JESUS HEALS THE CENTURION'S SERVANT, AND RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON TO LIFE. HIS FEET ARE ANOINTED BY A WOMAN AT THE PHARISEE'S HOUSE. HE SPEAKS PARABLES; AND STILLS THE TEMPEST.
THERE was at Capernaum, a centurion, or captain in the Roman army; he had a servant whom he loved, and who was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard that Jesus was there, he sent some of the elders of the Jews who were his friends, to ask him to come and heal his servant. And the elders came and begged Jesus earnestly, saying, Although this centurion is not a Jew, but a Roman, yet he loves the Jews and has been kind to us; for with his own money he has built us a synagogue.
Then Jesus went with them toward the centurion's house. But before he came there, the centurion sent some more of his friends with a message to Jesus: the message was this, that the centurion had not come himself to speak with Jesus, because he thought he was not good enough. And now he sent word that he did not think himself good enough even for Jesus to come into his house. But if Jesus would only say that his servant should get well, the centurion was sure that he would get well. For I have soldiers under me, the centurion said, and I say to one, Go; and he goes where I tell him. To another I say, Come; and he comes. So I know that the disease which my servant has, will obey thee and go out of him, if thou wilt command it to go.
When Jesus heard these words, he was astonished, and said to those who were with him, I have not found any one, even among the children of Israel, who has so much faith in me as this Roman has. And I tell you that at the last day, many of the people of other nations who have believed in me, shall be taken up into heaven, while the children of Israel, because they will not believe, shall be shut out. And when the centurion's friends returned to his house, and found the servant made well.
The next day Jesus went into a city called Nain. As he came near to the gate of the city, the people were carrying out a dead man to bury him. He was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and many of her friends were with her. When Jesus saw her, he pitied her, and said, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier on which the body lay, and those who carried it stood still. Then Jesus said, Young man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. and Jesus gave him to his mother. And all who saw it were afraid, and they praised God, and said that he had sent a great prophet among them.
We have read that the people in eastern countries wore sandals instead of shoes. These they took off when they came into the house, and a servant brought water for them to wash their feet. The people of those countries also used oil, or ointment, to put upon their heads and their beards, and sometimes over their whole bodies. This was called anointing. They did it, because it made the skin smooth, and soft, and they thought, kept away disease; and because the smell of the ointment was sweet and pleasant. Men considered it a kindness to have their heads anointed by the persons at whose houses they were visiting.
And a Pharisee, named Simon, asked Jesus to his house. Jesus went there, and sat down with him to eat. And a woman who lived in the city, and who had been a sinner, when she heard that Jesus was there, came with an alabaster box of ointment and bowed down at his feet. And because she was sorry for her sins, and wanted to be forgiven, she wept and washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head; and she kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now the Pharisee knew that the woman was a sinner, and he said to himself, If this man had come from God, he would know what sort of a woman this is, and would send her away: for the Pharisees thought themselves too holy to let sinners touch them. But Jesus knew what was in his heart, and he said to him, Simon, I have something to say to thee. He answered, Master, say on. Then Jesus said, Two men owed another man money; one owed him a great deal, and the other owed him a little. But as neither of them had any thing to pay with, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him the most? Simon answered, I suppose the one whom he forgave most. Jesus said, Thou hast answered rightly. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I came into thy house, and thou gavest me no water to wash my feet; but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss, but this woman, since I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved me much, but those who have little forgiven, love but little. And Jesus said to the woman, Thy sins are forgiven thee, go to thy home in peace.
After this Jesus went through every city and village preaching the gospel to the people; and the twelve apostles were with him. And he was poor, for though he might have been rich, (for every thing in the world was his,) yet he chose to be poor and to suffer, for our sakes, to save us from being punished for our sins. And, because he was poor, some of those women whom he had healed of sickness, and out of whom he had cast evil spirits, gave to him such things as he needed. One of them was named Mary Magdalene, another Joanna, and another Susanna; beside these there were many others.
