Luke 7:18-23 (3)
Notes
Transcript
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Please Turn back to Luke 7,
We’ve come to an event that...
…naturally divides itself into 3 sections.
We’re going to be looking at the first of those this morning.
That will be verses 18-23.
In these verses, an old ally of Jesus shows back up...
But, not in the way you’d expect...
…from someone who had been (arguably) His most vocal supporter.
Let’s begin reading in verse 18:
Luke 7:18–23 (ESV)
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ”
21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
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Pray
-Luke doesn’t give us any definitive time markers in verse 18...
…that would indicate how much time had transpired...
…between Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son from the dead...
…and the events recorded in our section.
But, he does connect them in a “cause and effect” sort of way.
Remember, how we read last week...
…that after Jesus had...
...Raised the young man from the dead...
...In front of many, many eyewitnesses...
…that, this had been the response...
…and the subsequent fallout:
Luke 7:16–17 (ESV)
16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”
17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
And it appears that Luke is telling us...
…that it is as a result of this, that:
Luke 7:18 (ESV)
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him...
-Matthew, in his account, gives us a little more background information
Matthew 11:2 (ESV)
2 ...John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ...
Remember How he had come to be there.
John had been a bold and fiery preacher...
…from the very day he had begun his public ministry.
Matthew described it like this:
Matthew 3:1–2 (ESV)
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
That is NEVER a popular message to preach
Yet, his preaching was causing shock waves...
…to ripple throughout Palestine.
Matthew goes on:
Matthew 3:5–6 (ESV)
5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But, then Matthew tells us this:
Matthew 3:7–10 (ESV)
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
This was a man who:
Feared God more than men
Didn’t shy away from the truth.
And brethren, men like that...
…usually end up being despised and rejected.
Matthew goes on to tell us:
Matthew 14:3–5 (ESV)
3 ...Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.
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So, this is the backdrop to verse 18.
John is:
Sitting in a desert prison (so I’m told)
Essentially, awaiting his execution...
…and word comes to him that Jesus...
…is going about doing these unparalleled, inexplicably great miracles.
And Luke tells us that he does this in response:
Luke 7:18–20 (ESV)
18...And John,
19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ”
-What did John mean by:
“The one who is to come?”
Well, remember these expectations:
Micah 5:2 (ESV)
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah . . . from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Malachi 3:1 (ESV)
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
Simply put, the “coming one” is...
…as Lazarus’ sister Martha puts it:
John 11:27 (ESV)
27 ...the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
-Now, here’s why John’s asking this is so intriguing:
John 1:19–34 (ESV)
19 And this is the testimony of John...
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? . . .
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
So, with:
Such a bold and clear affirmation of Christ’s identity...
The testimony of Jesus’ miracles...
…why is John now asking these questions?
Sproul reminds us:
This is John the Baptist speaking, the one who publicly declared Christ as the One who was to come, as the One whose shoes John was not worthy to untie, who baptized Jesus and inaugurated Jesus’ public ministry, who was consecrated in his mother’s womb by the Holy Spirit to be the prophet to herald the coming of the King and the kingdom of God...
What in the world provoked such an inquiry from John the Baptist? Was he going through a crisis of faith? Was he becoming a bit impatient for Jesus to make a more spectacular move?
Perhaps John himself had misunderstandings of the role and the character of the Messiah. Perhaps John, like the multitudes, was expecting a radical overthrow of the Roman government. — R.C. Sproul
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-If you look into this, you’ll find that...
…most of your older writers will be...
…quick to come to John’s defense.
They’ll suggest things like:
John was just sending his disciples to inquire for the sake of their own faith
John was merely wanting affirmation to strengthen his faith.
But, we need to remember two important things here:
1.) John didn’t have the advantage of hindsight (like we do).
2.) John had not been baptized by the Holy Spirit (as we have).
Next week we’ll see Jesus making this distinction:
Luke 7:28 (ESV)
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
So, while I wouldn’t be dogmatic about it...
…I suspect that Ryken’s assessment is probably the best:
John had prophesied that the Messiah would come “with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16).
This meant that the Messiah would bring spiritual salvation, but it also meant that he would come in judgment to destroy the enemies of God.
As John preached about God’s wrath, he said, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.… His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor” (Luke 3:9, 17).
John probably thought that God’s judgment would come right away. So where was it? — Philip Ryken
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Succinctly put...
…even JOHN, didn’t understand the true nature, of Messiah’s mission:
Neither:
Far picture of His salvation
Near picture of His Judgment.
Remember what Jesus said in John 3?
John 3:17–19 (ESV)
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
He also said:
John 12:31–32 (ESV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
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The Judgment and The Salvation are:
1. Fundamentally Spiritual!
2. One event!
Almost no one (John included) understood this...
…before the Spirit was given at Pentecost!
-Now, look at what Luke tells us...
…that JUST SO HAPPENED to be happening...
…when these messengers from John came:
Luke 7:21 (ESV)
21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
So, while they’re there…
…Jesus performs a plethora of attesting signs.
Then he says:
Luke 7:22 (ESV)
22 . . . “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
What’s He getting at here?
It’s more than just saying...
These miracles prove I am who I say I am
(Granted, it’s not LESS than that!)
You see, these were all things that were foretold throughout Isaiah...
…about the ministry of “The Coming One” (Messiah):
For example:
Isaiah 26:19 (ESV)
19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! . . .
Isaiah 29:18–19 (ESV)
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 35:5–6 (ESV)
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy...
And, of course:
Isaiah 61:1–3 (ESV)
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Remember, that Jesus read this text...
…in the synagogue at Nazareth, and said this about it:
Luke 4:21 (ESV)
21 . . . “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
He’s telling John’s disciples the same thing.
He’s showing them that He is exactly who John said he would be...
(He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God)
…even if John couldn’t understand the true reality of His work!
And in verse 23, He sends John something of a “P.S.”
Luke 7:23 (ESV)
23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
-So He invokes the desired outcome of those in covenant with God...
“Blessedness”
…and He says, “here’s how you get there:” . . .
You don’t get “scandalized” by Me!
Here’s what the word means:
σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō). vb. to cause to stumble, to give offence, to fall away. Refers to the experience of being offended or tripped up that could cause falling away from the right path. — LTW
Again, He is invoking OT prophetic warnings:
Isaiah 8:13–15 (ESV)
13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Simeon had prophesied the same thing...
…specifically regarding the birth of Christ:
Luke 2:34–35 (ESV)
34 ...“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
35 ...so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
The warning to John was...
…to walk by faith, and NOT by sight.
Jesus would serve as the criteria...
…that would determine, both:
Blessing
Judgment
The response to Him would show the...
…true, heart reality of someone’s standing before God.
Paul warns:
1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
And the warning in our text is this:
Romans 9:31–33 (ESV)
31 ...Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Here is the take away for us:
1 Corinthians 1:21–24 (ESV)
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
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Don’t stumble over Him this morning...
…by demanding that He meet your expectations.
Trust in His finished work...
…resist the fallen urge to earn His blessing.
Trust in His ongoing work of Sanctification in your life...
…even if you can’t understand:
Why He’s doing what He’s doing
How It will EVER be for your good.
Don’t stumble over Him.
Cast yourself upon Him in faith...
Humble yourself before Him in faith...
And you’ll NEVER “fall away!”
The Lord’s Supper
-Brothers, could you please come up and distribute the elements?
It may surprise you to hear that...
…many (over the centuries) have “stumbled” . . .
…over the Lord’s Table as well:
It has been slandered as:
A drunken, incestuous party
And even as:
Cannibalism!
But here, too:
“That which is of the flesh, is flesh”
“That which is of the Spirit, is spirit”
What I mean by that...
…is that our participation in the Supper...
(while a physical act)...
…is NOT primarily physical!
We aren’t Cannibals...
…feasting on the miraculously Metamorphosed flesh and blood of Jesus.
We Partake of these physical elements...
…to symbolize our:
faith in
dependence upon...
The Substance they represent!
Do NOT partake apart from faith!
Paul warns us against that!
To look to your participation in these elements...
…the way the Jews looked to their keeping of the Law...
...Would be to similarly stumble over it.
The finished work of Christ...
…is the reality behind these symbols.
We must partake, by trusting in:
That! (His finished work)
Him! . . .
Not, in the Ordinance itself!
We need His grace to do so!
Let’s ask for it together.
Pray
Go down
Hand out
Matthew tells us this:
Matthew 26:26 (ESV)
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Pray and Partake
Matthew 26:27–28 (ESV)
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Notice what most of the gospel writers include:
Matthew 26:29 (ESV)
29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Like John...
…we have yet to see the full measure of Christ’s Salvation.
The Supper reminds us of both:
What God has done in Christ for us
What God will YET DO for us as a result of what He has already done!
So, we partake in faith:
Faith in What Christ has already accomplished
Faith in the certainty of what He will yet do!
Pray and Partake.