Luke 7 41

Luke 7:41 kjv

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

Luke 7:41 nkjv

"There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

Luke 7:41 niv

"Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

Luke 7:41 esv

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

Luke 7:41 nlt

Then Jesus told him this story: "A man loaned money to two people ? 500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other.

Luke 7 verses

Luke 7 41 Meaning

Luke 7:41 introduces a parable concerning a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed a substantial sum of five hundred denarii, while the other owed a lesser amount of fifty denarii. This verse sets the stage for Jesus to illustrate a profound spiritual truth about sin, forgiveness, and the resulting love, comparing a person's spiritual debt to a financial obligation. The focus is on the inability of the debtors to repay, preparing the audience for the concept of freely given grace.

Luke 7 41 Context

Luke 7:41 is part of Jesus' response to Simon the Pharisee, who had inwardly condemned Jesus for allowing a "sinful woman" to touch and anoint Him in his house (Luke 7:36-39). The verse immediately follows Jesus' awareness of Simon's thoughts, demonstrating His divine knowledge. The parable serves as a direct, yet gentle, rebuke to Simon's self-righteousness and lack of love, contrasting it with the overflowing love of the "sinful woman." This narrative is set within the cultural context of first-century Jewish society, where hospitality customs were significant, and a person's standing before God was often perceived based on external adherence to the Law. Pharisees, like Simon, often emphasized meticulous observance and distance from those deemed "sinners," reflecting a legalistic mindset. The parable shifts the focus from judging others to understanding one's own great spiritual debt and God's abundant grace.

Luke 7 41 Word analysis

• A certain creditor (ΧΡΕΣΤΗΣ ΤΙΣ, chrestēs tis):
  • Word: Chrestēs denotes a "lender" or "usurer," someone to whom money is owed. Tis means "a certain one" or "someone."
  • Analysis: This introduces God as the one to whom a debt is owed, establishing a fundamental relationship of accountability. The term underscores the divine right to demand payment.
• Who had two debtors (ΕΧΟΝ ΔΥΟ ΧΡΕΟΦΕΙΛΕΤΑΙ, echōn duo chreopheiletai):
  • Word: Chreopheiletai directly translates to "debt-obligated ones" or "those owing a debt." It comes from chreos (debt) and opheilō (to owe).
  • Analysis: Highlights humanity's inherent condition before God – all people are debtors. The duality of "two debtors" serves a pedagogical purpose in the parable, setting up a contrast.
• One owed (ΗΦΕΙΛΕΝ, ēpheilen):
  • Word: Ēpheilen is the imperfect indicative of opheilō, "to owe" or "to be obligated." The imperfect tense suggests a continuous state of owing.
  • Analysis: This confirms the existing, unresolved financial obligation, mirroring the human state of having an ongoing sin debt.
• Five hundred denarii (ΠΕΝΤΑΚΟΣΙΑ ΔΗΝΑΡΙΑ, pentakosia dēnaria):
  • Word: Denarius was a common Roman silver coin, often representing a day's wage for a laborer (Matt 20:2). Five hundred denarii would equate to nearly a year and a half's wages (approx. 500 working days).
  • Analysis: This is a very large sum, practically unpayable for a common person. It signifies a profound, unmanageable spiritual debt, representing substantial or perceived grievous sin.
• And the other fifty (Ο ΔΕ ΕΤΕΡΟΣ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΝΤΑ, ho de heteros pentēkonta):
  • Word: Heteros means "the other" of two.
  • Analysis: While significantly less than five hundred, fifty denarii (about two months' wages) was still a considerable debt and likely unpayable for an ordinary person. This shows that even a "smaller" debt is still a debt, and the inability to pay is the crucial point for both debtors. It highlights that both levels of sin still separate one from God, and require the same divine intervention.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "A certain creditor who had two debtors": This phrasing establishes a universal principle. The creditor represents God, and the two debtors represent all humanity in their state of indebtedness due to sin. It immediately draws attention to the fact that all stand accountable to God.
• "One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty": This dramatic numerical contrast highlights differing perceptions of one's own sin or the actual magnitude of sins. Spiritually, it's not about God quantifying sin into different payment categories, but about a person's awareness of the gravity of their own sinfulness and their total inability to repay. Both sums are unpayable by human effort, underscoring the absolute necessity of grace for anyone seeking reconciliation with God.

Luke 7 41 Bonus section

• Parable's Pedagogical Function: This parable serves as a "mirror" for Simon, reflecting his own spiritual condition and prejudice back to him. Jesus often used everyday scenarios and objects (debtors, seeds, fish) to explain profound spiritual truths in an accessible way.
• Hidden Message: The "sinful woman" represents the debtor of 500 denarii (someone aware of deep sin and hence greater need for forgiveness), and Simon, the Pharisee, represents the debtor of 50 denarii (someone who perceived themselves as righteous, with less debt, and thus less awareness of their need for immense grace, resulting in less love).
• Denarius as a life unit: The use of denarii, a day's wage, grounds the parable in relatable terms for the average person listening. It transforms abstract financial amounts into concrete units of labor, underscoring how vast and humanly impossible these "debts" truly are to repay without the creditor's benevolence.
• Foundation for True Love: The parable, starting with this verse, lays the groundwork for understanding that true love for God flows from a profound recognition of the forgiveness received. Without recognizing the debt, the love that springs from forgiveness remains shallow or absent.

Luke 7 41 Commentary

Luke 7:41, though brief, is foundational to understanding the core message of God's grace and human inability. Jesus, the master teacher, introduces a simple yet potent parable of two financially burdened individuals before Simon the Pharisee. The specific amounts of 500 and 50 denarii are significant not for their exact financial value, but to establish a clear distinction in the magnitude of the perceived debt. In spiritual terms, this "debt" represents sin. Regardless of the quantity, the pivotal point is that neither debtor possesses the means to repay their respective debts. This impossibility of repayment perfectly sets the stage for the revelation of the creditor's magnanimous decision in the following verses: a full cancellation of both debts, emphasizing that all humanity, regardless of their perceived level of sin, is utterly dependent on divine mercy for their forgiveness. This illustrates that salvation is a gift of grace, freely given by God, not earned or purchased by human effort or a lesser degree of sin. The larger the debt a person recognizes they have, the greater their appreciation and love for the one who cancels it will be.