Sermon Notes: December 9, 2012

Sermon Text: Luke 7:18-35

Sermon Title: Beware of Becoming a Brat

Scripture Reading: Luke 7:18-35

Introduction

Our text is divided into three sections.

1. Luke 7:18-23 deals with John’s doubt. 
2. Luke 7:24-30 Jesus contrasts the greatness of John with the greatness of the kingdom. 
3. Luke 7:31-35 Jesus illustrates the difference between doubt (7:18-23) and unbelief in the “parable of the brats.”

John’s Doubt (Luke 7:18-23)

A major interpretive question in this text is the reason for John’s question. There is much speculation as to why John asked his question in v. 19. I agree with most commentators that John was dealing with doubt due to the lack of any political or judgment activity in Jesus’ ministry. In Luke 3:7-18 John spoke of the power and authority of Jesus. Like the disciples, John anticipated the immediate coming of the kingdom, which would have included judgment and political revolt. 

As we know from Matthew’s account, John was unjustly imprisoned by the wicked Roman political regime because of his stance for righteousness (Matthew 14:1-12). Jesus encouragement (Luke 7:21-22) and warning (Luke 7:23) to John suggests John’s question was raised due to uncertainty. 

John had been in prison for many months, perhaps as long as a year (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). [2]

Here, again, we find another crisis. John was experiencing a personal tragedy. Another issue for John was unmet expectations regarding the character of Jesus’ ministry. Rather than the political authority and power John anticipated, John witnessed seemingly unbridled injustice and a philanthropic rather than political Jesus. The Messiah’s arrival should have brought bad things to bad people, not to the followers of Christ (so John might have thought). 

Illegitimate, unbiblical expectations can only lead to doubt and loss of joy when they are not met.[2]

This leads us to what we need to know: John pictures a man who is sensitive to God and yet struggles to understand who Jesus is. God often acts in ways we do not expect or understand and feelings of confusion, questioning, and doubt are natural. However, we must beware of becoming a brat. Honest doubt is not a bad starting point, but it is a tragic ending point.

Understandably, John’s unmet expectations produced confusion and doubt. 

The purpose of this passage is to encourage John, to show that Jesus was more than a great prophet (Luke 7:16), and to warn unbelieving brats.

v. 21 – Like Thomas (John 20), Jesus dealt gently with John’s doubt.

In Luke 7:22, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 61 to display the merciful character of God and to encourage John in his doubt. The unique and prolific miracles of Jesus point to the anticipated time described in Isaiah 61. 

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3). 

Jesus’ Contrast (Luke 7:24-30)

In Luke 7:24-25 Jesus is saying that what drew people to the wilderness was neither the locale nor John’s clothes, but his message. [1]

What does Jesus mean by “more than a prophet” in v. 26? The Bible is divided into two main sections: promise and fulfillment. John’s elevation “above” the prophets is attributed to the fact that John’s ministry as forerunner served as a bridge between the promise and fulfillment eras. 

In Luke 7:27 Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1 to show John as the forerunner and Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ quote of Malachi 3:1 was influenced by Exodus 23:20-22, which was written prior to the conquest of Canaan. [1]

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exodus 23:20-22).

In affirming John’s ministry, Jesus is speaking of the new exodus. The prophet John is compared to the protection that God gave his people by leading them through the wilderness. To respond to John is to be prepared for God’s coming Messiah and to be protected; failure to respond results in judgment. [1]

What does v. 28 mean? Believers in the era of fulfillment enjoy greater privileges than even John, the greatest man of the era of promise. [2]

“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them,” (Luke 10:23-24).

"Having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect," (Hebrews 11:39-40). 

What did we learn this morning?

John pictures a man who is sensitive to God and yet struggles to understand who Jesus is. God often acts in ways we do not expect or understand and feelings of confusion, questioning, and doubt are natural. However, we must beware of becoming a brat.

Because of what we have learned, what should we do?

Like John, we should bring our questions to Christ and expect encouragement and strengthened faith. Like John, we should expect that our encouragement might not bring changed circumstances. We must fight for faith and beware of becoming a brat. Honest doubt is not a bad starting point, but it is a tragic ending point.

Think about how John’s role in God’s plan changed so radically. From the womb it was known that John would be the forerunner of the Messiah. John grew up being told he was set apart for a special work. Prior to Jesus’ ministry, John was the most popular preacher of his day. Then, one day everything changed. John was given life in prison, never to see his family and friends again. 

Like John, we are forced to choose if the kingdom of God is more important than our earthly preferences. We must decide if God’s glory and wisdom are higher than our comforts and desires.

The Brats (Luke 7:31-34)  

We sometimes expect God to do things a certain way, and when he does not, we deem Him a failure.

Many commentators entitle this parable, “The parable of the brats.” This is the only reference in the Bible to children playing a game. Jesus speaks this parable with a harsh tone. The purpose of the parable is not to rebuke John, but to rebuke those who reject John’s message, and thereby reject Jesus. 

