Go to Related Reading
About this book

Matthew

About this book
Chapter 8

1 After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.⁠ 2 And a leper approached and bowed low before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help: 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof! Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! 11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet⁠ with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,⁠ 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness,⁠ where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that hour. 14 Now when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve them. 16 When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 17 In this way what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: “He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.”⁠ 18 Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. 19 Then an expert in the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”⁠ 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”⁠ 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. 25 So they came and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” 26 But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.⁠ 27 And the men were amazed and said, “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” 28 When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. 29 They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 A large herd of pigs was feeding some distance from them. 31 Then the demons begged him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water. 33 The herdsmen ran off, went into the town, and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Texts in conversation

Compare 2 Maccabees 9:8 and Matthew 8:27

Deuterocanon · New Testament

Share:

Summary

In 2 Maccabees, Antiochus boasts that he can control the sea, a power linked to God, and his death shows his claim was empty. In Matthew, the disciples react with awe when Jesus calms the sea because the act shows real authority rather than pride.

Passages

2 Maccabees 9:8

Deuterocanon
5 But the All-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him with a fatal and invisible stroke. As soon as he had finished speaking this word, an incurable pain of the bowels seized him, with bitter torments of the inner parts— 6 and that most justly, for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange sufferings. 7 But he in no way ceased from his rude insolence. No, he was filled with even more arrogance, breathing fire in his passion against the Jews, and giving orders to hasten the journey. But it came to pass moreover that he fell from his chariot as it rushed along, and having a grievous fall was tortured in all of the members of his body. 8 He who had just supposed himself to have the waves of the sea at his bidding because he was so superhumanly arrogant, and who thought to weigh the heights of the mountains in a balance, was now brought to the ground and carried in a litter, showing to all that the power was obviously God’s, 9 so that worms swarmed out of the impious man’s body, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh fell off, and by reason of the stench all the army turned with loathing from his decay.
160–63 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Maccabees

Matthew 8:27

New Testament
23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. 25 So they came and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” 26 But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm. 27 And the men were amazed and said, “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” 28 When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The significance and efficacy the motif of Yahweh commanding the sea and walking on the sea becomes more apparent when we analyze how 2 Maccabees uses this motif to attack the legitimacy of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Though 2 Maccabees predates the gospels, it is more fruitful to discuss how the motif is used therein after discussing the gospel use. The legitimating function of the motif in the gospels and the delegitimating function of the motif in 2 Maccabees play upon the same notions of Yahweh’s authority over sea. Second Maccabees inverts the legitimating function in order to criticize Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This inversion and the delegitimating function become more apparent when contrasted with the gospel's examples. Antiochus IV Epiphanes is portrayed wielding illegitimate power when he is accused of imagining that he possesses authority over the sea ..."
Debra Scoggins Ballentine, The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 180–181.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

2 Maccabees 9:8 and Matthew 8:27

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library