Luke 6:27–8:25

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

²⁷“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.^{k 29}If anyone hits you on the cheek,^l offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. ³¹Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.^{m 32}If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.^{n 33}If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?^o Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. ³⁵But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.^p For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.^q

DO NOT JUDGE

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.^r Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.^{s 38}Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap.^t For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”^u

³⁹He also told them a parable: “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?^{v 40}A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.^w

⁴¹“Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother’s eye.

A TREE AND ITS FRUIT

⁴³“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.^{Ax 44}For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

THE TWO FOUNDATIONS

⁴⁶“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?^{a 47}I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them:^{b 48}He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”^c

A CENTURION’S FAITH

7When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum.^{d 2}A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. ³When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. ⁴When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, ⁵because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”^e

⁶Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.^{Af 8}For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” ¹⁰When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.

A WIDOW’S SON RAISED TO LIFE

¹¹Afterward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. ¹²Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.^g A large crowd from the town was also with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her^h and said, “Don’t weep.” ¹⁴Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”ⁱ

¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.^{j 16}Then fear^A came over everyone,^k and they glorified God,^l saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,”^m and “God has visited^B his people.”^{n 17}This report about him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.

IN PRAISE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

¹⁸Then John’s disciples told him about all these things.^o So John summoned two of his disciples ¹⁹and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are you the one^p who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

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

²¹At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases,^q afflictions, and evil spirits,^r and he granted sight to many blind people.^{s 22}He replied to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear,^t the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,^{u 23}and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

²⁴After John’s messengers left, he began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out 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? See, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶What then did you go out to see? A prophet?^v Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷This is the one about whom it is written:

See, I am sending my messenger

ahead of you;

he will prepare your way before you.^Dw

²⁸I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John,^E but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹(And when all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they acknowledged God’s way of righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.^{a 30}But since the Pharisees and experts in the law^b had not been baptized by him, they rejected the plan of God for themselves.^c)

AN UNRESPONSIVE GENERATION

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 and calling to each other:

We played the flute for you,

but you didn’t dance;

we sang a lament,

but you didn’t weep!

³³For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine,^d and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’^{e 35}Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

MUCH FORGIVENESS, MUCH LOVE

³⁶Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.^{f 37}And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house.^g She brought an alabaster jar of perfume ³⁸and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.^h

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!”ⁱ

⁴⁰Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

He said, “Say it, teacher.”

⁴¹“A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii,^Aj and the other fifty. ⁴²Since they could not pay it back,^k he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.”

“You have judged correctly,” he told him. ⁴⁴Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet,^l but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss,^m but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. ⁴⁶You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil,ⁿ but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”^o

⁴⁹Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”^p

⁵⁰And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.^q Go in peace.”^r

MANY WOMEN SUPPORT CHRIST’S WORK

8Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another,^s preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God.^t The Twelve were with him, ²and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses:^u Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out^v of her); ³Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

⁴As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable,^{w 5}“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it…