Luke 7:24–28 | Jesus Explains John the Baptist

Sermon on Luke 7:24–28 for the morning of Sept. 11, 2016. 

Last week, we encountered an episode where the disciples of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus a very pointed question on his behalf. They asked him, “Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?” (Lk 7:19–20). This seemed to us to be a very odd question to be coming from John the Baptist. He faithfully preached of the coming of the kingdom of God. He faithfully called the nation of Israel to repentance (Lk 3:3–18). He birth was even announced to his father, Zacharias, by the angel Gabriel (Lk 1:13–17). John even witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven alighting on Jesus confirming that Jesus is the Messiah (Jn 1:32–34). However, when John the Baptist was in prison and began to doubt the ministry and identity of Jesus, Jesus did call the mind any of these events. He did remind him of how he witnessed the Holy Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus. Jesus instead points to the fact that the words concerning the ministry of the Messiah were being fulfilled by Jesus Christ. This point is necessary in our understanding of the text as we continue into the next section in the Gospel of Luke. This point is going to carry over as we see Jesus identify the ministry of John the Baptist. The main point of last week and this week are parallel to each other. Last week we saw that Jesus is fulfilling the passages of scripture that talk about the Messiah and His kingdom. This week we will see that John the Baptist fulfills the passages of scripture that talk about the one that will prepare the way of the Lord (Lk 7:27). These two points are working in tandem together. Taken together we should see that word of the prophets are being fulfilled. The words of Isaiah on the Messiah are being fulfilled (Is 26:19; 29:18–19; 35:5–6; 61:1–2). The words of Malachi about the one who prepares the way of the Lord is being fulfilled (Mal 3:1; 4:5–6). Both of these taking place and transpiring as the prophets have foretold proves this: God’s program of salvation is taking place. God has come to bring salvation to His people. God is doing as He promised. The kingdom of God is at hand. The people of Galilee were getting to be a witness of the promises of the New Covenant be fulfilled. They were getting to watch a new dispensation be set up. They got to see how God was going to save His people. No other generation had, or would see the same events. They were a unique and blessed generation to see the promises come to life before their eyes. But we will examine next week how the people reacted to the words of Jesus.

What They Did Not Go to See (Lk 7:24–25)

Jesus, in His artistic fashion, helps the crowd to realize the significance of John the Baptist by forcing them to think through what it was that caused the people to come out in the desert in the first place. We should recall that the majority of John’s ministry was done near the Jordan river near the wilderness area. So it not like going to see John was on the way to the market. Something attracted the people to him. Jesus starts with some rhetorical questions that imply an obvious negative answer. The rhetorical questions are supplied to help the people think through and answer why they went into the desert.

Lk 7:24. The first rhetorical to answer why they went into the desert is, “A reed shaken in the wind?”. The understanding of this question can be understood in two separate ways, one as a metaphor, the other in a literal sense. If we were to understand this as a metaphor, it would be one of how John was not a wavering, or spineless preacher. John was certain in his convictions and in his preaching ministry. Marshall explains that, “The shaking of reeds in the wind was proverbial (1 Ki 14:15), and the metaphor suggests a wavering or easy-going person.”[1] Matthew Henry explains how this would be fitting,

He was a man of unshaken self-consistence, a man of steadiness and constancy. He was not a reed shaken with the wind, first in one direction and then in another, shifting with every wind; he was firm as a rock, not fickle as a reed. If he could have bowed like a reed to Herod, and have complied with the court, he might have been a favourite there; but none of these things moved him. [2]

While it is fitting to say that John was unmoved, this metaphorical sense of the rhetorical question does not seem to fit the present context. We just saw how John was struggling in faith with understanding if Jesus really is the Messiah. Also the next rhetorical question, which is parallel to this one, is meant to be understood in a literal sense. No one purposely walks into the desert just so they can watch a reed being shaken by the wind. The thought is ludicrous and absurd. Absurd answers are typical for rhetorical questions.

Lk 7:25. The second rhetorical question asks if they went into the wilderness to see a man dressed in soft clothing. “The combination ἱματισμός and ἔνδοξος refers to expensive clothing, probably made of wool or soft linen.”[3] This is quite the opposite of John the Baptist. He is described as being clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt (Mt 3:4). In fact, Jesus even points out that the wilderness is the last place to look for a person that is dressed in glorious apparel. If you want such a person you should look in palaces, not deserts. Therefore, there is an obvious no to this question. They were not drawn to the desert to see a man in nice clothes.

