Bible Commentaries
Luke 7

Verses 1-10

Luk 7:1-10

Commentary On Luke 7:1-10

Galen Doughty

Luke 7:1-6 - Jesus returns to Capernaum. Luke then introduces the centurion who has the slave who is ill. He has heard of Jesus and he wants him to come and heal his slave. He does not come himself to plead with Jesus but sends some of the town elders to do it for him. The elders beg Jesus to come telling him that the centurion loves the people and has built their synagogue. He deserves Jesus’ help. Remarkably Jesus goes with them. He is ready to help anyone who asks!

The elders pleading with Jesus is unique because this was a Gentile and a Roman. They respect him however and appear to genuinely like the man. Luke and in fact all the gospel writers never have anything bad to say about a centurion. They were commanders of 100 troops, a century, and came to their rank through experience, unlike tribunes and higher ranks who were given their rank because of position, family and privilege.

Luke 7:6-8 - Jesus is almost to the centurion’s house when the man sends some friends to tell Jesus he is not worthy to have him come to his home. This is very Jewish and Luke is the only one who records the incident this way. Matthew has the centurion coming himself to Jesus pleading for his servant. If this is the same incident I don’t know which it was that is closer to what actually happened.

The friends tell Jesus the centurion’s words. Just say the word and my servant will be healed because he understands authority and he recognizes Jesus’ authority to heal. The man has faith and furthermore he has pulled his friends into this incident and his faith will affect them as well. Now the friends get a chance to see Jesus in action.

Luke 7:9-10 - Jesus is amazed at the centurion’s faith! The word means to wonder at something with admiration. Our faith can affect God and God always responds to genuine faith! Jesus is so amazed at the man’s faith he turns to the crowd who is following him and exclaims that he has not found such great faith even in Israel, where you would expect to find it! This is a Gentile! The man’s servant is healed by the time the friends get back to the centurion’s home. Luke does not report anything Jesus said to the centurion nor to the friends whom he had sent. He merely reports the servant was healed.

What is the kind of faith the centurion had that so impressed Jesus? It was not manipulative. It was not demanding. It did not claim a promise and then say God you HAVE to do this. It was respectful and full of trust in Jesus. The man believed Jesus could do this for his servant. His faith recognized Jesus’ authority and power as different from other men. He did not need to see Jesus act; he only needed to know that he had acted, to say the word. The man risked Jesus rejecting his request because he was a Roman and a Gentile but he was willing to do it for his servant’s sake, for love’s sake. His faith was humble. He knew he was not worthy, and even though he was using the kind of cultural humility that was common in Jesus’ day and even today, yet there was a genuine humility to the man. All of those qualities are part of the faith of the centurion that so amazed Jesus. We need to have the same kind of faith today because it pleases the Lord!!!

Verses 11-17

Luk 7:11-17

Commentary On Luke 7:11-17

Galen Doughty

Luke 7:11-13 - Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd are following him and they come near to Nain, a town in the Jezreel Valley southeast across the valley from Nazareth. When they are approaching the town gates a funeral procession is coming out of the gates. The people are carrying the body of a man who is the only son of a widow. That means she is now alone and probably cut off from any support. Luke says Jesus is filled with compassion for her. Luke uses the verb splagchnistha from splagchna, compassion, to be moved in the intestines. He tells her and all the mourners with her don’t cry.

One wonders whether Jesus had a special affinity with the woman because he had been in a similar situation with Mary his own mother. She had been a widow and Jesus had almost certainly had to pick up his father’s trade in order to support his family. What would have happened to Mary if Jesus or any of his brothers and sisters had not been there? I don’t know if that was in his mind at the time, but I am guessing it might have been. Jesus knew that there was no safety net for this woman. She was now alone and without support.

His compassion moves him to do something radical. He had healed the centurion’s slave in response to the centurion’s faith. Here he moves to raise the young man from the dead in response to the woman’s grief and need. Her faith does not enter into the picture at all! Jesus heals directly from his response to his own compassion and not in response to faith. Jesus will always respond with mercy and compassion to our needs!

Luke 7:14-15 - Jesus walks over to the coffin, touches it, which would have made him ceremonially unclean for the rest of the day, and stops the whole procession. Then he does something that no one believes he would do or can do. He tells the young dead man to get up! I’m sorry, but no one in their right mind does this, no one accept Jesus! He is always in his right mind! The incredible thing is the young man sits up and begins to talk, presumably with Jesus, who then gets him out of the coffin and hands him back to his astonished and overjoyed mother!

