Read Luke 7:1-10
What lies at the heart of this passage’.’
- Great Gentile faith that can be as great if not greater than Jewish faith.
- A hinted comparison of the joyous response of Gentiles to the Gospel message with that of the unbelieving response of the Jews.
How might the Jews looking on have taken to this situation and what might they have thought of Jesus?
- Might they have been indignant at Jesus ‘suggestion’ here.
- Might they have thought, ‘here he goes again, mixing with sinners’.
How might we have reacted if we had been there? How do we react today when we see or hear of what appears to be an example of great faith from someone we don’t consider to be a Christian?
Luke 7:11-17
What strikes you most about this passage?
- The compassion of Jesus. Compare it to the story of Elijah and the widow in 1Kings 17:7-24 But what is different here?
- Whereas Elijah had to stretch himself out three times in prayer to revive the boy. Jesus simply spoke the Word and it was done.
What does this say to us about the Word of God and do we put as much faith in it as we should?
Luke 7:18-35
What do we understand to be the significant issues in these verses?
- That John appeared to have doubts as to who Jesus was.
- Was Jesus indeed the one who would follow John.
- Perhaps his expectations weren’t that different from others.
- Jesus, however confirms that John was His precursor.
- That John is the forerunner spoken of in Isaiah 40 and Malachi
- Those who had been baptised by John (sinners and outcasts) accepted Jesus.
- Those who had not been baptised (religious leaders and Pharisees) did not.
What are our ‘expectations’ of Jesus and, if we’re honest, who might we most associate ourselves with in these verses?
Luke 7:36-50
What do these verses say to us?
- How significant is the parable of the money lender in these verses?
- Who is the real sinner here, Simon or the woman?
- Compare Simon’s reaction to Jesus with the woman’s.
- Once again Jesus shows that He has the power and the authority to forgive sin.
Do we believe in our heart or hearts that no matter how great our sins may be that the Lord will forgives us?
In Chapter 7 Luke focuses his attention on Jesus relationship with specific individuals as lie begins to present Jesus as the King of the Kingdom of Heaven. And here we see that this Kingdom is for those who recognise that they are poor and needy, in different ways and who are willing to accept what Jesus offers. Remember back in Chapter 4, the Kingdom of Heaven is available to all in need, irrespective of nationality, status or gender and here we see Luke deal with four different people in four entirely different situations.
A Roman Soldier – Who shows faith greater than any of the Jews. A Widow – heartbroken and needy.
John the Baptist – discouraged and doubting. The Sinful Woman – with many sins needing forgiven.
Question Of The Day: In the story of Noah, for how many days did the flood waters cover the earth?