Luke 7

Luke 7:1-10

Chapter 37 A Certain Centurion Here, the Holy Spirit gives us the account of a certain centurion, his remarkable character, his great faith, and the healing of his sick servant, by the mere will of the Lord Jesus Christ. This Roman soldier said to the Lord Jesus, “I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof … Neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.” No Discrepancy If you read Matthew’s abbreviated account of this same great miracle, you will see that Matthew described the event as a conversation, which took place between the centurion and the Lord Jesus personally. Here, in Luke’s narrative the Holy Spirit tells us plainly that the conversation was between the centurion’s friends and the Master, not between the centurion and the Master. There is no discrepancy, or contradiction between Matthew and Luke. Perhaps, Matthew simply makes the words of the centurion’s representatives to be the centurion’s own words, which is altogether appropriate (since a representative’s words are really the words of the one he represents); or it may be that the centurion first sent messengers to the Master and, afterwards, came to the Lord Jesus himself. Whatever the case may be, both Matthew and Luke wrote their narratives as honest eye witnesses, exactly as God the Holy Spirit directed them. The Centurion’s Servant “Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum” (Luke 7:1). When Luke tells us the Lord had ended his sayings, he is referring to the sermon he had just finished preaching (Luke 6:20-49). In that sermon our Master’s message had four main points. He taught us three great truths we will be wise to learn and remember. Those who are privileged to suffer for the gospel’s sake, those who suffer in this world for Christ’s sake are blessed (Luke 6:20-26). Faith in Christ causes men and women to walk in love, love that is kind, generous, and forgiving (Luke 6:27-38). Nothing in all the world is so dangerous to our souls as false religion (Luke 6:39-49). If we follow blind men in spiritual matters, we will perish with them. The primary concern in all things spiritual is the heart. If the tree is corrupt, the fruit is corrupt, no matter how good it may look to men. If the tree is good, the fruit is good, no matter how corrupt it may appear to men. Our souls must be built upon that Foundation which God himself has laid (the Lord Jesus Christ), or our house is sure to fall. When our Lord had finished preaching this sermon, he entered into Capernaum. He had spoken with authority. Now, he comes to Capernaum to display the efficacy of his grace. Capernaum was exalted, elevated, and blessed above all other places (Matthew 11:23), by virtue of the fact that the Lord Jesus performed more of his miraculous works in Capernaum than anywhere else. He had already healed the nobleman’s son there (John 4). In all probability, the centurion had heard about that great work. Perhaps he had witnessed it. “And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die” (Luke 7:2). Here is a centurion, a Roman soldier, who had the command of a hundred men under his authority. He was a Gentile. He was a soldier. And he was a believer. As John Bunyan put it, “A Roman soldier was the first fruit of the Gentile world.” Here, the Holy Spirit tells us three things about this centurion’s servant. This servant was dear (held in great honour and precious) to his master. Blessed is the servant who has such a master! Words can never speak so powerfully as the experience of this centurion’s servant does of the great advantage and blessed privilege of living in the home of one who believes God, walks with Christ, and seeks your soul’s everlasting good. This man’s servant was sick, very sick. What multitudes there are in the same condition spiritually as this man was in physically. There is a plague, a death plague in the heart of man. There is a spiritual palsy in the soul (Isaiah 1:5-6; 1 Kings 8:38). The centurion’s servant was “ready to die”, at the very point of death. An immortal soul at the point of death, what a sobering sight! Each time we see one who is sick, or visit one who is dying we ought to be reminded of our own frailty, and ask God to give us the wisdom and grace to set our hearts upon Christ and eternity (Psalms 90:12-16; Colossians 3:1-3). He Heard Of Jesus “And when he heard of Jesus … ” (Luke 7:3) We are not told how, but somehow this centurion “heard of Jesus”! Perhaps he had been present to hear the sermon recorded in chapter 6. Maybe he had heard the report of the gospel from someone else. How he heard is unimportant. What is important is this. “He heard of Jesus”! God sent his Word to him. God the Holy Spirit had given him hearing ears, seeing eyes and a believing heart. We have no way of knowing how much knowledge the man had. That is altogether insignificant. The thing that is significant is who he knew. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ, and he knew the one true and living God in him (John 17:3). In other words, he was born of God. The only way any sinner can ever have eternal life is by knowing God (John 17:3). The only way we can know God is in Christ (Matthew 11:27). And the only way any sinner can know Christ and believe on him unto life everlasting is by the preaching of the gospel (Romans 1:16; Romans 10:17). The Centurion “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 loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue” (Luke 7:3-5). This centurion was a man of remarkable character. He was a gracious, kind, generous man. His faith was that true faith which only God can give. It was “faith that worketh by love.” He was a man of blameless reputation. He was a man of such magnanimous goodness in the eyes of men that the Jews did not hesitate to declare (though it betrayed their own ignorance) that he was worthy for the Son of God to give him what he asked. He loved his servant. Many came to the Lord Jesus seeking mercy for others. One came for a son, another for a daughter, and once four for a friend; but we are told of none but this centurion who came to the Son of God seeking mercy for a servant. Not only did he love his servant, he loved his neighbours, too. “He loveth our nation.” And this centurion was devoted to the worship and service of God. He built a synagogue, a house of worship at Capernaum. When these Jewish leaders said, “he hath built for us a synagogue”, they were saying: this man has, at his own expense, by himself, built a church building and given us a place to worship the Lord our God!

