Luke | Chapter 7

Luke 7:1-10

“The compass of compassion” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 1 Location
  • 2-5 Three people in the story
  • 6-10 Three opinions of the same person

 

Introduction

 

As we start the 7th chapter, Luke takes his readers on a journey of what compassion looks like. Some have rightly defined biblical compassion as your pain in my heart and Jesus must have felt the suffering of people in His heart multiple times a day. I’m reminded of the writer of Hebrews words about Jesus’ present ministry in  Hebrews 7:25 where we are told that He always lives to make intercession for us. It is in that passage that we see that Jesus compassion didn’t end during His earthly ministry, nor was it crowned only at His sacrifice on the cross; NO it continues on towards those of faith as the security of our salvation rest upon Jesus’ perpetual intercession for us. What this reveals to us believers is twofold:

  • We can’t keep ourselves saved any more than we can save ourselves!
  • Jesus has the power to not only save us, but He alone also has the power to keep us saved!

Think of this a moment: Jesus is constantly, eternally, and perpetually praying for you before the God the Father! Whenever we sin Jesus says to the Father, “Put that on my account, as I have already paid for that sin!” This is why:

  • According to Colossians 1:22 Jesus is able “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.”
  • It is also how He is able to according to Jude 1:24 to “keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” In Jesus we are now blameless in the Father’s sight and when we are glorified, we will be blameless in His presence!

In this chapter Jesus is confronted with the suffering of four people, and we see His response to all four things, two of which were positive and two were negative and yet His response towards all four was the same in each situation:

  • Verses 1-10 The dying of a young servant: Jesus’ compassionate response to faith
  • Verses 11-17 a grieving widow’s death of her only son: Jesus’ compassionate response to despair
  • Verses 18-35 a perplexed prophet and his disciples in John the Baptist: Jesus’ compassionate response to doubt
  • Verse 36-50 a repentant sinner that the religious didn’t want saved: Jesus’ compassionate response to love

In each of these four cases not one of them was deserving of Jesus’ compassion and you would be hard pressed to decided which one you would choose if you could only pick one. When we see Jesus administer His heart of compassion what we note is that He doesn’t use a tape measure to see who is closest to being worthy instead He uses a compass to guide Him to whomever is in need! Jesus’ compassion NEVER measures it only ministers! So often we Christians want to include justice in our compassion, and we know this as we want to consider the merits of the case prior to distributing compassion, but true compassion only consider need!

 

Vs. 1 Location

Vs. 1 Luke gives us a fuller account of this story but you can also find it in Matthew 8:5-13 but it is Luke that illuminates this story. This of course followed the two sermons and the election of the twelve disciples. Luke gives his readers the proximity in time between the sermon in the valley and the event of the healing of the Roman centurion young servant. There are some manuscripts of Luke that mention that this happened the same day or only a few hours later which makes sense as the next incident in verse 11-17 the raising of the widow of Nain happened the day after the healing of the centurion’s servant and we are told that this took place in the area of Nain which is 25 miles from Capernaum.

Capernaum is mentioned 16 times and only in the gospels.

  • In Mark 2:1 it is called Jesus’ home.
  • In Matthew 9:1 it is called Jesus’ own city.

The city stood on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and was one of the most prosperous and crowded districts of Palestine. The importance of the city is further demonstrated by the location of a military installation there under the command of a centurion.

This city lay on the great highway from Damascus to Tyre. It has been identified with the Tell Hum, which is about two miles south-west of where the Jordan flows into the lake. They have dug up extensive ruins of walls and foundations and also the remains of what must have been a beautiful synagogue, which it is conjectured may have been the one built by the centurion, the same one that Jesus frequently taught at.

 

Vs. 2-5 Three people in the story

Vs. 2-3 The only real difference between Luke’s account and Matthew’s account is in the solicitation of Jesus from the centurion. Luke in 7:3 tells us that he sent elders of the Jews to Jesus and later in verse 6 he sent his friends to tell Jesus that he was not worthy of Jesus’ presence at his home. In Matthew’s account in 8:5 we are told that a certain centurion came to him pleading. There are critics of the bible that will call this a contradiction, but the reality is that Matthew is pointing out the practical reality while Luke is pointing actual reality. The elders and friends of the centurion were acting on the behalf of the centurion and as such they were in proxy the centurion.

We are given three main people in this story: a certain centurion, a paralyzed servant, and Jesus.

