1 After Jesus fully shared everything he had to say in the hearing of the people, he went into Capernaum. 2 Someone enslaved to a centurion was suffering from illness and about to die, and he was very dear to the centurion. 3 After hearing about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask him to come save his slave’s life.
4 The ones who went to Jesus pleaded with him urgently, “He is worth granting this for him 5 because he loves our people,a and he even built our synagogue for us.” 6 Then, Jesus went with them.
When he came close tob the house, the centurion sent friends who told Jesus, “Sir, don’t trouble yourself. After all, I’m not fit to have you come under my roof. 7 That’s why I didn’t think it appropriate to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servantc should be restored. 8 You see, even though I have soldiers assigned under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it, I also am a person under authority.”d
9 When Jesus hear these things, he was amazed, and turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I’m telling you, I haven’t even encountered faithfulnesse like this in Israel.” 10 When the people who had been sent to Jesus went back to the house, they found the one who was enslaved completely healthy.
11 Next, Jesus traveled to a town called Nain, and his students and a numerous crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the town gate—right then—a mother’s onlyf son (and she was a widowg) who had died was being carried out of the town, and a sizeable crowd was with her. 13 When the Liberating Sovereignh saw her, he was deeply moved with compassioni for her.
“You can stop mourning now,”j he told her, 14 and coming up to it, he touched the bier, and the people carrying it stood still. “Young man,” he said, “I say to you, be raised!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus presented him to his mother.
16 Awek overtook them all, and they began praising God, “A great prophet has been raised among us!” and, “God has come to look after the people!” 17 This idea about him went out throughout all of Judeal and the surrounding area.
18 John’s students brought the news of all these things to him.
John called two of his students over, 19 and he sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is coming or should we expect someone else?”
20 When the men got to Jesus, they said, “John the Immerserm sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is coming or should we expect someone else?’”
21 Just that very hour, Jesus had healed many of illnesses, tormenting pain,n oppressiveo spiritsp and granted the ability to see to many people who were blind, 22 so he responded, “Go bring news to John of what you saw and heard here: blind people can see again, people with injured legs can walk, people with skin diseases are cleansed, deaf people can hear, dead people are raised, and people living in poverty are brought news of triumph.q 23 Whoever is not tripped up by me has reason for gratitude.”r
24 After John’s messengerss left, Jesus started speaking to the crowds about Johnt: “What did you go out to the Wildernessu see? A reedv toppledw by the wind? 25 No, so what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in softx clothing? Look, the people who are dressed in fine clothing and spending their existence in luxuryy are in palaces! 26 So not that, but then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I’m telling you, even more than a prophet. 27 He's the one whom this is written about: ‘Look, I am sending my messengerz ahead of you, who will prepare the road in front of you.’ 28 I’m telling you, no one given birth by women is more important than John, but the least respected person in God’s reign is more important than him.” 29 (All the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, showed that God is aligned with justice by being immersed with John’s immersion.aa 30 However, the Pharisees and the Torah experts disregardedbb God’s intention for them since they were not immersed by him.)
31 “With what should I compare the people of this group,cc and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other and who say, ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance. We wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.’ 33 You see, John the Immerser came not eating any bread or drinking any wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Humanity has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look! This person is a glutton and a drunk, a friend to tax collectors and people who deviate.’ 35 Wisdom is shown to be aligned with justice by her children!”dd
36 One of the Pharisees kept asking Jesus to eat with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and was seated.ee 37 Unexpectedly, a woman who was someone who deviatedff in that town learned that Jesus was eating a meal at the Pharisee’s house, and came, bringing an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.gg 38 While she was standing by his feethh weeping, she began to get his feet wet with her tears,ii and she wiped them off with her hair. She began kissing his feet and rubbingjj them with the perfumed oil.
39 At seeing that, the Pharisee who had invited him said to himself, “If this person were a prophet, he would know what kind of person the woman who’s touching him is, that she’s someone who deviates.”
40 In response, Jesus said to him, “Simeon,kk I have something to tell you.”
“Say it, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people were in debt to a money lender. One owed 500 denarii,ll and the other owed 50.mm 42 Since they didn’t have the money to pay it back, he generously forgave both their debts.nn So then, which of them will love him more?”
