Jesus sætter en ikke-jøde fri fra dæmonernes magt
Matt. 8,28-34; Luk. 8,26-39
1Jesus og disciplene var nu nået over søen til den anden bred, til gerasenernes5,1 Eller: „gadarenernes”. Manuskripterne varierer. Her tænkes næppe på den store by Gerasa, som ligger midtvejs mellem Galilæasøen og Det Døde Hav ca. 30 km øst for Jordanfloden. Det henviser snarere til en lille flække (Gersa?) ved søens bred, som i dag er kendt under navnet Kursi. egn. 2-3Straks da de gik i land, kom en mand styrtende ud fra en klippehule og hen imod dem. Han var besat af onde ånder og holdt til i de klippehuler, der blev brugt som gravpladser. 4Han havde igen og igen sprængt alle de fodjern og lænker, man havde forsøgt at holde ham bundet med. Ingen kunne klare ham, 5og dag og nat kunne man høre ham hyle i gravhulerne og oppe i bjergene, hvor han slog sig selv med sten.
6Manden havde på lang afstand fået øje på Jesus, og nu kom han styrtende og kastede sig ned på jorden foran ham. 7-8Jesus befalede den onde ånd at forlade manden, men blev mødt med et højt skrig: „Lad mig være i fred, Jesus, du, den almægtige Guds Søn! Lov mig højt og helligt, at du ikke vil pine mig.”
9„Hvad er dit navn?” spurgte Jesus. „Legion,” svarede han, „for vi er mange!” 10Og så gav dæmonerne sig til at bønfalde Jesus om ikke at sende dem bort fra egnen.
11Nu var der en stor flok svin, som gik og rodede efter føde på toppen af en skrænt i nærheden. 12„Giv os lov til at besætte svinene!” tiggede dæmonerne. 13I samme øjeblik Jesus gav dem lov, fór dæmonerne ud af manden og ind i svinene, og hele flokken—omkring 2000—styrtede ned ad skrænten og druknede i søen.
14Svinehyrderne flygtede og fortalte om det både i by og på land, så egnens beboere kom strømmende til for at se, hvad der var sket. 15Da de kom hen til Jesus, så de manden, der havde haft de mange dæmoner i sig, sidde påklædt og ved sans og samling. Det forbløffede dem og gjorde dem bange. 16De, der havde set, hvad der var sket med manden og svinene, fortalte dem, hvordan det var gået til. 17Derefter bad de Jesus om at forlade deres egn.
18Da Jesus var på vej op i båden, bad manden, der havde været besat af dæmoner, om lov til at følge med ham. 19„Nej,” sagde Jesus, „gå du hjem til dine landsmænd og fortæl, hvad Israels Gud5,19 Den græske tekst siger „Herren”. Som det er tradition hos jøderne, bruger Jesus ordet „Herre” for Jahve, Israels Gud. i sin barmhjertighed har gjort for dig.”
20Manden gik derefter rundt i Dekapolis og fortalte alle om de store ting, Jesus havde gjort for ham. Og folk undrede sig.
Ved tro bliver en kvinde helbredt og en pige oprejst fra de døde
Matt. 9,18-26; Luk. 8,40-56
21Så snart Jesus var nået tilbage over søen og gået i land, samledes en stor skare mennesker omkring ham. Mens han endnu stod nede på søbredden, 22kom en synagogeforstander derhen. Hans navn var Jairus. Da han kom hen til Jesus, faldt han på knæ foran ham 23og bad indtrængende: „Min lille datter ligger for døden derhjemme! Men hvis du kommer og lægger hænderne på hende, så vil hun blive rask og leve!”
24Jesus gik med ham, men en vældig masse mennesker trængtes stadig om ham. 25Mellem de mange mennesker var der en kvinde, som igennem 12 år havde lidt af vedvarende blødninger. 26I alle de år havde hun gennemgået meget hos forskellige læger, og selv om hun havde brugt alle sine penge i håb om at blive rask, var hendes tilstand ikke blevet bedre—tværtimod. 27-28Hun havde hørt, hvad folk fortalte om Jesus, og hun trængte sig nu frem gennem mængden for at nå hen til ham. „Hvis bare jeg får rørt ved hans bedesjal, bliver jeg helbredt,” tænkte hun. Forsigtigt rørte hun bagfra ved sjalet. 29Straks standsede blødningerne, og hun kunne mærke, at hun var blevet rask.
30Jesus standsede op og vendte sig om, for han havde mærket, at en helbredende kraft var strømmet ud fra ham. „Hvem var det, der rørte ved mit sjal?” spurgte han.
31„Hele mængden maser jo ind på dig,” indvendte disciplene. „Og så spørger du, hvem der har rørt ved dig?”
32Jesus blev imidlertid stående og så sig omkring for at få øje på den, der havde gjort det.
33Den forskrækkede kvinde kom frem. Hun rystede af sindsbevægelse, for hun vidste jo, hvad der var sket. „Det var mig,” sagde hun og faldt på knæ foran ham. Og så fortalte hun det hele. 34„Min ven, det var din tro, der reddede dig,” sagde Jesus. „Gå med fred! Du er nu fuldstændig helbredt.”
35Mens han endnu stod og talte med hende, kom der nogle til Jairus med en besked fra hans hjem: „Din datter er død,” sagde de til ham. „Der er ingen grund til at ulejlige mesteren mere.” 36Jesus hørte, hvad der blev sagt, og sagde henvendt til Jairus: „Vær ikke bange. Du skal bare tro på mig.”
37Jesus ville ikke have andre med sig hen til Jairus’ hjem end Peter, Jakob og dennes bror Johannes. 38Da de kom derhen, var der en vældig larm. Folk græd og jamrede højlydt inde i huset. 39Jesus og disciplene gik indenfor. „Hvorfor græder og jamrer I sådan?” spurgte han. „Den lille pige er ikke død. Hun sover bare.” 40De lo ad ham, men han bad dem alle gå udenfor og tog kun den lille piges far og mor og de tre disciple med ind i det værelse, hvor hun lå.
41Han gik hen til sengen, tog pigens hånd og sagde: „Stå op, min pige!” 42Straks rejste hun sig op og begyndte at gå omkring. Hun var 12 år gammel. Forældrene stod og stirrede med åben mund. 43„I må ikke sige det til nogen,” sagde Jesus strengt, „og sørg for, at hun får noget at spise.”
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.5:1 Some manuscripts Gadarenes; other manuscripts Gergesenes 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis5:20 That is, the Ten Cities how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36Overhearing5:36 Or Ignoring what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