This man’s faith was more than creeds, confessions, and rituals. He did not merely say he believed God. He lived as one who believed God. His love was not lip love, but deed love. Kindness is something all people recognize and appreciate. Kindness adorns and commends the doctrine of God our Saviour. Kindness reflects the character of Christ. Kindness is one way to spread a little happiness in this world. Even these wretched Jewish elders (who would soon plot the murder of the Son of God) were moved by this man’s kindness. Had his servant died of his sickness, he would have enjoyed the privilege of dying in the home and under the tender care of a kind friend. “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:2). “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: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed” (Luke 7:6-7). This centurion was a truly humble man. Humbled by grace, he sent messengers to the Lord Jesus, saying, “I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof”! All who are born of God, all true believers know their unworthiness before God and confess it. Others may look at the child of God and applaud him for his deeds; but he sees himself in another light. Here is a remarkable expression of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Say in a word, and my servant shall be healed”! He acknowledged what very few understood in his day and few understand in any day: that Jesus of Nazareth is himself God Almighty in human flesh. None but God himself can heal by the mere word of his power (Psalms 33:6; Psalms 33:9; Psalms 148:5). But there was much more to his faith than the bare acknowledgment of Christ’s eternal deity. “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” (Luke 7:8). This centurion asked for no sign or wonder. He simply believed God. He here declares his implicit confidence in Christ as God and confesses his faith in him as that One in whose hands all things are but clay, the mighty King of the universe, whose command rules in heaven, earth and hell, the Monarch of all things, before whom all things (including sickness and health, life and death) are but obedient servants. He confidently bowed to the Lord Jesus, confessing his omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence as God. He believed that Man who stood on the sands of Capernaum to be the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth! Jesus Marvelled “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” (Luke 7:9). Only twice do we see the Lord Jesus marvelling at something. In Mark 6:6 we are told that our Saviour marvelled at the unbelief of his kinsmen. Here, he marvels at the faith of a Roman centurion. What can be more marvellous than the fact that the Son of God marvelled? In Mark 6:6 the word “marvelled” implies astonishing sorrow. Here, the same word implies great admiration. Let us learn to place admiration where our Lord did, not upon the gaieties of the world sought by men, but upon the grace of God in men. Our Lord Jesus was never impressed by a person’s possessions, position or power, land, learning or living, fortune, fame or family. But he admired faith. What grace this shows in him! He gives faith, and then admires the man who exercises what he has given! “And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick” (Luke 7:10). A greater miracle of healing than this is nowhere recorded in holy scripture. Without even seeing this centurion’s servant, without so much as the touch of his hand or the look of his eye, our Lord restored the full vigour of health to a dying man! He willed it, and the disease departed! May God give us grace, like this centurion, to believe him, to love others, to do them good, to seek the grace and mercy of God in Christ for their souls. May the Lord give us grace, like this centurion, to walk humbly before him, knowing and acknowledging to him our utter unworthiness of the very least of his favours. Luke 7:11-17 Chapter 38 A Blessed Intrusion On three separate occasions our Lord Jesus raised people from the dead, by his great omnipotence and grace. In John 11 he raised Lazarus from the dead, one who had been dead for four days. In the eighth chapter of Luke’s gospel our Saviour raised the ruler’s daughter to life. But the first display of our Saviour’s power over death is found here in Luke 7:11-17. We have before us a scene of great sorrow. As our Lord Jesus, his disciples, and the crowds following him came to the city of Nain, they ran into a funeral procession. A widow was taking her only son to the cemetery. When our Lord Jesus came upon this scene of woe, he stepped into the life of this widow at the time of her greatest sorrow. He intruded when no stranger ought to intrude. He stopped what no one ought to stop. He interrupted a funeral. Oh, how I thank the Son of God for making such intrusions of grace as are portrayed in this passage! Multitudes are carried swiftly to their graves by the gaieties, glamour and glitter of the world, totally unaware of their lost and ruined condition, without feeling, without life, without hope, until the Lord Jesus Christ steps into their lives, stops their funeral processions and raises the dead by the power of his omnipotent grace! And whenever the Son of God intrudes into the lives of men and women in this world, those who experience his intrusion, bow before him in reverent fear and glorify God. Without question, our Lord’s miracles display the fact of his eternal Godhead and omnipotent power; but they are intended to do much more than that. They are all designed to be pictures of his grace and salvation freely bestowed upon and wrought in chosen sinners by his omnipotent grace. This story of the funeral in Nain is designed to display: The Consequences Of Sin First, the scene before us displays most vividly the consequences of our sin. “The wages of sin is death;” and everything preceding death in this world is but the forerunner of it. All funerals are sad; but here is a picture of sadness without any mixture of pleasure. Here is a widow, burying her young son, who is her only son. Everything in the picture, until the Lord Jesus steps in, is misery, sorrow, grief and woe. That is exactly the case with us. The corruption, depravity and sin of race are evident because ours is a race of sick, dying, sorrowful men. We live in a world of sickness and sorrow, drudgery and death, wickedness and woe, misery and mortality, because we live in a world of sin. Sin is the root and fountain of all this sorrow. Were it not for sin, the world would be free of tears and cares. Were it not for sin, there would be no sickness, no doctors, no hospitals, no courts, no prisons, no broken homes, no shattered lives, no morticians, no funerals, no cemeteries.

