After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying,
He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.
And Jesus went with them.
When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him,
Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
Therefore, I did not presume to come to you.
But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.
And I say to one, go, and he goes.
And to another, come, and he comes.
And to my servant, do this, and he does it.
When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him.
And turning to the crowd that followed him, said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
Soon afterward, he went to a town called Nine.
And his disciples and a great crowd went with him.
As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother.
And she was a widow.
And a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, do not weep.
Then he came up and touched the beard.
And the bearer stood still.
And he said, young men, I say to you, arise.
And the dead man sat up and began to speak.
And Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, a great prophet has risen among us.
And God has visited his people.
And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
The disciples of John reported all these things to him.
And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying,
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
And when the men had come to him, they said,
John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying,
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits.
And on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
And he answered them,
Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.
The blind receive their sight.
The lame walk.
Lepers are cleansed.
And the deaf hear.
The dead are raised up.
The poor have good news preached to them.
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John.
What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
A reed shaken by the wind?
What then did you go out to see?
A man dressed in soft clothing?
Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts.
What then did you go out to see?
A prophet?
Yes.
I tell you.
And more than a prophet.
This is he of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.
I tell you, among those born of woman, none is greater than John.
Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.
To what then shall I compare the people of this generation?
And what are they like?
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another.
We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, and you did not weep.
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, he has a demon.
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.
This is the word of the Lord.
Jesus just preached his most famous sermon in chapter 6, which included the difficult teaching that we should love even our enemies.
And he then told everyone that instead of following the hypocritical religious leaders, that they should follow him and obey him.
And that begs the question, and we are supposed to be asking this question as we're following the progress of the gospel.
Who are you to say these things?
Why should we follow you?
What makes you so special?
In chapter 7, Luke recounts the events from Jesus' life that demonstrate to us that Jesus is Christ, the Lord, who is worthy of our trust and loyalty.
That's the main point of this passage.
And in turn, he demonstrates to us the Lord's authority, the Lord's compassion, and the Lord's identity.
So let's begin first by looking at verses 1 to 10 and what it teaches us about the Lord's authority.
It says in verses 1 to 2,
After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
A centurion is a Roman military commander in charge of 100 soldiers.
This might not sound like a lot of people, especially some of you with a military background.
But the way the Roman army was structured, a centurion would be the modern equivalent of maybe a colonel or a major.
So it's a pretty significant appointment in terms of their influence within the Roman army.
So he's a high-ranking officer.
Also, the fact that he is a centurion in the Roman army tells us that he is most likely a Gentile, not a Jew.
And this is confirmed by the rest of the passage.
And having heard of Jesus and his power to work miracles,
verse 3 tells us that the centurion sent to him elders of the Jews asking him to come and heal his servant.
The elders of the Jews is a reference to the leaders of the Jewish synagogue.
And those people also exercised kind of civil authority within the Jewish community.
So the centurion, being a Gentile, perhaps feels, since Jesus is a Jewish teacher,
that he would have a better chance of getting his servant healed if he sent this delegation of the elders.
But exactly how he has such a connection to the elders of the Jews is not clear until verses 4 to 5.
It says that when the elders came to Jesus,
they pleaded with him earnestly, saying,
He is worthy to have you do this for him.
For he loves our nation.
And he's the one who built us, our synagogue.
So these elders are not functioning as the centurion's messengers reluctantly.
As we can see here, they plead with Jesus earnestly.
They're actually personally invested in the success of this mission.
They care about this centurion.
They believe that the centurion is worthy to have received this favor from Jesus
because he loves the nation, the nation of the Jews.
And he is the one who built them the synagogue that they worship in.
So that's the two reasons.
Those are the two reasons that these elders give for why they believe that the centurion is worthy.
He's kind of like an ambassador who is stationed in a foreign country,
but comes to love and respect the culture that he's in.
And so he does things for that community.
He invests in that community.
So this is kind of what the centurion is.
We're not sure that he does.
The passage doesn't tell us that he's a convert.
It doesn't go that far, but he's definitely favorable toward the Jews.
He loves the Jewish people.
And as a result, he was generous with them and built them a synagogue.
That last detail suggests that this is quite a well-to-do man.
And a normal soldier made 75 denarii per year.
A denarius is a day's wage for a common laborer in this time.
So 75 for a normal soldier, which is not a lot.
