When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”
- KJV 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.
- NKJV Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
- NASB 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!”
- NLT When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Simon silently doubts Jesus' prophetic standing, reasoning a true prophet would know the woman is a sinner. His self-righteous judgment misses both her repentance and Jesus' insight.
Overview
Simon assumes Jesus' acceptance of the woman proves He is no prophet, revealing his contempt for her and his blindness to grace. Ironically, Jesus knows not only the woman's heart but Simon's unspoken thoughts. The Pharisee's cold judgment sets up Jesus' lesson that those forgiven much love much.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Luke 7:16A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”
- Luke 15:2So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
- Prov 23:7for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
- Isa 65:5They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
- Mark 7:21For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- John 7:47–52“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.
- Luke 18:4For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,
- Matt 9:12–13On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
- John 4:19“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.
- John 9:24So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
- John 7:12Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”
- 2 Kgs 5:20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
- Luke 7:37When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
- Luke 16:3The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg.
- Luke 3:8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
- Luke 18:9–11To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
- Mark 2:6–7But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts,
- Matt 21:28–31But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
- Luke 12:17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
- John 7:40–41On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
- Matt 20:16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
- Luke 15:28–30The older son became angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 7:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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