But all these woes portray the present state of things all over the world. What a thief, what a nuisance, what a great murderer sin is (Romans 5:12); but, blessed be God, things change when Christ comes! When the Lord Jesus steps into a sinner’s world of woe, all that was misery before is seen to be mercy. And when he comes again, he will make all things new, and remove from his creation all the evil consequences of sin (Revelation 21:1-7). The Compassion Of Our Saviour Second, God the Spirit here gives us a beautiful display of our Saviour’s compassion. “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not” (Luke 7:13). Oh, how deep is the compassion of our Saviour’s heart! None of us has yet begun to imagine how tender and compassionate our Lord Jesus is. He truly is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities”. He who wept with Martha and Mary at their brother’s tomb is still “touched with the feelings of our infirmities”. Here our Lord Jesus meets the mournful procession. As he observes what has happened and is happening, his heart is moved toward this poor woman. He does not wait for someone to ask for help. He just steps in, in sovereign mercy, and says to the woman, “Weep not”! There is no friend or comforter to be compared with Christ. Perhaps those two words sounded strange to this woman, perhaps even cruel. Certainly, no one in the procession understood them; but, when the Lord Jesus says, “Weep not”, he takes away the cause of weeping! In all our days of darkness he is our Light. He is yet the Sun of Righteousness. And the Son of God never changes (Hebrews 13:8). He cannot fail. He cannot disappoint. He cannot change. Child of God, your dear Redeemer, who made the mourning widow’s heart leap for joy, will yet turn your sorrow into laughter and your mourning into a song. He is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. He lives to heal broken hearts, to mend broken lives, and wipe away all tears from our eyes; and he will do it. The Character Of Our Sovereign Third, this story sets before us the character of our Sovereign. Our Lord Jesus stepped in and took over. O blessed intrusion! There are those who say, “God is a gentleman. He never comes in uninvited.” But those who talk such nonsense are as ignorant as they are blasphemous. Thank God, he never waits for permission to intervene. He never waits for an invitation to be gracious. When God comes to save, he comes in sovereign mercy. Our sovereign God always takes the initiative in salvation. He declares, “I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me” (Romans 10:20; Ezekiel 16:6-8). “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine” (Ezekiel 16:6-8). The Conditions Of Salvation Fourth, this event was brought to pass by God’s wise, adorable and good providence specifically to show us the conditions of our salvation. The Word of God specifically identifies certain conditions that must be met before any sinner can enter into heavenly glory in everlasting salvation.

1. The Will of God: no sinner will ever be saved except God wills it. Man’s will is totally insignificant. Only the will of God matters (John 1:11-13; Romans 9:11-18; John 5:21).
2. The Word of God has ordained the salvation of his elect by the preaching of the gospel. As this young man was made to live by the word of Christ, so “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25).
3. The Work of God: salvation is a supernatural, irresistible work of God’s free and sovereign grace involving three mighty works of omnipotent, effectual mercy, by which the complete redemption (deliverance) of God’s elect is accomplished (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). All who obtain God’s salvation must be ransomed from the curse of the law. That is what the Lord Jesus did for us by the sacrifice of himself at Calvary (Galatians 3:13-14; 1 Peter 1:18-20). But blood atonement alone takes no one to heaven. Every ransomed sinner must be delivered from the prison and grave of sin by the power of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration (John 5:25). None will ever be saved except Christ be formed in them, except they be made new creatures in Christ, except they be born again (John 3:5-7). No one has any hope of glory until he is made a partaker of the divine nature.

Yet, there is another work just as necessary as the ransom of our souls by the blood of Christ and just as necessary as the new birth. Every chosen, blood-bought, heaven-born soul must be transformed in resurrection glory into the very likeness of his Saviour (John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:18-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Luke 7:18-22

