(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
The centurion’s faith
- When He completed all His words in the hearing of the people, He entered into Capernaum.
- Now, a centurion’s slave who was precious to him was about to die, having a sickness.
- And having heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to Him, pleading Him so that having come, He might save his slave.
- And having come near to Jesus, they were insistently begging Him, saying that: “The man to whom you will bestow this favor is worthy,
- “for he ^loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”
- And Jesus was going with them. And when He was already not far away from the house, the centurion sent friends saying to Him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I’m not worthy that you might enter in under my roof.
- “Therefore, neither did I deem myself worthy to come to you, but merely speak a word and let my servant be healed.
- “For I’m also a man appointed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this soldier: ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another: ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my slave: ‘Do this’, and he does it.
- And having heard these things, Jesus marveled at him. And having turned to the crowd following Him, He said: “I tell you, not even in Israel did I find such great faith.”
- And having returned to the house, the men who were sent found the slave healthy.
Raising a widow’s son from the dead
- And it happened on the next day that He traveled into a town called Nain and His disciples were traveling with Him, and a numerous crowd as well.
- And as He approached the gate of the town, also behold: a *dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother and she was a widow. And a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
- And having seen her, the Lord was moved with compassion on her and He told her: “Don’t weep.”
- And having approached, He touched the open coffin1“open coffin” is more literally a “bier”, which is a type of litter used in a funeral to transport dead bodies, or coffins with dead bodies in them and the men carrying it stood still. And He said: “Young man, I tell you, wake up.”2“wake up” could also be translated “rise” or “arise” since the word means all three.
- And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and He gave him to his mother.
- And reverent fear gripped all of them and they were glorifying God, saying that: “A great prophet was raised among us!” and that: “God looked after His people.”
- And this report about Him went out in the whole of Judea and to all the neighboring region.
John the Baptizer’s question
- And to John, his disciples reported concerning all these things.
- And having summoned two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying: “Are you the coming One,3“The Coming One” There are several Old Testament passages that the Jews believed referred to the messiah, which talk of Him “coming”. (For example, Psalm 118:26, Psalm 40:7-8, and Malachi 3:1). John was probably referring to Zechariah 9:9, which talks about the “coming King”, and in verse 11 speaks of setting prisoners free. Therefore, John was probably asking if Jesus was the messiah, and if so, if he would be freed. or are we looking for another?”
- And having come near to Him, the men said: “John the Baptizer sent us to you, saying: ” Are you the coming One, or are we looking for another?”
- (In that hour, He cured many from chronic diseases and torturous diseases, and evil spirits, and He freely graced many blind men to see.)
- And answering, He said to them: “Go report to John what you saw and heard. The blind are recovering sight, the lame are walking, the lepers are being cleansed, and the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, and the poor are being told the good news. 4Verse note: Jesus answered John’s question using a Jewish Rabbinic method called “remez” (or hint). Jesus quotes portions of Isaiah 35:5-6, (blind, lame, deaf), Isaiah 42:6-7 (blind again) and Isaiah 61:1 (good news). All three passages refer to the coming messiah/king, so Jesus was confirming that He was indeed Him. However, in all three passages Jesus left off a part about setting prisoners free. This was likely Jesus telling John that He was indeed the messiah, but also that John wouldn’t be set free. This last part explains the following verse.
- “And blessed is he who doesn’t stumble at Me.”
- And John’s messengers having departed, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by wind?”
- “But what did you go out to see? A man *clothed in soft clothes? Behold, the men in glorious clothing and living in excessive luxury are in kingly houses.
- “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? I tell you, yes! And far more than a prophet.
- “This is he about whom it is *written: “Behold; I’m sending out My messenger before your face; he who will prepare your way before you.”
- “I tell you that among men born from women, no one is greater than John. Yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than him.”
- (And all the people baptized with the baptism of John who heard this, even the tax collectors, declared God to be righteous,
- but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God in themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
- “Therefore, to what will I compare the men of this generation? And to what are they similar?
- “They are similar to small children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, who are saying: “We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance. We cried out in mourning and you didn’t lament”.
- “For John the Baptizer *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: “behold, this man is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
- “And wisdom was declared righteous by all her children.”
The parable of two debtors
- Now, one of the Pharisees was asking Him so He might eat with him. And having entered into the house of that Pharisee, He reclined at the table.5“recline” is literal. In ancient times, they laid down on a low table to eat. Thus, “reclining” in those days is similar to “sitting down” to share a meal today.
- And behold: there was a sinful woman who was living in the city. And she heard that He is reclining in the house of the Pharisee, so having taken an alabaster bottle of scented oil,
- and having stood behind Him next to His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and was wiping them with the hair on her head, and was kissing His feet, and was anointing them with the scented oil.
- And having seen this, the Pharisee who invited Him spoke inside himself saying: “If this man was really a prophet, He would know who and what kind of person the woman who’s touching Him is, because she is a sinner.”
- And answering, Jesus said to him: “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he says: “Teacher, say it.”
- “There were two debtors to a moneylender. The one debtor owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty.
- “With them not having money to pay, he forgave both their debts. Therefore, which of them will ^love him more?”
- Answering, Simon said: “I suppose that it’s whoever he forgave more.” And He told him: “You judged rightly.”
- And having turned to the woman, He was saying to Simon: “You see this woman? I entered into your house and you didn’t offer Me water on My feet, but she wet My feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.
- “You didn’t give Me a kiss, but she didn’t cease kissing My feet since I entered.
- “You didn’t anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with scented oil.
- “I tell you that for this reason, her many sins have been forgiven because she ^loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, he ^loves little.”
- And He told her: “Your sins have been forgiven.”
- And the men reclining at the table began to say inside themselves: “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
- And He said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
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