This week we
will continue to study the Gospel of Luke.
(1) Many had come to Jesus for the healing of their own sickness and or for the healing of their loved ones. For whom did this centurion seek healing from Jesus? How special was the action of this man who was a centurion and a Gentile?
(2) Why didn’t he come himself and instead send some elders of the Jews?
(3) Why were these normally arrogant Jewish leaders willing to plead on his behalf?
(4) Why did Jesus commend his faith? In what way was his faith great?
(5) What can we learn from this centurion?
(6) The centurion understood that he had authority over his soldiers. What then did he believe was under the authority of Jesus?
(7) In other words, whom did he believe Jesus to be?
(8) As much as his faith was great, what did he not understand about Jesus when he considered himself unworthy? (As a result, he deprived himself the privilege of meeting with Jesus.)
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Lk. 7:7)
When Jesus commended the faith of the centurion by saying, “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Lk. 7:9), he could have said the same, not just of Israel, but of us today.
The centurion was indeed very unique in these ways:
- He was a Gentile — and considered to be an alien to the Jewish faith because he was not a descendant of Abraham.
- He was a centurion — the Jews considered him an oppressor.
- Yet, he was obviously well-liked by the elders of Capernaum. Yes, his contribution to the building of the local synagogue did help him gain favor from them, but they said of him, “he loves our nation”. That went beyond politics but it expressed a genuine spirit felt by the locals.
And it is not too far-fetched to assume that he would have worshipped in the synagogue that he had helped to build, and as a result, he knew the Law and the Prophets quite well. The news of Jesus’ teachings and miracles together with the speculation that He might be the Messiah would have reached his ears.
But he was unlike most of the Jews in Capernaum: He believed the very claim of Jesus. And who Jesus was to him was clearly revealed in these amazing words:
“But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Lk. 7:7)
He understood very much the authority he had as a ruler. All he had to do was to say, “Go” to one of his servants, and whatever order he gave would have been done. But he believed that Jesus had the authority to cause his dying servant to be healed, in other words, he believed Jesus had authority over life! And who has the authority over life? Only the Giver of Life!
But even more amazing was his faith in the very “word” of Jesus. If he could make things happen by his own word, how much more powerful is the word of the Maker of heavens and the earth! Indeed, he probably read, understood and believed these words of the psalmist in a way that few other Jews of his time did:
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth…For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm.” (Ps. 33:6, 9)
This is who Jesus is to him. Who is Jesus to you today?
(1) Nain was about 6 miles southeast of Nazareth. As you read this story at least twice, write down the things that have caught your attention or touched you deeply.
(2) If you have a Concordance, it is helpful to look up the many Old Testament passages that talk about the “fatherless” and the “widows” (if you do not have the time, just look up Ps. 68:5 and Mal. 3:5). Why do you think the Bible purposely singles out the fatherless and widows as objects of God’s care?
(3) In most cases of miracles performed by Jesus, He was asked to heal the sick or revive the dead. Who was the one who made a request to Him here? What does this tell you about Jesus? (Note in particular the words said by Jesus to the widow.)
(4) How does this action of Jesus speak to you personally?
(5) What did Jesus do to bring this young man back to life?
(6) Do you think the “word” of Jesus has the same power today? Why then does He appear not to exercise His power in the same way today?
(7) Healing is one thing, reviving the dead is quite another. Do you agree?
(8) Did this miracle necessarily convince the people that He is the Messiah, the Son of God? Why or why not?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Lk. 7:14-15)
Over the years, I have had the privilege of visiting and praying with many families with loved ones who are ill. Although most of these families are believers, they do approach the situation quite differently, especially where the illness appears to be terminal.
Of course, the sadness that accompanies these terminal cases is understandable, even among the strongest of faith. However, I have found it most difficult to deal with those believers whose faith is so strong that they insist that God has heard their prayers and that their loved ones will definitely be healed. More than once, I have been assured by some of them that God has assured them with His words from the Scriptures. Sometimes, it would be the patients who expressed their faith in God’s healing, based on some of the passages that they have read in the Bible.