But a centurion made close to 4 to 8,000 denarii a year.
So while he might not be a millionaire by our standards,
he has a very comfortable six-figure income.
And he was able to afford to do this in support of the Jewish people.
And verse 6 tells us that Jesus listened to their earnest plea
and was journeying toward the centurion when something surprising happens.
It says in verse 6,
When he was not far from the house,
the centurion sent friends saying to him,
Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
Therefore, I did not presume to come to you,
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
So we don't know exactly what prompted the centurion here
to change his initial request.
Because his initial request,
please come and heal my servant.
But it seems that after having heard that Jesus was on his way,
as he was imagining Jesus coming into his home,
he felt a keen sense of unworthiness.
And decided to send some of his friends to relay a new message.
And the message is,
Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
Notice that this message is in the first person,
unlike the Jewish elders' request,
which was in the third person.
So these friends are relaying the centurion's very words.
The centurion himself is saying these words,
I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
So there's a stark contrast here
between what the elders say about the centurion,
and then what the centurion himself says about himself.
Because they think that he is worthy
to receive Jesus' personal visit,
but the centurion himself believes
that he is not worthy of such a visit.
In fact,
he doesn't even deem himself worthy to come to Jesus.
So it's not that he considered it beneath him
to make the journey himself.
Rather,
he felt unworthy to come visit Jesus personally.
It reminds us of the response that Peter had
when he first saw Jesus as he really is.
In Luke 5, 8,
Peter fell down at Jesus' knees saying,
Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man,
O Lord.
Once again,
Luke tells us over and over again,
this is the proper posture
of anyone who would approach Jesus,
the Son of God.
But why does this centurion,
who is a seemingly worthy man,
feel so unworthy
before the presence of Jesus?
Look again at how he addresses Jesus in verse 6.
Just as Peter addressed Jesus as Lord
before confessing his unworthiness,
the centurion likewise calls Jesus Lord.
This could be a generic word,
but in Luke,
it is used specifically to refer to divine agents
in important places like this.
In Luke 1, 43,
God was called Lord.
And in Luke 2, 11,
Jesus was described as a Savior
who is Christ the Lord.
So as Luke's readers,
we're supposed to be aware
and to discern this deeper meaning
when we see Jesus addressed as Lord.
Because even though the centurion
might not grasp the full implication
of what he is saying,
we have the background
to know that Jesus
is truly the Son of God.
The centurion knows that Jesus
is at the very least
God's messenger,
empowered with the power of God,
and he feels unworthy
to approach Him.
And even though the Jewish leaders
in his community
deemed him worthy,
even though he is worthy
by every human metric,
because he is a high-ranking officer
in the Roman army,
because he is a recognized leader
in the community,
because he is wealthy,
and because he is generous,
and he is a humanitarian,
the centurion,
in spite of all of this,
knows that he is not worthy
to approach Jesus
because of the supreme worthiness
of God and His messenger.
Why does that matter to us?
It doesn't matter
whether you're a professor
or a president.
It doesn't matter
whether you're a genius
or a billionaire.
It doesn't matter
that you're a celebrity.
It doesn't matter
that you're the pinnacle
of human moral achievement.
It doesn't matter
how much money you have given
to good causes.
You are not worthy
to approach God.
No one is.
Because He is God,
He made you.
He owns you.
Everything you have
is from Him.
All that is good
in our world
is of Him.
He is perfect
in His holiness.
And for this reason,
humility
and awareness
of our unworthiness
is the one
proper posture
we can have
when we approach God.
Do you recognize
your unworthiness
before God this morning?
This is what makes
Jesus' response amazing.
Verse 6 tells us
that Jesus went with them.
Jesus was on His way
to the centurion
in spite of His unworthiness.
The fact that the centurion
was a Gentile
did not keep Jesus
from coming to Him.
It's only when you rightly
recognize your own unworthiness
that you can rightly
appreciate God's
gracious visitation.
That though we're unworthy
that God is here.
That though we're unworthy
God has sent His Spirit
to indwell us.
That though we're unworthy
God sent His Son
to save us.
It's only when you
recognize that
that we can rightly
worship God
and come to know Him.
But note that the centurion
is not giving up
on the healing
of his servant.
He adds at the end
of verse 7,
But say the word
and let my servant
be healed.
