Luke 7:1-43

¹When he'd finished speaking to the people, Jesus left for Capernaum.

²A centurion lived there who had a servant he greatly valued who was sick and was about to die.

³When he heard about Jesus, the centurion sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

⁴When the elders came to Jesus, they pleaded with him strongly, saying, “Please come and do what he asks. He deserves your help,

⁵because he loves our people and he built a synagogue for us.”

⁶Jesus went with them and as they approached the house, the centurion sent some friends to Jesus to tell him, “Lord, please don't trouble yourself by coming into my house, because I'm not worthy of that.

⁷I didn't even think that I was worthy to come and see you. Just give the command, and my servant will be healed.

⁸For I'm under the authority of my superior officers, and I have soldiers under my authority too. I command one to go and he goes, another to come and he comes. I command my servant to do something and he does it.”

⁹When Jesus heard this he was astounded. He turned to the crowd that was following him, and said, “I tell you, I haven't found trust like this even in Israel.”

¹⁰Then the centurion's friends returned to the house and found the servant in good health.

¹¹Soon after Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd.

¹²As he approached the town gate a funeral procession was coming the other way. The man who had died was the only son of a widow, and a sizeable crowd from the town was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her he was filled with compassion for her. “Don't cry,” he told her.

¹⁴Jesus went over to the coffin and touched it, and the pall-bearers stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up.”

¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶A sense of awe filled everyone there and they praised God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us,” and “God has visited his people.”

¹⁷News about Jesus spread throughout Judea, and all around.

¹⁸The disciples of John told John about all this.

¹⁹John called two of his disciples and told them to go and see Jesus, and ask, “Are you the one we've been expecting, or should we wait for someone else?”

²⁰When they came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you, to ask you, ‘Are you the one we've been expecting or should we wait for someone else?’”

²¹At that very moment Jesus was healing many people of their diseases, illnesses, evil spirits, and making the blind to see.

²²Jesus answered John's disciples, “Go and tell John what you've seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised back to life, the poor are told the good news.

²³How good it is for those who are not offended because of me!”

²⁴After the messengers from John had left, Jesus began telling the crowd, “About John: what did you expect to see when you went out to meet him in the desert? Some reed blown about by the wind?

²⁵Did you come looking for a man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who have stylish clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces.

²⁶Were you looking for a prophet? Yes he is, and I'm telling you, he's much more than a prophet.

²⁷It was written about him in Scripture: ‘Look, I'm sending my messenger to go before you to prepare your way.’

²⁸I tell you, no one born of women is greater than John, but even the most unimportant person in God's kingdom is greater than he is!”

²⁹When they heard this, all of them—even the tax collectors—followed what God said was good and right, for they had been baptized by John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and the religious teachers rejected what God wanted them to do, for they had refused to be baptized by John.

³¹“What shall I compare these people to?” asked Jesus. “What are they like?

³²They're like children sitting in the market who tell one other, ‘We played the flute for you but you didn't dance; we sang sad songs but you didn't cry.’

³³When John the Baptist came he didn't eat bread or drink wine, but you say he's demon-possessed.

³⁴Now the Son of man is here, and eats and drinks with people, but you say, ‘Look, he spends his time eating too much food and drinking too much wine. Plus he's a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

³⁵However, God's wise ways are proved right by all who follow him!”

³⁶One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to come and eat with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and sat down to the meal.

³⁷A woman who was a sinner in that town found out that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee's house. She went there, carrying an alabaster jar of perfume.

³⁸She kneeled beside Jesus and with her tears wet his feet, and dried them with her hair. She kissed his feet, and then she poured the perfume over them.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this he said to himself, “If this man was really a prophet he would know who this woman was who's touching him, and what kind of person she was—that she's a sinner!”

⁴⁰Jesus spoke up and said, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, Teacher,” he responded.

⁴¹“Once two people were in debt to a money-lender. One owed five hundred denarii, the other only fifty.

⁴²Neither of them could repay him, so he forgave the debts. Which one will love him the most?”

⁴³“The one he forgave the most, I would think,” Simon answered. “You're absolutely right,” said Jesus.