Luke 7
Summary for Luke 7:1-10: 7:1-10 a This episode shows God’s message of salvation is for Gentiles as well as Jews.7:2 b a Roman officer (literally a centurion): A centurion was in charge of a “century,” approximately 100 soldiers. There were 60 centuries, or 6,000 soldiers, in a Roman legion.
7:3 c Jewish elders were leaders in the Jewish community. With his tendency to abbreviate accounts, Matthew has the centurion approaching Jesus (Matt 8:5-13 d). Luke tells the full story in which Jewish elders, and later the centurion’s friends, act as intermediaries.
7:5 e he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us: Such patronage by wealthy Gentiles was common in Jewish communities throughout the Roman Empire. It suggests that the centurion might have been a “God-fearer” like Cornelius (Acts 10:2 f), a Gentile who worshiped the God of Israel but had not fully converted to Judaism.
7:6 g I am not worthy of such an honor: The man was probably showing sensitivity to Jewish concerns; pious Jews would not enter the home of a Gentile, since it would make them ceremonially unclean (see Acts 10:28 h; 11:12 i). The centurion might also have been acknowledging Jesus’ superior status.
7:8 j the authority of my superior officers: The Roman army was renowned for its organization and discipline. The centurion recognized authority when he saw it in Jesus’ words and actions.
7:9 k I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! While many in Israel were unresponsive to the good news of salvation, some Gentiles believed and found salvation.
Summary for Luke 7:11-17: 7:11-17 l Jesus raised three people from the dead; the others were Jairus’s daughter (8:40-56 m) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44 n). Jesus has authority over life and death (cp. 1 Kgs 17:17-24 o; 2 Kgs 4:18-37 p). 7:11 q The location of the village of Nain is uncertain; it might be the modern town of Nein, six miles southeast of Nazareth.
7:12 r A funeral procession: In Judaism, a large crowd of mourners and intense wailing signified great love for the deceased. Mourners were hired in some cases.
• Widows were the most vulnerable members of society, and God had special concern for them (Exod 22:22 s; Deut 10:18 t; 27:19 u). This widow’s only son was her means of support and hope for the future; his death was a terrible loss (see Jer 6:26 v; Amos 8:10 w; Zech 12:10 x).
Summary for Luke 7:13-14: 7:13-14 y The word translated coffin may refer to a casket or a funeral bier. A Jew was rendered unclean by touching a dead body or the coffin or bier (Lev 21:1 z, 11-12 aa). As when he touched the man with leprosy (Luke 5:13 ab), however, Jesus was not defiled. He replaced disease and death with cleansing and life.
7:16 ac A mighty prophet: Jesus was like Elijah and Elisha.
Summary for Luke 7:18-23: 7:18-23 ad The disciples of John the Baptist: See study note on 5:33. John was now in prison (3:19-20 ae), wondering whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, since he did not act like a powerful warrior–king who would overthrow the Romans. In response, Jesus defined his messianic role.
7:22 af the blind see, the lame walk: A series of allusions to Isaiah (Isa 26:19 ag; 29:18-19 ah; 35:5-6 ai; 61:1-2 aj) defines God’s salvation as the restoration of fallen creation. Jesus did not come to overthrow Roman rule over Judea (so he omits “captives ... will be freed” from his quotation of Isa 61:2 ak); he came for the greater purpose of reversing the effects of sin and death.
7:23 al God blesses those who do not fall away because of me: The blessing is for those who are able to put aside their personal agendas and preconceived ideas about the Messiah and accept Jesus’ path of suffering.
7:27 am The quotation is from Mal 3:1 an. In Mal 4:5-6 ao, this messenger is identified with the prophet Elijah. Though John denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21-23 ap), he came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17 aq) to prepare the way for the Messiah (see 3:4-6 ar).
7:28 as Jesus praised John as the greatest person who ever lived under the old covenant. But even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. The blessings of the new covenant—free and complete forgiveness of sins, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and intimate knowledge of God—give believers in Jesus a new and greater position than even John enjoyed.
Summary for Luke 7:31-35: 7:31-35 at To what can I compare the people of this generation? Jesus compares Israel to fickle children in the marketplace who play games of make-believe. They called John the Baptist to dance (a wedding game), but the solemn prophet refused, calling them instead to mourning and repentance for their sins. Then they called on Jesus to mourn (a funeral game), but he was the bridegroom who announced the joyful celebration banquet of the Kingdom of God, so it would not have been fitting for him to mourn (cp. Mark 2:19-20 au).
7:33 av John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine: John lived an ascetic’s life of self-denial, appropriate to his prophetic role of announcing God’s Kingdom, the coming judgment, and the need for repentance and cleansing.
7:35 aw But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it (or But wisdom is justified by all her children): In Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a woman who calls God’s people to a life of godliness and obedience to God’s commands (Prov 1:20-33 ax; 8:1–9:6 ay). Wisdom’s children are those who live righteously, as God’s word instructs.
Summary for Luke 7:36-50: 7:36-50 az Jesus’ comment in 7:35 ba is now illustrated by one of “wisdom’s children” (see study note on 7:35), a repentant sinner who shows gratitude for the forgiveness she has received. 7:36 bb One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him: Jesus has more positive contact with the Pharisees in Luke than in the other Gospels. He was a respected teacher and healer, so it is not surprising that this Pharisee invited him to dinner. Not all Pharisees were antagonistic—some were interested in his teaching or merely curious.
7:37 bc a certain immoral woman: The implication is that she was a prostitute.
• Alabaster is a soft marble—white, yellow, or red—that was often used to make expensive containers like this beautiful ... jar.
7:38 bd she knelt behind him at his feet: At a banquet, guests reclined around a low table with their feet extended outward. The woman could not reach Jesus’ head to anoint him, so she poured the perfume on his feet.
• wiped them off with her hair: Letting down her hair in public was scandalous and could have constituted grounds for her husband to divorce her; kissing his feet connoted reverence. She discarded propriety due to her gratitude.
7:40 be Then Jesus answered his thoughts: See study note on 5:22.
7:41 bf 500 pieces of silver (denarii) was almost two years’ wages for a day laborer. The poor were often heavily indebted to the wealthy in first-century Galilee.
7:43 bg the one for whom he canceled the larger debt: Those who had been forgiven the most responded with greater gratitude and love. The woman did her extraordinary act of sacrificial love because Jesus had forgiven her sins.
Summary for Luke 7:44-46: 7:44-46 bh Simon had neglected to show Jesus the common courtesies of hospitality. Since roads were dusty, a servant would wash the dust from a guest’s feet. Greeting a guest with a kiss on both cheeks is normal in the Middle East even today. Anointing the head with olive oil was a way to honor a respected guest.
7:47 bi so she has shown me much love: This is a better translation than the traditional “because she loved much.” It was not that her great love for Jesus caused him to forgive her, but that the forgiveness she had already received from Jesus prompted her love.
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