He still wants Jesus
to heal his servant
but he doesn't
want Jesus
to take the trouble
of coming to his house.
Instead,
he asks Jesus
simply to say the word.
This reveals a profound faith
because the pattern
that we see in the Gospels
and the pattern
we've seen throughout
the Gospel
look up to this point
is that people
bring the sick
to Jesus
to receive healing.
And usually,
Jesus lays hands on them
to heal them.
But here,
the centurion believes
that Jesus
does not even need
to be physically present
with the sick
in order to heal them.
He believes
that all Jesus
needs to do
is say the word
in order to heal
his servant.
How did he arrive
at such profound faith?
He gives his reasoning
in verse 8.
For I too
am a man
set under authority
with soldiers
under me
and I say to one
go
and he goes
and to another
come
and he comes
and to my servant
do this
and he does it.
A soldier
of a well-disciplined
army knows
what authority
looks like.
Sometimes,
I feel like
as a parent
who has defied
my kids
on a regular basis,
I don't quite
appreciate
the authority
of God.
When God
says something,
it happens.
When God
commands,
it's obeyed.
And because
the centurion
has experienced
this from
having been,
having used
this delegated
authority
from the Roman
government,
because he has
this authority
that he has
received from
the Roman
government,
he knows
that when
he commands
his soldiers,
they obeyed
him.
And because
of this,
he believes
because Jesus
as the messenger
of God,
as a divine
representative,
has God's
authority on him,
that when
he speaks,
that all
he needs
to do
is speak
and this
will happen
for him,
that his
servant
will be
healed.
After hearing
the centurion's
response,
Jesus says
in verse 9,
he marveled
at him.
This is
the one
instance
in all four
of the Gospels
where Jesus
is set to
marvel
at someone's
faith.
In fact,
Jesus is so
impressed by
his exemplary
faith that
he uses
this opportunity
to instruct
the crowd.
It says
in verse 9,
Jesus turned
to the crowd
that followed
him and
said,
I tell you,
not even in
Israel have
I found
such faith.
This Gentile's
faith exceeded
the faith of
everyone in
the nation
of Israel.
And his
faith was
validated in
verse 10
when it says
that when
those who
had been
sent returned
to his
house,
to the
house,
they found
the servant
well.
perhaps
because
Jesus'
usual
practice
up to
this
point
was to
lay
hands
on
people
to
heal
them,
people
began to
think that
perhaps
that's the
only way
Jesus could
heal.
But
Jesus'
power,
as this
account is
intended to
show,
was not
limited by
physical
nearness
and touch.
What are
some ways
that we
have put
limitations
on God's
power,
as these
people have?
What are
some ways
we have
circumscribed
God's
authority?
God can
heal me of
my cold,
sure,
but he
can't
cure me of
my cancer.
God can
forgive me of
my sins,
sure,
but he
can't give
me victory
over my
sins.
God is
sovereign,
sure,
but he
can't help
our country
with this
president or
these
Supreme Court
justices in
power.
God can
save my
soul,
sure,
but he
can't
free me
from my
bodily
addictions.
God can
give me a
different job,
sure,
but he
can't help
me be
grateful and
successful and
joyful in my
current job.
Why not?
There may be
valid reasons for
thinking that God
won't do some of
these things,
but we should
make sure that
we're not
rationalizing our
own lack of
faith.
If we truly
recognize the
extent of the
Lord's authority,
how would it
change our
lives?
Wouldn't it
make us more
prayerful?
Wouldn't it
lead us to
make bolder
requests of
God?
Having given
us a picture of
Jesus'
authority,
Luke not
turns to
give us an
example of
the Lord's
compassion.
Verses 11
to 12 set
the scene.
Read with
me.
Soon
afterward,
Jesus went
to a town
called Nine,
and his
disciples and
a great crowd
went with
him.
As he drew
near to the
gate of the
town,
behold,
a man who
had died
was being
carried out,
the only
son of
his mother,
and she
was
a widow,
and a
considerable
crowd from
the town
was with
her.
This is a
tragic scene,
and Luke
builds up
the sadness
and the
suspense of
it all
progressively by
giving us
more details
one clause
at a time.
He says,
first,
we are
simply told
that a
man who
had died
was being
carried out.
This is a
funeral procession.
Of course,
the funeral is
sad in and
of itself,
but people
die every day,
right?