Chapter 39 The Concern Of A Condemned Man It is a terribly sad thing to see families divided. It is even sadder to see men and women who are brethren in Christ divided. With families, I suppose, divisions may be, in some circumstances, unavoidable, perhaps even justifiable. But there is absolutely no justification for strife, jealousy, and division among saved sinners. Yet, it is often the sad, shameful fact that men and women who are one in Christ are divided in this world. There were some of whom Paul spoke when he was in prison at Rome, who, though they were his brethren, thought he was a fake, sought to add affliction to his bonds and were obviously motivated by envy and strife (Philippians 1:12-18). The church at Corinth was in a horrible state of strife and division when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. In fact, the first three chapters of that book are taken up with the matter. Yet, they were brethren. The same thing was true, even during the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Our Lord’s disciples were once divided about the matter of who would be greatest among them in heaven. And there was a sad, but obvious, jealousy between the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of our Lord. We see this in the opening words of the passage before us. Our Lord had performed remarkable miracles; and his fame was immediate. In Luke 7:16 we read, “There came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and that God hath visited his people.” Then, in Luke 7:18 we read, “And the disciples of John showed him all these things.” John’s disciples were concerned that their beloved leader was losing fame and influence. They were a little put out by the increased fame of Jesus of Nazareth. But John the Baptist was a truly magnanimous man, faithful in all things to the glory of Christ and the souls of men. He is held before us here in his very last recorded act on this earth as an example for us to follow. A Faithful Watchman “And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 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 hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke 7:18-20). The message John sent to the Lord Jesus was not an indication of doubt or unbelief on his part. This is the man who had throughout his adult life pointed sinners to Christ and proclaimed him as the Lamb of God, that One whose shoes he was not worthy to untie, the man who was and is the eternal God. He was not now in doubt about those things. He had been taught of God. The message John sent to the Master was intended to confirm his disciples in the faith and persuade them to follow Christ, whom he followed. It was to set the hearts of his disciples, those very disciples who seemed fearful that the Lord Jesus might be getting too much attention, on the Saviour. John knew that he was a condemned man. Herod had thrown him into prison. His life was coming to an end. His opportunities of service in the cause of Christ were now ended. His day of labour was over. The prospects before him were obvious. Yet, even in the prospect of his violent death, John was a faithful man, faithful to his God, faithful to his Saviour, faithful to his charge as God’s prophet and faithful to the souls committed to his trust. This faithful man sent his disciples to the Lord Jesus, that they might see for themselves who he was. This was the concern of his heart, even when he was himself a condemned man. This was not just John’s concern in the prospect of death. He was not trying, in his last days, to make up for past inconsistencies. Not at all. This was John’s constant concern (John 1:19-29; John 1:35-37; John 3:22-36). It is ever the concern of faithful men to exalt Christ, point sinners to Christ, and urge those under their influence to believe and to follow Christ. Like Paul after him, John the Baptist sought to unify God’s people, by directing the hearts of those who heard him to Christ himself. With great wisdom and forethought, he sent his disciples directly to the Lord Jesus, asking, “Art thou he that should come? Or, look we for another?” he was keenly aware of the fact that his disciples might easily be led away by the petty strife that often divides men. He did what he could to head it off before he left his friends. Like his Master, he loved his disciples to the end. What an instructive example John’s action here gives us. Every pastor, every father, everyone who has influence over another ought to make it their business in life to direct those they influence to Christ. Let it be our hearts’ concern to set the hearts of those we influence upon the Son of God (Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1). Spare no pains to instruct those trusted to your influence in the things of God. Press them into the Saviour’s arms. Remind them often of their sins and his sacrifice, of their souls and his salvation, of their guilt and his grace, of their ruin and his redemption! Blessed are those men and women, mothers and fathers, pastors and elders who can on their dying beds look back upon the faces of those they leave behind, and say, “I’ve warned you of the wrath to come. I’ve told you, as best I could, who Christ is. I have not failed to show you the way of life and press you into it. A Forceful Witness “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 ye 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” (Luke 7:21-22). What a remarkable answer our Lord gave to these disciples of John. How would he convince them who he is? He offered no historic proof. He gave them no account of what other men had said about him. He simply pointed them to the facts. The works they saw and the doctrine they heard. That which they saw and heard convinced them that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ promised by God’s prophets (Isaiah 35:4-6). Wherever Christ is, the blind are made to see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor (spiritually and materially) have the gospel preached to them. We would be wise to hear the instruction of our Lord’s example. By what standard are we to judge the ministry of any man, or any church? How are we to witness to men? How are we to convince others of the gospel we believe? Argument, debate and apologetics are useless. Creeds, confessions, and historic positions are meaningless. Just tell others what you have seen and heard, what you have experienced, observed, and learned for yourself (1 John 1:1-3). A Frank Warning “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Luke 7:23). John’s disciples saw standing before them a man, to all outward appearance, as poor, unimpressive and needy as they were. His followers were a rag-tag band of fishermen. The only men of means among them were publicans, men of notorious ill-repute. It seemed incredible that this man could be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Multitudes have gone to hell because they found him an offence (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). Will you? The offence of the cross has not ceased (Galatians 5:11). So long as the world stands, Christ and his gospel will be offensive to proud, self-righteous men. It is offensive to man’s sense of self-worth to be told that he is a poor, lost, guilty, condemned sinner. It is offensive to our pride to be told that we are utterly helpless, incapable of saving ourselves or even contributing something to our salvation. It is offensive to self-righteous men to be told that they must be justified by the righteousness of another, washed in the blood of a Substitute and saved by free grace alone. It is offensive to our sense of dignity and superiority to be told that we must enter the kingdom of heaven side by side with publicans, harlots and sinners.

