4. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said,
5. “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
6. So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor.
7. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.
8. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
9. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”
10. And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.
11. Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him.
12. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her.
13. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
14. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”
15. Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16. Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.”
17. And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.
18. The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples,
19. and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
20. John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”
21. At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.