Chapter Seven

1–10. The centurion of Capernaum. – 11–17. The raising of the widow’s son in Nain. – 18–35. The disciples of John the Baptist come to Christ, and Christ’s speech about the Baptist. – 36–50. The anointing of Christ by a sinful woman.

Luke 7:1. When He had finished all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. Luke 7:2. A certain centurion’s slave, whom he valued highly, was sick and at the point of death. Luke 7:3. When he heard about Jesus, he sent to Him elders of the Jews, asking Him to come and heal his slave. Luke 7:4. And when they came to Jesus, they appealed to Him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for You to do this, Luke 7:5. for he loves our nation, and he himself built us our synagogue. Luke 7:6. Jesus went with them. And when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself; for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof; Luke 7:7. for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You; but say the word, and my slave will be healed. Luke 7:8. For I too am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my slave, “Do this,” and he does it. Luke 7:9. When Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. Luke 7:10. And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Concerning the healing of the slave of the Capernaum centurion, the evangelist Luke speaks with greater detail than Matthew (Matt 8:5-13). “He sent to Him elders of the Jews” (verse 3). In Matthew’s Gospel the centurion himself “approached.” It is evident that Matthew thought it unnecessary to mention the preliminary sending of the Jewish elders and the second sending by the centurion’s friends, while the evangelist Luke, relating both, omits the account of how the centurion himself, probably just before Christ’s arrival at his house, went out to meet Him, repeating the words of his friends. “Built us our synagogue” (verse 5), of course, at his own expense. To this expression one should add the word “himself,” because in the Greek text the word αὐτός stands here.

Luke 7:11. Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. Concerning the raising of the widow’s son in Nain, only the evangelist Luke reports. “Nain” – a town lying not far from Nazareth, to the south-east. Now it is a small village. “Disciples” – in the broad sense of the word (Luke 6:13).

Luke 7:12. As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, 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. “They were carrying out the dead man.” Usually the tombs of the Jews were made in the rocks in the cliffs (cf. Matt 8:28).

Luke 7:13. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep. Luke 7:14. And He came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise! The coffin – in Greek σορός – something like an open box or simply a stretcher. Corpses among the Jews were not placed in coffins, but directly in a niche made in the rock, and the stretcher apparently served only for carrying the body to the burial place. The Lord “touched” this coffin in order to cause the bearers to stop.

Luke 7:15. And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. Luke 7:16. And fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us,” and “God has visited His people. “A great prophet has arisen among us.” So, the inhabitants of Nain still did not believe in Christ as the Messiah; for them He was only a messenger of God, a great prophet who was to help the people of God. The appearance of Christ, in their opinion, is only a sign of the coming of the messianic time.

Luke 7:17. And this report about Him went out through all Judea and the surrounding district. “Through all Judea,” that is, throughout all Palestine (cf. Luke 4:44). “And the surrounding district,” that is, the neighboring countries nearest to Judea. Why does the evangelist Matthew not mention this miracle? Perhaps he was not present at the performance of this miracle (Edersheim, p. 702), or perhaps because he mentioned other miracles of raising the dead (Matt 11:5) and the miracle of raising the widow’s son in Nain did not appear to him to be something extraordinary in the activity of Christ.

Luke 7:18. And John’s disciples told him about all these things. Luke 7:19. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for another? Luke 7:20. When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You to ask, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for another? Luke 7:21. In that very hour He healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind He bestowed sight. Luke 7:22. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news preached to them; Luke 7:23. and blessed is he who does not fall away on account of Me. Luke 7:24. Now when John’s messengers had departed, He began to speak to the people about John: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Luke 7:25. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed and live in luxury are in the courts of kings. Luke 7:26. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. Luke 7:27. This is he about whom it is written: Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. Luke 7:28. For I say to you: among those born of women there is no prophet greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Luke 7:29. And all the people who heard Him, and the tax collectors, justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John; Luke 7:30. but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s will concerning themselves, not having been baptized by him. Luke 7:31. Then the Lord said: To whom shall I compare the men of this generation? And whom are they like? Luke 7:32. They are like children sitting in the market place, calling to one another and saying: We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep. Luke 7:33. For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say: He has a demon. Luke 7:34. The Son of Man came eating and drinking; and you say: Behold, a man who loves to eat and drink, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Luke 7:35. And wisdom is justified by all her children. The account of the arrival at Christ of disciples of John the Baptist, whom he instructed to ask Christ whether He is the promised Messiah, the evangelist Luke sets forth similarly to Matthew (Matt 11:2-19). “They reported to John...” (verse 18). The evangelist Luke more precisely indicates from whom the Baptist heard about the miracles of Christ (cf. Matt 11:2). “At that very time...” (verse 21). The evangelist Luke notes this circumstance in order to make more clear the following words of Christ: “Tell John what you have seen...” (verse 22). Verses 29–30 present a section of the Lord’s discourse which appears only in the evangelist Luke’s account. Here the Lord speaks of how the Baptist’s appearance had different consequences for all his hearers: simple people, even tax collectors, believed John as a prophet and glorified God for sending such a prophet, while the Pharisees and lawyers were unwilling to recognize in him a guide sent by God, who called them to change their way of life, and did not receive baptism from him (cf. Matt 21:31-32). Verses 31–35 represent a repetition of Matt 11:16-19. Only in the evangelist Luke’s account does this rebuke of Christ relate not to the scribes and Pharisees, but to the people standing by (see verses 33–34: “you say”).

