In this part of Luke’s gospel, two individuals are with Jesus- Simon the Pharisee and a woman who is identified as a sinner. Although both are with Jesus, it is only the woman who is truly transformed, who has a right relationship with Jesus. She is a picture of a true Christian.

Transformed people serve Jesus, not money.

When the woman learned that Jesus was dining at Simon’s house, she brought an alabaster flask of ointment. (v. 37) This was a costly item, showing that she valued Jesus over money. In this fallen world, money is a powerful god. But for believers, there must be a distinguishing line between money and Jesus. No one can serve two masters. (Matt 6:24) As transformed people, we must be willing to choose Jesus over anything.

Transformed people are joyous.

Luke describes how the woman stood behind Jesus, weeping. This woman, who was an infamous sinner, wept with joy from being forgiven by God. Are you continually amazed by the grace you have received from God? What is your daily source of joy? For this transformed woman, she couldn’t contain her emotions of gratitude and love as she stood in Jesus’ presence. 

Transformed people are humble.

The woman began to wet Jesus’ feet with her tears as she wiped them with the hair of her head. In biblical times, a woman’s hair was her glory. For her to wipe Jesus’ feet- which would have likely been very dirty from walking through dusty and unpaved roads- reveals her humility before God and others. She was humble because she knew God and she knew herself. As believers, we must seek to know God to be a humble people.

Transformed people love Jesus.

After washing and drying Jesus’ feet with her hair, the woman kissed his feet. It was her expression of love for Him. This is the ultimate test of true religion- do you love Christ? If you love Christ, you would love His Word and His church. You would love to commune with Him in prayer. If you love Christ, you would obey. True love is demonstrated through action. We demonstrate our love for Christ with good works.

Simon the Pharisee’s relationship with Jesus was different. His was a formal, lifeless, mechanical relationship. He was lacking understanding of two key components to having a genuine relationship with Jesus- sin and God’s forgiveness. He was unable to see his own sin, and therefore unable to experience God’s forgiveness.

Jesus tried to help Simon understand his situation by telling him a parable that represented Simon and the woman. The parable was about two debtors, one who owed more than the other. Both debts were forgiven by the lender, and it was concluded that the one with the greater debt would have had a greater love towards the lender. We are indebted to God, and a relationship with Jesus can only begin as you understand that you are a sinner whose wages is death and eternal damnation. Sin is powerfully devastating, bringing sorrow, pain, and death. The woman understood this, but Simon practiced self-righteousness and was blind and numb to his sin.

Knowing the seriousness of her sin enabled the woman to see how amazing God’s grace was. God Himself became man to die in our place so that we could be forgiven. The woman was aware of the greatness of her sin; therefore, she understood she was forgiven much. Those who think they have not sinned much have yet to know what sin is. Salvation is ultimately a supernatural act of God. Only the Holy Spirit can show your wretchedness as well as the precious grace in Jesus Christ. Salvation is therefore all of God’s grace.

What is your current condition? We must show our total devotion and love for Christ. If you know you’ve been forgiven much, you will love much.

Jesus is continuing His explanation of John the Baptist and the kingdom of heaven. He turns the subject of his explanation to the people who are challenging and rejecting Him, the Scribes and Pharisees, who had also rejected John the Baptist. They refused to repent and practiced unbelief. There is a difference between unbelief and doubt. Christians know who God is but sometimes they might doubt like John the Baptist just did. The Pharisees are not doubting but actually know nothing and hate Jesus. J. C. Ryle says that a refusal to admit God’s word as truth and to live without depending on it is the essence of unbelief.

Three Aspects of Unbelief

Self Righteousness

The first cause of unbelief is self-righteousness. The Pharisees were correct in their own eyes even though the Lord Incarnate is speaking right before them. Self-righteousness is a challenge against the Creator, the source of life and truth.

In Luke 7:32, Jesus uses kids playing a game as an analogy. In ancient times, the children would play by pretending to be at a wedding or funeral, similar to how kids play make-believe today. When the joyful wedding music plays, the kids were supposed to dance. And when the funeral song plays then they are supposed to weep. In this analogy, Jesus says there are kids who do not react to either and ignore the rules of the game. The flute represents Jesus’ ministry which is full of joy and hope. John the Baptist’s ministry is the mourning song, which is more somber and warns of judgment. Regardless of the ministry, the self-righteous only consider themselves as righteous. They reject both when they should have known their sin (Romans 3:10, Luke 18:9). Self-righteousness can take many forms, from a great belief in self to a belief that you are beyond God’s salvation. Either way, you are setting your own standard of righteousness. Self-righteousness is unbelief because it believes in self rather than God and His word.

