Jesus and John
A detailed Account - Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:49
0 ratings
· 24 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Questions
Questions
Is it OK to have questions about Jesus, about God, about the bible?
Does having questions mean you do not have any faith?
Recently
Jesus had presented the sermon on the plain (Lk6:20-49)
Jesus healed the Centurions servant on the way to Capernaum (Lk7:1-10)
Healed a widow’s only son in Nain (Lk7:11-16)
People were gripped with great fear, and glorified God and that brings us to our passage today.
The Deputation from John
The Deputation from John
18 “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” 19 And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.
20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
22 Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.
28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
What sticks out to you in this passage?
John sends two of his disciples to Jesus with a question, what is the question (vv.18-19)?
Are you the expected (coming) one, or do we look for someone else?
With the question asked, what did Jesus do (vv.20-21)?
At that time he cured many people
Jesus gives instructions to the disciples of John to do what (vv.22-23)?
Report to John (expand); remind John blessed is he who does not take offence at Me.
Jesus starts a series of questions (vv.24-25) what are the questions?
What did you go to see?
Reed shaken by the wind
Man dressed in soft clothing?
Questions continue (v.26)?
A prophet?
Jesus calls John more than a prophet, why (see v.27)?
This is one the Prophets wrote about
Jesus final statement to the crowd was about how he felt about John the Baptist, what was it (v.28)?
There was no greater prophet born of women. Yet he is least in the kingdom of God.
John’s question
John’s question
18 Then John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples 19 and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?”
John had his own disciples (followers) such people as Andrew (Jn1:35-40) who followed John but now followed Jesus.
John knew Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God (Jn1:29-36); maybe John had the question for Jesus because he thought the Messiah too would be a political person and set them free from oppression of Rome and get him out of prison.
There was some belief that there was a difference between the Coming One and the Messiah (Deu18:15); maybe that is what John thought.
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.
One commentator Glenenduys says:
“John was already in prison, and things began to appear incomprehensible to him. He had expected that the Christ would speedily destroy the powers of darkness and judge the unrighteous. But instead of doing this, He leave him, His forerunner, helpless in prison.”
We cannot fault John, can we? We may think God is going to act, and act quickly at times.
We may not understand, comprehend God’s ways and God’s timing, but may we never doubt God’s promises!
Jesus answer
Jesus answer
20 When the men reached Him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask You, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’ ” 21 At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many blind people. 22 He replied to them, “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. 23 And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed.”
Jesus sends a message tell him what you heard, what you have seen.
This is prophesy being fulfilled (Isa61:1; Isa35:5-6; Isa26:19)
The real power of the Messiah was in action, yet it was personal too. Quickly may we look at the fulfillment
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
Then
5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.
and
19 Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
Jesus is fulfilling these prophesies, he is assuring the disciples, both John’s and His that He is the Messiah
I like the way Morgan puts, rewords the question in his commentary.
“Jesus, why don’t You do more?” Morgan answered this: “to all such restless impatience, He utters the same warning . . . For the most part, the way of the Lord’s service is the way of plodding perseverance in doing of apparently small things. The history of the Church shows that this is one of the lessons most difficult to learn.”
A new beatitude? “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me?”
Jesus ministry was offensive. The Jewish people had mindset of what the Messiah would be like and what the Messiah would do and Jesus did not match their expectations.
Blessed is he who is not offended because of Jesus and His preaching, teaching. Those who believe, put faith and trust in Him contrary to what man wants, man believes.
You are here today and you are unoffended by the name of Jesus and what He calls us to believe and to do. So, you are blessed.
Does this raise any questions to you? Why is this verse here in the middle of the deputation from John? Why did Jesus say this here?
John was the forerunner. He had a task and it was not well received by some, yet He pointed people to Jesus. He was not offended by being in prison for standing up for God and Godly principles. It is an encouragement to John and an encouragement to the people he is about to turn to and speak to.
Jesus words about John the Baptist
Jesus words about John the Baptist
24 After John’s messengers left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft robes? Look, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces.
26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. 27 This is the one it is written about: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You; he will prepare Your way before You.
28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
John did not live for himself and his comfort. He lived for God, and God’s purpose to be a prophet foretelling the way for the Lord.
He did not look for approval of others, but oftentimes boldly came against the thoughts of man “you brood of vipers.”
Jesus quoted from Mal3:1) about the prophesy of the coming of John.
1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear 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.
Interesting fact, prophets did not prophesy about themselves, but John was prophesied. He was greater than all the other prophets
Greater was John for he did not point to a Lord to come, but to the Lord who came!
John was steady, not shaken easily
John was sober, disciplined life, not comfortable
John was a servant, a prophet of God.
John was sent, he was a messenger of the Lord
John was special, greatest under the Old Covenant
John was second, to even the least in the kingdom under New Covenant.
Those were some points made by Enduring Word commentary.
John was greater in the Old Covenant, but least under the new for he was to be beheaded and would not benefit from the New Covenant.
Trapp says: “This is no small comfort to the ministers of the gospel, against the contempt's cast upon them by the world. They are somebodies in heaven, whatever men make of them.”
Jesus sent a message of truth, of comfort, of assurance to John and taught the importance of John and his ministry and his faith. May we learn from this today.
(Prayer) (exit)
