Luke 7:19-50

19He said to them, ‘I want you to ask Jesus, “Are you the special person that God is sending to us? If not, should we still look for someone else?” ’

20So the two men came to Jesus. They said to him, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you. He wants us to ask you, “Are you the special person that God has promised to send to us? If not, should we still look for someone else?” ’

21At that time, Jesus was making many people well. They had many different illnesses. Some had bad spirits in them. Jesus also caused many blind people to see again.

22Then he said to the two men that John had sent, ‘Go back to John. Tell him what you have seen. Tell him what you have heard. Blind people can now see again. People that could not walk can now walk again. People who had a bad disease of the skin are now well again. Deaf people can now hear again. People who had died now live again. Poor people are hearing God's good news.

23If anyone believes in me and does not turn away, he will be really happy.’

24The two disciples of John then left. Jesus spoke to the crowd about John. He said to them, ‘You went out to the wilderness. What did you go there to see? Was it a tall piece of grass which the wind was blowing this way and that? No, you did not go to see that.

25Did you go to see a man who was wearing expensive clothes? No! People like that do not live in the wilderness. They have many beautiful things and they live in great houses.

26So what did you go to see? Did you go to see a prophet sent by God? Yes! But I tell you, John was even more important than a prophet.

27This is what they wrote about him a long time ago in the Bible, when God said: “Listen! I will send someone to go in front of you. He will speak my message. He will prepare a way for you.” ’

28Jesus also said to the people, ‘I tell you, John is greater than any person who has ever lived up to now. But now anyone who belongs in the kingdom of God is greater than John, even the least important of them.’

29Many people heard what Jesus said. Even the men who took taxes from people agreed with his message. They had gone to John to baptize them. They all said, ‘What God says about us is right.’

30But the Pharisees and the men that studied God's Law had not asked John to baptize them. They did not believe the message that God was giving to them.

31Jesus continued to teach. He said, ‘I will talk to you about the people that are alive today. I will tell you what they are like.

32They are like children who are sitting in the market place. They are playing games. They shout to other children, “We made happy music on a flute for you, but you did not dance. Then we sang a sad song but you did not cry.”

33You are like those children. When John the Baptist came to you, he did not eat ordinary food. He never drank wine. So you say that John has a bad spirit in him.

34Then I, the Son of Man, came. I eat meals with other people and I drink wine. So you say about me, “Look at this man! He eats too much and he drinks too much. He is a friend of bad people and men who take taxes from people.”

35But God is wise and good. Wise people understand and they show that God is right.’

36One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat a meal with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and sat down to eat.

37In that town was a woman who had done many wrong things. She heard that Jesus was eating a meal at the house of the Pharisee. So she took a small stone jar with oil in it, and she went there. The oil had a very nice smell.

38She went into the house and she stood behind Jesus. She was crying and she made his feet wet with her tears. Then she made his feet dry again with her hair and she kissed them. She then poured the oil out of the jar onto his feet.

39When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man cannot be a prophet from God. If he were, he would know all about this woman. He would know that she is a very bad person. He would not let her touch him.’

40Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I want to tell you something.’ Simon replied, ‘Yes, Teacher, tell me.’ So Jesus told him a story about two men:

41‘Someone had lent two men some money. He had lent one of them 500 silver coins. He had lent the other one 50 coins.

42Neither of the men had enough money to pay him back. Then the man that had lent them the money forgave them. “You do not need to pay back my money,” he said to them both.’ Jesus then asked Simon, ‘Which of these two men will love that man most?’

43Simon replied, ‘I think that it is the man that needed to pay back the most money.’ ‘You are right,’ Jesus said.

44Then he turned towards the woman. ‘You see this woman,’ he said to Simon. ‘When I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and she has made them dry with her hair.

45You did not say “Hello” to me with a kiss. But this woman began to kiss my feet when she came in. And she has not stopped.

46You did not put oil on my head. But she has brought oil with a nice smell and put it on my feet.

47So I tell you, this woman has done many bad things. But I have forgiven her. She loves me a lot, because I have forgiven her for many bad things. If I only forgive someone a little, that person only loves me a little.’

48Then Jesus said to the woman, ‘Woman, I forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.’

49The other people at the meal talked among themselves. They said, ‘Who is this man? Can he really forgive the bad things that people have done?’

50Jesus said to the woman, ‘You have believed in me, so God has saved you. You may go now, and be happy.’