Chapter 7
Luke 7
Jesus Heals a Roman Officer’s Servant (vv. 1-10)
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people, he went to Capernaum. 2 A Roman officer a there had a servant who was very dear to him; the man was sick and about to die. 3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders b to ask him to come and heal his servant. 4 They came to Jesus and begged him earnestly, “This man really deserves your help. 5 He loves our people and he himself built a synagogue for us.”
6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the officer sent friends to tell him, “Sir, don’t trouble yourself. I do not deserve to have you come into my house, c 7 neither do I consider myself worthy to come to you in person. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. 8 I, too, am a man placed under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me. I order this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; I order that one, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and I order my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9 Jesus was surprised when he heard this; he turned around and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, I have never found faith like this, not even in Israel!”
10 The messengers went back to the officer’s house and found his servant well.
Interesting Stuff:
a The traditional translation is ‘centurion’. Originally a centurion was an officer who commanded a hundred soldiers, but in time the number varied. Usually men of courage and integrity were chosen to be centurions. Roman centurions mentioned in the NT showed qualities that were admirable. This centurion showed genuine concern for his slave and he was admired by the Jews even though he was a Gentile.
b These were highly respected Jews of the community, though not necessarily rulers of the synagogue.
c According to rabbinical law, a Jew defiles himself ceremonially if he enters a Gentile’s house. Here the centurion may also have felt a sense of unworthiness in the presence of Jesus.
Questions:
- Where was the Roman officer living (vv. 1-2)?
2. What kind of a man was the Roman officer (vv. 4-7)?
3. What did the Roman officer do when he heard about Jesus (vv. 1-3)?
4. What was Jesus told about the Roman officer (vv. 4-5)?
5. How did the Roman officer show his faith (vv. 6-8)?
6. How did Jesus react to the centurion’s actions (v. 9)?
7. What are some points of interest in this story?
8. Name two other miracles of healing where faith plays an important role.
Summary of Section:
- Jesus was still in Galilee. After teaching on the plain, he went to Capernaum.
- There was a Roman officer who had a servant who was very dear to him. This servant was sick and about to die.
- When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant.
- The Jewish elders came to Jesus and begged him to help the Roman officer. They had great respect for him and considered that he was worthy to have Jesus help him. Although a Gentile, the centurion was a good man who loved Israel and even built a synagogue for the Jews.
- Jesus went with them. But he was not far from the house when the officer sent friends to tell Jesus not to trouble himself by coming. The Roman officer considered himself unworthy to have Jesus enter his house nor to meet Jesus in person. The officer was clearly also a humble man.
- He compared Jesus’ relationship with God to his relationship with his soldiers. As a soldier who was under authority and one who also had others under his authority, he knew that commands would be obeyed immediately by those who were under authority.
- He told Jesus to just give the order and his servant would be healed.
- Jesus marvelled at the officer’s faith. He told the crowd that he had never found anyone with faith like this, not even among God’s own people.
- When the officer’s messengers went back, they found the servant healed because of the master’s faith.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- As a Gentile, the Roman officer or centurion did not dare to contact Jesus directly but he did so only through the Jewish elders with whom he had some contact. Despite the fact that he was a Gentile, Jesus readily agreed to go even though entering a Gentile’s home would defile him.
- It is not clear why the Roman officer sent a second delegation to Jesus. What stands out about this man is that he recognised his unworthiness to have Jesus go to his home and defile himself. More importantly, he recognised and understood authority. He recognised Jesus’ spiritual authority and trusted that Jesus’ authority, even when spoken at a distance would achieve its intended results. He thus stood in great contrast to the rest of the Jews including the Jewish authorities who failed to recognise and acknowledge the authority of Jesus.
- Jesus thus praised this Gentile as having faith that was greater than that of his own people. The healing of the servant proved how right the officer was in his faith in the authority of Jesus.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son to Life (vv. 11-17)
11 Soon afterward Jesus went to a town named Nain, d accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd. 12 Just as he arrived at the gate of the town, a funeral procession e was coming out. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, f and he said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he walked over and touched the coffin, g and the men carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man! Get up, I tell you!” 15 The dead man sat up h and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with fear and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” i they said; “God has come to save his people!”
