²There the servant of a Roman commander was sick and about to die. His master thought highly of him. ³The commander heard about Jesus. So he sent some elders of the Jews to him. He told them to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant.

⁴They came to Jesus and begged him, “This man deserves to have you do this. ⁵He loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” ⁶So Jesus went with them.

When Jesus came near the house, the Roman commander sent friends to him. He told them to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself. I am not good enough to have you come into my house. ⁷That is why I did not even think I was fit to come to you. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸I myself am a man who is under authority. And I have soldiers who obey my orders. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned to the crowd that was following him. He said, “I tell you, even in Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong.”

¹⁰Then the men who had been sent to Jesus returned to the house. They found that the servant was healed.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son From the Dead

¹¹Some time later, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹²He approached the town gate. Just then, a dead person was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother. She was a widow. A large crowd from the town was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her. So he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴Then he went up and touched the coffin. Those carrying it stood still.

Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to talk. Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶The people were all filled with wonder and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷This news about Jesus spread all through Judea and the whole country.

Jesus and John the Baptist

¹⁸John’s disciples told him about all these things. So he chose two of them. ¹⁹He sent them to the Lord. They were to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who was supposed to come? Or should we look for someone else?”

²⁰The men came to Jesus. They said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who was supposed to come? Or should we look for someone else?’ ”

²¹At that very time Jesus healed many people. They had illnesses, sicknesses and evil spirits. He also gave sight to many who were blind. ²²So Jesus replied to the messengers, “Go back to John. Tell him what you have seen and heard. Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are healed. Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is preached to those who are poor. ²³Blessed are those who do not give up their faith because of me.”

²⁴So John’s messengers left. Then Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. He said, “What did you go out into the desert to see? Tall grass waving in the wind? ²⁵If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No. Those who wear fine clothes and have many expensive things are in palaces. ²⁶Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

²⁷“He is the one written about in Scripture. It says,

“ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you.

He will prepare your way for you.’

²⁸I tell you, no one more important than John has ever been born. But the least important person in God’s kingdom is more important than he is.”

²⁹All the people who heard Jesus’ words agreed that God’s way was right. Even the tax collectors agreed. These people had all been baptized by John. ³⁰But the Pharisees and the authorities on the law did not accept God’s purpose for themselves. They had not been baptized by John.

³¹“What can I compare today’s people to?” Jesus asked. “What are they like? ³²They are like children sitting in the market place and calling out to each other. They say,

“ ‘We played a flute for you.

But you didn’t dance.

We sang a funeral song.

But you didn’t cry.’

³³“That is how it has been with John the Baptist. When he came to you, he didn’t eat bread or drink wine. And you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴But when the Son of Man came, he ate and drank as you do. And you say, ‘This fellow is always eating and drinking far too much. He’s a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ ³⁵All who follow wisdom prove that wisdom is right.”

A Sinful Woman Pours Perfume on Jesus

³⁶One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s house. He took his place at the table.

³⁷There was a woman in that town who had lived a sinful life. She learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she came with a special sealed jar of perfume. ³⁸She stood behind Jesus and cried at his feet. She began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair. She kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this. He said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him. He would know what kind of woman she is. She is a sinner!”

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

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹“Two people owed money to a certain lender. One owed him 500 silver coins. The other owed him 50 silver coins. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back. So he let them go without paying. Which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon replied, “I suppose the one who owed the most money.”

“You are right,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman. He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water to wash my feet. But she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss. But this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since I came in. ⁴⁶You did not put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷So I tell you this. Her many sins have been forgiven. She has loved a lot. But the one who has been forgiven little loves only a little.”

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

⁴⁹The other guests began to talk about this among themselves. They said, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

The Story of the Farmer

8After this, Jesus traveled around from one town and village to another. He announced the good news of God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him. ²So were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. One was Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had come out of her. ³Another was Joanna, the wife of Cuza. He was the manager of Herod’s household. Susanna and many others were there also. These women were helping to support Jesus and the Twelve with their own money.

⁴A large crowd gathered together. People came to Jesus from town after town. As they did, he told a story. He said, ⁵“A farmer went out to plant his seed. He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. People walked on it, and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶Some seed fell on rocky places. When it grew, the plants dried up because they had no water. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up with it and crowded out the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 100 times more than the farmer planted.”

When Jesus said this, he called out, “Those who have ears should listen.”

⁹His disciples asked him what the story meant.

¹⁰He said, “You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of God’s kingdom. But to outsiders I speak by using stories. In that way,

“ ‘They see, but they will not know what they are seeing.

They hear, but they will not understand what they are hearing.’

¹¹“Here is what the story means. The seed is God’s message. ¹²People on the path are those who hear. But then the devil comes. He takes away the message from their hearts. He does it so they won’t believe. Then they can’t be saved. ¹³Those on the rock are the ones who hear the message and receive it with joy. But they have no roots. They believe for a while. But when they are put to the test, they fall away from the faith. ¹⁴The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear the message. But as they go on their way, they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. So they do not reach full growth.

¹⁵“But the seed on good soil stands for those with an honest and good heart. They hear the message. They keep it in their hearts. They remain faithful and produce a good crop.

A Lamp on a Stand

¹⁶“People do not light a lamp and then hide it in a jar or put it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand. Then those who come in can see its light. ¹⁷What is hidden will be seen. And what is out of sight will be brought into the open and made known.

¹⁸“So be careful how you listen. If you have something, you will be given more. If you have nothing, even what you think you have will be taken away from you.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. But they could not get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and do what it says.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²²One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and left.

²³As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A storm came down on the lake. It was so bad that the boat was about to sink. They were in great danger.

²⁴The disciples went and woke Jesus up. They said, “Master! Master! We’re going to drown!”

He got up and ordered the wind and the huge waves to stop. The storm quieted down. It was completely calm.

²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

They were amazed and full of fear. They…

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