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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Luke 7 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/luke/7.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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and, as far as it goes, this is an element of evidence against the conclusion that the Sermon on the Mountain and that on the Plain were altogether independent. Looking, however, at the manifest dislocation of facts in one or both of the Gospels, St. Matthew placing between the Sermon on the Mount and the healing of the centurion’s servant, the healing of the leper, which St. Luke gives in <a href="/context/luke/5-12.htm" title="And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and sought him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.">Luke 5:12-16</a>, the agreement in this instance can hardly be looked at as more than accidental.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-2.htm">Luke 7:2</a></div><div class="verse">And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.</div>(2) <span class= "bld">A certain centurion’s servant.</span>—See Notes on <a href="/context/matthew/8-5.htm" title="And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him,">Matthew 8:5-13</a>.<p><span class= "bld">Was dear unto him.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">was precious,</span> the dearness of value, but not necessarily of affection. St. Luke is here, contrary to what we might have expected, less precise than St. Matthew, who states that the slave was “sick of the palsy.” Had the physician been unable to satisfy himself from what he heard as to the nature of the disease? The details that follow show that he had made inquiries, and was able to supply some details which St. Matthew had not given.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-3.htm">Luke 7:3</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(3) <span class= "bld">He sent unto him the elders of the Jews.</span>—The noun has no article. Better, <span class= "ital">He sent unto Him elders;</span> not as the English suggests, the whole body of elders belonging to the synagogue or town. This is peculiar to St. Luke, and is obviously important as bearing on the position and character of the centurion. He was, like Cornelius, at least half a proselyte.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-4.htm">Luke 7:4</a></div><div class="verse">And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:</div>(4) <span class= "bld">They besought him instantly.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">earnestly,</span> or <span class= "ital">urgently,</span> the adverb “instantly” having practically lost the meaning which our translators attached to it.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-5.htm">Luke 7:5</a></div><div class="verse">For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.</div>(5) <span class= "bld">He hath built us a synagogue.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">the synagogue,</span> a well-known and conspicuous building, probably the only one in Capernaum, and so identical with that of which the ruins have been lately discovered by the Palestine Exploration Society. (See Note on <a href="/matthew/4-13.htm" title="And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelled in Capernaum, which is on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:">Matthew 4:13</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-6.htm">Luke 7:6</a></div><div class="verse">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:</div>(6) <span class= "bld">Then Jesus went with them.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">And Jesus was going with them.</span><p><span class= "bld">The centurion sent friends to him.</span>—The precision of St. Luke’s account leads us to receive it as a more accurate record of what St. Matthew reports in outline. It is, we may add, more true to nature. The centurion was not likely to leave the slave who was so precious to him when he seemed as in the very agonies of death.<p><span class= "bld">Trouble not thyself.</span>—The word is the same as in <a href="/mark/5-35.htm" title="While he yet spoke, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Your daughter is dead: why trouble you the Master any further?">Mark 5:35</a>, where see Note.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-7.htm">Luke 7:7</a></div><div class="verse">Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.</div>(7) <span class= "bld">Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy.</span>—The humility of the centurion appears in a yet stronger light than in St. Matthew’s report. Far from expecting the Prophet to come under his roof, he had not dared even to approach Him.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-9.htm">Luke 7:9</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(9) <span class= "bld">I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.</span>—It is, perhaps, characteristic of both the Evangelists that St. Luke omits the warning words which St. Matthew records as to the “many that shall come from the east and the west,” and the exclusion of the children of the kingdom.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-10.htm">Luke 7:10</a></div><div class="verse">And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.</div>(10) <span class= "bld">Found the servant whole.</span>—Note St. Luke’s characteristic use, as in <a href="/luke/5-31.htm" title="And Jesus answering said to them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.">Luke 5:31</a>, of a technical term for “healthy” or “convalescent.