As I look back, I have seen cases where God has chosen to answer our prayers and miraculously heal those whose sickness was terminal. However, I recall that in these cases, no one claimed that God assured them of His healing. On the other hand, unfortunately, in all the terminal cases where believers claimed that God had promised healing, all had gone to be with the Lord. So, it begs to ask the question, “Does God not perform miraculous healing any more today?"
The answer is, “Certainly!’ I witnessed at least two so-called terminal cases in which God miraculously healed the sick. An old man was deemed irrecoverable from his illness, and the medical personnel insisted on pulling all his “IVs”. But his son knelt and prayed with me at his bedside around 8 PM that night. The very next morning, his father was able to leave the hospital on his own. I prayed for another old woman who was not even a believer at the time. When her potassium level dropped to a very low level, the doctor opined that she would not survive through the night. As I prayed for her that night, she not only survived through that night, but fully recovered and subsequently came to believe in the Lord Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Yes, God does answer prayers and He is still in the business of healing the sick, even the very sick.
But,
whether He will heal or not is 100% His prerogative. My dying niece (who subsequently went home to
be with the Lord at age 28) directed my attention to these words in Isaiah two
weeks before her death,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8-9)
For those who love the Lord and yet struggle with such unanswered prayers, these words from John Milton (1608-1674) deserve our reflection:
“But patience is more often the exercise of saints, the trial of their fortitude, making them each his own deliverer and victor over all.” (Milton, Samson Agonistes)
(1) John was the one born for the mission of preparing the way of the Messiah (Lk. 1:17; 3:4). He witnessed the testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism and he publicly declared Him as the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29-34). Why did he question if Jesus was the Messiah now? What has changed?
(2) Jesus used Isaiah’s prophecy about Him (61:1-3; 35:5-6) as His reply, but not entirely. What was missing in His quote from Isaiah that would be very personal to John’s immediate situation (of being in prison) and which could have caused John to “fall away” and doubt?
(3) What then is the lesson to us? What might cause us to “fall away on account of” Jesus?
(4) As we seek to understand these words of Jesus about John, it might be helpful for us to look up Matthew 11:12-15 for an additional explanation given by Jesus. He appears to be using three distinct phases to refer to the advancement of the Kingdom: (i) the days of the prophets to John, (ii) the days from John (i.e. his ministry of baptism of repentance) till now (end of John's ministry) and (iii) the days from Jesus onwards.
a. What are the roles of each of these three phases?
b. What role did John the Baptist play that made him the “greatest” among those born of women? In what sense was he the “greatest”?
c. As the third phase is distinctly different in that both of the earlier phases are in preparation for it, why then “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John?” In what sense is that one “greater”?
d. What did Jesus present John as in Matthew 11:7-9—a gentle or forceful person?
e. How different was Jesus from John that might have caused John to doubt?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Lk. 7:19)
It was quite surprising to see John the Baptist question who Jesus was in his moment of weakness. He was the one who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the visit of Mary (Lk. 1:44); he would no doubt have heard of the virgin birth from his parents; and he witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and the voice of Father God at Jesus’ baptism. In fact, he himself testified as to who Jesus was with these words in public, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (Jn. 1:34). Why then would he doubt if Jesus was the “one”, meaning the Messiah, the Son of God?
After all, John the Baptist was human.
In His reply to John, Jesus asked John’s disciples to report back to John what they had seen and heard: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor”. In other words, the prophecy of Isaiah 61, the passage that Jesus spoke on to affirm who He is in Luke 4:18-19, has been more than fulfilled. He is definitely the “anointed one” spoken of by the prophet. The problem was, there was at least one fine detail in the prophecy that had not been fulfilled by Jesus, and that was the “release from darkness for the prisoners”. This was personal to John, because he was imprisoned by King Herod. If Jesus was the Messiah, why then did He not free him from prison?
Perhaps, the real question that John was asking was, “Have you forgotten about me?” But to have his disciples come and ask Jesus, “are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?” he was not only expressing his doubt in public, he was shaking the faith of his disciples and that of all the hearers! I believe, it was in this respect that Jesus said, “yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Lk. 7:28).
