Matthew 8 | Devotional - Bible Reading and Prayer - One Chapter a Day

Matthew Chapter 8 | Best devotional materials, including: introduction, background, main content, Bible reading and prayer video, Scripture, and post-reading prayer to help you gain a deeper understanding of biblical truth.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to our One Chapter per day Bible reading time.

By God’s grace, today we will read Matthew chapter 8.

In this chapter, we see Jesus’ great compassion and authority revealed through a series of miracles — He heals a man with leprosy, restores the centurion’s servant with just a word, calms the storm with His command, and delivers two men oppressed by demons. Each story shows that Jesus has power over sickness, nature, and evil, and that His mercy reaches all who come to Him in faith.

This passage reminds us that no situation is beyond the reach of Christ’s healing and that true faith trusts in His word and authority completely. Let us listen with reverence and gratitude to God’s Word together. 

Matthew Chapter 8 Introduction:

Matthew chapter 8 continues to reveal Jesus’ divine authority through a series of powerful miracles that demonstrate His compassion, sovereignty, and lordship over sickness, nature, and the spiritual world. After teaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus now puts His words into action—showing that the kingdom of heaven is not only a message to be heard but also a power to be experienced. This chapter highlights how faith, even in unexpected people, can move the heart of God and bring His healing and salvation.

Main Content of Matthew Chapter 8:
Jesus Heals the Sick (verses 1–17)
The chapter opens with the healing of a man with leprosy—an act that reveals both Jesus’ compassion and His power to cleanse what is unclean. Next, Jesus heals the servant of a Roman centurion from a distance, marveling at the centurion’s great faith. Then, in Peter’s house, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and many others who were sick or possessed by demons, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah that the Messiah would “take up our infirmities and bear our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus (verses 18–22)
When crowds gather around Jesus, He reminds them that following Him requires full devotion and sacrifice. His words challenge would-be disciples to count the cost of true discipleship, emphasizing that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

Jesus Calms the Storm (verses 23–27)
As Jesus and His disciples cross the lake, a violent storm threatens to sink their boat. The terrified disciples cry out for help, and Jesus rebukes the winds and the waves, bringing complete calm. This miracle demonstrates His authority over nature and calls His followers to trust Him even when fear rises in the midst of life’s storms.

Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men (verses 28–34)
Upon arriving in the region of the Gadarenes, Jesus encounters two men possessed by demons. The demons recognize Him as the Son of God and beg Him not to torment them. Jesus commands them to leave, and they enter a herd of pigs that rushes into the sea. Though the townspeople ask Jesus to leave, this account powerfully shows His authority over evil and the deliverance He brings to those bound by darkness.

Spiritual Significance of Matthew Chapter 8:
Matthew 8 invites us to see Jesus not only as a teacher but as the living Lord who heals, restores, and commands all creation. His touch cleanses the unclean, His word heals the distant, His voice calms the storms, and His authority drives out evil. The chapter also teaches that faith—whether from a leper, a Roman centurion, or a fearful disciple—is the key to experiencing God’s power. It reminds us that Jesus’ presence brings peace in chaos, healing in brokenness, and victory over the forces of darkness.

Through Matthew chapter 8, we encounter the living Christ whose authority extends over every part of life—body, soul, and spirit. As we read this chapter, may our faith grow deeper, our hearts more surrendered, and our eyes more open to see that Jesus still calms storms, heals wounds, and brings freedom to all who trust in Him.

Matthew Chapter 8 YouTube Bible Reading and Prayer Video:

8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

The Faith of the Centurion

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

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

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.