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-11.htm">Luke 7:11</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(11) <span class= "bld">He went into a city called Nain.</span>—The narrative that follows is peculiar to St. Luke. The name of the city has survived, with hardly any alteration, in the modern <span class= "ital">Nein.</span> It lies on the north-western edge of the “Little Hermon” (the <span class= "ital">Jebel-ed-Dâhy</span>) as the ground falls into the plain of Esdraelon. It is approached by a steep ascent, and on either side of the road the rock is full of sepulchral caves. It was on the way to one of these that the funeral procession was met by our Lord. We may reasonably infer that the miracle that followed was one which, from its circumstances, had specially fixed itself in the memories of the “devout women” of <a href="/luke/8-1.htm" title="And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,">Luke 8:1</a>, and that it was from them that St. Luke obtained his knowledge of it. (See <span class= "ital">Introduction.</span>)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-12.htm">Luke 7:12</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(12) <span class= "bld">The only son of his mother, and she was a widow.</span>—The two facts are obviously stated as enhancing the bitterness of the mother’s sorrow. The one prop of her life, the hope of her widowhood, had been taken from her. The burial, as was the invariable practice in the East, took place outside the city.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-13.htm">Luke 7:13</a></div><div class="verse">And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.</div>(13) <span class= "bld">And when the Lord saw her.</span>—The words are noticeable as being one of the comparatively few instances in which the term “the Lord” is used absolutely instead of Jesus. As far as it goes it confirms the view suggested in the previous Note, that the narrative came from those who had a profound reverence for the Master they had followed, and at a time when they had learnt thus to speak of Him. (Comp. the language of Mary Magdalene in <a href="/john/20-2.htm" title="Then she runs, and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.">John 20:2</a>; <a href="/john/20-13.htm" title="And they say to her, Woman, why weep you? She said to them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him.">John 20:13</a>.) It may be noted further that this use of “the Lord” occurs more frequently in St. Luke and St. John than in the other Gospels. Comp. <a href="/luke/7-31.htm" title="And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?">Luke 7:31</a>; <a href="/luke/10-1.htm" title="After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, where he himself would come.">Luke 10:1</a>; <a href="/luke/11-39.htm" title="And the Lord said to him, Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.">Luke 11:39</a>; <a href="/luke/12-42.htm" title="And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?">Luke 12:42</a>; <a href="/context/luke/17-5.htm" title="And the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith.">Luke 17:5-6</a>; <a href="/luke/19-8.htm" title="And Zacchaeus stood, and said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.">Luke 19:8</a>; <a href="/luke/22-61.htm" title="And the Lord turned, and looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice.">Luke 22:61</a>; <a href="/john/4-1.htm" title="When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,">John 4:1</a>; <a href="/john/6-23.htm" title="(However, there came other boats from Tiberias near to the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)">John 6:23</a>; <a href="/john/20-18.htm" title="Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things to her.">John 20:18</a>; <a href="/john/20-20.htm" title="And when he had so said, he showed to them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.">John 20:20</a>; <a href="/john/20-25.htm" title="The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the LORD. But he said to them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.">John 20:25</a>; <a href="/john/21-7.htm" title="Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat to him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.">John 21:7</a>; <a href="/john/21-12.htm" title="Jesus said to them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? knowing that it was the Lord.">John 21:12</a>. The last three or four references show that the disciples habitually used the same mode of speech, but it would not follow that in their lips it necessarily meant more at first than our “Sir,” or “Master.” After the Resurrection, doubtless, it rose to its higher meaning, as in the exclamations of St. Thomas (<a href="/john/20-28.htm" title="And Thomas answered and said to him, My LORD and my God.">John 20:28</a>; comp. <a href="/john/20-25.htm" title="The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the LORD. But he said to them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.">John 20:25</a>), and of St. John (<a href="/john/21-7.htm" title="Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat to him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.">John 21:7</a>).<p><span class= "bld">He had compassion.