When Elijah raised the widow’s son he prayed over the body and stretched out over it. Jesus walks up to the dead man and tells him get up and he does. He raises him with a WORD! Jesus’ word carries the power of creation because it is the very word of God. He is the Word who is God!

Luke 7:16-17 - The crowd that followed Jesus and the crowd from Nain are all filled with awe! The Greek word is phobos, the fear of the Lord, and they praise God because of what Jesus has done. They proclaim him a great prophet but not Messiah as yet. They see Jesus as God come to help his people. This alone would have excited them because no prophet had been among the Jews for 400 years and they would know the prophecy that said a prophet like Moses was going to arise someday. The news spread about Jesus throughout the surrounding country and all over Judea or where the Jews lived. What Jesus did could not be kept quiet. He was being noticed by people and by people in power.

He then illustrates what that looks like with the contrast of the two men who build their houses, one on the rock and one on the sand. The one who builds on the rock is like the person who hears Jesus’ words and puts them into practice, they obey him. A flood comes, which means just because we obey him does not mean difficult times will not come into our lives. The flood comes but the house still stands because it was built upon the rock. The one who hears Jesus’ words and fails to obey, fails to put them into practice, is like the one who built his house upon the ground without a foundation. The flood came upon his house too, but when it came it collapsed because there was no foundation. The only sure foundation for a disciple of Jesus is to hear his words and do them. Nothing else will hold us when the storms of life come. If we think that merely lip service faith to Jesus is enough we are headed for destruction because our life house has no foundation to stand upon.

The setting of this parable like in Matthew 7 is probably the sandy bottoms of the wadis that drain down into the Sea of Galilee and the flash floods that come in the rainy season. It seems good to build one’s house in the bottom of the sandy wadi in the summer because it is cool. But ultimately it is foolish. Only a house built upon the rock of Jesus and his teaching will stand.

Verses 18-35

Luk 7:18-35

Commentary On Luke 7:18-35

Galen Doughty

Luke 7:18-20 - John the Baptist hears about all that Jesus is doing from his disciples. Did Andrew and the other of Jesus’ disciples who used to follow John come and report to him too? Is that who told him what Jesus was doing? John is obviously confused about Jesus’ mission and actions. I don’t think he anticipated Jesus’ teaching, preaching and healing in Galilee as the centerpiece of his mission. I think he anticipated Jesus going to Jerusalem and declaring himself openly there. Perhaps he hoped Jesus would get John out of prison. I am not sure. He missed applying Isaiah 9 and the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light, which had shined upon them. That is all about Galilee and the Messiah coming there!

The two disciples that John sends ask Jesus are you the Messiah, telling him John wants to know. Are you he or should we expect someone else? John was confused, but were there others confused as well? Certainly early on at his baptism John thought Jesus was the Messiah. Now he has doubts. Did his followers have doubts as well? Did the people? Jesus has been hailed as a prophet, and the demons have declared him the Son of God. He has claimed to be God and do only what God can do. John I think is representative of many people among the Jews who are hoping Jesus is the Messiah but they are not sure. He doesn’t fit into any of their expectations! The problem is Jesus is gathering all the prophetic strands of the Old Testament; Messiah, Servant, Son of Man, Prophet like Moses, Wise Man, Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and gathering them all up into himself in order to fulfill them all. No one had ever thought of that or seen it coming. The Jews had compartmentalized the prophecies and had not clearly seen the links between all the great prophetic figures. Jesus did and he fulfilled them all!

Luke 7:21-23 - Luke reports that when John’s disciples came to Jesus with John’s question about the Messiah, Jesus had been healing, casting out demons and preaching the Kingdom to the people.

Jesus answers John’s question. He tells the two messengers to go back and tell John in prison, report what you have seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news preached to them. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. John’s question is, are you the Messiah? Jesus answers yes, but on his terms, with images of the Messiah and the Servant from Isaiah. Isaiah links the Servant and the Messiah but subtlely not directly. Jesus is telling John that his mission is different than John thought, yet the Kingdom is coming, judgment is at hand, but it will fall on Jesus as the Servant and sin will be paid for. John like many others did not see the necessity for the Messiah to suffer first and then enter his glory. That is one of Luke’s primary purposes in writing his gospel to Theophilus, to show him that all of Jesus life, death and resurrection were fulfillment of prophecy. He is the Messiah.