Like the elder brother in Luke 15, Jesus compares unbelief to children who are unhappy about the events of their life and decide to “take their ball and go home pouting.” Jesus likened John’s ministry style to that of a funeral and Jesus’ to that of a wedding. 

It does not matter if the song is happy or sad, the bratty children remain discontent and unsatisfied. 

“Because John was aloof and did not associate with people, they denounced him as demon possessed. But because Jesus interacted with people, even the outcasts of society, His enemies scornfully denounced Him as a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (John MacArthur). [2]

The parable explains the hearts of those who fail to heed the rebuke in v. 23. The Jewish leadership is complaining that John and Jesus do not follow their desires. The Jews do not wish to enter the game unless it is played according to their rules.

The unbelieving brats would sing to whichever tune they could to justify their rejection. 

“The plain truth is that the natural heart of man hates God. The earthly mind is at war with God. It dislikes His law and His Gospel. It will always find some excuse for not believing and obeying” (J.C. Ryle). [3]

Wisdom’s Children (Luke 7:35)

“The reader is to answer the question, ‘Which side of the partition am I on?’” (Darrell L. Bock). 

Are you becoming a brat?  Will you be like the complaining children, wanting God to play by your rules? Do you constantly complain and seek ways to justify your unbelief? When led by unmet expectations to the prison of uncertainty will you fight for faith? 

Note the dungeon of despair in Pilgrim’s Progress, the giant, and the key of promise.

Jesus draws a line in this passage and calls for a response. Will you be a child of wisdom or a brat? Will you pursue Him with your doubt or will you stand on the peripheral as a skeptic? Will you be judged or will you be shown mercy. Will you sit in a palace in this world or will you be content to let your head roll, knowing this life is not all there is? 

Sources

1. Brock, Darrell. Luke 1:1-9:50. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994.
2. MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 1-5. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009.
3. Ryle, J.C. Luke. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1997.

Sermon Notes: December 2, 2012

Sermon Text: Luke 7:11-17

Sermon Title: The Lord, a Compassionate and Powerful God

Scripture Reading: Exodus 34:1-9

Introduction

Last week’s message was entitled, “The Man Who Made the Master Marvel.” The story was one containing a life-altering crisis. The main character was a Roman centurion who lived in Capernaum. The subject of the text was faith. The encounter, which caused Jesus to marvel (be amazed), taught us how to define, develop, and display faith.

Faith is often given and cultivated in the soil of crisis and is displayed by humble submission and reliance on Jesus to release His power by the means of His Word in accordance with His will.

This week we will read about an even greater crisis, an even deeper compassion, an even more miraculous miracle, and learn a more important lesson. This lesson is not about the faith of man, but the character of God as displayed in the life of Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 7:11-17

• This miracle account is unique to Luke and records the first of Jesus’ three miracles of raising the dead (Luke 8:40-56; John 11:1-44).  With the centurion, Jesus was summoned. With the widow, Jesus came unannounced.
• The centurion was, by worldly standards, self-sufficient. The widow, by worldly standards, couldn’t have been more destitute.
• In Luke 7:1-10, the centurion’s faith was displayed as an example to us. In Luke 7:11-17, the compassion of God, as seen through Christ, is displayed as an incentive for us.

Read Luke 7:11

Nain is mentioned only here in the Bible. Nain was a small town which now has about 200 residents. [1] To make the trip from Capernaum to Nain was to travel twenty miles southwest of Capernaum. The mileage mentioned here will be a very important element to consider as our story develops.

Read 7:12

Remember what I mentioned in the introduction?

• An even greater crisis: This man is not a sick, paralyzed servant. This man is dead and in route to his burial. In Luke 7:1-10 Jesus helped a wealthy centurion and a dying servant. In this text, Jesus helps the first and second most helpless people on the planet: First, a dead man and a very close second, an orphaned parent. In this text, Jesus helps a lady who has lost her husband and only son. This widow suddenly has no source of protection, income, security, family, or love. In addition to the sorrow she would feel after the loss of her husband and now the loss of her only son, she is left in the most vulnerable position culturally possible: she is now an orphaned adult. 

Thus far in Luke we have read of crisis after crisis. It is important to understand what I am about to share, because we who are familiar with the definitions of sovereignty and providence can become cold and cynical seeing all of this hurt and pain. 