  • A certain centurion: To obtain the position of centurion, one would have to prove themselves in battle. This man was placed in charge of a 100 men because he was a valiant warrior. Luke tells us that he was wealthy and that he loved the nation of the Jews, for he had built them a synagogue. We are further told that he himself did not come to Jesus but rather that he first sent elders of the Jews to Jesus, and when Jesus got close to the house, he sent out some friends with the message. Thus he was a man not only acquainted with Jewish customs but a humble man as well.

So we have three things that stand out in this story that demonstrate compassion:

  • A wealthy Roman seeking a poor Jew
  • A powerful centurion reaching out to a meek carpenter
  • A mighty man of war looking for the Prince of Peace

He did not do this for himself, nor was this some casual request but pleading for his servant. This word means to call alongside to help and is also used for the word pray. This centurion sent some of the leaders to pray that Jesus would come and help.

  • 2 A paralyzed servant: The word for servant here tells us that he was a young servant and that his paralysis was of sickness that left him in great pain. So this centurion sends leaders to plead on his behalf, not for himself but for some young servant who is tormented with being unable to move. Why would he bother? God had touched this centurion’s heart, and this gentile, who was a warrior and hater of people, had now come to the place where he cared for a lowly servant boy. It is this man that God uses to touch this tormented boy.
  • 6 Jesus: Before He is ever asked to come, Jesus says, “He will come and heal him.” He does not say, “I will see what I can do.” There is that perfect confidence in the Lord.

Folks, the Lord is willing to take a hold of any area of your life that is causing you to be paralyzed and unable to serve the master. He will come and heal you!

 

Vs. 6-10 Three opinions of the same person

Vs. 6-8 Notice the centurion’s heart: “I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.” Jews could not come under the roof of any gentile, nor were they allowed to even talk to a gentile. Yet with that said, there was still the need for this servant. Of great interest to me is three views of the character of the centurion:

  • 3-5 The viewpoint of the Jews and his friends is that the centurion is a deserving or worthy man. It is verse 5 that they use the example of his love for the Jews in that he built them a synagogue.
  • 6 The second viewpoint is from the centurion himself as Jesus neared the village and his viewpoint of himself is that he is not worthy that Jesus should even enter his home and that is why he sent his friends and didn’t come in person because he didn’t see himself as worthy to be in Jesus’ presence.
  • 9 The third view is from Jesus himself, and His view is that He had not seen such faith demonstrated in all of Israel. I suggest to you that Jesus’ evaluation of the centurion’s faith was in part due to his inability to see the worthiness others saw in him.

We see two things about this centurion verses 7-8:

  • He was a man who understood that those who exercise authority must themselves be under authority. Notice the word ALSO in verse 8 as the centurion saw a parallel between the way he commanded his soldiers and the way Jesus commanded diseases. No one can rule others well if they themselves are not ruled!
  • He was a man of great faith, for he understood who he was trusting in. Notice his words here in verse 8 and the illustration of this in his own life. “Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” There are some who put all the emphasis on what is said rather than who said it. There is no formula here; it is simply that the centurion understood who it was that promised that the servant would be healed. The word is not an activity nor some formula; the word is a person, and His name is Jesus! There is no need for the Lord to be in the exact presence of this servant, for He is the Word, and He won’t go back on His Word!

Vs. 9 There are only two times that Jesus marveled at any person, and both times it involved faith. In this case, he admired the faith of this gentile, and in Mark 6:6, he was taken back by the unbelief of the Jews. I find this interesting, for this is the way we often treat the Lord with our unbelief, not trusting in His word. So here is this gentile totally outside the covenant of Israel demonstrating such profound trust not for himself but for another.

Matthew 8:11-12 tells us that Jesus goes on to say that God would like this centurion to bring forth many from the East and the West into faith like that of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We are not Christians because of our heritage; we are believers because we have trusted in Christ; just like this gentile, we have been transformed. Oh, how sad it is to see many professing believers not trusting in the Word of Life. Whole churches turn to all sorts of things instead of trusting in the Word of Life.

This centurion was a man whose faith and trust were based upon his philosophy of life. It was true that he ordered his life around; it was not mere talk; it was his walk!

Vs.10 Is this not great? There is no great big deal out of this, as this man believed it was done. The servant was not in the presence of the Lord; in fact, the centurion was not in the presence of the Lord, yet he trusted Jesus at His word.

 

 

Luke 7:11-17

“No sorrow with the Savior” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 11-12 Two large crowds
  • 13-14 Wiping away tears
  • 15-17 The dead rise in Nain

 

 

Introduction

 

In the 7th chapter, Luke reveals Jesus’ journey on what compassion looks like which appears to me to be a living an example of His sermon in the valley. Specifically we note Jesus’ response to four types of suffering.