So it's not
an unusual
occurrence,
at least,
here.
According to
the Jewish
burial custom,
the corpse
was generally
not kept
overnight,
so this is
probably a
fresh death.
This happened
probably on
the same
day,
and they're
carrying the
corpse,
wrapped in
cloth.
They didn't
use coffins
back then,
they used
a wooden
plank,
so they put
him on,
and they're
carrying him.
Everyone can
see the
dead man
as they're
carrying him
around.
But that's
not the only
thing.
The funeral
is bad
in and of
itself,
sad in and
of itself,
but then Luke
tells us further
that this man
was the only
son of his
mother.
Now this is even
more sad because
this man was the
only heir of his
mother.
It's a tragedy
enough for a
mother to have
to bury her own
child.
It's a premature
death,
but this woman
will now be cut
off from all the
future generations.
She has no one
left to continue
her family line.
No one left to
take care of her
when she is old
and unable to
care for
herself.
And as if that
weren't tragic
enough, Luke
adds another
detail that this
mourning woman
was also a
widow.
This would have
been indicated by
the type of
clothing she wore
or by the fact
that her husband
was not with
her as she was
mourning the
death of her
son.
That means this
woman not only
has lost her
son, who can
take care of
her when she's
older, she
doesn't have
anyone to take
care of her
now.
She has no
family left.
In this day
and age, in
that culture, she
would have no
means of survival
apart from the
goodwill of her
friends and
neighbors.
It's such a sad
sight.
A considerable
crowd from the
town was with
her.
This is a common
practice for the
townspeople to
join in mourning
a death.
And it says in
verse 13, that
when the Lord
saw her,
he had
compassion on
her and said
to her, do
not weep.
Once again, Jesus
is called Lord.
And Luke notes
that Jesus had
compassion on
her.
This is not
merely an
opportunity for
Jesus to
demonstrate his
power, although
it is that.
But it's not
merely that.
Jesus has
compassion on
this widow.
He cares for
her and wants
to help her.
So he comforts
her and tells
her not to
cry.
Sometimes I
think as
Christians, we
imagine that
we're like these
pawns on this
great chess game
that God is
controlling.
We imagine that
God is this
heartless mastermind
who gives us
suffering in order
to further his
purposes, who
is a calculated,
makes a cold,
calculated move
to sacrifice his
pawns in order to
advance his
kingdom.
them.
Yes, God is
sovereign.
Yes, God is
in control.
And yes, God
allows suffering
sometimes to
sanctify us.
But God also
cares for you.
He knows
your pain.
He has
compassion on
you.
The sovereign
Lord of the
universe sees
you.
The usual
pattern of
Jesus' healing
ministry is that
people ask him
for healing.
Not the other
way around.
But interestingly,
in this passage,
Jesus is the
one who initiates
contact with
this widow.
This woman is
too consumed
by her grief
and mourning
for her son
to take any
notice of
Jesus.
But Jesus
sees her
and has
compassion on
her and
comforts
her.
Some of you
know what it's
like to feel
such grief.
Some of you
know what it's
like to feel
so depressed,
so crushed
by a sense
of guilt,
or so anxious
and fearful
that you feel
paralyzed.
You know
you should be
crying out to
the Lord for
help,
but you should
be reminding
yourself of
God's truth
and His
faithfulness.
You should
be holding
on to
God's
promises,
but in
those hard,
dark moments,
you just
don't have
the wherewithal
to take
those steps
toward God.
God's love,
but know this,
that even in
those moments
when you feel
alone and
abandoned in
your struggle,
the Lord
sees you
and has
compassion on
you.
God's love,
is
God's love.
If you are a
Christian, you have
God's love.
Ephesians 2,
4 to 5 tells us,
God, being rich in
mercy, because of
the great love with
which He loved us,
even when we were
dead in our
trespasses, made
us alive together
with Christ, by
grace you have been
saved.
God didn't save us
when we were sick
with our sins and
desperately seeking
His help.
He saved us when we
were dead in our
sins, when we were
doing nothing to help
our cause.
When we were a
hopeless case, God
in His great love
saved us through
Jesus Christ.
That's the
compassion of the
Lord.
And this compassion
is what moves
Jesus to do
something shocking
in verse 14.
It says,
Then He came up
and touched the
bear, and the
bearer stood still,
and He said,
Young men, I say
to you,
arise.