Men do not go to hell because they commit all sorts of sin but because they practice unbelief. To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon, self-righteousness denies the salvation that God provides through His Son Jesus but tries to make its own way. This arrogance is an insult to God’s glory and honor.

Forms of self-righteousness

1. Legalism
2. Adding to God’s commands. For example: claiming early morning prayer is most divine prayer
3. Hypocrisy which is saying the truth but not living according to it (Luke 18:11-12)
4. Being Religious: People who have the form of holiness without power. Jesus calls them alive but dead (Revelation 3:2)

The cure for self-righteousness is self-knowledge. Knowing yourself. We must read the Bible and pray to God to know who we are. When you encounter Jesus and reflect on who He is, then you will know who you are more (Romans 7:19,24). So, pursue Christ until you meet Him in His word and through prayer (Romans 7:25).

Misunderstanding the truth and falsely accusing true religion

In Luke 7:33 The Pharisees did not understand John the Baptist and as a result, accused him of demon possession. John the Baptist was not a typical prophet. His attire and tone were very identifiable. He lived in the wilderness wearing camel skin and eating locusts and wild honey. His message was focused on repentance to the people of Israel who had wandered from the truth (Luke 3:8). Jesus also proclaimed the same message (Matthew 3:2). They preached repentance because repentance is the true gospel and vital to being saved. Yet those who practice unbelief either ignore or deny repentance.

Stylistically, Jesus did the opposite of John the Baptist. He ate and drank with many people, even sinners. He was always surrounded by crowds wherever he went. This is why Jesus is called the Son of Man. He is like us, born of Mary, and lived like us. The Son of God came as the Son of Man and lived like men but righteous so that He might turn us from worshipping idols to serve the living and true God (Mark 10:45; Matthew 1:21,23;1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Even though Jesus’ ministry looked different from John the Baptist’s, they also accused Him of being false, gluttonous, a drunkard, and demonic because their message was the same. Still today, the self-righteous will continue to deny and accuse Christians and Christ. They say Jesus is not real or not true. They twist His words and deeds. How can we assure ourselves that Jesus and the gospel are true and truly save? There is no religion that can atone for sin. Only Christianity knows the way of atonement by depending on the work of Christ. Every other religion is based on works. Good deeds will never atone for sin. But by the power and work of Jesus, the believer is truly saved and they are forever changed (1 Cor 15:19). When you see a true believer changed by Christ, you can see it’s genuine and unique. There is nothing like it.

Foolishness

Jesus says “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children”. Wisdom is the wisdom of salvation. “you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” – 2 Timothy 3:15 The children of wisdom are the transformed believers. Reversely, the unbelievers are the children of foolishness. Jesus calls them foolish. There is no worst insult. “According to the Bible, to be called a fool is to be deemed irreligious and godless. The fool is the person who has no respect or reverence for God, and when someone does not have any reverence for God or adoration in his heart toward Him, his life will inevitably show it.” – R. C. Sproul The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 141:1).  The fool pursues foolish things (Matthew 16:26). They pursue knowing it won’t save them. The fool knows their pursuit will not satisfy them yet they cannot help it.

Conclusion

Jesus offers wisdom to the self-righteous and foolish. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:2-3. The solution to unbelief is conversion. Steve Lawson on conversion. Steve Lawson says, “Conversion means a turning—a spiritual turning away from sin in repentance and to Christ in faith.” Conversion is different from sanctification. Conversion is abrupt and complete turning in direction. Sanctification is a gradual progression in holiness but conversion is once and final. It’s a turning to God. Conversion should not be confused with a better morality or spirituality. Conversion is the work of God’s grace and is the sign of belief. To convert to Christ, you must repent of your self-righteousness, receive the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe in Jesus as Lord.

Christians sometimes forget how precious we are, which is our spiritual reality in the sight of God. By faith, Christians see their spiritual reality. Luke helps to understand who Christians are as kingdom people and how Jesus presents us to the Father. To understand our spiritual reality, Jesus makes a comparison with John the Baptist in order to show that our status even surpasses the man whom Jesus called the greatest man to have ever lived born among women.

