Taken Hold Of And Control Of...

At the church where I serve, we have been looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. T

This week, I would like for us to look at another encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in the gospel of Luke. And as we look at this encounter that this individual had with Jesus, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 8:26:

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by providing for us the context for the encounter with Jesus that we are going to look at this morning. After miraculously telling a storm to stop sinking the boat that they were traveling in, Jesus and His disciples continued across the Sea of Galilee to a region that was referred to as the country of the Gerasenes.

The country of the Gerasenes was located on the southeastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, which was located in the region of Israel know as Galilee, was located here on the map. This is why Luke states that Gerasenes was opposite Galilee. This region of the Sea of Galilee was largely Gentile in population. Now when the Bible refers to the Gentiles, these were people who were not Jewish ethnically or culturally. So if you are not Jewish you would be considered a Gentile.

And in the culture of the first century, Jewish people viewed themselves as being religious people, while viewing the Gentiles as being irreligious people. In the culture of the first century, Jewish people viewed themselves as being insiders when it came to having a relationship with God, while Gentiles were viewed as being outsiders who were far from God. After providing us the context for this encounter with Jesus, Luke then gives us a front row seat to this encounter with Jesus. So let’s take that front row seat together, beginning in Luke 8:27:

 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

Luke tells us that as Jesus and the disciples stepped out of the boat and onto dry land, they were met by a man from a local town who was possessed by demons. In other words, this man was no longer in control of his life. Instead, his life had been taken hold of and was controlled by demons.

Now both Jesus and Paul teach us that demons are a group of supernatural beings who are under the leadership of the devil, or Satan. We also know that demons have superhuman, but limited knowledge and power. Demons are angels that were created by the Lord before the creation of the universe, who rebelled against God sometime before the fall of humans that is recorded for us in the very first letter in the Bible in Genesis 3.

And at some point, this man ended up in a place in his life where demons took possession and control of his life. Notice that Luke says demons, not demon. So this man was under the control of a multitude of demons. Luke then reveals for us the reality that as a result of being taken hold of and controlled by this multitude of demons, this man had not put on any clothing in a long time and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. In other words, this man ran around butt naked and lived in a cemetery. This man was isolated from people and was unable to be controlled by people.

Can you imagine what that scene must have looked like? Can you imagine stepping off a boat to be confronted by a butt naked man who lived in a cemetery? Now it wasn’t that people hadn’t tried to control this man. Luke explains that this man was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard on several occasions. This man’s family and friends would attempt to regain control of this man’s life in an attempt to rescue this man’s life.

However, time after time of reaching out to their relative and their friend, they ended up without success. Even after being bound and placed under guard, the man would simply break his bonds and return back to the cemetery outside of town, driven there by the demons who had taken hold of and controlled his life. You see, the demons gave this man supernatural power that prevented him from being restrained for his protection. And these demons would drive him into the desert and into a life of isolation and destruction. Because that is what demons do: Demons desire to destroy God’s kingdom and destroy God’s people.

Luke then explains that upon encountering Jesus, the demons drove the man to fall at the feet of Jesus and proclaim with a loud voice "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." Now this phrase, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “What is there between us, that You have come here? We know who You are; You are God, so why are you here now? We plead with you do not mess with us but leave us alone”?

You see, demons are fully aware of who Jesus is. And demons recognize that Jesus has authority and power over them. However, demons reject and rebel against Jesus. And in their rebellion and rejection, these demons attempt to manipulate Jesus through the man that they had taken hold of and control of. Notice that the demons say do not torment me, not do not torment us. The demons were attempting to deceive Jesus when it came to their numbers and who was actually in control of this man.

Tomorrow, we will see how Jesus responded to the demons attempts at manipulation…

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus...

This week we are looking at an encounter that Jesus had with a man named Simon, which is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday, we looked on as Simon unlovingly judged a sinful woman who had crashed a dinner party that he and his Pharisee friends were having for Jesus.

We looked on as Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So, which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?”

We looked on as Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question. However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. We see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:44:

 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

Here we see Jesus expose three specific things that Simon the Pharisee did not do for Jesus that revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. However, to fully understand why what Simon the Pharisee did not do that was wrong, we also need to understand some things about the culture of Jesus day.