  • Verses 1-10 Last week we covered the paralysis of the centurion’s young servant.
  • Verses 11-17 Today we look at a grieving widow’s death of her only son.
  • Verses 18-35 a perplexed prophet and his disciples in John the Baptist.
  • Verse 36-50 a repentant sinner that the religious didn’t want saved.

Notably, Jesus’ heart of compassion was never motivated by a tape measure, instead what guided Him was a compass to whomever was in need! Jesus’ compassion NEVER included justice to be administered before compassion was dispensed.

These 7 verses are the briefest in the four examples but in many ways they are the loveliest. Live life long enough and all will experience the despair of death. Even as believers in Christ knowing that death only brings temporary separation from those who also followed Christ we can and do experience grief that can cause even the strongest faith to falter. Oh how wonderful a picture these seven verses are as in it we see our Savior’s loving compassion to sever suffering!

 

Vs. 11-12 Two large crowds

 

Vs. 11-12 The first things that Luke draws his readers to is the visual differences of two crowds:

  • 11 Many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. Now it is safe to say that the general attitude of this crowd as they traveled some 20 miles from Capernaum to Nain would have be jovial fresh off of the healing of the young servant of the centurion. I can only imagine the conversations being had as that large crowd traveled all day with the miracle fresh in their minds. I have come to realize that my attitude changes travel. When for whatever reason we experience excitement it somehow transcends travel and time. We can go a distance on a boring road and feel like it takes half a lifetime to get to where we are heading and then when excited and full of joy take the same route and be amazed at how quick we have traveled. When I read this verse what jumps off the page is what Luke says, Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain. What I see missing is the journey of a full day of walking. Oh to God that wherever we are headed each day that we would see ourselves with Jesus as time with Him always seems to make the drudgery disappear!

 

  • 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd for the city with her. Funeral processions would be headed by a group of professional mourners who with frenzy and the shrill of loud crying would make their grief known to all of the city. This took place no doubt in the evening before sunset as the Jews according to Deut 21:23 buried their dead the same day. While this crowd was noisy, it was the sound of grief and not joy that filled the air. Luke doesn’t say that such grief was out of place, in fact he mentions the severity of it when he says that dead man was the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. Not only had she experienced a great loss in her husband and now her only son, she had also lost her provision as there was no welfare set up beyond her son. She not only was missing her child she had to also face the uncertainty of her future.

It is here that we note the two crowds came together at the gate of the city of Nain, one going out to mourn what could have only felt like the worst day in the life of this dear mother. The other crowd coming into the same gate at the same time full of joy and anticipation of what Jesus would do next! I’m taken back at the providence of God when I read these two verses as the timing of what only He can put together. There at that moment in time at the gate of the city of Nain four meetings took place:

  • Two crowds: The contrast between the crowd following Jesus and the funeral procession. It reminds me of a story of a man who wanted to send flowers to a couples wedding. He bought a beautiful bunch of flowers and had the tag read, Congratulations on your marriage and new home! Well unfortunately the flower shop got the tags mixed up and his tag ended up the funeral, and the funeral tag went to the wedding. While the tag on the flowers at the mortuary wasn’t all that bad, “Congratulations on your marriage and new home” the tag that went to the wedding and the newly married couple wasn’t very encouraging as it read, “So sorry for your loss”. That’s what these two crowds coming together at the same time must have felt like! Jesus and His crowd were heading to the city, and the other crowd was heading to the cemetery. The reality is spiritually speaking every person is in one of those two crowds, you are either going into the city who according to Hebrews 11:10 whose builder and maker is God, or you are heading to a cemetery because you are dead in sin. Now if you are in the wrong crowd, you need this story because it is only Jesus that can raise the dead.
  • Two only sons: One was alive but destined to die for the sin of the world the other was dead because of sin but destined to live because of the Son of God.

 

  • Two sufferers: Jesus who according to Isaiah 53:3 is called the man of sorrows and is acquainted with our suffering and grief. And it is because of this that His heart broke for this mother who was now left alone in society without any resources. But Jesus always does more than feel the pain and sorrow He does something about it.

 

  • Two enemies: Jesus faced off against the last enemy, death where 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 tells us Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Jesus had only speak the Word and the son was raised to life and health!