It was a
blatant breach of
Jewish custom to
interrupt the
funeral.
I mean, I guess
that's kind of a
blatant breach of
any custom anywhere,
right?
Every culture,
right?
And remember that
Jesus was also a
visitor from out of
town, so here's this
stranger.
He hasn't quite even
entered through the
gates of the city yet,
and He comes and He
sees a funeral
procession, and He
has the audacity to
interrupt the funeral.
He touched.
According to
Numbers 19, 11-22,
any Jew that comes
into contact with
the dead contracted
ritual uncleanness.
But Jesus is
unfazed.
He brings the
funeral procession to
a halt by touching.
All of this is so
brazen that the
bearers were taking
it.
Just stand still.
They're probably
dazed, and they're
staring at Jesus in
disbelief, and
then Jesus does
something that's
even crazier.
He commands the
corpse as if he
were a living human
being.
Young man, what?
Can you see this?
Young man, I say to
you, arise.
This is the point
where all the
sensible friends of
the widow would
have taken Jesus
for a lunatic,
and escorted him
out.
But of course,
that doesn't happen.
Because Jesus is
the son of God,
and has authority
over death.
And verse 15
tells us that
the dead man
set up
and began
to speak.
And Jesus
gave him
to his mother.
Instead of saying
that the young man
set up and
began to speak,
to emphasize the
point, Luke says,
the dead man,
he's like a junk,
the dead man
set up and
began to speak.
This man that was
dead a minute ago,
this man that
couldn't move a
finger a minute
ago,
is now sitting up
and having a
conversation.
Instead of being
polluted by the
death that this
man had on him,
Jesus imparts new
life to this man.
Instead of becoming
unclean,
Jesus makes clean
the dead man he
touches.
But the focal point
of this miracle is
not the resuscitated
dead man,
but his mother,
on whom Jesus
had compassion.
That's why he
healed.
So it says,
Jesus gave him
to his mother.
The crowd's reaction
is predictable.
It says in verse
16 to 17,
fear seized them
all, a common
response, when you
see someone that
was dead to start
walking again.
And then they
glorified God,
saying, a great
prophet has arisen
among us, and
God has visited
his people.
And this report
about him spread
through the whole
of Judea and all
the surrounding
country.
The crowd is
awestruck with
fear of God, and
they worship him,
acclaiming Jesus
as a great prophet
through whom God
has visited his
people.
And the phrase
great prophet is
included here
intentionally by Luke
to bring to mind
the Old Testament
prophets like
Elijah and
Elijah, who also
raised the dead.
In fact, there's
an intentional echo
in this passage in
Luke of the
1 Kings 17, 17
to 24, where
Elijah raises a
widow's dead
son to life.
In both cases, the
dead son of a
widow is
resuscitated, and
in both cases,
afterward, it is
said that Jesus
and Elijah
respectively gave
him to his
mother.
Exact same
phrase.
Luke is making
an intentional
literary allusion
to the account of
Elijah's raising
of the dead
widow's son.
But these parallels
are there not just
to highlight the
similarities, but
actually to highlight
the differences, to
contrast the two
accounts.
Because in 1 Kings 17,
Elijah has to pray
earnestly, and then he
stretches himself upon
the child three times in
order to revive the boy
hand, then he must pray
some more, and then he
finally comes back to
life.
But all Jesus does here
is say a simple command
to the dead man.
Once again, continuing that
theme of what the
centurion said, it's
effortless for Jesus.
This highlights once
again the unparalleled
authority of Jesus, and
raises the question
again, what's his
identity?
Is Jesus really just a
great prophet like
Elijah and Elisha?
Is the crowd correct in
their assessment?
That's what brings us to
that final passage, 18 to
35.
We've seen the Lord's
authority, the Lord's
compassion, and now we
get a passage that
clearly states the
Lord's identity by
comparing him to the
greatest prophet that
ever lived up to that
point.
The account of Jesus
performing these
miracles was reported
to John, and it says
in verses 19 to 20
that John, calling two
of his disciples to
him, sent them to the
Lord, saying, are you
the one who is to come,
or shall we look for
another?
John's disciples relay
this to Jesus, and
John, remember what
John said about Jesus
earlier.
It's not that he
doesn't have faith.
