Luke 7–8: Your Faith Has Saved You; Go in Peace": A Widow, a Debt, and the Women Who Paid for It

When Jesus had concluded his discourse in the hearing of the people, he went to Capernaum. There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and pleaded with him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have you grant this, for he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”

So Jesus went with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends with the message: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to you. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he marveled at the centurion. Turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” And when the messengers returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His disciples went with him, accompanied by a large crowd. As he approached the town gate, he saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up!” And the dead man sat up and began to speak! Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited his people!” And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding region.

Then John’s disciples informed him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are you the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’ ”

At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.”

After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear elegant clothing and live in luxury are found in palaces.

What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

All the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. For they had received the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.

“To what, then, can I compare the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another:

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Then one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed his feet and anointed them with the perfume.

When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching him—for she is a sinner!”

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

“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.

“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”

“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied.

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I arrived. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

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

But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told them this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.”

As Jesus said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.

He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were unable to reach him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

But he replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So he got into a boat with them and set out.

As they sailed, he fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked.

Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”

Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.

When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.

“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and he gave them permission.

Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside. So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So he got into the boat and started back.

The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But he sent him away, saying, “Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they had all been waiting for him. Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged him to come to his house, because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus went with him, the crowds pressed around him, including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians, but no one was able to heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus declared, “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not escape notice, came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had immediately been healed.

“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

While he was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”

But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

When he entered the house, he did not allow anyone to go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And he directed that she be given something to eat. Her parents were astounded, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.