</span>—Note, in this instance, as in so many others (<span class= "ital">e.g.,</span> <a href="/matthew/20-34.htm" title="So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.">Matthew 20:34</a>; <a href="/mark/1-41.htm" title="And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and said to him, I will; be you clean.">Mark 1:41</a>), how our Lord’s works of wonder spring not from a distinct purpose to offer credentials of His mission, but from the outflow of His infinite sympathy with human suffering.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-14.htm">Luke 7:14</a></div><div class="verse">And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare <i>him</i> stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.</div>(14) <span class= "bld">He came and touched the bier.</span>—The noun so translated is used by classical authors in various senses. Here the facts make it clear that it was after the Jewish manner of burial. It was not a closed-up coffin, like the mummy-cases of Egypt, but an open bier on which the corpse lay wrapped up in its winding-sheet and swathing bands, as in the description of the entombment of Lazarus (<a href="/john/11-44.htm" title="And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and let him go.">John 11:44</a>) and of our Lord (<a href="/context/john/20-6.htm" title="Then comes Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and sees the linen clothes lie,">John 20:6-7</a>), with the <span class= "ital">sudarium,</span> the napkin or handkerchief, laid lightly over the face. The immediate effect of the touch was that they who bore the bier “stood <span class= "ital">still.”</span> They must have marvelled, that One who was known as a Teacher should touch that which most Rabbis would have avoided as bringing pollution, and their halting in their solemn march implied, perhaps, both awe, and faith that the touch could not be unmeaning.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-15.htm">Luke 7:15</a></div><div class="verse">And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.</div>(15) <span class= "bld">He delivered him to his mother.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">He gave him.</span> The mother was, probably, following at some little distance with the other mourners. As she came up she received her son as given to her once again, “God-given,” in a higher sense then when she had rejoiced that a man-child was born into the world.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-16.htm">Luke 7:16</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(16) <span class= "bld">A great prophet.</span>—This, we must remember, was the first instance of our Lord’s power as put forth to raise the dead, that of Jairus’s daughter following in <a href="/context/luke/8-40.htm" title="And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.">Luke 8:40-56</a>. In the history of the Old Testament there were examples of such wonders having been wrought by Elijah (<a href="/1_kings/17-22.htm" title="And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.">1Kings 17:22</a>) and Elisha (<a href="/2_kings/4-34.htm" title="And he went up, and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands: and stretched himself on the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.">2Kings 4:34</a>), and the people drew the natural inference that here there was at least a prophet of the same order.<p><span class= "bld">That God hath visited his people.</span>—The same word as in <a href="/luke/1-68.htm" title="Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he has visited and redeemed his people,">Luke 1:68</a>; <a href="/luke/1-78.htm" title="Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us,">Luke 1:78</a>, where see Notes.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-17.htm">Luke 7:17</a></div><div class="verse">And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.</div>(17) <span class= "bld">This rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa.</span>—Nain itself was in Galilee, and St. Luke apparently names Judæa, as wishing to show how far the fame of the miracle had spread.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-18.htm">Luke 7:18</a></div><div class="verse">And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.</div>(18-23) <span class= "bld">And the disciples of John shewed him.</span>—See Notes on <a href="/context/matthew/11-2.htm" title="Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,">Matthew 11:2-6</a>. The fact, mentioned by St. Luke only, that the “disciples of John” reported these things, suggests some interesting coincidences: (1) It implies that they had been present at our Lord’s miracles, and had heard His teaching, and we have seen them as present in <a href="/matthew/9-14.htm" title="Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but your disciples fast not?">Matthew 9:14</a>, <a href="/mark/2-18.htm" title="And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples fast not?">Mark 2:18</a>. (2) It shows that though John was in prison, his disciples were allowed free access to him. (3) The fulness of St. Luke’s narrative in <a href="/luke/7-21.htm" title="And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and to many that were blind he gave sight.">Luke 7:21</a> suggests the thought that St. Luke may have heard what he records from one of those disciples, possibly from Manaen (see <span class= "ital">Introduction,</span> and Note on <a href="/luke/6-1.htm" title="And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.">Luke 6:1</a>) the foster-brother of the Tetrarch.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-19.htm">Luke 7:19</a></div><div class="verse">And John calling <i>unto him</i> two of his disciples sent <i>them</i> to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?</div>(19) <span class= "bld">Two of his disciples.