Jesus poses three questions related to John’s character and privileged calling. John had the spirit of Elijah, but he wasn’t Elijah himself. John was more than a prophet. In the Old Testament, there were many prophets, but John was considered greater than them because he was the direct connection to the promised Messiah.

John’s connection to Jesus made his ministry special as he was a contemporary of Jesus. However, his ministry was limited in calling men to repentance to prepare for Jesus who provided forgiveness of sins and salvation. Nevertheless, John’s calling made him the greatest man humanly speaking as he was the herald and the bridge between the Old Testament and Jesus. Other prophets before him prepared in words and prophecy, but John’s ministry made the prophecies actualized. And most importantly, it was only by John’s message of repentance the people were to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As prior theories became actualized by John, he prepared the direct path to Christ. This is what made him the greatest man to be born of a woman. But Jesus states that even the least in the kingdom is greater than John. This spiritual reality produces joy for the Christian as they understand their special spiritual status in God’s kingdom. Those who are least in the kingdom possess a childlike faith.

Moreover, John was not greater than anyone in the kingdom because his calling was temporary in the scope of redemptive history. His baptism could not save the sinner. Christians have a full and perfect knowledge of Jesus whereas John did not. Only through Jesus’ ministry, life, death, and resurrection was salvation fulfilled and completed.

Why should Christians be concerned about their spiritual reality more than anything in this world? Without focusing on our spiritual reality, we miss out on the joy of our status before the Lord and become swayed by the temporal things of this earth. Christians have been raised up with Christ; therefore, they are to keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Col. 3). The things above consist of being holy and beloved, putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other. Kingdom character is best demonstrated through love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And it is the peace of Christ that rules in the believer’s hearts, called in one body and filled with thankfulness. Living this way will give us strength and power.

Kingdom people are greater than John the Baptist and characterized by seeking the things above every day.

When John the Baptist was jailed by King Herod for condemning the king for immorality, John questioned whether his understanding of Jesus as the Messiah was wrong. In his dire situation, his faith began to falter.

Every believer can relate to John. In difficult circumstances, the faith that once seemed so strong when things were well can waver. We feel lost, not knowing what to do. God seems distant, and our faith feels completely defunct. (1Ki 19:4; Lk 24:21)

Jesus’ response? Blessed is he who does not take offense at me. To take offense at Jesus means that He is a stumbling block to you. Over time, it can result in doubt, disbelief, backsliding, and even apostasy. Difficult times will come. When they do, we need to remember four things to overcome taking offense at God.

1. Jesus is Lord.

Luke refers to Jesus as Lord. (v. 19) As Lord, Jesus can work in all circumstances. He is the risen Lord, who is trustworthy and able. Nothing- not even death- is bigger than Jesus Christ.

Why must we remember Jesus as Lord?
Remembering Jesus as Lord is a supernatural privilege. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can recognize Him as Lord. (1Cor 12:3) Second, remembering Jesus as Lord is fundamental to the Christian life. Salvation begins with the lordship of Jesus. Finally, remembering Jesus as Lord is practical. He steers our lives, and although we may not know what God is doing, we know who He is, and it is enough for us.

When Jesus is your Lord, your life will be marked with continual confession of sins, unconditional trust in Christ, and relentless thanksgiving to Him.

2. Jesus works always.

At the time John’s disciples came to question Jesus, He was working. (v.21) Jesus unceasingly works for the elect. He works for good, and His work is always successful. (Phil 1:6)

How do you know God is always working?
Romans 8:28 says that God causes all things to work for good. Nothing can happen or exist if God did not work. In His Word and by prayer, we know that God works. He speaks to us in the Bible and works through our prayers as we seek Him and pray according to His will.

God works providentially. If you truly believe that God is behind all things, there is peace.

3. Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus is the ultimate Savior. (v. 22) The works He did were prophesied in the Old Testament as the works of the future Messiah (Is 61:1) Jesus healed people in dire conditions- those who were blind, lame, diseased, deaf, dead, and poor- conditions that reflect our sin nature. We were in a hopeless state, but Jesus healed and saved us. It is the work He continues to do today as the Messiah. (2Cor 1:8-10; 2Cor 12:9-10)

4. Jesus is good.

Jesus said the poor have the gospel preached to them. Without the gospel, there is nothing man can do about his sin. Jesus is the good news. He alone is good.

