"Extreme Lock-down!" (Luke 7:18-35)

Luke 7:18–35 
John’s disciples tell John what Jesus had been doing. They could have told John about Jesus forgiving and healing a paralyzed man. They may have told John how Jesus healed the dying servant of a Roman centurion by his spoken word. In fact, Jesus had healed many and cured many of evil spirits; he even restored the dead son of a widow back to life. Yet, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if he was “the one to come or should they expect someone else?”  (Luke 7:18-19).

The two went and told Jesus that John the Baptist wanted to know if they should expect someone else?’ Jesus doesn’t answer directly, but we’re told that Jesus healed many, cured many with evil spirits and gave sight to many blind people. Jesus sends the two back to tell John what they had observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. So Jesus sends them back to tell John that he was doing what he had he said in his Nazareth sermon (Luke 4:18) and what Isaiah had said he would do (Isaiah 26:19, 29:18, 35:5, 42:18, 61:1). 

Remember that John was given his message by God and John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Moreover, John had said that the 'Messiah’ would bring God’s wrath and that the ax was already at the root of the trees. People were to produce the fruit of repentance and non-fruit producing trees would be chopped down and thrown into the fire (Luke 7:7-9).  Messiah would also baptize with the Spirit and with fire. So they were expecting God to come in judgment and gather his wheat (the faithful) and burn the chaff (unfaithful) with unquenchable fire (Lk 7:16-17; 3:1–20).

Jesus, in Nazareth, preached from Isaiah 61, that the Spirit had anointed him to preach the gospel to the poor, freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, liberation for the oppressed, and the year of the Lord’s favor.” But Jesus stopped short of Isaiah 61:2 which referenced the coming “day of vengeance of our God”. Also when Jesus sent John's messengers back he made no reference to ‘freedom for prisoners’ (4:14–30). 

John had been locked-up by Herod and would have been wondering if Jesus was the ‘one to come’ then why was John in prison! In his Nazareth sermon Jesus had said that 'prisoners would be freed' and John was in prison. Moreover, John had preached God's imminent judgment; a message John had received from God. John had preached about 'chaff being thrown into unquenchable fire’, but Jesus seemed to be only bringing the restorative love and grace of God! This could explain John’s comment about expected someone else other than Jesus.

At that very time Jesus enabled many blind to see, many lame to walk, he cleansed many lepers, enabled deaf to hear, and even restored the dead back to life. So Jesus sends the two back to John to report how Jesus was further fulfilling Isaiah’s prophesies. Jesus also talked about those being 'blessed who did not stumble or were not 'scandalized’ because of Jesus.' It seems that John was stumbling over what Jesus wasn’t doing. There hadn’t been a ‘genuine prophet’ in Israel for 400 years and John was the genuine article. But had John gotten Jesus’ identity wrong? Jesus sends these messengers back to John with more reports of miracles. He also includes the comment, ‘blessed are those who don’t stumble because of me'; but he gives John no assurace that he would be released from Herod's prison.   

To apply these words to ourselves; we are blessed if we don’t 'stumble or fall away' when Jesus doesn't do what we expected or act according to our timetables. We are 'blessed’ when we remain faithful having ‘tasted of the goodness of God’ and we do not waver in unbelief (Ps 34:8, Rom.4:20). We are 'blessed' when we fix our eyes on Jesus and to trust him with all our hearts (Heb.12:2, Prov.3:5-6). Yes, we are blessed if we are persuaded deep down in our hearts that Jesus is the God’s anointed who alone has the words of ‘eternal life’ (John 6:68). 

John’s messengers leave and so Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John (7:24-28). Jesus had sent the back with a subtle rebuke which would have been a difficult message to receive in prison. Then Jesus speaks to the crowd on John’s behalf and asks the crowd, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? John preached God’s word with conviction and his message couldn’t be altered by the offer of reward or by the threat of punishment. John spoke ‘truth to power’ despite the consequences and he was certainly not a ‘reed swayed by the wind’. Neither did they go out to see a man dressed in ‘fine clothes’. John lived in the desert, ate locusts and honey and dressed like Elijah. No, John wasn’t the kind of preacher that played up to the influential or who catered to the elite. If John was that kind of preacher he would have been welcomed into Herod’s palace and not thrown into Herod’s prison (7:26-27).  

So what did they go out to see? John was a prophet like Elijah, and more! John received God’s word and faithfully proclaimed it. Moreover, according to Jesus, John was the one who both Isaiah and Malachi had foretold would prepare the way for the ‘Lord’s Messiah’. John was Isaiah’s voice calling out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the LORD (YHWH = JESUS?). John was the one calling out in the desert make a straight highway for God (Elohim, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1). This, said Jesus, made John the greatest man who had lived up to that time! Jesus was saying that John was greater than Abraham, Moses, or David; which is high praise! John was the greatest, but in another sense Jesus said that the least in the kingdom of God was greater than John. Jesus was bringing in the ‘messianic age’ and even the least in the ‘coming kingdom’ would be greater than John. So Jesus praises John, and gives hope to all who would follow Jesus and enter the kingdom that Jesus would live, die and rise again to establish! 