43 “I assume it would be the one for whom he was generous with the larger debt,” answered Simeon.
“You chose correctly,” said Jesus.
44 After turning toward the woman, he said to Simeon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house, and you didn’t give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss;oo but she has not stopped kissing my feet again and again since she came in. 46 You didn’t apply olive oil to my head,pp but she rubbed my feet with perfumed oil.qq 47 So, I’ll tell you about generosity: since she showed much love, her many deviationsrr have already been let go.ss But, for the one who showed little love, little has been let go.”
48 Then he said to her, “Your deviations have been let go.”
49 The people who were reclining for the meal with him began saying to each other, “Who does he even think he is to let go of deviations?”
50 He said to the woman, “Your faithfulnesstt has liberateduu you. Go in wholeness.”vv
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FOOTNOTES:
a. This Is the same word that in other contexts is translated as ‘Gentile.’ It signifies any ethnic group, but it can often be used to mean “other ethnic groups.”
b. Literally, “was not far from”
c. Or ‘child.’ This word was often used for enslaved workers of any age. It could also be used to refer to a teen boy if pederasty was involved.
d. The centurion seems to be acknowledging the power dynamics in the situation and that Jesus could feel pressured to not to upset an officer in the occupying military force, also acknowledging that he is not the ultimate authority, and going out of his way to make it clear to Jesus that he’s not trying to force Jesus by threatening to use his power.
e. Traditionally, ‘faith.’ The Greek term pistis communicates meanings such as trust, faithfulness, commitment, and allegiance, reflecting an active, relational trust rather than a static belief. This translation emphasizes an ongoing, reciprocal relationship between trusting someone and committed faithfulness that confirms trustworthiness.
f. This is the same word used in John 1 and 3 to refer to Jesus as God’s only son.
g. Or ‘bereaved woman’
h. Traditionally, ‘Lord.’ The Greek word kurios, when applied to Jesus, can be translated in several ways, including ‘sir,’ ‘master,’ or ‘sovereign.’ Rendering it as “Lord” reflects the feudal, patriarchal, and imperial assumptions embedded in early English translations, which often reinforced hierarchical power structures. In both Greco-Roman and American history, kurios and “lord” were titles used for slaveowners. As Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney notes, “Lord is a slavery word,” and when used without theological and historical framing, it risks reinscribing the very systems of domination that Jesus came to upend (A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year A, Introduction). In the Roman imperial context, kurios was also a title for Caesar—as was soter (‘savior’ or ‘liberator’). The New Testament’s application of kurios to Jesus is thus not only theological but also politically subversive. The Christ of the Christian scriptures is not an overlord but a radically different kind of sovereign—one who liberates through justice, solidarity, and self-giving love. Rendering kurios as “Liberating Sovereign” preserves the subversive edge of the title while resisting the hierarchical and enslaver connotations embedded in the English word “Lord.”
i. Literally related to lower abdominal organs, including the uterus and intestines. It is often used to symbolize ‘motherly love,’ relating it to the care of the womb.
j. More literally, this says “Stop wailing.” The wailing was a culturally expected expression of mourning when someone died. The wording “Stop wailing” sounds harsh in English but does not carry that same tone in Greek. It is used here as a signal to her that she is about to be comforted.
k. Or ‘numinosity’
l. The town of Nain is in Galilee. The phrase “throughout all Judea and the surrounding area” seems to refer to the same breadth of area as Luke 5:17 (Jerusalem and every village in Judea and Galilee) and Luke 6:17 (throughout Judea and Jerusalem and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon. Of all these regions, Judea would be the most familiar to the audiences Luke was writing to scattered throughout the Roman Empire.
m. In English, translations have traditionally simply taken the Greek word and put it in English letters: ‘Baptizer.’ The historical reason for this was that the first translators of the Bible into English practiced infant baptism, and the Greek word literally means ‘dip’ or ‘immerse something in a liquid,’ it didn’t fit with their doctrine and practice. Other languages don’t do the same thing but actually translate, so in Dutch, for example, John is known as ‘John the Dipper.’