John said about Jesus
in Luke 3, 16 to 17,
I baptize you with
water, but he who is
mightier than I is
coming, the strap of
whose sandals I am not
worthy to untie.
He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fork is in
his hand to clear his
threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into his
barn, but the chaff he
will burn with unquenchable
fire.
John baptized this Jesus
that he prophesied about,
and John came to the
understanding that Jesus
was the promised one,
the Messiah who had
baptized people with the
Holy Spirit.
But since then, it seems
that some doubt has
crept into John the
Baptist's mind, and he
wants to confirm that
Jesus indeed is the one
who is to come.
This leads us to ask an
interesting question that
we can't get a definite
answer to, but there are
contextual clues in the
Gospel of Luke.
Why exactly did John start
to doubt?
First, we already know from
Luke chapter 3, 19 to 20,
that John is currently
locked up in prison by
Herod Antipas.
At the beginning of his
ministry, Jesus said in
Luke 4, 18 to 19,
quoting from Isaiah 61,
that his mission is to
proclaim good news to the
poor and proclaim liberty
to the captives, among
other things.
And yet here's John still
imprisoned by wicked
Herod, and unable to
witness any of the great
mighty works of God that
Jesus is doing.
Can you imagine?
He waited his entire life
for this.
We could also tell from
what John said about
Jesus that he expected
Jesus to bring about not
just a spiritual renewal in
a kingdom, but something
that comes with political
power as well.
That he expected the evil
regimes that ruled during
his days to be toppled.
He expected justice to be
meted out on earth with
the coming of Jesus, not
recognizing the gap between
Jesus' first coming when he
comes to save, not to
condemn, and his second
coming when he comes to
meet our final judgment.
And this kind of didn't
match up, right?
His expectations of the
Messiah and what Jesus did,
and that sowed confusion and
doubt among some people,
and it seems including with
John the Baptist as well.
This is encouraging for us
because not only does
John the Baptist, Jesus
calls him the greatest
prophet, as we'll see in the
next few verses.
He had doubts.
This also builds our faith in
this account of Jesus, because
if you're a follower of Jesus,
why would you include this
embarrassing account in this
story?
You're telling me the
greatest prophet that ever
lived had doubts about Jesus
being the Messiah?
Why would you put that in
there?
I wouldn't if I were making
this up.
But it's in here to comfort
us.
In here to assure us.
Because maybe you have come
to believe in Jesus, but
becoming a Christian has not
been what you expected it to
be.
You're encountering
difficulties and sufferings
that you did not anticipate.
Maybe overcoming sin hasn't
been the smooth sailing that
you expected it to be.
Luke includes this exchange
between John the Baptist and
Jesus here to assure us it's
okay.
And here's the assurance.
Verse 21 to 23, Jesus gives
his response.
In that hour he healed many
people of diseases and plagues
and evil spirits.
And on many who were blind he
bestowed sight.
And he answered them, go and
tell John what you have seen
and heard.
The blind receive their sight.
The lame walk.
Leopards are cleansed.
And the deaf hear.
The dead are raised up.
The poor have good news
preached to them.
And blessed is the one who is
not offended by me.
During their visit, John's
disciples witness all these
things that Jesus does.
And with that as the backdrop,
Jesus tells them to report to
John all the things that they
have seen Jesus do.
And this list is selective.
It's not exhaustive.
But it is representative of the
functions of the Messiah.
It's taken from Isaiah.
The prophecies of Isaiah.
And there's an emphasis on blind
receiving sight.
That's the only element that's
repeated twice in this passage.
The verse he bestowed sight in
verse 21 literally means to
grace someone with sight.
It points to the grace of God
in giving us the gift of
salvation rather than making us
earn it.
And then the last two clauses
recall the Beatitudes of
chapter 6 verses 22 to 23.
The poor have good news
preached to them.
And blessed is the one who is
not offended by me.
What did Jesus say earlier?
Blessed are you who are poor
for yours is the kingdom of God.
The poor is a generalization
as we've mentioned multiple times
throughout the past few weeks.
It's a generalization for the
category of people who are
humbled and ill-treated in this
life on account of their
commitment to Jesus.
So this is a direct exhortation
to John the Baptist.
How kind of Jesus to speak to him
this way.
And it's also a direct message and
exhortation to anyone who suffers
on account of his or her faith in
Jesus.
Blessed is the one who is not
offended by me.
