Chapter 7

When he had said his say in the hearing of the people, he went to Capharnaum.

There was a centurion that had a servant, very dear to him, who was then at the point of death;

and he, when he was told about Jesus, sent some of the elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

And these, presenting themselves before Jesus, began to make earnest appeal to him; He deserves, they said, to have this done for him;

he is a good friend to our race, and has built our synagogue for us at his own cost.

So Jesus set out in their company; and when he was already near the house, the centurion sent some friends to him; Do not put thyself to any trouble, Lord, he said; I am not worthy to receive thee under my roof.

That is why I did not presume to come to thee myself. My servant will be healed if thou wilt only speak a word of command.

I too know what it is to obey authority; I have soldiers under me, and I say, Go, to one man, and he goes, or, Come, to another, and he comes, or, Do this, to my servant, and he does it.

When he heard that, Jesus turned in amazement to the multitude which followed him, and said, Believe me, I have not found faith like this, even in Israel.

And the messengers, when they came back to the house, found the servant who had been sick fully recovered.

And now it happened that he was going into a city called Naim, attended by his disciples and by a great multitude of people.

And just as he drew near the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out to his burial; the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a crowd of folk from the city went with her.

When the Lord saw her, he had pity on her, and said, Do not weep.

Then he went up and put his hand on the bier; and those who were carrying it stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to thee, rise up.

And the dead man sat up, and spoke; and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all overcome with awe, and said, praising God, A great prophet has risen up among us; God has visited his people.

And this story of him was noised abroad throughout the whole of Judaea and all the country round.

John was told of all this by his disciples.

And he summoned two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus to ask, Is it thy coming that was foretold, or are we yet waiting for some other?

So they presented themselves before him, and said, John the Baptist has sent us to ask, Is it thy coming that was foretold, or are we yet waiting for some other?

At the very time of their visit, Jesus rid many of their diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave many that were blind the gift of sight.

Then he answered, Go and tell John what your own eyes and ears have witnessed; how the blind see, and the lame walk, and the lepers are made clean, and the deaf hear; how the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Blessed is he who does not lose confidence in me.

Then, when John’s messengers had gone away, he took occasion to speak of John to the multitudes; What was it, he asked, that you expected to see when you went out into the wilderness? Was it a reed trembling in the wind?

No, not that; what was it you went out to see? Was it a man clad in silk? You must look in kings’ palaces for men that go proudly dressed, and live in luxury.

What was it, then, that you went out to see? A prophet? Yes, and something more, I tell you, than a prophet.

This is the man of whom it is written, Behold, I am sending before thee that angel of mine who is to prepare the way for thy coming.

I tell you, there is no greater than John the Baptist among all the sons of women; and yet to be least in the kingdom of heaven is to be greater than he.

It was the common folk who listened to him, and the publicans, that had given God his due, by receiving John’s baptism,

whereas the Pharisees and lawyers, by refusing it, had frustrated God’s plan for them.

And the Lord said, To what, then, shall I compare the men of this generation? What are they like?

They put me in mind of those children who call out to their companions as they sit in the market-place and say, You would not dance when we piped to you, you would not mourn when we wept to you.

When John came, he would neither eat nor drink, and you say, He is possessed.

When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank with you, and of him you say, Here is a glutton; he loves wine; he is a friend of publicans and sinners.

But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.

One of the Pharisees invited him to a meal; so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table.

And there was then a sinful woman in the city, who, hearing that he was at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought a pot of ointment with her,

and took her place behind him at his feet, weeping; then she began washing his feet with her tears, and drying them with her hair, kissing his feet, and anointing them with the ointment.

His host, the Pharisee, saw it, and thought to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman is that is touching him, and what kind of woman, a sinner.

But Jesus answered him thus, Simon, I have a word for thy hearing. Tell it me, Master, he said.

There was a creditor who had two debtors; one owed him five hundred pieces of silver, the other fifty;

they had no means of paying him, and he gave them both their discharge. And now tell me, which of them loves him the more?

I suppose, Simon answered, that it is the one who had the greater debt discharged. And he said, Thou hast judged rightly.

Then he turned towards the woman, and said to Simon, Dost thou see this woman? I came into thy house, and thou gavest me no water for my feet; she has washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.

Thou gavest me no kiss of greeting; she has never ceased to kiss my feet since I entered;

thou didst not pour oil on my head; she has anointed my feet, and with ointment.

And so, I tell thee, if great sins have been forgiven her, she has also greatly loved.4 He loves little, who has little forgiven him.

Then he said to her, Thy sins are forgiven.

And his fellow guests thereupon thought to themselves, Who is this, that he even forgives sins?

But he told the woman, Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.