Read the Bible

Healing the Marshal's Deputy

¹ When Jesus was done teaching there, he headed back to Capernaum. ² A marshal from Rome had a deputy who he thought a lot of. This deputy had come down with something and was real close to dying. ³ The marshal heard about the things Jesus had done, so he sent some Jewish leaders to see if Jesus would help. ⁴ They came up to Jesus and said, "We're beggin' you to come help the marshal's deputy. ⁵ The marshal has done a lot for our country and he has helped build some of our churches."

⁶ So Jesus rode off with them. When they neared the marshal's place, he sent a messenger out with a message, "Lord, do not come here. I'm not good enough to have you at my place. ⁷ I'm not even good enough to come out and meet you myself. But I know that all you have to do is say the word and my deputy will be healed. ⁸ I work for someone myself and I also have people who work for me. If I tell someone to do something, they do it. I can tell someone else to go somewhere and they will go. I don't have to go somewhere in order to know my word will be done."

⁹ Jesus was actually a little shocked by this. He turned to a bunch of people who had followed him and said, "I wish the Jews had this much faith." ¹⁰ The messenger went back to the marshal's house and the deputy had been healed.

Jesus Raises a Son from the Dead

¹¹ The next day Jesus rode off to a village called Nain. Many other people rode along with him. ¹² When they got close, there was a dead man being carried out for burial. He was the only son of a widow whose husband had died many years before. Many accompanied the widow in the funeral march. ¹³ When Jesus saw her, he felt real sorry for so he said, "Don't cry ma'am." ¹⁴ He rode his horse over to the coffin and placed his hand on it as he said, "Listen to me son, get out of that box." ¹⁵ The lid opened and the young man began to speak to everyone. Then Jesus helped him out and walked him to his grieving mom. ¹⁶ Now this spooked everyone pretty good, but they all gave thanks to the Boss. They all said, "God has sent a Top Hand to help his people out. The Boss loves his people!" ¹⁷ News traveled far and wide about the things Jesus was doing.

Jesus and John the Baptizer

¹⁸ The guys who rode with John the Baptizer filled him in on everything that Jesus was doing while John was in prison. ¹⁹ John sent a couple of them to ask Jesus if he was the Top Hand or should they be expecting another cowboy. ²⁰ When the men found Jesus they said, "John the Baptizer sent us to ask if you are the Top Hand or is it someone else?"

²¹ Now when they asked this, Jesus had been busy curing people and whipping demons. He was even healing blind folks. ²² So when Jesus answered them, he said, "Go back and tell John the things you have seen and heard. Tell him the blind are seeing, the crippled are walking, the mute are talking, skin rot is healing, and the dead are being raised back to life. Tell John this is the good news and it is being preached to 'em. ²³ Anyone who has faith in me won't fall off."

²⁴ John's boys left and Jesus began telling the crowds about him. He said, "Why'd y'all go out into the desert? To see a bush blowing in the wind? ²⁵ No? Then what'd you go out there to see? A man in fine britches and sterling silver covered chaps? Those types of folks live in the houses of kings. ²⁶ So what'd you go out to see? One of God's cowboys? Yes, I'm telling you that John wasn't just one of God's cowboys, he was even more than that! ²⁷ This is the cowboy who the Good Book said would come to clear a path for the Top Hand. ²⁸ I'm telling you straight that there is no one greater than John the Baptizer. But here's the thing, the weakest on God's outfit is even greater than he is."

²⁹ All kinds of people who heard what Jesus said had been baptized by John. ³⁰ Well, not all of them. The religious code keepers and teachers heard Jesus but they refused to listen. They wouldn't be baptized by John and so they didn't get the great promise God had planned for them.

³¹ Then Jesus said, "Let me see if I can explain the folks of this generation. ³² They are like the fans in the stands while the cowboys stand in the arena and talk to them. The cowboys say to them, 'We rode the rough stock for you and got bucked off, but you didn't cheer because you wanted to see us rope. We roped fast and quick, but you didn't clap because no one got bucked off.'

³³ "John didn't drink alcohol and often went without food so he could pray, but y'all said he was evil. ³⁴ But then God's Top Hand comes having a beer with outlaws and whores but y'all say, 'He's a pig and a drunk and he hangs out with lowlifes.' ³⁵ Wisdom is found in the truth, not in someone's opinion.

The Pourin' of the Perfume

³⁶ One of the religious know-it-alls invited Jesus to have supper at his house and he accepted. ³⁷ There was a lady from town who wasn't really known for being a "lady." She heard Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house and so she showed up with an expensive bottle of perfume. ³⁸ She knelt down by his feet and sobbed at the plight of her life. Her tears fell on Jesus's boots and she wiped his boots clean with her hair. She even kissed them as she poured the perfume on them.

³⁹ The religious know-it-all who'd invited Jesus said under his breath, "If this guy was God's Top Hand, there is no way he'd let that kind of woman touch him with her hair, much less her lips."

⁴⁰ Jesus heard him and said, "Listen to me, Simon."

"I'm listenin'," he answered.

⁴¹ "There was a top hand who was hired by two different ranchers. One ranch owed the cowboy five hundred dollars and the other ranch owed the cowboy fifty dollars. ⁴² Cattle prices were way down and neither rancher could afford to pay the cowboy, so he told them both not to worry about it and take care of their families. Tell me, which one would have the most respect for the cowboy?"

⁴³ Simon said, "I reckon' it would be the rancher who owed him the five hundred dollars."

Jesus said, "You know he would." ⁴⁴ Then Jesus turned to the woman, but spoke to Simon. "You see this girl? I came here as your guest, but you didn't offer me a rag to wipe the trail dust from my boots, but she cleaned them with her tears and her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn't even welcome me with a brotherly hug, yet she has kissed my boots from the time I got here. ⁴⁶ You didn't offer me anything, but she has put special perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ She loves much because she has been forgiven much. The one who doesn't need forgiving usually doesn't care that much." ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹ The other guests that were there started asking, "Who is this guy who thinks he can forgive sins?"

⁵⁰ Jesus continued to speak to the woman and said, "Your faith has saved you from your sins. Now go live in peace, my lady."