The people, even tax collectors, heard and acknowledged Jesus because they were baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law heard rejected Jesus, because they had not been baptized by John. John’s message prepared the way so that those who believed John's message identified with Jesus (7:29-30). Then Jesus spoke of that present generation of religious leaders; I say this because the ‘people’ even 'tax-collectors' had believed John and identified with Jesus. The ‘religious leaders’ had their own perceived ideas and refused to accept Jesus. They were like children crying out in the marketplace. When they heard a wedding song they didn’t dance and when they heard a funeral song they didn’t cry. In other words, they rejected John and his ascetic life saying he had a demon. Then they also rejected Jesus because he came 'eating and drinking' and they called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (7:31-34). 

As great as John the Baptist was, his imprisonment and his own preconceived ideas created doubts for him about Jesus. Yet, John was the one spoken of by both Isaiah and Malachi, who would prepare the way for the Lord (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3). John announced ‘God’s anointed’ and was the greatest man up to his day, but according to Jesus even the least in God’s kingdom would be greater than John. Surely, John preached the ‘gospel’ and was part of the inauguration of God’s kingdom (Luke 3:18). Yet, John lived before the death, burial, resurrection, ascension and greater realization of the kingdom that would come at Pentecost. So John pointed to Jesus which marked the beginning of God’s kingdom and he was the last and greatest of the old era.

Greater than Elisha (2 Kings 4, Luke 7:11-17)

2 Kings 4:8-37 

Elisha Restores the Shunammite’s Son.

The woman had never asked Elisha for a son and she was deeply distressed. Yet, she was also sure that only Elisha could help her. She laid her dead son on Elisha’s bed (4:21), had their donkey saddled and headed out to find Elisha. Elisha has his servant, Gehazi, greet her but she passes by Gehazi. She come to Elisha and she falls at Elisha’s feet (4:26). After discovering her problem, Elisha sends Gehazi with his staff back to Shumen to lay Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face, but to the Shunammite woman (4:29-30) only Elisha could help her. The Lord hid the reason for her distress from Elisha (4:27). When he finds out he sends Gehazi on ahead with his staff to raise the boy, but to no avail (4:31). Elisha followed behind with the Shunammite and when he arrived Elisha prays, lies on the child, and the boy’s body becomes warm. Elisha repeats the process; then the boy sneezes seven times and opens his eyes. Finally, Elijah tells the Shunammite that she can take her son. But Elisha’s struggle to restore the boy and the Shunammites humble but silent response gives the story a strange feel (4:37).

This is a great miracle – and this is one of three incidents in the Old Testament where someone is restored from death they are all relevant to our story. 

1) The first is involves the prophet Elijah. Elijah is staying at the house of a widow in Zarephath and the widow's son dies. She accuses Elijah of exposing her sin and killing her son. Elijah carries the boy to the upper room where he was staying and lays the boy on his bed. Elijah stretches himself out on the boy three times and cries to God to restore the boy's life. God answers; restores the boy’s life and Elijah carried him downstairs. The woman declares that Elijah is a man of God who speaks the truth (1 King 17:17-24).

2) The second is this one involving prophet Elisha. Elisha would stay in the upper room of a couple in Shunem. The woman was childless and Elisha prophesies that she would have a son within a year. Years later, the boy complained of a pain in his head then died. The woman races to see Elisha at Mt. Carmel. Elisha sent his servant ahead with his staff to heal the boy, but the boy didn’t respond. Elisha arrives, cries out to Lord, lies directly upon the dead body and the boy's body grew warm. Elisha did this again and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha gives the boy back to his mother, and she bowed to the ground (2 Kings 4:18-37).

3) The third is after Elisha the prophet dead and buried. Moabite raiders attacked Israel and interrupted a funeral. Those burying the body feared for their lives so they threw the body into the first convenient place; which happened to be Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man came to life and stood up on his feet (2 Kings 13:20–21).

With these events in mind, it’s significant that this miracle of Jesus happened just a few miles from where Elisha preformed a similar miracle.

The City of Nain.

Some 800 years later, in Jesus’ time Shunem was gone. Much of the population likely moved on to the city of Nain which was a few kilometres from that same main trade route. Surely, the story of Elisha’s healing of the Shunammite’s son would have been part of their folklore.

In this story Jesus is followed by a crowd as he approaches the city of Nain. As they come to the city gate they discover another crowd. This crowd is a funeral procession from Nain on its way out of the city. The procession is led by a woman whose only son has died not unlike the Shunammite woman in the story with Elisha. Luke tells us that Jesus’ heart of compassion went out to this mother (Luke 7:11-17). Then after stopping the procession Jesus spoke directly to the dead man and the young was restored to life.

The story of the Shunammite Woman and the story of the Widow at Nain.