 

Vs. 13-14 Wiping away tears

Vs. 13 As these two groups merged by the city gate of Nain we can see clearly in the midst of these two crowds that Jesus quickly made eye contact with the widow who had just lost her only son. We need no other example than this in regard to the compassion of Jesus as we immediately see His heart moved. Had this scene been in Jerusalem the mourners would have been out front but in a rural community such as this they followed. It was the custom that a woman would lead the family in mourning as the rabbis taught that it was the woman that brought death into the world, so they ought to lead the way in the funeral. Apparently Jesus didn’t agree with that commentary as the word used for compassion in the Greek is the strongest word possible as it combines pity, sympathy and feeling and is used to describe Jesus no less than five times in the gospels. What a contrast with the prevailing stoic philosophy of the time which taught that the primary characteristic of God was apathy and the incapability of emotional feeling. His words to her are not a rebuke for weeping but a words of comfort as only Jesus can wipe away our tears and according to Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away all tears from the eyes of the redeemed. But Jesus has never been only about comforting words, He is about compassionate action as He alone has the power to work a miracle that would fill her eyes with tears of unexpected joy.

Vs. 14 Though our bibles read that Jesus came and touched the open coffin, coffins were not in use in ancient Israel and instead the word used here in the Greek means a long wicker woven stretcher that was used to carry dead bodies to the grave. Then Jesus did what no rabbi would do when He touched a dead body not fearing defilement as at that moment He spoke the words, Young man, I say to you, arise! Jesus spoke to this dead young man as if he could hear Jesus, as if he was alive and He was! Oh the body may have been dead, but this young man was alive in spirit. Three times our Lord raised the dead and every time He did so He talked to them as though they could hear Him.

  • Mark 5:21-43 Jairus daughter that sweet little 12-year-old girl who died, Jesus bent down and took her by the hand and in verse 41 and said, “Little lamb arise.”
  • John 11:38-44 Lazarus who had been in the tomb four days, Jesus had them remove the stone over the tomb and in verse 43 Jesus spoke to him and said, “Lazarus, come forth!”
  • Luke 7:11-17 Here as we have seen Jesus says, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

In each case a familiar earthly designation addressed to the living even though they were dead. In each case a funeral procession became a march for life, a stretch became empty. Jesus claimed as His own what death had taken and the young man rose in victory! It is the same voice that will awaken all who have died in Christ.

 

 

Vs. 15-17 The dead rise in Nain

 

Vs. 15 This young man produced to irrefutable proofs of life:

  • He sat up
  • He spoke

We are not told what he spoke, but it must have been interesting to hear. Notice as well that Jesus presented him back to his mother. At his death he had ceased belonging to his mother but now he is born a new and thus presented as such!

Vs. 16-17 In 2 Kings, we have the reason for this statement that, “A great prophet has risen up among us, and God has visited His people”. You see 800 years earlier in 2 Kings 4:18-37b we read of Elisha raising the Shunammites son. What is interesting is that Nain is located only a few miles from Shunem, on the other side of Mount Moreh where Elisha raised the Shunammites son. The response of the people is that they glorified God and identified Jesus with the prophet that the Jewish people had been waiting for.

 

 

Luke 7:18-23

“Compassion in seasons of Confusion” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 18-20 Confusion: The incident of doubt
  • 21-23 Confirmation: The offered antidote

 

 

Introduction

 

As already mentioned, the 7th chapter of Luke’s gospel reveals Jesus’ journey on what compassion looks like in world where we are called to be His witnesses. The outline of this section reveals four types of suffering:

  • Verses 1-10 The paralysis of the centurion’s young servant.
  • Verses 11-17 The grieving widow’s death of her only son.
  • Verses 18-35 The perplexed prophet and his disciples in John the Baptist.
  • Verse 36-50 The repentant sinner that the religious didn’t want saved.

While I still agree that last week’s study, although the briefest example of the four, is the most loveliest. That being said, I suppose this example in verses 18-35 might be the most relatable. It is notable for many different reasons but probable it is most visible due to whom this doubt and confusion consumes, John the Baptist. And once again how thankful John must have been that Jesus’   heart of compassion was never motivated by a tape measure instead what guided Him was a compass to whomever was in need!

To properly examine this section I have divided it into four sections

  • 18-20 Confusion: The incident of doubt
  • 21-23 Confirmation: The offered antidote
  • 24-29 Commendation: The tribute of John
  • 30-35 Condemnation: The rejection of the religious

 

 

 Vs. 18-20 Confusion: The incident of doubt

Vs. 18 When looking at this passage the reader needs to decide the context of this incident as there are three interpretation possibilities:

  • That this incident was created by John the Baptist for the benefit of his disciples. In this interpretation John had no doubt or confusion concerning Jesus but his disciples did and he desired that they be confronted with proof. The primary problem I see with this interpretation is verse 22 where Jesus John’s disciples by saying, “Go tell John..” If this doubt and confusion was only John’s disciples wouldn’t Jesus the Son of God have left out those three words?
  • The second interpretation is one that assigns motive to John’s doubt or confusion. There are some that suggest that John had no doubt of confusion concerning Jesus instead he wanted to motivate the Messiah to get Jesus to speed things up a bit as John made the assessment that things were moving a bit too slowly! I don’t know where to begin in my objection of this interpretation as I find it offensive in so many different ways. That Jesus could be motivated and not doing things at the right time, that John would act as if he were in control of the King of Kings etc.
  • The third and only viable interpretation for me is the simplest and that is that John did in fact have confusion and doubt in regard to Jesus being the promised Messiah and that he sent his disciples for his sake to clear up the confusion he was having.