It is offensive to our sense of personal intelligence to be told that salvation, the knowledge of Christ and of God, comes to men entirely by divine revelation. It is offensive to our sense of self-determination to be told that salvation is by God’s will and not by our own. It is offensive to our rebel hearts to be told that we must bow to the rule and dominion of Christ as our rightful Sovereign, Lord, and King. Untold thousands have heard the gospel and, being offended by it, have despised it. They would not stoop to “enter in at the strait gate”. They would not bow to walk in “the narrow way”. They despised God’s terms of grace. Therefore, they are this hour in hell, tormented by the just wrath of the holy Lord God. They now know the meaning of these words “Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Luke 7:24-30

Chapter 40 Our Great Defender Did you ever notice how often the scriptures portray the Lord our God as our Shield and Defence? Particularly in the psalms, we see our great God spoken of in this way. How often we see the man after God’s own heart running to him for defence, hiding in him for refuge, seeking protection behind the mighty God of Jacob as his shield. David’s son, Solomon, learned this valuable, soul cheering truth from his father (Psalms 119:114; Psalms 144:1-2; Proverbs 18:10; Proverbs 30:5). He who is our shield and hiding place is our Defender. The psalmist sang with joy, “God is my defence”! (Psalms 7:10; Psalms 31:2; Psalms 89:18; Psalms 94:22). The Lord Jesus Christ, our great God and Saviour, is the great Defender of our souls. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalms 62:1-8). Christ Our Defender In the passage before us God the Holy Spirit holds before us an instructive example of Christ our God defending one of his own. That is what we see in Luke 7:24-28. Our Lord seems to have sensed that those who had heard his conversation with John’s disciples might, as sinful men are prone to do, put a bad construction upon what they had heard. He seems to have read the thoughts of their hearts, and what he read was not good. Perhaps the fact that John was imprisoned by Herod caused the multitudes to look upon him with suspicion. Perhaps the question he sent his disciples to ask caused those who heard it to look upon John as a weak, fluctuating, unsteady man, one whose faith had begun to fail. Whatever their thoughts were, they were obviously thoughts of unwarranted unkindness, harshness and evil regarding John the Baptist. Whatever the reason was, our Lord Jesus immediately took up John’s cause. Without a moment’s hesitation, like a faithful friend, the Son of God takes upon himself the defence of his faithful servant. There is much to be learned here. Blessed are those who have Christ for their Friend; and blessed are those who follow his example as friends to others (Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 18:24). The Lord Jesus pleaded John’s cause earnestly, with the strong, firm, unquestionable language of a loyal, faithful friend. He took it upon himself to silence the suspicious thoughts and doubts in the minds of those around him about John. He said that John was no mere reed, shaken in the wind. He was not a man of unstable, wavering character, but a prophet, a great prophet. He asserted that John was not a man living in luxury, courting the favour of men, particularly of powerful men. He did not hang around the king’s palace, grovelling for the king’s smile. John was God’s prophet; and he acted like God’s prophet. Indeed, John the Baptist was much more than a prophet. He was a prophet of whom the prophet Malachi wrote (Malachi 3:1), “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” John was that Elijah who came to prepare the way for the Christ, who came to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children by turning their hearts to Christ. Then, our Master said, “Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.” What a blessed picture we have before us! I find it sweet beyond expression, touching and instructive. Just a few years earlier, John was the best known, most popular, most highly esteemed preacher in the land. There was a time when all Jerusalem and Judea hung upon his words. They followed him from one place to another, walking for miles at a time, just to hear him preach. All men were baptized by him (Matthew 3:5). But now John the Baptist was a prisoner in Herod’s hands, deserted by all, held in contempt by all but a few, friendless and alone. The only thing awaiting him was his execution. But he was not deserted by that One whose name is the Mighty God. John could say of him what all who ever knew him could, “This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.” “Jesus! What a Friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul! Friends may fail me, foes assail me, he my Saviour, makes me whole. Jesus! What a Strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him; Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my Strength, my victory wins. Jesus! What a Help in sorrow! While the billows o’er me roll; Even when my heart is breaking, He, my Comfort, helps my soul! Jesus! What a Guide and Keeper! While the tempest still is high; Storms about me, night o’ertakes me, He, my Pilot, hears my cry! Jesus! I now flee unto him! More than all in him I find; He has granted me forgiveness. I am his and he is mine! Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Hallelujah! What a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, he is with me to the end!” J. Wilbur Chapman John the Baptist had in the Son of God a Friend who never failed him and never forsook him. He is that Friend who says to all his Jacob’s, “I am the Lord, I change not. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” Let me show you what there is in all this for you. Do you know what it is to be held in suspicion? Do you know what it is to be slandered, falsely accused, to have your name evil spoken of, to have your character assaulted? There are few of God’s children here who do not experience these things. Noah’s son Ham sought to mar his father’s name among his own brothers. Moses was the object of much slander in Pharaoh’s house; but the slander in the house of Israel was more bitter; and the suspicions of Miriam and Aaron were even worse. Joseph’s brethren spoke evil of him. David was maligned by Saul, betrayed by Ahithophel, and cursed by Shimei. Jeremiah was falsely accused by those for whom he laboured, to whom he carried the burden of the Word of the Lord. John the Baptist was praised as a great prophet one day and accused of being possessed of the devil the next.

