Matthew 8:18-34

18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.

19Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

21Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

22But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”

23Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.

24Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

25The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

27The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

28When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.

29They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

30There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance.

31So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

32“All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

33The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men.

34Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.