There are two things that no doubt aided in John’s confusion and crises of doubt: Personal Condition, and Personal Expectation

  • Condition: According to Luke in 3:19-20 John the Baptist had been imprisoned by this time some 18 months. Some believe that John was an infamous prison known as the fortress of Machaerus an utterly horrid place. Remember that John was being held there for telling Herod Antipas that it was not right that he should marry Herodias, whom he had an adulterous relationship with while she was still married to Philip, his brother. While not excusing the confusion and doubt we cannot think that it didn’t have some influence upon John’s psyche. John was a man of the wilderness, accustomed to the wilderness life of wondering about now he was confined in a prison. The strains of 18 months of waiting behind bars. The Jewish leaders offered no intervention of his behalf. I wonder if John had heard of Jesus’ message in Luke 4:18 in Nazareth where Jesus opened up the scroll of Isaiah to that portion where Isaiah said that the gospel was a proclamation to set the captives free. Perhaps he thought that he would have been a good candidate for this! While I think that this is quite possible I stop short of saying that John was depressed and will only say that his condition left him confused and was the second aspect of this that caused his confusion as the messages that Jesus was teaching, and ministry Jesus was engaged wasn’t what he and most of Israel expected the Messiah to be about.
  • Expectation: It is clear that although imprisoned John was kept abreast of what Jesus was doing as well as teaching as verse 18 and the words, “reported to him (that is to say John) concerning all these things” and these things goes right back up to verse 17 as “the report about Jesus went throughout all the surrounding region.” John sat there in prison hearing the stories about what Jesus was doing, yet nothing of what he had expected had happened. We only need to look back to chapter 3:10–12 to see what John the Baptist expected to happen. John expected Jesus to come purge those who said they believed and did not practice the truth. He thought the axe was going to come at the root and fire was going to take care of the chaff. Instead reports of Jesus’ came to him in prison of love and compassion upon the sick and forgiveness to sinners; this was not at all what he had thought. John had announced Jesus as the Messiah, whose reign had been foretold in the scriptures. In John 1:29–36, it is clear that John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but at the same time did not fully grasp the work to which Jesus would do, especially the timing of that work. John was confused about God’s plan and his place in it.

I don’t think it fair that we should judge John’s confusion and doubt in this regard. Perhaps you have felt like this as you struggle with what you are going through, thinking that Jesus should do something to relieve your circumstances, yet it has not happened, and you begin to wonder if you have missed something about Jesus. It is the absence of John’s expectations being fulfilled that has caused this difficulty. John’s problem was not with the person of Jesus; it was with His timing and method. I think that this is often our problem as well. We grasp “WHO” Jesus is, but we often falter on His timing and methods as Jesus is all about making us more like Himself!

Make no mistake, John heard what Jesus was doing and saying, and I have no doubt he was amazed by Jesus’ words and works but they weren’t what he had expected. They had told John of the marvelous miracles, and divine words but John had said in Matthew 3:12 that the “Winnowing fan was in Jesus the Messiahs hand, and He was going to thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather the wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Eighteen months had passed and it didn’t seem like the Kingdom of God was any closer. There was no move of revolt against the tyranny. There was no administrative infrastructure, or political platform, so how was it going to be possible to establish the Kingdom of God without organization? To make matters worse John was being told that Jesus was gaining in popularity with the people and in opposition to the religious authorities and in fact was very critical of the religious leaders.

Vs. 19 John sends these two disciples to ask for clarification. That’s what behind this question from John asked by his disciples, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” What am I missing Jesus? It was Jesus’ methods and John wrong expectations that were causing the confusion in his life!

It is the same today with the church today as the church wants an outward revolution instead of an inward transformation!

 

Vs. 21-23 Confirmation: The offered antidote

 

Vs. 21-23 What follows in these three verses is Jesus’ antidote to confusion and doubt as to the timing and or method of Jesus!

