The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Luke 7

Luke 7:3

When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

Jewish elders were respected community leaders. See entrada for Matt. 16:21.

Lucas 7:9

E Jesus, ouvindo isto, admirou-se dele e, voltando-se, disse à multidão que o seguia: Digo-vos que nem mesmo em Israel encontrei tamanha fé.

Tão grande fé. O centurião teve uma revelação de Jesus que foi maior do que a maioria. “Apenas diga a palavra.”

It’s a mistake to conclude that the size of our faith matters or that we need more faith before we can access the grace of God. Even a small mustard-seed amount of faith is enough to move mountains (Matt. 17:20). We don’t need more faith as much as we need a deeper revelation of God’s love for us. It is his goodness that inspires us to trust him.

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Compassion. The original word for compassion (splagchnizomai) appears a dozen times in the New Testament and in every case it is associated with the divine compassion revealed in Jesus Christ. See entrada for Compassion.

Lucas 7:20

Quando os homens se aproximaram dele, disseram: “João Batista nos enviou a ti para perguntar: 'És tu o esperado, ou esperamos outro?'”

João Batista; Vejo entrada for Mark 1:4.

Lucas 7:22

E, respondendo, disse-lhes: Ide e contai a João o que tendes visto e ouvido: os CEGOS RECEBEM A VISTA, os coxos andam, os leprosos são purificados, os surdos ouvem, os mortos são ressuscitados, os pobres têm a O EVANGELHO PREGOU A ELES.

O Evangelho refere-se ao evangelho de Cristo ou ao evangelho de Deus ou ao evangelho do reino. Todos esses são rótulos diferentes para o evangelho da graça. Ver entrada para o Evangelho.

Luke 7:26

“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.

(uma) A prophet? The people considered John as a prophet (Matt. 21:26).

(b) More than a prophet. John was not just another in a long line of prophets: he was prophecy fulfilled (see next verse). He prepared the people to receive Jesus (Luke 1:17) and bore witness to the Light (John 1:6–7).

Luke 7:27

“This is the one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’

(uma) It is written. John was the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1.

(b) Prepare your way. Malachi 3:1 is a prophecy about two messengers, and the first one (John) clears the way for the second (Jesus, the herald of the new covenant). According to the prophecy, the latter follows the former suddenly, like a two-punch combination. First one, then the other. And this is what we see in the gospels; first John then Jesus.

John prepared the way for the Lord by baptizing people for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:5, Luke 3:3) and by foretelling the imminent arrival of the Messiah (Mark 1:7). When he saw Jesus coming he proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Luke 7:28

“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

(uma) No one greater than John. John was the last and greatest of the old prophets. Jesus called him “more than a prophet” (Luke 7:26).

(b) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entrada for Matt. 3:2.

Lucas 7:29

Quando todo o povo e os publicanos ouviram isso, reconheceram a justiça de Deus, tendo sido batizados com o batismo de João.

(uma) Tax collectors. In contrast with the “righteous” religious elites, sinful tax collectors had responded to John’s message with faith (Matt. 21:32).

(b) Batizado... batismo. As palavras originais implicam imersão total. Ver entrada para o Batismo.

Lucas 7:30

Mas os fariseus e os doutores da lei rejeitaram o propósito de Deus para si mesmos, não tendo sido batizados por João.

(uma) Pharisees; Vejo entrada for Matt. 3:7.

(b) Lawyers. A lawyer was an expert in the Law of Moses. A lawyer was probably similar to a scribe (see entrada for Matt. 22:35).

(c) Não ter sido batizado. The ceremonial washing of hands was an old covenant ritual, but there was nothing that looked like water baptism. When John started baptizing people in the River Jordan, the religious leaders thought it was strange and refused to participate (John 1:25).

Lucas 7:34

“O Filho do Homem veio comendo e bebendo, e vocês dizem: 'Eis um comilão e beberrão, amigo de publicanos e pecadores!'

(uma) O Filho do Homem; Vejo entrada for Matt. 8:20.

