Luke 7:22
in Luke 7So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good tidings preached to them.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Luke 7
Commentary
23 notes on this verseAn ample testimony surely by which the Prophet might recognise the Lord. For of the, Lord Himself it was prophesied, that the Lord giveth food to the hungry, raiseth up them that are bowed down, looseth the prisoners, openeth the eyes of the blind, and that he who doeth these things shall reign for ever. (Ps. 146:7-10.) Such then are not the tokens of human, but divine power. But these are found seldom or not at all before the Gospel. Tobias alone received sight, and this was the cure of an Angel, not of a man. (Tob. 11.)
This site's exposition
John’s disciples informed him
on Luke 7:18-23
From prison John sends to ask, Are You the One who was to come, for he heard of works without the judgment he had preached. Jesus answers from Isaiah 35 and 61: the blind receive sight and the dead are raised.
This site's exposition
report to John what you have seen and heard
Jesus answers with works the messengers can report. Matthew Henry reasons that healing bodies points to the One who heals souls. John Wesley counts good news for the poor as the greatest mercy and the greatest miracle of all.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Here see I pray the beautiful art of the Saviour's management. For He does not simply say, I am; though had He so spoken, it would have been true: but He rather leads them to the proof given by the works themselves, in order that having accepted faith in Him on good grounds, and being furnished with knowledge from what had been done, they might so return to him who sent them. "For go, He says, tell John the things that ye have seen and heard."
But we have before said, that mystically John was the type of the Law, which was the forerunner of Christ. John then sends his disciples to Christ, that they might obtain the filling up of their knowledge, for Christ is the fulfilling of the Law. And perhaps those disciples are the two nations, of whom the one of the Jews believed, the other of the Gentiles believed because they heard. They wished then to see, because blessed are the eyes that see.
John sent them to him not to interrogate him, but rather that the Lord might confirm those former things that John had proclaimed to them. John was directing the minds of his disciples toward the Lord.… He sent them out in such a way that, …
He said not positively to them I am he, but rather leads them to the certainty of the fact, in order that receiving their faith in Him, with their reason agreeing thereto, they might return to him who sent them. Hence He made not answer to the words, but to the intention of him who sent them; as it follows, And Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard: as if He said, Go and tell John the things which ye have heard indeed through the Prophets, but have seen accomplished by Me. For He was then performing those things which the Prophets prophesied He would do; that is of which it is added, For the blind see, the lame walk.
Or else, He wished by this to show that whatever was passing in their hearts, could not be hid from His sight. For they were those who were offended at Him.
15 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
Christ would work miracles and teach as soon as he came to well-known sections of his own country, and this had been foretold.Isaiah went on to tell of other marvels and showed how Christ cured the lame, and how he made the blind to see and the mute to speak. "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped." After that he spoke of the other marvels: "Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy." This did not happen until his coming.
And because we have already said above (in Luke, chapter 3) that John is a type of the Law, which was a precursor of Christ, it is right that the Law, which held captive the hearts of the faithless as if in eternal prisons, was physically enclosed, with its fertile entrails of punishments and doors of madness restrained, would not be able to bring about the complete fulfillment of the testimony of the Lord's dispensation without the consent of the Gospel. Indeed, the Law prophesied the grace of baptism through the cloud and the sea in Exodus; it foreshadowed spiritual food in the lamb (Exodus 12:3); it designated an everlasting fountain in the rock (Exodus 17:6); it revealed the forgiveness of sins in Leviticus (Leviticus 25:10); it announced the kingdom of heaven in the Psalms; it most clearly declared the promised land in Joshua.
The Medieval Church6 voices
Hence also, when the Lord was asked, after enumerating the miracles of his power, he immediately responded about the humility of his death, saying: "The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who is not scandalized in me." Seeing so many signs and such great powers, no one could be scandalized, but only marvel.
"Go," He said, "and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and, which is no less important, the poor have the Gospel preached to them." Either the …
And what is not less than these, the poor have the Gospel preached to them, that is, the poor are enlightened by the Spirit, or hidden treasures, that there might be no difference between the rich and the poor. These things prove the faith of the Master, when all who can be saved by Him are equal.
These are also the words of Elias, saying, The Lord himself shall come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart. (Isa. 35:4-6.)
Spiritually, note here that from the cure of diseases presently exhibited is understood the perfect cure from original sin; but from the cure of diseases reported to John, the perfect cure from actual sin. As to the cure from original sin, note that for one …
Second, he responds to the questioner by declaring the wonders seen and heard by the disciples; on account of which he says: And answering he said to them: Go and report to John what you have heard and seen, because, as is said in Tobit …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
To the poor the Gospel is preached - Which is the greatest mercy, and the greatest miracle of all.
