Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Luke 7:1) Now when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He entered Capernaum.
When Jesus had finished speaking all the sayings and teachings He had been giving the people in chapter 6, He then went to Capernaum.
(2) And a certain centurion's servant who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
There in Capernaum was a centurion who had a servant who was very dear to him, and that servant was very sick and on the verge of death.
(3) And when he heard of Jesus, he sent to Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching Him to come and heal his servant.
When the centurion heard that Jesus had come into Capernaum or perhaps meaning that he had heard the fame of Jesus as well, he sent Jewish elders to Jesus asking Him to come heal his servant. The centurion, being a Roman officer and a Gentile, either felt unworthy to confront Jesus himself, or perhaps he thought it would be of more help to his servant if Jewish elders pled his case rather than a Gentile.
(4) And when they came to Jesus, they besought Him instantly, saying that he was worthy, the one for whom He should do this, (5) "For he loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue."
When the Jewish elders came to Jesus, they immediately pleaded with Him to help the centurion's servant, telling Him that this Roman centurion was a good man deserving of Jesus's mercy in healing his servant because he loved the Jewish nation and had built them 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 to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof."
Jesus went with the elders to the centurion's house. However, when he neared the house, the centurion sent his friends out to meet Jesus to tell Him that he was unworthy to have Jesus enter his house. That confirms the reason the centurion sent the Jewish elders in the first place.
(7) "Therefore, neither did I think myself worthy to come to You, but say the word, and my servant shall be healed."
The centurion confirmed to Jesus through his friends the reason he had not gone to Jesus Himself, that he had felt unworthy, but he had the faith to know that if Jesus only said the word, his servant would be healed.
(8) "For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
The centurion in a way compared himself to Jesus in that he was also one in authority, having soldiers under him that did whatever he commanded. He saw Jesus as one in authority who merely needed to command with the words, and it would be done.
(9) When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him and turned Himself around, and said to the people who followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."
Jesus marveled at the faith of that Gentile centurion and turned back to the people who followed Him, and told them He had not seen in all of Israel so great a faith as was in this Gentile centurion.
(10) And they who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick.
When the Jewish elders returned to the centurion's house, they found his servant completely well and whole.
(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 many people.
The next day Jesus went into the city of Nain, followed by many of His disciples and many other people.
(12) Now when He came near 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 many people of the city were with her.
As Jesus neared the gate of the city of Nain, there was a dead man being carried out of the gates. He was the only son of a widow, and many people of the city were with her.
(13) And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said to her, "Do not weep."
When Jesus saw the grieving widow, He had compassion for her, and told her not to weep. How sweet is our Lord that He has such love and compassion for us! He didn't wait until He was asked to help; He didn't wait until He saw proof of the widow's faith. He felt compassion for her and wanted to help her. The Lord shows mercy for whomever He wants (Romans 9:18).
(14) And He came and touched the bier, and they who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
Jesus came and touched the bier, the frame that was holding the dead man, and those who carried the bier stopped and stood still. Jesus spoke to the dead man and told him to rise up.
(15) And he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.
The young man who had been dead sat up and began to speak, proving he was indeed alive. Jesus delivered him to his mother.
(16) And there came a fear on all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet is risen up among us," and "God has visited His people."
All the people were awestruck and filled with a reverential fear because they knew they were witnessing God in action. They recognized that God had been with them to miraculously bring the young man back to life and they glorified Him. They called Jesus a great prophet raised up by God. More than just any prophet, they likely saw Him as the great Prophet that Moses had written about, who would be raised up from the midst of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:15).
(17) And this rumor of Him went forth throughout all Judea and throughout all the region round about.
The report of this miracle went out through all Judea and the surrounding region as the many witnesses told others about what had happened.
(18) And the disciples of John told him of all these things.
The disciples of John the Baptist, who was in prison at the time, told him all about the miracles that Jesus had been performing.
(19) And John, calling two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You He who is to come, or do we look for another?"
John called two of his disciples to send them to Jesus to ask if He was the promised Messiah or should they be looking for another. John, of course, had seen and known Jesus as the Messiah, but he could not see him for himself at that point to confirm to his disciples that it was indeed the promised One. For their sake and confirmation, he sent them to ask Jesus directly if He was the One.
(20) When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You He who is to come, or do we look for another?'"
When John's disciples came to Jesus they told Him that John the Baptist had sent them to ask if He was the promised Messiah or if they should be looking for someone else, just as John had told them to say.
(21) And in that same hour He cured many of infirmities and plagues and evil spirits, and to many blind, He gave sight.