</span>—According to some MSS. of St. Matthew, which give simply, <span class= "ital">sent through His disciples,</span> St. Luke’s account is the only one that gives the number of the disciples sent.<p><span class= "bld">Sent them to Jesus.</span>—Some of the best MSS. give, “to the Lord.” (See Note on <a href="/luke/7-13.htm" title="And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, Weep not.">Luke 7:13</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-20.htm">Luke 7:20</a></div><div class="verse">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?</div>(20) <span class= "bld">He that should come.</span>—Literally, as in St. Matthew, <span class= "ital">He that cometh,</span> or, <span class= "ital">the coming One.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-21.htm">Luke 7:21</a></div><div class="verse">And in that same hour he cured many of <i>their</i> infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many <i>that were</i> blind he gave sight.</div>(21) <span class= "bld">And in that same hour he cured</span> . . . The statement of the facts is peculiar to St. Luke, and obviously adds much force to our Lord’s answer. He pointed to what was passing before the eyes of the questioners.<p><span class= "bld">Plagues.</span>—See Note on <a href="/mark/3-10.htm" title="For he had healed many; so that they pressed on him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.">Mark 3:10</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-22.htm">Luke 7:22</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(22) <span class= "bld">Go your way.</span>—The exact agreement of the answer as reported in the two Gospels is significant as to the impression which they made at the time on those who heard them.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-24.htm">Luke 7:24</a></div><div class="verse">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?</div>(24-35) <span class= "bld">And when the messengers of John were departed.</span>—See Notes on <a href="/context/matthew/11-7.htm" title="And as they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?">Matthew 11:7-19</a>. The two narratives agree very closely. The few variations will be noticed as they occur.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-25.htm">Luke 7:25</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(25) <span class= "bld">They which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately.</span>—The words are more vivid than those in St. Matthew (“they that wear soft clothing”), and bring out the idea of ostentatious display and extravagant excess of luxury, as well as effeminate self-indulgence. Such forms of selfishness were common among the house of Herod and their followers. So Josephus describes the “royal apparel” of Agrippa (<a href="/acts/12-21.htm" title="And on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne, and made an oration to them.">Acts 12:21</a>) as glittering with gold and silver tissues. The words must have gone home to some of the Herodians, and we may trace a touch of brutal vindictiveness in the “gorgeous” or “<span class= "ital">bright</span> robe,” in which they arrayed the Prophet of Nazareth when they had Him in their power. (See Notes on <a href="/luke/23-11.htm" title="And Herod with his men of war set him at nothing, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.">Luke 23:11</a>; <a href="/matthew/11-8.htm" title="But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.">Matthew 11:8</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-28.htm">Luke 7:28</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(28) <span class= "bld">There is not a greater prophet.</span>—St. Matthew’s report is somewhat more emphatic, “there has not been raised up.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-29.htm">Luke 7:29</a></div><div class="verse">And all the people that heard <i>him</i>, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.</div>(29) <span class= "bld">And all the people that heard him . . .</span>—Here the reports begin to vary, St. Luke omitting what we find in St. Matthew as to “the kingdom of heaven suffering violence;” and St. Luke interposing a statement, probably intended for his Gentile readers, as to the effect produced by the preaching of the Baptist on the two classes who stood at opposite extremes of the social and religious life of Judæa.<p><span class= "bld">Justified God.</span>—Better, perhaps, <span class= "ital">acknowledged God as righteous.</span> The word is commonly applied in this sense to man rather than to God; but it appears so used in the quotation in <a href="/romans/3-4.htm" title="God forbid: yes, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That you might be justified in your sayings, and might overcome when you are judged.">Romans 3:4</a> from the LXX. version of <a href="/psalms/51-4.htm" title="Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight: that you might be justified when you speak, and be clear when you judge.">Psalm 51:4</a>. Here it has a special significance in connection with the statement that follows in <a href="/luke/7-35.htm" title="But wisdom is justified of all her children.">Luke 7:35</a>, that “wisdom is justified of all her children.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-30.htm">Luke 7:30</a></div><div class="verse">But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.</div>(30) <span class= "bld">Rejected the counsel of God against themselves.