
10When Jesus heard this, He marveled 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 to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Jesus Heals at Peterʼs House
14When Jesus arrived at Peterʼs house, He saw Peterʼs mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. 15So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.
16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
The Cost of Discipleship
18When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea. 19And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
21Another of His disciples requested, “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
23When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
The Demons and the Pigs
28When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. 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?”
30In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32“Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
33Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men. 34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
Footnotes (6)
- a v2 A leper was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Leviticus 13.
- b v4 See Leviticus 14:1–32.
- c v6 Or child; also in verses 8 and 13
- d v17 Isaiah 53:4
- e v18 That is, the Sea of Galilee; Greek to the other side
- f v28 BYZ, TR, and GOC Gergesenes; other manuscripts Gerasenes
Study notes on this chapter · 2
The suffering servant
A servant despised and rejected, wounded for the transgressions of others, silent like a lamb before its shearers, who bears the sin of many and is 'numbered with the transgressors'. The New Testament quotes or alludes to this passage more than any other to explain Jesus' death: healing (Matthew 8), silence before accusers (Acts 8), substitutionary suffering (1 Peter 2), being counted among criminals (Luke 22).
When: Isaiah 40–55 (composition dated to c. 700 BC by some scholars, c. 540 BC by others); quoted in the New Testament c. AD 30–95.
Ways people read this (3)
- Christian reading: a prophecy of Jesus' atoning death.
- Traditional Jewish reading: the servant is Israel, suffering for the nations.
- Some scholars see both an original corporate meaning and a later individual reading.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
He took our infirmities
After Jesus heals many at Capernaum, Matthew says this fulfilled Isaiah's words about the servant bearing infirmities and diseases. Matthew applies the verse to Jesus' healing ministry, while other writers (such as Peter) apply the same chapter to his death for sin.
When: Isaiah, c. 700–540 BC; Jesus' healings in Galilee, c. AD 28–30.
Ways people read this (2)
- Matthew applies the verse to physical healing during Jesus' ministry; others see healing as a foretaste of what the cross secures.
- Some traditions teach that physical healing is guaranteed in the atonement; many others say complete healing awaits the resurrection.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.