17 This news about Jesus went out through all the country and the surrounding territory.
Interesting Stuff:
d Nain was a town in Galilee, lying a few kilometres southeast of Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth. The large crowd that went with Jesus shows us how popular he was at this period of his ministry. As he moved from town to town, people attached themselves to him and went along.
e The funeral procession had already gone through the town and was now on the way to the place of burial, which was usually outside the town.
f As a widow, and now without a son, the woman would be all alone. Without a male protector and provider, she would face much hardship. There were few openings for a woman to earn a living in the first century. Besides all that loneliness and hardship, there was also the knowledge that the family line had ended. The large crowd that accompanied her showed that people felt great sympathy for her as well.
g It was common Jewish practice to use open coffins and cover the body with a piece of cloth. By touching the coffin, Jesus was again going against the ceremonial laws on ritual purity. However, to Jesus meeting human needs was more important than following the ritual laws.
h This is the first of two recorded instances of Jesus’ raising someone from the dead in the Gospel of Luke, the second being Jairus’ daughter (8:40-56). The only other recorded instance is the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John (Jn 11:38-44).
i The people recognised the hand of God in what had happened and saw Jesus as one of His great prophets. They probably had in mind the only other two great prophets who had raised the dead to life – Elijah and Elisha.
Questions:
- Describe the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (vv. 11-15).
2. What was the reaction of the people (vv. 16-17)?
3. Comment on Jesus’ action that broke the ceremonial law of the Jews (v. 14).
Why do you think Jesus was not concerned about breaking the Law in this case?
4. State four differences between the healing of the Roman officer’s servant and the raising of the widow’s son.
Summary of Section:
- Jesus went to a town called Nain accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd.
- A funeral procession came out just as he arrived at the gate of the town. The dead person was the only son of a widow. She was now all alone without a male protector and provider.
- The large crowd with her showed that people understood her desperate and sad situation and they sympathised with her.
- When he saw her, he was filled with compassion for the woman. He told her not to cry.
- Then he walked over and touched the coffin.
- The men carrying the coffin stopped.
- Jesus then spoke to the dead man and asked him to get up. Immediately a miracle occurred and the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave the man back to his mother.
- Those who saw this were filled with fear and praised God. They saw Jesus as a great prophet who had come into their midst.
- As a result, Jesus’ fame continued to spread throughout the whole country and the surrounding territory.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- This story of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead is only found in the Gospel of Luke. For Luke, this woman who was husbandless, sonless and in mourning represents the ‘poor’ to whom Jesus had come to bring God’s Good News.
- This is less an account of healing and more a revelation of the character of Jesus’ ministry. It shows the love and compassion of God for His people, particularly the poor, the helpless and the neglected.
- By touching the coffin, Jesus would be defiling himself ceremonially. However, Jesus never concerned himself with such laws when there was a human need in question.
- There are times in our grief or struggles when we do not even think of asking God for help. Yet we can take comfort that God in His mercy and compassion will reach out to help us just as He did with the widow of Nain even without anyone asking Him to. We see here that however hopeless the situation, Jesus can still ‘breathe life’ into it because he cares for us and loves us.
- Here Jesus did not have to pray to God but spoke directly to the corpse. At his word, the young man was brought back to life. Jesus is thus more than just a prophet as later proclaimed by the people. Luke refers to him as ‘Lord’ in v. 13.
John Sends His Disciples to Jesus (vv.18-35)
18 When John’s disciples told him about all these things, he called two of them 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?” j
20 When they came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask if you are the one he said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?”
21 At that very time Jesus healed many people from their sicknesses, diseases, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind people. 22 He answered John’s messengers, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: k the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases are made clean, the deaf can ear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 23 How happy are those who have no doubts about me!”
