1. Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, {as spoken in Luk 6:20-49.} he entered into Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 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.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly {ie., earnestly}, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 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:
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. {cp. Psa 33:9; 107:20}
8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it].
9 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.
10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole {completely healthy} that had been sick.
they besought him... saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this.
The religious leaders declared the centurion worthy of Jesus' attention.
He responded to the centurion's request, not on the basis of their assessment of his purported 'worthiness,' but rather, on the basis of His compassion toward individuals who confess their need. Consider the multitudes who came to Him for healing: He did not discriminate according to relative merit, but rather, healed them all (eg., Luk 4:40; 6:17-19).
...I am not worthy...
The centurion knew he had no merit, to allow access to the Holy One.
...but, say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
The centurion had faith in the person and power of Christ.
The Lord responds to those, who humbling themselves before Him, appeal to Him in simple faith (eg., v.50).
I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Today, would He say, 'No, not in the professing Church.'?
11. 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.
12 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.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier {coffin, burial bed}: and they that bare [him] stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise {lit., awaken}.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
16 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.
17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
Jesus spoke, commanding the dead man to arise. The dead person obeyed His voice.
This was the Lord's method, in every recorded instance of Jesus raising the dead (eg., Luk 8:54,55; Joh 11:43,44).
Also, according to the record, Jesus never attended a funeral where the dead remained dead.
19. And John calling [unto him] two of his disciples sent [them] to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20 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?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of [their] infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many [that were] blind he gave sight.
22 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.
23 And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in {stumbled by} me.
In the presence of John's disciples, Jesus demonstrated some of the Messiah's credentials (eg., Isa 35:4-6). The Messiah was indeed present, as witnessed by the miraculous works of God (Joh 5:36; 10:37,38).
However, the Messianic Kingdom would come in a way and time, which differed from John's hopes and expectations. Like other OT prophets, John was unable to discern between the first and second comings of Christ, which were often foretold together, as illustrated by Isaiah 35 (cited above), or by Isa 61:1-4 which Jesus had read publicly (in Luk 4:18-21), stopping in the middle of a verse to declare that portion fulfilled, by His presence, at that time.
Therefore, the Lord admonished John to trust God and be patient. The day of vengence and of the Messianic Kingdom will come, at Christ's second coming (following the Church Age, which had not yet been revealed). However, the ungodly political powers which imprisoned John would not be overthrown in his lifetime.
Whoever trusts God fully will not stumble in unbelief, though lacking full understanding of His purposes. Luk 2:34; Isa 8:14,15; 1Pet 2:7,8
24 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?
25 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.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is [he], of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. {Mal 3:1}
28 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.
29 And all the people that heard [him], and the publicans, justified God {ie., acknowledged God's righteousness}, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Jesus had only good to say about John.
However, because the nation did not respond aright to John's ministry, and would soon reject their King (the Messiah), the Kingdom of God would not be established, on earth, during John's lifetime.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, {God had called them to repentance, through John.} being not baptized of him.
31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
The unbelieving religious leaders had judged and rejected God's messengers: John whose message warned of God's judgment upon sin, and Jesus who demonstrated God's grace and power to save.
Jesus anointed by a sinful woman, in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
(This incident is unique to Luke's Gospel.)
36. 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 {GK=anaklino, leaned back, reclined}.
(The custom was to sit semi-reclined, with head toward the table, and feet extended behind.)
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind [him] weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe [them] with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed [them] with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw [it], he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman [this is] that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
...a woman... an alabaster box of ointment {GK=muron, myrrh, aromatic oil}...
This box {ie., cruse} was carved from alabaster stone and filled with expensive perfume. This woman may have poured her life savings out upon Jesus.
This incident, which occurred relatively early in the Lord's earthly ministry, is not to be confused with a somewhat similar occasion shortly before His crucifixion. At the later incident, Jesus was having a meal with personal friends, when Mary of Bethany, who alone understood that He must die and rise out of death, anointed Him beforehand for His burial. (See Mat 26:6-15; Mark 14:3-10; Joh 12:1-7.) At the supper in Bethany, the poured out ointment revealed the content of Mary's heart, in contrast to that of Judas Iscariot. To Mary, Jesus was more valuable than anything. While the "waste" of money, being offensive to Judas, moved him to betray his Master (cp. 1Tim 6:10).
Here, at the Pharisee's dinner table, Jesus is about to reveal the heart of a woman grieving over sin, in contrast with the heart of a self-righteous religious man who saw no need for repentance (like others who rejected John's call to repentance, v.30-35).
Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee.
...Master, say on.
The parable of the creditor and two debtors (spoken to Simon the Pharisee).
(This parable is unique to Luke's Gospel.)
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. {cp. Acts 13:38,39; Rom 3:23,24} Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that [he], to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 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 [them] with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? {cp. Luk 5:20,21}
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
...Seest thou this woman?...
How could he miss seeing her? She was the object of Simon's scorn, and the justification for his rejection of Jesus' spiritual authority. v.39
...thou gavest me no water for my feet...
Simon had withheld the common courtesy of providing a basin of water, for a guest to wash the road dust from his feet. eg., Gen 19:2
...thou gavest me no kiss...
According to the custom of the day, friends would greet in this manner. But Simon did not regard Jesus as a friend. eg., 1The 5:26
...my head with oil thou didst not anoint...
Simon had not bestowed any special honor or recognition upon Jesus. eg., 1Sam 10:1; Psa 23:5