  • 21 You will notice that the first thing that Jesus did in response to the question from John by way of his disciples was NOTHING. Jesus gave no immediate answer. He didn’t given them a lecture on theology, prophecy, or even faith. The method of correction is gentle. He does not blast John for his misunderstanding of His methods. No, it is “Go tell John.” Not, “Go tell that lame brain.” I bet there was love and compassion in the tone of his voice. There was not any shaking of His head, no hint of condemnation, just a complete understanding of love. Is it not interesting that John struggled with Jesus’ methods of love to establish the kingdom, yet it was this love that He now employs upon John who is struggling with the methodology? I bet John received it much better than he would have if Jesus had been harsh! The scriptures tell us that a soft answer turns away wrath! (Proverbs 15:1) Instead Jesus invited them in His silence to be still and observe. Jesus just went quietly on with His work and that was the first line of His answer to the question as to timing and methods. It is always the first answer to our confusion as our confusion with regards to timing and methods don’t thwart or even slow down God’s work and His work is not about meeting our expectations or conforming to our limited understanding of timing and methods! Jesus’ continual work in full views of John’s disciples told them all they needed to know, as Jesus hadn’t come to establish a political kingdom, but instead He had come to show the world the Kingdom of God and which was more powerful and lasting in transforming the human suffering and condition. All the things they would have observed in Jesus works of silence were fulfillments of the promised Messiah found in Isaiah 29:18-19, 35:4-6, 42:1-7!
  • Second notice that Jesus says in verse 22, “Go tell John the things you have seen and heard.” Jesus is revealing to John’s disciples the answer to part of the question as Jesus says, “Tell John the problem is not in his observation of my methods, but rather in his interpretation of them.” Behind John’s question was a deeper answer by Jesus and the question John was confused about was, “What does it look like when Heaven invades earth?” John thought in outward terms and human power struggles but Jesus’ answer reveals that it is an inward war of personal transformation! The battle is not only here, it’s already WON! Jesus reminds John of His power displayed in six acts of service.
    • The blind see:
    • The lame walk:
    • The lepers are cleansed:
    • The deaf hear:
    • The dead are raised:
    • The poor have the gospel preached to them:

Jesus said to John’s disciple’s, Go back and tell John there is a revolt a revolution! You can see it and you saw it today, The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed! The Kingdom of God is revolting against the tyranny of human suffering. People who have never seen are now gazing upon things they couldn’t have imagined. Those who couldn’t stand are now leaping and walking with strength and gladness. Those leppers who were shut out from everything and everyone are cleansed and restored. Ears that have never heard a note are now humming a symphony of praise. Why even the dead are raised up as the ultimate tyrant of death is being defeated! Tell John the Kingdom has not only COME it has WON! The gospel is this Good News of the Kingdom of God pronouncing to all the relief to all human suffering of the poverty of the human spirit!

Jesus issued no standard temporary revolt against governmental yokes, there was no political program, no highly organized administration. What heart that has been made right with their Creator can NEVER be defeated be any man or government of man! Tell John I AM relieving disability; tell John I have the power over death. I am bringing humanity into a right relationship with their Creator if they will simply trust Me!

John was confused about the method because he did not understand God’s timing. Yes, Jesus will judge; yes, he will deliver, but first He must seek to save that which is lost. But the work of Christ and His church to the world today is the work of truth in love! Caring for the brokenhearted and hurting. And Yes, raising the dead in Christ back to life! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done just what John does here. Misinterpreted Jesus based upon not understanding His timing in my life. His timing is perfect; his ways are above my ways. It is not enough to trust who Jesus is; we must trust when he does what He does, for He always has our best interest in mind!

Vs 23 What a great encouragement this statement is. We must never measure the methods of God by the wisdom of the world! Jesus’ work is always the final answer to question to methods and timing! “If you are not able at this time to understand how, why, or when I’m going to accomplish what I have said I am going to do, don’t allow your heart to be stumbled or halted in your trust of Me.” Joy comes as we trust Him through our weakness, not allowing our inability to understand to halt our trust. Folks, our trust is not based upon our understanding or even our experience; it is based upon His character, which is revealed in the scripture.

There is a great difference between doubt and unbelief:

  • Doubt: This a matter of the mind, when we cannot understand what God is doing. Oh we know He is doing something, but it is challenging our expectations of when and what!
  • Unbelief: This is a matter of the will and here a person refuses to believe God at His Word and simply obey what He tells us to do.

Doubt is NOT a sign that a person is wrong it may just be sign that they are thinking!

