Matthew 8:18 (ASV)

Passage

Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandments to depart unto the other side.

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:16 And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:

Matthew 8:17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.

Matthew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandments to depart unto the other side.

Matthew 8:19 And there came a scribe, and said unto him, Teacher, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "great", "multitudes", "gave", "commandments", "depart", "other", and "side". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "that it might be fulfilled which was..." into verse 19's "And there came a scribe and said...", so "jesus" and "great" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.