First, in the culture of the day, as we talked about earlier, a person’s feet would be covered in dirt, sweat, and whatever else they stepped in as they traveled. And because of that reality, upon arriving at a destination, it was customary for a host to have a servant available and a place available for people to have their feet washed in order to remove any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that they had stepped in on their journey. Oil would often also be placed on the feet to provide a soothing smell. Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show the courtesy to wash Jesus feet. Instead, it was the sinful woman who showed the courtesy to wash His feet with water and oil.

In addition, in the culture of the day, it was customary to greet a guest with a kiss on the cheek that served as a sign of welcome and respect. And in many cultures today, this is still a common custom. Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show any respect or friendship to Jesus by giving Him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, it was the sinful woman who was the one who showed nothing but respect for Jesus by kissing His feet.

You see, Simon the Pharisee arrogantly treated Jesus without love as though Jesus was an outsider. By contrast, the sinful woman humbled herself and treated Jesus with love as though He was an insider. Simon the Pharisee arrogantly believed that he was better than this woman because he had less sin than this woman. By contrast, the sinful woman humbly recognized that she was in desperate need of Jesus because of her sin.

However, just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that did not mean that he had no sin. Just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that does not mean that he did not need to be forgiven of sin. And because of that reality, we see Jesus, after setting the trap for Simon the Pharisee, spring the trap with a statement that reveals for us a timeless truth for us today in verse 47:

 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Now notice what Jesus does not do here. Notice that Jesus does not ignore this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Notice that Jesus does not minimize this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Instead Jesus does the opposite: “her sins, which are many”. You see, the issue for Jesus was not the extent of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her response to her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her recognizing her need for forgiveness of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her love for Jesus that flowed from her recognition that Jesus could provide her the forgiveness and the relationship with God that she was created for.

While Simon the Pharisee viewed himself as an insider who was right with God because of his performance for God, this sinful woman recognized that she was an outsider who desperately needed Jesus because of her performance. While Simon the Pharisee placed his confident trust in the fact that he was better than this sinful women because of his performance for God, this sinful woman placed her confident trust in Jesus, because of her performance.

And as a result, Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus because he thought that he was better than Jesus and others, while this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus because she recognized the extent that she needed to be forgiven by Jesus. And because this woman recognized the extent that she need to be forgiven by Jesus, because she placed her confident trust in Jesus to be forgiven, her love for Jesus was such that it drove her to demonstrate her love despite the risk and despite the cost.

And it is here, in this event from history from the life of Jesus involving a self righteous man and a sinful woman that we see revealed for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is that encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus. Just as it was for Simon the Pharisee, just as it was for this sinful woman, just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus.

You see, the reason why the Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus was due to the fact that he did not recognize the extent that he needed to be forgiven by Jesus. The reason why this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus was due to the fact that she did recognize the extent that she had been forgiven by Jesus.

So here is a question for us to consider: If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who knew you best were to put you into this event from history, who would they so you would be?

Would you find yourself in this event from history as Simon the Pharisee? Do you arrogantly believe that you are an insider with God because of your performance for God? Do you arrogantly believe that you are better than others because you have less sin than others? Because just because you have less sin, that does not mean that you do not need forgiveness for any sin, does it? Would those closest to you view you as being unloving, judgmental?

Would you find yourself in this event from history as this sinful woman? Do you feel like you are an outsider who is far from God because of the things that you have done in your life that have hurt God and others? Do you humbly recognize your need for forgiveness for your selfishness and rebellion? Does the recognition of the extent of the forgiveness that you have received from Jesus result in a growing love for Jesus? Would those closest to you view you as being loving and gracious to others? If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be?

Because, as we see from Simon the Pharisee’s encounter with Jesus, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus. You see, Jesus came to earth on a mission to bring back to God those who were outsiders that were far from God as a result of their selfishness and rebellion. And Jesus came to earth on a mission to bring back to God those who arrogantly considered themselves insiders but in reality are really outsiders.

Jesus came on a mission to provide all humanity the opportunity to experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for, but had been separated from as a result of their selfishness and rebellion, through His life, death, and resurrection by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

An Unloving Response to an Outsider...

This week we are looking at an encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday, we looked on as a woman who was far from God and who is viewed as being an outsider by others crashed a dinner party that Jesus was attending with the self righteous religious leaders of the day.

