Matthew 8:1-13

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

2A 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.”

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

4Jesus 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.”

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

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

7Jesus said to him, “I’ll come to heal him.”

8The 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.

9As 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.”

10Jesus 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.

11I can guarantee that many will come from all over the world. They will eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12The citizens of that kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.”

13Jesus told the officer, “Go! What you believed will be done for you.” And at that moment the servant was healed.