The Bible — World English Bible

Matthew 8

In brief

Matthew 8 gathers a series of acts of Jesus after the Sermon on the Mount: he touches a leper and cleanses him, heals the servant of a Roman centurion from a distance and admires the centurion's faith, raises Peter's mother-in-law, calms the storm and sets two demon-possessed men free. Between these stories, Jesus answers those who want to follow him. The chapter raises the question that runs through the whole gospel: who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

The chapter in 6 parts

  1. v. 1-4Jesus cleanses a leper
  2. v. 5-13The faith of the centurion of Capernaum
  3. v. 14-17Peter's mother-in-law and the sick healed in the evening
  4. v. 18-22The cost of following Jesus
  5. v. 23-27Jesus calms the storm
  6. v. 28-34The demon-possessed men of Gadara and the pigs

1When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

2Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

3Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

5When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him,

6and saying, “Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented.”

7Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and tell another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.

11I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,

12but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.

14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.

15He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him.

16When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick;

17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.”

18Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.

19A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

21Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”

22But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

23When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him.

24Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep.

25They came to him, and woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We are dying!”

26He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27The men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

28When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way.

29Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

30Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them.

31The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”

32He said to them, “Go!” They came out, and went into the herd of pigs: and behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea, and died in the water.

33Those who fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons.

34Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.

Key verses

Verse 3
Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus touches the leper, something the law considered risky, and cleanses him with his word. His power does not make Jesus unclean: it cleanses.

Verse 8
The centurion answered, “Lord, I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

The centurion judges himself unworthy to have Jesus come under his roof, but believes that a word is enough. He understands Jesus' authority by comparison with his own military authority.

Verse 10
When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.

Jesus marvels at the faith of this foreigner. The text stresses that faith, more than background, is what moves Jesus.

Verse 17
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.”

Matthew quotes Isaiah: Jesus took our infirmities and bore our diseases. Christians discuss how far this verse reaches, but all see in it the work of the suffering Servant.

Verse 26
He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Jesus rebukes the disciples for their little faith, then calms the sea. In the storm, his presence matters more than the absence of danger.

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Frequently asked questions about Matthew 8

What does the centurion's faith mean in Matthew 8?

The centurion believes that Jesus does not need to be present: a word is enough, just as an order is enough for an officer. He recognizes Jesus' authority over sickness. Jesus, amazed, says he has not found such great faith in Israel, and already opens the prospect of nations coming to the table of the kingdom.

What are the miracles in Matthew 8?

Matthew 8 reports the cleansing of a leper, the healing of the centurion's servant, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, the healing of many sick people and the deliverance of the demon-possessed in the evening, the calming of the storm and the deliverance of two demon-possessed men at Gadara. Each story shows one aspect of Jesus' authority.

What does “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead” mean?

To a disciple who wants to bury his father first, Jesus answers that following Christ comes before everything. The saying is deliberately striking. He does not despise mourning, he affirms that Jesus' call is urgent. Commentators differ on the exact meaning of the expression.

Articles quoting Matthew 8

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World English Bible translation — public domain.