Luke 7 - 8
The Centurion’s Faith
2And a centurion’s slave, 1who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3Now when he heard about Jesus, ahe sent some 1Jewish elders asking Him to come and 2save the life of his slave. 4And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6Now Jesus was going on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “1Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not good enough for You to come under my roof. 7“For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just 1say the word, and my 2servant will be healed. 8“For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. And He turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, anot even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
11And it happened that soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain, and His disciples were going along with Him, 1accompanied by a large crowd. 12Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, 1a dead man was being carried out, the 2only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13And when athe Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” 14And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” 15And the 1dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16aAnd fear gripped them all, and they began bglorifying God, saying, “A great cprophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has 1visited His people!” 17aAnd this report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.
Questions from John the Baptist
18aAnd the disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19Summoning 1two of his disciples, John sent them to athe Lord, saying, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” 20When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’” 21At that 1very time He acured many people of diseases and bafflictions and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many who were blind. 22And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the ablind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the bpoor have the gospel preached to them. 23“Blessed is he 1who does not take offense at Me.”
24And when the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? 25“1But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft garments? Behold, those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! 26“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and even more than a prophet. 27“This is the one about whom it is written, ‘aBehold, I send My messenger 1ahead of You,Who will prepare Your way before You.’
28“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is 1least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29And when all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they 1acknowledged aGod’s justice, bhaving been baptized with cthe baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and the ascholars of the Law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by 1John.
31“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32“They are like children, sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, who say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 33“For John the Baptist has come aeating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a 1drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 2sinners!’ 35“Yet wisdom ais vindicated 1by all her children.”
36Now one of the Pharisees was asking Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37aAnd behold, there was a woman in the city who was a 1sinner. And when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. 38And standing behind Him at His feet, crying, she began to wet His feet with her tears. And she kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Him, saw this, he said to himself, saying, “If this man were aa prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
Parable of Two Debtors
40And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he 1replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred 1,adenarii, and the other fifty. 42“When they awere unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he graciously forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you agave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45“You agave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46“aYou did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48Then He said to her, “aYour sins have been forgiven.” 49And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say 1to themselves, “aWho is this man who even forgives sins?” 50And He said to the woman, “aYour faith has saved you; bgo in peace.”
Many Women Contribute to Jesus’ Ministry
8And it happened that soon afterward He was going around from one city and village to another, apreaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2and also asome women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: bMary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna the wife of Chuza, aHerod’s bmanager, and Susanna, and many others who were ministering to them from their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower
4aNow when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5“The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the 1air ate it up. 6“And other seed fell on rock and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7“And other seed fell among the thorns, and when the thorns grew up with it, they choked it out. 8“And other seed fell into the good soil; and growing up, it produced a crop one hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “aHe who has ears to hear, 1let him hear.”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
9aAnd His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10And He said, “aTo you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that bseeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
11“Now the parable is this: athe seed is the word of God. 12“And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13“And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root; 1they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14“And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit. 15“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with 1perseverance.
A Lampstand and the Light
16“Now ano one after lighting a lamp covers it with a container or puts it under a bed, but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17“aFor nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18“So beware how you listen, afor whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he 1thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
19aAnd His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these awho hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus Calms a Storm
22aNow it happened that on one of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of bthe lake.” So they set sail. 23But as they were sailing along, He fell asleep, and a windstorm descended on athe lake, and they began to be swamped and in danger. 24And they came to Him and woke Him up, saying, “aMaster, Master, we are perishing!” And He woke up and brebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and 1it became calm. 25And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
Jesus Saves a Man from Many Demons
26aThen they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when He came out onto the land, a man from the city met Him, one who was possessed with demons and had not put on any garment for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28Now seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “1,aWhat do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of bthe Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” 29For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles, being kept under guard. And yet breaking his bonds, he was driven by the demon into the desolate regions. 30And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “aLegion,” for many demons had entered him. 31And they were pleading with Him not to command them to go away into athe abyss.
32Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain, and the demons pleaded with Him to permit them to enter 1the swine. And He gave them permission. 33And when the demons came out of the man, they entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into athe lake and was drowned.
34And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. 35And the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down aat the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was ademon-possessed had been 1saved. 37And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear. And He got into a boat and returned. 38aBut the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might 1accompany Him. But He sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your house and recount what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’ Daughter
40aAnd as Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. 41aAnd behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was 1,ban official of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he began to plead with Him to come to his house, 42for he had an 1only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.
43And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “aMaster, the crowds are surrounding and pressing in on You.” 46But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I knew that apower had gone out of Me.” 47And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed. 48And He said to her, “Daughter, ayour faith has 1saved you; bgo in peace.”
49While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of athe synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” 50But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “aDo not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be 1saved.” 51So when He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. 52Now they were all crying and alamenting for her, but He said, “Stop crying, for she has not died, but bis asleep.” 53And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” 55And her spirit returned, and she stood up immediately. And He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. 56And her parents were astounded, but He adirected them to tell no one what had happened.