(b) Tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were revenue collectors for the hated Roman occupiers, while sinners were the irreligious and those considered unrighteous (Matt. 9:13). The word “sinner” in the Gospels, typically refers to someone who does not keep the law (John 7:49).

(c) pecadores. If the original language did not lack punctuation marks, the word “sinners” would be in quotation marks. Religious people called them sinners; Jesus called them lost sheep (Matt. 10:6, 15:24).

Luke 7:36

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

(uma) The Pharisees were members of a devout religious and political movement. Some Pharisees also served on Israel’s ruling council, the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were known for their strict devotion to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions of the rabbis. While many Pharisees opposed Jesus and even sought his death, not all were hostile. Some invited him to their homes (Luke 11:37), and others warned him of danger (Luke 13:31). Notable Pharisees included Nicodemus (John 3:1) and the Apostle Paul (Php. 3:5). See also the entrada for Matt. 3:7

(b) The Pharisee’s house. At the house of Simon the Pharisee, Jesus encounters two kinds of sinners: one is self-righteous, the other is scandalous. One treats him with contempt, while the other falls at his feet in adoration. Jesus captures their contrasting responses in the Parable of the Two Debtors (verses 41–43). To grasp the meaning of this short parable, we must understand the drama that was unfolding in the house of the Pharisee.

(c) Reclined at the table. As Jesus reclines on a divan at the Pharisee’s table, the atmosphere is tense. Though he is an invited guest, he has been denied the ordinary courtesies of Middle Eastern hospitality (see verses 44–45). When he arrived, he received no kiss of greeting, no water for his dusty feet, and no oil for his head. This was no oversight but a calculated insult. Simon and his companions seem intent on publicly dishonoring him.

(d) The table. On warm evenings, dinners were held outside in courtyards where neighbors and passersby could watch the proceedings. A meal with Jesus and a group of Pharisees was the best show in town and sure to attract a crowd.

Luke 7:37

And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,

(uma) A woman interrupts the dinner party. Her name is never mentioned, and she is known only by her reputation. She is called a “sinner,” which suggests she was a prostitute. She comes bearing a gift for Jesus, which is key to understanding what happens next. Why does she bring a gift? Perhaps it is to thank Jesus for telling her the good news that God loves and forgives sinners. It seems that she has met Jesus before. It may be that she was among those who attended Levi the tax collector’s banquet held in his honor (Luke 5:27–30).

Hearing that Jesus is dining at the Pharisee’s house, she comes to express her gratitude for his kindness. She waits outside the courtyard, watching. But when she sees Jesus publicly dishonored—no greeting, no water for his feet, and no oil for his head—something within her stirs. “Don’t they know who he is?” Unable to stay silent, she steps forward, crosses the threshold, and becomes part of the story.

(b) Sinner. The word “sinner” has two meanings. In a general sense, a sinner is anyone born into the family of Adam (Rom. 5:19). It is someone who remains captive to sin and in need of salvation. This definition includes both “good” and “bad” people. In the current context, however, a sinner is someone judged by others to be a law-breaker.

Some surmise this sinful woman was Mary Magdalene, who had been delivered of demons (Luke 8:1–2). However, there is no evidence to support this.

(c) Alabaster vial. The woman brings a small, carved stone jar of perfume. It was probably intended to be a gift for Jesus, a token of her gratitude.

(d) Perfume. The story of a woman anointing Jesus with costly perfume appears in all four gospels. In the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and John, an anointing takes place in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, shortly before Christ’s death (Matt. 26:6–7, Mark 14:3, John 12:1–3). Luke’s account, however, records a different anointing in the house of a Pharisee—also named Simon (Luke 7:40). It seems Jesus was anointed twice: first in Simon the Pharisee’s home, which may have been in Galilee (see Luke 7:1, 11), and later in Simon the Leper’s home in Judea.

Luke 7:38

and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume.

(uma) Standing behind him. Jesus is reclining with his head toward the table and his feet facing outwards. Unable to reach his head and hands, the woman anoints his feet.

