Luke 7:18-43

Summary
John asked his disciples to inquire of Jesus if He was the Messiah or not. Jesus indirectly replied that He was and that His works also proved it. He also sent a message to John reminding him of the effect of offense.
Jesus still praised John and described him as the greatest prophet but that the least person in God’s kingdom was greater than he was.
Jesus related His generation to children who were hard to please because John came without eating and they regarded him as demonized. On the other hand, Jesus came eating and they called Him glutton but wisdom is proved right by what it produces.
Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee and there, a sinner woman, with tears and with her hair, wiped His feet, kissed and poured some expensive oil on Jesus’ feet. The host wondered if Jesus knew how bad the woman was.
Jesus responded to his thought verbally that a great sinner is forgiven greater sins and the sinner appreciates greatly. The woman expressed her love and appreciation of Jesus.

Life Application
John was expressing offense against Jesus instead of asking for His help like others. We should not be overpowered by offense because those that are say the wrong, do the wrong and eventually get cut off by it.
Jesus, with His character, showed us not to play down people that try to offend us, rather, we should find reasons to praise them.
God desires a lavish praise of Him like the one the sinner-woman offered.

Personal Declaration
Offense will never take my head from me. I value God and I express it with corresponding actions.

Reading – Luke 7:18-43

Jesus and John the Baptist

¹⁸ John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, ¹⁹ he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

²⁰ When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

²¹ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. ²² So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ²³ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

²⁴ After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ²⁵ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’^[b]

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

³¹ Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

“‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not cry.’

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ ³⁵ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[c] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 7:22 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
2. Luke 7:27 Mal. 3:1
3. Luke 7:41 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).

All scriptural passages are taken from the NIV version of the bible.