Luke 7:1

Luke 7:1

The Bible says concerning Jesus in Luke 7:1-10, "Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die. 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. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue. 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 you should enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled 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. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick."

Nothing happens by accident. There is a purpose to all things. Sorrows and difficulties, disease and death have a purpose in the plan of the great, eternal God. Compared to other men, this centurion was a good man. Even though he was a Roman, he loved the nation of Israel, and he built a synagogue for the people of the city of Capernaum. He was a man of power and authority and he had servants, but evidently he loved his servants as if they were members of his own family. When one of the servants was sick unto death, undoubtedly the centurion agonized over his condition. But there is a purpose to all things, and it appears as though the purpose to this sickness was so that the centurion would seek help from the Christ. He certainly would not be the last to seek help from God in time of trouble.

God is always looking for faith in the heart of man. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." We are saved by faith. When Jesus saw the faith of the centurion, he marveled. Jesus did not marvel because the centurion had built a synagogue for the Jews. Jesus did not marvel because the centurion loved his servant. Jesus marveled because of the faith of the centurion.

What kind of faith did the centurion have? First of all he had the kind of faith that believes that God can do anything. "With God all things are possible." Later in the gospels Jesus would say that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will be able to move mountains. When problems or troubles or trials come your way, you can go ahead and look at your difficulty and say, "Yes, this is a great difficulty." But if you are going to live by faith, make sure that you also say, "But with God all things are possible."

There is something that is exceptional about the faith of the centurion. He realized that Jesus did not have to be in the presence of the sick servant in order to heal him. The centurion knew that Jesus only had to speak the word from wherever He was, and the servant would be healed. This shows faith in the omnipresence of God and in the power of God’s word. You do not have to go to a special holy place in order to be blessed by God or to be healed by Him. God is everywhere. It does not require anyone traveling anywhere to get closer to God. It simply requires faith. Jesus said concerning the Roman centurion, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Could Jesus say the same thing about you and me?

The centurion had faith in the person of Jesus. He had faith in what Jesus could do for him. The centurion also had faith in the word of Jesus. He said to Jesus, "say in a word and my servant shall be healed." The strongest faith is not only based upon the person of God, it’s also based upon the word of God. The word of God is true, steadfast, sure, and reliable. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Don’t ever forget and don’t ever underestimate the power of God’s word. God spoke and the world was created. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. The power to change lives is in the Word of God. That’s why the Bible says that if any man speak, let him speak as of the words of God. It’s the Word of God, stupid. It’s not your illustrations, it’s not your examples. It’s the Word of God that will touch hearts and change lives. If you want to have faith like the faith of the centurion, then you must have faith in Jesus Christ, and you must have faith in His word.

After healing the centurion’s servant who was at the point of death, Jesus performed a miracle that was even greater. He brought someone back to life from the dead. The Bible says in Luke 7:11-15, "And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain, and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother."

Some things seem to never change. If you have lived very long, then you have had this same experience that Jesus had as He approached the city of Nain. He came upon a funeral procession. At various times in your life, you will cross paths with a funeral procession. That’s because everyone dies, and a funeral is given for them. So funerals are fairly common. One day the funeral procession will be yours. Out of respect for the dead and for those who are going to bury them, we often will pull over to the side of the road. But Jesus did something that no one else can do. He put an end to the funeral by raising the dead one.

Why did Jesus raise this person from the dead? It was not for the sake of the son who had died, but it was for the sake of the mother who was still alive. Luke 7:13 says, "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her." Someone who is in heaven is much better off than someone who is still on the earth. The young man did not benefit from being brought back to life, but of course the widow benefited greatly. She had no husband to help take care of her, but at least she had her son back. God will always find a way to take care of us. He will keep His promises, even if it takes raising someone from the dead.