(b) At his feet. This is one of at least five occasions where someone fell or knelt at Christ’s feet (Luke 7:38, 8:41, 17:15–16, John 11:32, Rev. 1:17).

(c) Weeping. The woman is not weeping in penitence, but with anger and distress at the rudeness shown to her Lord. Jesus is the most wonderful person she’s met. He reveals the love of God to the hurting and heals the sick. But in this house, he has been humiliated. Since the host has provided no water to wash Jesus’ feet, she will do it herself—with her tears.

Some say her tears were shed on account of her many sins. But the context suggests another meaning. Everything she does is in response to the courtesies that were left undone (see verses 44–47). She is giving Jesus the honor and love that Simon the Pharisee failed to provide. Her actions reveal the power of grace in her life and the absence of grace in his.

(d) Wiping them. The woman has broken with convention by entering the place where the men were eating. Now, she breaks another taboo by touching Jesus.

(e) The hair of her head. In the Middle Eastern world, a woman was expected to keep her hair covered in public. To uncover it, as a bride might do on her wedding night, was scandalous. Yet this woman’s action was an expression of adoration, humility, and devotion. A woman’s long hair was regarded as her glory and pride (1 Cor. 11:15), and she would take great care of it. By using her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet, she is saying, “My honor is nothing compared to Jesus.”

(f) Kissing his feet. Two scandals are playing out in front of the Pharisees. The first involves a shameless display of love and gratitude from the sinful woman. The second is that Jesus does not say, as any rabbi would, “Woman, don’t touch me.” Instead, he receives her offering.

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 person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

(uma) The Pharisee who had invited him seems to have had questionable motives. Perhaps he wanted to see if Jesus was the prophet people claimed him to be. Perhaps he wanted to test Jesus, as the Pharisees sometimes did (Mark 8:11). Or maybe he wanted to humiliate him, which would explain why he neglected the most basic acts of hospitality.

(b) Said to himself. If Jesus were truly a man of God, the Pharisee thinks, he would stop this outrage and distance himself from this defiled woman.

(c) Prophet. For centuries, the Jews had been waiting for the coming of a great prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18). Some thought John the Baptist might be that prophet (John 1:21), but it soon became clear that Jesus was the one foretold (John 6:14). Jesus himself confirmed it (Mark 6:4, Luke 13:33).

(d) “She is a sinner.” We are all sinners apart from the grace of God. But the self-righteous find comfort in comparing themselves with others whom they deem to be inferior (Luke 18:11).

(e) Sinner; Vejo entrada for Luke 7:37.

Luke 7:40

And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

(uma) Jesus answered him. Jesus responds to Simon’s unspoken thoughts.

(b) Simon was a common biblical name. There were two Simons among the disciples: Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot. Simon the Pharisee is one of nine Simons named in the New Testament. See entrada for Matt. 4:18.

(c) Something to say to you. Jesus tells Simon a story. The Parable of the Two Debtors is the only parable directed to an individual. It was meant for Simon, but it is relevant for all who judge themselves as righteous and superior to sinners.

(d) Teacher. In Jewish society, a teacher was revered like an Old Testament judge (c.f., Luke 12:13). When the rich young ruler said to Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16), he was essentially saying, “I recognize you as a master of the law.” Likewise, when the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and said, “Teacher, the law says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8:4–5), they were saying, “If you’re a law expert, prove it by judging this woman.”

Simon may have been a poor host and skeptical of whether Jesus was a prophet, but he had enough sense to acknowledge Jesus as a teacher. He was willing, at least initially, to listen to what the Teacher had to say.

Luke 7:41

“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

(uma) A moneylender, creditor, or banker. In the Parable of the Two Debtors, the moneylender represents God, Jesus, or both, since God’s forgiveness comes to us through Christ.

(b) Two debtors. The two debtors correspond to two kinds of sinners: law-keepers and law-breakers. They represent Simon the self-righteous and the woman known as “sinner.”

The debts symbolize sin. To someone living under the obligations of the old covenant, sin was viewed as a debt owed to the Lord. In the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew records Jesus saying, “Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12), while Luke writes, “Forgive us our sins” (Luke 11:4). To live under the obligations of the law is to live in a permanent state of indebtedness.

