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October 13, 2017
Crowds came from all around to experience miraculous healing at the hands of Jesus. As Alistair Begg points out, though, many came for the wrong reasons. Jesus asserted that the bodily benefits of His ministry were not what mattered most. Even after healing a leper and a paralyzed man, He insisted that their greater need was forgiveness. Today, while Jesus remains concerned about all our needs, His deepest desire is to restore the relationship with God for which we were made.
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, athe Son of God.1
2bAs it is written in Isaiah the prophet,2
c“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3dthe voice of one crying in the wilderness:
e‘Prepare3 the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4fJohn appeared, baptizing in gthe wilderness and proclaiming ha baptism of irepentance jfor the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, kconfessing their sins. 6Now John was lclothed with camel's hair and lwore a leather belt around his waist and ate mlocusts and nwild honey. 7And he preached, saying, o“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8pI have baptized you with water, but qhe will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9rIn those days Jesus scame from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he tsaw uthe heavens being torn open vand the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And wa voice came from heaven, x“You are my beloved Son;4 with you I am well pleased.”
12yThe Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13yAnd he was in the wilderness forty days, being ztempted by aSatan. And he was with the wild animals, and bthe angels were ministering to him.
14cNow after John was arrested, Jesus dcame into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, e“The time is fulfilled, and fthe kingdom of God is at hand;5 grepent and believe in the gospel.”
16hPassing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ifishers of men.”6 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
21jAnd they went into Capernaum, and immediately kon the Sabbath lhe entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22And mthey were astonished at his teaching, mfor he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24n“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? oI know who you are—pthe Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus qrebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, rconvulsing him and scrying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And they were all tamazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? uA new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29vAnd immediately he7 wleft the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now xSimon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and ytook her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or zoppressed by demons. 33And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34aAnd he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And bhe would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35cAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and dthere he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37and they found him and said to him, e“Everyone is looking for you.” 38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for fthat is why I came out.” 39gAnd hhe went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
40iAnd a leper8 came to him, imploring him, and jkneeling said to him, k“If you will, you can make me clean.” 41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43And lJesus9 sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44and said to him, m“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, nshow yourself to the priest and ooffer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, pfor a proof to them.” 45qBut he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter ra town, but was out in rdesolate places, and speople were coming to him from every quarter.
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
