New Testament in a Year

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant^(A)

7 After Jesus^[a] had finished saying all these things^[b] to the people who were there listening, he went to Capernaum. ² There a centurion’s servant, whom he valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³ When the centurion^[c] heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and save his servant’s life. ⁴ So they went to Jesus and begged him repeatedly, “He deserves to have this done for him, ⁵ because he loves our people and built our synagogue for us.”

⁶ So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus,^[d] “Sir,^[e] stop troubling yourself, because I’m not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That’s why I didn’t presume to come to you. But just say the word, and let my servant be healed, ⁸ because I, too, am a man under authority and have soldiers under me. I say to one ‘Go’ and he goes, to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant ‘Do this’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!” ¹⁰ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant in perfect health.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹ Soon afterwards, Jesus^[f] went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were going along with him. ¹² As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only living^[g] son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.

¹³ When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her. He told her, “You can stop crying.” ¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The man who had been dead sat up and began to speak, and Jesus^[h] gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear gripped everyone, and they began to praise God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said, and “God has helped his people.” ¹⁷ This news about Jesus^[i] spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding countryside.

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(B)

¹⁸ John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?”

²⁰ When the men had come to Jesus,^[j] they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?’”

²¹ At that time Jesus^[k] had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. ²² So he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news. ²³ How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!”

²⁴ When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus^[l] began to ask the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look! Those who wear fine clothes and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶ Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! ²⁷ This is the man about whom it is written,

²⁸ I tell you, no one has ever been born who is^[n] greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ By having been baptized with John’s baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice.^{[o] 30} But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God’s plan for themselves^[p] by refusing to be baptized by John.^[q]