(c) Denarii. A single denarius was the daily wage of a common laborer (Matt. 20:2). Fifty denarii equaled about two months’ wages, allowing for Sabbaths, while 500 denarii amounted to nearly two years’ income. Neither debt is small, but one is ten times bigger than the other.

Lucas 7:42

“Quando eles não puderam pagar, ele perdoou graciosamente a ambos. Então, qual deles o amará mais?”

(uma) Eles não conseguiram pagar. Like sinful humanity, the debtors are lost causes who can’t pay their debts. No one can clear their sin “debt” or save themselves.

(b) Graciously forgave. The original verb charizomai is related to the word that means “grace” (charis). It is a word that describes the unconditional forgiveness that the Lord has shown to us (Col. 3:13).

Significantly, the debtors do not ask to be forgiven. They do not beg for mercy or make rash promises regarding future repayment. They say nothing at all to show that their forgiveness is based solely on the good grace of the lender. In the same way, Jesus bore all our sins before we repented, confessed, or did anything. While we were dead in our transgressions, he forgave all our transgressions (Col. 2:13).

(c) Forgave them both. The moneylender bears the loss of the two debtors. He does not cancel their debts, as if debts could magically disappear. He makes their debts his debts, so that they might be debt-free. He does for them what Jesus did for us when he carried our sins away.

(d) Love. The original verb agapaō is related to the noun agapē, which describes the unconditional love that comes from God (Eph. 2:4, 1 John 4:8, 16).

(e) Love him more. The debtors’ love is a response to the sacrificial love of the lender. In the same way, we love God because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). It is his love that enables ours, for “love is from God” (1 John 4:7).

Lucas 7:43

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

(uma) Simon; Vejo entrada for Luke. 7:40.

(b) perdoou. As Jesus did a moment earlier, Simon uses the word charizomai, which essentially means “to show grace” (see previous verse).

Some say our love for God depends on the size of our sin, but gratitude is a response to grace. All of us are sinners in desperate need of grace, but not all realize it. The self-righteous convince themselves they don’t need grace. They think, “I’m basically a good person.” Yet none of us is righteous (Rom. 3:10, 23). We all need God’s grace. Those who love more are not worse sinners than others—they are just more honest about their need.

(d) You have judged correctly. Simon had misjudged Jesus and the woman, but in interpreting the parable, he judges correctly. This shows the power of a parable to nudge us toward truth.

Luke 7:44–46

Turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume.

(uma) Simon; Vejo entrada for Luke. 7:40.

(b) Do you see this woman? Simon did not see a woman but a sinner. “She is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). His self-righteousness blinded him to the humanity of this daughter of Abraham.

(c) “I entered your house as a guest.” Like a lawyer, Jesus lists Simon’s breaches of hospitality: no water, no kiss, no oil. In effect, he says, “Simon, you are not as righteous as you think.” It is a bold rebuke delivered right in front of Simon’s friends, and the kind of approach Jesus would sometimes adopt with the self-righteous and hypocritical (e.g., Matt. 23:13–33).

(d) Beijo. Jews greeted each other with a kiss of friendship (Gen. 27:26), and the early Christians adopted this practice (see entry for Rom. 16:16).

(e) Anoint my head with oil. To pour oil on the head was a way of honoring and refreshing a guest who had traveled under the hot Middle Eastern sun (Ps. 23:5, Ecc. 9:8).

Lucas 7:47

“Por isso vos digo que os seus muitos pecados lhe foram perdoados, porque ela muito amou; mas aquele a quem pouco se perdoa, pouco ama.”

(uma) For this reason. “Simon, let me tell you why this woman displays such extravagant love. It is because she knows she has been forgiven of her many sins.”

God’s forgiveness is powerful. It breaks bonds and lifts burdens. It delivers us from crippling guilt and shame. Knowing that God is not disappointed with you—that he accepts you, loves you, and holds nothing against you—is life-changing. This woman had heard the good news, and she had to say, “Thank you.”