</span>—The English is unhappily ambiguous, admitting the construction that the counsel which the Pharisees rejected had been “against” them. Better, as in <a href="/galatians/2-21.htm" title="I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.">Galatians 2:21</a>, <span class= "ital">frustrated for themselves the counsel of God.</span><p><span class= "bld">Being not baptized . . .</span>—We read in <a href="/matthew/3-7.htm" title="But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?">Matthew 3:7</a> that Pharisees and Sadducees came at first to the baptism of John, but they were repelled by the sternness of his reproof, and could not bring themselves either to confess their sins or to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-31.htm">Luke 7:31</a></div><div class="verse">And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?</div>(31-35) <span class= "bld">Whereunto then shall I liken . . .</span>—See Notes on <a href="/context/matthew/11-16.htm" title="But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like to children sitting in the markets, and calling to their fellows,">Matthew 11:16-19</a>. Some of the better MSS. omit the introductory words, “and the Lord said.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-33.htm">Luke 7:33</a></div><div class="verse">For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.</div>(33) <span class= "bld">For John the Baptist came . . .</span>—The substantives “bread” and “wine” are not found in St. Matthew’s report.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-36.htm">Luke 7:36</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(36) <span class= "bld">One of the Pharisees . . .</span>—We may reasonably infer that this was one of the better class of Pharisees who had a certain measure of respect for our Lord’s teaching, and was half-inclined (comp. <a href="/luke/7-39.htm" title="Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner.">Luke 7:39</a>) to acknowledge Him as a prophet. Of such St. John tells us (<a href="/john/12-42.htm" title="Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:">John 12:42</a>) there were many among the chief rulers. We find another example of the same kind in <a href="/luke/11-37.htm" title="And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee sought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.">Luke 11:37</a>. Looking to the connection in which the narrative stands, it seems probable that the man was moved by the words that had just been spoken to show that he, at least, was among “the children of wisdom,” and did not take up the reproach—“a gluttonous man and a winebibber.” There is something very suggestive in our Lord’s accepting the invitation. He did not seek such feasts, but neither would He refuse them, for there too there might be an opening for doing His Father’s work.<p><span class= "bld">And sat down to meat.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">He lay down</span> This was the usual position in the East (see Note on <a href="/matthew/26-20.htm" title="Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.">Matthew 26:20</a>), and in this case we have to remember it in order to understand the narrative. We learn from <a href="/luke/7-49.htm" title="And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?">Luke 7:49</a> that there were other guests present. The Pharisee had probably invited his “friends and rich neighbours,” and thought that he conferred an honour on the Prophet of Nazareth by asking Him to meet them.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-37.htm">Luke 7:37</a></div><div class="verse">And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that <i>Jesus</i> sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,</div>(37) <span class= "bld">A woman in the city, which was a sinner.</span>—The word is clearly used as pointing to the special sin of unchastity. The woman was known in the city as plying there her sinful and hateful calling. The question who she was must be left unanswered. Two answers have, however, been given. (1) The widespread belief that she was Mary Magdalene—shown in the popular application of the term “Magdalen” to a penitent of this class—has absolutely not a single jot or tittle of evidence in Scripture. Nor can there be said to be anything like even a tradition in its favour. The earliest Fathers of the Church are silent. Origen discusses and rejects it. Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine are doubtful. It first gained general acceptance through the authority of Gregory the Great. The choice of this narrative in the Gospel for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene stamped it as with the sanction of the Western Church. The omission of that feast from the calendar of the Prayer Book of 1552 shows that the English Reformers at least hesitated, if they did not decide against it. We may note further (<span class= "ital">a</span>) that if the popular belief were true we should have expected some hint of it on the occurrence of the name of Mary Magdalene in <a href="/luke/8-3.htm" title="And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered to him of their substance.">Luke 8:3</a>; (<span class= "ital">b</span>) that the description given of that Mary, as one out of whom had been cast “seven devils,” though not incompatible with a life of impurity, does not naturally suggest it; (c) that, on the assumption of identity, it is difficult to say when the “devils” had been cast out. Was it before she came with the ointment, or when our Lord spake the words, “Thy sins are forgiven thee?” It is obvious that the conduct of the woman in the Pharisee’s house was very different from the wild frenzy of a