Showing posts with label Luke 07. Show all posts

A Sinner Comes to Jesus

Intro

When we look at people what do we see? Do we see others as a super righteous person might or as Jesus would?

Purpose

Let’s discover how to see people as Jesus sees them, for the love in their hearts and not for the mistakes they may have made.

Plan

Let’s look at Luke 7:36-8:3 and that love that Jesus discovered in a former immoral woman’s heart.

Luke 7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. Luke 7:47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

8:1 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.

What May a Forgiven Sinner See? (vs. 36-38)

The polarization between the super righteous Pharisees and sinners is a familiar contrast. We have similar contrasts in our day in politics and religion and the media is well-known for highlighting the differences to make a story. The sinner here is a woman with an immoral reputation. She intrudes where she would not normally be welcomed and performs an extreme act. Do we readily dismiss such people in our world? Jesus did not. Do we not even consider that the need to eat may have driven her into immorality? A Pharisee does not care about the poor, but only about doing what is right according to the letter of the law. What do the woman’s actions reveal about her heart?

What May a Righteous Person Not See? (vs. 39-43)

How can a righteous person lack insight into Jesus’ purposes? There are two kinds of righteousness, a righteousness of the law and a righteousness of faith. The righteousness of the law opposes God’s purposes. The Pharisee asked how could Jesus be a prophet and allow such a woman to perform an act with suggestively erotic overtones? Jesus proves that he was a prophet by knowing Simon’s thoughts. Jesus also saw what Simon did not, a broken heart and tears of repentance. Jesus explained it using the familiar economic system of enslavement to debts which as in our day is not a system based on love. Speaking of forgiving debts, Jesus contrasts the greater love of one forgiven a large debt.

What Kind of Love Can Former Sinners Have? (vs. 44-47)

The woman that Simon wanted to reject had one of life’s most important lessons for him. Is that also true for us? Simon saw the sin. He did not see her love. He did not see the boldness and the gratitude of one who is forgiven much. How would Simon treat the woman from that day forward? Would he continue to treat her as a sinner or as an equal among God’s people? We do not know. The woman’s extravagant love revealed her new life. The Pharisee’s judgmentalism revealed that he had not yet experienced new life. Would he recognize God as one who cancels debts or would he continue to hold others’ sins against them as an unforgiven debt?

Outro

When we look at others, do we see what they were or what they are in Christ? How much do we see their mistakes as a judgmental Pharisee might, and how much do we see what God is doing in their hearts as Jesus does?

Is It Too Late?

Intro

Who has the authority to give life to the dead? Is death too late for Jesus?

Purpose

Let’s look at Jesus’ authority over life and death.

Plan

We will look at Jesus’ resurrection of a widow’s only son in Luke 7:11-17 and how it is different than other resurrections by other prophets.

Luke 7:11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” 17 And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

Two Widows

The crowd only saw Jesus to be a prophet. Compare the story of the widow of Nain to the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17)? As she provided for Elijah, the widow of Zarephath and her son were miraculously provided for. Then her son died. Elijah cried out to the Lord and he was restored to life. In Nain, Jesus spoke to the boy with divine authority, “get up.” There is one huge difference between Elijah and Jesus. Both were prophets, but only one was God with us. The author lets us behind the scene by calling Jesus the Lord, which in the Greek Septuagint Bible of the time was the same word used for Yahweh in the Old Testament.

Healing Where We Can

We do not have the gift of healing like Jesus can. He raised a widow’s son from the dead. We would all love to do the same, such things rarely occur. What can we do? We can all heal to some extent, even if not in such spectacular ways. Like Jesus we can notice the pain and suffering of others around us and we can care enough to have compassion. In a world where self interests are the fashion, we are to be different. We have many options to bring healing to a sick world, from encouraging words to personal investment of time and money. While most people just don’t give a damn about the poor and suffering, we must.

Word Power

1. Not Magic

Do words have magical power? The belief that incantations are magic is associated with witchcraft not Christianity. We need to know the difference between magic and the power of God. Since ancient times miracles of manipulating nature, rescues from sickness, death and evil forces are recorded. Some thought that it was the words alone that caused the miracles and developed systems of magical incantations sometimes as scams, sometimes relying on self-seeking occult powers. Luke tells of Jesus reviving a widow’s dead son, but there was more going on than words of a mere incantation. There was divine authority behind the words. Our words can also be empty wishful words of incantation and magic unless we recognize God’s power behind it.