How can you taste God’s goodness?
It is only the poor who can receive the gospel and taste the goodness of God. The one who is spiritually bankrupt before the Lord receives His mercy and lovingkindness.

We live in a time where people depend on themselves, especially when it comes to their experiences. How someone feels is a greater reality than truth. Even in the church, there are those who believe their ‘spiritual’ experience rather than what the word of God says. This is wrong and we must have a right object of faith, which can only be Jesus Christ. Therefore, our experiences must be based on the truth of God’s word. Especially in difficult times, what we need most is Jesus Christ. So far we have learned Jesus’ providence, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is compassionate, and Jesus is omniscient.

Jesus is omnipotent
Human nature is to bully and take advantage of the weak. However Jesus shows mercy and kindness (Matthew 12:20). After telling the widow “Do not weep”, Jesus begins to work. He demonstrates His almighty power. He has power over death and death cannot resist Jesus at all. Death is the last enemy which claims victory over every person(Hebrews 9:27). No one can escape death. Many have tried but all have failed. Yet Jesus stops this funeral procession and puts his hand on the coffin. The boy’s death is already irreversible, it’s seemingly too late, all that’s left is to bury him. However the funeral procession halts. Death stops at Jesus. He is God and sovereignly holds life and death in His hand (Job 1:21, John 11:25). 

Jesus says to the young man ‘Arise’. What a blessed command! God raises the dead! (Psalm 16:10, John 5:25) The dead Lazarus also heard the voice of Jesus and came out of the tomb. He truly is omnipotent! How can this be? Because God is pure actuality. God never has a beginning nor an end but He is God and He has always been. God is existence and He is life and so all life comes from Him (Rev 1:8). Without Jesus, all are dead and in Jesus we are saved and alive. Jesus has no causality, but is the cause of all things as the Creator (John 1:1, 3). He is everlasting to everlasting.

Arise
In that unexpected moment when the funeral procession is halted, Jesus gives the command ‘Arise!’. The tense is for the man to arise immediately. It wasn’t a command for later. It is like when God said ‘Let there be light’ at creation (Genesis 1:3, Hebrews 11:3). Christians experience a similar moment in our baptism. Jesus says ‘Arise’ as we come out of the water (Colossians 2:12). The dead sinner awakens as a redeemed child of God.

Salvation is a gift from GodJesus is the only one who gives the gift of salvation. “Jesus gave him back to his mother”. Not only does he do the miracle work of raising the dead but Jesus finishes the work by giving the son back to his mother. He presents the gift himself. In our difficult times, we meet Jesus in His word. We don’t meet anyone else, we meet Jesus, the only one who can help us and comfort us. 
Jesus is the only wayIf Scripture is correct about man’s fallen condition then the only possible solution is Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not the only way, then the Bible is wrong and man does not need saving. The Bible explains man’s sinfulness and fallen condition together with God’s salvation in the perfect God-man Jesus Christ (John 5:39). These two truths cannot be separated in the Bible. The Bible is true about both or neither. 

Jesus is the Messiah
Death is everywhere. Over 100,000 people die everyday. The good news is, God has sent his Son as our salvation. Jesus is the Messiah. In Luke 7:16, it says “Fear gripped them all”. Imagine being there and witnessing this miracle. A guy who was obviously dead was raised to life by the man in front of you. You would be both amazed and scared. In verse 16, they gave the only response based on the only conclusions they could come to. That Jesus is a prophet or God visiting His people. However, Jesus is not just a prophet but the Prophet (Acts 3:22). What He says God says. The people wrongly thought Jesus might be someone like Moses or Elijah. They also thought it might be God visiting them (Matthew 1:21-23). But they failed to make the final connection which is: Jesus is the Messiah. Because if Jesus is the Messiah, if He is God, then He must be worshiped (Philippians 2:10-11). 