Luke 7:36. And a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him; and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. The following account of the anointing of Christ by a sinful woman represents a distinct narrative of the evangelist Luke. It has the significance of an illustration of the words of verse 34 concerning Christ: “Behold, a man who loves to eat and drink, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” “A certain Pharisee.” The name of this Pharisee is given below – Simon (verse 40). “Asked Him to dine with him.” Apparently Simon had received some benefaction from the Lord and in gratitude for it invited Christ to dinner with him (cf. verses 41–42, 47).

Luke 7:37. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that He was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, More precisely to be translated as: “and behold, a woman who in the city was a sinner, that is a harlot (cf. John 8:7), when she learned...”. “Was” – the imperfect tense, denoting not that at that time the woman was continuing her sinful life, but how she appeared in the opinion of her townspeople, apparently not yet knowing of her turning to the true path. The city in which this event occurred is completely unknown. It is some city in Galilee. “An alabaster flask” (see Matt 26:6-7).

Luke 7:38. And standing behind at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment. “Standing behind at His feet” (see Matt 26:6-7). Christ, according to custom, was reclining at table with bare feet, which were stretched back from the table toward the wall. “And weeping, began to wet His feet with her tears.” “When she stood behind, at the feet of Christ, bowing to Him with reverence, then whole streams of tears, as if from a suddenly approaching spring cloud, refreshing the air and earth, began to bathe His feet. As if surprised and frightened that she could attract His attention or defile Him with her tears, she quickly wiped His feet with her long hair, which had fallen from her head when she bent down at His feet. No, she did not come to wash them with such unclean waters, but to show her grateful love and reverence, as she could with her poverty and her humility. And now, when her faith became more bold in His presence, she continued to kiss those feet that had brought her “good tidings of peace,” and to anoint them from the alabaster flask hanging at her neck” (Edersheim, p. 712). And how this woman was able to enter the Pharisee’s house – this can be explained by the fact that Simon probably did not prevent anyone from entering and seeing the Great Prophet who had visited his house: the woman entered the house, probably along with others who wished to see Christ.

Luke 7:39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself: If this man were a prophet, He would know who and what sort of woman this is who touches Him, that she is a sinner. The Pharisee begins to come to the conviction that Christ is not a prophet, since prophets certainly knew even the secrets of human hearts, but Christ does not know what the whole city knows, namely that she who touched Him is a sinner, who could defile Him by her touch. “If this man were a prophet” – more precisely: “this (οὗτος; an expression of some contempt, which Simon felt in his heart) if this were a prophet,” whom I and others took Him to be. “That she is a sinner” – better: “that she is a sinner.” Remarkably, even the Pharisee here recognizes Christ as free from the slightest suspicion of any sin. Christ is so holy that no sinful being ought to approach Him.

Luke 7:40. And Jesus answered and said to him: Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said: Say on, Teacher. Luke 7:41. Jesus said: A certain creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Luke 7:42. And when they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more? Luke 7:43. Simon answered and said: I suppose the one to whom he forgave more. And He said to him: You have rightly judged. Christ knew the thoughts of the Pharisee and showed this to him by turning to him with a question. The question He poses – which of the two debtors will love more the creditor who forgave both their debts, the one who owed five hundred denarii (about one hundred rubles), or the one who owed ten times less – Christ clothes in the form of a parable or simply states as a clarifying example for His thought. Simon understands the meaning of the question and, without deliberation, answers it.

