HolyStudy
Bible IndexRead BibleNotesChurchesMissionPrivacyTermsContact
© 2026 HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurchesSign in
HolyStudy
HomeRead BibleBible NotesChurches
Sign in

Luke 7

1

Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

2

And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

3

And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

4

And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

5

For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

6

Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

7

Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

1
8

For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

9

When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

10

And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

11

And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

12

Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14

And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

1
15

And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

16

And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

17

And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about.

18

And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

19

And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

20

When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

21

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

22

Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

23

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

24

And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

25

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.

26

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

27

This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

28

For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

29

And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

30

But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

31

And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

32

They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

33

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

34

The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

35

But wisdom is justified of all her children.

36

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

37

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38

And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39

Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

40

And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

41

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42

And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43

Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

44

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45

Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46

My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

48

And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

49

And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

50

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

← Previous ChapterNext Chapter →

Luke 7

The centurion's faith — expressed entirely through intermediaries and grounded in his understanding of authority — is the greatest faith Jesus has found in Israel, signaling the kingdom's reach into Gentile territory. The widow of Nain's son raised from death deliberately evokes Elijah's raising of the Zarephath widow's son (1 Kings 17), producing the community's recognition: a great prophet has appeared, God has visited his people. John the Baptist's question from prison — are you the one who is to come? — receives the answer of enacted fulfillment: the blind see, the lame walk, the poor hear good news. Jesus' extended commendation of John (greatest born of women; more than a prophet) is paired with the judgment on the generation that rejected both John's asceticism and Jesus' celebration, like children refusing to play any game. The chapter's most vivid scene is the sinful woman's anointing of Jesus at the Pharisee's table: the two-debtor parable explains the logic (the greater forgiveness produces the greater love), and Jesus' declaration — your faith has saved you; go in peace — is the Gospel in miniature.

Luke 7:50

Jesus said to the woman, your faith has saved you; go in peace — your faith has saved you (hē pistis sou sesōken se): the final declaration combines the salvation language (sesōken, perfect tense — has saved and continues to save) with the faith attribution (your faith). Go in peace: the shalom declaration is the sending into the comprehensive well-being of the restored relationship. The woman who came weeping at the feet of Jesus goes in peace — the transformation communicates the reality of what the forgiveness has accomplished.

Luke 7:39

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner — Simon's internal reasoning is the argument from holiness: a genuine prophet would know this woman's reputation and would not permit the contact. The argument is ironically self-defeating — Jesus does know who is touching him, which is exactly what makes the scene theologically significant.

Luke 7:40

Jesus answered him, Simon, I have something to tell you. Tell me, teacher, he said — Jesus' reply to the unspoken thought communicates the same awareness of the inward as the paralytic scene (5:22) and the Capernaum exorcism (4:34). The addressing of Simon by name is personal and direct. The tell me, teacher (didaskalos) is Simon's polite invitation — he does not yet know what is coming.

Luke 7:41

Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty — the parable of the two debtors is among the simplest parables in Luke but one of the most theologically precise. Five hundred and fifty denarii: both are debts, but the ratio is ten to one. Neither debtor can pay — the comparison is not between ability and inability but between the sizes of identical inability.

Luke 7:42

Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more? — the moneylender cancels both debts freely — there is no partial forgiveness or reduced payment. The question which will love him more is the parable's pivot: the size of the forgiveness shapes the size of the gratitude.

Luke 7:43

Simon replied, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven. You have judged correctly, Jesus said — Simon's correct answer (I suppose — hypelambanō, I assume, somewhat reluctantly) is the conclusion that the parable requires. You have judged correctly: the commendation is straightforward — Simon has understood the parable's logic. He has not yet applied it to the scene before him.

Luke 7:44

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon: do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair — the you see this woman is the application of the parable to the reality. The four contrasts: Simon gave no water for feet / she wet them with tears; Simon gave no kiss / she has not stopped kissing; Simon gave no anointing / she anointed; hospitality omitted / hospitality lavished.

Luke 7:45

You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet — the contrast between the minimum hospitality Simon offered and the maximum the woman gave: Simon gave no greeting kiss (a social courtesy), while she has not stopped kissing Jesus' feet. The comparison is not an accusation of hostility but an observation about the disparity in reception.

