God's Visitation

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?

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,

Luke 3 · chapter mention

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.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.