Luke7

Jesus heals a centurion's servant from afar, marveling at the centurion's great faith. He then raises a widow's only son from the dead in Nain, demonstrating his power over death and showing compassion. Later, Jesus answers John the Baptist's query about his identity by pointing to his miracles and then praises John, while also rebuking the generation that rejects both of them. Finally, a sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet at a Pharisee's house, and Jesus forgives her sins, highlighting that great love stems from great forgiveness.
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Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

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Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. ​
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And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
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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.
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And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
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For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. ​
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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: ​
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Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
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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. ​
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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. ​
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And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

The Widow's Son Raised at Nain

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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. ​
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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.
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And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. ​
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And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
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And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
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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. ​
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And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
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And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

John the Baptist Questions Jesus' Identity

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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? ​
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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?
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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.
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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. ​
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And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. ​
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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?
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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.
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But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
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This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. ​
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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. ​
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And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. ​
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But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. ​

The Unreasonable Generation

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And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? ​
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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.
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For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
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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! ​
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But wisdom is justified of all her children.

A Sinful Woman Anoints Jesus' Feet

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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. ​
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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, ​
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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. ​
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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. ​
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And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
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There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. ​
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And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
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Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
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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.
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Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
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My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
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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. ​
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And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
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And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
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And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. ​

Study Notes for Luke 7

Verse 1

Jesus enters Capernaum, the center of his Galilean ministry, immediately following the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6).

Verse 5

This Roman centurion, a Gentile military officer, was unusual in his devotion to Judaism, demonstrated by financing the local synagogue. This identifies him as a 'God-fearer' who respected Jewish faith.

Verse 6

The centurion’s subsequent message, preventing Jesus from entering his house, reflects deep humility. He understood that Jewish teachers avoided entering Gentile homes to maintain ritual purity.

Verse 8

The centurion employs a military analogy to express his faith. He understood that Jesus’ authority, like his own, did not require physical presence but could be exercised simply through a command.

Verse 9

Jesus marvels at the depth of this Gentile’s faith, highlighting that true, powerful faith is not limited to ethnic Israel. This anticipates the future inclusion of the Gentiles in salvation.

Verse 11

This miracle, unique to Luke, demonstrates Jesus’ sovereign power over death. Luke often emphasizes Jesus' profound compassion toward the vulnerable.

Verse 13

Luke emphasizes Jesus’ deep emotional response ('had compassion'). Losing an only son meant social and economic destitution for a widow in the ancient world.

Verse 16

The crowd recognizes Jesus as a great prophet, comparing him perhaps to Elijah or Elisha, who also raised the dead. The phrase 'God hath visited his people' is a recognition of divine intervention.

Verse 19

John, imprisoned by Herod (Luke 3:20), sends disciples to confirm Jesus’ identity. John may have been seeking reassurance or encouraging his followers to transfer their allegiance to Jesus.

Verse 22

Jesus responds by listing his miraculous works, which directly fulfill prophetic expectations of the Messiah (e.g., Isaiah 35:5-6). The preaching of the gospel to the poor is central to Luke’s understanding of the messianic mission.

Verse 23

This warning cautions John and his followers against stumbling over Jesus’ non-traditional, non-military messianic role, which did not immediately overthrow Roman power.

Verse 27

Jesus identifies John as the prophetic fulfillment of Malachi 3:1, affirming John’s critical, divine role as the forerunner who prepared the way for the Messiah.

Verse 28

John is the culmination of the Old Covenant prophets. The least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he because those in the Kingdom participate directly in the new age inaugurated by Christ's death and resurrection.

Verse 29

The common people and tax collectors responded positively to John's message of repentance, acknowledging God's righteousness in providing this path to cleansing.

Verse 30

The religious establishment (Pharisees and lawyers) rejected John’s baptism, thereby rejecting God's plan (counsel) for them. Luke frequently contrasts the responsiveness of the common people with the hardness of the elite.

Verse 31

This parable illustrates the stubbornness of those who refuse to accept God's messengers regardless of their approach, finding fault with both John’s asceticism and Jesus’ sociability.

Verse 34

Jesus contrasts his ministry style with John's. Because Jesus ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners, he was falsely accused of being gluttonous and immoral.

Verse 36

Feasting in the house of a Pharisee (Simon) was a typical setting for Jesus, often leading to confrontation over ritual purity and social boundaries.

Verse 37

This woman was publicly known as a 'sinner,' likely a prostitute. Her presence in a Pharisee’s private home was highly scandalous, demonstrating her desperate need for forgiveness.

Verse 38

Washing the feet with tears and wiping them with unbound hair (a sign of deep distress or immorality) was an act of extreme humility and extravagant devotion, risking severe social contamination for Jesus.

Verse 39

Simon judges Jesus based on ritual purity laws: a true prophet should know this woman is a sinner and avoid defilement by contact. This reveals Simon’s self-righteousness.

Verse 41

The parable of the two debtors sets up the theological principle: the magnitude of one's love and gratitude is proportional to the magnitude of forgiveness received.

Verse 47

The woman’s great love is not the *cause* of her forgiveness, but the *evidence* that her many sins have already been forgiven. Forgiveness (received by faith) precedes and produces love.

Verse 50

Jesus affirms that her salvation comes through faith, not through her impressive acts of devotion. Her loving actions were the outward fruit of her inner saving faith.

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