And he spoke a parable to the people. A parable is a story which has a meaning to it, and which helps us to understand and remember something we are learning. Jesus told the people this parable that they might know how foolish and wicked it was for them to put their trust in riches. He said, There was a rich man who had fields and vineyards. When harvest-time came, and he gathered in his fruits, there were so many that his barns would not hold them. Then he said to himself, What shall I do? for I have no room where I can put my fruits. And he answered, This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will put away all my fruits and my goods. Then I will say to myself, Now I can eat and drink and be merry, for I Lave enough riches laid up to last me for many years.
But when the rich man had spoken these words, God said to him, Thou foolish man, this night thou must die. Who, then, shall have those things which thou hast laid up for many years? So, Jesus said, it will be with all those persons who care only to lay up riches for themselves in this world, but do not care to please God. Death will come when they are not expecting it, and then they will have to leave their riches for others, and go away themselves to a world where nothing has been laid up for them.
And Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid because they were poor, lest they might want food to eat, and clothes to wear. Think of the birds, he said; they do not sow seed in the fields, nor reap grain and carry it to the barn to lay it up there, yet they always have enough to eat, because God feeds them. And God cares more for you than he does for the birds. And look at the flowers, how they grow. They do not work like men to make raiment for themselves, and yet they are more beautifully clothed and have brighter colors upon them, than Solomon when he was king over Israel. If then, God gives such beautiful clothing to the flowers, which are of so little value that one day they are growing up in the field, and the next are cut down and burned, he will be more careful to clothe you, though now you are afraid to trust in him. Therefore do not be anxious lest you may want things to eat, and to drink, and to wear, for your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first to obey him and be his children, and then he will give all these things to you.
While Jesus walked by the seaside, great multitudes came to him, so that he went into a boat and sat down to teach them, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spoke a parable, saying, A farmer went out in the field to sow his seed, and he scattered it by handfuls over the ground. Some of the seeds fell upon the hard, beaten path that ran along by the edge of the field, and the birds came and ate them. Some fell upon stony places, where there was only a little earth. Yet they soon grew up above the ground; but, because there was not earth enough for them to make larger roots, in a few days they withered away. And some fell along the side of the field where briars and weeds were growing; and the briars grew up and choked them. But the rest of the seed fell upon good ground that had been ploughed and made ready to receive it. And the rain fell on it and watered it there, and the sun shone upon it, and it sprang up and bore grain, a hundred times as much as the farmer had planted.
When Jesus was alone, his disciples came and asked him to explain this parable to them. He answered, that the seeds meant the words which he preached. Some of the people who heard those words did not understand what he said, nor care to remember them. Then Satan came and made them think of other things, and took his words out of their hearts as quickly as the birds ate up the seeds that fell on the pathway. And some who heard him, remembered his words and tried for a little while to obey them. But it was only for a little while. As soon as they had trouble, or were blamed by others for doing it, they ceased trying, and forgot them. This was the seed that fell on the stony ground, and that sprang up at first, but in a few days withered away. And some heard Jesus preach, and were glad to hear what he said, but afterward they went away and paid more attention to their houses, their riches, and their pleasures, than they did to the things he had taught them. This was the seed that fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But there were some who listened to all that he taught, and remembered it in their hearts, and tried every day to do as he told them. This was the good seed that took root and grew, and bore a hundred times as much as the farmer had planted.
And Jesus spoke another parable about a man who sowed seed in his field. But while his servants were asleep, an enemy came and sowed tares, or weeds, among the wheat; and then went away so that the servants knew nothing of it. When the time had come for the wheat to grow up, the servants went out in the field to look at it, and there they saw tares growing among the wheat. Then they came back to the owner of the field and said to him, Was it not good seed that was sowed in thy field? Why then are tares growing among the wheat? He answered, An enemy has done this. Then the servants asked, Shall we not go and pull up the tares? He said, No, lest while you pull up the tares, you root up the wheat also with them. Let both grow together until harvest; then I will say to my reapers, Gather together, first, the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.