What They Did Go to See (Lk 7:26–27)

Jesus offers another rhetorical question as to why they went into the wilderness but this question anticipates a positive answer. Jesus even supplies a positive answer for this question. However, He clarifies that the answer is somewhat insufficient. John is a prophet, but he is not just any prophet. Jesus even states that John is more than a prophet. We have should already know this from what has been said about John in the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. In particular, “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Lk 1:17 ESV). And also, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” (Lk 1:76 ESV). Even John, when he was questioned stated, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (Jn 1:23 ESV; cf. Lk 3:4–6; Is 40:3–5).

Lk 7:27. Jesus explains the importance of John the Baptist by make a loose reference to a different Old Testament passage from the above quotations. Jesus refers to Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (ESV). Jesus does not make a quotation that is word-for-word with the LXX. Bock points out several differences between the quotation and referent source and then states, “These differences show that the LXX is not the source of Luke’s citation. Rather, he makes a general reference to Malachi, with the key change being the shift in pronoun” (Luke has “you” in place of “me”).[4]

The book of Malachi goes to explain, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Mal 4:5–6 ESV). This causes many to ask, “Is John the Baptist fulfilling what Malachi says about Elijah. Bock gives the best answer to this inquiry.

While John did go about preparing the way of the people to God (Is 40:3–5), John did not come before the “great and awesome day of the LORD” (Mal 4:5). The “great and awesome day of the LORD” is still yet to come. (This may have been a part of John misunderstanding of Jesus’ current ministry. He wanted Jesus to judge the nation.) John the Baptist is a “proto-Elijah.”Overall, it should be understood that Jesus is claiming that John the Baptist is fulfilling the words of the prophet Malachi. The events that were predicted by the prophets hundreds of years and written down in ink for all to read are coming to pass before the eyes of the people of Galilee. The messenger came to prepare the way of the people, to turn their hearts toward God, and the Messiah is walking amongst them causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak. Therefore, Israel is without excuse. They cannot say that did not know that events taking place before them were of any significance. They cannot say that they did know that John was the Lord’s messenger. They cannot say that they did not know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. The scriptures bear testimony to the people. Read the scriptures and know that God is bringing salvation to His people. Read and know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Read and know that Jesus is the Christ. Read and know that you are about to the purchase for the forgiveness of sins. You are about to see the penalty of sin be satisfied. You are about to see the Messiah humiliated. But you will also see Him resurrected. You will see Him ascending into heaven. You will see Him being glorified. You will see Him seated at the right hand of the Father. You are looking at your KING!

The Position of John (Lk 7:28)

This causes Jesus to give high marks for John. Jesus calls him the greatest man that has ever lived. This would mean that John was a greater prophet than Moses, greater even than Abraham. However, Jesus quickly adds, “but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” The reason for this is because John belonged to the previous dispensation. He belonged with, alongside, and is seen as an Old Testament prophet. The promises of the New Covenant, like the indwelling the of the Holy Spirt, have not taken place yet. They will be purchased by the blood of Christ at the cross and will arrive on the day of Pentecost. Jesus is not saying that John is not going to be a part of the kingdom of God (Lk 13:28), but that he that will get to receive the benefits of the kingdom will be at a greater advantage than John. Even the prophets themselves look forward to this time.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Pe 1:10–12 ESV)

Even Jesus explained this in Matthew. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Mt 13:16–17 ESV).

Therefore, we called to believe the word of God so that we might receive the blessings of salvation. We can receive the salvation that was spoken by the prophets long ago and desperately wanted to see these things come to pass. We, who believe, have seen. We have the salvation provided in the cross of Calvary.

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[1] I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978), 294.

[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1846.

[3] Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 671. For ἱματισμός see BDAG, 475; for ἔνδοξος see BDAG, 332.2.

[4] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 673; “Luke also adds πρὸ προσώπου σου at the end of the first line.” Cf. Marshall, Gospel of Luke, 295–6.

[5] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 672.

Luke 7:18–23 | Are You the Coming One?

A sermon on Luke 7:18–23 for the morning service on Sept. 4, 2016.