The word offend is taken from
Isaiah 8 14.
It refers to stumbling over
something, tripping over something.
If we put our faith in Jesus, he
becomes our rock, the firm
foundation upon which we can
stand.
But if you reject Jesus, he
becomes the rock of stumbling and
offense that trips us and leads to
our judgment and downfall.
Jesus is exhorting John not to
stumble on account of him.
Some of you have also experienced
embarrassment and ridicule on
account of your faith in Jesus.
But Jesus gives you a comforting
word.
Blessed is the one who is not
offended by me.
So don't trip over Jesus.
Stand firm in your faith in him.
That's the assurance.
The assurance that Jesus gave to
John, Luke records to assure us in
our faith.
And after John's disciples leave,
Jesus turns to the crowd around him
to provide them with an explanation of
John the Baptist's person and
ministry.
He asks the crowd, what did you go out
into the wilderness to see?
A reed shaken by the wind?
What then did you go out to see?
A man dressed in soft clothing?
Behold, those who are dressed in
splendid clothing and live in luxury
are in king's courts.
John the Baptist ministered in the
wilderness.
So this whole section is about him.
A reed shaken by the wind is a common
metaphor for someone who is unreliable
and unsteady.
Kind of a someone with like what we
might call a spineless pushover that
is blown to and fro by the wind of
opinion.
Wind of opinion.
The implied answer to the first
rhetorical question is no.
The people did not go out into the
wilderness to see this kind of person.
John was a man of conviction and
resolve.
In fact, he's now in prison for
condemning the illegal, the
relationship that Herod had, the
incest really.
And the people also did not go out to
see a man dressed in soft clothing.
Such people live in luxury and are in
king's courts.
John was not a self-indulgent man, a
royal official softened by ears and
ease and comfort in the king's courts.
Rather, these kind of prophets, so-called
prophets that live in king's courts, they
live to preserve the status quo by
flattering the kings and telling them
whatever they want to hear.
Rather, John's not like that.
John was a disciplined and austere man
who sought to please God alone.
So what then did you go out to see?
A prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a
prophet.
Jesus elaborates in verse 27, this is
he of whom it is written, behold, I
send my messenger before your face who
will prepare your way before you.
The scripture that Jesus cites here is
a combination of two passages.
Malachi 3.1 speaks of a messenger that
will prepare the way for God so that
God can come to his people.
And then it's also an allusion to
Exodus 23.20, which speaks of a
messenger that will prepare the way to
bring God's people to God.
So it's kind of a splice together.
So John the Baptist fulfills both of
these prophecies because he is the
messenger that prepares the way for
Jesus is coming and Jesus is God.
So Jesus is not exactly being demurred
here about his identity.
But not only that, John the Baptist
also prepared God's people for God by
calling them to repentance.
This was John's special ministry.
And for this reason, Jesus says that
among those born of women, none is
greater than John.
Yet, the one who is least in the
kingdom of God is greater than he.
John is the greatest man that ever
lived before Jesus.
We love having these conversations,
right?
I feel like everywhere you go online,
there's a list for everything.
The greatest list, greatest this,
greatest that, the greatest athlete,
greatest this.
And we're always wondering who the
greatest are.
Here, Jesus tells us, you're looking for
who the greatest human being that ever
lived before Jesus?
It was John.
Why?
Because he fulfilled the unique prophetic
role of preparing the way for God and
preparing a people for God immediately
before the coming of the Son of God.
John was more than a prophet for God.
He was in fact the greatest man.
But because Jesus ushers in the kingdom
of God in an unprecedented way by
defeating sin and death, by dying on the
cross for the sins of his people and
being raised from the dead so that
because after he ascends to the right
hand of the Father and raised, he sends
his Holy Spirit down to indwell his
people so that as we now live as God's
people, as we walk around as Christians,
God's presence is with us.
He walks with us.
He speaks through us.
He ministers among us.
Because of that unprecedented reality,
Jesus says, the least in the kingdom of
God is greater than John.
That's mind-boggling, isn't it?
Is it how you see yourself if you're a
Christian?
If you compare yourself side by side
with John?
John?
Taylor?
Greater?
John?
Ashley?
Greater?
Do you realize the staggering truth?
That means if you're a follower of Christ
today, the privileges that you enjoy, the
grace of God that's at work in you, the
spirit of God who empowers you, the
salvation that you have experienced is
far greater in measure than anything,
anything that great John the Baptist
experienced than anyone before him.