These miracles are both similar and different. The Shunammite woman has an older husband but her only son also dies. When her only son died she rushed back to the unaware Elisha. By contrast, Jesus openly approaches the widow from Nain whose only son has died. At first Elisha speaks only to his servant, Gehazi, until the boy is restored. Elisha was aware of the Shunammites distress but the Lord initially hides the reason from Elisha. Jesus knows what has happened and he is filled with compassion. His heart goes out to her and he speaks directly to the woman: ‘Do not weep’. Elisha looks to the power of his staff in Gehazi’s hands to raise the boy, while Jesus goes right up and touches the coffin halting the funeral procession. Elisha prays to God and lies on the boy (twice) and then the boy is restored. Jesus just speaks and says ‘Young man, arise’. Elisha’s miracle was dependent upon prayer, while Jesus merely spoke and the miracle was done according to his own powerful word. Then the result of Elisha’s miracle is strangely muted, in contrast those who witness Jesus’ erupt in praise and awe of God. They reason that ‘a great prophet like Elisha has arisen among them’ and that God had come to help his people.

But, Jesus is far greater than even the great Elisha. Yet, it is only when Jesus himself is raised from the dead that some realise just how much greater than Elisha he really is! 

'Social Distance?' (Luke 7:11-17)

Backstory: Jesus, was announced by John, anointed by God’s Spirit and confirmed to be the ‘Son of God’ by the voice from heaven. He was led into the desert where he fasted 40 days and overcame the temptations of Satan. He returned in the power of the Spirit and went around proclaiming the kingdom of God in the towns and villages. He gathered a new twelve around himself (common people, fishermen, a zealot and eve a tax-collector) and he went around teaching and exercising authority, over evil spirits, and over sin and death. There also developed a growing conflict between Jesus’ concept of God’s kingdom and with that of the Pharisees which escalated when he claimed to have authority on earth to forgive sins and by claiming to be the ‘Lord of the Sabbath’. In Luke 7, Jesus has re-entered Capernaum and he heals the ‘servant’ of a Roman centurion who he has recognized before those following him to be a shining example of ‘great faith’.                                                                                                              

Here in this story, we find two crowds. One crowd is following Jesus and another that is following a widow and her ‘young son’ who has just passed away. We don't find anyone in this story demonstrating faith. Jesus sees the woman and his heart went out to her. We then find Jesus stopping a funeral procession and telling this mother whose only son has died "not to cry". We also find Jesus touching a coffin and then of all things he speaks to a dead person and tells him to "get up!" Evidently, Jesus is so sure the ‘young man’ will actually do this that he wants the grieving woman not to cry. Jesus sees the woman and is moved by compassion. 

Nain City Gate

The large funeral procession would have been mourning with the woman over the loss of her son. They would be making plenty of noise to help this poor mother grieve and feel her pain. So as the mourning crowd moves through the city gate towards the grave site the funeral procession is suddenly stopped by another crowd. This crowd has been following Jesus all day as they have followed him from Capernaum. Moved by compassion, Jesus speaks directly to the woman and tells her "not to cry". But she is a widow who has now lost both her husband and now her only son!. Then Jesus surprises everyone by touching the coffin and stopping the procession. Touching a 'dead body' or even in 'a coffin' would normally make someone unclean (Numbers 19:11-21). Jesus would have known to keep his ‘social distance’ for appropriate cultural and religious reasons! So Jesus tells a grieving mother of a dead young man not to cry. He stops a funeral procession by touching a coffin and making himself unclean. What is even more strange is that Jesus speaks to a dead person and tell him to ‘get up’ (7:14-16). 

What is the most astonishing thing of all in this story is that ‘dead man’ evidently hears Jesus and ‘gets up’! Now the whole combined crowd erupts in astonishment and praise! Moreover, the people conclude that God has come to help his people. They say that God has come to rescue them for God has obviously sent a prophet who does 'miracles' that are like the miracles of the great old prophets, Elijah and Elisha. This story is clearly similar to the healings of Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 4. Like Elijah and Elisha, Jesus is moved with compassion and in this story, Jesus steps right into the sorrow, grieve, frustration, the bitterness and anger of this tragic scene and says and does what no one expected. In fact, none of what Jesus does is either expected or is ‘socially acceptable’. Jesus does something greater than Elijah and Elisha did, for Jesus merely speaks to this 'dead young man' and by the power of his word he is restored to life.  

Jesus breaks the traditions and he doesn't keep his appropriate 'social distance'. What Jesus does is to break into the 'grief and sorry' of these painful lives in this tragic world and he changes everything (2 Cor.5:17). Note that this boy is 'restored back to life' and we should refer to this as a 'resuscitation'. He isn't restored to a 'resurrected body' as Jesus clearly is at the end of Luke's gospel (Luke 24). This 'young man' is restored to life and to his mother, but he would go on to eventually taste death again. But what the story depicts that Jesus is ushering in God's restorative reign and that Jesus is beginning to make all things new (Rev.21:5). This story of the widow’s son, like the previous story of the centurion’s servant (Luke 7), demonstrates that the redemptive love of God is at work through Jesus in unexpected ways. These stories should move us to ask just who does Jesus think he is and then to ask ourselves if we believe him?