We imagined looking on as this woman who had a story and a reputation walked into a room filled with self righteous religious men who clearly viewed her as an outsider as every conversation stopped and every stare was directed at her. We imagined the murmurs and the grumbling. We talked about the courage that this woman would have had to have to go to Simon the Pharisees house and walk into a room full of men with her story and your reputation.

We talked about the reality that it is not as though this woman did not know that she was far from God and was viewed as an outsider when it came to having a relationship with God. It was not as though this woman did not know how the men in the room viewed her. However, all this woman knew was that she was fallen, flawed and broken. All this woman knew is that she needed to be with Jesus, whatever the risk and whatever the cost.

Today we see Luke record how the owner of the house responded to this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider crashing his dinner party in Luke 7:39:

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner."

Now Simon the Pharisee’s response, if it was communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Can you believe that Jesus is even letting this woman near him? After all, if this man was really was a spokesperson for God who is inspired by God to proclaim the word of God to us; if this man was really an important insider like us, he would know that this woman is an outsider who is far from God.”

You see, Simon the Pharisee, as a self righteous religious person, unlovingly judged this woman because he believed that he was better than her. Because that is what self righteous religious people do. Self righteous religious people unlovingly judge others as being outsiders, while considering themselves to be insiders who are better than anyone else.

But did you notice that Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee said this to himself? In other words, this was a conversation that Simon was having with himself that was unknown to anyone else. At least that was what Simon thought. However, whether it was something about the body language that Simon displayed to this woman that was far from God and was viewed as an outsider; or whether it was Jesus knowing what was running through Simon’s mind, Simon’s conversation with himself was clear to Jesus. And as a result, we see Jesus begin to engage Simon in verse 40:

 And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"

Luke tells us that Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?” Luke records for us how Simon answered Jesus in verse 43:

 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question.

However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. Friday, we will see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee...

The Courage of an Outsider...

At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we look at these encounters with Jesus, we are discovering several timeless truths that have the potential to powerfully impact our lives today.

This week would like for us to spend our time together picking up where left off last week, where we see an another individual have an encounter with Jesus. And as we look at this encounter that this individual had with Jesus, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 7:36:

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by setting the stage for the encounter with Jesus that we are going to look at this morning. Luke tells us that one evening one of the Pharisees, who were the self righteous religious leaders of the day, invited Jesus over to his house for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation to have dinner with this Pharisee, named Simon, and his other Pharisee friends.

You see, the Pharisees wanted to have dinner with Jesus because they were trying to figure out Jesus. However, as Jesus was engaging in dinner and conversation with the Pharisees, word spread through town that Jesus was in town having dinner at Simon’s house. And as word spread through town about Jesus being in town, word reached the ears of a woman who Luke describes as being a sinner.

Now when Luke refers to this woman as a sinner, he is revealing for us the reality that this woman did not measure up to moral standards in a way that resulted in her being viewed as an outsider. This was a woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider by others.

Luke explains that when this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider heard that Jesus was at Simon the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume with her and headed over to Simons house. Once at Simons house, Luke tells us that this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider proceeded to approach Jesus so that she could engage Jesus. This woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider then positioned herself behind Jesus, where she began to weep. And as she wept, this woman who was far from God and was viewed by an outsider by others washed Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, while kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume that she brought with her.

However, to fully understand what is happening here, we first need to understand a few things. The first thing that we need to understand is that, in Jesus day, as is often the case today, people wore open toed shoes or went barefoot as they traveled. However, unlike today, people in Jesus day either walked or rode a donkey or camel everywhere they went. In addition, everyone traveled on the same path, which was not paved. 

So, imagine walking on a dirt covered road in the desert on the same road that animals also walked on. Not only would your feet be covered in dirt and sweat; your feet would also be covered in whatever you stepped in as you traveled. So when this woman is washing Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, she is removing any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that Jesus had stepped in on his journey to Simon’s house.

Now a question that could arise here is “Well Dave, how could this woman be standing behind Jesus and washing His feet? How could she even get at Jesus feet if she was standing behind Him?” If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to be asking. And that question leads us to the second thing that we need to understand, which is how people ate in first century Jewish culture.

