Luke 7:18 “Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.”

   John was locked away in prison at this time. His disciples kept him abreast of all the happenings in Jerusalem, and especially concerning Christ. John had quite a large following, and continued to have one even after the beginning of the church. The most notable of the late disciples of John was Apollos. John had been faithful and many had repented and made their hearts ready to receive the Christ.

   Heavenly Father, may we be ever faithful to You! In all things You have been so merciful. Your faithfulness is perfect. You are ever the same, and Your love holds true at all times. We will look to You in the midst of it all. Thank you for Your grace in making righteousness possible in Christ. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:17 “And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.”

   Reports about Christ have traveled this world over. News of Him has spread and been discussed, taught, analyzed, and often repeated. The church of Christ has been established and at work for these hundreds of years. The gospel has been preached on every continent, in countless languages, to new peoples, and everywhere that mankind is found.
   As in the time of the ministry of Christ, many millions have been saved. The church is grown to worldwide proportions, and has members from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The walls have been broken down, and new walls fail to block the progress of the gospel. The message is for everyone, and has been considered everywhere.
   And yet, as in the ministry of Christ (especially the latter part of it), there are many turned totally away from Christ. The conception has become that we do not need Him. Man has told himself he has grown beyond the conception of God, and understands the cosmos on a level that need not include God, at least not in any tangible way. We have established ourselves as the masters of all. We have come to think we know everything now that we feel we have some idea of how little we actually know.
   And on we should push. The dichotomy between the Son of Man, and mankind as ‘god’ is inevitable. Our future lies not in some new direction, but an old one. Man will continue to grasp for what Satan offered at the first, to be as gods. But this is ever elusive because it is and always has been a lie. Man was meant to be the bearer of the image of the Eternal Godhead. And it was for envy, spite, and rage that the old devil did his nasty tricks to begin with. Only by Christ can we again discover what glory was meant, for we were made for a mirror, a looking-glass for the Self-Existent One to see His glory in His great work. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. The die is cast, the world’s destiny is set, and there is not a thing to stop it. For God is Immutable.

   Heavenly Father, can we ever praise You enough? All we can do is sing of the greatness of Your Person. But, it seems, that is exactly what You have in mind. For, what more could anyone or anything do? What could any person hope to be but one of Your bright ones? Is that not the greatest of hopes, and the highest of ambitions? Here as we live is that not Your will, our abundant life? Each of us is given the joy, though only by life in Christ, to reflect Your glory before this lost world. And does that cause us to devalue our fellow man? No, it makes us seek his help, that he too may take up his eternal work, to show the glory of the Eternal God, and enjoy You forever. May You be honored in all, for You alone are worthy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:16 “Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”

   We rarely use the word ‘fear’ in this way. Rather than meaning simply that these people were afraid, it signifies here awe and respect. Jesus was respected and God was honored as a result of this miracle. Those present that day had no doubt that God was the author of this event.
   However, they did not recognize the deity of Christ. Though they said God had ‘visited’ His people, this word too means another thing. We think of visiting as always involving one’s presence with the one visited. But, that is not always the meaning of this word. Here it signifies that God cared about His people and looked upon them. In other words, it is like saying God is checking on us, or God hasn’t forgotten us, or something of that nature.
   Many have argued that Jesus never claimed deity, and so that is why people didn’t see Him as God. This argument is completely, and quite obviously, false. Jesus said and did things on multiple occasions that purposely established His deity beyond a reasonable doubt. But, and this is important to see and understand, Jesus wanted people to come to the place of belief. In other words, He always tried to leave in a reasonable faith element. He didn’t just write a note in the sky that said, “Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God.” Remember, God doesn’t always do what we might expect. Time and again we see Jesus, as in this passage, choosing His public acts very carefully. He wanted people to believe because they had considered and come to the conclusion that He was God. He didn’t want to engender a faith based only on experiences of miracles. He wanted people’s faith to be founded on an understanding of the Scriptures. He was looking for strong, resolved, reasoned, substantial faith.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for not giving us fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Your Word is authentic, and very human. It isn’t just man’s invention. It goes deeper than that. And we don’t have to take out our brain and lay it aside to believe it either. That is such a comfort! Science, history, sociology, all of these things fall in sync with Your book. And we don’t have to completely re-interpret it to make these things fit either. We can believe even in this very modern world with all of this grand technology. You are so wise! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:15 “So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.”