2. Encouragement

Do words have great psychological power? We know that negative words can destroy life just as readily as positive words can give life. Some people just suck the life out of others with their words. It can be disheartening. We may want to avoid them or love them at a distance. On the other hand, have you ever been around someone who just gave you energy, enthusiasm and excitement for life? My grandmother was such a person and I have met many individuals like that throughout life. They are wonderful blessings to be around. We may not all have the wonderful gifts of healing like Jesus did, but we can all encourage. Let us spread healing words wherever we go.

A Healing-Faith Fable

The idea that people are not healed because they lack faith is false. Miracles and healings come from God, but false prophets can also perform miracles (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Revelation 19:20). The difference is in the teaching. Is it false, heretical teaching or true, orthodox Christianity? In some churches people who are in wheelchairs or suffer from uncured diseases have been told that they lack faith to be healed. Is that true or just another fiction from unlearned preachers? In Nain Jesus healed a person who was already dead. What faith can a dead person exhibit? He was not even conscious and therefore unable to ask to be healed. The only criterion mentioned was Jesus’ compassion on a widow.

Outro

If Jesus can give life to a dead body, maybe he too can give life to a dead marriage, business, relationship, church, career, and even revive dead hopes and dreams. With Jesus it’s never too late. As God the Son, Jesus has authority to give new life to the dead. Death is not too late. With the same authority that granted a little boy life, Jesus can grant our dead things life including eternal life after our bodies which are wearing out finally expire.

Such Great Faith

Intro

The culture and history in the Bible are in the distant past. How can we have faith in God when the stories we read are so far from us?

Purpose

Let’s understand that distance does not have to diminish faith may enhance it.

Plan

Let’s look at Luke 7:1-10 and see how one circumstance of distance was described by Jesus as “such great faith.”

Narrator: Luke 7:1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,

Jews: 5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

Narrator: 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him,

Friends: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having 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.”

Narrator: 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him,

Jesus: “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

Narrator: 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

What was a Centurion?

First, he was the enemy. Jesus had taught to love our enemies. The Romans had occupied Judea. They were hated for their high taxation and brutality. This may be why the centurion sent a delegation of local Jewish leaders on his behalf, probably thinking that he had no access to Jesus. Secondarily, a centurion was an officer in the Roman army, commanding a century, about a hundred men — sometimes double, even up to a thousand men. Third, this particular centurion was compassionate. He had been kind to the Jewish population at Capernaum and had even funded their synagogue and now he was kind and caring towards his slave. Like Naaman the Syrian, this healing takes place at a distance.

What was the Master-Slave Relationship?

The word translated softly in some Bibles as servant is actually the Greek word for slave. In ancient Rome, slaves were treated as property not people and were often abused sexually, corporally, tortured and could even be executed at will. The upside was that slaves often held high positions such as accountants and doctors. They could own private property and even become freed slaves under merciful masters. Like Naaman the Syrian General who came to Elisha for healing, the centurion responded positively to ministry of Jesus. The centurion’s care of his slave was not universal. We don’t know if his concern was practical or real compassion. It was not uncommon for a genuine friendship to develop between master and slave.

Why the Jewish Elders?

It was common for Jews not to have much to do with gentiles. However, it was often the practice of Roman overlords to adopt the local religion. The centurion’s act of building the local synagogue could also have been a move to gain political favor. The centurion knew he was unworthy, even though the Jews had advertised his gifts and good deeds to them. It was perhaps more than just his gentile status. A soldier often lives with guilt and regrets. He may have been genuinely humble about his personal sins. The elders were probably not supportive of Jesus, but cooperated with the centurion. They thought he was deserving because of the good he had done. The centurion did not.

What was the Centurion’s Faith?

The gentile centurion had the faith that much of Israel lacked. He came boldly for healing not because of who he was, but because of who Jesus is. Our unworthiness does not prevent our right to pray. We pray not because we are worthy, not because of all the good things we have done for the world, but because of who God is. The centurion’s faith was based upon hearing only of Jesus. He recognized Jesus’ authority and trusted it, something that Israel did not. The gentile was a distance from Jesus both culturally and in miles. It was his faith that overcame the distance. How many of us are distanced by others, yet Jesus is there for us too.