And Jesus explained this parable, also, to his disciples. The field, he said, meant the world, the owner of the field meant Jesus himself; the good seed meant the words that he preached; the wheat that grew up, meant the persons who listened to those words and obeyed them. The enemy that sowed the bad seed meant Satan; and the tares in the field meant wicked men. As the owner of the field allowed the wheat and the tares to grow together until the harvest, so Jesus will allow good and bad men to live together in the world until the Judgment day. Then he will send forth his angels to gather up the good and take them to heaven, but the bad will be cast into a furnace of fire.
And Jesus spoke a parable about the mustard seed, which is among the smallest of seeds; yet when a man takes it, and plants it in the ground, it grows to be the largest of herbs, and the birds come and lodge in its branches. So it is with our love to God. At first it seems very small. But if we are truly his children, it will go on growing stronger and greater, until we love him more than we love any one else, and try harder, in all that we do, to please him.
And Jesus told the people about a merchantman who was looking for pearls to buy. He went to every person who had any to sell, hoping to find some that would suit him. At last he found one that was larger and more beautiful than any he had ever seen before. But its price was so great that he had not the money to buy it. Therefore, he went away and sold everything he had, so that he might come back and buy that one precious pearl. And this is the way persons feel who want their sins forgiven. They cannot be happy till it is done, and they are willing to give up every sinful pleasure, and everything that offends God, so that they may come to him and ask him to forgive their sins for them.
Then Jesus spoke of the fishermen with their net. They carry it out in their boat, on the sea, and cast it into the water, and afterward drag it slowly to the shore. When they come there, and draw it up out of the water again, they find a great number of fishes in it. But the fishes are of many different kinds. Some are good: these they gather into baskets to keep; and some are bad: these they throw away. So Jesus said to his disciples, it would be at the end of the world. For, he told them again, the angels would then come forth and separate the righteous from the wicked, and would cast the wicked into a furnace of fire where they would weep and cry out with pain.
And there came to Jesus a Scribe, or teacher of the law of Moses, who said to him, Master, I want to stay with thee and go with thee, wherever thou goest. Jesus answered him, saying, The foxes have holes in the ground and the birds have nests, but I have not where to lay my head. Jesus meant that he was poorer even than the foxes and the birds. For they had homes of their own in which they might stay, but he had no place where he might go when he was weary, and lie down to rest.
In the evening, after he had spoken these things, both Jesus and his disciples went into a boat to sail over to the other side of the sea of Galilee. As they were going, a great storm arose, and the waves dashed into the boat and filled it with water, so that it was ready to sink. But Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of the boat, with his head on a pillow. And his disciples came and awakened him, saying, Lord, save us, or we shall perish. Jesus rose up, and spoke to the winds and the sea, and said to them, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased to blow, and the sea was still and calm. Then he said to his disciples, Why were you afraid? How is it that you have so little faith?
And they sailed over to the other side of the sea. When Jesus was come out of the boat, there met him a man who had an. evil spirit. He had torn off his clothes and was very fierce, so that no one could pass by that way. His friends had often bound him with chains, to keep him at home; but he broke the chains, and went and lived in the caves that had been hollowed out of the sides of mountains, for tombs. And always, night and day, he was wandering in the tombs and mountains, crying out and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus a good way off, he ran to him, and fell down at his feet and worshipped him, saying, What have Ito do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? I beseech thee, punish me not.
Now there was near the mountains a herd of swine feeding, and the evil spirits that were in the man (for more than one had gone into him), begged Jesus, that, if he commanded them to come out, he would let them go into the swine. Jesus said to them, Go. And when they had come out of the man, they went into the herd of swine; and the whole herd (there were about two thousand of them), ran swiftly down a steep place into the sea, and were drowned in the waters. And the men who took care of them, fled into the city and told what they had seen. Then all the people came out to meet Jesus. And they saw the man who before had evil spirits, sitting down, quiet, and clothed, and in his right mind. But they were afraid, and asked Jesus to go away from their country.
And when he was come into the boat, to leave that place, the man out of whom he had cast the evil spirits, begged that he might go with him. But Jesus said to him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for thee. Then the man went, and began to tell all the people how he had been made well.