24 After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to speak about him to the crowds: “When you went out to John in the desert, what did you expect to see? A blade of grass bending in the wind? l 25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in fancy clothes? People who dress like that and live in luxury are found in palaces!
26 Tell me, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed, but you saw much more than a prophet. m 27 For John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ 28 I tell you,” Jesus added, “John is greater than any man who has ever lived. But he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John.”
29 All the people heard him; they and especially the tax collectors were the ones who had obeyed God’s righteous demands and had been baptised by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law rejected God’s purpose for themselves and refused to be baptised by John.
31 Jesus continued, “Now to what can I compare the people of this day? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace. n One group shouts to the other, ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn’t dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn’t cry!’ 33 John the Baptist came, and he fasted and drank no wine, and you said, ‘He has a demon in him!’ 34 The Son of Man came, and he ate and drank, and you said, ‘Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!’ 35
God’s wisdom, however, is shown to be true by all who accept it.” o
Interesting Stuff:
j John himself had announced the coming of the Christ, but now he had been languishing in prison for months and the work of Jesus had not brought the results that John was expecting. His disappointment was natural and he probably wanted some reassurance that Jesus was the one he had been telling others about.
k In answer to the disciples of John, Jesus pointed to his healing and miracles, evidence that reflect the ministry of the Messiah as prophesied in the OT.
l John was not a weak person who could be swayed by the pressures of other people’s opinions.
m John was the unique prophet sent to prepare the way for the Messiah.
n Jesus proceeded to bring out the unreasonableness of the people by pointing to their rejection of both John the Baptist and Jesus for opposite reasons. Their rejection is described like the fickleness of children who refuse to play either a joyful or a mournful game. Jesus quoted a little rhyme that children apparently used when other children would not join their games. They rejected John because he followed the strictest of rules and did the same with Jesus when he freely associated with all kinds of people.
o In contrast to those who criticise foolishly, those who were open to God’s purposes could see that the ministries of both John and Jesus were from God, even though they led very different lifestyles.
Questions:
- What did John the Baptist send his disciples to ask Jesus (vv. 18-20)?
2. What was Jesus’ reply to John (vv. 21-23)?
3. How did Jesus describe John to the people (vv. 24-28)?
4. What did Jesus compare the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who rejected him to (vv. 31-32)?
5. In what ways were they like this group of people (vv. 33-34)?
Summary of Section:
- John the Baptist was in prison at this time. After his disciples had told him about what Jesus had done, he sent two of them to ask Jesus whether Jesus was the one he said was going to come or whether they should expect someone else.
- At that time, Jesus healed many people from their sicknesses and demons and gave sight to many blind people. So he told the messengers to report back to John what they had seen and heard him do. He had healed the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed those with skin diseases, made the deaf hear, raised the dead to life, and preached the Good News to the poor.
- Jesus was reminding John that these were the things predicted of the Messiah in the Scriptures. He added that blessed were those who understood and had no doubts about who he was.
- After John’s messengers left, Jesus turned to the crowd to help them understand the person and the role of John the Baptist.
- Jesus told them that the John they had gone to see in the desert was not someone who could be easily influenced by others or someone who was interested in living a life of luxury. He was more than a prophet. He was the one whom God had sent to prepare the way of the Messiah, and thus was the greatest man who ever lived.
- But Jesus added that although John was great, the person who was of least importance in God’s Kingdom was still greater than John.
- Jesus then proceeded to point out the unreasonableness of the people of his day for rejecting both John the Baptist and Jesus himself for completely opposite reasons. He said that they were like children sitting in the marketplace who got annoyed when others would not play their game, whether it was a joyful one or a mournful one.
- John fasted and drank no wine and they said that he had a demon in him. But when Jesus came and ate and drank, they said he was a glutton and a wine-drinker, and a friend of tax collectors and outcasts.
- Jesus concluded by saying that those who were really wise would see and accept the wisdom of God as revealed in Jesus and John.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Since the religious authorities had reacted negatively to Jesus’ activity, the question arose as to whether someone who is really from God would encounter such opposition from God’s own people. John’s immediate concern was also whether Jesus was the Messiah since what he had heard so far concerning Jesus’ ministry was different from his expectations of the Messiah as one who would be bringing judgment (3:17).