(b) Sins. The original noun hamartia means “to miss the mark.” It describes falling short of the glorious and divine life God intends for us (e.g., Rom. 3:23). To someone like Simon, who was raised under the law, sin was equated with breaking the law. Yet, we can fall short of God’s glory just as easily by keeping the law, as the Galatians did. The devil does not care whether you are a law-breaker or a law-keeper. As long as you walk according to the flesh, relying on your natural senses and understanding instead of trusting in the Lord, you will fall short of the life God has for you.

(c) Which are many. All sinners have a pile of sins, and some piles are bigger than others. But on the cross, the Lamb of God bore all our sin, and now there are no more piles. “He appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5). We do not need to ask God to take away our sins; we simply receive by faith the forgiveness he has already provided. In Christ, we have forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14).

(d) Perdoado. The woman’s extravagant display of love reveals that she has encountered the grace of God. Remember, she came to the house bearing a gift for Jesus. People don’t give gifts to strangers; she knew him. Either she had been touched by his preaching or had met him personally. Her loving actions were a response to his grace and kindness.

(e) For she loved much. God does not forgive us because we love him; we love him because he loves and has forgiven us. We are able to “love much” when we begin to grasp the limitless love God has for us. It is the abundance of his love and grace that moves us to love him in return.

(f) Loves; Vejo entrada for Luke 7:42.

(g) Loves little. The self-righteous are just as forgiven as the worst sinners, but they don’t see their need for forgiveness. As a result, they have little love for God and little gratitude for grace.

Luke 7:48

Then he said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

(uma) He said to her. A rabbi would not speak to a woman in public, but Jesus was not part of that patriarchal system. He spoke to women, listened to women, defended women, told stories about women, and discipled women.

Leitura adicional: “The Silent Queen”

(b) Perdoado. The Greek verb aphiemi means “to send away” or “to release.” Forgiveness is not merely ceasing to be angry, but a deliberate dismissal of a debt or offense. Saying, “Your sins have been forgiven” means they are gone, erased, and forgotten (Is. 43:25, Heb. 8:12, 10:17). Technically, this woman’s sins had not yet been carried away, since Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. But knowing the Father’s heart and eternal purposes, Jesus could declare her forgiven.

Luke 7:49

Those who were reclining at the table with him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

(uma) Those who were reclining were likely Simon’s friends and fellow Pharisees. They had come to see Jesus, the man of the hour.

(b) Who is this man? “Who does he think he is?” In their eyes, Jesus is blaspheming. “Only God can forgive sins!” (see Luke 5:21). Maybe they did not hear what Jesus said to the forgiven paralytic. “So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins… get up and pick up your stretcher and go home” (Luke 5:24).

Jesus acts as though he and the Father were one (John 10:30), and the Pharisees are not impressed. First, the woman is accepted, then Simon is schooled, and now this man speaks as though he is God. Their indignation will simmer and eventually boil over into a murderous rage (Luke 19:47, 22:2).

Lucas 7:50

E disse à mulher: “A tua fé te salvou; vá em paz."

(uma) Faith. The original noun pistis means “persuasion” or “conviction.” It is derived from a word (peithō), which means to convince, win over, or persuade. Faith is being persuaded or convinced that God loves you (Acts 28:24). Like the debtors in the parable, the woman did not utter a single word. Yet, her actions revealed her conviction that Jesus is Lord.

(b) Sua fé te salvou. “Your trust in me has delivered you from sin’s condemnation.” This woman had been living under the crushing weight of guilt and the scorn of the self-righteous. But when she heard the good news of God’s love and grace for sinners, she allowed herself to be persuaded that it was true. In that moment, she received the forgiveness God offers to all.

Two sinners met Jesus, but only one went home with the peace that forgiveness brings. Simon, proud and self-righteous, wanted nothing from Jesus. In contrast, the unnamed woman fell at his feet and received the grace of God. Whether good or bad, we are all sinners. But the good news is that both forgiveness and peace are found at the feet of Jesus.

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Lucas 7