Luke 7:46

You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet — anointing the head with oil was a hospitality courtesy for honored guests; Simon omitted it. She poured expensive perfume — not on the head (which would have been more conventional) but on the feet, communicating the ultimate reversal of hierarchy: the most expensive gift given in the most humble form.

Luke 7:47

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — as you can see, she has loved much. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little — the conclusion: her many sins have been forgiven — as you can see from the love she is showing (the logic is: the love is the evidence of the forgiveness, not the cause). Whoever has been forgiven little loves little: the parable applied to Simon — not the accusation that Simon is not forgiven but the observation that his small love indicates he does not understand the magnitude of what he has received.

Luke 7:48

Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven — the direct declaration to the woman: your sins are forgiven (aphiontai, present tense — they are being forgiven, they stand forgiven). The declaration is the completion of what the anointing expressed — the woman came in the posture of a forgiven person; Jesus declares the forgiveness she has already received.

Luke 7:49

The other guests began to say among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins? — the guests' reaction mirrors the scribes' reaction at the paralytic healing: who is this who forgives sins? The question is the right question — only God can forgive sins — and the chapter has been building to this question since the centurion's servant. Jesus forgives sins with the same authority with which he heals diseases and raises the dead.

Luke 7:27

This is the one about whom it is written: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you — the Malachi 3:1 citation identifies John as the specifically prophesied forerunner. The you in the quotation is Jesus — the messenger is sent before the Messiah. This interpretation makes John not just any prophet but the prophet specifically predicted to precede the Messiah.

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, don't cry — the Lord (ho kyrios) — Luke's title for Jesus in the narrative voice — saw her. His heart went out to her (esplagchnisthē, was moved in the bowels, the deepest compassion) is the same visceral compassion as the feeding miracles. Don't cry: the command to stop weeping precedes any explanation — the comfort comes before the reason.

Luke 7:14

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, young man, I say to you, get up — touching the bier (the stretcher carrying the corpse) creates ritual impurity for the one who touches — Jesus does not avoid the contamination but accepts it in order to reach the dead. The bearers stood still: the procession of death is interrupted. Young man, I say to you, get up (neaniske, soi legō, egerthēti): the personal address to the dead communicates resurrection as a relational act.

Luke 7:15

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother — the immediate and complete resurrection: sat up and began to talk. The talking communicates the completeness of the restoration — not merely breathing but coherent speech. Jesus gave him back to his mother (apedōken auton tē mētri autou): the same phrase used in 1 Kings 17:23 when Elijah gives the restored son back to the widow of Zarephath. Luke is deliberately evoking the Elijah typology.

Luke 7:16

They were all filled with awe and praised God. A great prophet has appeared among us, they said. God has come to help his people — the response is threefold: awe, praise of God, and two theological interpretations. A great prophet has appeared among us: the Elijah-comparison is the immediate popular interpretation. God has come to help his people (epeskepsato, visited with care — the same verb as in the Benedictus 1:68): the community recognizes the divine visitation.

Luke 7:17

This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country — the spreading of the news from a single village miracle into Judea and the surrounding region communicates the growing impossibility of containing the report of the kingdom's arrival.

Luke 7:18

John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them — John in prison has been receiving reports of Jesus' ministry. The calling of two disciples to send to Jesus is the formal process of making inquiry — not a casual question but a deliberate sending of messengers to ask a specific question.

Luke 7:19

He sent them to the Lord to ask, are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? — the question from the imprisoned forerunner is the chapter's theological center: are you the one who is to come (ho erchomenos, the expected messianic figure) or should we expect someone else? The question is honest, not faithless — John is asking Jesus to confirm what he has proclaimed about him.

Luke 7:20

When the men came to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, Lord, are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? — the repetition of the question communicates its weight. John has sent his disciples specifically for this answer — the forerunner who has proclaimed Jesus is now in prison, not seeing the miracles firsthand, and needing the direct confirmation.

Luke 7:21

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind — the timing is deliberate: Jesus answers the question by performing the answer in front of John's messengers. At that very time (en ekeinē tē hōra): the miracles are performed in the moment the question is asked, so the answer can be both witnessed and reported.