Luke 7:11–17 | Jesus Raises the Widow's Son

Jesus has an interchange of discourse between three individuals that share one thing in common. They were not a part of the socially accepted crowd. In Lk 7:1–10 Jesus speaks with a centurion—a gentile. In these Lk 7:11–17, Jesus encounters a widow. Then in the closing of the chapter (Lk 7:36–50), probably the most powerful encounter, Jesus speaks with another woman that is labeled as a “sinner.” These three encounters tell us that Jesus is not afraid to deal with the rejects of society. Jesus reaches out to those outside the race of Jews, to the woman that is weeping, and to the woman that is called a “sinner.” I pray that we never prideful enough that we never are willing to help those that are in need. Even the individuals that are rejected by the rest of society. Bock elaborates, “In the last two pericopes, the major subjects are women, showing that Jesus' work has no gender gap. And in the first pericope of the section, a Gentile has faith, showing that there is no racial gap either. Jesus comes for all.”[1] Therefore, we should make no excuse for never reaching to any demographic with the gospel. Jesus came to save from every economic status. Jesus came to save from every race. Jesus came to save from every kind of sin.

Each of these exchanges with the outcasts of society also tells us about the ontology of Jesus Christ. We see that His character reaches out to the rejects but the fact that He makes wondrous claims and performs wondrous miracles tells something about who Jesus is. We first see that He Jesus exercises authority over illness, even without any encumbrance due to distance. Then we see His authority over death by speaking to corpse, and it responds! Then we see His authority over sin itself by declaring the sinful woman to be forgiven.

All of this is proven to be significant because of Jesus' answer to the disciples of John the Baptist. They came asking, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Lk 7:19). Jesus answer was that the Scriptures are being fulfilled because of the miracles that were being done by Jesus Christ. Those miracles pointed to Him as being the Messiah—the promised one of the Old Testament.

Preface (1 Ki 17:17–24)

Before we move too far into the text of today’s message, we need to be informed of another narrative that is going to be alluded to in these verses. We need to be familiar with story of Elijah raising the widow’s son. Elijah was dwelling the widow’s during a time of extreme drought. The LORD was even providing miraculously for the Elijah, the widow, and her son by not allowing the oil or the meal run out. But then the son became sick and his life left him.

After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” (1 Ki 17:17–24 ESV).

We will not see an exact parallel but allusions will be made. Elijah was seen as one of the greatest prophets that ever lived, mainly because of the miracles he performed and the acts he committed against the false prophets of Baal.

Setting of the Miracle (Lk 7:11–12)

We have a story that is unique to the Gospel of Luke. He explains that the day after dealing with the Centurion Jesus and His disciples traveled from Capernaum to a village called Nain. Luke is continuing to give an orderly account (Lk 1:1–4). Capernaum is on the Northern shore on the Sea of Galilee and Nain is located about 25 miles from Capernaum in a South Westerly direction.[2]

While this account is unique to the Gospel of Luke, the miracle was not done in a corner. Luke may have come to know the story from the disciples or the crowd that was traveling with Jesus, or from the anyone there in the procession.

Lk 7:12. Luke explains that Jesus come upon a sad scene. Typically, such individuals were seeking Jesus out. He witnesses a funeral procession. The funeral procession is following the normal Jewish custom by carrying the dead out of the city to be buried as according to the Law. The body was seen as unclean.

The emotion of the scene is heightened for two reasons. First, the mother of the deceased is a widow. Being a widow in those days was extremely tough. It was difficult for a woman to provide for herself on her own. A widow would typically cling to her former husband’s family and depend on them or the kindness of others in order for her needs to be met. Ruth is the perfect example of this. She depended on what was left behind in the field for food (Ru 2:2). The widow in Luke’s narrative, however, had a son. We could assume the son provided an income for himself and his mother. Now she has definitely lost any means of an income. Also, for this poor woman, this is the second time she has dealt with heartache. She first had to deal with losing her husband, and now she has to deal with losing her only son.

Jesus Healing with Compassion (Lk 7:13–15)

Something that may be overlooked is that the author is referring to Jesus as “Lord.” The author, Luke, wants his audience to understand that Jesus is Lord, that He is God in flesh walking amongst men. Luke sets us up to for Jesus to act as God. No one is going to display the mercy of God better than Jesus. Jesus acts exactly as God. He displays the concern that God always had for the widow.