During the first century, people did not sit around tables and chairs to eat a meal like we do today. Instead, in the first century, a room would have a table that sat only a short distance up from the floor. Individuals who were eating at the table would recline, or lay on their side, on the floor with their head by the table and with their feet out away from the table. So that is how this woman could be standing behind Jesus and washing His feet.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as this woman. I want us to place ourselves in her shoes. Imagine being this woman who is far from God and who is viewed as being an outsider by others. You have a story; you have a reputation. And you see the glares of others. You hear the whispers as you walk by. You watch as people cross the street so to not be too close to you.

You are that woman. Can you imagine the scene as you walk into a room filled with self righteous religious men who clearly viewed you as an outsider? Can you imagine the scene as the conversations stopped and every stare was directed at you? Can you imagine the murmurs, the grumbling?

Here is a question to consider: how much courage would you have to have to go to Simon the Pharisees house? How much courage would you have to have to walk into a room full of men with your story and your reputation?  How much courage would you have to have to walk into a room where you are viewed as an unwelcome outsider? How much courage would you have to have to risk what could happen to you by entering into that room?  What would drive someone to kneel behind Jesus and begin to wash His dirty feet with your tears and your hair? What would drive someone to break open a bottle of perfume to anoint Jesus feet?

You see, it is not as though this woman did not know that she was far from God and was viewed as an outsider when it came to having a relationship with God. It is not as though this woman did not know how the men in the room viewed her.

However, all this woman knew was that she was fallen, flawed and broken. All this woman knew is that she needed to be with Jesus, whatever the risk and whatever the cost. Maybe you are far from God and feel like you are an outsider when it comes to a relationship with God or others. Maybe it would take everything within you to take the risk to come to church. Maybe you are just wondering how Jesus could even consider connecting with an outsider like you? Maybe you are wondering how others who go to church would respond to you being in church?

Tomorrow, we will see how the owner of the house responded to this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider crashing his dinner party…

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to take our doubts to the truth of Jesus life and message...

This week we are looking at an encounter with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday we looked on as Jesus, after revealing the prominent role that John the Baptizer played in the story of God made an amazing statement: "I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

In this statement we see Jesus reveal two timeless realities to us. First, Jesus reveals for us the reality that John the Baptizer was the greatest human being who ever lived. Of those who came into being as a result of the activity of two human beings, there was no one greater than John the Baptizer. However, Jesus follows up that reality with a second reality in that he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptizer.

Jesus point here is that while John the Baptist pointed people to the coming of the kingdom of heaven in the future, those who are least in the kingdom are greater than John the Baptizer because they point to the reality that the kingdom of heaven is here now as a result of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah. Today we will see Luke reveal for us how the crowds responded to Jesus statement in Luke 7:29:

  When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

In other words, the people and tax collectors responded to Jesus statements by recognizing the reality that God was right and they were wrong. Luke explains that how they recognized that God was right and they were wrong was because they had been baptized by John the Baptizer. You see, as people heard the message of John the baptizer about the coming of the Messiah, they responded by being baptized in the Jordan River as they confessed their selfishness and rebellion.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why did the people respond that way to John the Baptizer’s message?”  To understand why they were responding this way, we first need to understand what baptism is. Baptism is a public proclamation and a public identification with an inward reality that has occurred in our lives.

You see, the people and the tax collectors were being baptized as a public proclamation that they were identifying and aligning themselves with his message.  The people recognized their need to repent from their selfishness, sin and rebellion, and change the trajectory of their lives back toward God. These people recognized their need to be right with God before the Messiah, the promised one of God appeared to usher in the kingdom of God that they were waiting for. However, there were others who responded quite differently to John the Baptizer and his message, as Luke reveals for us in verse 30:

 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

Luke explains that the Pharisees and the lawyers, who were the self righteous religious people of the day rejected God’s purposes for themselves. In other words, these self righteous religious leaders rejected the opportunity to experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for. These self righteous religious leaders viewed John the Baptizer’s message of repentance and preparation for the arrival of the Messiah as being invalid. And it is to these self righteous religious leaders that Jesus turned His attention to as this event from history concluded in verse 31:

 "To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? "They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, '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, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' "Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."

