Luke 7, Matthew 11
Luke 7
Luke 7:1-5 Don’t miss the significance of what Luke
says here. The Roman Centurion, who had
100 soldiers under his command, was well liked by the people around Galilee. Let’s contrast this Gentile soldier with what
we just heard Jesus say about the Jewish Religious Leaders. Remember the Tree and its fruit reference in
Matthew 7:16? This Soldier’s action
testifies what sort of man he really was.
However, I believe this went both ways.
See, for this Roman Soldier to actually love these Jewish people, they
must have acted toward him in loving ways.
At least that’s the way I see it.
I see a community of God-fearing people treating an outsider with
dignity and love, and the outsider responding in like manner.
Luke 7:6-10
Jesus was blown away by this man’s faith. Not just because he recognized Jesus as a man
of God, but because he recognized Jesus’ authority. And that is quite rare, even for people
today. Perhaps the Roman soldier had
seen some of the miracles of Jesus, or at least had heard about the things He
had done. Now, if he had been a Gentile
Soldier, seeing or hearing about any god performing such miracles would have been
a real eye-opener. The Jews, on the
other hand, would have known or at least read about all the things God did for
them in the past. So maybe familiarity
to God’s power anesthetized the Jews; seeing or hearing of a miracle was not
shocking. I wonder if our close
proximity to the workings of God has numbed us as well. Maybe that’s why a person of the world
responds to grace with much more emotion than someone who grew up in
church.
Luke 7:11-17 Nain
was about 25 miles from Capernaum. And
since Jewish custom was to bury the dead on the same day, it’s possible Jesus
and His crowd of disciples left just as the boy died. I say it’s possible because the text gives us
no reason as to why they traveled there.
Is it possible that Jesus was sent there for this very purpose; that
this was not a chance meeting? The men
carrying the casket stopped, not out of respect for Jesus, but out of
shock. What Jewish man in his right mind
would touch the casket of a dead person?
They would have been defiled for seven days (Numbers 19:11). Yet Jesus stretches out His hand and touches out
of sympathy and compassion. Just
as with the Centurion’s servant, the authority and power of Jesus is
demonstrated through compassion and sympathy, not political power or military
might. What sword did Jesus need to defeat
death? What shield did He carry to
protect Himself from uncleanliness? Such
was (is) the holiness of Christ. Whoever
lays hold of Him is made clean; is made holy (compare Exodus 29:37).
Luke 7:18-23
Jesus reminds John the Baptist that a person is blessed when they are
not distracted about other things; when they are not ensnared away from
Jesus. In prison, perhaps John was
feeling alone and insignificant. Perhaps
he began to wonder if he had really made any difference at all. These doubts and worries crowded out faith,
and so John was no longer sure. The Good
News is that Jesus sends these two disciples back to John able to testify about
what they had seen and heard. And their
fellowship with John would have given him great comfort. By now, John was in prison because of what he
said to Herod. And what John needed was
Christian Fellowship, not just a simple answer.
Luke 7:24-28
John the Baptist was not someone who was out to please the crowd. He was not looking to get rich by speaking
comforting words. He was a prophet, and
not just any prophet but The Prophet promised in Malachi 3:1. He was the one who would prepare the way for
the Messiah; the Christ. But regardless
of how great a prophet John the Baptist was, the least in the Kingdom of God
was greater. Now, Jesus isn’t
bad-mouthing John. John’s message of
repentance was the same message Jesus preached.
But prophets are used to draw people to the Kingdom of God. Prophets point the way. Prophets are essential, but the most
important thing is to be part of the Kingdom of God. That’s the highest honor.
Luke 7:29-30
And of course everyone who had been baptized by John understood
this. They knew that John was merely
pointing them to Jesus; the One who would grant them entrance into God’s
Kingdom. It’s no different than what a
pastor does. A good pastor simply points
the lost to Christ, not to himself or even the Church. No person can save another person, and
neither is a person saved through church membership. If I share the Good News with someone, I do
not save them. Christ is the One who
saves. It is His Kingdom they are
entering, not a denomination or any religious institution.
Luke 7:31-35
For those who rejected John’s testimony and Jesus’ witness, they are
like children who are never happy.
