Matthew 8:1-13; Luke 7:1-50 (New
International Version)
1 When he came down from the mountainside, large
crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt
before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me
clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the
man. "I am willing," he said. "Be
clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4 Then
Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show
yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to
them."
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion
came to him, asking for help. 6 "Lord," he said,
"my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." 7 Jesus
said to him, "I will go and heal him." 8 The
centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 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." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was
astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I
have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I
say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their
places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth." 13 Then Jesus said to the
centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it
would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the
hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion's
servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The
centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to
come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they
pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because
he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 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. 7 That is why I did not even
consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be
healed. 8 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." 9 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.
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 saw her, his heart went out to her and
he said, "Don't cry." 14 Then he went up and
touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He
said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 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 and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared
among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This
news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
18 John's disciples told him about all these
things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to
ask, "Are you the one who was 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 was to come,
or should we expect someone else?' " 21 At that very time
Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses 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 are cured, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the
poor. 23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account
of me." 24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak
to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert 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? 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.' 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 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. 30 But
the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves,
because they had not been baptized by John.) 31 "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 flute 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, 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." ' 35 But
wisdom is proved right by all her children."
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to
have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the
table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that
town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an
alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and 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, 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 men owed money to a
certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other
fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he
canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon
replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt
canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus
said. 44Then 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, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped
them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this
woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You
did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore,
I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who
has been forgiven little loves little." 48 Then Jesus
said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 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; go in peace."