Luke 7:24-28 - Jesus speaks to the crowds about John the Baptist. He asks them what did they go out to the desert to see? What did they expect? Then Jesus identifies John as the Elijah prophet. He is a prophet, yes but he is more than that. Jesus directly quotes Malachi 3:1 that says God will send his messenger before the Messiah comes. The Jews identified that prophet as the Elijah prophet and were looking for him before the Messiah came. Jesus tells the crowds John is that prophet.

Jesus says John is the last of the prophets of the Old Covenant, the Elijah prophet, the forerunner of the Messiah. No one who has ever been born is greater than John. Yet the least of those who belong to the Kingdom, the New Covenant is greater than John because they are part of the age to come. John marks the closing of an age just as Jesus marks the beginning of the new one. The time between Jesus’ resurrection and his Second Coming will be the mixing of the two ages, the birth pangs of the Messiah. For us it will be the already and the not yet, the time of the Gentiles and the preaching of the gospel to the nations, so that all may be saved who are destined for eternal life.

Luke 7:29-30 - Luke adds the note that the people who had come to be baptized by John, even the tax collectors had repented and accepted Jesus’ teaching about John. The Pharisees and experts in the Law who had not been baptized disagreed with Jesus and did not accept his teaching about John or about the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees in their pride did not believe they had anything from which to repent. They were like Paul before he was saved, who said according to the Law he was blameless!

Luke is trying to tell us that people who are baptized have repented, it is the sign of their repentance. And that baptism is always accompanied by faith in Jesus, obedience to him, and reception of his teaching authority. In baptism we have come under the claim of Jesus and his authority in our lives.

Luke 7:31-35 - Jesus addresses his generation and what they seek. He compares them to spoiled children who no matter what happens are not happy. All they can do is complain to one another how their desires and expectations were not met. He then links the little saying about the children to John and himself. John came as a Nazarite, an aesthetic, and the Pharisees and his opponents claimed he had a demon. Jesus came enjoying the good things of life and fellowship with people, even sinners, and the same group accused him of being a drunkard and a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! They were never satisfied because neither Jesus nor John met their expectations. They had painted God into a box believing he had to act a particular way or it wasn’t God, as if they understood the Almighty perfectly. When both John and Jesus didn’t fit into their little boxes they declared that they couldn’t be from God because they didn’t fit their categories, as if they were God’s judges and he had to do what they wanted him to do in their way!

Jesus concludes by saying wisdom is known by her children. In other words, look at the fruit of John’s ministry and of Jesus’ ministry. Look at the changed lives who now are following God by faith not by rules and Law. The obedience of faith is what counts with God not status or rules. Luke follows this saying of Jesus with the story of Simon the Pharisee and the woman who is a sinner, demonstrating the power of faith in Jesus to change us and the impotence of rules and religion.

Verses 36-50

Luk 7:36-50

Commentary On Luke 7:36-50

Galen Doughty

Luke 7:36-39 - Jesus is invited to Simon the Pharisee’s home for dinner and he accepts. Jesus was not averse to accepting a Pharisee’s hospitality. He dined with Pharisees and tax collectors, all who wanted to fellowship with him. He had no boundaries or excluded anyone from his presence if they wanted to be with him. This is probably in the area around Capernaum. He is reclining at table with Simon and his other guests when a woman who had a sinful reputation broke into the dinner party. Everyone in that town knew who she was and what she had done. If she were a prostitute, which seems likely, then the Pharisees would have excluded her from God’s Kingdom and forgiveness because she could not meet their criterion for repentance. She learns Jesus is at Simon’s house and brings an expensive jar of perfume. Luke does not say but the implication is she must have heard Jesus’ teaching and preaching about the Kingdom and about God’s forgiveness for those who would repent. She saw the possibility of a new life with Jesus and she was overwhelmed with gratitude.

She breaks into the dinner party and comes to Jesus, standing behind him, she pours out the perfume on Jesus, weeps at his feet and dries his feet with her hair that she has let down. She kisses his feet as well and Jesus allows it all in a public place, in Simon’s house without asking Simon’s permission or telling the woman this is not appropriate behavior. He accepts her tender affections which some in the room probably interpreted as overtly sexual in nature and therefore shameful to Jesus, the woman and especially Simon the host. Even though the dinner party is inside of Simon’s house this is a very public event. The whole town would know that Jesus was eating at Simon’s house that day. People would gossip about who got invited to sit at table with Jesus. Are his disciples with him? Luke does not say. The fact that the woman crashed the dinner party would be all over town in moments. People might have come running to Simon’s house to see what would happen. Remember village life is dull and routine and anything that happens out of the ordinary is cause for a crowd to gather and tongues to wag. Simon is being shamed by the woman and what’s worse, Jesus is seeing it all! What will people think?

