Tuesday, July 2, 2024 | Matthew 8:23-27

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,but your disciples do not fast?”Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mournas long as the bridegroom is with them?The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,and then they will fast.No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.People do not put new wine into old wineskins.Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” 

As Jesus passed by,he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.He said to him, "Follow me."And he got up and followed him.While he was at table in his house,many tax collectors and sinners cameand sat with Jesus and his disciples.The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"He heard this and said,"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.Go and learn the meaning of the words,I desire mercy, not sacrifice.I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,"This man is blaspheming."Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'or to say, 'Rise and walk'?But that you may know that the Son of Manhas authority on earth to forgive sins"–he then said to the paralytic,"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."He rose and went home.When the crowds saw this they were struck with aweand glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”But Thomas said to them,“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his handsand put my finger into the nailmarksand put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”Now a week later his disciples were again insideand Thomas was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked,and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,and bring your hand and put it into my side,and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,so that the boat was being swamped by waves;but he was asleep.They came and woke him, saying,“Lord, save us!  We are perishing!”He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,and there was great calm.The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this,whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

When Jesus saw a crowd around him,he gave orders to cross to the other shore.A scribe approached and said to him,"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."Another of his disciples said to him,"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,and let the dead bury their dead."

When Jesus had crossed again in the boatto the other side,a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,"My daughter is at the point of death.Please, come lay your hands on herthat she may get well and live."He went off with him,and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctorsand had spent all that she had.Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowdand touched his cloak.She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."Immediately her flow of blood dried up.She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"But his disciples said to Jesus,"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"And he looked around to see who had done it.The woman, realizing what had happened to her,approached in fear and trembling.She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."While he was still speaking,people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"Disregarding the message that was reported,Jesus said to the synagogue official,"Do not be afraid; just have faith."He did not allow anyone to accompany him insideexcept Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,he caught sight of a commotion,people weeping and wailing loudly.So he went in and said to them,"Why this commotion and weeping?The child is not dead but asleep."And they ridiculed him.Then he put them all out.He took along the child's father and motherand those who were with himand entered the room where the child was.He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.At that they were utterly astounded.He gave strict orders that no one should know thisand said that she should be given something to eat.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippihe asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter said in reply,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,“I will do it.  Be made clean.”His leprosy was cleansed immediately.Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,but go show yourself to the priest,and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;that will be proof for them.”

Jesus said to his disciples:“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’will enter the Kingdom of heaven,but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.Many will say to me on that day,‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?Did we not drive out demons in your name?Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’Then I will declare to them solemnly,‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on themwill be like a wise man who built his house on rock.The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house.But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.And everyone who listens to these words of minebut does not act on themwill be like a fool who built his house on sand.The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house.And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”When Jesus finished these words,the crowds were astonished at his teaching,for he taught them as one having authority,and not as their scribes.