- In his answer to John, Jesus pointed to passages in Isaiah which describe the mission of the Messiah as one that also includes the healing of the blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, the dead and the Good News being preached to the poor.
- The crowd consisted of people who had gone to see and hear John. Many of them especially the tax collectors had obeyed God’s call to repent of their sins and had been baptised by John. But the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had rejected what they heard and refused to be baptised by John.
- Jesus wanted the people to recognise that John was more than just a prophet. He was the prophet whom God had used to prepare them for the coming of God’s Messiah. But despite the fact that this made John greater than any other human being, in the Kingdom of God the least important would still be greater than John. Such is the Good News that Jesus had come to bring from God.
- Then Jesus commented on the responses of those who had rejected his call to repentance. They condemned both John and Jesus for their lifestyles which they found as not becoming of people who were supposed to be religious and Godfearing. Jesus added that only those who were open to God’s wisdom would be able to discern that both their ministries were from God, even though they lived very differently.
Jesus Eats in the House of Simon the Pharisee (vv. 36-50)
36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him, and Jesus went to his house and sat down p to eat. 37 In that town was a woman who lived a sinful life. q She heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house, so she brought an alabaster jar r full of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus, by his feet, crying and wetting his feet with her tears. s Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured the perfume on them. t 39 When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know who this woman is who is touching him; he would know what kind of sinful life she lives!”
40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, Teacher,” he said, “tell me.”
41 “There were two men who owed money to a moneylender,” Jesus began. “One owed him five hundred silver coins, u and the other one fifty. 42 Neither of them could pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?”
43 “I suppose,” answered Simon, “that it would be the one who was forgiven more.”
“You are right,” said Jesus. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your home, and you gave me no water for my feet, v but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You did not welcome me with a kiss, w but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I came. 46 You provided no olive oil for my head, x but she has covered my feet with perfume. 47 I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The others sitting at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 But Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Interesting Stuff:
p The Jews, following Roman custom, did not sit at the table, but reclined on low couches, leaning on the left arm with the head towards the table and the body stretched away from it. Sandals were removed before reclining. The woman was thus able to approach Jesus’ feet without difficulty. A meal such as the one Jesus attended was not private. The house was left open so that anyone could enter and look on.
q The woman was most likely a prostitute. Even though anyone could enter the house, a prostitute would not have been welcome. So it must have taken courage for the woman to come. She must have heard Jesus preach and in repentance, she came to show her love and gratitude.
r The word ‘alabaster jar’ refers to a globular container for perfumes. It had no handles but a long neck which was broken off when the contents inside were needed. Not all containers were made of alabaster, a type of stone found near Alabastron in Egypt. It is assumed therefore that the perfume must have been very expensive.
s It was probably the woman’s intention to anoint Jesus’ feet with the perfume. But as she stood there, her emotions got the better of her and her tears began to fall at Jesus’ feet.
t She promptly wiped them with her hair. Jewish ladies did not unbind their hair in public. Clearly she must have been completely oblivious of what people thought of her in the grip of her emotions. This would also explain why she kissed Jesus’ feet. There are examples of the kissing of the feet of a specially honoured rabbi but it was far from usual. Normally the perfume would have been poured on the head. Her using it on the feet is probably a mark of humility. To attend to the feet was a lowly task, one assigned to a slave.
u The traditional translation is ‘denarii’, a Roman coin. One denarius was a day’s salary for a labourer. The amount owed was thus more than a year’s salary for a labourer.
v Although Simon had invited Jesus to his home, he had not given him the treatment due to an honoured guest. It was expected that the host would have provided water to wash his guests’ feet because their feet would be dirty from the dusty roads. This was the minimal gesture of hospitality which Simon had not even shown Jesus.
w A kiss of peace was the ordinary welcome of respect that the host would give.
x To anoint the head with oil (which was cheaper than perfume) was a mark of honour for the guest.
