Matthew 9

¹After getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to his own city. ²And just then, some people were bringing to him a paralyzed man lying on a portable bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Take courage, child; your sins are forgiven.”

³At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” ⁴But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts, said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—” then he said to the paralyzed man— “Get up, pick up your bed, and go to your home.” ⁷And he got up and went to his home. ⁸When the crowds saw this, they were struck with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

⁹As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he stood up and followed him. ¹⁰And it happened that while Jesus was reclining at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and were reclining with him and his disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹²But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹³Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the just, but sinners.”

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came to him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶No one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. ¹⁷Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Instead, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

¹⁸While he was saying these things to them, a certain local official came and bowed low before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹Jesus got up and followed him, along with his disciples. ²⁰And just then, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the ritual tassel of his garment. ²¹For she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made whole.” ²²Jesus turned, and seeing her, he said, “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you whole.” And the woman was made whole from 그 hour.

²³When Jesus came to the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd in a noisy funeral uproar, ²⁴he said, “Go away; for the girl has not died but is sleeping.” And they began to laugh at him. ²⁵But when the crowd had been sent outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶And the news of this spread throughout that entire region.

²⁷As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to 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 and said, “According to your faith, let it be done for you.” ³⁰And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this!” ³¹But they went out and spread his fame throughout that entire region.

³²As they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him. ³³And when the demon had been cast out, the man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” ³⁴But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

³⁵Jesus went through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he felt a gut-wrenching compassion for them, because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. ³⁸Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to thrust out workers into his harvest.”