5th Sunday of Matthew

Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved. ²For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ⁴For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.” ⁶But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); ⁷or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)” ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith which we preach: ⁹that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation.

When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way. ²⁹Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” ³⁰Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them. ³¹The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”

³²He said to them, “Go!” They came out and went into the herd of pigs; and behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. ³³Those who fed them fled and went away into the city and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons. ³⁴Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.

¹He entered into a boat and crossed over, and came into his own city.