CHAPTER 10

One evening Jesus saw a crowd of people gathering around him, so he told his disciples to prepare a fishing boat so that they could go to the east side of Lake Galilee. Leaving the crowd, Jesus and his disciples got into the boat and set across the northern end of the lake.

As Jesus and his disciples were crossing Lake Galilee, suddenly a violent windstorm came upon the lake and large waves splashed over the boat. The boat was full of water and was in danger of sinking. Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat on a pillow, and his disciples woke him up yelling, “Lord, Lord! Teacher! Save us! Don’t you care that we are going to die!”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and shouted to the waves to stop. He yelled, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind imme- diately stopped blowing, and the lake became completely calm. Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?” The disciples were amazed and filled with great fear. They asked one an- other, “What kind of man is this? Who is Jesus? For even the winds and the waves obey his commands!”

After being blown off course by the strong wind, Jesus and his disciples landed on the east coast of Lake Galilee in the non-Jeeish region of the Gerasenes.

As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat onto the shore, a demon-possessed man ran to meet Jesus. This man was from the local town, but for a long time he had been naked and homeless and lived among the burial tombs. No one could tie him up anymore, not even with a chain. For he had chains put around his hands and feet, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons around his ankles. No one was strong enough to control him. Day and night he wandered among the tombs and in the hills; he would scream out and cut himself with sharp rocks. The man was so violent that people could not walk by that area of the tombs.

When the man came to Jesus he screamed and fell on his knees in front of him. Jesus began to command the demon to come out of the man saying, “Come out, you evil spirit!” The demon shouted through the man at the top of his voice, “What do you want with us Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time? I beg you, in God’s name don’t punish us!”

Then Jesus asked the demon, “What is your name?” The demon said, “My name is Legion, for we are many demons.” And then the demon begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of that region and into the world of the dead. Now there was a large herd of pigs eating on the hillside nearby. Then the demons begged Jesus, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” Jesus gave them permission and said to them, “Go!” So the demons left and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs—about 2,000— ran down the steep bank and drowned in Lake Galilee. The herders watching the pigs saw what had happened and ran into the town and countryside telling the people everything that had taken place.

Then the whole town ran out to meet Jesus and see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the demon-possessed man sitting at Jesus’ feet. He was dressed and in his right mind, and the people became very afraid. The pig herders told the people everything that had happened to the pigs and how the demon-possessed man was healed.

Then the people begged Jesus to leave their region of the country because they were filled with fear. As Jesus was getting into the boat to leave, the man who had been set free begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus would not let him and said, “Go home and tell everyone the great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

When Jesus and his disciples returned to the northwest coast of Lake Galilee in a fishing boat, a large crowd of people were waiting and welcomed him on the shore at Capernaum.

At that time a Capernaum synagogue leader named Jairus ran and fell on his knees at Jesus’ feet. He pleaded with Jesus to go to his house saying, “My only daughter—a young girl about 12 years old—is about to die. Please come to my house and touch her, and she will be healed and live.”

Jesus and his disciples got up and went with Jarius.

As Jesus was walking toward the house a large crowd followed and pressed all around him. The crowd was almost crushing Jesus. Just then there was a woman in the crowd who had suffered from continual bleeding for 12 years, but no one could heal her. She had suffered tremendously under the care of many doctors and had spent all of her money, but instead of getting better she became much worse. When she heard about Jesus, she said to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

The woman came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his clothes. Immediately she was healed, her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been healed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from his body. Jesus turned around in the crowd and asked everyone, “Who touched me? Who touched my clothes?” When the people denied touching Jesus, Peter and the disciples said to him, “Master, you can see the crowd of people pressing against you, so why do you ask us who touched me?” But Jesus kept looking around the crowd to see who had touched him.

Jesus said, “I know someone touched me, for God’s power went out from my body.” When the woman realized that she could no longer hide, she came trembling to Jesus. She was shaking in fear and fell at Jesus’ feet. With the crowd of people standing around her, she told Jesus the whole truth. She told him that she was the one who touched him and how she was instantly healed. Jesus turned and said to her, “My daughter, take heart, your faith has healed you. Go in peace, you are now free from your suffering.”

While Jesus was still talking with the woman, some men came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to Jairus, “Your daughter is dead, do not bother the teacher anymore.” Overhearing what they told Jairus, Jesus said to him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and your daughter will be healed.” Jesus did not allow anyone to follow him except Peter, James, and John.

When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ house, he only allowed his three disciples and the girl’s parents inside. When they entered the house, a crowd of people were crying and wailing very loudly over the daughter and playing funeral flutes. Jesus said to them, “Go away! Why are you crying and wailing? The girl is not dead; she is only sleeping.” The crowd of people laughed at Jesus because they knew she was dead. After Jesus had sent the crowd of people outside the house, he took the girl’s parents, the three disciples, and went into the daughter’s room.

Jesus took the girl’s hand and said to her, “Little girl, I tell you, get up!” And Jesus raised her from the dead. Immediately the girl’s spirit came back into her, and she stood up and began to walk around the house. When the parents and people saw her, they were exceedingly amazed. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone that he had healed the girl.

As Jesus left the house of Jairus, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When Jesus had entered the house of Peter, the blind men came to him. Jesus asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to make you see?” They said, “Yes, Lord.” Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You will see because of your faith.” Immediately their eyes were healed, and they could see. Then Jesus commanded the healed blind men, “Do not tell anyone that I have healed your eyes.”

But they went out and spread the news about Jesus all over that region of Galilee.

While Jesus and his disciples were leaving the house of Peter in Capernaum, a demon-possessed man who could not talk was brought to Jesus. Jesus cast the demon out and then the man could speak. The crowd of people following Jesus was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the religious leaders said, “Jesus drives demons out of people by the power of Satan, the ruler of demons.”

Then Jesus and his disciples left Capernaum and once again walked to his hometown of Nazareth.

On the Sabbath day, Jesus taught in the synagogue and many who heard his teaching were amazed. The people of Nazareth asked each other, “Where did Jesus get these things? Where did Jesus get this wisdom? What are these miracles he is doing? Isn’t Jesus the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”

Then the people of Nazareth took offense and went against Jesus. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own family.” Because of their unbelief, Jesus did only a few miracles in Nazareth. He was astonished at the people’s lack of faith.

Jesus left Nazareth and walked through the villages and towns of Galilee teaching the people in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, and healing every disease and sickness.

When Jesus saw the crowds of people following him, he had deep compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.”