Conclusion
Do you worship Jesus? To worship Jesus means He is above all in all circumstances. You submit yourself to Him and His word in everything. We must fear God in our worship (Isaiah 6:5). If there is no reverence, then there is no humility, no faith and no worship. ‘The fear of God is the soul of godliness’ – John Murray. If we have a holy fear of Jesus, then we truly know who He is and worship Him. What is the result of knowing Jesus and worshiping Him? “And this report about Him spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding region.” (Luke 7:17)

Why must we consider Jesus alone? In part 1, we learned it is because Jesus is providential and Jesus is Lord. By His sovereignty, Jesus headed toward the small village of Nain and provided what the widow needed. In that moment, Luke calls Jesus ‘Lord’. Jesus must be confessed as Lord for us to be saved (Romans 10:9). He is the living Lord who has conquered sin and death. He is truly God and Lord above all things. Nothing happens without his permission. These are two of the reasons why salvation belongs to Jesus alone.

Jesus is full of compassion – “He felt compassion for her” Luke 7:13.
Jesus is truly compassionate. In fact, He is love (1 John 4:16). The Savior was not mechanical or robotic in his miracle work but His actions were a result of a genuine and visceral compassion towards the widow. His love is full of kindness and goodness. He knows what we go through and feels it deeply. Our days are full of trials and trouble and we fail many times, yet Jesus is always compassionate towards us. See how He wept for Lazarus (John 11:35). Still today, He continually pours out His mercy from His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:15). He already knows your sins, that you are wretched sinners, vile and unclean, yet kindly invited to the mercy seat. What compassion and kindness! Mark 1:40-41.

How does Jesus show compassion to us now? Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit who does the same things He does (John 14:26). We often forget that the Holy Spirit is here with us, within us. The Holy Spirit who is God also (Ephesians 1:13). Also Jesus also still intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). Jesus even prayed for His enemies, how much more does He pray for you (Matthew 5:44)? Love and compassion are always accompanied with prayer.

You must be humble to know the compassion of Jesus. It requires an honest humility that admits we are absolutely worthless before Jesus. A humility that realizes we cannot do nothing on our own but we need Jesus (Luke 15:18-19). The prodigal son confessed and was willing to be a slave, and the Father showed compassion (Luke 15:20-22). When we humble ourselves and beg for mercy, we avail ourselves to the wonderful compassion of our Father.

Jesus knows everything (omniscient)
The Lord says to the widow “Do not weep”. A strange response considering His compassion and Her situation. The widow was weeping loudly for she had lost her only son. She was now alone. Jesus saying “Do not weep” is saying He knows everything and He knows what to do. Jesus is omniscient. He knew everything about the widow and her situation. Jesus knows everything past, present and future. He spoke in His foreknowledge, not harshly or spitefully, but out of His goodness. His commands are love and holiness to us. The coming year will also have its hardships. Society will get more sinful and more illogical. More unbiblical ideas will continue to gain popularity. We don’t know how bad it will be but God knows.

Why does the omniscience of Jesus matter?
– Jesus knows us individually. His knowledge is a person to person knowledge. His knowledge is not just facts about us but relational. Like Jesus knew and treated Apostle Paul, He also deals with us individually.
– Jesus knows everything about everything. He is Lord of all. Jesus is not just Lord on Sundays and He is not just Lord of the church but Lord of all. From nature, to nations, to money, to health to all peoples, to all existence, He is Lord. This Lord of all walks with you. So bring all your matters to Him, He is Lord of those too (Daniel 3:25, Psalms 23:4-6).
– Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. To be honest, we don’t know ourselves very well. We can’t even watch our own backs. We need someone to do that for us. In our extremely limited knowledge, how can we face an unknown future? We must walk with Jesus by faith (Hebrews 11:1-3,8). Jesus knows you perfectly, what you will face and what you need. Have faith in Him.

Jesus is full of compassion and knows all things. He is the Lord of all and provides what we need. We must trust in Jesus. He is the only one who is trustworthy.

We live in a world where people believe in many other gods and religions with each religion claiming to be the truth, yet somehow inclusive. In contrast, Jesus said he was the truth and there was no other way to the Father except through him. In today’s text, with those present at the funeral service of a widow’s only son, we witness Jesus stopping death in its track by raising up the dead son back to life. Jesus shows love and wisdom in caring for the widow by restoring her only son to her. In the bigger picture, Jesus is sovereignly providential. Jesus helps.

Webster Dictionary 1828 defines providence as “Effected by the providence of God; referable to divine providence; proceeding from divine direction or superintendence; as the providential contrivance of things; a providential escape from danger.” How much are we indebted to God’s unceasing providential care!