Our Lord himself was slandered, maligned, falsely accused, betrayed and looked upon by the multitudes, those who would not hear him, as a vile, reprehensible man, a glutton, a drunk, and the constant companion of sinners. The women who anointed the Saviour had their motives suspected and were slandered, even by their fellow disciples. Paul was accused of being a self-serving false prophet, a promoter of licentiousness, and a wicked man. These things are not easy to bear. In fact, there are few trials more difficult to endure. The fiend of hell is called “the accuser of the brethren” (at least in part), because false accusation is that which he most often uses as a weapon against our souls. Satan knows that a man’s character is the point at which he is most easily, most painfully, and most permanently wounded. He knows that men and women who seek to honour God are most sensitive about maintaining an honourable name, seeking to live blamelessly before others. Therefore, he most often assaults us there. J. C. Ryle wrote, “Slanders are easily called into existence, greedily received and propagated, and seldom entirely silenced.” Lies and false accusations are the devil’s chosen weapons, by which he tries to injure the Lord’s people, seeks to destroy a person’s usefulness and disturbs our peace. Knowing these things, by bitter and painful experience, there is nothing more comforting and assuring than this: We have an Advocate in heaven who knows our sorrow and is touched by that which touches us. That same Advocate who took up the cause of John the Baptist before this Jewish crowd is our Advocate today. The Son of God will never desert his own. Our names may be cast in the mud and evil spoken of by wicked men. The world may frown upon us. But our Saviour never changes. He has undertaken our cause. He will protect and defend us in the best way. And, one day soon, he will plead our cause before the entire world (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). Peculiar Blessedness In Luke 7:28 the Lord Jesus tells us that we live in an age of peculiar blessedness. “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.” The last phrase of this verse has been interpreted by faithful men in a variety of ways. “But he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Without question, these words apply to our Lord himself. The Son of God became the least among men, the very least in the kingdom of God, though he is greater than all. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-11). He who is God over all and blessed forever became a man. He who created all things became the Servant of men. He who is our Lord and Master washed his disciples’ feet. He who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He who is life was made to die the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross, that we might have eternal life in him! However, our Lord is here talking about his disciples in this gospel age. These words speak of the peculiar, distinctive privilege that is ours as the children of God in this gospel age. “He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Compared with the saints of the Old Testament era, believers in this gospel age enjoy a position of tremendous advantage and superiority. After describing and commending John’s gifts and graces, the Saviour says, “but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” He is not suggesting that believers in this age are superior to those of the Old Testament in gifts, in faith or in faithfulness. If we had no other passage than Hebrews 11 to convince us, Hebrews 11 is enough to convince us that our Lord is not suggesting that believers in this age are superior to those of the Old Testament in gifts, in faith or in faithfulness. What he is saying is this: in this gospel age believers have superior light and revelation. We have the full, final, complete revelation of God in Christ inscripturated (Hebrews 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Living on this side of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ we live in a position of indescribably greater light than John the Baptist and those who lived in that age of types, pictures and prophecy. I do not suggest that those believers of old did not know and believe the same gospel we do. They most certainly did. But they saw things as through a glass darkly. They were not given such a precise, exact and complete revelation of gospel truth as we now have in the full revelation of God. They saw the Fountain. We see the Fountain opened. They saw the veil. We see the veil rent in twain and the way to the holiest of all open. Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos home and instructed that great orator in the way of the Lord more perfectly. This is exactly what God promised in the covenant. “They all shall know me … A child shall lead them”! To put it in plain, simple terms, insofar as spiritual knowledge is concerned, the new born babe in this gospel age, knowing the wondrous doctrine of the cross, being taught of God, has greater spiritual knowledge than John the Baptist and those men and women of the Old Testament possessed. The Old Testament age was the church’s age of infancy and childhood. This is the age of the church’s maturity. The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ. But now that Christ has come we are no longer its pupils (Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:25-27; 1 Peter 1:10-17). A Solemn Lesson In Luke 7:29-30 the Spirit of God sets before us a very solemn lesson. All who are privileged to hear the gospel either justify God or reject the counsel of God against themselves. “And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” To some the gospel is made of God to be the sweet savour of life and salvation. Being born of the Spirit, convinced of our guilt and sin, looking to Christ, all true believers justify God (Psalms 51:1-5). Self-righteous rebels reject, despise and cast off the counsel of God against themselves (Proverbs 1:23-33; Isaiah 65:1-5; Isaiah 66:1-2).

Luke 7:31-35

Chapter 41 “Wisdom Justified” This Generation First our Lord speaks about a group of people called, “this generation”. At first glance, it looks as though he is using the word “generation” the way we commonly use it, to speak of that specific group of people living at the time. But that clearly is not the case. If you look through the scriptures, every time these words are used together, they are used to describe self-righteous religionists. They always refer to lost religious people, like the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians of our Lord’s day. And those people called “this generation” are always hostile, persecuting people. They are the people of whom our Lord spoke specifically when he said, “In the world you shall have tribulation.” The words “this generation” speak of the enemies of our God and of our souls in every age (Psalms 12:1-8; Psalms 71:12-18; Matthew 12:41-42; Matthew 23:29-38). In Luke 7:31-34 the Lord Jesus shows us that unbelieving religionists are always opposed to, find fault with, and are quick to slander God’s servants and his people, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. We ought to always take care not to offend the people of this world. We should always strive to be kind, gracious, thoughtful, and caring of those people among whom we live and with whom we work in this world. As much as possible, live peaceably with all men. Try to get along with people. Make sacrifices to do so. Endeavour to live blamelessly before your neighbours, for Christ’s sake, for the honour of God, for the gospel’s sake.

