Good Morning Gorgeous,
It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start. All things are being made NEW!
It’s Day 7 and we are in Luke 7!
Take some time to read Luke 7 and soak up all of the beautiful truths about Jesus shown in this chapter.
* He is willing to break through cultural boundaries, social norms, and even rules regarding remaining ceremonially clean to HEAL, SAVE, and DELIVER.
*He answers questions about who He is by demonstrations of His power over darkness and infirmity.
*He will radically defend those who love Him.
All three of these characteristics of Jesus are revealed in Luke 7.
His willingness to break through all of the social norms and rules is evident at the start of the chapter with the healing of someone who was not a Jew.
He had just finished a loooong sermon that you can read in Luke 6. And the opening of chapter 7 says, “Now when He concluded saying all these things, He entered Capernaum and certain Centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and about to die.”
The Centurion had heard about Jesus. Reports of Jesus and His teaching and His miracles are spreading like wildfire all around the area.
And the Centurion sends elders of the Jews to talk to Jesus. To plead with Jesus to come and heal this man’s beloved servant. And when they plead with Jesus they mention how much the Centurion loves the Jews and what he has done for the Jews.
Why is this detail included? This is included because Jesus had been primarily preaching to and healing Jews. In Matthew 15: 24, Jesus says that He was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
(Of course there was a plan in place for everyone else to be included later when Holy Spirit was poured out after Jesus ascended to heaven and released His Spirit to dwell in anyone who would call on the Name Jesus.)
But that time has not yet come and so His primary focus has been to save the children of Israel. The Jewish elders tell Jesus that this Centurion who is NOT a child of Israel loves the Jews and built them a synagogue because of a promise spoken by God in Genesis!
God says to Abram: I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3
When the Jewish elders request healing for a non- Jew, they share that this man has been a blessing to them. And that gives him access because God said, “I will bless those who bless you.” to Abram, the Father of the Jewish faith.
And so Jesus went! He didn’t put up any argument, He just began to travel to the man’s house. A house that He wasn’t really supposed to enter because Jews didn’t go into the homes of Gentiles(non Jews), but He was WILLING to break the norm for this man.
Yet the man proved to have a radical faith behind just blessing the Jews because as Jesus traveled to his home, he sent friends to deliver a message to Jesus. The message was that he was aware that he wasn’t worthy for Jesus to enter his home, but that he had such faith in Jesus’s authority that if Jesus would just merely speak the Word, he knew his servant would be healed! He knew that Jesus’ power was so great and His authority was so high ranking that He didn’t need to be there in person for healing to take place. His command was enough for the infirmity to flee!
Wow! Wow! Wow! He knew. He got it. He had revelation far greater than the religious leaders who had been studying the scriptures their whole life!! And Jesus is astounded too. The scripture says He marveled.
Then He says:
“I say to you. I have not seen such great faith, not even in Israel!” Luke 7:9
And the man’s servant is HEALED!
And then the VERY NEXT day, Jesus does it again. Breaks the boundaries separating Him from what is considered unclean to restore a young man back to life!
He is traveling to another city and a funeral procession goes by. He sees a woman who is walking beside her dead son. Her only son. She is a widow so this child would have been her protection and her provision as well as her child. In that society, the care of a woman went to her son if her husband had passed. Without a husband or a son, a woman was in a very vulnerable and dire situation.
He sees her. Her has compassion on her. He speaks to her feelings BEFORE He performs any miracle. He comforts her. “Do not weep.” He is telling her that it’s going to be okay. And then He makes a RADICAL move. He TOUCHES the boy!
In this society, they weren’t allowed to touch the dead. This would make them ceremonially unclean and they would have to go through a purification process. Jesus touches the boy anyway and commands him to rise. “Young man, I say to you arise” Luke 7:14
The woman spared.
Her child spared.
Death defeated.
The enemy and his assignment of infirmity and death had to FLEE the child at the command of Jesus Christ!
Next in Luke 7, John the Baptist has questions! The same John the Baptist who is the Messenger for Jesus. The same John the Baptist who said he was unworthy to tie the sandals of Jesus. The same John the Baptist who baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him like a dove and the voice of God audibly speak, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”
John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus. “Are you the coming One, or should we look for another?”
Jesus doesn’t answer them right away, instead the Bible says in Luke 7:21 “At that very hour, He cured many infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.”
Okay imagine this with me! They ask this deep, serious question. Are you the One we’ve all been waiting for?
And Jesus turns and just begins to heal, drive out demons, save the tormented, and open blind eyes!
THEN He tells them to go tell John what they’ve seen and heard! Go tell John the blind see, lame walk, dead rise, and the gospel is being preached!
Jesus is not a God of talk, but of POWERFUL, merciful demonstrations of His love through miracles!
Yes He is the One! Come and see!
Jesus was moving in a way different than John and pretty much everyone had expected. They were expecting an overthrow of Roman Rule and a Jewish KING again. But Jesus was bringing His kingdom to earth instead!
And finally in this LONG chapter, we meet the woman who radically worships Jesus in front of a group of religious leaders and we see Jesus radically defend her!
Jesus was invited to a meal at a Pharisee’s house. He accepted, but was not welcomed. The man didn’t give Jesus any of the customary kindnesses that were common in that day when a guest entered your home. He invited Jesus for dinner, but wasn’t overly nice to Him nor did he even offer the common courtesies of the day like water to wash his feet, a customary hello kiss as a greeting, or oil to anoint His head. These were just common place things you did when someone entered your home. If he did none of them, maybe he simply invited Jesus out of curiosity or to catch Jesus saying or doing the wrong things. The Pharisee most likely had a group of his Pharisee friends there too.
A certain immoral woman heard where Jesus would be and she went there boldly and bravely and dat down behind Him at His feet. She washed them with tears, kissed His feet, and dried them with her hair. She poured out a very expensive jar of oil and worshipped Him.
“Certain immoral woman” means she was well known for her sins, her immoral lifestyle, probably prostitution, and she brought an offering to pour. She was done with this lifestyle, done with her old ways, she had a revelation and she brought what she had earned with that life and was going to pour it OUT.
She may not have a way to earn wages anymore. no husband, no covering, and maybe that’s even what drove her to the immorality! But she is ready to give up EVERYTHING she has gained from the world. Its of no use to her now that she had had a revelation! – she wants to pour it out as an offering, a sacrifice, a sign that she is DONE with her old ways.
She had REVELATION! Of who He was, what he had to offer her, and she was willing to give up everything!
Do you have revelation of what Jesus has to give you? Are you ready to POUR out everything else that has been serving you so that you are empty and able to recieve what He’s giving?
The Pharisee who sees this is not happy. He questions Jesus and calls this woman out for her sins. JESUS radically defends her! He speaks up boldly standing up for her extravagant worship and sacrifice and points out how little the man did for Him when He entered the home.
Then Jesus turns to the woman and addresses her directly. He makes it very clear to her that her sins are to be remembered no more..that she is healed, restored and free to go in peace!
What type of worship are you offering Jesus today?
Wow! That was a loooong chapter of LUKE, but oh so beautiful and revealing of Christ’s character!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this beautiful Word! You have given us so many examples of how much YOU love us and how much YOU desire to heal us, meet us in the depths of our pain, and to restore us back to life! May we receive it ALL this Christmas!
In Jesus’s Name,
Amen
Blessings and Miracles of healing,
Vanessa Lynn
