Luke 7

Healing the Centurion’s Slave

1 After Jesust had finished teaching all this to the people,t he entered Capernaum.ss2 A centurions theret had a slavet who was highly regarded,t but who was sick and at the point of death.3 When the centuriont heardt about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elderss to him, asking him to comet and heal his slave.4 Whent they camet to Jesus, they urgedt him earnestly,t “He is worthyt to have you do this for him,5 because he loves our nation,t and event built our synagogue.”s6 Sot Jesus went with them. Whent he was not far from the house, the centurions sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself,t for I am not worthys to have you come under my roof.7 That is whyt I did not presumet to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed.st8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me.t I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes,s and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”t9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazedt at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!”s

10 Sot when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slaves well.

Raising a Widow’s Son

11 Soont afterwards Jesust went to a townt called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.12 As he approached the town gate, a mant who had died was being carried out,t the only son of his mother (whot was a widows), and a large crowd from the townt was with her.13 Whent the Lord saw her, he had compassions for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”t14 Thent he came upt and toucheds the bier,s and those who carried it stood still. Het said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”15 Sot the dead mant sat up and began to speak, and Jesust gave him backt to his mother.16 Feart seized them all, and they began to glorifyt God, saying, “A great prophets has appearedt among us!” and “God has come to helpt his people!”

17 Thist reports about Jesust circulatedt throughoutt Judea and all the surrounding country.

Jesus and John the Baptist

18 John’st disciples informed him about all these things. Sot John calledt two of his disciples19 and sent them to Jesuss to ask,t “Are you the one who is to come,s or should we look for another?”20 Whent the men came to Jesus,t they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,t ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”t21 At that very timet Jesust cured many people of diseases, sicknesses,t and evil spirits, and grantedt sight to many who were blind.22 Sot he answered them,t “Go tells John what you have seen and heard:s The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, thet deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

23 Blessed is anyonet who takes no offense at me.”
24 Whent John’s messengers had gone, Jesust began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wildernesst to see? A reed shaken by the wind?t25 Whatt did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancyt clothes?s Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxuryt are in kings’ courts!t26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and moret than a prophet.27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,twho will prepare your way before you.’s28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greaters than John.s Yet the one who is leasts in the kingdom of Gods is greater than he is.”29 (Nowt all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors,s acknowledgedt God’s justice, because they had been baptizedt with John’s baptism.

30 However, the Phariseess and the experts in religious lawt rejected God’s purposet for themselves, because they had not been baptizedt by John.t)s
31 “To what then should I compare the peoplet of this generation, and what are they like?

32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another,t
‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance;s
we wailed in mourning,t yet you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has comet eating no bread and drinking no wine,t and you say, ‘He has a demon!’s34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him,t a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’s

35 But wisdom is vindicatedt by all her children.”t

Jesus’ Anointing

36 Now one of the Phariseess asked Jesust to have dinner with him, sot he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.t37 Thent when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesust was diningt at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jars of perfumed oil.ts38 Ast she stoodt behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Shet wiped them with her hair,t kissedt them,t and anointeds them with the perfumed oil.39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this,t he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,t he would know who and what kind of womans this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”40 Sot Jesus answered him,ts “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied,t “Say it, Teacher.”41 “A certain creditors had two debtors; one owed himt five hundred silver coins,ts and the other fifty.42 When they could not pay, he canceledt the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”43 Simon answered,t “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”t Jesust said to him, “You have judged rightly.”44 Then,t 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,s but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45 You gave me no kiss of greeting,t but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet.46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feets with perfumed oil.47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much;ts but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”48 Thent Jesust said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”s49 Butt those who were at the tablet with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

50 Het said to the woman, “Your faiths has saved you;s go in peace.”

LUKE 7

Jesus Heals //an Army Officer's Servant

(Matthew 8.5-13; John 4.43-54)

1 After Jesus had finished teaching the people, he went to Capernaum. 2 In this town an army officer's servant was sick and about to die. The officer liked his servant very much.

3 And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish leaders to ask him to come and heal the servant.
4 The leaders went to Jesus and begged him to do something. They said, “This man deserves your help! 5 He loves our nation and even built us a synagogue.”

6 So Jesus went with them.
When Jesus wasn't far from the house, the officer sent some friends to tell him, “Lord, don't go to any trouble for me! I am not good enough for you to come into my house. 7 And I am certainly not worthy to come to you. Just say the word, and my servant will get well.

8 I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”

9 When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith!”

10 The officer's friends returned and found the servant well.

A Widow's Son

12 As they came near the gate of the town, they saw people carrying out the body of a widow's only son. Many people from the town were walking along with her.

13 When the Lord saw the woman, he felt sorry for her and said, “Don't cry!”
14 Jesus went over and touched the stretcher on which the people were carrying the dead boy. They stopped, and Jesus said, “Young man, get up!”

15 The boy sat up and began to speak. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.

16 Everyone was frightened and praised God. They said, “A great prophet is here with us! God has come to his people.”

17 News about Jesus spread all over Judea and everywhere else in that part of the country.

John the Baptist

(Matthew 11.1-19)

18-19 John's followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”

20 When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?’ ”
21 At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. 22 t Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosyt are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news.

23 God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”

24 After John's messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John:
What kind of person did you go out to the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? 25 What kind of man did you really go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who wear expensive clothes and live in luxury are in the king's palace. 26 What then did you go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was! I tell you that he was more than a prophet. 27 t In the Scriptures, God calls John his messenger and says, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you.”

28 No one ever born on this earth is greater than John. But whoever is least important in God's kingdom is greater than John.
29  t Everyone had been listening to John. Even the tax collectorst had obeyed God and had done what was right by letting John baptize them.

30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law of Moses refused to obey God and be baptized by John.

31 Jesus went on to say:
What are you people like? What kind of people are you?

32 You are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,
“We played the flute,
but you would not dance!
We sang a funeral song,
but you would not cry!”
33 John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “John has a demon in him!” 34 But because the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, you say, “Jesus eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

35 Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what its followers do.

Simon the Pharisee

36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's home and got ready to eat.t
37  t When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume.

38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.

39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.
41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him 500 silver coins, and the other owed him 50.

42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it back.”
“You are right,” Jesus said.
44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn't give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn't even pour olive oil on my head, t but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet.

47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”

48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
50 But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved.t May God give you peace!”