Yet, we must not concern ourselves with the cavils of men. If men and women are determined to set themselves in opposition to us, as we endeavour to serve our God, they should not disturb us. We must not court the favour of men; and we must not fear the frowns of men. “This generation” is a hard, implacable, peevish, childish generation, which will never be made friends to the cause of Christ. The cross of Christ has always been an offence to them and always will be. This is the lesson to be learned by our Lord’s comparison describing “this generation” as children. If we would be saved, we must become as little children; meek, humble, inoffensive, trusting. Yet, lost religionists are also like little children, not adorable, sweet children, but peevish brats. Our Master compares “this generation” to perverse, rebellious children, who can never be pleased with anything. Nothing satisfies them. Nothing contents them. They find some fault with everything and everyone, but themselves. John the Baptist came, leading a stern, austere, separated life of self-denial; and they said, “he hath a devil”. After him, the Lord Jesus came adopting the habits of a more social man, a man who mixed with people; and the very same men of “this generation” said of him, he is “a glutton and a winebibber”. Their animosity was not really against either John or Jesus of Nazareth as men, or as preachers, but against the message they preached, the doctrine they taught, the God they represented. The men and women of “this generation” really do not care at all what kind of man the preacher really is. They know they can make their kind of preachers become whatever they want them to be. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ preached exactly the same thing. Both preached repentance toward God and faith in Christ. But the men and women of “this generation” are determined not to hear God’s Word, bow to his Son, confess their sin and seek salvation by free grace alone. The fact is, “the carnal mind is enmity against God”. Nothing will ever change that, but grace itself. The pretended objections of this generation to God’s servants are only a smoke screen to cover their rebellion and hatred of God. Anyone who would hear God’s message from the lips of the Master would also gladly hear it from John’s lips. And any who would hear God’s message from the lips of John the Baptist would gladly hear it from the lips of the Lord Jesus. How often we see religious men and women who have a blind attachment to a preacher! They follow not the Shepherd’s voice through the preacher, but the preacher’s voice. Such people are always fickle and unstable. And rebels will always find an excuse for their rebellion. The carnal mind will always attempt to cover its hatred of God and justify its unbelief. For proud, self-righteous, self-willed religious men and women, no matter who the preacher is, free grace is too easy, faith in Christ is too simple, substitution is too dangerous. Notice this, too. Most of those things which divide the unbelieving religious world are matters of complete insignificance and indifference. What was it that caused these people to talk? What was it that kept some from hearing John and others from hearing the Lord Jesus and all of them from hearing either? John the Baptist was a strict separatist, a Nazarite. The Lord Jesus was far more free in his conduct. Let us not behave as such peevish, silly children. Rather, let us ever behave as mature men and women. We have no right to make indifferent matters of importance. Let us learn to be silent about all those things about which the Book of God is silent. We have no right to impose rules upon God’s people that God never imposed. And we dare not make essential matters of indifference.

The gospel of Christ, believer’s immersion, the observance of the Lord’s Supper are matters of primary importance. The doctrine of the gospel, (righteousness by the obedience of Christ, redemption by his effectual blood atonement, salvation by the irresistible gift and operation of grace) cannot be compromised; and these things are held forth perpetually in the symbolic ordinances of the gospel, when those ordinances are observed as our Lord gave them. This generation is a wicked, perverse generation. But our Lord also speaks of something else. Another Generation There is another generation, called “his generation”, “the generation of thy children”, “the generation of the upright”, and “a chosen generation”. Look at Luke 7:35. Here our Master draws a direct and distinct contrast between those of “this generation” and his own elect. “But wisdom is justified of all her children.” Certainly there is at least a reference here to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who is our Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). Christ is the wisdom of God. He is the Word, that One in whom and by whom we know God. He lived in wisdom here and shows us the way of wisdom. The Lord Jesus stood for us as our Wisdom in the council chambers of the Almighty in eternity. He fulfilled the wisdom of the covenant. He makes believing sinners wise unto salvation. And he gives us wisdom as we need it in the face of our numerous, subtle foes. All God’s elect justify him in all his person and work. “Wisdom is justified of ALL her children.” All who are born of God, born of wisdom, repent before him and thereby justify God (Psalms 51:4). Repentance is taking sides with God against ourselves, coming into agreement with God, and justifying God in the way he saves sinners. Yet, there is more. Believer’s justify God’s wisdom in all things and thereby prove themselves wise indeed. The scriptures make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15). And God the Holy Spirit is in his people the Spirit of Wisdom, Revelation and Grace. Thus, we are taught and enabled to see the justice and equity of our God in all his works and in all his ways (Psalms 36:6; Psalms 48:11; Psalms 97:8; Psalms 119:75; Isaiah 26:8-9; Revelation 19:1-6). A Great Saviour! Even when he is spoken of in derision, our Lord Jesus Christ proves himself to be a great Saviour. His enemies constantly derided him, calling him “a friend of publicans and sinners.” How I rejoice to declare that that is exactly who and what the Lord Jesus Christ is. In fact, he is the only friend of publicans and sinners, the only friend we have; and he is the Friend only of publicans and sinners (Matthew 9:12-13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31-32). Oh, how willing God is to be gracious! Did you ever notice how often the Lord God refers to our sins as sicknesses, diseases and infirmities? One reason for that is this: our heavenly Father views the sins of his people as sicknesses calling for pity, not as crimes calling for punishment! Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore. Come, ye weary, heavy-laden, lost and ruined by the fall. Come, ye sinners, come and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify! True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings us nigh! Joseph Hart