Questions:
- What was the name of the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his home for dinner (v. 40)?
2. Who came uninvited to the house and what did she bring with her (v. 37)?
3. What did the woman do to and for Jesus (vv. 37-38, 44-47)?
4. What parable did Jesus tell the Pharisee (vv. 41-43)?
5. How did Jesus explain the parable (vv. 44-47)?
What was his reason for telling the parable (v. 39)?
6. What did Jesus say to the woman (vv. 48-50)?
7. Name another incident where Jesus forgave someone his sins.
Summary of Section:
- Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner. A woman who lived a sinful life heard that Jesus was eating in Simon’s house and she came to see him, bringing along an alabaster jar of perfume.
- When Jesus sat down to eat, she stood behind him, by his feet, crying and wetting his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them.
- Simon observed all that was going on with much displeasure. He thought that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know how sinful the woman was, and he should not have allowed her to touch and defile him.
- Jesus, however, knew what was going through Simon’s mind and so he told Simon a parable.
- It was about two debtors who owed money to a moneylender. One owed five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. Because neither could pay him back, the moneylender cancelled the debts of both.
- Then Jesus asked Simon who would love the moneylender more. Simon answered that it would be the one who was forgiven more.
- Jesus then pointed Simon to the woman’s acts of devotion to him as compared to Simon’s careless attitude towards him as the guest. Simon had neglected to show Jesus the most basic acts of hospitality.
- Simon had not given water to wash Jesus’ feet but the woman had washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. He did not welcome Jesus with a kiss but she had not stopped kissing Jesus’ feet since he came in. Simon did not anoint Jesus’ head with olive oil but she had covered his feet with perfume.
- Jesus went on to tell Simon that her great love poured out to him showed that her many sins had been forgiven. By contrast, whoever had been forgiven little, like Simon, would show very little love.
- Then Jesus told the woman that her sins were forgiven. The people sitting at the table began to ask themselves who Jesus was who could forgive sins since in their minds only God can forgive sins.
- Jesus ignored them and focused on the woman. He told her that her faith had saved her and he blessed her with the traditional blessing of ‘Go in peace’.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- It is easy to look on the surface and dismiss the woman as immoral and unclean. The reality of the situation could be that she was forced into such a position because she had no family attachments or a husband, or she could have been sold into prostitution by her parents because of economic misfortune. Regardless, in Jesus’ eyes, she would belong to the ‘poor’ to whom he had been sent with God’s Good News of salvation.
- Within Jewish culture, no decent Jewish woman would let down her hair in public. Touching a man’s feet in that way would indicate that the woman was someone accustomed to providing sexual favours. It is no wonder that Simon had serious doubts about Jesus being a prophet. In his view, Jesus neither had the prophetic insight into the character of this woman nor, by allowing her to do what she did, behave in a way consistent with those who were set apart for God’s work.
- Although Simon spoke only to himself, Jesus ‘answered’ him with the parable, thus proving himself to be a prophet. Through the parable, Jesus was showing that the woman’s actions were an expression of love that flowed from the freedom of having all her debts cancelled.
- He was inviting Simon to reconsider seeing her not as a sinner but as one who loved extravagantly and who had been forgiven and accepted by God. Her actions were not just honouring to Jesus but also done in extraordinary humility and love. They were done on Jesus’ feet, considered as the unclean part of a person’s body.
- When Jesus spoke to her directly about the forgiveness of sins and her salvation, he wanted her to recognise her new life and he wanted the community of God’s people to know that God had already accepted her and so should they as well.
- Moreover, he used words usually reserved for the conclusion of miracles or healing: “Your faith has saved you.” He sent her away in peace and with the recognition that she had been restored to wholeness, both spiritually and socially as well.
- No matter how greatly we sin, we can never be beyond God’s saving grace. Our failures and sins need not separate us from God but they can draw us nearer to God as we recognise that He will never reject us. The greater our repentance, the greater will be our experience of God’s forgiveness and love. In the same way, we are also called to accept those whom God has forgiven regardless of the background they come from.
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