Matthew 9 - First Nations Version

WHO CAN FORGIVE BROKEN WAYS?

¹ So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his close followers climbed back into the canoe and crossed over to the other side of the lake and went to the village where he was staying.

² Some people there came carrying a crippled man lying on a sleeping mat and brought him to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). When he saw their faith in him, he said to the crippled man, “Be brave, my son, you are released from your broken ways.”

³ When they heard this, some of the scroll keepers began to grumble among themselves. “This man is speaking against the Great Spirit and his ways!”

⁴ In his spirit, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) knew what they were thinking. “Why are your hearts so full of dark thoughts?” he said to them.

⁵ “Is it easier to tell a crippled man, ‘Get up and walk,’ or to say to him, ‘You are released from your broken ways’?” The crowd grew quiet as all eyes turned to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), waiting to see what he would do.

⁶ “This is how you will know that the True Human Being has the right to forgive bad hearts and broken ways on this earth.” He turned to the crippled man and said, “Get up, roll up your sleeping bundle and walk home.”

⁷ So the man stood up and began to walk home.

⁸ Then great respect and awe filled the hearts of all who were there. They gave honor to the Great Spirit for giving such authority to human beings.

A TRIBAL TAX COLLECTOR FOLLOWS HIM

⁹ Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left there, and as he walked on, he saw a tribal tax collector named Gift from Creator (Matthew) sitting at his tax booth. Tribal tax collectors were often Tribal Members who were given the right to collect taxes for the People of Iron (Romans). They could force their own people, under the threat of violence, to pay them. To make a living, they would take more than the People of Iron (Romans) required. But many of them became greedy and took even more than they were permitted. They were hated and looked down on by the people. Creator Sets Free (Jesus), to the surprise of all, walked up to the tribal tax collector and said to him, “Gift from Creator (Matthew), come and walk the road with me.” So he got up from his tax booth, left it all behind, and began to walk the road with Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

¹⁰ In the house of Gift from Creator (Matthew), Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers were sitting down at the table eating with the guests. Among the guests were many tax collectors and outcasts. The Separated Ones (Pharisees) called certain people outcasts. They used their strict interpretation of tribal law as a way to point them out. These outcasts were not permitted to enter the gathering houses. They were looked down on and despised by the Separated Ones (Pharisees). Outcasts included tribal tax collectors, prostitutes, people who ate and drank too much, the ones with diseases that made them ceremonially unclean, and anyone who was not a member of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

¹¹ When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) eating with outcasts, they complained to his followers, saying, “Why does your wisdomkeeper eat with tribal tax collectors and outcasts?”

¹² Creator Sets Free (Jesus) overheard them and said, “People who are well do not need medicine. It is for the ones who are sick.

¹³ Go and learn this wise saying, ‘What I want is kindness and mercy, not animal sacrifices.’ I have not come for the ones with good hearts. I have come to help the outcasts find the path back home again.”

NEW WINESKINS FOR NEW WINE

¹⁴ Some of the followers of Gift of Goodwill (John) came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and asked him, “Why do your followers feast instead of going without food and praying often, like we and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) do?”

¹⁵ “Do you expect wedding guests to be sad and go without eating when the groom is hosting a feast?” he asked. “The time will come when he is gone. Then they will be sad and go without eating.

¹⁶ “No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch an old garment. It would shrink and make the tear worse.

¹⁷ No one puts new wine into an old wineskin, for the new wine would burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost and the skins ruined. New wineskins are what is needed. Then both wine and skins are preserved.” He said this to show that the old ways of the spiritual leaders did not reflect the beauty of the new way he was bringing.

COME AND HEAL MY DAUGHTER!

¹⁸ As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was speaking, a tribal leader came and humbled himself before him. “My little girl has just crossed over to death! But I know that if you will come and lay your hands on her, she will live again.”

¹⁹ So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his followers went with him.

²⁰ There was a woman following with the crowd who had been bleeding in an unusual way for more than twelve winters. This would have made her ceremonially unclean and untouchable according to tribal law. She came up close behind Creator Sets Free (Jesus), reached out her hand, and touched the fringe of his outer garment.

²¹ For she had said to herself, “If I can only touch his clothes, I know I will be healed.”

²² Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned around and looked at her with kindness in his eyes and said, “Take courage, daughter, your faith has made you well.” Right then the blood stopped flowing, and she was healed!

POWER OVER DEATH

²³ When they arrived at the tribal leader’s home, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw the noisy crowd of mourners and flute players.

²⁴ “Go from here!” he said. “This little girl is not dead. She only sleeps.” But they scorned and laughed at him, for they knew she was dead.

²⁵ After they had gone, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) went inside the house and took the little girl by the hand, and she stood up.

²⁶ The story of this began to spread far and wide.

TWO BLIND MEN

²⁷ As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) left from there, two blind men followed after him. They were calling out to him, “Be kind to us, descendant of Much Loved One (David).”

²⁸ The blind men, with the help of others, followed him into a house. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked them, “Do you believe I can make your eyes see?” “Yes, Wisdomkeeper,” was their answer.

²⁹ He reached out, touched their eyes, and said to them, “Your trust in me will make it so.” They staggered back and rubbed their eyes.

³⁰ He had healed them! They could see! Creator Sets Free (Jesus) gave them a stern warning and said, “Tell no one about this.”

³¹ But in their excitement, they did not listen, and they told the news far and wide about what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had done for them.

POWERFUL MEDICINE

³² As they went from there, someone brought a man to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) who could not speak because of an evil spirit.

³³ When the spirit was forced out of him, the man began to speak. All the people were amazed and said, “In all the history of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) no one has ever seen this kind of powerful medicine.”

³⁴ But the spiritual leaders from the Separated Ones (Pharisees) said, “It is the ruler of evil spirits who gives him the power to force out spirits.”

CHIEF OF THE HARVEST

³⁵ Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to walk about and visit the villages. He taught in their gathering houses, helped people to understand about Creator’s good road, and healed people from every kind of sickness and disease.

³⁶ When he saw the great number of people needing help, he was moved in his spirit with great compassion for them. He knew they were pushed down with no one to help and scattered about like sheep without a shepherd to watch over them.

³⁷ So he said to the ones who walked the road with him, “There is a great harvest in front of us, but only a few to gather it in.

³⁸ Pray to the Great Spirit Chief of the harvest, so he will send out more helpers into the fields.”