After leaving Capernaum, Jesus, his disciples and the large crowd went to the city called Nain soon afterward (v 11). This city was small and insignificant – about 26 miles from Capernaum. Through divine providence, Jesus intentionally headed towards Nain as he planned to meet the widow and the recently deceased son. Jesus is the only one that is able to provide the very thing the widow needed – the power to raise the dead. He cared for her need and had compassion for her. Jesus knew this because he continuously works and prays for others (Ro. 8:34). He also provides every good thing and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). In other words, Jesus provides every common and special grace. From raising the dead (physical) to our saving sinners (spiritual), God provides through Jesus Christ in his love and care for the lost. And it is God who causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). God’s providence is perfectly demonstrated on the cross as Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice to be the propitiation for our sins.

Luke describes God’s providence through Jesus’ resurrection power in this text. And it is no small thing that Luke refers to Jesus as Lord (v 13). Jesus is Lord and God. Christ, in his human nature, accomplished perfect obedience, has won salvation for us, and has been given universal dominion as a reward. Luke’s thorough investigation into Jesus’ lordship was based on overwhelming evidence – the raising up of the widow’s dead son being one of many. To believe and be saved, we must believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus is Yahweh. Without Jesus’ providence, we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

We must accept Jesus as our objective salvation because he is sovereignly providential in His lordship.

Oftentimes we mistakenly associate intricate theological knowledge with great faith. The centurion didn’t have access to a library of books to learn systematic theology. He had only heard of Jesus, yet he knew exactly who Jesus is with real and genuine faith. Jesus was astonished and amazed, meaning Jesus was pleased by His faith. There is no reason for Jesus to be surprised by anything since he is God who is omniscient. Yet how wonderful to know that a plain and sincere faith is the faith that our Savior desires.

How do we know that the centurion’s faith was genuine? In verse 2, it says he was highly regarded by the elders. The centurion’s faith was a working faith, that was not just in word but in good deeds. For example, he built their synagogue. Socially the Jews and Gentiles could not mix, the Jews despised the Gentiles, let alone respect them. While the Jews looked down on foreigners there was also anti-semitism spreading among the Romans. So this Roman commander had no reason to be kind to the Jews. Despite the social climate, this centurion was different because he was transformed by his faith (Luke 6:27-29, James 2:18). His faith was working especially in this situation of need and trouble by humbly turning to Jesus for the healing of his slave.

The Jewish elders say the centurion is worthy because he helped them build the synagogue (Luke 7:4). Contrarily, the centurion says he is not worthy. This is what makes the centurion so special. He is a man of humility. He knows he is not worthy of Jesus Christ. Faith and humility are always interconnected. In other words, pride makes faith impossible (Luke 18:13). Those who are humble, realize their sinfulness and ask for forgiveness. Graciously, God always answers repentance right away with forgiveness. We are all not worthy and should have faith in Jesus with humility (Luke 7:44-45).

The key to obtaining humility is to listen to the words of Jesus. At the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3, Luke 6:20). Without this, we cannot move forward in our faith. Humility is realizing we are nothing before almighty God. God is superior to us in all aspects and we desperately need Him. Jesus himself is the perfect example of humility who gave up everything in obedience to God the Father. So humility makes faith possible and until we are humble our faith is not practical and only until then God is pleased.

Sometimes, in our pride, we attempt to handle our problems on our own. This is the opposite of faith. Unless we are humble can we understand that only Jesus is Lord and faithfully turn to Him (Luke 8:23-24). The centurion, based on his own position, addresses Jesus as Lord because He understands the authority that Jesus has over all things (Philippians 2:9-10). When we are humble, we worship Jesus as Lord and God (Luke 5:8, Luke 24:52). We also trust in Him, His power, and goodness (Romans 8:28). When we trust in our Lord, we can have peace and joy in the face of all our problems. Because who is greater than our Lord? What problem is greater than our Lord? Nothing. So we can smile in any trial because Jesus is Lord. This is our obedience and sanctification and our Christlikeness.

The humble see Jesus as Creator (Luke 7:7). When God spoke, the universe was made. The centurion knew Jesus could heal just by speaking because he knew Jesus is the Creator. Jesus can make something out of nothing. He is the source of all things. We need this understanding. This doctrine must be more than knowledge but true understanding through humility. Why else would our prayers be answered except for the fact that Jesus is the Creator? Our own words are powerless if Jesus were not behind them.