Jesus paints a powerful word picture to the crowds listening when it came to how the self righteous religious leaders were responding to John the Baptizer and Himself by telling a parable: They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'” Now a parable is an earthly story that has a deeper spiritual meaning.

However, to fully understand this word picture, we first need to understand the significance of playing a flute and singing a dirge. You see, in the culture of the day, it was customary for people to respond to the playing of a flute by dancing with joy. By contrast, a dirge was sung during a funeral procession, where it was customary to respond to the playing of a dirge with weeping.

In telling this parable, Jesus is revealing the reality that He and John the Baptizer were not following their rules about how people were supposed to act.  The self righteous religious leaders were like children who were complaining about Jesus and John not playing by the rules of a game. Jesus point to the religious leaders, and the crowds listening, is that this generation will play only if they can make the rules. Jesus was exposing the selfish and rebellious desires of the religious leaders to dictate to instead of listen to God’s messengers.

Jesus however, explains that “wisdom is vindicated by all her children." But what does that mean? As we have talked about earlier, in the Bible, wisdom is a developed skill for living life that produces positive results. Jesus point here is that wisdom is considered and proved correct by the results it produces. And the message and teachings of both John the Baptizer and Jesus were producing positive results. The message of John the Baptizer and Jesus were producing transformed lives.

Jesus point here is that those who were following Jesus proved the truth of His teaching, as the message of John the Baptizer and Jesus were producing followers of God in right relationship with God. And it is here, in this encounter of a man wrestling with doubt with Jesus that we see revealed for us a timeless truth that we can experience when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Encountering Jesus will challenge us to take our doubts to the truth of Jesus life and message. Just as it was for John the Baptizer, just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, encountering Jesus will challenge us to take our doubts to the truth of Jesus life and message.

You see, if John the baptizer, the man who leapt in the womb at the arrival of Jesus, the man who heard the voice of God and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism can question and doubt, it is understandable that there will be times when we experience times of questions and doubt. The question is not whether or not there will be times when we have questions or doubts: the question is where do we go with those questions and doubts?

And just as it was for John the Baptizer, when we find ourselves at a place where we have questions and doubts, we are to take our questions and our doubts to the truth of the message and teachings of Jesus. Just as it was for John the Baptizer, when we find ourselves at a place where we have questions and doubt, we are to take our questions and our doubts to the truth that marked the life of Jesus.

So here is a question for us to consider: Where are you taking you questions and doubts? Who are you turning to with your questions and doubts?

An Unexpected Answer to a Question of Doubt....

This week we are looking at an encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday we looked on as Jesus, while traveling through a city in Northern Israel named Nain, had interrupted a funeral procession to miraculously bring back to life the person that they were having the funeral for. 

And as a result of Jesus doing the miraculous word about Jesus and His miraculous activity spread throughout the Jewish nation. The word about Jesus and His miraculous activity spread all the way to John the Baptizer. We looked on as John the Baptizer sent two of his closest followers to Jesus with a question: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” In other words, John the Baptizer is asking Jesus “Are you the Messiah, the promised one from God, or did I make a mistake”?

We talked about the reality that John the Baptizer doubted because this was not how the story was supposed to go. John doubted because he had been born and raised believing that when the Messiah came, the Messiah and the kingdom of heaven would bring in peace and prosperity for those who were in the kingdom. But John wasn’t experiencing peace. Instead John was in prison for doing what he was supposed to do.

We looked on as John the Baptizer’s close followers approached Jesus; as John the Baptizer’s closest followers ask Jesus if He is the Messiah, Jesus cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. John's closest followers waited for Jesus to answer their question as He continued to do the unexplainable, the miraculous, in front of their eyes. Today, we see Luke record for us Jesus answer in Luke 7:22. Let’s look at that answer together:

 And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. "Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."

Now imagine yourself as one of John the Baptizer’s close followers. You have been sent by John to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if they had made a mistake. And you ask Jesus the question that you were supposed to ask. Then you wait and watch as Jesus does the miraculous. Then Jesus turns to you and says “Go and report what you have seen and heard”.

If you were one of John the Baptizer’s closest followers, is that the answer you would have expected? I mean the question seems to be a simple “yes” or “no” question doesn’t it? Either Jesus is the Messiah or He isn’t the Messiah? So why did Jesus answer John the Baptizer the way that He did. I mean, why doesn’t Jesus simply come out and say, “John, don’t worry, I am the Messiah and your life will get better soon”.