n. The Greek word mastix literally means a whip used for punishment, but it was often used for plagues, oppressions, illnesses causing severe pain and any tormenting disease or calamity viewed as a punishment from God or Fate.
o. Traditionally, ‘evil.’ The Greek term poneros, includes a range of meanings beyond moral depravity, including harm, decay, and burden. Rooted in ponos—which conveys toil, suffering, and hardship—poneros emphasizes oppressive, harmful conditions. Rather than simply moral "evil," this term often indicates harmful external impacts, focusing on social and personal harm rather than abstract judgment.
p. The Greek term pneuma literally means "breath," and is often translated it as "Life-breath" to emphasize the communal and embodied power of divine and human vitality. However, when context requires ambiguity between an internal psychological reality (such as trauma, shame, or fear internalized from the community) and an external, potentially spiritual entity, the word "spirit" is used. Though abstract, "spirit" best maintains this delicate balance in English. Readers should understand that "spirit" can evoke either—or both—meanings simultaneously, in the same way that a modern English speaker might refer to “battling my demons” when they are wrestling with trauma or shame.
q. Traditionally, “good news is brought to them.” The word here is a verb euangelizo, meaning to announce or carry the euangelion, traditionally, translated ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “news of triumph” here is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition.
r. Traditionally, ‘blessed.’ There is not one English word that covers what is being described here. There is a sense of satisfaction or contentedness but also receiving something that meets a need. Sometimes it’s translated ‘happy’ to capture the mental/emotional component, and historically it was translated ‘blessed’ to capture the endowment aspect of it, of receiving something as a gift from God. It is about receiving something that inspires or is worthy of gratitude.
s. This is the same Greek word, angeloi, translated traditionally in many other places as ‘angels.’
t. The name ‘John’ is the English version of the Latin version of the Greek transliteration (Ioannes) of the Hebrew name Yohanan or in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, Johanan, which means “God has been gracious” or “My God is gracious.”
u. While this word can refer to undeveloped, wild areas in general, It was also the name of a specific region east of the Dead Sea. That region was the location of the Essene community of Qumran, where many speculate John (Johanan) resided. Additionally, the ‘wilderness’ in the Hebrew Bible is consistently used to represent chaos and scarcity, neglect of needs, sense of threat and hostility, and the place where those things originate, a return to the formlessness and emptiness preceding Creation.
v. The reed was a reference to Herod Antipas, who minted coins showing the image of an upright reed.
w. The word saleuo can mean motion produced by winds and waves, agitation or shaking, to be overthrown (as in a ruler), or to be cast down from a secure state.
x. This is the same word, malakos, that appears in 1 Corinthians 6:9 that is typically mistranslated as condemning being effeminate or queer. The word literally means ‘soft’ to refer to physical texture and was also applied figuratively to refer to being unused to work due to living in luxury and in other ways.
y. The Greek word truphe can also mean softness.
z. This is the same Greek word, angelos, translated traditionally in many other places as ‘angel.’
aa. In English, translations have traditionally simply taken the Greek word and put it in English letters: ‘Baptizer.’ The historical reason for this was that the first translators of the Bible into English practiced infant baptism, and the Greek word literally means ‘dip’ or ‘immerse something in a liquid,’ it didn’t fit with their doctrine and practice. Other languages don’t do the same thing but actually translate, so in Dutch, for example, John is known as ‘John the Dipper.’
bb. Or ‘thwarted’ or ‘rejected’
cc. Or ‘generation’ or ‘lineage’ or any ‘group of people’ that has a shared characteristic or origin, including gender.
dd. Notice the parallel with God being shown to be aligned with justice in verse 29.
ee. This literally says, ‘reclined,’ which was the customary position for eating meals, even in homes, for the culture.
ff. The word in Greek here is hamartolos, traditionally translated ‘sinner.’ The word, however, is not a noun but an adjective, describing something about someone, not labeling the whole person. The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. It evokes an image of veering off course, ending up in at an unintended location. It is used regarding many situations, including harmful behavior, disregarding responsibilities as a people or individual called to a specific purpose, and even having chronic illness or debilitating injuries or cultural identities that prohibit one from full participation in temple worship according to the Torah, which is not implied to be wrongdoing but simply not aligned with Torah.
