Jesus is known for teaching in parables. Throughout history, many teachers have used parables to make a point or teach morality. However, the Lord’s parables were unique, they were firmly based in reality, and played an important role in His ministry, not just to teach, but to discern. The parable of the sower in Luke 8 is one of the longest and most well-known parables that Jesus taught.

We find that when the crowd gathered, Jesus switched to parables. As the Teacher, Jesus used parables to paint a vibrant and colorful picture of the Kingdom of God. Through the parables, we gain insight and clarity into the Kingdom of God through the connection made to the tangible real-life experiences that everyone would be familiar with. Also when Jesus spoke in parables, he desired response from the crowd, either acceptance or rejection.

Three kinds of parables

1. The true parable: based on daily life that everyone understands. (Luke 8:4-8 farming)
2. The story parable: explains an experience. (Luke 15:11-32 the prodigal son)
3. The illustration: tells of what should be avoided or followed by example. (Luke 10:37 Good Samaritan)

Some might argue based on Mark 4:33-34 that Jesus used parables to hide truths. However, if we consider the heart of Jesus, how His purpose in leaving heaven and coming to earth was to seek the lost and save sinners, it makes sense that parables are the best means of communicating the invisible kingdom of God to the common man. Jesus preached repentance and the kingdom of God continually (Luke 4:43). Jesus clearly wanted everyone to hear the gospel and be saved. So the way Jesus used parables was not to conceal, to entertain, or to leave open for interpretation, but to explain and clarify.

It is true, Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal. To the believer, the parables are open and produce a hunger for more truth for they teach us about God’s kingdom. To the non-believer, they have no response, and the truth is hidden from them. In the same way, the straightforward gospel is hidden and rejected by the non-believer, the parables are also hidden because they know nothing of the Kingdom of God. The non-believer has no desire to repent so how will they know and accept the truths in the parables? It’s not that the parables themselves are hidden but because their unrepentant heart has no ability or desire to know the truth.

Going back to the scene of the parable. It says “When a large crowd was coming together”. They were coming from all over. Jesus’ popularity had risen to feverish heights (Mt 4:25, Mk 1:33, LK 5:1). He was so popular because He was healing every disease, performing miracles, feeding them, and preaching like no one else ever preached. They almost took him by force to make him King (John 6:15)

However, Jesus’ popularity took a nosedive when he started preaching in Luke 6:35 about being the Bread of Life. This is the fickle nature of the crowd. Based on the fluctuating size of Jesus’ followers, we must ask how many of them are saved. A lot or a little? The disciples asked the same thing (Luke 13:22-24). Jesus says the door is narrow and many will try to enter but won’t be able to. This should sober everyone. The Lord tells us to strive to enter through the narrow gate. This means diligently pursuing holiness and obedience. Our striving does not justify us, justification is by the blood of Jesus, but those who enter the narrow gate, through the blood of Jesus, must pursue holiness. This is in direct opposition to the comfortable way of salvation that is popular with the crowd. So Jesus spoke parables to the few who were truly saved, not to the crowds who were gathered.

The sower went out to sow (Luke 8:5). Jesus is the sower. He is not a sower but The Sower. The sower sowed on four soils. These four soils are actual soils that farmers faced in their fields. All the people, especially the farmers would know exactly how these four soils behaved. Especially the good soil, every farmer would know the joy and satisfaction of the seed-bearing a fruitful harvest.

While speaking in parables (Luke 8:8), Jesus would call out. Jesus calls out to you. Listen to Him. He doesn’t just inform you but calls out to you. His final goal is not to teach but to save. Hear His calling. If you have ears to hear, then by faith receive the truth of the gospel and believe.

In Paul’s greeting to the Thessalonian church, we can uncover three precious treasures that all believers possess.

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believers have intimacy with God. Paul uses the word “in” to refer to the church’s union, communion, and relationship with God. The church- which refers to the gathering of worshippers who have pledged their lives to Jesus Christ- is in God the Father. God as Father is not a metaphor, but it is real. How do you view God? Distant? Scary? Unapproachable? If so, you do not truly know God. Jesus showed God to us as a loving, protective, sacrificial, and trustworthy Father.

The church is also in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are in salvation because they are in Christ. He is the Lord, in whom all things hold together. He is the Savior, who transforms us when we are converted. He is the Christ, the Messiah who fulfilled God’s promise of salvation.

Grace to you and peace.