   This miracle was somewhat unique in a few ways. First, it was unsolicited. There is no record of anyone asking Him to do this. Second, the miracle is very clearly for the benefit of the mother. Third, it was very public, there was a very large crowd present for the event. Fourth, it was very provable. In other words, it would be hard to deny the veracity of the story. The man was very clearly dead, and he very clearly was brought back to life.
   It is thus quite revealing that Jesus chose this miracle to be one of His most public acts. This miracle stands with the raising of Lazarus or the feeding of the multitudes as a very immediately publicized item. And why this miracle? Why not? Isn’t this so very consistent with the message of Christ? He came to meet a great need. That theme is seen over and over. He preached to the poor, ministered to the common people, and did a miracle for a widow. Isn’t that what we would expect a Savior of the world to do?
   So we see through this miracle that Jesus was not just some prophet, miracle-worker, or supernatural human. He was much more. He had a very specific message for a very specific purpose. He had every intention for people to make the connection and see that He was the Messiah, and that as such He was the Second Person of the Trinity. He was not simply a messenger from God, He was The Messenger of God. He was one in the same as every Old Testament appearance of Yahweh. He was and is the only link from human kind to the Eternal Godhead.

   Heavenly Father, we thank You for Christ! Without Him we would have no picture of You. Without Him we would be totally blind and unable to see You in any way. Thank You for grace and truth by Jesus Christ! I will praise You forever for the wondrous nature of Your plan. I love it! It is and was and shall always be the best that ever could have been. No better way to handle this world could have been devised. It is Your masterpiece. To You be all the glory in it! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:14 “Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

  Though a coffin is here mentioned, the word can simply be translated ‘bier’, which is more probable given Jewish burial traditions. In other words, other that a burial shroud, the body was not likely encased in anything, but was only laying upon the bier.
   Why make the statement ‘I say to you’? It seems like a waste of words. Jesus could just say, ‘Arise!’ Right? Jesus says this in this way for two reasons. First, Jesus was being specific. He wanted it to be clear to all exactly who He spoke to. The implication was that, had He simply yelled out ‘Arise!’ more than just this young man might be brought to life. But the second reason is even more notable. By using the phrase ‘I say to you’ Jesus was calling attention to the fact that His spoken word had the power to bring life. Anyone familiar with the Genesis account of the creation of the world will immediately recognize the significance of making a big deal out of the power of Christ’s spoken word. In other words, Jesus is not just another prophet performing a miracle by the grace of God. He is God performing a miracle by His grace. He does this act with the full authority and power of the Divine Son.

   Heavenly Father, You are truly amazing in all of Your aspects. You cannot be compared with anything equally. We only just understand You somewhat because You have revealed Yourself. It is only by Your great grace that we have Your Word in our hands. Grant us understanding that we may see wonderful things each day in Your book. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:13 “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

   At first glance this seems a very unfeeling thing to say. Here this widow woman has lost her only son, and her only supporter. Her situation is doubly pathetic. She has lost all that she could depend on in this world. But, Jesus tells her, quite directly, don’t cry.
   Are these the words of one who has no feeling for the loss this woman has endured? No. It is said in the same tone, and with the same meaning, that is employed by the mother speaking to the child that has just skinned his or her knee. It is a soothing comfort. It is said from a heart full of love, and from a heart that, above all others, has the best hope of helping to alleviate the pain of the moment.
   Jesus often approaches those who are hurting in a similar way. At first, if we do not know Him, or the ability behind His words, the command to quit crying comes abruptly and can be offensive to us. But, after we experience the power of His comfort, it is the most welcome sound in the universe. By His fiat, He mollifies the grief that He understands better than we do ourselves.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for making us know Your great love! We at first may cringe, as we have learned not to trust anyone or anything. But, with time we see You are all that we need to trust. With dependence upon You, we have no need left for trust in our own attempts, and our trust in all else is tempered by our reliance upon You. We will praise You for Your great faithfulness! We tell ourselves we are loyal to You, but even that is a reminder that You are ever loyal to Your own. To You be all the glory! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:12 “And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.”

  Do not for a minute miss the significance of this beautiful miracle. Are we to think that this was the only funeral procession Jesus ever passed on the road? Likely no. What is significant about this one is immediately pointed out here by Luke. And, it makes for one of the loveliest of testaments to the long-suffering love of Almighty God for the weak and suffering among sinful mankind.
   Jesus was here about to do the unthinkable. To interrupt this procession without an intent to give this woman back her son would be the cruelest thing any person could ever do. But that was exactly His intent, and He did it very much on purpose.
   We have to be careful to remember something so very important about our Lord Jesus. He it is Who was there at the beginning as the Godhead framed the worlds. He is no less than the Lord of Glory. And as such, He owns this entire universe and everything and everyone in it. Thus, it is all up to Him what is done with it. And in that power He decides here to make a statement to all of the weak, downtrodden, oppressed, sin-sick, troubled mass of humanity.
   He intersects with the suffering of mankind here to make a statement. He comes in between us and the horrific consequences of a life that involves death. Death is the great plague, and Jesus is the Great Healer. That is how we are to view Him, because that is how He chooses to be seen.
   Why not make it all better all at once? Why not take us all to heaven today? Why let this world go on in darkness and sin? Let me provide you who are troubled by this three excellent points. One: Will the formed say to the Creator, what are you making? No! We must never forget, He made us, and not we ourselves. Thus, we belong to Him. Two: The story is not long, but it is significant. This life is brief. God has not made us to live forever in this state, but has instead provided to us a clear picture of reality. Every moment is in preparation for eternity. Three: Though it is difficult for us to see now, the Spirit of God can provide visibility into the truth. The truth is that there is more significance to an individual life than our natural sinful ways will ever reveal to us. God has a plan for each one. But He has chosen to reveal it in this way. All are called upon to walk the path of Christ. All must be born, grow, learn, survive, suffer, cry, laugh, and so forth. All that the Lord has done is the standard. Some may die faster, and they are among the blessed. Others will live long, but they will see many hard things. In any case, each will walk behind Christ, and some will take His way, and others will not. But as Job of old, all will have their day in court, all will have an audience with God, and none shall come out the victim.

