A Believing Centurion

7 After Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people who were listening, he went into Capernaum. ² A centurion’s servant, who was valuable to him, was sick and about to die. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, ⁵ because he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us.”

⁶ Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, because I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I am also a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he was amazed at him. He turned to the crowd that was following him and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” ¹⁰ And when the men who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹ Soon afterward^[a] Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain, and^[b] his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. ¹² As he was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not cry.” ¹⁴ He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear gripped all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ This was reported about him in all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.

John the Baptist and Christ

¹⁸ John’s disciples told him about all these things. ¹⁹ Calling two of his disciples to him, he sent them to Jesus^[c] to ask, “Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?” ²⁰ When the men had arrived, they said to Jesus, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?’”

²¹ At that time Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits. And he gave many blind people the ability to see. ²² Jesus answered them, “Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ²³ Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.”

²⁴ After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ No. Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Yet those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’^[d]

²⁸ “Yes, I tell you,^[e] among those born of women there is no prophet^[f] greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ When all the people (including the tax collectors) heard this, they declared that God was just, since they were baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the legal experts rejected God’s purpose for themselves by not being baptized by him.

³¹ “To what then will I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ ³³ For John the Baptist has come without eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is declared right by all her children.”

Jesus Is Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶ A certain one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ Just then a sinful woman from that town learned that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸ stood behind him near his feet weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she began to wipe them with her hair while also kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would realize who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, because she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

He said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii,^[g] and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt forgiven.”

Then he told him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, but you did not give me water for my feet. Yet she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but she, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that is why she loved so much. But the one who is forgiven little loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

⁴⁹ Those reclining at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”