John would come to submit to the will of God and he would come around to affirm his belief in Jesus upon hearing Jesus' reply through his disciples, but that at that moment of weakness, he had “forced” Jesus to point out a very important fact: Faith in Him as the Messiah and the Son of God is the Kingdom of God. Lacking faith will cause anyone to be less than the least in the Kingdom of God, i.e. being an outsider of God’s Kingdom.
Indeed, unanswered prayers sometimes do have a way to cause us to “fall away”, even momentarily from faith in Jesus (Lk. 7:23).
(1) Here Luke helps us learn more about the significance and impact of the ministry of John the Baptist, especially in preparing the hearts of the people to receive Jesus and His message.
a. Who were the people who accepted the baptism of John?
b. How did their baptism affect their reception of the word of Jesus and why?
c. Luke comments that they “acknowledged that God’s way was right” (v.29). What does "God’s way" mean in this context?
d. Who were the ones that rejected the baptism of John?
e. What did their action represent?
f. Luke comments that they “rejected God’s purpose for themselves”(v.30). What does "God’s purpose" mean in this context? What is meant by rejecting it “for themselves”?
g. Luke appears to contrast the tax collectors with the Pharisees. What is the message behind such a contrast?
(2) Jesus concluded His remarks about John the Baptist with a rebuke against those who rejected both His forerunner (John the Baptist) and Himself in vv. 31-35:
a. What was the meaning of the song sung by the children?
b. With the understanding that “this generation” is the generation represented especially by the Pharisees and the experts in the law, consider the following:
- How did they react to John and his preaching and why?
- How did they react to Jesus and His preaching and why?
- Why did they consider it wise to reject John and Jesus?
- How do people treat our gospel today?
- Why do they consider themselves wise in rejecting Jesus?
- How should we behave differently than the Pharisees and the Scribes?
- How may we prove that “God’s way” in salvation through Jesus Christ is right?
(3) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Lk. 7:35)
Jesus ends His comments about John the Baptist with words of rebuke for that generation in Luke 7:11-35: They rejected both the ascetic and forceful ministry of John and the celebrative and gentle ministry of Jesus. In so doing, Jesus is not only rebuking the people, but also affirming John and his ministry. John and his ministry had fulfilled a preparatory role for Jesus though his ministry differed from that of Jesus.
Yesterday, we considered the rather shocking words of John in doubting if Jesus were the Messiah, when previously his own miraculous birth and commissioning, the testimony of his own mother, Elizabeth, the testimony he himself witnessed of the Father and of the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism, had led him to affirm Jesus as the Lamb of God whom he publicly declared.
How then would he end up doubting Jesus when he was in prison? Some scholars opine that it was Jesus’ celebratory lifestyle that caused him to doubt. John was too austere a person to comprehend a Messiah who would not fast. In fact Jesus did, but not as frequently as he did, and certainly not as openly as he and his disciples would have liked. Worse, Jesus appeared not to impose fasting as a must on His own disciples. This was perhaps too much for John.
Here is a lesson for us today. There is not one set way of spirituality for all God-loving Christians. Throughout the centuries, there are saints who are called to a life of asceticism and contemplation. There are saints who devote themselves to a life of action, reaching the pagans in the most remote regions of the earth. There are saints who devote themselves to changing political and social systems that are evil. There are saints who devote their lives to serve the poor. There are saints who give themselves to witness for Christ in their workplace and career. There are saints, while living an ordinary life in the world, devote their lives in intercession for the Kingdom of God, and the waiting for the Lord’s return. As long as they are true to their calling and the role given to them by God, they should not envy or criticize those who serve in a different role in the Kingdom.
(1) Why did a Pharisee like Simon invite Jesus to have dinner in his own home?
(2) Why then would he not treat Jesus as he would any other guest by kissing Jesus and washing His feet?
(3) Why then would Jesus put up with such insults?
(4) Scholars in general agree that this woman was probably a prostitute with the label of a “sinner".
a. Why would she dare enter the house of a Pharisee?
b. What might have caused her to come to see Jesus, weeping at His feet?
c. What does her action of wiping and kissing the feet of Jesus represent?
d. By accepting the kiss and touch by a prostitute, what was Jesus risking? Why then would He allow a prostitute to do such a seemingly inappropriate act to Him?