   Heavenly Father, as we go through this life, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Jesus time and again helps us understand the importance of that. We long to see Your Truth, and hear Your Words. I know this is no game. Life is real and vital and all-important. Each moment matters, each word and thought counts. We are composing a story, a book of existence. And You have it all marked down. You know it all from beginning to end. Oh give us hearts to love Your law! Grace has given us the matchless law of Christ, which is no heavy burden. It is a yoke of joy, making wise the simple. We will praise You Father. You alone are worthy. You are the Self-Existent God. You need no other to prop You up. We do not have to see You for You to be real. You have made Your nature so abundantly clear to us by hiding the parts of it that You do. Give us the grace to be those who see You though invisible, who love You through suffering, and who trust You in the shadow of death. Show us that the law of life, the very power of Your Living Son is all that matters for us. Life in Him, and that abundantly experienced, is the greatest and best that we can know or have or love. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:11 “Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.”

   There is always a crowd. Except for when really bad things are happening or the going is rough. Then only the most committed disciples stick around. But when things are fine, the crowd is present.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth in Christ. Though the crowd doesn’t really believe it, at least they recognize the truth. They are drawn to Christ because He is genuine. Help His disciples to reach them with the life-changing power of the truth. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:10 “And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.”

   It is quite interesting here how Luke chooses to report the event of the actual healing. He does not here record what Jesus said to the servants in regards to the healing itself. We know from Matthew’s account that Jesus did let them know they could go back and find the servant healed. But Luke chooses not to include that detail. Why?
   Luke was a fairly detailed historian, and one would think he would include all of the details he had. However, Luke does not here include this particular part of the account for two reasons. First, it was superfluous. It goes without saying that if the servant was healed, this was a result of Christ’s power. But, secondly, and more significantly, Luke left it out to highlight it. To highlight it? Yes. Its absence reminds Luke’s readers not only that Jesus could heal over a distance, but also that the healing need not be tied to any action on Christ’s part. He didn’t have to say something to accomplish it. He didn’t have to snap His fingers or twitch His nose. There was no requirement that He perform any prescribed action.
   And why is this so significant? It is so very important because it points out that His power is His own. He is by nature the Lord of Glory. His power is innate. The only thing we do see is His submission to the Father, but that is a part of the plan of the ages. This operation of the Trinity does not limit Christ in an artificial way. So, He has no need for some outward effort to perform the most amazing of miracles. It is naturally within His ability. The very Word of God is what He is, and as such He has the power to frame the worlds in the very word of His mouth. But even at that it is enough for Him to think it and will it for it to be reality.

   Heavenly Father, we are awed by the beauty and power of Your Christ! You have given Him all power in heaven and earth. We can be confident that greater is He that is in us that he that is in the world. His power extends beyond day to day miracles, and to the transforming work of making the human heart a good place. You are making in us by Him something of eternal worth. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:9 “When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

   It is hard to imagine Jesus being astonished! But, that is the clear meaning here. How? How is it possible for Christ to experience that emotion? Two answers will suffice to explain this. First, remember that Jesus had emptied Himself of much of His heavenly glory. Though we do not know the exact particulars, it seems that included certain self-imposed limitations. But, secondly, and likely more to the point, Jesus is human. This does not in any way mean He is not sufficiently Divine. It simply means that He is capable of all the feelings that human kind may experience.
   It will be helpful to take this a step further. Is it really impossible for God to be astonished? Of course He is not surprised in the sense of discovering something He didn’t know. But, even if a regular human happened to know everything (just for the sake of illustration), would that keep that person from finding certain things to be remarkable? Astonishment as we see it here seems to be an understanding of the unique strength of this man’s faith in relation to the faith of others. And the human part of the response simply goes along with it.
   So really what needs to be understood here is that God does have feelings just as humans do. However, Jesus may experience and express these in a uniquely human way being Himself God and man at once. Thus, the very Trinity is not unfamiliar with the inner workings of humans not only due to having made us, but due to experience itself. The Godhead knows and knows. And in this case, God knows great faith when He sees it!

   Heavenly Father, You are so amazing to us! Never can we understand it all. We will always be learning more about You. How can we do any less with an infinite person? You are more intricate than anything with which we have to do. Thank You for the beauty of Your Person, and for giving us a glimpse into it. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.