At that same time that John's disciples had come to Jesus, He was curing many people of infirmities, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and he was restoring sight to the blind.
(22) Then Jesus answering, said to them, "Go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard, how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached."
Jesus then answered John's disciples, telling them to go back to John and tell him about the things they had seen and heard, that the blind could then see, the lame could walk, lepers were cleansed, the deaf could hear, even the dead were raised from the dead, and the gospel was preached to the poor. In telling them these precise things, He was actually quoting prophetic scriptures that proved He was indeed the promised Messiah. Isaiah 35:5-6 spoke of how the blind would see, the deaf would hear, and the lame would jump. Isaiah 42:7 said the Messiah would bring out the prisoners, all those imprisoned by one affliction or another. Isaiah 61:1 said God had sent Him to preach the gospel to the meek.
(23) "And blessed is whoever shall not be offended in Me."
Jesus also told John's disciples that whoever was not offended by Him would be blessed. Those who saw the truth in His words and actions and were not ashamed to call Him who He was, would be blessed. That may have been a hint from prophecy, as well, as Isaiah 8:14-15 said He would be a stumbling rock of offense and many would stumble and fall. They were encouraged to see the truth and not stumble and fall.
(24) And when the messengers of John were departed, He began to speak to the people concerning John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?"
When John's disciples left Jesus, He began to speak to the people about John. He asked them what they had gone into the wilderness to see, with regard to John. Had they troubled themselves to go out there to see someone wavering and unstable, what He called a reed shaken by the wind?
(25) "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, they who are gorgeously appareled and live delicately are in kings' courts."
Had the people gone out in the wilderness to see a man finely dressed living in luxury as if he belonged in a king's court?
(26) "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet."
Had the people gone out to see John because he was a prophet? Jesus answered that He knew they did, but He was there to tell them that John was much more than a prophet.
(27) "This is of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.'"
Jesus told the people that John was the one who had been prophesied in Malachi 3:1, "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me..."
(28) "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
Jesus told the people that there had been no greater prophet than John born on earth. However, He went on to say that the very least of those in the kingdom of God would be greater than John the Baptist. That is because they had Jesus Himself whom they would witness dying on the cross and rising again. John had only the promise of that. Jesus would teach a new covenant, whereas John had only the old and a promise of the new to come. After Jesus ascended into heaven after His death, He would send the Holy Spirit to His people. John baptized only with water, but men afterward would be baptized with water and with fire; the Holy Spirit would come to live within them.
(29) And all the people who heard, including the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
There are two ways to interpret this. All the people who heard the words of Jesus, even tax collectors and the worst of characters, after being baptized by John, declared God to be just and righteous. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that these were the continued words of Jesus, that all the people who heard John the Baptist, including the least, the lowliest characters on earth, proved God just and righteous when they had been baptized by John, following through with what had been ordained, repentance and baptism.
(30) But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him.
The scribes and Pharisees on the whole, perhaps with a few exceptions, rejected God's plan to the detriment of themselves, by not being baptized by John. Again, these might have been the words of Jesus, according to Albert Barnes, first qualifying His statement about whom might be considered the least in the kingdom of God (v. 29) and disqualifying those who rejected John's message and his baptism.
(31) And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?"
Jesus asked the people to what He should liken the people of His generation. That question does seem to logically follow a statement about those who rejected John's message and baptism. Additionally, most Biblical manuscripts omitted the words "And the Lord said." It's as if the scribe who added them did so to return the reader back to what Jesus said after the parenthetical statements in verse 29 and 30. However, knowing they probably were not in the original manuscripts, that fact lends credence to the fact that verses 29 and 30 were the continued words of Jesus.
(32) "They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling one to another, and saying, 'We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you have not wept.'"
Jesus's point was that that present generation was like a people who ignored the calls of the children. They were neither happy with the piped music nor were they mournful when they were among those who mourned; they could not be pleased. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible pointed out something I did not see the first time I read this account in Matthew. The children who imitated the pipers represented Christ and His disciples who delivered the joyful sound of the Gospel. The children who acted as the mourners represented John the Baptist who preached the doctrine of repentance. The other children who responded to neither were like the scribes and Pharisees of that present generation who were moved by neither John nor Jesus.
(33) "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a devil.'"
Jesus pointed out that John the Baptist came, represented by the children who played the mourners, in an austere solemn manner calling people to recognize their sins and repent, but the people of that generation called him mad and demon possessed.
(34) "The Son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!'"
However, when Jesus came in the opposite manner, eating and drinking and fellowshipping with the common people, then they called Him an immoral man who gave Himself up to sinful pleasures like eating and drinking too much and palling around with sinners. These people would not be pleased any way.