In the OT various laws are given which ease the condition of the widow: her clothes should not be taken in a pledge (Dt 24:17); in the third year the tithe should be for her benefit (Dt 14:29; 26:12f.). The gleanings of the field etc. should be left for widows (Dt 24:19ff; cf Ruth 2:2). It is explicitly stated that widows are to be invited to the sacrificial meals and to the feasts (Dt 16:11, 14) and thus have their place in the congregation. According to Le 22:22f. the widowed daughters of priests have a share of the offering if they return childless to their fathers.[3]

Jesus continues with that same love and concern for this woman. He sees her need and He is moved with compassion. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb 4:15 ESV). We have a God that was willing to take on flesh and suffer every vile, hostile, hurting, gross, and heart-breaking passion as we have. He is one that is moved by our sadness. He is concerned enough that God put provisions of protection for the widow in the Law. And now God in flesh has compassion on this widow of Nain. He will not allow such pain to continue. He approaches and states, “Weep not.” Hard words for a woman to follow at such a moment. Hard words to have fall on the ear at that hour. Hard words to obey at such a time. Yet Christ plans to act, not only to have compassion, but to act.

Lk 7:14. Jesus now approaches the bier. “The term for bier, σορός, is used only her in the New Testament and refers to an open coffin, a plank, where the shrouded and anointed corpse lay.”[4] This single act would have caused a normal person to become unclean (Nu 19:11). Yet this is not a normal person. Jesus does not become defiled but will rather impart life. Rather than Jesus becoming defiled because of sin’s curse upon the world, He instead reverses its curse.

What Jesus does next would put us all in the insane asylum. Jesus speaks to a corpse. He commands a dead person to get up. We would be thrown right out of the funeral home if we tried something like this. He tells a corpse, laying on a burial plank, wrapped in shroud, to get up! Yet God is able to make the inanimate animate.

Lk 7:15. The man was dead. The son was not breathing. But Jesus speaks to a corpse and it sits upright (ἀνεκάθισεν). “And the reference to ἀνεκάθισεν makes use of a term that appears elsewhere in the NT only at Acts 9:40, where it refers to Tabitha's resuscitation by Peter. In fact, this medical term is often used extra-biblically to describe the sitting up of someone who was formerly incapacitated by illness.”[5] Next, the formerly dead man begins to speak. This demonstrates that he had an immediate recovery. He was sitting up and cogent. The man is clearly alive.

The next phrase, “And he delivered him to his mother (καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ),” is an exact quotation of 1 Kings 17:23 in the LXX. “The comment that Jesus gave him to his mother serves to remind the readers of the Elijah typology and also to indicate Jesus’ concern for the widow.”^[6] Hearing that Jesus had raised the widow’s son would have been enough for people to call to mind the story of Elijah. Luke takes it further by pulling a quotation from the familiar story so we do not miss the connection. We also should not miss the differences between the accounts. While Elijah was a great prophet, he still needed to pray to God and try to restore the boy’s life three times. Jesus simply spoke and it happened. Elijah was great prophet, Jesus is greater.

Public Confession of a Great Prophet (Lk 7:16)

The audience responds in a natural way—with fear followed by praise to God. The crowd that saw Jesus heal the man sick of palsy and forgive his sins had the same reaction. The murmur among the crowd was two things. The first is that a great prophet is risen among the people. Very few prophets raised people from the dead. Yet Jesus did this with what seemed to be ease. The second murmur was that God had visited His people. This is an Old Testament phrase that speaks of God’s action being made manifest on earth. In this case, it has overtones of deliverance like in Exodus 4:31, “And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.”

Report in Judea and the Region (Lk 7:17)

The word of Jesus’ actions spread throughout all Judea and the surrounding regions. His fame is spreading even further than it had before. The word of Jesus’ actions had spread far enough that the disciples of John the Baptist caught word and told John about it (Lk 7:18). This sets us up for the next pericope in chapter 7.

Jesus’ raising the widow of Nain’s son in Luke 7:11–17 demonstrates two essential qualities. First, Jesus demonstrates his compassion and willingness to reach out and meet the needs of those in distress. He takes the initiative in this account; he comforts the widow; he restores the boy to health. Second, great power is displayed with great ease. The comfort that he offers the widow is real, because you can overpower deaths nullifying effects. The extent of his authority each as to the limits of personal existence. This account, then, represents a Jesus’ most powerful display of his connection with God.[7]

We will soon these questions answered by Jesus Himself when John’s disciple start asking questions on John’s behalf.

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[1] Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 629.

[2] This is the only time the city is mentioned in Scripture. For information on geography see Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 649; Robert H. Stein, Luke, NAC 24 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 222; I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978), 284.

[3] NIDNTT, 3:1074.

[4] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 652; cf. n11; BDAG, 934; Marshall, Gospel of Luke, 286.

[5] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 652; cf. BDAG, 64.

^[6] Marshall, Gospel of Luke, 286.

[7] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 654–5.