Luke Chapter Seven
A Centurion’s Faith
[Text parallels Matthew 8:1, 5-13]
7:1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
When Jesus was done with His discourse (Matthew’s version is known as the Sermon on the Mount), He came down the mountain and went into Capernaum.
7:2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
Luke records that there was a Roman centurion who had a servant that was very ill and dying. This centurion cared greatly for this servant and when he heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to find Jesus and ask Him to come and heal his servant.
These two verses reveal a lot about this centurion. First, he loves his servant, and secondly, he is respected by the Jewish community enough for some elders to be willing to plead on behalf of the centurion to save that servant. Both of these indicate that this centurion was a caring individual and was well-liked by the populace.
7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
Not only were these elders willing to go find Jesus, they make a passionate plea saying the centurion was worthy for this healing to be done. As he loves the Israelite nation and has even built them a synagogue.
7:6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Jesus agrees to go with them back to the centurion’s home. They were greeted only a short distance from the home by friends of the centurion with a message from him. They told Jesus to not come to his house as he feels he is not worthy for Him to come under his roof and he did not feel worthy to come to Him. Instead He wants Jesus to “say the word,” knowing his servant will be healed. Explaining that he understood authority, that when he says to a soldier to ‘Go’, he goes, etc., knowing that Jesus could heal his servant without having to come to his house.[1]
7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
When Jesus heard these words, He admired the centurion for his faith. He stopped and turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” By referring to a Roman, an outsider, having greater faith than a Jew, would have been considered acerbic and offensive to many, but sadly truthful.
When the Jewish elders and friends of the centurion returned to the house, the servant was indeed healed and well.
Jesus Resurrects a Widow’s Son
7:11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Jesus and His disciples traveled to Nain, a small town approximately 25 miles southwest of Capernaum. As they approached the town gate a dead man was being carried out. Luke identifies the man as being the only son of his mother who was a widow. A large crowd from the town was following behind her and her son.
When Jesus saw her, He had compassion on her and told her, “not to cry.” He then came to up and touched the bier (the coffin) and the pallbearers stood still. Jesus then said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” The man sat up and began to speak while Jesus picked him up and gave him to his mother. Recognizing that they were in the presence of someone great sent by God, the crowd was first seized with fear, but were able to glorify God. They joyfully said, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” The news of the boy’s resurrection spread throughout Judea and the surrounding areas.
John the Baptist Inquires About Jesus
[Text parallels Matthew 11:2-6]
7:18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
The disciples of John reported to him about the miracles Jesus was performing. Then John called upon two of his disciples to go and ask Jesus if He is the One who is to come (the Messiah), or should they be looking for someone else? The two disciples found Jesus and asked if He was the One, just as John requested. Luke notes that in that hour Jesus had healed many people of diseases, plagues (Greek ‘mastigon’,[2] a whip or scourge, used figuratively to refer to diseases sent by God), evil spirits casted out, and those that were blind had their sight restored. Jesus responded, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard.” That the blind have received their sight, the lame are walking, lepers have been cleansed, the deaf are able to hear, the dead have been raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Each fulfilling what the Bible prophesied about the Messiah’s healing ministry (see Isaiah 29:18; 32:3-4; 35:5-7; 42:6-7; 61:1). Instead or a straight ‘yes’, Jesus gave John’s disciples what John needed to know, that the prophecies regarding the coming Messiah, were indeed being fulfilled. Jesus could have added several more to the list, especially non-healing related, but those would have been harder to prove or demonstrate.
Jesus concludes His conversation with John’s disciples by saying that those that are not offended by Him and His teaching are blessed, another sign of God’s presence.
Considerations
Why Did John the Baptist Still Have Disciples?
The Bible speaks about those that follow John the Baptist as being his disciples (see also Matthew 9:14; 11:2; 14:12; John 3:25). The continued existence of these disciples raise several related questions: If John the Baptist was a forerunner for Jesus, why didn’t his ministry stop when Jesus’ ministry began? Why the separate ministries? Shouldn’t they have joined forces? Especially in light of John’s exaltation of Jesus (see John 3:22-36).
While there are a number of speculations, no one knows for sure. Scripture does not reveal the reason for the dual ministries and the different followers. We need to understand that from man’s perspective combining ministries makes sense, but that perspective is extremely limited. We do know that “John’s Baptism” was carried on by others long after John was dead, but remained a baptism of repentance, where the people were told to believe in the One coming after him. Since those baptized did not know of Jesus, those baptisms apparently lacked the Holy Spirit (see Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-7).
It is important to note that two of John’s disciples did leave him to follow Jesus, becoming key followers of Jesus, Andrew (often listed as being Simon-Peter’s brother since he was better known), and John (see John 1:35-42, although John does not name himself).
Many ask what happened while John was in prison to cause him to doubt that Jesus was the Savior. If he had those doubts before being arrested by Herod, that may explain why the separate ministries. But it appears that John perceived something in prison that shook him enough to drive this inquiry. Some believe that by sending his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah, John wanted them to see that Jesus was indeed who He said He was so that they would begin to follow Jesus instead of him.