Luke 7:22

So he replied to the messengers, go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor — the answer is the fulfillment list of Isaiah 35:5–6 and 61:1: blind seeing, lame walking, lepers cleansed, deaf hearing, dead raised, poor receiving good news. The list is the enacted answer — not are you the one? Yes, I am, but see what is happening and recognize in it the fulfillment of what Isaiah promised.

Luke 7:23

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me — the beatitude for the one who is not offended by Jesus is the application to John's potential struggle: the imprisoned forerunner who sees the miracles but not the political deliverance he may have expected. Stumble (skandalisthē): the one who finds Jesus' ministry a stumbling block rather than a stepping stone. The blessing is for those who receive him as he is rather than as they expected.

Luke 7:24

After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: what did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? — the three rhetorical questions about John are Jesus' public commendation of the forerunner. What did you go out to see: the question addresses the crowd's own expectations when they went out to John. A reed swayed by the wind: someone who adapts to every pressure and changes direction with every breeze — not John.

Luke 7:25

If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces — a man in fine clothes in the wilderness would be absurd — fine clothes belong in palaces. John's camel hair and leather belt are not fashion choices but prophetic uniform. Those who wear expensive clothes are in palaces — Herod Antipas, who has imprisoned John, belongs to that category.

Luke 7:26

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet — a prophet: yes, emphatically yes. More than a prophet: the greater category that contains the prophetic function but exceeds it. More than a prophet because of his unique position — the one of whom it is written, the one who stands at the hinge of the ages, the last of the old and the first of the new.

Luke 7:28

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he — the paradox: John is the greatest person ever born, and yet the least in the kingdom exceeds him. The paradox is not a devaluation of John but a statement about the kingdom's exceeding excellence: belonging to the kingdom is a greater position than even the greatest human achievement outside it. John stands at the boundary — the greatest before the kingdom and therefore less than the least within it.

Luke 7:29

All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus's words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John — the response to Jesus' commendation of John: the people who had been baptized by John acknowledged God's justice (edikaiōsan, declared righteous, vindicated). The tax collectors are specifically mentioned — the unexpected participants in John's baptism who now confirm its validity by their response to Jesus.

Luke 7:30

But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John — the contrast: the Pharisees and teachers of the law who rejected John's baptism have rejected God's purpose (boulē, plan, counsel) for themselves. The rejection of John's baptism is the rejection of the divine plan — a self-exclusion from the kingdom's trajectory.

Luke 7:31

Jesus went on to say, to what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? — the children in the marketplace parable diagnoses the generation that rejected both John and Jesus. To what can I compare them: the search for the right comparison communicates that the generation's behavior requires explanation.

Luke 7:32

They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: we played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry — the children's game: one group plays festive music and the other group refuses to dance; they sing a funeral song and the other group refuses to mourn. The generation cannot be pleased by any format — they rejected the mourning of John (who came neither eating bread nor drinking wine) and they will reject the celebrating of Jesus (who came eating and drinking).

Luke 7:33

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, he has a demon — John's ascetic practice (neither eating bread nor drinking wine, echoing Nazirite vows) was met with the accusation of demon possession. The generation's rejection of John uses the most extreme negative category available.

Luke 7:34

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners — the Son of Man's opposite practice (eating and drinking, table fellowship with the excluded) is met with the opposite accusation: glutton, drunkard, friend of sinners. The generation's rejection of Jesus uses the moral failure categories. Both accusations are the rationalization of rejection — the generation has already decided to reject, and any behavior becomes the grounds for rejection.

Luke 7:35

But wisdom is proved right by all her children — wisdom is vindicated by its results: the children of wisdom (those who respond to both John and Jesus) are the proof of wisdom's rightness. The generation that rejects both is not the measure — the responding community is.

Luke 7:36

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table — the dinner at the Pharisee's house is the setting for the anointing by the sinful woman. Jesus accepts the invitation — he eats with Pharisees as well as tax collectors. The reclining at table is the Roman dining posture — reclining on a couch with feet extending away from the low table.

