Monday, August 08, 2022

2022.08.08 Hopewell @Home ▫ Luke 7:18–35

Read Luke 7:18–35

Questions from the Scripture text: Whose disciples reported to him about Jesus (Luke 7:18)? To Whom did John send two disciples (Luke 7:19)? What did he send them to ask? What do the men do (Luke 7:20)? And what does Jesus do (Luke 7:21)? When? What answer does Jesus send back to John (Luke 7:22-23)? To whom does Jesus begin speaking about whom in Luke 7:24? What does He ask them? What else does He ask in Luke 7:25? To whom is Jesus comparing him? What does He ask the third time (Luke 7:26)? Which prophet does Jesus say that John is (Luke 7:27)? How great a prophet does Jesus say that John is (Luke 7:28)? Bot who is greater than he? Who justified God in Luke 7:29? Why? Who rejected the will of God in Luke 7:30? Why not? About whom does Jesus now ask in Luke 7:31? What does he call them (Luke 7:32)? What are they doing? What didn’t John the Baptist do (Luke 7:33)? And what did they say about him? Who did eat and drink (Luke 7:34)? And what did they say about Him? Who will be justified by whom (Luke 7:35)?

What do we do when Jesus is different than our expectations? In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must modify our expectations to submit to and adore Jesus in the expectation-shattering greatness of His salvation. 

One of the hallmarks of our Lord Jesus Christ is that He doesn’t please this world. When John the Baptizer wants to know if Jesus is the Coming One (Luke 7:19-21)—the One of Whom John himself had said that he was not worthy to untie His sandal—Jesus immediately shows many miracles to those whom John sent (Luke 7:21). Yes, Jesus is not of this world. But the climax of Jesus’s response was “the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22). Not only Jesus’s power, but also His values, are not what we would expect from this world. He has a special care for “the least of these.” Is Jesus what the world would expect? No. But it is our duty to modify our expectations and fall down in worship (Luke 7:23).

Jesus proceeds to point out that John also hadn’t been what the world expected.. The Baptizer wasn’t the kind of wimpy (Luke 7:24) man-pleaser like the wealthy of the world (Luke 7:25). But he who was not impressive to the world was greater than all the other prophets (Luke 7:26-28). 

Again, when expectations collide, God’s must prevail. John had preached a baptism of repentance, and the sinners who had received it (Luke 7:29) praised God for the news that the one who enters the kingdom in the worthiness of Jesus (end of Luke 7:28) has a worthiness even greater than John’s! 

But those who wished not to repent at all, but to count themselves worthy without it, rejected Jesus’s message about an out-of-this-world worthiness through faith in Christ (Luke 7:30). Jesus confronts these, who have rejected both of them. 

On the one hand, John’s message of the necessity of extreme repentance was more than they could bear, so they said, “He has a demon” (Luke 7:33). But, neither could they bear Jesus’s message of free grace for sinners and a life of liberty to enjoy the good things of God in a godly way; so they attacked Him for encouraging joyous feasting and drinking wine, calling Him a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Luke 7:34, cf. Luke 5:27–32).

But what is the wisdom of God? It is the wisdom that demands a complete and perfect righteousness in God’s holiness, but, turning around in power and mercy, completely provides that perfect righteousness in Christ. And those who receive this gospel of grace praise the wisdom of God as perfect (Luke 7:35)!

Whom do you know that is unimpressed with/rejecting the Lord or His true/biblical people?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us righteousness and joy that are greater than we could imagine. Make our expectations of reighteousness and joy match Yours, we ask in Your Name, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP51A “God, Be Merciful to Me” or TPH51C “God, Be Merciful to Me”

 

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