 

Luke 7:24-35

Compassion in seasons of Confusion part B

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 24-29 Commendation: The tribute of John
  • 30-35 Condemnation: The rejection of the religious

 

Introduction

 

Surveying the 7th chapter of Luke’s gospel reveals Jesus’ journey on what compassion looks like in world where we are called to be His witnesses. The outline of this section reveals four types of suffering:

  • Verses 1-10 The paralysis of the centurion’s young servant.
  • Verses 11-17 The grieving widow’s death of her only son.
  • Verses 18-35 The perplexed prophet and his disciples in John the Baptist.
  • Verse 36-50 The repentant sinner that the religious didn’t want saved.

Jesus’ heart of compassion was never motivated by a tape measure instead what guided Him was a compass to whomever was in need!

Remember that I provided the outline to this section dividing it into four sections.

  • 18-20 Confusion: The incident of doubt
  • 21-23 Confirmation: The offered antidote
  • 24-29 Commendation: The tribute of John
  • 30-35 Condemnation: The rejection of the religious

The first two we examined last time 18-23 Confusion and Confirmation now we will take up the remainder of our outline.

 

Vs. 24-29 Commendation: The tribute of John

Vs. 24a I can’t help but notice that Jesus waits until John’s disciples have left before he says anything. This reminds me of two important points:

  • First, what we may think of ourselves or what others think of us is never as valuable as what the Lord thinks of us. Jesus does a most wonderful thing for John after his disciples left as He didn’t want the crowd who had heard the question asked and then heard Jesus’ answer to it think negatively of John and His ministry. There will be multiple times in our lives when we mess up in seasons of confusion during our Christian life, but when we get our hearts right we tend to live under condemnation from our past failure and start thinking that the Lord probably thinks I’m a real idiot. The truth is He never loved you less and He is for you not against you! Who we are in Christ is always greater than the sum total of our failures

 

  • Second, Jesus in validating John’s ministry and protecting his reputation does so not in the hearing of John’s disciples so as to protect John’s heart. While verses 24-29 reveals what Jesus thought about John it also kept John from thinking too much of himself which would hinder him from growing more in Christ’s love for him.

Combined these two points give us the balance of Jesus’ love for His servants. Christ-esteem or what Jesus thinks of us, eliminates self-esteem which is based upon what we may think of ourselves or what others think of us. We may in this life and service to Jesus feel neglected, forgotten or unappreciated by others and assume that this is how Jesus sees as well. If we seek self-esteem from others, such value of ourselves will always be either too much or too little. What Jesus thinks of us is always based on His full understanding of us and His love in spite of us, never His love because of us. We can be certain that Jesus speaks and approves of us before the Father! John could not hear what Jesus said to the multitude and if John would have heard it most certainly would have been a great encouragement. I’m inclined to believe that these words of Jesus about John were not what he needed as they were not said in his hearing and instead John needed his faith be further established. That means if these words about John weren’t for John’s benefit who were they for? Well no doubt in part for the multitude but I also believe they were meant for us so that we can see what Jesus thinks of His servants even when we don’t hear His words about us directly as He speaks well of us before His father and all of heaven!

Vs. 24b-29 Next notice how Jesus commended John as He did so first by revealing the true mission and ministry of John. Jesus asks and answers three facts about John and his ministry and each of them start with the words, “What did you go out to see” then after those three questions with Jesus answers  He makes a statement. What this section reveals to us is that while John the Baptist may have doubts about Jesus’ methods Jesus clearly had NO DOUBTS about John’s:

  • 24b A reed shaken by the wind?: There is nothing more common on the banks of the Jordon river then a reed shaken in the wind. The reference may have two thoughts.
  • It may be that Jesus is saying that the crowds that came out to see John did so expecting to see anything but an ordinary sight and that is why Jesus puts this into a question and not a statement.
  • It may also be a reference to the character of John the Baptist who had no swaying character, John was not a fickle man that swayed with the popular opinion of the crowds. John was immovable and mighty tree that called the Jewish people into repentance.

John was never a compromiser, and this very fact is what had placed him in prison as he didn’t sway his words even when addressing the sins of Herod. John did not care about the latest public opinion polls. John was not just a tree; at times he was the wind shaking the tree! John stood up for what is right, no matter what the cost. John was no man-pleaser. This reminded the listener that John’s question did not come from fear of men or to change the outcome of his personal situation.