This is exactly how Simon sees the situation and grumbles to himself about what Jesus is doing and to the insult to Simon and his house. If Jesus were really a prophet he would know who is touching him! This woman is a sinner and cannot be part of the Kingdom of God. She cannot repent! She is unclean and needs to be excluded not included! What she is doing is embarrassing and Jesus is allowing it! Simon is judging the woman as a sinner and shameful but considers himself to be righteous before God. The problem is he is now judging Jesus and wondering at his righteousness! He is thinking of himself and not of Jesus let alone the woman and what has caused her to come to his house and publicly display such shocking affection and behavior towards Jesus.

Luke 7:40-41 - Jesus hears Simon’s grumbling about the woman and about Jesus and addresses him. I have something to say to you Simon. Literally Luke says in Greek: “Teacher, say it.” You can hear Simon’s anger in just the way he says the words. There is no politeness which is common in the culture. Simon is furious at Jesus for allowing the woman to do such a shameful thing to him in his house!

Luke 7:41-43 - Jesus then tells Simon a parable. His purpose is to push Simon to make a choice about himself, about Jesus, about forgiveness and his need for it and about the woman.

Two men owed debts to a moneylender. One owed 500 denarii, a year and a half’s wages. The other owed 50 denarri, about a month and half’s wages. Neither could pay back the debt. The moneylender graciously cancels the debts of both, which neither deserve. They both receive grace. Jesus’ question is which will love the moneylender more.

Simon grudgingly replies, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt. Jesus says you have judged correctly.

All this time the woman is weeping at Jesus’ feet and drying his feet with her hair. Does she stop for a moment and listen. Luke doesn’t say. The tension and drama in the room was almost certainly palpable! Simon and the guests would have known what Jesus’ parable was getting at. The question everyone was wondering about was how was Jesus going to interpret it and use it. What was Jesus now going to say to Simon?

Luke 7:44-47 - Jesus turning towards the woman addresses Simon. His action is a tender and protective one, almost as if he is telling her I won’t let them hurt you. I know who you are and what you have done and I still love and care for you. It’s going to be all right.

Jesus then proceeds to compare Simon and the woman and his hospitality. Simon do you see this woman? How could he not?! When I came to your house you didn’t give me water to wash my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Simon didn’t even give his guest of honor the most common courtesy of a Jewish home, washing a guest’s feet. He insulted Jesus as soon as he arrived. She has done what he should have done.

Simon you didn’t give me the kiss of greeting but this woman hasn’t stopped kissing my feet! You didn’t kiss me as a friend, a guest or an equal. She has kissed me as a master and lord. She has kissed my feet in humility and submission. Simon you didn’t anoint my head with oil as a sign of respect, welcome or humility on your part to have me in your home and to honor me. She has poured perfume on my feet.

Simon, except for the meal you have failed as a host and shamed your home, your village and me. This woman whom you think is shameful because of her past has done everything to me you should have done to show me honor. Therefore her many sins are forgiven because she loved much. But the one who loves little is forgiven little. No one could mistake what Jesus was saying here; Simon had loved Jesus little! Jesus turns the whole scene on its head and makes the woman whom everyone thought was the shameful one into the gracious, humble host and Simon the righteous Pharisee into the shameful one! Extraordinary! The guests’ heads must have been spinning let alone Simon’s. What must the woman have thought?

Luke 7:48-50 - Jesus says directly to her, your sins are forgiven. Jesus uses the word for forgiveness that carries with it the picture of a debt being cancelled. He relates her forgiveness directly back to the parable.

The guests are shocked! How can Jesus forgive her sins? Who does he think he is? He is God, and is speaking as if he were the one to whom she owed the moral debt. He forgives her and cancels her debt. He doesn’t say anything to Simon.

Jesus’ final words to her are your faith has saved you, go in peace. Forgiveness is about repentance, recognizing our own sinfulness and then coming in faith to Jesus. The woman did this therefore she is forgiven. Though her sins were greater than Simon’s, Jesus doesn’t downplay the difference between the woman’s sins and Simon’s. He points it out. Simon, in his self-righteousness, doesn’t see his need nor come in faith and love to Jesus. The woman does. She is forgiven; she whom everyone at the dinner party had judged as shameful and excluded. Simon remains in his sin; he whom everyone at the party thought was righteous and the one who had been offended. Jesus is the one who acts as the offended party, pointing out Simon’s insults and lack of hospitality to Jesus and affirming the woman’s tender humble actions toward Jesus. He is not shocked or humiliated by her actions. He doesn’t take them as sexual in nature at all, even though most of the guests probably did. The point is if Jesus is not offended then we don’t need to be offended! Her many sins are forgiven! He accepts her love for him and affirms her. That is what forgiveness does, it affirms us!