You see that Jesus does this to the bodies of people, and therefore must conclude this is he that should come to do it to the souls of people, and you are to look for no other. To his miracles in the kingdom of nature he adds this in the kingdom of grace (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
), To the poor the gospel is preached, which they knew was to be done by the Messiah; for he was anointed to preach the gospel to the meek ( Isa. lxi. 1 ), and to save the souls of the poor and needy, Ps. lxxii. Judge, therefore, whether you can look for any other that will more fully answer the characters of the Messiah and the great intentions of his coming.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Then Jesus answering said unto them,.... "To the disciples", as the Persic; to both, as the Arabic: when he had wrought these cures, he turned himself to the disciples of John, and made answer to their question. The Vulgate Latin leaves out the word "Jesus", rendering it, "and he answering"; in the following words: go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
John's life was drawing to a close. His opportunities of active usefulness were ended. A long imprisonment, or a violent death — were the only prospects before him. Yet even in these dark days, we see this holy man maintaining his old ground, as a witness to Christ. He is the same man that he was when he cried, "Behold the Lamb of God!" To testify of Christ, was his continual work as a preacher at liberty. To send men to Christ — was one of his last works as a prisoner in chains.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
John's life was drawing to a close. His opportunities of active usefulness were ended. A long imprisonment, or a violent death — were the only prospects before him. Yet even in these dark days, we see this holy man maintaining his old ground, as a witness to Christ. He is the same man that he was when he cried, "Behold the Lamb of God!" To testify of Christ, was his continual work as a preacher at liberty. To send men to Christ — was one of his last works as a prisoner in chains. We should mark, in these verses — the wise fore-thought which John exhibited about his disciples, before he left the world. He sent some of them to Jesus, with a message of inquiry, "Are you the One who was to come — or should we expect someone else?" He doubtless calculated that they would receive such an answer as would make an indelible impression on their minds — and he was right. They got an answer in deeds, as well as words. They received an answer which probably produced a deeper effect than any arguments which they could have heard from their master's lips. We can easily imagine that John the Baptist must have felt much concern about the future course of his disciples. He knew their ignorance and weakness in the faith. He knew how natural it was for them to regard the disciples of Jesus with feelings of jealousy and envy. He knew how likely it was that a petty party-spirit would creep in among them, and make them keep aloof from Christ when their own master was dead and gone. Against this unhappy state of things, he makes provision — as far as possible, while he is yet alive. He sends some of them to Jesus, that they may see for themselves what kind of teacher He is, and not reject Him unseen and unheard. He takes care to supply them with the strongest evidence that our Lord was indeed the Messiah.
See these verses explained at large on Mat 11:4-15 (note).
The words behind it
24 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀποκριθεὶς | apokritheis | answering | G611 → | 231 times |
| εἶπεν | eipen | He said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| αὐτοῖς· | autois | to them; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| πορευθέντες | poreuthentes | Having gone | G4198 → | 147 times |
| ἀπαγγείλατε | apangeilate | do relate | G518 → | 43 times |
| Ἰωάννῃ | ioanne | to John | G2491 → | 134 times |
| ἃ | ha | what | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| εἴδετε | eidete | you have seen | G1492 → | 374 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἠκούσατε· | ekousate | heard: | G191 → | 425 times |
| τυφλοὶ | tuphloi | Blind | G5185 → | 50 times |
| ἀναβλέπουσιν, | anablepousin | receive sight, | G308 → | 25 times |
| χωλοὶ | choloi | lame | G5560 → | 14 times |
| περιπατοῦσιν, | peripatousin | walk, | G4043 → | 94 times |
| λεπροὶ | leproi | lepers | G3015 → | 9 times |
| καθαρίζονται, | katharizontai | are cleansed, | G2511 → | 31 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| κωφοὶ | kophoi | deaf | G2974 → | 14 times |
| ἀκούουσιν, | akouousin | hear, | G191 → | 425 times |
| νεκροὶ | nekroi | dead | G3498 → | 128 times |
| ἐγείρονται, | egeirontai | are raised, | G1453 → | 142 times |
| πτωχοὶ | ptochoi | poor | G4434 → | 34 times |
| εὐαγγελίζονται, | euangelizontai | are evangelised, | G2097 → | 54 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀποκριθεὶςanswering
apokritheisG611 →231 times
εἶπενHe said
eipenG2036 →925 times
αὐτοῖς·to them;
autoisG846 →5565 times
πορευθέντεςHaving gone
poreuthentesG4198 →147 times
ἀπαγγείλατεdo relate
apangeilateG518 →43 times
Ἰωάννῃto John
ioanneG2491 →134 times
ἃwhat
haG3739 →1405 times
εἴδετεyou have seen
eideteG1492 →374 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἠκούσατε·heard:
ekousateG191 →425 times
τυφλοὶBlind
tuphloiG5185 →50 times
ἀναβλέπουσιν,receive sight,
anablepousinG308 →25 times
χωλοὶlame
choloiG5560 →14 times
περιπατοῦσιν,walk,
peripatousinG4043 →94 times
λεπροὶlepers
leproiG3015 →9 times
καθαρίζονται,are cleansed,
katharizontaiG2511 →31 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
κωφοὶdeaf
kophoiG2974 →14 times
ἀκούουσιν,hear,
akouousinG191 →425 times
νεκροὶdead
nekroiG3498 →128 times
ἐγείρονται,are raised,
egeirontaiG1453 →142 times
πτωχοὶpoor
ptochoiG4434 →34 times
εὐαγγελίζονται,are evangelised,
euangelizontaiG2097 →54 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight…
it leads to
- Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…
- Matthew 11:5
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
- Psalms 146:7–8
He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
- Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified…
- Isaiah 61:1
Through
James 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
it leads to
- Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Luke 6:20
Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- Revelation 2:9
I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.
- Matthew 5:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Luke

This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Luke; Ambrose of Milan, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ambrose of Milan, Commentary on Luke; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 7; Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Sermon 37; Cyril of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 9.2; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 6; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE PAGANS 8-9; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.
