Matthew 8:1-10 ▼

1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.

2 A man with a serious skin disease came and bowed down in front of him. The man said to Jesus, |Sir, if you're willing, you can make me clean.|

3 Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, |I'm willing. So be clean!| Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean.

4 Jesus said to him, |Don't tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.|

5 When Jesus went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help.

6 The officer said, |Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain.|

7 Jesus said to him, |I'll come to heal him.|

8 The officer responded, |Sir, I don't deserve to have you come into my house. But just give a command, and my servant will be healed.

9 As you know, I'm in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, 'Go!' and he goes, and another, 'Come!' and he comes. I tell my servant, 'Do this!' and he does it.|

10 Jesus was amazed when he heard this. He said to those who were following him, |I can guarantee this truth: I haven't found faith as great as this in anyone in Israel.