Instead, Jesus points John the Baptizer back to a section of a letter written 600 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah. In this section of the letter, Isaiah foretells of the events surrounding the person who would be the Messiah. The same events which John the baptizer saw and participated in his life and ministry; the same events that John the Baptizer’s closest followers witnessed before Jesus spoke to them.

Jesus pointed John the Baptizer back to the truth of the message and teachings of the Bible. And Jesus pointed John the Baptizer to the truth of the activity of Jesus in the world. And if that was not enough, Jesus then tells John the Baptizer’s closest followers "Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me", Now this phrase, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “And God’s Divine favor is on the one who does not refuse to believe in Me or reject Me as the Messiah”.

Jesus point to John the Baptizer’s closest followers was that God’s grace is upon those who place their confident trust in the truth of who Jesus is based on His activity in the world and His fulfillment of the message and teachings of His word in the Bible. And with that, Luke tells us that John the Baptizers close followers left Jesus and returned to deliver Jesus answer to him as he sat in prison.

However, Jesus was not finished. While Jesus had provided an answer to their question, Jesus had something else to say about John the Baptizer to the crowds who had witnessed this encounter with Jesus. We see what Jesus had to say to those crowds in verse 24:

 When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

Here we see Jesus engage the crowds that were following Him with two rhetorical and metaphorical questions. First, Jesus asks the crowds "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Now if you have ever seen the reeds that grow on the edge of the Colorado River down in the Topock Marsh, one of the things that you quickly discover is that reeds are easily blown about by the wind. Reeds are blown in whatever direction the wind happens to be blowing that day.

 So Jesus is basically asking “What did you go out into the middle of nowhere to see? Did you spend your time traveling to the middle of nowhere to hear some spineless guy that would tell you whatever you wanted to hear? Now the reason why this question was rhetorical was because the answer was so obvious that is did not require an answer. Anyone who had heard John the Baptizer knew that he was not a spineless people pleaser who was uncertain about either who he was or his message.

Second, Jesus asks the crowds “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? When Jesus refers to soft clothing here, he is referring to John the Baptizer’s clothes and appearance. So Jesus is basically asking “What did you go out into the middle of nowhere to see? Did you go out in the middle of nowhere to see some wealthy and well dressed guy?”

Again, the reason why this question was rhetorical was because the answer was so obvious that is did not require an answer. Anyone who heard John the Baptizer quickly recognized that he was a rough and tough dude. John lived out in the wilderness and wore an outfit made of camel’s hair with a belt that probably had one of those huge belt buckles on it. He lived off the land, eating locusts and honey. Can you imagine what John looked like? This was probably a pretty intimidating guy.

And because of that reality Jesus explained that those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!” In other words, Jesus is pointing out that people were not drawn to John because of his location or his clothing, but because of his message. Jesus then turns to John the Baptizer’s message in verse 26:

 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. "This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' "I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Luke tells us that Jesus, after asking two rhetorical and metaphorical questions, engaged the crowd with a third question that was straightforward and to the point: "But what did you go out to see? A prophet?” In other words Jesus asked the crowds, “Did you go out in the middle of nowhere to hear a spokesperson from God who had a message from God?”

Jesus then answered His own question to the crowd by quoting from a section of a letter written by the prophet Malachi some 400 years earlier to explain to the crowds listening that John the baptizer was the fulfillment of the promise that the Lord had made to the Jewish people at that time to send a messenger who would prepare the way and announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world.

Then, after revealing the prominent role that John the Baptizer played in the story of God, Jesus made an amazing statement: "I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." In this statement we see Jesus reveal two timeless realities to us.

First, Jesus reveals for us the reality that John the Baptizer was the greatest human being who ever lived. Of those who came into being as a result of the activity of two human beings, there was no one greater than John the Baptizer. However, Jesus follows up that reality with a second reality in that he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptizer.

But what does that mean? Jesus point here is that while John the Baptist pointed people to the coming of the kingdom of heaven in the future, those who are least in the kingdom are greater than John the Baptizer because they point to the reality that the kingdom of heaven is here now as a result of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah. Luke then reveals for us how the crowds responded to Jesus statement, which we will look at Friday...