Luke 7:37

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, and she brought an alabaster jar of perfume — the woman who is a sinner (hamartolos, known to be a sinful woman — often interpreted as a prostitute, though not specified) hears that Jesus is at the Pharisee's house. She brings an alabaster jar of perfume — expensive perfume in an expensive container. Her coming to the Pharisee's house uninvited communicates the urgency of her need and the boldness of her response.

Luke 7:38

As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them — the extravagant action is simultaneously overwhelming and tender: weeping, wetting his feet with tears, wiping with hair, kissing, pouring perfume. The hair used to wipe the feet communicates the reversal of the normal social hierarchy — hair is a woman's glory (1 Corinthians 11:15); she uses it for the most humbling possible service.

Luke 7:1

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum — the transition from the Sermon on the Plain to the Capernaum miracle is the same as Matthew's transition after the Sermon on the Mount. The finishing of the teaching and the entering of Capernaum establishes the geographical context for the centurion's request.

Luke 7:2

There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die — the centurion is a Roman military officer commanding a century of soldiers. His servant (doulos, slave) is valued highly (entimos, honored, precious) — the emotional relationship between the centurion and his slave is the unusual detail that makes the request intelligible. About to die communicates the urgency of the need.

Luke 7:3

The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant — the centurion sends Jewish elders rather than coming himself — the intermediary approach communicates both his sense of unworthiness (verse 7) and his respect for Jewish customs. The Jewish elders' willingness to intercede for a Gentile communicates his exceptional character.

Luke 7:4

When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, saying, this man deserves to have you do this — the earnest pleading of the Jewish elders on the centurion's behalf is the community's endorsement. He deserves (axios, worthy) to have you do this: the elders are vouching for his character, making the case for the centurion on the basis of his merit.

Luke 7:5

Because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue — the evidence of the centurion's worthiness: he loves our nation (the Jewish people, not merely his own Roman community) and has built our synagogue. The specific generosity of synagogue-building communicates a deep engagement with the Jewish community beyond merely tolerating its presence.

Luke 7:6

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof — the friends' message on the centurion's behalf is the expression of his genuine humility. I do not deserve (ouk eimi hikanos, I am not sufficient) to have you come under my roof: the centurion who the elders said was worthy (axios) now says he is unworthy — the two assessments are both true and from different perspectives.

Luke 7:7

That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed — the military insight: the centurion understands authority. He did not consider himself worthy to come in person — the intermediaries communicated both respect and humility. But say the word and my servant will be healed: the radical faith in the word's sufficiency. No touch, no presence, no physical contact — just the word of the one with authority.

Luke 7:8

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, go, and he goes; and that one, come, and he comes. I say to my servant, do this, and he does it — the centurion's authority argument: he understands authority because he lives within a hierarchy of authority. Under authority himself, he commands those under him, and they obey without question. His insight is that Jesus operates in the same kind of authority structure — Jesus speaks and the disease obeys, just as the centurion speaks and his soldiers obey.

Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel — Jesus amazed at someone is extremely rare — the only other instance in the Synoptics is his amazement at Nazareth's unbelief (Mark 6:6). The Gentile centurion's faith amazes Jesus; the hometown crowd's unbelief amazes him. The commendation of Gentile faith as exceeding anything found in Israel is the continuation of the Elijah-Elisha illustrations in Nazareth.

Luke 7:10

Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well — the immediate, distance healing is confirmed by the return of the messengers: the servant is well (hygiaonta, in good health). The miracle occurred at the word of Jesus, at a distance, at the moment of the faith-declaration — without physical contact, without presence, through the mediation of trust in the word's authority.

Luke 7:11

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him — the widow of Nain miracle is unique to Luke — the only raising of the dead before the Lazarus account. Jesus goes to Nain (a small village south of Nazareth) with his disciples and a large crowd — the procession of life meets the procession of death at the town gate.

Luke 7:12

As he approached the town gate, a dead man was being carried out — the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her — the two processions meet at the gate: Jesus and his crowd coming in, the funeral procession coming out. The dead man is the only son of his widowed mother — the double loss (widow, only son) communicates the completeness of the woman's desolation. In the ancient world, a widow without a son had no economic support and no social protection.