Luke 7

7 ¹After he had finished saying all this to the people, he entered Capernaum. ²A centurion's servant who was dear to him was sick and at the point of death. ³Hearing about Jesus, the centurion sent Jewish elders, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴Reaching Jesus, they pleaded urgently: he deserves to have you do this for him, ⁵for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue. ⁶Jesus went with them. He was nearly at the house when the centurion sent friends to say, "Lord, don't trouble yourself—I'm not worthy for you to enter under my roof. ⁷So I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and he comes; my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

⁹Hearing this, Jesus was amazed at the centurion, turned to the crowd following him, and said, "I tell you, I have not found such faith even in Israel."

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

Jesus Restores a Widow's Son

¹¹Soon after, he went to a town called Nain, with his disciples and a big crowd. ¹²As he neared the town gate, a dead man was being carried out—an only son to his mother, a widow—and a large crowd from the town was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said, "Don't cry." ¹⁴He stepped up and touched the bier; the carriers stopped, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, get up."

¹⁵And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶Fear gripped them all; they praised our Father: "A great prophet has risen among us!" "Our Father has visited his people!" ¹⁷And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

John Asks: Are You the One?

¹⁸John's disciples told him all these things. Then John called two of his disciples, ¹⁹sent them to the Lord: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" ²⁰When the men reached him, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you, asking, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'"

²¹In that hour he healed many of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind.

²²He answered them, "Go tell John what you've seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers become clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor hear good news. ²³And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

²⁴When John's messengers left, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: "What did you go into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? ²⁵What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look—those dressed in splendor, living in luxury, are in kings' palaces. ²⁶But what did you go out to see—a prophet? Yes, I tell you: more than a prophet. ²⁷This is the one Scripture speaks of: 'Look, I'm sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare your way before you.'

²⁸I tell you: no one born of women is greater than John—yet the least in our Father's kingdom is greater than he."

²⁹(When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they declared our Father just, having been baptized with John's baptism, ³⁰but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected our Father's purpose for themselves, not baptized by him.).

³¹"To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to each other: 'We played the flute for you, and you didn't dance; we sang a dirge, and you didn't weep.' ³³For John the Baptist came eating no bread, drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' ³⁴The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'See, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ³⁵Yet wisdom is justified by all her children." ^a a v35 Wisdom proves itself by what it produces — Jesus' healings and good news show who he truly is.

Much Forgiven, She Loved Much

³⁶A Pharisee invited him to eat with him; he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷A woman in the city, a sinner, learned he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house and brought an alabaster bottle of perfume. ³⁸Standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began wetting his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the perfume. ³⁹Seeing this, the Pharisee who'd invited him thought, "If he were a prophet, he'd know who's touching him and what kind of woman she is—a sinner."

⁴⁰Jesus replied to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." He said, "Say it, Teacher."

⁴¹"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²Since neither could pay, he canceled both debts. So which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon answered, "I suppose the one he forgave the larger debt." Jesus said, "You judged rightly."

⁴⁴Turning to the woman, he told Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house—you gave no water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but she, from when I came in, hasn't stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷So I tell you, her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much. But whoever is forgiven little loves little." ⁴⁸And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹Then his fellow guests began asking each other, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."