A Question of Doubt...

At the church where I serve, we have been looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we look at these encounters with Jesus, we have been discovering several timeless truths that will have the potential to powerfully impact our lives today.

This week, I would like for us to look at another encounter that someone had with Jesus. And as we look at this encounter with Jesus we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 7:18:

The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, 'Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'"

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by providing us the context for the encounter with Jesus that we are going to look at this week. However, to fully understand the context, we first need some additional pieces of information. The first piece of additional information that we need involves Luke’s statement that “The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.”

You see, just prior to this event from history that we are going to look at this morning, Jesus, while traveling through a city in Northern Israel named Nain, had interrupted a funeral procession to miraculously bring back to life the person that they were having the funeral for.  Jesus basically stopped the funeral procession, touched the coffin, and said “get up”. And the dead guy got up. And as a result of Jesus doing the miraculous word about Jesus and His miraculous activity spread throughout the Jewish nation. The word about Jesus and His miraculous activity spread all the way to John the Baptizer.

Luke then tells us that as John the Baptizer received word from his closest followers about Jesus and His miraculous activity, John sent two of his closest followers to Jesus with a question. Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, if John the Baptizer was so curious about Jesus and His miraculous activity, then why didn’t he go ask Jesus himself?” That’s a great question. And the answer to that question leads us to the second piece of additional information that we need, which was the location of John the Baptizer.

You see, the reason why John the Baptizer sent two disciples with a question for Jesus was due to the fact that John the Baptizer was in prison after being arrested by King Herod for proclaiming that the Messiah was coming and because John the Baptizer had called the King out for a selfish and rebellious affair that he was having with his brother’s wife.

So as he sat in prison facing a possible sentence of death, John the Baptizer sent two of his closest followers to Jesus with a question: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” In other words, John the Baptizer is asking Jesus “Are you the Messiah, the promised one from God, or did I make a mistake”?

Now a natural question that arises here is “why would John ask that question? After all, didn’t John the Baptizer, from the womb, believed that Jesus was the Messiah? During the Announcing the Arrival series before Christmas, didn’t John the Baptizer announce to his mother that the Messiah had just entered into the room when Mary showed up pregnant with Jesus? Didn’t John the Baptizer hear the voice of God and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism? Didn’t John the Baptizer spend his life fulfilling his role as the messenger who would prepare the way and announce the arrival of the Messiah to the Jewish people? So why would John doubt Jesus after all the he had seen and heard?”

You see, John doubted because this was not how the story was supposed to go. John doubted because he had been born and raised believing that when the Messiah came, the Messiah and the kingdom of heaven would bring in peace and prosperity for those who were in the kingdom. But John wasn’t experiencing peace. Instead John was in prison for doing what he was supposed to do.

Maybe you can relate to John the Baptizer. Maybe you are a follower of Jesus and your life as a follower of Jesus is not going how you thought the story was supposed to go. You became a follower of Jesus believing that things would automatically get better in your life; your relationships would get better, your finances would get better; that you would have a wrinkle free life. But that is not the case for you.

And now you have questions. Now you have doubts. Now you are wondering if you made a mistake when you chose to follow Jesus.  How often can we find ourselves in a place in our lives where we feel just like John the Baptizer? Luke then brings us to our front row seat for this encounter with Jesus by providing us another piece of information about the context of this event from history in verse 21:          

At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

Luke tells us that as John the Baptizer’s close followers approach Jesus; as John the Baptizer’s closest followers ask Jesus if He is the Messiah, Jesus cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as one of John the Baptizer’s closest followers. Can you picture the scene?

Imagine walking up to Jesus as He is miraculously healing people of incurable diseases and saying “excuse me Jesus, John the Baptizer sent us to you to ask you a question.” Imagine watching Jesus give sight to someone who was previously blind as you ask Jesus “Jesus, John the Baptizer wanted us to ask you if you were the Messiah or if he had made a mistake”. Imagine waiting for Jesus to answer your question as He continued to do the unexplainable, the miraculous, in front of your eyes.

You are one of John the Baptizer’s close followers. What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? What questions would you have? “Did He hear our question? I don’t know? I think so? Is He going to answer us?” How would you respond as you waited for Jesus answer? Tomorrow, we will look at Jesus answer…