9:1 Jesus got into the boat and crossed over to his hometown.

9:2 Suddenly there were people bringing a paralyzed person on a cot, and when Jesus saw their faith he told the paralyzed one, “Cheer up, child! Your faults are forgiven.”

9:3 But immediately some of the scripture scholars said to themselves, “He is claiming to be God!”

9:4 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “What evil thing are you thinking about?

9:5 Which is easier to say: ‘Your faults are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’?

9:6 But just to show you what authority the Human has here on earth to forgive failures…” He said to the paralyzed one, “Get up; pick up your cot and go home!”

9:7 and he did!

9:8 And when the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such authority to people.

9:9 As Jesus went along from there, he saw someone sitting in a tax contractor’s office. His name was Matthew, and Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” and he did.

9:10 And when he was reclining for dinner in the house, suddenly many other tax contractors and deviants were coming to eat with him and his disciples.

9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does this teacher of yours eat with tax contractors and deviants?”

9:12 But Jesus heard them and said, “It isn’t the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.

9:13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘I want compassion, not sacrifice’. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but the unrighteous.”

9:14 Then some of John’s disciples came to him and said, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast regularly, yet your disciples do not?”

9:15 “The wedding guests cannot mourn while they have the bridegroom with them,” Jesus replied. “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

9:16 No one patches an old article of clothing with unshrunk cloth, because the patch would pull away and cause an even bigger tear than before.

9:17 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins, because the wineskins will burst and spill out all the wine, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins so both are preserved.”

9:18 While he was still talking, suddenly a ruler came and worshiped him, and he said, “My daughter just died, but if you come and place your hand on her, she will live!”

9:19 So Jesus got up and went with him, as did his disciples.

9:20 But suddenly a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his cloak

9:21 (she had said to herself, ‘If only I can touch his clothing, I will be restored!’).

9:22 Then Jesus turned around and saw her, and he said to her, “Cheer up, daughter! Your faith has restored you.” And the woman was restored that very hour.

9:23 Jesus arrived at the ruler’s house, and when he saw the flute players and the fuss the crowd was making,

9:24 he said, “Get out! The young girl is not dead but only asleep.” And they laughed at him.

9:25 But after he had thrown them all out, he grasped her hand and she woke up.

9:26 So the news about this went out all over that whole land.

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, he was followed by two blind people who kept shouting, “Have pity on us, descendant of David!”

9:28 When he entered a house, they came to Jesus and he asked them, “Do you believe I can do this?”“Yes, sir!” they replied.

9:29 So he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be as you believe!”

9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See to it that you tell no one!”

9:31 But they went out and spread the news all over that land.

9:32 After he left, suddenly people brought him someone who was mute and demonized.

9:33 When the demon was thrown out, the mute person could talk. The crowd was amazed and said, “We’ve never seen anything like this in Israel!”

9:34 But the Pharisees said, “It’s because of the ruler of the demons that he is able to throw them out.”

9:35 Jesus went around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, as well as healing all the diseases and illnesses.

9:36 But he looked at the crowd with compassion, because they were troubled and lost, like sheep without a shepherd.

9:37 And he remarked to his disciples, “Indeed, the harvest is abundant but the workers are few.

9:38 So plead with the master of the harvest to send out more workers to help.”