How can we take this great salvation for
granted?
How can we not tell people about this great
salvation?
How can we not live every moment of our
lives joyful, praising God?
John was the last figure to live in the age of
promise.
We live in the age of fulfillment.
fulfillment.
Do you know the joy and privilege of being in
the kingdom of God?
Then, having given an assessment of John,
Jesus turns to give an assessment of the
generation to which he ministered.
And so, here he brings out very sharp application
points for us.
He says, he compares them in verse 32, that they are
like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to
one another.
We play the flute for you and you did not dance.
We sang a dirge and you did not weep.
This is probably a reference to an ancient children's game
where they reenact weddings and funerals.
So, we play a flute at a wedding, you sing a dirge at a
funeral.
And when, I mean, they didn't have as many toys as we do
now, right?
When one group of children played the flute as in a
wedding, the other group of children are supposed to
dance, right?
When one group sings a dirge, the other group was
supposed to act like they were crying or weeping and
mourning.
It's similar in concept to the games that children still
play called Follow the Leader.
You guys have played that a little bit, right?
Jesus compares the Pharisees and the Jewish teachers of
the law who reject him to children playing games.
And they're like spoiled brats who only want to play the
game on their terms and never play along with others.
They're always telling the other group of kids that they're
not doing what they're supposed to do.
The point that Jesus is making becomes clear when we
recognize that verses 32 and 35 have a mirroring structure.
In verse 32a, the Pharisees are compared to children playing
games.
In verse 35, the followers of Christ are called children of
wisdom.
In verse 32b, it says, we played the flute for you and you did
not dance.
That's referenced to a comparison to the son of man in verse 34 who
would come eating and drinking.
And you say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of
tax collectors and sinners.
Verse 32c talks about we sang a dirge and you did not weep.
That's a comparison to John the Baptist who came eating no bread and
drinking no wine.
And you say he has a demon.
You guys see the point.
John the Baptist followed an ascetic lifestyle, living in the
wilderness, wearing a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt
around his waist and eating locusts and wild honey.
Delicious.
And the Pharisees and the Jewish scholars rejected him, saying he's
too radical.
He's unbalanced.
He's demon possessed.
You would think that they would have been more favorable toward Jesus
then because Jesus came.
He befriended sinners and tax collectors.
He frequently feasted with them so that he can share with them the saving
news that he brought.
But no, the Pharisees and scribes rejected Jesus as well.
They called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and
sinners.
So Jesus is using a very pointed and appropriate comparison to make, drive
home the point that these people who reject Jesus, who also rejected John the
Baptist, do so.
They did so not because there was actually something deficient about John or
about Jesus, but because of their prideful unbelief and stubborn selfishness.
Instead of listening to the messengers of God, they wanted to dictate the
terms by which God must work.
Instead of submitting to God, they wanted God to affirm and conform to their way of
life.
So when John came weeping, they played the flute.
When Jesus came rejoicing, they sang a dirge.
What are some ways that we have done this?
If you're not yet a follower of Christ, I want you to ask this question to yourself.
Are you dictating the terms upon which God must come to you instead of approaching God
on His terms?
Do you keep changing the conditions you set before you would become a follower of Christ
because you're not really earnest about becoming my follower of Christ, but you want to preserve
your own lifestyle, your own pride?
If God did this and this for me, then I would follow Him maybe.
If God proved Himself and demonstrated it this way in a way that's compelling to me.
If God were like this, if He believed all the things that I believe, if He taught all the values
that I value, then maybe I would become a follower of Christ.
That's not how this works.
He's God.
He's the creator and you're the creature.
He's the Lord.
He's the King.
We are the subjects.
And we come to Him only when we come to Him appropriately is when we submit in humility.
Believers are subject to this temptation as well, aren't we?
We can read the scripture.
The word of God, as we call it.
But we pick and choose what we like.
Well, that's a little bit offensive.
Well, let's never talk about that.
That seems kind of backward, regressive.
God has come.
And that's the main point here that John's trying to drive home for us.
God Himself has come.
To seek and save you.
Jesus is the King who leaves His throne room and rolls up His sleeves to get to work,
to redeem you from your slavery to sin and death.
And is that how we respond to our King?
Amen.