Luke 7:44. And turning to the woman, He said to Simon: Do you see this woman? I entered your house, and you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head; Luke 7:45. you gave Me no kiss, but she, from the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet; Luke 7:46. you did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with ointment. Christ then contrasts the behavior of Simon and the sinful woman in relation to Him. Although the Pharisee invited Christ to his banquet, he showed Him neither the sign of hospitality (washing of feet – Gen 18:4), nor the sign of love (kiss – Gen 33:4), nor the sign of special honor (anointing of the head with oil – Ruth 3:3; Ps 22:5). “I entered your house.” Here the force of the thought lies in the word “your.” “You called Me to yourself,” Christ says to Simon, “and yet you showed Me, as a guest, no special signs of honor. Simon probably feared that by these signs of honor he would give other Pharisees cause to think that he had already fully believed in Christ as the Messiah, and therefore his attitude toward Christ was somewhat indefinite. Besides, these signs of respect were not, properly speaking, obligatory – even the washing of feet was only offered to people who had come directly from a journey. Cf. John 13, which shows that the Lord Himself rose up to wash the feet of the disciples, evidently not yet washed before supper. It is important to note the contrasts which Christ points out here: 1) water and – tears 2) a kiss – of course on the lips, and – frequent kissing of feet 3) oil for the head and – ointment on the feet.

Luke 7:47. Therefore I say to you: her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much; but he who is forgiven little loves little. “Are forgiven.” Here, although the present tense is used, this does not mean that the woman’s sins were forgiven only after she anointed Christ’s feet. As can be seen from verse 50, her sins had already been forgiven earlier through her faith in Christ. “Because she loved much.” This is not the cause or a prior condition for the forgiveness of the woman’s sins, as the Catholics assert, but the consequence of the forgiveness the woman had already received. The whole verse should be translated thus: “the many sins of this woman have already been forgiven, and this is certain, because only one forgiven could show such love for Me, through whom she received forgiveness.” The Lord wants to say to Simon that the results of merciful dealing with sinners (verse 42) are now evident: the woman was forgiven, and now she has shown extraordinary love and devotion to Christ thereby. Thus the Lord makes an application of the comparison of the two debtors mentioned above. “But he who is forgiven little loves little.” The thought is quite clear: here another case is indicated in which love for Christ is not shown with such force. But Christ does not have Simon directly in mind here, although the latter could find in these words a lesson for himself. Rather, one should look upon this saying as a simple general maxim.

Luke 7:48. And He said to her: Your sins are forgiven. Luke 7:49. And those who reclined with Him began to say among themselves: Who is this who even forgives sins? Luke 7:50. And He said to the woman: Your faith has saved you; go in peace. Having done with Simon, the Lord now turns to the woman with the proclamation that her sins are forgiven. She already had an inward assurance of this forgiveness (cf. verse 37), but now Christ gives her an outward assurance of the forgiveness of sins, after her faith has already proved itself in deeds. He even tells her not to be troubled by the objections of those present concerning Christ’s right to forgive sinners: “Your faith has saved you – go in peace,” that is, go calmly (cf. Luke 2:29). Some identify the account of the anointing of Christ’s feet by a sinful woman with the later anointing of Christ in Bethany (Matt 26:6 and following verses and parallel passages). But without doubt these two events are different – both the general point of view and the individual details of both events are quite different. The similarity consists only in the name Simon – a very common name – and in the anointing, but in everything else there is a difference: here the feet of Christ are anointed, not His head; here a sinner appears, but there a simple disciple of Christ; the event here has instructive significance for Simon, but there for Christ’s disciples, and so forth. * * * Notes A sum corresponding at that time to the value of 86 grams of gold. – Editor’s note. Some are troubled by the fact that the word “loved” in the Greek text is in the aorist ἡγάπησε, which supposedly indicates an event that passed quite some time ago, not one that had just taken place – not the anointing of the feet, but the prior turning of the woman to faith in Christ. But the aorist in the Gospels denotes also events very close in time to that being discussed. Thus, for example, aorists are used in verses 45–46, cf. John 3:16. Besides, here the Pharisee is simply called Simon, but in the evangelist Matthew (Matt 26:6) – Simon the Leper.