Lastly, the humble understand that Jesus has all authority (Luke 7:8). In the hierarchy of this world, the centurion places Jesus above everything, even above nature, angels, demons, and disease (Matthew 28:18, Matthew 8:27). Jesus never had to ask permission from anyone or anything. There is nothing in this universe that Jesus must adhere to or abide by. He stands alone at the top, even death cannot resist his authority. When he commands the dead Lazarus to come out, even death cannot resist a single moment. When we are humble then we experience the blessed authority of Jesus over all things in our life.

Life is full of difficulties. Many of us are overwhelmed and tired. Look at Noah, God told Noah to build a giant ark. How many of us would complain that it is too difficult. Yet by faith, Noah did it (Hebrews 11:7). When we are humble, we see that God is able and put our faith in Him. Humility amplifies our knowledge of God and produces a faith that pleases God.

The immediate context is following the completion of the Sermon on the Mount, which included topics covering the kingdom of God and love. Afterward, Jesus went to Capernaum, which is located in northern Galilee. This city was the home base of his ministry for about two and half years. It was here Jesus when he was met with Jewish elders and friends a centurion had sent after hearing about Jesus and all that he was teaching. The centurion’s faith caused Jesus to marvel at it.

Why did Jesus marvel at this man’s faith? First, we need to look more into the centurion’s background as a Gentile is related to the overall them of the Gospel of Luke as it pertains to reaching the Gentiles. The one thing we know for sure is this man’s title as a centurion. “Centurion connects to the word century which connects to the number 100.  Technically they had a hundred men under them, although that number was flexible and many had more and some had less… Not only could they lead by command, they could lead by example because that’s really how you lead in life and death situations.  Not only that, they could follow orders.  They were the soldier’s soldier” (John MacArthur).

And another person to consider is the centurion’s slave that was dying, whom the centurion highly regarded. According to the historian, Josephus, oftentimes slaves were hired and mentored by the master. This slave was about to die and the centurion heard about Jesus and sent the Jewish elders to ask him to save him (v 3).  Just as everyone comes to faith by hearing the word of God and the gospel, the centurion also demonstrates living by faith after hearing about Jesus. And it was this act of obedience through faith brought on by hearing Jesus is stunned.

What does it mean by hearing? There’s a key difference between hearing the voice of God that leads to obedience vs merely listening without understanding (1 Cor. 2:14; Matt. 13:23; Jn. 10:3). Thus, when Jesus often spoke in parables to the crowd, only those that had true saving faith were able to hear and obey, whereas the rest heard and remained in their unbelief. In other words, what hearing truly means is to hear by faith and obey. Elisabeth Elliot once said, “we must quit bending the word to suit our situation. It is we who must be bent to the word.”

People whose hearts are dull cannot hear (Matt. 13:15). They cannot see or understand the pure spiritual principles of the gospel (Albert Barnes). Sin is what ultimately makes the heart dull. The kind of man God looks for is the opposite – the contrite in spirit (Is. 66:2).

How can we hear and improve our hearing?

• Read and meditate on the Bible every day. Christians know it is not most important to fill our stomachs, but rather to fill out spiritual hungry first and foremost.
• Pray throughout the week. We pray for ourselves and others (esp. pastors/leaders).
• Confession of sins daily
• Reduce media intake
• Not forsaking assembling together. Prioritizing the church is vital.
• Worship God with all our hearts. Passion and Scripture go hand in hand in worship.

Why is it so important to hear the word of God? Judas Iscariot heard so many words of Jesus, but he often disobeyed because of his sin and unbelief. In contrast, the Apostle Peter remembered the word of Christ and wept in repentance (Matt. 26:34, 75). As a result, he regained strength as he lived a life of repentance and faithful obedience to the Lord. This is what it means by hearing. Similarly, the centurion heard by faith and also applied it in his life through obedience.

Church discipline is a serious topic for the church. It is necessary though unpleasant. God disciplines us in our own personal lives and also has means of discipline in the church. Although we might not want to talk about it, discipline is still part of the gospel and God loves the church so He disciplines the sinner for the church’s sake.

Matthew 18:15-18 is Jesus’ strategy for dealing with tough situations – a sinning brother or sister. We also desire to deal with discipline purely from the word of God and not based on our personal feelings or emotions. God disciplines the sinner, we are merely the means God uses as we obey His word.

