After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the
people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was
sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When
the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews,
asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to
Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to
have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the
one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he
was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to
him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have
you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you.
But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man
set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one,
‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my
servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things,
he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him,
said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And
when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the
servant well.
Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples
and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the
town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only
son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd
from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had
compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up
and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said,
“Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began
to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all,
and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among
us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him
spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying,
“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And
when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent
us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we
look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases
and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he
bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you
have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the
poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is
not offended by me.”
When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the
crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to
see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A
man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in
splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. What
then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more
than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than
John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater
than he.” (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors
too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism
of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of
God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and
what are they like? 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.’
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no
wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating
and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by
all her children.”
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into
the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of
the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining
at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of
ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began
to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her
head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now
when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort
of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And
Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to
you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled
the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon
answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger
debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning
toward the woman he 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 her hair. You gave
me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss
my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed
my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are
many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven
little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among
themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to
the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