Luke 7:36-50

Chapter 42 A Woman Who Was A Sinner It would not be possible for us to conceive of two people more completely opposite to one another than Simon the Pharisee and this woman who was a sinner. Without question, there are many good, profitable lessons which may be gleaned from this passage of scripture. We would be wise to lay them to heart. May God the Holy Spirit, who caused these words to be written, write the lessons of this passage on our hearts. A Form Of Godliness Many, like this proud Pharisee, have a form of godliness, who know nothing of God’s saving grace in Christ. Simon showed much outward respect for the Lord Jesus and his disciples. What could be more respectful? He had a large, extravagant dinner party in honour of our Saviour. Yet, he was utterly ignorant of Christ, his gospel and the grace of God. He had a form of godliness, but knew nothing of God’s saving power and grace.

His proud heart was repulsed by the sight of this unnamed woman, who was a notorious sinner, entering his house and being so readily and openly received by the Son of God. He, like most religious people, talked about grace and forgiveness, but never experienced it. This proud Pharisee could not stomach the idea that he must enter into the kingdom of heaven upon the same ground and side by side with this wretched sinner. He was religious, but lost. He knew his doctrine, but not God. He was respectable, but not gracious.

Do not be satisfied with religion. We must have Christ! Sin A Debt Learn this, too. Sin has made us all debtors, owing a debt we can never pay. By reason of our sin, we are all head over heels in debt to the law and justice of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our great Saviour, stepped in, paid our debt; and God, for Christ’s sake, has freely and fully forgiven us our debt! The forgiveness of sins is an act of strict, unbending justice. Yet, in our experience of it, it is a matter of absolute freeness, an act of grace, pure, free grace. Christ paid our debt; and upon the ground of justice satisfied, we are freely forgiven all our sins. Our Motivation A third lesson that is obvious in this portion of scripture is the fact that the great mainspring and driving force of service to Christ is that love and gratitude which arises from a sense of great forgiveness. How I wish I could drive this point home to the hearts of all who attempt to rouse men and women up to live for and serve Christ. The mainspring and driving force of true Christianity, the motive and inspiration for all devotion and service to Christ, that which compels and constrains believers to live in this world for the glory of God is grace experienced, forgiveness known and felt in the very soul of a man, and the deep gratitude to and love for Christ which arises from the experience of God’s free, sovereign, saving grace in our Saviour. Believers are motivated by grace, gratitude and love, not by the threat of law, the promise of reward, or the hope of recognition (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 2 Corinthians 8:9). Who Was This Woman? This woman, who was a sinner, is here held before us in the Book of God as an example for all who would honour Christ to follow. Yet, wisely and graciously, the Holy Spirit tells us absolutely nothing about this woman except these things. She was a sinner. She was a sinner who trusted Christ. She was a forgiven sinner, forgiven of all her sins. She was a grateful sinner. She was a sinner who loved Christ much. What Did This Woman Do? “Behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37-38). This saved sinner made it her business to know where the Saviour was and came to him there. She brought with her an alabaster box of ointment. She came with a sacrifice of faith, with which she sought to honour her Redeemer. She stood in humiliation at the Saviour’s feet, behind him. She wept. She wept because she was full of sorrow, knowing that the Lord Jesus must suffer and die upon the cursed tree to put away her sin.

She wept with loving gratitude because of his great love for her soul. She washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. She tenderly kissed the Saviour’s feet, with lips of love, devotion and adoration. She anointed his feet in faith in anticipation of his death. In a word, as the Lord Jesus himself put it, she did what she could (Mark 14:3-9). Blessed are they to whom God the Holy Spirit gives such grace! What Was Her Motive? Why did this woman do what she did? How can such an act be explained? What would inspire a poor person to make such a great, extravagant (in the eyes of men) sacrifice? She had owed much. She had been forgiven much. And she loved much. What Was The Result? What was the result of this woman’s love for Christ and her devotion and service to him? She was scorned by Simon the Pharisee, ridiculed by Judas and misunderstood by her fellow disciples. Few there are who understand devotion, whole-hearted devotion to Christ. But she had not come to Simon’s house to be honoured. She had come there to honour God her Saviour; and honouring him, she was honoured by him (1 Samuel 2:30). This one who honoured her Lord was highly honoured by her Lord. When she was ridiculed and scorned, the Son of God came to her defence (Luke 7:47). He said, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me” (Mark 14:6). The Master assured her, before her judges and slanderers, that he had forgiven her of all her sins. “Thy sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). Then her Saviour assured her of her faith and spoke peace to her heart (Luke 7:50). The only way to inspire consecration and devotion to Christ is to preach Christ. The only way to promote good works is to preach free grace (Titus 3:4-9). The soul that has experienced redemption, forgiveness and saving grace is inspired by the knowledge of God’s mercy, love and grace in Christ to love him and seek his glory. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Let all who read this portion of holy scripture be reminded and tell sinners everywhere that the Lord Jesus Christ is a great Saviour, merciful, gracious, compassionate and able and ready to save the very chief of sinners.