demoniac. (2) The belief adopted by some interpreters, and more or less generally received in the Church of Rome, that the woman was none other than Mary the sister of Lazarus, who, on this hypothesis, is identified also with Mary Magdalene, is even more baseless. The inference that when St. John speaks of Mary of Bethany as “that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment,” must refer to the previous anointing which St. Luke narrates, and not to that which St. John himself records (<a href="/john/12-3.htm" title="Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.">John 12:3</a>), is almost fantastic in its arbitrariness; and it will seem to most minds inconceivable that such a one as the sister of Lazarus, who appears in <a href="/luke/10-42.htm" title="But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.">Luke 10:42</a> as “having chosen the good part,” could so shortly before have been leading the life of a harlot of the streets. Occurring as the narrative does in St. Luke only, it is probable enough that the “woman which was a sinner” became known to the company of devout women named in <a href="/context/luke/8-1.htm" title="And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,">Luke 8:1-3</a>, and that the Evangelist derived his knowledge of the facts from them. His reticence—possibly their reticence—as to the name was, under the circumstances, at once natural and considerate.<p><span class= "bld">When she knew that Jesus . . .</span>—The words imply that she had heard of Him—perhaps had listened to Him. She may have heard of His compassion for the widow of Nain in her sorrow. She might have been drawn by the ineffable pity and tenderness of His words and looks. She would show her reverence as she could.<p><span class= "bld">Brought an alabaster box of ointment.</span>—See Note on <a href="/matthew/26-7.htm" title="There came to him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.">Matthew 26:7</a>. There is not the same stress laid here, as in the anointing by Mary of Bethany, on the preciousness of the ointment; but we may believe that it was relatively as costly. Passages like <a href="/proverbs/7-17.htm" title="I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.">Proverbs 7:17</a>, <a href="/isaiah/3-24.htm" title="And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.">Isaiah 3:24</a>, suggest the thought that then, as perhaps in all ages, the lavish and luxurious use of perfumes characterised the unhappy class to which the woman belonged. The ointment may have been purchased for far other uses than that to which it was now applied.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-38.htm">Luke 7:38</a></div><div class="verse">And stood at his feet behind <i>him</i> weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe <i>them</i> with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed <i>them</i> with the ointment.</div>(38) <span class= "bld">And stood at his feet behind him.</span>—The common usage of the East left the court-yard of the house open while such a feast as that described was going on, and there was nothing to hinder one who had not been invited from coming even into the guest-chamber. It is possible, indeed, that the feast may have been intentionally open to all comers. Our Lord’s position has to be remembered as we read the narrative.<p><span class= "bld">To wash his feet with tears.</span>—Many different emotions may have mingled in the woman’s soul. Shame, penitence, gratitude, joy, love, all find the same natural relief. The word for “wash” should be noted as implying a “shower” of tears. It may be noted that while the tenses for this and the “wiping” imply a momentary act, those that follow for the kissing and anointing involve the idea of continuance. The act, the sobs, the fragrance of the ointment, of course attracted notice.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-39.htm">Luke 7:39</a></div><div class="verse">Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw <i>it</i>, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman <i>this is</i> that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.</div>(39) <span class= "bld">This man, if he were a prophet.</span>—The words show that the Pharisee had had a half-feeling of respect for our Lord as a teacher, that he at least knew that He was looked upon by the people as a prophet. There is traceable in what he says a tone of satisfaction at having detected what seemed to him inconsistent with the conception of a prophet’s character. It is noticeable that he, like the woman of Samaria (<a href="/john/4-19.htm" title="The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.">John 4:19</a>), sees that character manifested, not merely in prediction, but in the power to read the secrets of men’s lives and hearts. (Comp. <a href="/context/1_corinthians/14-24.htm" title="But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believes not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:">1Corinthians 14:24-25</a>.) He knew what the woman was, and the so-called prophet did not.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-40.htm">Luke 7:40</a></div><div class="verse">And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.</div>(40) <span class= "bld">And Jesus answering said . . .</span>—The answer was, as the context shows, to the unspoken thoughts of the Pharisee.<p><span class= "bld">Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee.</span>—The name of the Pharisee is thus given to us, but it was too common to suggest any identification. It is a somewhat singular coincidence that the two anointings should have happened (comp. <a href="/matthew/26-6.htm" title="Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,">Matthew 26:6</a>) each of them in the house of a Simon, but it cannot be looked on as more than accidental.<p><span class= "bld">Master, say on.</span>—The term used is ‘one which implied recognition of our Lord’s character as a teacher or Rabbi.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-41.htm">Luke 7:41</a></div><div class="verse">There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.</div>(41, 42) <span class= "bld">There was a certain creditor . . .</span>—The parable has some points of resemblance to that of the Two Debtors in <a href="/matthew/18-23.htm" title="Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king, which would take account of his servants.">Matthew 18:23</a>. Here, however, the debts, though different, are not separated by so wide an interval as are the ten thousand talents and the hundred pence. The debts are both within the range of common human experience. The “pence “are, of course, the Roman <span class= "ital">denarii,</span> worth about sevenpence-halfpenny each. The application of the parable treats the woman as a greater debtor than the Pharisee. She had committed greater sins. Each was equally powerless to pay the debt—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> to make atonement for his or her sins. Whatever hope either had lay in the fact that pardon was offered to both as a matter of free gift and bounty.<p><span class= "bld">Frankly.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">freely-i.e.,</span> gratuitously, as an act of bounty. So Shakespeare—<p>“I do beseech your grace. . . .<p>. . . . now to forgive me frankly.”<p><span class= "ital">Henry VIII.,</span> Act ii., Scene 1.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-43.htm">Luke 7:43</a></div><div class="verse">Simon answered and said, I suppose that <i>he</i>, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.</div>(43) <span class= "bld">I suppose that he. . . .—</span>The same word occurs in the same sense as <a href="/acts/2-15.htm" title="For these are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.">Acts 2:15</a>. As used here, it seems to carry with it a tone partly of indifference, partly of uneasiness and perplexity as to what the drift of the parable might be.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-44.htm">Luke 7:44</a></div><div class="verse">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 <i>them</i> with the hairs of her head.</div>(44) <span class= "bld">Thou gavest me no water for my feet.</span>—There had, then, been no real respect or reverence in the Pharisee’s invitation. It was hardly more than an act of ostentatious patronage. It was honour enough for the carpenter’s son to be admitted into the house. The acts of courtesy which were due to well-nigh every guest (comp. Notes on <a href="/matthew/3-11.htm" title="I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.">Matthew 3:11</a>; <a href="/john/13-5.htm" title="After that he pours water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.">John 13:5</a>; <a href="/1_timothy/5-10.htm" title="Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.">1Timothy 5:10</a>), and which a Rabbi might expect as a thing of course, were, in his judgment, superfluous. Possibly the fact which afterwards drew down the censure of the Pharisees (<a href="/mark/7-8.htm" title="For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do.">Mark 7:8</a>) had already become known, and may have influenced Simon. If the new Teacher cared so little about ablutions, why take the trouble to provide them for Him?<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-45.htm">Luke 7:45</a></div><div class="verse">Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.</div>(45) <span class= "bld">Thou gavest me no kiss.</span>—This also, as we see in the case of Judas (see Note on <a href="/matthew/26-49.htm" title="And immediately he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.">Matthew 26:49</a>), was a customary mark of respect to one who claimed the character of a Rabbi. So the disciples of Ephesus kissed St. Paul on parting (<a href="/acts/20-37.htm" title="And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,">Acts 20:37</a>). So the “holy kiss,” the “kiss of peace,” became part of the ritual of most of the ancient Liturgies (<a href="/romans/16-16.htm" title="Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.">Romans 16:16</a>; <a href="/1_corinthians/16-20.htm" title="All the brothers greet you. Greet you one another with an holy kiss.">1Corinthians 16:20</a>).<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-46.htm">Luke 7:46</a></div><div class="verse">My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.</div>(46) <span class= "bld">My head with oil thou didst not anoint.</span>—This also, though not so common as the kiss and the washing of the feet, was yet a mark of courtesy due to an honoured guest. For one who had journeyed to a feast under the burning sun of Syria, it brought with it a sense of comfort and refreshment which made it a, fit type of spiritual realities. For the usage, see <a href="/psalms/23-5.htm" title="You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.">Psalm 23:5</a>; <a href="/psalms/45-7.htm" title="You love righteousness, and hate wickedness: therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.">Psalm 45:7</a>; <a href="/ecclesiastes/9-8.htm" title="Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment.">Ecclesiastes 9:8</a>. Partly because the use of oil or chrism became more directly symbolic in the ritual of the Christian Church—as in baptism, confirmation, extreme unction, the coronation of kings—partly because in other climates its necessity was not felt, the practice, as belonging to common life, has dropped into disuse. Note the contrast between the olive “oil,” which was commonly used, and the more costly “ointment.