(5) What did Simon say in his heart? Would you have the same thought if you were Simon? Why or why not?
(6) What was the parable that Jesus used to explain to Simon?
a. Whom does the moneylender represent?
b. Who are the two debtors?
c. According to this parable, what then does the action of the woman represent?
(7) In fact, what this woman did has served to reveal the sin of Simon. How has Simon sinned?
(8) Why was this woman forgiven?
(9) While the many sins of this woman have been forgiven, were Simon’s sins forgiven? Why or why not?
(10) How important is this message of the forgiveness of a sinner/prostitute to you today?
(11) How may you apply it to your life?
“Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Lk. 7:42)
Jesus was using the parable of two debtors not only to justify His reception of the kissing and anointing by the woman who was most likely a prostitute, but also to show Simon, the Pharisee that he too was a sinner in need of His forgiveness.
However, if Simon perceived that the woman was the one who owed 500 denarii and he was the one who owed only 50, he would be totally wrong. Indeed, the woman would have seen herself as the debtor who owed the most, because she recognized how sinful she was, perhaps, as a prostitute. As a result, her weeping signified her deep contrition; her kissing of Jesus feet showed her deep love for Jesus and His forgiveness; and her anointing of His feet demonstrated her total submission and worship as a slave.
However, is the sin of this woman necessarily worse than that of Simon who openly insulted Jesus by not even washing His feet, let alone not kissing Him as his guest and anointing Him as his honored guest? The Apostle Paul understood how grave a sinner he was as a Pharisee who rejected Jesus and persecuted His church; he even called himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).
Indeed, how deep a conviction we have of our sinfulness has to do with how honest we are within and how close we are to the source of the Light of Life.
Once I visited someone’s home which was a basement suite. I knew her to be a very neat and tidy person and automatically assumed that her home would be no different. As I walked to her dark living room, it did appear to be very clean and tidy, but as she pulled open the blinds, a ray of sunlight shone in and I could see dust particles flying all over the place. If we shade ourselves from the Divine Light, we will fail to recognize how sinful we are. However, if we choose to draw close to God often and in the light of His Word, we will be shown, like the woman in Simon’s house, how sinful and filthy we are after all. And as we weep, kiss and anoint the Lord’s feet, we will come to experience the forgiveness of our many sins and we will also be able to “love much” (Lk. 7:47).
(1) Luke gives us a glimpse into how Jesus and His 12 apostles were supported. Why did these women choose to support Him and His ministry?
(2) Why were only the women mentioned?
(3) Has God laid upon your heart to support a certain ministry? Have you acted on it? Why or why not?
(4) Vv. 5-8 is the parable of the sower and vv. 9-15 is Jesus’ explanation of the parable. It is important to note that in understanding a parable, one has to focus on its central teaching, and not on minor details, unless they are made plain by Jesus himself.
a. In what ways is the use of the sower and seed sowing vividly fitting to the sharing of the gospel?
b. Can you relate the four outcomes of the seeds to people or incidents that you have come across (or in your own life)?
- Seed fell along the path and was taken away by the devil.
1. How did the devil do this in a hearer’s heart?
2. What can you (the sower) do?
- Seed fell on rocky places and through testing they dried up.
1. What kind of test might cause a new believer to fall away?
2. What can you (the sower) do?
- Seeds fell among the thorns.
1. What factors could choke the seed? What else can choke the growth of one’s faith?
2. What can you (the sower) do?
- Seeds fell on good soil and the results were acceptance and multiplication.
1. What constitutes good soil?
2. Does this mean there is no testing whether from the devil, life’s pressures or from the person within?
3. What then causes the person to “retain” the word and “persevere”?
4. Is there anything you (the sower) can do to make sure a crop will be produced by the seed?
(5) What is the core message of this parable to you?
(6) In the New Testament, “secret” (Lk. 8:10) or “mystery” refers to God’s plan of salvation hidden in the past, but now made plain by the coming of Jesus. Why then did Jesus use parables in many of His public teachings?
