Luke 7:8-47

⁸because I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does.”

⁹Well upon hearing these things Jesus marveled at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith!”

¹⁰When those who were sent returned to the house they found that the slave who had been sick was well.

¹¹Now it happened on the next day that He went to a town called Nain, and many of His disciples went with Him, also a large crowd.

¹²But as He approached the town gate, mercy, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; a large crowd from the town was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her He had compassion on her and said to her, “Don't cry!”

¹⁴And advancing He took hold of the bier and the bearers stood still. Then He said, “Young man, to you I say, get up!”

¹⁵So the dead man sat up and began to talk! Yes, He gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Fear took hold of all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

¹⁷And this report about Him went throughout Judea, as well as all the surrounding region.

¹⁸Then the disciples of John informed him about all these things.

¹⁹And summoning a certain two of his disciples, John sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you the Coming One, or should we look for another?”

²⁰When the men had come to Him, they said: “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we look for another?’ ”

²¹Well in that very hour He healed many from diseases and torments and malignant spirits, and to many blind He granted sight.

²²So in answer Jesus said to them: “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind regain sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, dead are raised, the poor are evangelized.

²³And, blessed is he who does not take offense at me!”

²⁴Now when John's messengers had departed, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to observe, a reed being shaken by the wind?

²⁵But what did you go out to see, a man clothed in soft garments? Really, those with gorgeous apparel and living in luxury are in palaces.

²⁶But what did you go out to see, a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet.

²⁷This is he about whom it is written: ‘Take note, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸Further, I tell you that among those born of women there is no greater prophet than John the Baptizer; yet he 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 God to be just, having been baptized with John's baptism.

³⁰But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³¹“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and to what are they similar?

³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not cry.’

³³Because John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

³⁴The Son of the Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Just look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

³⁵Still, by all her children wisdom is justified.”

³⁶Then one of the Pharisees invited Him to eat with Him, so He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined.

³⁷But then, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume,

³⁸and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head; and she kept kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

³⁹Now as the Pharisee who had invited Him observed this, he was saying to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, including what sort of woman she is—because she is a sinner!”

⁴⁰So Jesus reacted by saying to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Teacher, say on.”

⁴¹“A certain creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁴²And when they had no way to repay, he freely forgave them both. Now tell me, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³So Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one to whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

⁴⁴Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon: “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since the time I came in.

⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.

⁴⁷For this reason, I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”