Luke Chapter 7
Jesus heals the Centurion's servant. The Centurion is well liked and respected by the people. The Centurion makes a request to the the elders of the Jews go to Jesus on his behalf, and tell Jesus that this man deserves Jesus' attention. Look at the criteria the elders use to convince Jesus that the Centurion has "earned" a miracle:
4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." [Luk 7:4-5 ESV] His attitude toward Israel, and his "works" in helping build a synagogue. The elders do not recognize that faith is important, even though by now Jesus has said several times that people's faith is what makes them whole. These elders are not getting the message.
But as Jesus nears the house, the Centurion tells him not to come in, because the Centurion believes himself unworthy, but he knows that Jesus can heal without coming. Jesus marvels at such faith, especially from a Gentile, and a soldier. The servant is healed, and Jesus and the Centurion never meet face to face. Isn't that how it is for us when we pray? We won't be able to shake Jesus' hand when he answers our prayers, but we know where the answer was from. We need faith like the Centurion had, because Jesus won't walk in our front door either. We are not so placed in history as to have this happen. The Centurion says he sent the elders because he is just a Gentile, and not worthy of Jesus presence. And Jesus says he has not seen such faith in his own people. These elders are a prime example. This Gentile understands much better than the Jews at this point.
Good Lesson.
Jesus resurrects a widow's son in the town of Nain. Difficult to reconcile these events into the outline of Matthew. In Matthew, it is a ruler's daughter in Capernaum who is raised. Here, Luke is careful to tell us the name of the town where the widow's son was raised. Different events entirely, and only Luke tells us about this raising of the dead. You would think all the gospels would mention the dead being raised by the touch of Jesus. But no, only Luke tells this story...We only know that this chapter started in Capernaum with the Centurion, and now is out in the surrounding area. Maybe the crowds generated by the two blind men forced Jesus out on the road again. It says that a great crowd was following him already as he approached the little town of Nain.
2020-The MSB note on this event points out that touching the coffin would make a person ceremonially unclean. But instead of the dead body defiling Jesus, his touch "undefiles" the dead son. Another example of how Jesus is not operating as the Pharisees teach things ought to work. MSB also says that chronologically, this is the first of three accounts of Jesus raising the dead.
John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He is the One. John is in prison at the time. Before answering, this verse:
21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [Luk 7:21 ESV]
Jesus would only "demonstrate" like this for someone like John. Jesus sends the messengers back as first hand witnesses of the fulfillment of Isa 35:5,6 and 61:1. Interesting that this last ends with "...and the opening of the prisons to those who are bound." John was in prison...but Jesus didn't open the prison for him. Might he have gotten the idea he was to sit tight and wait for Jesus to release him? He was released by death, and went to heaven. That would have probably not been the conclusion jumped to by the verses quoted. Be careful even when you think you've received a direct answer. The answer may not mean what you think it means...What Jesus meant to do was leave no doubt with John's two messengers as to who he is. He is the One spoken of by Isaiah. He is the Messiah. That was the crux of the message. Further, Jesus did not quote the last line of Isa 61:1 when he gave them his reply to John's questions. Perhaps we too should remember that we don't always receive "the whole verse".
After they leave, Jesus tells the crowd - who apparently all knew of John - that John is the greatest man ever born of a woman. But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. MSB note at Mt 11:11 explains this last statement. John was greater than the OT prophets because he prophesied of the Messiah and saw him with his own eyes. The OT prophets longed for this, but it was John who received it. In the same way, though John's disciples also saw Jesus, it was only after the atonement accomplished by Jesus' death and resurrection that full understanding of the OT prophecies, and of the life and work of Christ could be fully comprehended. It is given to us, since that time, to understand fully what is going on.
Vss 29, 30, in parentheses are pretty interesting. They highlight the contrast between how Jesus words about John are taken by the common people and "sinners", vs how it was taken by the Pharisees and lawyers. The rank and file understood who John was - that he was from God and that he was the forerunner, and they had already believed John's message and been baptized by him. But the Pharisees still rejected this interpretation, because it did not jibe with their brilliant notions of what prophesy meant.
2022 - There are no parentheses around these verses in the NASB. The MSB says that the sinners recognized that God's message came from God - not just from John - and they had been baptized by John. This baptism showed their agreement with John's teaching, it identified them with John and what he taught and stood for. The Pharisees did NOT buy into the message of John, and they attributed it only to John. To them, it was not God's message through John, but was only John's message. In rejecting John's message, they were also rejecting God's message of repentance. We see this later, when Jesus asks the Pharisees this question point blank. Even then, they refuse to acknowledge that God was speaking through John.
vss 31-35...Jesus points out the hypocrisy that characterizes those who are rejecting him. They said John had a demon, because he wouldn't eat bread or drink wine. But when Jesus came after, and did these things, they accused him of being a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners. Jesus point is that they won't accept God when He is offered as austere, even severe, and with almost offensive directness, as by John, nor will they accept God when he is offered by one eating, drinking, feasting, and with joy and happiness, as by Jesus. They look only to themselves, and refuse to heed any message. He concludes with this verse:
35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children." [Luk 7:35 ESV]
MSB note says this means that true wisdom is vindicated by its consequences. The results of the Pharisees "wisdom" will be that they were wrong, woefully, horribly wrong. The changed lives of those who believe will testify to the wisdom of that choice.
Good Lesson here. 2020 - Given the information in the parentheses, Jesus then goes on to say that these lawyers and Pharisees - and all those like them - refuse to believe anything they don't come up with themselves. They are not looking for any messenger, and their claims to be watching and waiting for Messiah are flawed, in that they leave out important prophesy, and they believe only themselves. They cannot be "told" anything at all.
Jesus is invited to a Pharisee's house, and while eating, a sinful woman washes his feet with her tears and hair, and then anoints his feet with ointment. The Pharisee's name turns out to be Simon. The facts of this story are very different from the story later, as Jesus goes to Jerusalem to be crucified. That one focuses on the value of the ointment, this one on the value of the anointer.
Jesus tells them a parable, about two debtors, and asks which should be more grateful for their forgiveness. Jesus tells the woman, who has many sins, that they are all forgiven. The point is that she sees herself as a sinner in great need, and because Jesus fills this need, she loves him much. But Simon sees himself as almost, or completely without sin, under the law. So he has little need of Jesus forgiveness, and therefore very little love for Jesus. He is just a dinner guest. Repentance is what is missing from Simon's attitude.
Good Lesson. How much do we love Jesus? The honest answer tells us how much we think he's forgiven us.
And again, those present question the authority of Jesus to forgive sins.