They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
Parallel translations
- WEB When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to do this for him,
- KJV And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
- NKJV And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,
- NASB When they came to Jesus, they strongly urged Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;
- NLT So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said,
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
The elders earnestly urged Jesus to help, declaring the centurion worthy. Their plea highlights the man's good reputation among the Jews.
Overview
The Jewish elders advocated warmly for the centurion, judging him deserving of Jesus' help. Their reasoning rests on his merit, a striking contrast to the centurion's own later confession of unworthiness. The account gently exposes how human estimates of worthiness differ from the humble faith God honors.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 10:37–38Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
- Rev 3:4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
- Luke 7:6–7So Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends with the message: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.
- Matt 10:11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on.
- Luke 20:35But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
- Matt 10:13If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 7:4 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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