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LU KE 8
page 928
forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who
do you suppose loved him more after that?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for
whom he canceled the larger debt.”
“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned
to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this
woman kneeling here. When I entered your
home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the
dust from my feet, but she has washed them
with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the
time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing
my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil
to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet
with rare perfume.
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—
have been forgiven, so she has shown me
much love. But a person who is forgiven little
shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the
woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around
forgiving sins?”
50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith
has saved you; go in peace.”
— promises —
from God
“God blesses those
who do not fall away
because of me.”
LU K E 7:2 3
Women Who Followed Jesus
Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the
nearby towns and villages, preaching
and announcing the Good News about the
Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples
with him, 2 along with some women who had
been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among
them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he
had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife
of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna;
and many others who were contributing from
their own resources to support Jesus and his
disciples.
8
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from
many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out
to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his
field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it
was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other
seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the
plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with
it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other
seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much
as had been planted!” When he had said this,
he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should
listen and understand.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable
meant. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to
understand the secrets* of the Kingdom of God.
But I use parables to teach the others so that the
Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they look, they won’t really see.
When they hear, they won’t understand.’*
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The
seed is God’s word. 12 The seeds that fell on the
footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it
away from their hearts and prevent them from
believing and being saved. 13 The seeds on the
rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t
have deep roots, they believe for a while, then
they fall away when they face temptation. 14 The
seeds that fell among the thorns represent those
who hear the message, but all too quickly the
message is crowded out by the cares and riches
and pleasures of this life. And so they never
grow into maturity. 15 And the seeds that fell on
the good soil represent honest, good-hearted
people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and
patiently produce a huge harvest.
Parable of the Lamp
16 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with
a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed
on a stand, where its light can be seen by all
who enter the house. 17 For all that is secret will
eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light
and made known to all.
18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those
who listen to my teaching, more understanding
will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will
be taken away from them.”
The True Family of Jesus
19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see
him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the
crowd. 20 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and
your brothers are standing outside, and they
want to see you.”
21 Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers
are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”
Jesus Calms the Storm
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross
to the other side of the lake.” So they got into
a boat and started out. 23 As they sailed across,
Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce
8:10a Greek mysteries. 8:10b Isa 6:9 (Greek version).