11 Jesus and his followers went to a town called Nain. A big mob of other people went with him. 12 Just before that, a young man died in that town. He was the only son of his mother, and her husband was already dead, so she had nobody left to look after her. A big mob of people were with that mother, and they had the young man’s body on a stretcher. They were taking it along the road out of the town, to bury it. And at that same time, Jesus was going into that town on that same road.

13 Jesus saw the mother, and he felt very sorry for her. He told her, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he walked over to the stretcher and touched it, and the men that were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, listen to me. Get up.” 15 Then the dead man sat up and started to talk. And Jesus told him to go back to his mother.

16 Everyone that saw that was frightened. They said, “God is really great and powerful. God sent this man to us, to tell us his word and show us his power. God has come to help his people.” 17 Then they went and told lots of other people what they saw. So people in the towns near there, and people everywhere in Judea country, they heard that story.

36 There was a man that was called Simon, and he was one of the Pharisee mob, that were strong for the Jewish law. He asked Jesus to eat dinner with him. So Jesus went to his house and sat down at the table with him and some other people. 37 There was a woman in that town that used to do bad things. She heard that Jesus was eating dinner with that man, so she got a pretty jar of oil that had perfume in it and took it to his house. It smelled really good, and it cost a lot of money. 38 Then she went inside and was just behind Jesus, near his feet. She was crying, and her tears fell on his feet. Then she dried his feet with her hair, and she kissed them, then she poured all that special oil on to his feet.* Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3; John 12:3

39 Simon, the Pharisee man, he saw her do that, and he said to himself, “I knew it. This man is not one of God’s men. He is letting a bad woman touch him. I reckon he doesn’t know she did a lot of bad things, so I reckon he doesn’t have God’s power.”

40 Jesus said to him, “Simon, I want to tell you something.”

Simon said, “All right, teacher, tell me.”

41 Then Jesus told him a picture story. He said, “There was a rich man that used to lend money to people. One man borrowed $500 from him, and another man borrowed $50. 42 But both of those men lost all their money. They couldn’t pay that money back to the rich man. But the rich man was good to both of them and told them, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll let it go. You don’t have to pay me back that money.’

Well, Simon, what do you reckon? Which one of those men will love that rich man the most?”

43 Simon said, “I reckon it is the man that owed him the most money and didn’t have to pay it back.”

Jesus said, “You are right.”

44 Then he turned towards the woman and said, “Simon, look at this woman. When I came into your house, you didn’t give me water to wash my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t kiss me on the cheek to make me feel good, but this woman keeps on kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t put any olive oil on my head, like people do for their friends, but she put oil on my feet that has perfume in it, and it cost a lot of money. 47 Listen, I know she did a lot of bad things, but I’m telling you, I will say that she is not guilty of all those bad things. I will let it all go, and God will not punish her. That is the reason why she loves me a lot. But if somebody only did a few bad things, and I let it go, they will only love me a little bit.”

48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “You did bad things, but I am letting it go, and I will say that you are not guilty.”

49 The other people there said to each other, “Who does this man think he is? He reckons he can say that somebody is not guilty, and then God will not punish them for the bad things they did.”

50 But Jesus said to the woman, “You trusted me, so you will not get trouble for the bad things you did. Don’t worry, you can go away happy and quiet now.”