Even though John had an unique birth (born with the Holy Spirit), he still was human, and humans doubt. Even some of the strongest Christians can have doubt regarding God or their faith. So hearing that John had some doubts should not be a surprise to readers. Some believe that John was told about how the chief priests and the general Jewish leadership had rejected Jesus and began to believe, as they did, that Jesus was not sent by God. Some have suggested that John misunderstood Jesus’ mission. In particular regarding the Isaiah passage that Jesus read in the synagogue in His home town, where He read that He is there to “proclaim liberty to the captives,” that John may have thought that meant those imprisoned. It is unlikely John was present to hear, however, Jesus was referring to people that were being held captive to sin, not by man (see Luke 4:18-19, see also “Prophetic Text Overview No. 22” under Luke 4:28-30).
Jesus Speaks about John the Baptist
[Text parallels Matthew 11:7-19]
7:24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
Jesus turns to the crowds around Him and begins to talk about John. He asks them, “What did they go out into the wilderness to see?” He answers with another question, “A reed shaken by the wind?” Referring to a person who bends and goes with the flow of the ever changing doctrines of man. Just as Paul wrote about immature Christians, “carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14b) Jesus then asks if they went out to see a man dressed in soft clothing? He adds that those dressed in splendid clothing are those that live in luxury and are found in royal courts. He asks again, what then did they come out to see? A prophet? He tells them, yes, and that John was more than a prophet, as he was also sent before Him to prepare the people for His arrival.
7:28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Jesus then makes an astounding statement, “among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Jesus calls John the greatest person born, a strong endorsement considering the many godly men and women recorded in the Old Testament. But then Jesus says, that the least person in the kingdom of God is greater than John. This paradox has confused many scholars and theologians alike. The answer lies in the definition of “the kingdom of God,” namely all those that believe in Jesus, later to be called His church. Jesus is calling attention to something new, a new covenant that will be offered (as promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34). This covenant will be greater as it will be obtainable to all (since Jesus will do all the work) and it will be eternal.[3]
7:29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) 31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
Luke notes in this parenthetical statement that due to Jesus’ endorsement of John, further substantiated the fact that those that were baptized by John were indeed forgiven of their sins. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God’s offer for forgiveness as they refused to be baptized by John.
Referring to the Pharisees and the lawyers, Jesus then asks, “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?” Jesus then compares them to being like children playing a game in the streets, pretending to be adults. Pointing out that heir make-believe fantasies are totally worthless.[4]
7:33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Jesus further exposes their irrational and illogical thinking. That even though John the Baptist has come to them not eating any bread or drinking any wine, they say that he has a demon. Then they see that the Son of Man has come eating and drinking so they say “Look at Him!” He is a glutton, a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Jesus tells them that wisdom (God’s truth) is shown to be right by observing the changes in the lives of those who follow it.[5]
A Woman Forgiven of Her Sins
7:36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee at his house. Jesus came and was reclining at the table when a woman who was a known sinner in the city came in the room. Hearing that Jesus was reclining at the table (probably heard by those watching reporting back to those behind them who could not see), she approached Jesus carrying an alabaster flask of ointment. She gets behind Him, and while crying, she begins to wipe His feet with her tears and with her hair. She then began to kiss His feet and anoint them with the ointment.
7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
When the Pharisee, who we learn is named Simon, saw this woman touch and anoint Jesus’ feet, he said to himself if Jesus was truly a prophet He would know what sort of woman she was. Jesus responded with a short parable, “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one with the larger debt.” Jesus tells him he had answered correctly, then facing the woman, He asks Simon do you see this woman? He then compares her recognition of Jesus to that of Simon’s. He came into his house but was not given any water for His feet, but she has washed His feet with her tears. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss, but she has been continuously kissing His feet. He did not anoint His head with oil, but she anointed His feet with her ointment. Jesus then concludes by saying that her sins, which were many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. Jesus turns to the woman and tells her that her sins are forgiven, her faith has saved her and to go in peace. Others at the table began talking to one another asking, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
The woman undoubtedly recognized Jesus as the Messiah or at least someone sent by God and when she got near Him she could not refrain from crying, being truly tears of remorse. She knew she was a sinner but was now transformed and desired to show her love for Him by washing His feet and anointing them with her ointment. Jesus understanding what she was doing, told her that her sins were forgiven and that her faith in Him had indeed saved her.
The unknown guests at the table were probably other Pharisees, who like Simon, did not understand what Jesus was teaching, that the woman who had the greater number of sins forgiven, had greater love and appreciation for her reform and the forgiveness offered. While the self-righteous Pharisees only paid attention when the heard that Jesus forgave the woman her sins.[6]
There are three other similar events recorded in the gospels (see Matthew 26:6-11; Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:2-11). Some believe these are four different events, some combine different stories together, while others believe the opposite extreme, that they all refer to the same incident.[7]
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[1] See commentary under Matthew 8:5-13.
[2] Strong’s Greek 3148.
[3] See commentary under Matthew 11:11.
[4] See commentary under Matthew 11:16-17.
[5] See commentary under Matthew 11:18-19.
[6] See commentary under Luke 5:18-26.
[7] See commentary under Matthew 26:6-7 for further comparison of these four accounts.