Some context for church discipline:

1. God is love and God is just. Often when it comes to a sinning brother we only apply love. We misapply Matthew 18:12 and think only positivity must be shown for the lost sheep. But God is also just and it is because he loves as well as just He wants to discipline His church.
2. Discipline is under discipleship. Discipleship has two sides, one which is instructional (formal) and the other is corrective. We normally instruct and teach but there are times when correction is necessary. Jesus corrects and disciplines out of love for the church (Hebrews 12:6).
3. When someone is in sin we should not be quiet but speak out in love. Church discipline is not excommunication. Excommunication is only the final step if there is no repentance. God is constantly disciplining, using his rod and staff lovingly like a shepherd leading sheep (Psalm 23).
4. Church discipline begins with the gospel. The gospel is not just for the moment of conversion but it should be continually conveyed to every believer every day. It is because the gospel is powerful and can change a person. The gospel must continually grow in our lives. Through the gospel working in our hearts we deny ourselves and follow Jesus Christ. The gospel message, its sanctifying power and call to repentance is the starting point of church discipline.
5. The basis of church discipline comes from the authority of Scripture. Discipline is not determined by a person’s rights or authoritative position but because the Bible dictates. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 says if a person is in sin then there can be no true fellowship. They might attend worship but no true fellowship. Hence the term excommunicated which means no communion. The Bible says it is the process of discipline that restores fellowship in the church. Christian’s are a new creature in Christ and serve as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, 20). This role applies to one another. When a brother is in sin then we must speak God’s word and be the voice of Christ to our fellow brother or sister, like Peter correcting Simon (Acts 8:20-23).
6. Jesus is the head of the church (Matthew 16:18-19) and he gives the church the power to say who belongs to the church (Matthew 18:18). For the New Testament church, we are here to preach the gospel, baptize those who repent, remember the Lord’s supper and lastly practice self discipline. We are not just here to receive new believers but to love and keep current believers and call out those who are disobedient (3 John 1:9). The apostles practiced a lot of church discipline, especially in the Corinthian church

What is biblical church membership?

Church membership doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you are saved but it does mean you are regarded as such. A true member of the church has repented and trusted in Jesus Christ. They confess Jesus Christ and call upon the name of the Lord wherever they are and wherever they go (1 Corinthians 1:2). Simply, a true Christian is a true member of Christ’s church. Church membership pertains to a local church. Biblical local church membership is like a covenant with its blessing and responsibilities. Membership includes accountability to Jesus, the leadership of the church, and to its fellow members.

A Christian is to be the salt and light of the earth. Yes, we are not perfect but we are pursuing sanctification. We strive, struggle, repent and pray to the Lord to be saltier and shine more brightly. Yet the reason why the church is called hypocritical these days is that we have failed and we have not held accountable those who are disobedient and unfaithful. This is why we need discipline. Jesus says, ‘If your brother sins, go show them their sin in private’. This doesn’t mean every single little sin. However, we want our fellow brethren to follow and represent Christ rightly.

When a believer is in sin for a long time, they are not following or representing Christ rightly. A person’s absence from the church is an example. They might have left for another church but that is not an excuse from the covenant of membership. There are only a few reasons to leave a church and break membership, the main reason being a false gospel and false doctrine. The church is different from the world and its organizations, the church is easy to enter but difficult to leave.

This is the purpose of church discipline: to restore and show love (Matthew 18:15). Church discipline repairs the fellowship, keeps its members in the flock, and sanctifies the church. The process of church discipline is a compassionate warning to show a fellow brother or sister their sin and to call them to repentance. No one loves to be shown their sin so the process of discipline is unpleasant but the result is wonderful. The goal is to bring them back to Christ! Jesus gave his life for the disobedient Christian and so in His love, Jesus tells the church to discipline the sinner so that they may be restored to Him (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 13:6). Though unpleasant, discipline must be carried out with valor, courage, kindness, and compassion.

If the person refuses to repent or reconcile; they claim they found another church. What can we do? We must do what the Lord commands. We must excommunicate with the hope that the person would eventually be restored (1 Corinthians 5:5). Always, the hope through discipline is repentance and reconciliation. While church discipline is necessary, our prayer is that we love one another and encourage one another to live faithfully for the Lord, so that church discipline might not be necessary (Galatians 6:1).