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7
The faith of a centurion
1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 Well a certain centurion's slave, who was valuable to him, was sick and about to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and rescue his slave. 4 And when they came to Jesus they started pleading earnestly with Him, saying that the one for whom He would do this was worthy, 5 “Because he loves our nation, and he himself built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.
But when He was no longer 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 come under my roof. 7 In fact I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.*This event is not the same as that recorded in Matthew 8:5-13. For a discussion please see the Appendix: “Did the centurion leave his house?”. Just say a word and my servant will be healed; 8 because I also am a man placed under authority,†He was part of a chain of command, with people both above and beneath him. Whereas he had military authority, he understood that Jesus had spiritual authority—all He had to do was speak. So how about us? having soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does.”
9 Well upon hearing these things Jesus marveled at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith!”‡If Jesus were here today, He could say the same thing about almost all churches. 10 When those who were sent returned to the house they found that the slave who had been sick was well.
A widow's son raised
11 Now it happened on the next day that He went to a town called Nain, and many of His disciples went with Him, also a large crowd. 12 But as He approached the town gate, mercy, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her He had compassion on her§She needed compassion; her situation was desperate, with no means of support. and said to her, “Don't cry!” 14 And advancing He took hold of the bier and the bearers stood still. Then He said, “Young man, to you I say, get up!”*Jesus was always specific when He brought someone back from the dead, so as not to empty the graveyard. 15 So the dead man sat up and began to talk! Yes, He gave him back to his mother.
16 Fear took hold of all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17 And this report about Him went throughout Judea, as well as all the surrounding region.†Nain is in Galilee, but besides the surrounding region the report of this particular miracle made it to Judea as well.
Messengers from John
18 Then the disciples of John informed him about all these things. 19 And summoning a certain two of his disciples, John sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you the Coming One, or should we look for another?”‡John was puzzled and disillusioned. If Jesus was the Messiah, why was he, John, in prison? Why didn't Jesus set up His Kingdom and deliver John? Everyone was looking for the Messianic Kingdom to be set up forthwith (see 19:11). 20 When the men had come to Him, they said: “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we look for another?’ ” 21 Well in that very hour He healed many from diseases and torments and malignant spirits, and to many blind He granted sight. 22 So in answer Jesus said to them: “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind regain sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, dead are raised, the poor are evangelized.§“The poor are evangelized”—what the poor (and everyone else) need most is salvation and a new life, not a free distribution of wealth. 23 And, blessed is he who does not take offense at me!”*Jesus was not meeting John's expectations, and the same thing happens to us, from time to time, but we had better keep the proper perspective.
Jesus praises John
24 Now when John's messengers had departed, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to observe, a reed being shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see, a man clothed in soft garments? Really, those with gorgeous apparel and living in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see, a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he about whom it is written:
‘Take note, I am sending my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’†See Malachi 3:1.
28 Further, I tell you that among those born of women there is no greater prophet‡Perhaps 14% of the Greek manuscripts omit “prophet”, to be followed by most modern versions, but the difference in meaning is significant. Jesus did not say, ‘no greater person’. than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”§I find this statement to be puzzling; is John not part of the Kingdom? If John is not, then none of the OT saints is either.
29 (When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John's baptism. 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)*John's baptism was based on repentance, but self-righteous people would consider that they did not need it.
Inconsistency of the Pharisees
31 “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and to what are they similar? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we mourned to you, and you did not cry.’
33 Because John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of the Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Just look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Still, by all her children wisdom is justified.”†In other words, the Pharisees were not children of ‘wisdom’.
A lesson in forgiveness
36 Then one of the Pharisees invited Him to eat with Him,‡This was not a friendly invitation. so He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined. 37 But then, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping,§He was reclining on a ‘couch’ with His head in toward the table, so His feet were ‘available’. she began to wet His feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head; and she kept kissing His feet*To do all of this she would have to be kneeling. She started by standing, and probably waited a minute to see if anyone would object. and anointing them with the perfume.†This is a moving picture. She was ashamed and distressed, because of what she was, but she desperately wanted to change, and she saw in Jesus the way out.
39 Now as the Pharisee who had invited Him observed this, he was saying to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, including what sort of woman she is—because she is a sinner!”‡Evidently the woman was well known to the locals. 40 So Jesus reacted by saying to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Teacher, say on.” 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had no way to repay, he freely forgave them both. Now tell me, which of them will love him more?” 43 So Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one to whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
44 Then He turned toward the woman and 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 the hair of her head. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 For this reason, I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other recliners began to say within themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go into peace.”§That is what the Text says, ‘into’ not ‘in’—from then on her life would be different, one characterized by peace. She got what she so desperately wanted.

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*7:7 This event is not the same as that recorded in Matthew 8:5-13. For a discussion please see the Appendix: “Did the centurion leave his house?”.

†7:8 He was part of a chain of command, with people both above and beneath him. Whereas he had military authority, he understood that Jesus had spiritual authority—all He had to do was speak. So how about us?

‡7:9 If Jesus were here today, He could say the same thing about almost all churches.

§7:13 She needed compassion; her situation was desperate, with no means of support.

*7:14 Jesus was always specific when He brought someone back from the dead, so as not to empty the graveyard.

†7:17 Nain is in Galilee, but besides the surrounding region the report of this particular miracle made it to Judea as well.

‡7:19 John was puzzled and disillusioned. If Jesus was the Messiah, why was he, John, in prison? Why didn't Jesus set up His Kingdom and deliver John? Everyone was looking for the Messianic Kingdom to be set up forthwith (see 19:11).

§7:22 “The poor are evangelized”—what the poor (and everyone else) need most is salvation and a new life, not a free distribution of wealth.

*7:23 Jesus was not meeting John's expectations, and the same thing happens to us, from time to time, but we had better keep the proper perspective.

†7:27 See Malachi 3:1.

‡7:28 Perhaps 14% of the Greek manuscripts omit “prophet”, to be followed by most modern versions, but the difference in meaning is significant. Jesus did not say, ‘no greater person’.

§7:28 I find this statement to be puzzling; is John not part of the Kingdom? If John is not, then none of the OT saints is either.

*7:30 John's baptism was based on repentance, but self-righteous people would consider that they did not need it.

†7:35 In other words, the Pharisees were not children of ‘wisdom’.

‡7:36 This was not a friendly invitation.

§7:38 He was reclining on a ‘couch’ with His head in toward the table, so His feet were ‘available’.

*7:38 To do all of this she would have to be kneeling. She started by standing, and probably waited a minute to see if anyone would object.

†7:38 This is a moving picture. She was ashamed and distressed, because of what she was, but she desperately wanted to change, and she saw in Jesus the way out.

‡7:39 Evidently the woman was well known to the locals.

§7:50 That is what the Text says, ‘into’ not ‘in’—from then on her life would be different, one characterized by peace. She got what she so desperately wanted.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD