Luke 7 - Bible Study Notes -3-25-21

Luke 7 has recorded three great miracles performed by Jesus, the healing of the centurion’s servant, his reply to John the Baptist's question, and the anointing by a sinful woman. The primary overriding message throughout is one of the importance of faith in our lives…

At the beginning of Luke 7 Luke records…………..

“ Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

Lets pause there just for a moment.. Lets pray…

We thank thee Father for this gathering of souls this evening to study your word and for the fellowship that we require… We are thankful that, in spite of the lockdown for the covid pandemic we can reach out to each other through the use of technology. We ask Lord that this meeting be available to all who wish to be here, and even to those who have not yet found their way. We ask that our minds be open to your word tonight and that our hearts receive your messages that you have for us.. Bless our gathering this evening..Bless all who are in attendance and those who could not be with us tonight..

We ask these things in Jesus’ name…

Amen

So Jesus preached What is called the Sermon on the Plain , which took up the majority of the last chapter that we looked at and were told that He entered the city of Capernaum and by the way.. I have for all of those who would like to see a current map depicting exactly where He was…



It is of the Sea of Galilee and you can see where the pin marker showing where Capernaum actually is today..It is really cool when you think about it.. we’re reading things here that are a couple of thousand years old and yet the cities are still there..Some places have moved a little so there placement on the map is slightly off but Capernaum is in the same place as the ancient city was when Jesus was there even though it has had a volatile history.. I discovered that they dug down and found a fourth century synagogue and below that they found a 1st century synagogue right there in Capernaum which would have been the one that this Centurion built or had built.. the one that Jesus actually preached in has actually been unearthed..Thats what I love about the bible is that we are reading about reality that applied 2000 years ago and is a word that endures even today… They estimate that ancient Capernaum had about 1500 people back in the time of Jesus and was also considered Peter’s home.. I can show you the Interior of the modern Memorial built over the house of St Peter..


In the centre, on the lower floor you would see the remints of the original house of Peter under glass…

We are told that as Jesus walked through the city of Capernaum that he was approached by a group of Jews who came on behalf of a Roman Centurion.. Kind of a strange set-up because the Romans were considered to be the enemy who was now in control of Israel ..But this man had really garnered the affection of the people ..He was a Godly man ..He was a man who loved Israel and was a man who commissioned that a synagogue be built there..The one that has been uncovered…..What is remarkable is that a Roman Centurion did this and doubly so that it has been recorded in the manner that we see here on Luke...

Centurions, however, show up rather frequently in the Gospels and in Acts (e.g. Luke 7:2; 23:47; Acts 10:1; cf. Luke 3:14).

It is not really surprising to see them popping up , since centurions would have been a part of the Roman occupation force in Judea and Galilee in the first century. What is surprising is that these representatives of Roman occupation are portrayed in quite positive ways in the New Testament and here in Luke 7:1-10. They end up responding to Jesus and his kingdom message with a recognition of his identity and, sometimes, with faith.

The centurion in Luke 7:1-10 fits this surprising profile. He is a Gentile (and presumably Roman, although not all members of the Roman army were ethnically Roman), who seeks Jesus out for the healing of his slave. This oppressor of the Jewish people initiates a conversation with a Jewish healer. He sends Jewish elders to speak on his behalf to Jesus to prove that he has been a patron of the Jewish people (7:3). Then he sends his friends to keep Jesus from coming to his house, expressing confidently and with an analogy from his own role in the Roman army that this Jewish healer, Jesus, is able to heal from a distance (7:6-8). He compares the authority of the Roman Military to the authority chain of Jesus..

Conversely, Jesus is cast in the unlikely role of responder and not initiator in this passage. When asked to heal the slave, he goes with the Jewish elders (7:6). He responds in amazement at the centurion’s confidence that Jesus needn’t actually come to his house to heal his slave: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (7:9). And finally, Jesus heals the servant, although this is not narrated explicitly (7:10).It says that Jesus Marvelled at this..If you want to know what makes the Lord marvel this is it.. It takes faith…or..the lack of it…In fact Mark’s gospel gives us that side of it..”And Jesus said to them “ a prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household and he could do no mighty work there except with a few sick people and healed them..and he marvelled because of their unbelief….. The only things that amazed Jesus was faith and the lack of it…You know it makes us aware of just how important faith is…That Jesus would marvel at it…

Nevertheless, a reader of Luke has to be prepared for this surprising portrait of one from the Roman occupation army coming in faith to Jesus for healing. In Luke’s programmatic introduction to Jesus’ ministry (4:16-30), Jesus has preached a message from Isaiah about restoration that references Elisha’s healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14). Jesus speaks of ‘hometown rejection’ that leads the Old Testament prophet Elisha to heal not the many people in Israel who had leprosy but instead an army commander of Aram, a country hostile to Israel (2 Kings 5:2). And because Elisha heals this Gentile and military enemy, Naaman comes to acknowledge, “there is no God in all the earth except in Israel” (5:15). God says..Love your enemies..Elisha demonstrated just that…

Returning to the passage in Luke 7:1-10, the primary characterization that Luke offers of this enemy of Israel is faith that surpasses what Jesus has seen in Israel (7:9). The centurion’s faith is apparent in his understanding of Jesus’ God-given authority to heal and to do so even from a distance. “For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it” (7:8).

Centurions had a middling role in the hierarchy of the Roman army, put in charge of about 80 soldiers. He recognises Jesus as the Son of God and who receives his power from the Father….

Somehow, it seems fitting in this surprising story that Jesus himself is surprised and amazed at the trust this centurion demonstrates (7:9). He is surprised to find faith in a centurion that surpasses what he has seen in anyone from Israel. And we can learn something from Jesus’ own surprise at the spectre of an enemy soldier proving to be a model of faith for the people of God. Maybe we should not be surprised by the unlikely places that faith shows up in our own world. It could even show up in those we think are our enemies.

John the Baptist used to say when he saw Jesus walking by “Behold the lamb of God…And some of John’s disciples were so amazed by that they left John and started following Jesus…So here’s john during his ministry openly, publicly declaring behold the lamb of God.. He was saying more than making a superficial reference.. He was saying this is the messiah ..this is the sacrificial lamb of God who will die for the sins of the world…but things have changed now..Now John’s in prison..Now a Roman prison has a way of changing your prospective…In fact in prison its even possible for discouragement and doubt to enter in.. John the Baptist was no different in this regard..John was a man..great as he was.. subject to all of the challenges, difficulties and temptations and discouragements that you and I are subject to so he sent some of his followers to Jesus to ask a simple question..are you the one or should we wait for another..

by asking are you the one their asking are you the Messiah? Again John had no doubt earlier but now imprisoned and facing certain , but unpredictable death.. Not knowing the time that his life would be over, John is reflecting on the only commitment of his life.. On his single message prepare ye the way for the Lord…. As he sat in chains , a former voice crying in the wilderness he needs to be sure that his life was not wasted.. He needs reassurance… So out of a bit of desperation John is driven to ask the question.. Are you the one or should we wait for another..??? Lets look closely how the response of Jesus…Jesus says to John’s disciples.. 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 is Jesus doing? Is Jesus telling John’s disciples to go back and relay to John what they have experienced so that John’s faith could be based in experience? The question was brought to mind because there are a lot of Christians today whose faith is based on experience.. Is that what Jesus is doing? It sounds like it..dosen’t it? But actually that is not what Jesus is doing at all..He is actually sending back word to John that is directly consistent with what the word of God had prophesied about what the Messiah would do when he came. Isaiah 35 “ then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.. Isaiah 61:1 “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me to bring good news to the poor, ; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening to the prison for those who are bound.. These are messianic prophesies… Jesus outlines in his work before the eyes of his disciples;’ the prophesies which were depicted in the old testament which John knew, to be sure.. and said tell john these things have come to pass… By answering this way Jesus points to the scriptures and requires, even in prison that John exercise his faith in the living word of God..John had quoted Isaiah.. He knew which prophesies applied to himself and which ones applied to the Messiah… and they were all the things that Jesus was doing… But John was required to exercise the same faith as is required of you and I….

I hope you don’t think less of John or feel disappointed in him because it seems like hes disappointed in Jesus..I hope for this question we can love and respect him all the more.. It is not uncommon for great men of God with great faith to come to places in their lives where they bounce back and forth , not knowing who they are in terms of who the Lord is.. Moses had his own doubts.. Jeremiah said I quit the ministry.. “I won’t speak anymore in your name”.. Elijah said you can kill me now I just want to drop off the face of the earth.. this is not uncommon.. Why was John great? Because he was filled with the holy spirit from when? From Birth.. From the womb…2ndly He was a faithful reprehensive of God.. He preached the truth no matter who liked it ( or didn’t like it ).. another reason he was great was that he pointed his people to Jesus Christ.. He said I must decrease He , meaning Jesus, must increase… He was the final old testament prophet… So the point here it is not so much the question that John asked , crying out for reassurance, it is in the wonderful way that Jesus answered him. By doing so Jesus reassured him in the depths of a Roman prison and restored his faith… Jesus loved John to be sure …

After John’s disciples had departed Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said” What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. A wonderful testament to John and a glimpse into the greatness of Heaven and all who reside there…

Following his rejection by the Pharisees , as many would not except the message of John nor were they baptized by him, but as Jesus spoke about John one of them , interestingly enough, invited Jesus for supper at his house . We don’t know the reason for this invitation..But Jesus went to his house to eat with him.. We know it was not a private, intimate dinner with Jesus but was more of a dinner party perhaps with a political agenda… Now Jesus was visited while at dinner by an uninvited guest, a women, notorious for being a sinner. A person that a Pharisee would not have invited to his home.

In those days a man of means would likely have a house that was surrounded or part of a courtyard which connected to the street. Much like many upscale homes here in the Philippines.. It is likely that this woman entered the property through a courtyard open door and through the courtyard likely was able to access the dinner inside to find Jesus. She must have heard him speak because she knew who he was. She may have been following him for a time and when she was near him , close enough to touch him she began to weep. One can only speculate as to what she felt as she entered his presence.. Can you imagine what it may feel like to be in the presence of God? Also in those days people ate as they sat hitched to one side, their feet to the side or behind them and they ate using one arm.. Maybe you can picture this..The low table was called a Triclinium.. I’ll  put a picture up so you see how this woman was caring for the feet of Jesus behind him..

It did not look like the last supper was depicted by Leonardo da Vinci; European style.. Just lending a little context..Now it makes more sence… 

This woman so moved began to weep, her tears falling on the feet of Jesus. This woman then let down her hair ( which in those days was grounds for divorce, but she probably was not married) and dried his feet with her hair as she continued to weep.. She kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.. The ointment she had in an alabaster container indicating that is cost her greatly.. It is said that containers such as this, used in these days required that the person break off the top to open so that once open you must use it all.. So she opened her precious oil and anointed the feet of Jesus as he sat at supper, in the house of a Pharisee named Simon..

Simon saw this taking place and thought to himself.. If this was truly a prophet he would understand who was touching him.. We can assume that he meant a sinner, a woman of ill repute who he would not have invited to his home to begin with. But here is Jesus allowing her to touch him , wash his feet with her own tears.. so we can assume that she was overcome and to humble herself in such a way as to dry his feet also with her own hair… Simon would not intervene as she had already engaged Jesus who was his guest. But he had thoughts of unbelief or more accurately disbelief , as he watch this unfold.. Internally questioning to himself if this was really the Messiah as he so professed to be.. Now this is where its get really interesting.. Jesus understood the thoughts of Simon and it says “And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.” He said Simon I have something to say to you.. Simon said ..go ahead… Jesus proceeded to pose a question in the following way..

41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 500 Pence worth about 500 days labour for a labourer in those days.. about one pence per day… 50 pence equals more than one month’s earnings… So we have 2 debtors ..one who owed 500 pence and the other owing considerable less 50 pence… It says “And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both” .. Neither had any money to repay their debt.. so their creditor forgave them both.. Now the question to Simon.. “Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” Verse43 “ Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.” Jesus says.. You see this woman. ( meaning this woman who you have been staring at , the one who you have have contempt for ) “In verse 44 it says “ And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?”

Now Jesus proceeds to lay into Simon right in his own house while eating his food..

Let me stop there for a minute… In those days when a guest arrived for dinner.. they were greeted with a kiss on both cheeks.. It was the custom.. Then you would be provided with water to wash your feet and freshen up.. Most people would have been walking for a distance on the dirt pathway or road so washing feet was just good manners and providing your guests with the water to do so was being a gracious host… Then they would put a dab of scented oil on your head so that you would feel clean and refreshed… All these things were the custom in a civilized household in those days…

Ok so Jesus proceeds.. he says you see this woman??? And I’ll quote this directly because I love it so much !

Jesus says “ I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

This needs no further explanation… thy faith has saved thee…. How many times did Jesus say the same thing through out our study.. How much reinforcement does anyone need as to the importance of faith.. Some of us say I need more faith..I try to have faith or I know I should have more faith … I think we understand the importance of faith in Jesus… We get there through our desire to walk with Christ to be with him to worship him.. We get there through the example of this wonderful sinner woman who was overcome, to the point of tears at being in the presence of Jesus.. she quietly and possible fearfully cried and served him..Do you wonder if she was silently praying as well? She gave herself to him, in that moment and in that place… We can pray that we can have the same qualities of this woman who gave her all to Jesus.. Incidentally , this woman and Simon were both sinners.. she had much sinning , 500 pence worth.. Simon’s sin may have been only pride, 50 pence worth but this woman left that night a changed woman.. Simon finished the night unchanged and still a sinner.. You know sinners big or small are still sinners.. If you miss the mark by a little or a lot you have still missed the mark.. Faith restorith all things…

We can pray that our faith be restored or to come into our hearts for the first time.. We pray for that peace that we have in the Lord though “Faith”….

We pray for this woman in Luke and we are grateful for her example this evening. We ask that our eyes and hearts be opened so that through faith we can have the peace and Joy that you have promised us..

We ask this for all who are present in our gathering tonight. We ask especially for those who could not be here that they be so moved by your blessing, so that we may have fellowship together and together we all can enjoy fellowship with you..

We are ever thankful for your word, for your grace, for your forgiveness and for your love.. Keep us ever humble Lord, walk with us and teach us daily. We understand that it is only through your grace that we are who we are. We ask that your light shine through us so that we also can be a light in the world.. Help us to minister when we are able, move us to seize our opportunities to spread your word and to also exemplify the spirit in our lives, of your holy spirit..

We pray Lord for all of us who are struggling with illness. We ask this evening to hold us close and lay your healing hand upon us if even from a distance because we know Lord that you only need to desire it for it to be done. We are grateful also for the example of the centurion in our study this evening, who showed us clearly the nature of your power and the power of faith.. We ask for healing Lord… if it is not possible for ourselves we ask for our brothers and sisters who believe in you, who need you and who have nowhere else to turn. Continue to bless our modest bible study…

We ask these things in Jesus’ name..

amen