Nothing ever suits them. In other
words, they had crafted their own idea of what the Messiah would act like, what
He would do, and what He would say. Yet
when the Messiah actually came, He was nothing like they had imagined. So they rejected Him. But the wisdom of those who were baptized by
John will one day condemn the folly of these religious leaders.
Luke 7:36-50
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. The woman at the feet of Jesus emptied her
life and gave it all to Jesus. Likewise,
I have allowed Him to make me into someone new, and I have allowed Him to use
my lips, my hands, and my mind so that He is exalted and His message is
preached. This is what Jesus desires
from everyone; be they a sinful woman or a self-righteous Pharisee. This woman emptied herself at the feet of
Jesus, but Simon doesn’t empty a thing.
He doesn’t surrender himself in any way.
The phrase “But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love”
is not a condemnation toward those who have only sinned a little. It’s a condemnation toward those who feel
they have little to be forgiven. The
sinful woman was broken before Jesus. Simon
was not. And only a life broken and
empty can be filled with the things of God.
“God sends no one away empty
except those who are full of themselves”. -- Dwight L. Moody
Matthew 11
Matthew 11:1
This verse is tied together with the events mentioned in chapter
ten. Chronologically, the narrative
picks up in verse 2
Matthew 11:2-19
This section is almost similar to what we read in Luke 7:18-35. Matthew adds a reflection about the violent
rejection of God’s Kingdom by violent men (Matthew 11:12). Since the old days prophets have foretold of
this time. The Word of God spoke of this
time; where God enters time to redeem humanity.
But these violent men wanted a kingdom of their own making, not the
Kingdom of God. It almost seems to me
that these Jewish religious leaders had made up their mind what the Kingdom of
God should look like based upon their current situation and based upon their
current need. They were not considering
the needs of others or what would benefit all of humanity. They rejected the message of John; his
radical message that demonstrated a new way to righteousness and a new way to
holiness. Maybe they were angry because
they feared losing their job! Today, we
don’t need a priest to intercede for us.
Today we don’t need someone to slaughter the animals for the sacrifice. Christ has accomplished these things. So maybe that was part of their violent
rejection of John’s message and Jesus’ teachings.
Matthew 11:20-24
These three cities situated around the northern border of Galilee saw
some of the most amazing miracles of Jesus.
It was here that the prophecy of Isaiah came true (Isaiah 61:1). And yet it seems it didn’t affect these cities
in any way. I’m tempted to say that
these miracles were wasted; that Jesus did great things, yet no one changed. But I hesitate to say this is true. People were touched. Individuals had their lives impacted by what
Jesus did. But the cities remained the
same. In other words; those not directly
impacted by what Jesus did were not moved or changed in any way. And I just don’t get that. If I were to see my blind neighbor reading a
menu at the restaurant, I’d be a little curious. Or to see the crippled boy playing soccer
would cause me to at least pause and reflect on the power of this man named
Jesus. So Jesus is quite disappointed in
these cities; these towns. He said that
the cities would receive judgment, but not individuals. This is an important distinction that we
should not miss. Israel had taken God’s
grace and made it a national promise.
Kind of like saying God Bless America.
But God does not save nations or kingdoms. He saves people; a point Jesus will make in
the next section.
Matthew 11:25-27
As opposed to cities or towns repenting, here Jesus speaks of
individuals; those who choose to accept Him; those who open their eyes. This is what we see in children. They have not closed their minds to life
yet. They are open to hearing and
learning. They would look at the
miracles of Jesus and say, “Wow!”
Matthew 11:28-30
In context here, what would cause an individual to be weary? To whom was Christ beckoning? It was probably those who had grown weary of
bearing the weight of the Law. I mean,
think about it; could you imagine trying to keep all 613 laws of the
Pharisees? And they were teaching the
people that observing these laws would make someone right with God. Jesus is presenting a different way to
righteousness. He is offering a yoke (or
burden) anyone could bear. And unlike
what the Pharisees were offering, Jesus says that those who place their faith
in Him will finally find the assurance they’ve been looking for. In contrast, there was no rest in the way of
the Pharisees.
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