(7) Tom Rees once made a remark that “the same sun that hardens the clay melts the wax”. How may his remark help you understand the quote (8:10) from Isaiah 6:9?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering, produce a crop.” (Lk. 8:15)
As we seek to share the gospel with our friends and relatives, especially those we love dearly, we are sometimes frustrated with their lack of interest in spiritual things, and secretly, we wonder if they will ever come to Christ.
As we read Jesus’ parable of the sower, we are far too familiar with those seeds on the path and on the rock. We too are familiar with those who appear to respond favorably to the gospel, only to fall away because of their busyness, their reluctance to give up their way of life or objections from their family.
I too remember the long journey it took to see my parents come to Christ. While I thought that my mum was a very good person and I saw that she went to church at times, I was afraid she did not really know salvation. So, when I truly came to Christ in my late teen-years, I worried about her salvation, and one day, I gathered up my courage to share with her the need to accept Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. It did not go too well, as she basically did not respond to whatever I said (which probably was because I did not do a good job in explaining it). But I did not stop praying for her, and I knew my other born-again siblings would have also prayed for her.
It would be almost 20 years later, when she joined us in Vancouver. Then she began attending church regularly, and I could see her appetite for spiritual things grow exponentially so that she could even recite Psalms 22-24 by memory before a large gathering in the church.
While my mum’s conversion was not too surprising, that of my father’s was. His relationship with most of us had not been good, and with his macho and smile-less image, none of us would have the courage to share the gospel with him, except to pray for him. For many years, I did too and God answered our prayers. My brother’s pastor happened to grow up in a small village that my father used to be stationed at (I think during the war), and thus he could strike up a kinship with my father that no one else could. Eventually he led my father to Christ, and my father passed away not too long afterwards. I will never forget the time, when the pastor led our family in prayers at my father’s funeral, before we headed out to the main hall. I stood there with my eyes closed and though I knew the light came from the ceiling lights, the light glowed in such a way as if it were from heaven. My heart felt strangely warm with the inner assurance that, as much as it was hard to believe, my father was received into heaven.
I always wonder how we, as sharers of the gospel, can make the soil of the hearers good. Well, we cannot and only God can. But I believe that through our unceasing intercession, God will cause circumstances to happen to our loved ones to soften their hearts, so that the seed of the gospel will eventually bear fruit. No matter how long a journey it may be, He does make all things beautiful in His time.
Vv. 16-18: Try not to read this parable of the lamp in light of the one in Matthew 5, but rather read this one within its own context and pay attention to the connective “for” in v. 17.
(1) Who is the Light of the World that will cause everything hidden to be disclosed?
(2) What implication does this have on you and your “secrets”?
(3) What implications does this have on the hypocrisy and hidden evil that might have caused you to fret and/or be infuriated?
(4) However, Jesus appears to apply this truth to how you listen (to His Word). Why?
(5) Would it make a difference in your life if you listen and obey His Word, or if you listen without taking His Word to heart?
(6) When and how will the difference be “brought into the open”?
Vv. 19-21: Here, Luke appears to be grouping Jesus’ teachings on “listening” together:
(7) According to Jesus, what does our correct attitude of listening reveal us to be?
(8) What does it mean to be His “mother and brothers”?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Lk. 8:21)
Whether I was in a remote city of British Columbia or Great Britain, in the airport of San Francisco or Hong Kong, or on a tour, once I made known my faith in Christ to fellow believers, then instantly the distance between us narrowed. This is something the world cannot understand.
I still remember the joy of that Christian family from Florida who met my wife and I for the first time in our tour of Italy. In a few short days we became like old friends and how they would ask all kinds of biblical questions on a daily basis.
But I remember most the young university graduates who dedicated themselves in reaching the Muslims in Banda Ache, Indonesia. With complete trust in someone whom they met for the first time, but who was a brother in Christ, they confided in me their passion, the danger they faced and their struggles with their families.
Indeed, they are my brothers and sisters, because they are Jesus’ brothers and sisters. We belong to the same family.
Blood (in Christ) is indeed thicker than water.