Questions by E.M Zerr For Luke Chapter Seven

1. Into what city did Jesus enter?

2. Whose messengers met him there?

3. State the nature of the man’s trouble.;

4. Who acted as the messengers ?

5. State their request.

6. What recommendation did they furnish?

7. Why did the centurion intercept Jesus?

8. Give his argument.

9. What comment did Jesus make on this?

10. In meantime what happened to the servant?

11. Where did Jesus go next day?

12. Tell what procession he met.

13. How about this mother’s support?

14. Was she without sympathizers?

15. How was Jesus affected toward her?

16. What did he first do?

17. State what he said.

18. With what result?

19. What indicated returning consciousness?

20. Tell what this brought upon all.

21. For what did they glorify God?

22. State the extent of this rumor.

23. Who brought the news to John?

24. Tell what inquiry John made.

25. What was Jesus doing at that time?

26. State the message he sent to John.

27. Who was promised to be blessed ?

28. After their departure of whom did Jesus speak?

29. Was he as unsteady as a reed?

30. Why should he not be clothed in soft raiment?

31. What title did Jesus admit for John?

32. Tell what had been written of him.

33. For whom was this preparation to be made?

34. Who was a greater prophet than John?

35. Who was greater than John?

36. Was John in the kingdom of heaven?

37. Who accepted John’s baptism?

38. In so doing whom did they justify ?

39. Who rejected this baptism?

40. So doing, what counsel did they reject?

41. To whom did Jesus liken that people?

42. Wbat response should have come for the piping?

43. And for the mourning?

44. Which had been done?

45. What two teachers are in his mind ?

46. State the complaint against John.

47. And against Christ.

48. How are wisdom’s children justified?

49. In whose house did Christ eat?

50. What kind of woman ministered to him?

51. Tell who objected.

52. State the reasoning of Jesus.

53. Who had done the most for Jesus?

54. Tell what illustration Jesus used.

55. What favor did he bestow on the woman?

56. On what was this favor based ?

57. State objection made to his forgiveness.

Luke Chapter Seven

By Ralph L. Starling

He left for Capernaum and when He arrived

A Centurion’s servant was ready to die.

Hearing about Jesus he sent servants to bring Him

To heal his servant who was important to Him.

As Jesus came near the Centurion sent word

“Don’t come to my house, I am not worthy.

I’m one of authority, when I speak it is done.

With your authority to heal, it will be done.”

Jesus marveled, “I haven’t found this faith in Israel.”

When they reached the house it was for real.

The sick servant was completely healed.

The day after he wen to the city of Nam.

At the City gate a man was being carried for burial.

Jesus told her “weep not” and he touched the bier.

The only son of a widow there with her neighbors.

When told to arise he stood up and went to his mother.

The news was spread through out the region.

He was asked, “Are you the answer to John’s preaching?”

He told them to go tell John what they had seen,

“And blessed are those who are not offended in me.”

When John’s disciples had departed,

To the people Jesus praised John whole-heartedly

Saying there had bee no greater prophet than John.

Those who had been baptized by John said, “AMEN!”

Jesus then asked, “How can I describe this people?

John came neither eating or drinking—“He has a devil!”

“The Son of Man, eating and drinking and He is a friend of sinners.

With these people there are no winners.”

Surprise! A Pharisee invited Him to eat with Him.

A woman came and anointed His feet with ointment.

The Pharisee said, “A prophet” should have known better.

“For this woman from the city is a known sinner.”

Hearing this comment Jesus told a parable.

A man who had 2 debtors who owed him money.

One owed a 100 pence the other owed him fifty.

Being unable to pay he said they were no longed indebted.

“Now, which one did he love the most?”

He answered, “I supposed the one who owed him the most.”

Jesus said, “You have judged rightly.

This sinner has honored me with every nicety.”

“You invited me to eat without even a kiss.

She gave me a kiss and even washed my feet

Her sins, which were many, are forgiven.

He that loveth much, much shall be forgiven.”

Jesus said to the woman, “Thy sins are forgiven.

Go in peace you faith made it happen.”

Those that were eating silently mused

“Who is this man that can forgive sins too?”