We’re going to see how this works out. Having read through chapter six, I’m going to begin a summary of the chapters between here and the crucifixion and resurrection. Once we get close, my goal is to go back to by verse commentary ending up with the Risen Christ on Easter or the Saturday before. We’ll see how this goes.
We’re doing big chunks today. Here’s our first one. This is the story of the centurion and his faith.
1When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.
2And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.
3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.
4When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;
5for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”
6Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;
7for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
8“For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Luke 7:1–10 (NASB95)
The centurion understood authority. Moreover, the centurion recognized that Jesus held authority. Given two things, we can deduce the centurion was a good leader. First, we are told the people under the centurion did what he asked them to do. Second, Jesus did exactly what the centurion asked Him to do. The nice thing about being involved in a structure that is clearly defined with a chain of command like the military is that you take people doing what you tell them to do for granted. It just happens. Yes, from time to time, you have that ten percent of individuals you have in any group that buck authority. However, for Jesus, that’s not a problem.
Re-read verses nine and ten. Such great faith. Wouldn’t we all like to hear Jesus say that about us? The centurion never left the side of his servant. Jesus healed that servant from afar. I wonder what that healing looked like as the centurion sat by that servant’s bedside? I bet it was amazing to see.
Let’s look at the next chunk. This is Christ raising a man from the dead. More importantly, He does this publicly for everyone to see.
11Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.
12Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.
13When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”
14And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”
15The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”
17This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.
Luke 7:11–17 (NASB95)
Before now, Jesus has been keeping a low profile. However, on this occasion, He not only does this miracle publicly, but He doesn’t forbid people to talk about it. Word begins to spread everywhere. This is not an allegory or parable. This is Luke recounting what was done before a large volume of public witnesses.
We are in Lent. That is the time before the Easter event of the resurrection of Jesus, proving His divinity once and for all. If we are going to proclaim our sins are forgiven because we have the faith of the centurion in the resurrection of Jesus, why is it hard to accept that Jesus brought the man back from the dead or any other miracle Jesus performed?
Word of that public miracle spread. John the Baptist sends some of his people to investigate. Specifically, John believes the Messiah has arrived and wants to confirm it. My question is, after having baptized Jesus, why doesn’t John come himself? Why does he send his people? I don’t know.
18The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.
19Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”
20When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’ ”
21At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.
22And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
23“Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
Luke 7:18–23 (NASB95)
Jesus’ response to John’s people is to quote Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah. The blind see is from Isaiah 35:5, and the preaching of the Gospel to the poor is Isaiah 61:1.
4Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.
7The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
8A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.
9No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
10And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 35:4–10 (NASB95)
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
2To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1–3 (NASB95)
John would have known these passages. John would take this message as confirmation the Messiah was at hand, and he did. Jesus knew this, but it is interesting what He closes with, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at me.” Let’s also take note what happens in just a little bit and come back to this verse. For now, Jesus turns to the crowd and addresses them next.
24When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
25“But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!
26“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.
27“This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
28“I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Luke 7:24–28 (NASB95)
It’s interesting Jesus does this. His previous statement to John’s messengers is simple: Tell John I am fulfilling messianic prophecy, and he can decide who I am. Then, Jesus turns to the crowd and confirms who John is. The crowd already knows who John is, so why did Jesus do this in this order? Further, Jesus quotes another Old Testament prophecy about the herald who comes before the Messiah. Why? First, let’s look at that scripture.
1“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
2“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
3“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.
Malachi 3:1–3 (NASB95)
Here we have a view into why the Pharisees are so worried. They know they aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing to be accepted by God’s holy Messiah. Jesus knows this too but has to establish that He is, in fact, who they fear Him to be.
It’s sort of a one-two punch. Everyone heard his answer to the question, “are you the one we’ve been looking for?” Most might have wondered why Jesus gave what sounds like a “cryptic” answer. Why didn’t He just give him a straight yes or no? The crowd, especially the Pharisees among them, knew the scripture as John did. They knew Jesus just quoted messianic prophecy, too, telling John He was doing those things. Then, Jesus brings to their mind the question of what those people were looking for when they came out to see John. They were looking for the Messiah. They heard John was doing wonderous things, had power and authority, and were curious to see if he were the Messiah. John always said he was not. What is Jesus’ point here? He just told John He is fulfilling prophecy. He said He is the one fulfilling prophecy. This is Jesus’ admission to being the Messiah; God made flesh, the one who is to come to preach the good news to all mankind. And everyone knows it. How do we know that? Let’s read the next chunk.
29When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
30But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.
31“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?
32“They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
33“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
34“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
35“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
Luke 7:29–35 (NASB95)
My often-used catchphrase is this, “What you look for, you will find.” I got that from a Rob Bell video that I like very much. It is the only video of Mr. Bell’s I am fond of, as I have problems with the majority of his theology. However, on this occasion, he nailed it. Note the people who accepted John the Baptist’s message and were baptized by him accepted Jesus. Those who rejected John also rejected Jesus. What they were looking for, they decided to find (or not find.) Even in Jesus’ day, He couldn’t convince people with words if they weren’t honestly looking for the truth. The Pharisees weren’t looking for a Messiah. They were looking for earthly power, filled with the pride of their own station, rejecting anything that wasn’t from them. The people of today are no different. What you look for, you will find.
This next section is long. That can’t be helped. It is all related. It is also very important.
36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.
37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,
38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
39Now 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.”
40And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
41“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42“When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”
43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
44Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45“You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46“You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
48Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
49Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
50And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:36–50 (NASB95)
Jesus is eating with the people who ultimately will kill Him. He knows this. He also knows they fully reject Him, so why is he even eating with them? Simple, He has made an attempt. He has given them a chance to repent of their sins. Whether they take advantage of it or not is up to them, but He has offered them the opportunity.
I’d like to think some of those people did turn to Jesus, but we don’t know. It is a nice hope that even in the midst of people who adamantly teach and refuse to see anything other than what they want to see, some can be saved. Ultimately, that’s not up to me. That’s in God’s hands and to whom He sends His Holy Spirit. As for me, I will follow the Lord and do the best I can to walk the path He lays out before me. Where I stray, I ask for both patience as I make my way back and forgiveness for going my own way in the first place. May His light illuminate your steps, and you never stray from His path. God bless and Godspeed.