gg. Sometimes translations use ‘myrrh’ here, but though the Greek word muron is the root of the English ‘myrrh,’ it is a more general term for perfumed oil, and it’s a different word than is used for ‘myrrh’ in Matthew 2:11, which is smurna.
hh. Since he was reclining for a meal, his head and arms would have been positioned toward the table, with his feet extending outward away from the table. This is where she stood, not ‘behind him’ in the sense of behind his back but outside the circle of people participating in the meal.
ii. It seems to indicate the tears were dripping onto his feet, not that she was wiping the tears on him.
jj. The word aleipho means to apply oil or ointment to something or someone. It is, however, not interchangeable with chrio in the New Testament. Though they both mean to apply oil, chrio is always used in the context of designation for a divinely appointed role, and as such, a person would be christos, ‘anointed.’ The word aleipho, on the other hand, is never used in that way. It’s a simple act of applying ointment.
kk. Traditionally, ‘Simon.’ Simon is the English transliteration of the Greek transliteration of Simeon. There’s a long history of de-Jewish-ing the names of people in the Bible, including Jesus (Joshua) that stems from pervasive antisemitism.
ll. Each denarius was worth a day’s wage. So, working six days a week, it would take about 19.5 months to pay back if he paid 100% of his income toward it. At $15/hour, 500 days’ worth of pay is about $60,000.
mm. Working six days a week, it would take about 2 months to pay back if he paid 100% of his income toward it. At $15/hour, 50 days’ worth of pay is about $6,000.
nn. The word here translated as “generously forgave their debts” is charizomai (the verb related to charis, which is traditionally translated as ‘grace’ and often translated in this version as ‘generosity’ or ‘appreciation’). The meaning is something like ‘give generously’ but it requires more words in English to help it make sense in this context.
oo. Greeting with a kiss was typically done on the cheek or beard and was a common expression of respect, affection, kinship, or hospitality. It was part of broader Mediterranean honor-shame culture, where physical gestures reinforced social bonds, especially among family, close friends, and members of the same religious or political group. This kiss wasn’t romantic but symbolized loyalty and peace.
pp. Pouring fragrant oil on a guest’s head was a way to honor them, especially in wealthier homes. It was a visible sign of esteem. In a hot, dry climate, perfumed oil served as both skincare and deodorant.
qq. Sometimes translations use ‘myrrh’ here, but though the Greek word muron is the root of the English ‘myrrh,’ it is a more general term for perfumed oil, and it’s a different word than is used for ‘myrrh’ in Matthew 2:11, which is smurna.
rr. The word in Greek here is hamartia, traditionally translated ‘sin.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. It evokes an image of veering off course, ending up in an unintended location. It is used regarding many situations, including harmful behavior, disregarding responsibilities as a people or individual called to a specific purpose, and even having chronic illness or debilitating injuries or cultural identities that prohibit one from full participation in temple worship according to the Torah, which is not implied to be wrongdoing but simply not aligned with Torah.
ss. The word here, traditionally translated as “forgiven,” is never directed toward a person but always directed toward what the person owes, often used for debt cancellation. It’s about sending away, distancing, releasing, letting go, separating from oneself, abandoning or disconnecting from something.
tt. Traditionally, ‘faith.’ The Greek term pistis communicates meanings such as trust, faithfulness, commitment, and allegiance, reflecting an active, relational trust rather than a static belief. This translation emphasizes an ongoing, reciprocal relationship between trusting someone and committed faithfulness that confirms trustworthiness.
uu. Traditionally, ‘saved.’ This word carries a meaning of any kind of action to prevent or repair harm. Appropriate translations could be ‘liberated,’ ‘restored,’ ‘rescued,’ ‘healed,’ ‘preserved,’ or ‘protected.’
vv. “Wholeness” translates the Greek word eirene, which is often rendered “peace.” But like the Hebrew shalom, it implies more than emotional calm. It refers to being restored, healed, reconnected—to God, to community, and to one’s full human dignity.