Luke 7

Luke 7 is the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It tells the records of two great miracles performed by Jesus, His reply to John the Baptist's question, and the anointing by a sinful woman.^[1] The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this Gospel as well as Acts.^[2]

Text

• The original text is written in Koine Greek.
• Some most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
  • Papyrus 75 (AD 175-225)
  • Papyrus 45 (ca. AD 250).
  • Codex Vaticanus (AD 325-350)
  • Codex Sinaiticus (AD 330-360)
  • Codex Bezae (ca. AD 400)
  • Codex Washingtonianus (ca. AD 400)
  • Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (ca. AD 450; lacunae: verse 17 to end)
  • Papyrus 2 (~550 M; extant: verses 22-26 and 50 in Coptic language)
  • Papyrus 3 (6th/7th century; extant: verses 36-45)
• This chapter is divided into 50 verses.

Structure

The Meal at the House of Simon the Pharisee, c. 15th century.

This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):

• Luke 7:1-10 = The Centurion's Servant (Matthew 8:5-13) John 4:46-53 may be another event, see Healing the royal official's son.
• Luke 7:11-17 = Widow of Nain's Son Raised
• Luke 7:18-35 = Messengers from John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-19)
• Luke 7:36-50 = The Anointing by a Sinful Woman: Parable of the Two Debtors

Healing the centurion's servant

Luke 7:1-10 relates that a Roman centurion in Capernaum asked Jesus for help because his servant was ill. Jesus offered to go to the centurion's house to perform the healing, but the centurion suggested that Jesus perform the healing at a distance. Jesus concurred and the servant was healed at that very hour.

Widow of Nain's Son Raised

This account of a miracle by Jesus is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus arrived at the village of Nain during the burial ceremony of the son of a widow, and raised the young man from the dead. The location is the village of Nain, Israel, two miles south of Mount Tabor. This is the first of three miracles of Jesus in the canonical gospels in which he raises the dead, the other two being the raising of Jairus' daughter and of Lazarus.

Messengers from John the Baptist

When John the Baptist was in prison and heard of the works performed by Jesus, John sent two of his disciples as messengers to ask a question from Jesus: "Are you the one to come after me or shall we wait for another?" Following this episode, Jesus begins to speak to the crowds about John the Baptist.

Parable of the Two Debtors

Anointing of Jesus, 17th-century altar painting, Ballum, Denmark.

Jesus uses the story of two debtors to explain that a woman loves him more than his host, because she has been forgiven of greater sins. This parable is told after his anointing by a "sinful woman" at the house of a Pharisee named Simon.

See also

• Miracles of Jesus
• Nain, Israel
• Other related Bible parts: Matthew 8, Matthew 11, John 4

References

1. ↑ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
2. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.

External links

• Luke 7 NIV