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After Jesus had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people [on the mountain], He entered Capernaum.

Now a centurion had a bond servant who was held in honor and highly valued by him, who was sick and at the point of death.

And when the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and make his bond servant well.

And when they reached Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying, He is worthy that You should do this for him,

For he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue [at his own expense].

And Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent [some] friends to Him, saying, Lord, do not trouble [Yourself], for I am not [a]sufficiently worthy to have You come under my roof;

Neither did I consider myself worthy to come to You. But [just] speak a word, and my servant boy will be healed.

For I also am a man [daily] subject to authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bond servant, Do this, and he does it.

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, I tell you, not even in [all] Israel have I found such great faith [as this].

10 And when the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the bond servant [b]who had been ill quite well again.

11 [c]Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great throng accompanied Him.

12 [Just] as He drew near 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 large gathering from the town was accompanying her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep.

14 And He went forward and touched the funeral bier, and the pallbearers stood still. And He said, Young man, I say to you, arise [[d]from death]!

15 And the man [who was] dead sat up and began to speak. And [Jesus] gave him [back] to his mother.

16 Profound and reverent fear seized them all, and they began [e]to recognize God and praise and give thanks, saying, A great [f]Prophet has appeared among us! And God has visited His people [in order to help and care for and provide for them]!

17 And this report concerning [Jesus] spread through the whole of Judea and all the country round about.(A)

18 And John’s disciples brought him [who was now in prison] word of all these things.

19 And John summoned to him a certain two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, Are You He Who is to come, or shall we [continue to] look for another?

20 So the men came to Jesus and said, John the Baptist sent us to You to ask, Are You the One Who is to come, or shall we [continue to] look for another?

21 In that very hour Jesus was healing many [people] of sicknesses and distressing bodily plagues and evil spirits, and to many who were blind He gave [[g]a free, gracious, joy-giving gift of] sight.

22 So He replied to them, Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news (the Gospel) preached to them.(B)

23 And blessed (happy—[h]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from outward conditions—and [i]to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [[j]whatever may occur].

24 And the messengers of John having departed, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: What did you go out into the desert to gaze on? A reed shaken and swayed by the wind?

25 Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed up in soft garments? Behold, those who wear fine apparel and live in luxury are in the courts or palaces of kings.

26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet (a forthteller)? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

27 This is the one of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall make ready Your way before You.(C)

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; but [k]he that is inferior [to the other citizens] in the kingdom of God is greater [in incomparable privilege] than he.

29 And all the people who heard Him, even the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God [in [l]calling them to repentance and in pronouncing future wrath on the impenitent], being baptized with the baptism of John.

30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers [of the Mosaic Law] annulled and rejected and brought to nothing God’s purpose concerning themselves, by [refusing and] not being baptized by him [John].

31 So to what shall I compare the men of this generation? And what are they like?

32 They are like little children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying, We piped to you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we sang dirges and wailed [playing funeral], and you did not weep.

33 For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon.

34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Behold, a Man Who is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and notorious sinners.

35 Yet wisdom is vindicated ([m]shown to be true and divine) by all her children [[n]by their life, character, and deeds].

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

37 And behold, a woman of the town who was [o]an especially wicked sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment (perfume).

38 And standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with [her] tears; and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet [affectionately] and anointed them with the ointment (perfume).

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him—for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin).

40 And Jesus, replying, said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Teacher, say it.

41 A certain lender of money [at interest] had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

42 When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?

43 Simon answered, The one, I take it, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly.

44 Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into 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.

45 You gave Me no kiss, but she from the moment I came in has not ceased [[p]intermittently] to kiss My feet tenderly and caressingly.

46 You did not anoint My head with [q][cheap, ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [r][costly, rare] perfume.

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her—because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.

48 And He said to her, Your sins are forgiven!

49 Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, Who is this Who even forgives sins?

50 But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) [s]into peace [[t]in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin].

Footnotes

  1. Luke 7:6 Literal translation: “sufficient.”
  2. Luke 7:10 Some manuscripts add this phrase.
  3. Luke 7:11 Many ancient manuscripts read “the next day.”
  4. Luke 7:14 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  5. Luke 7:16 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  6. Luke 7:16 Capitalized because of what He is, the spotless Son of God, not what the speakers may have thought He was.
  7. Luke 7:21 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  8. Luke 7:23 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  9. Luke 7:23 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.
  10. Luke 7:23 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  11. Luke 7:28 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  12. Luke 7:29 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  13. Luke 7:35 Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament.
  14. Luke 7:35 Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament.
  15. Luke 7:37 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  16. Luke 7:45 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  17. Luke 7:46 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  18. Luke 7:46 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  19. Luke 7:50 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  20. Luke 7:50 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.

The Faith of the Centurion(A)

When Jesus had finished saying all this(B) to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.(C) For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son(D)

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord(E) saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”(F) 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe(G) and praised God.(H) “A great prophet(I) has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”(J) 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.(K)

Jesus and John the Baptist(L)

18 John’s(M) disciples(N) told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses(O) and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.(P) 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet?(Q) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’[b](R)

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God(S) is greater than he.”

29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.(T) 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law(U) rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

“‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not cry.’

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,(V) and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’(W) 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman(X)(Y)

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,(Z) he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet,(AA) but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss,(AB) but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head,(AC) but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(AD)

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you;(AE) go in peace.”(AF)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 7:22 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Luke 7:27 Mal. 3:1
  3. Luke 7:41 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).