There was a very practical and personal meaning in the life of this widow concerning the raising of her son from the dead. There was also a symbolic meaning for all of us. Jesus said to her when she was sorrowing over the death of her son, "Weep not." There are many sorrows that can come into our lives as we walk this earth. One of the greatest sorrows can be the sorrow of mourning for a departed loved one. Death is bad enough even in the normal course of life when children outlive their parents, but for some a child will die before the parent. That can be a difficult burden to bear. When a mother or father stands over the grave of a child, that can cause tears and weeping as nothing else on the earth. The greatest possible suffering of all the sufferings is for a parent who loves their child to have to stand with bowed and heavy heart over the grave of the child that they loved so dearly. But when Jesus said to the widow of Nain, "Weep not," He was saying it to everyone who as lost a loved one. It may hurt sometimes, but you do not need to sorrow like those who have no hope. If you believe in Jesus, you have hope that extends beyond the grave. If you have lost someone, they are in a far better place than you are, and you will see them again some day. Death cannot keep those who believe in Jesus. Death is not the end. There is something on the other side of the grave: something pure and good and wonderful. The kingdom of God and of Christ is where the dead go who die in the Lord. That’s the living hope that we have when we believe in Christ. We have a hope that gives victory over the greatest possible sorrows of life. Jesus said in the Gospel of John, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die."

The raising of the dead was perhaps the greatest miracle that Jesus performed in His life. It certainly was a miracle that had a great effect on the people who witnessed it, and we can understand why. Once Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead, his fame spread even wider and faster. The Bible says in Luke 7:16-18, "And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God has visited His people. And this rumor of him went throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. And the disciples of John showed him of all these things."

The people were smart enough to realize that the things that Jesus did could only be done by the power of God. Some people have made the serious mistake of trying to find reasons to dismiss what Jesus did, and to give some kind of human explanation for it. The correct explanation is the one given here in the Bible that Jesus did what He did by the power of God. John the Baptist sent disciples to find out more about Jesus and to find out the truth about Jesus. You can run from the truth if you want to, but those who seek to know will find it. Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find."

The things that Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist are recorded in Luke 7:19-23 where the Bible says, "And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist has sent us unto you, saying, are you he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

John the Baptist knew that he was the forerunner to the Christ, and this is the incident in which Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah to John. In Luke 7:22 Jesus listed several things that proved who He was. The miracles that Jesus did and the words that Jesus spoke are all the proof that anyone needs to know who Jesus is, and that includes John the Baptist. Jesus healed the sick, He raised the dead, and He preached the good news to the poor. That’s the work of the Messiah. Isaiah chapter 53 prophesied about what the Messiah would do when he came and it says in verses 4-5, "Surely he has born our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." John the Baptist would have been familiar with these prophesies about the Messiah and what the Messiah would do. John the Baptist would have been familiar with Isaiah 61:1-2 that says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn."

Anyone who knows the teachings of the Old Testament about the Messiah would know that Jesus is the Messiah. The life of Jesus was a perfect fit both by His words and His deeds. Jesus cared about people. He cared about their sufferings and their sorrows. When Jesus met someone who was sick, no matter what their disease was, they went away sick no more. When Jesus met up with a funeral procession, the tears of mourning turned into shouts of joy because the dead were brought to life again. Jesus loves every member of the human race. He loves us so much that He died for our sins so that we could live forever with Him in heaven. He loves us so much that He has planned a day when He will take away all sorrow and all sickness forever and ever.

Of course, it was not only what Jesus did, but also what He said that proved who He was. The words of Jesus were good words. They were words full of grace and truth that inspired the hearers to hope and faith and love. If you haven’t heard the words of Jesus then you are the same as a deaf man who has never heard anything. If you haven’t been given spiritual sight by Jesus, then you are still blinded by sin. If you haven’t been healed by Jesus then you are still suffering from the sickness of sin. If you haven’t been given life by Jesus, then you are still dead in you sins. Come to Jesus while there is still time and find everything that you will ever need, most importantly the forgiveness of your sins.

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