Outro

No distance or social standing is too great for Jesus to reach into our lives and provide healing. We just need to trust that he has the authority. Faith from a distance is such great faith.

Healing words

Intro

Words are powerful and with the power of God behind them our words can do wonderful things.

Goal

Let us understand the power and limits of power to our words.

Sermon Plan

We will look at the healing of a widow's only son and examine the power behind Jesus' healing words.

The healing faith fable

Have you ever been to one of those churches that focuses on miracles and healings? Miracles and healings are wonderful when they come from God, but a false prophet can also perform miracles (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Revelation 19:20). A way to tell the difference is by the teaching. Is it false and heretical cult-like teaching or true and orthodox Christianity? In some churches people who are in wheelchairs or suffer from uncured diseases have been told that they lack faith to be healed. Is that true or just another fiction from unlearned preachers? In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus healed a person who was dead and in a coffin. What faith can a dead person exhibit? He was not even conscious and therefore unable to even ask to be healed. The only criterion mentioned was Jesus’ compassion on a widow.

A compassionate healing

Imagine the loneliness of a woman who has lost her husband. Then imagine that same woman losing her only child. The pain is indescribable. The real desolation would be deep and abiding. Human community is not always compassionate, but the large crowd who followed the funeral procession of the widow of Naïn (Luke 7:11-17) seems to have wanted to support her in her devastating loss. The village is Nein in Israel today, a Muslim town, with a Christian church built on the possible site of her house. The account does not emphasize any great faith she or her son may have had, but the compassion of Christ for a widow. The Greek word comes to us in medicine as splanchnic, meaning visceral or intestinal. It implies here a kind of sympathy that is physically felt deep within the bowels.

The power of words

In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus spoke a few words and a widow’s dead son was brought back to life. Words are powerful. Negative words can destroy life just as readily as positive words can give life. Have you ever been around someone who just sucked the life out of you with their words? I have, and it’s not pleasant. I just want to avoid them or love them at a distance. On the other hand have you ever been around someone who just gave you energy, enthusiasm and excitement for life? My grandmother was such a person and I have met many individuals like that throughout life. They are wonderful blessings to have around. We may not all have the wonderful gifts of healing like Jesus did, but we can all communicate. Let us spread healing words wherever we go.

Miracles and Magic

My eye doctor recently told me that a retinal occlusion which I had about a year ago was completely clear. He said that I should thank God because such things do not normally heal completely. I had been anointed with oil and prayed for by a fellow pastor. Since ancient times miracles of manipulating nature, healing from sickness, death and evil forces are recorded. Some thought that it was the words alone that caused the miracles and developed systems of magical incantations sometimes as scams, sometimes relying on self-seeking occult powers. Luke 7:11-17 tells of Jesus reviving a widow’s dead son, but there was more going on than words of a mere incantation. There was divine authority behind the words. Church liturgy can also be empty wishful words of incantation and magic unless we recognize God’s power behind it.

Healing where we can

Not everyone has the gift of healing, especially like Jesus did. In Luke 7:11-17 he raised a widow’s son from the dead. As much as we would all love to do the same, even in those churches that have a large focus on miracles, such things rarely occur. So what can we do then? We can all heal to some extent, even if not in such spectacular ways. Like Jesus we can notice the pain and suffering of others around us and we can care enough to have compassion. In a world where self interests are the fashion, we are to be different. We have many options to bring healing to a sick world, from encouraging words to personal investment of time and money. While most people just don’t give a damn about the poor and suffering, we must.

Cracks in welfare systems

Welfare in ancient Israel was a system that used private, family and state resources. The welfare laws of Israel provided fairness in inheritance and preserved family unity. Like our modern systems, they could not possibly cover every scenario and so like today, some people fell through the cracks. One such case seems to be the widow who was about to bury her only son (Luke 7:11-17). With her husband gone and her only son deceased, she possibly faced financial ruin, without the welfare provided in a family support structure. The individual responsibility of not harvesting the corners of fields so that the poor may glean and the national responsibility of paying a third year tithe for the poor may not have solved her problem. Regardless, Christ sets us the example of our responsibility towards those who suffer: heartfelt compassion.

Outro/Take Home

We may not have the power that Jesus had, but we do have power in our words. Let us use that power for good.