 to him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent the elders of the Jews to him asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, He is worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself: for I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof: 7 Therefore I did not count myself worthy to come to you: but say a word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that followed him, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel. 10 And those that had been sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
- This centurion knew who Jesus really is—the LORD of all.
- He is he One who controls all of the power in the whole universe.
- No one is worthy to be with Him or ask anything of Him but He wants us to be with Him and ask.
- Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
- Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
- Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- John 16:24 Up to now you have asked nothing in my name: ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Jesus raises the dead
11 And it happened the next day they that carried him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to you, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And fear came on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet has risen up among us; and, God has visited his people. 17 And this rumor about him went throughout all Judea, and throughout all the surrounding regions.
- 1Thessalonians 4:16.
He proved that He is the One
18 And the disciples of John showed him all these things. 19 And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you the one to come? Or should we look for another? 20 When the men had come to him, they said, John Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the one coming? Or should we look for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and to many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then answering, Jesus said to them, Go your way, and tell John what things you 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 good news is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whoever will not be offended in me.
- No other person in history has done what Jesus did.
- He proved that He is the Son of God by calming the storm with a word, walking on water, curing every illness, feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, and raising the dead.
- If that is not enough proof for us then there will never be enough proof because we refuse to see and will burn in hell forever!
24 And when the messengers of John had departed, he began to speak to the people concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 What did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, they that are gorgeously dressed, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. 28 For I say to 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.
- Those in the kingdom of God do not have a sinful nature. They are able to focus on God and love Him with all their hearts.
- John, though the greatest born among women, still had the Adam’s fallen nature inside him.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God inside themselves, not being baptized by him. 31 And the Lord said, To what can I compare the men of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling one to another,, Behold a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
- Man’s fallen nature has two sides. The strong side, in pride, becomes self-righteous, the weak side indulges the pleasures of the flesh.
- God sent a man with His message of love to each of these sides. Some turned to God from both sides. But many just made excuses not to believe.
36 And one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him. And he went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus reclined kind of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner.
- ‘In stupid zeal and eccentric piety the Pharisees became worse than the ungodly. For God's sake they became enemies of God, and for the fear of God they became scorners of God. Because of piety they became impious; for the sake of peace they disturb the peace; because of their love and holiness they became envious and unholy; in the interest of humility they became proud. Such is the fictitious piety of a stubborn mind and the hypocritical understanding of confirmed obstinacy. So great is man’s arrogance and his absolutely vain delusion.” Martin Luther, Romans.
He forgives
40 And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he said, Teacher, say it. 41 There was a certain creditor that had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he forgave them both. Therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said to him, You have judged rightly. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet: but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 You gave me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not stopped kissing they that sat to eat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
- This parable is an analogy to our debt to God. We owe Him all our love.
- If we do not love Him with all our hearts but we do criticize and judge others for their lesser sins then we are like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 who had been forgiven much but would not forgive the little that was owed him.
- Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
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SUMMARY: Luke 6-7
- The Lord exposes our harsh thinking
- He knows our thoughts
- He heals ALL those tormented by unclean spirits
- He blesses His disciples with mighty blessings
- Our Father, the Most High, is kind and merciful to all
- Jesus has all the power in the universe
- Jesus raises the dead
- He proved that He is the One
- He forgivesAs this essay has grown almost as bloated as the United States M3 money supply, it has been rent asunder and split in two for your own protection. The thrilling finale will be published next week.
“Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” – Dante Alighieri, The Inferno, Canto III, ca 1300 AD.
As Dante and Virgil approached the Gate of Hell on their epic journey into the underworld, this ominous inscription was carved directly into the great stony gate itself. The hideous gate marked the boundary between the land of the living and the land of the dead, it could only be crossed with great peril, and few could return once they made that fateful first step into Hell. As the rest of the tale of The Inferno unfolds, the reader is led through nine increasingly