  • 25 Did you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments?: I can’t help but think that as Jesus asked this question there was a hint of sarcasm as no one would have ever concluded that John was some guy who lived in the lap of luxury. There were many leaders and teachers in Israel that who looked upon their calling as an opportunity that would profit by its influence and their outfits indicated as much. These religious leaders had access to Kings and their courts, they were often honored by leaders. But with John the Baptist he neither looked the part nor was his message popular with the crowd. People who preach for popularity live in palaces, not prisons! According to Mark 1:6 John’s clothing was the poor man’s camel hair remnant and his diet consisted of grasshoppers and honey. These facts indicate that John’s message was not compromised; it did not bring him income or wealth. John never weakened nor wavered in the sight of or pursuit of wealth! As I look out today on the landscape of pulpits, far too many of them could answer yes to the above descriptions!
  • 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet?: A prophet is a person who is called to speak forth as God tells him so. That can be prophetic in foretelling the future or it can be which is more common speaking forth the heart of God. John was more than a spokesman for God; he was the one who was designated to herald the coming of the Messiah as Jesus quotes both Isaiah. 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. John’s ministry was the climax of the law of the prophets. All that they spoke of coming he introduced in the words, “Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” John was more than a prophet because he was the fulfillment of prophecy. Second, all the other prophets looked forward to the Messiah, but John the Baptist was called to look into His eyes. These two things make him greater than any other Old Testament prophet.

Vs. 28-29 Now the statement: Here we see that Jesus notes two things about John’s ministry and we are given a third by the reaction of the crowd to Jesus’ words:

  • For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: There are two different words for “BORN” the first simply means “born” whereas the 2nd means “made of a woman” and infers that there was no man in the transaction. Paul uses it the 2nd way in Galatians 4:4 and is clearly indicating the virgin birth but here Jesus didn’t use that word instead He used the common word. No normally born man matched John’s ministry in intellect, emotion and volition John was greater than all the prophets before him. John wrote no book, did no miracle, started no movement, yet Jesus says that he was greater than Abraham, David, and all the other prophets, because he personally introduced the Messiah.
  • But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he: Jesus says that those who are born again are greater than him. What does he mean? Clearly NOT greater in personal accomplishment, but rather greater in the sense of personal benefits. John was like Moses, who took Israel to the promised land but never got to go in himself. It is not moral stature, devotion, or service, but privilege that Jesus is talking of here. Though he may not have gotten the benefits of the New Covenant, he nonetheless proclaimed it. John’s ministry marked the dividing line of history, since John’s proclamation Jesus has come, eternity invaded time, heaven came to earth, God arrived in Jesus and life can never go back. Therefore all that came after Jesus and receive Jesus are granted a greater blessing than all who went before. Jesus’ entry into the world divided all TIME in two as any person in Christ is a New Creation and is recreated in Christ!
  • 29 Luke includes the reaction of the crowds to Jesus’ commendation of John and they answer the question that no doubt lingered upon the hearts of those that had just heard Jesus’ words; If John is such a great prophet, why is he in prison? The answer is that popularity doesn’t always lead to positive outcomes! Common people accepted John’s ministry, and many were baptized by him as proof of their repentance, they justified God by agreeing with God and John’s words that they were sinners by nature and choice, but the religious leaders refused to hear this or believe it about themselves.

Vs. 30-35 Condemnation: The rejection of the religious

Vs. 30-35 After defending John the Baptist, Jesus now moves on to speak on how the people did not know what they wanted. Jesus compared that generation as people who were childish instead of childlike as nothing pleased them. There is such a thing in the unbelieving world as a critical heart. People who are just not happy no matter what you do.

Jesus refers to a game the children would play. They would get together to play a game that would be full of energy and singing; then some would not wish to play and instead want to play something more serious, which the first group would not join in.

Jesus and John were radically different in style, yet they each called for the same thing; both were rejected because the people did not like the way in which they ministered. Jesus’ point here is that what the people rejected was the truth; they just attacked the messengers because they did not like the message. Whatever was played, they would just sit on the sidelines complaining.

There really is only one reason people reject Christianity: accountability! Some people complain that Christianity is too rigid. Others say that it’s too joyful and not serious enough. Loves greatest tragedy is always found in those who have chosen to avoid it and end up looking at what could have been, might have been and was meant to have been! This is life’s greatest heartbreak, of all the words ever spoken or written the saddest of all are always, “It might have been”!

The sheer perversity of fallen man:

  • They said of John that he was crazy hermit, an insane eccentric that a demon had stolen away his wits.
  • They say of Jesus that they complained that He was too liberal, that He had surrendered to life’s pleasures.
  • Wisdom is justified by all her children: Which simply means that the results vindicate the method. It’s not wise to reject John or Jesus on style but on content! Truth will always justify itself regardless of a person’s attitude towards it. These folks would not repent with John nor rejoice with Jesus; instead, they just complained. It is so comforting to me to realize that the only One I need to make sure I make happy is Jesus!