(35) "But wisdom is justified by all her children."
Jesus said that wisdom was justified or proven by its fruits, called its children. Or perhaps the meaning is that wisdom would be justified by the children of God who submitted to His wisdom. In the end, regardless of what the scribes and Pharisees thought, the wisdom of Christ would be proven right.
(36) And one of the Pharisees desired Him to eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee's house and sat down to the meal.
One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to his house to eat with him, and Jesus graciously accepted. At this point, it's hard to know if the Pharisee had genuine interest in Jesus and His message or if he was looking for another reason to accuse Him.
(37) And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the meal in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, (38) And stood at His feet behind weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.
There was a woman in that city, called a sinner, who heard that Jesus was eating a meal at the Pharisee's house, and she went there, bringing an alabaster box of ointment. She stood behind Jesus at His feet and cried many tears with which she began to wash His feet and then dried them with her hair. She kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment from the alabaster box.
(39) Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman it is who touched Him, for she is a sinner."
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus to eat with him witnessed this action of the woman and thought to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would have known what sort of woman was touching Him, a sinner.
(40) And Jesus answering, said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he said, "Master, say on."
Jesus, of course, knew the Pharisee's thoughts, and calling him by name, Simon, told him He had something to say to him. Simon asked Him to go ahead and tell him.
(41) "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty."
Jesus began a parable saying that there was a creditor who had two debtors, one owing him 500 pence and the other owing 50.
(42) "And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?"
Jesus continued His parable saying that neither of the debtors had the money to repay the creditor, and he graciously and gratuitously, which is the more complete definition of the original word used here, forgave them both. He then posed the question to Simon, asking which of the debtors would love the creditor the most.
(43) Simon answered and said, "I suppose, to whom he forgave most." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."
Simon answered Jesus's question by saying that he assumed that the debtor who had been forgiven the most would likely love the creditor most, and Jesus told him he had judged correctly.
(44) And He turned to the woman, and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, you gave Me no water for my feet, but she has washed My feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head."
Jesus turned back to the woman, but speaking to Simon, asked him to see and consider the woman. Jesus said He had entered into Simon's house and he had given Him no water to wash His feet as was the customary gesture offered by a host. Once again, it's hard to know if this was simple forgetfulness or contempt. However, Jesus told Simon, this sinner, as Simon had called her, had washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
(45) "You gave Me no kiss, but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss My feet."
Jesus told Simon that he had not kissed Jesus which was a usual sign of salutation or affection used by men, and would have been an appropriate gesture to someone he had invited into his home to eat. However, this sinful woman had not ceased kissing Jesus's feet ever since she came in. That is the proper pronoun that should be used here, as the woman was not there when Jesus arrived, but came in after Him when she realized He was there.
(46) "You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment."
Jesus told Simon he had not anointed His head with oil, as was another common custom among the Jews. However, this woman had anointed Jesus's feet with the ointment in her alabaster box that was surely more precious and costly than the oil regularly used would be.
(47) "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves little."
Jesus told Simon that the woman's sins were forgiven and that is why she loved Him so much. She knew the fame of Jesus and that is why she went into the house when she knew He was there. Jesus knew her heart and she showed it by her sorrowful tears and her servant like ministry to Him. By her great love, she demonstrated her great faith, and because she knew how great her sins were, her love was therefore greater. However, someone who had been forgiven very little would not feel the same great amount of love and would therefore not demonstrate that love as he loved little.
(48) And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Jesus told the woman that her many sins were forgiven.
(49) And they who sat at the meal with Him began to say within themselves, "Who is this who forgives sins, also?"
The other people who sat at Simon's table with them began to ponder within themselves who this man could possibly be who forgave sins. They could have been awestruck in a good way by the thought that no one but God could forgive sins, but probably were more likely offended by His apparent blasphemy, apparent to their blind eyes, that is.
(50) And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Jesus went on to tell the woman that her faith in Him had saved her and for her to go in peace. That confirmed to her that her sins were forgiven as her faith had saved her from righteous judgment and punishment for her sins. Therefore, she could now go in peace with that knowledge.
In this chapter, Jesus continued His miracles of healing, and to a greater extent. He healed from a distance and He raised a man from the dead. He also gave a great commendation of John the Baptist, but as great as he was, Jesus said the least in the kingdom of God would be greater than him. Then He appeared to prove His statement by forgiving the sins of a sinful woman who displayed great love, sorrow, and repentance, and He enumerated her loving and faithful actions to judgmental Simon who had denied Jesus even the most common courtesies.
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