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-47.htm">Luke 7:47</a></div><div class="verse">Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, <i>the same</i> loveth little.</div>(47) <span class= "bld">Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.</span>—Grammatically, the words admit of two interpretations, equally tenable. (1) Love may be represented as the ground of forgiveness, existing prior to it, and accepted as that which made forgiveness possible; or (2) it may be thought of as the natural consequence of the sense of being forgiven, and its manifestations as being therefore an evidence of a real and completed forgiveness. The whole drift of the previous parable is in favour of the latter explanation. The antecedent conditions of forgiveness, repentance, and faith—faith in Christ where He has been manifested to the soul as such; faith in Him as the Light that lighteth every man where He has not so been manifested—must be pre-supposed in her case as in others. And the faith was pre-eminently one that “worked by love,” from the first moment of its nascent life. In such cases we may, if need be, distinguish for the sake of accuracy of thought, and say that it is faith and not love that justifies, but it is an evil thing to distinguish in order to divide.<p>Note in detail (1) that the tense used is the perfect, “Her sins . . . <span class= "ital">have been</span> forgiven her;” (2) that the many sins of her past life are not, as we should say. ignored, but are admitted, as far as the judgment of the Pharisee was concerned, and pressed home upon her own conscience; (3) the thought subtly implied in the concluding words, not that the sins of the Pharisee were few, but that he thought them few, and that therefore the scantiness of his love was a witness that he had but an equally scant consciousness of forgiveness.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-48.htm">Luke 7:48</a></div><div class="verse">And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.</div>(48) <span class= "bld">Thy sins are forgiven.</span>—Better, as before, <span class= "ital">Thy sins have been forgiven.</span> The words throw light upon the meaning and force of all like formulæ of absolution. It is, perhaps, matter for regret that any other formula, such as the <span class= "ital">Absolvo te,</span> which dates, be it remembered, from the thirteenth century, has ever been substituted for them. They did not for the first time convey forgiveness. That had been, as the context indicates, sealed and assured before by an unspoken absolution. But they came as words of power from the great Absolver, to banish every lingering doubt or fear, to confirm every faint and trembling hope that had been kindled in the heart of the penitent. He knew the secrets of her soul, and could therefore affirm in the fulness of His knowledge that she fulfilled the conditions of forgiveness. Others, it is clear, can only so affirm in proportion as their insight approximates to His.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-49.htm">Luke 7:49</a></div><div class="verse">And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?</div>(49) <span class= "bld">Who is this that forgiveth sins also?</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">Who is this that even forgiveth sins?</span> The thought that underlay the question, though apparently the questioners were different, was the same as that which had found utterance when like words were spoken in the synagogue at Capernaum. (See <a href="/luke/5-21.htm" title="And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?">Luke 5:21</a>; <a href="/mark/2-6.htm" title="But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,">Mark 2:6</a>; and Notes on <a href="/matthew/9-3.htm" title="And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.">Matthew 9:3</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/luke/7-50.htm">Luke 7:50</a></div><div class="verse">And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.</div>(50) <span class= "bld">Thy faith hath saved thee.</span>—From the merely controversial point of view these words have a value in ascribing the justification or salvation of the woman to faith, and not to love. Those who go deeper than controversy will find in them the further lesson that love pre-supposes faith. We cannot love any one—not even God—unless we first trust Him as being worthy of our love. She trusted that the Prophet of Nazareth would not scorn or reject her, and therefore she loved Him, and showed her love in acts, and, in loving Him, she loved, consciously or unconsciously, the Father that had sent Him.<p><span class= "bld">Go</span> <span class= "bld">in peace.</span>—The Greek form is somewhat more expressive than the English. Our idiom hardly allows us to say “Go <span class= "ital">into</span> peace” and yet that is the exact meaning of the original “Peace” is as a new home to which the penitent is bidden to turn as to a place of refuge.<p><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers<br /><br />Text Courtesy of <a href="//biblesupport.com" target="_top">BibleSupport.com</a>. 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