“There is nothing in this story that is not full of misery. And all this misery, it must be remembered, was brought into the world through sin. God did not create it at the beginning when he made everything “very good.” Sin entered the world…and death through sin (Romans 5:12). There would have never been any tears or illness or death or funerals on the earth if there had been no sin. We must bear with this state of things patiently. We cannot alter it. We may thank God there is a remedy in the Gospel and that this life is not all there is. But in the meantime let us lay the blame at the right door. Let us lay the blame on sin” (J.C. Ryle). [3]

• An even deeper compassion: “To set the scene, it is important to appreciate the nature of burial customs in Judaism. First, a person was not prepared for burial unless death was certain. Second, a family tore their garments as a sign of mourning and closed the eyes of the corpse to show that death had come. Third, to prevent deterioration the body was anointed and buried quickly. Generally not kept overnight in the house, the corpse was wrapped in cloth on a burial plank, not in a coffin. Thus, as Jesus approached the woman, the funeral procession was moving out of town, with the mourners present to bury the visible, but covered body momentarily” (Darrell L. Bock). [1] 

How does this prove an even deeper compassion? Remember, Nain was twenty miles from Capernaum. This boy would have been in the ground within the hour. What did it take to arrange the circumstances such that Jesus met this family at the city gate? Compassion. 

If Jesus would have gone all the way through with His visit at the centurion’s house, He would not have gotten to Nain in time to perform this miracle for this widow and her son. 

Therefore, should we marvel at the centurion’s faith? Yes and no. We should marvel that God gave the centurion faith so great as to have “one eye” on Capernaum and “one eye” on the widow and her son. 

• A more miraculous miracle: In Luke 7:1-10 Jesus displayed His power over sickness. In this passage Jesus displayed His power over death.
• A more important lesson: God displays His power, not first because of faith, but because of compassion.  Hence the sermon’s title, “The Lord, a Compassionate and Powerful God.”

This leads us to what we need to know this morning: “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18 NASB). 

The word “explained” translates a form of the verb exegeomai, the source of the English word “exegesis” (the method and practice of interpreting Scripture). Jesus “exegetes” God to us. [2]

Here (Luke 7:11-17) we learn from Jesus that our God is a compassionate and powerful God. It is not enough to have a God that is either supremely compassionate or powerful. If God were compassionate, yet not powerful, He would be a good confidant, but He could not help us. If God were powerful, yet not compassionate, He would be a hard taskmaster, driving us like cattle. But because God is compassionate and powerful, He cares and is able to help. 

Read 7:13

The Lord Jesus Christ had compassion on the hopeless and hurting widow.

“Compassion, rightly understood, means entering into the passion, or suffering, of others. It means setting aside our own concerns, our own fears, our own needs, and not just supplying but feeling the needs of those around us” (R.C. Sproul Jr.).

Compassion translates a form of the verb splagchnizomai, which is related to a noun that describes the inner parts of the body (like the words “heart” or “gut”). [2]

Have you ever seen or heard something so tragic and felt such sorrow like someone punched you right in the gut? Jesus felt her hurt and moved towards her with words of comfort. Jesus, however, offered more than heart-felt compassion and words of comfort: He offered power to change.

Read 7:14-15

According to Numbers 19:11-22, anyone who touched a dead person or anything associated with a dead person became ceremonially unclean. Jesus touched the coffin to show His power over sin. Jesus touched what was defiled and remained, “holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). 

Jesus addressed the boy directly. Jesus talked to a dead man who could not hear and could not see. Jesus spoke life into this dead, helpless soul. Jesus resurrected the boy to show His power over death.

Read 7:16-17

What did we learn today? We learned from Jesus that our God is a compassionate and powerful God. What should we now do because of what we have learned?

• In the midst of life-altering crisis, we must trust the compassion of God towards us. 

Turn to John 11

John 11:1: Mary and her sister Martha had a brother named Lazarus who was ill and dying; John 11:4: Jesus states the purpose for Lazarus’ illness, “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (v. 4b); John 11:5-6: Jesus did not come to relieve their pain, because He loved them; John 11:15: Jesus purposefully did not go there and was glad for it; John 11:21: Martha had a valid and great concern to help her brother; John 11:25: Jesus shared Martha’s concern (vv. 33, 38), but had a concern that was greater: That they would know Christ more intimately; John 11:33, 38: Jesus was deeply saddened and at the same time glad (v. 15) for this crisis, yet moved towards the hurting with compassion and power.

• When we understand the compassion of God towards us, we should be filled with awe and praise, which should then motivate us to spread a report about Him in “Judea and all the surrounding country.”

We were like the widow, penniless, alone, and without any hope. We were like the dead son, unable to help ourselves while marching towards an empty, eternal existence. Like them both, we didn’t ask for help, but Jesus orchestrated all the dominoes of circumstance, and interrupted our march to the grave.

Like the dead boy, He came to us in power, personally addressed us, and commanded us to live. Like the widow, He came to us compassionately, returning to us new life, new love, and a new hope.

On the Cross, Jesus Christ marched towards death. In His death He displayed His power over sin by touching our sin without being defiled and then He showed the power to overcome death through His resurrection.

If Jesus has touched your sin and raised you from the dead, you should see new life which is evidenced by awe and evangelism.

Sources

1. Brock, Darrell. Luke 1:1-9:50. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994.
2. MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 1-5. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009.
3. Ryle, J.C. Luke. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1997.
4. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/passion/