Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 336
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
7:28–8:17
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at
his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers
of religious law.
Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly,
a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man
said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t
tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you.
Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have
been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been
cleansed.”
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded
with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible
pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my
home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.
I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and
I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or
‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in
all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over
the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those
for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed
with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then
she got up and prepared a meal for him.
That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He
cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.
This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,