Believers have grace. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. All of us are sinners who deserve the greatest curse- God’s wrath in hell. But by God’s grace, we are given the greatest gift- salvation through Jesus Christ. Christians must be filled with grace. If we are filled with grace, we would aim to glorify God because of His amazing grace. We would be continually sanctified and would labor heartily for the Lord, whose grace strengthens us to change as we become more gentle and kind. Lastly, grace would cause us to be testimonial, as we seek God in all circumstances.

Believers have peace. We live in a terribly tumultuous world but Christians can have the peace of God in any situation since they have peace with God. Everyone desires to have inner peace, but it can not be attained by man because of his sin. We need Jesus to reconcile us to God.

Christians may experience a lack of peace when they lack conviction of their forgiveness. Guilt is the thief of peace, so Christians must seek to know their sins are forgiven. Believers may also lack peace when they do not totally surrender to Jesus. We must let the Lord rule in our hearts, rather than ourselves. Lastly, Christians lack peace when they lack trust in prayer. Do not take prayer lightly. Prayer is communion with God, which brings peace beyond all circumstances and understanding.

Let us begin this study in Thessalonians by pondering on these three priceless treasures that have been given to us- intimacy with God and His wonderful grace and peace.

As Christians, we have a duality in our lives. We live in both the physical and spiritual realm. We are in the world but also in heaven, we are earthly citizens and at the same time citizens of God’s Kingdom. Today’s Christian suffer from a diminished view of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is more real and more powerful and more wonderful than any earthly nation. Jesus says the kingdom is in our midst (Luke 17:20-21). We get confused because we cannot see or touch God’s kingdom. Yet we know Jesus is the King and His kingdom was established when He came to earth and it continues to grow by the preaching of His word and its citizens wait for His second coming (Philippians 3:20).

Three Characteristics of the Kingdom Message
The kingdom of God has a central gospel message and that message is good. The gospel is indescribably and perfectly good and it draws the attention of those who are called. In Luke 8:1, we see how Jesus loved and treasured the message of the kingdom of God. He went from place to place, anywhere He could go, constantly spreading the gospel message. The great Preacher wanted everyone to hear the kingdom message and come to salvation. Throughout his ministry, from beginning to end, Jesus had only one topic for His sermons, the good news of the kingdom of God, the Gospel (Acts 1:3).

The gospel message is good because it saves people from death to life. Everyone is born spiritually dead because of our sinful nature yet we can be made alive by the message of Jesus Christ. Also, dead sinners, we belonged to Satan but by the saving grace of the gospel, now we belong to God (1 John 5:19). The world is broken because of sin. Just look around and everyone is outraged at all the evils and wrongs in this modern society. But they don’t call it sin and therefore their solutions don’t work. The only way to break out of the broken world system is by the gospel of Jesus of Christ. That’s why the message is good.

The gospel message is good because it makes suffering worthwhile. In Acts 14:22 it says through tribulations we enter the kingdom of God. So if we see our suffering from God’s perspective, suffering is a good fight with a good reward. “Losses and crosses are better for us, if they lead us to Christ” – JC Ryle. Therefore in your suffering, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and you will find yourself under a powerful and good King (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom Message is Powerful
In Luke 8:2-3, we see those who have experienced the power of the kingdom message externally and internally. Mary Magdalene’s life had been ruined by the control of seven demons. She was helpless and abused by those wicked demons and no power on earth could rescue her. We must realize that demons are real and extremely powerful. They are fallen angels who serve Satan. These vile beings have many ways to attack people either directly or indirectly. This entire world is under their influence of hatred towards God. Yet by the gospel message, a person can be set free. This is the power of the Gospel that no other power can resist.

The kingdom message is powerful to reach both high and low. Chuza was Herod’s steward, a royal official with great power in the kingdom, and he believed in the gospel message and was changed. This is because the kingdom message is not mere words but power (1 Corinthians 4:20). Today we have brilliant teachers who speak many words but they carry little power. By contrast, in the early church, the preachers weren’t intellectuals but fishermen. Their power came from their faith and the faithfulness of the message they spoke. The gospel contains the power that comes from the Holy Spirit, not from academics (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The kingdom message is a message of repentance (change). Both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). True repentance is genuine sorrow over your sin which leads to trust in the Lord for forgiveness and salvation. That trust is then demonstrated by obedience. A lack of obedience means there was a lack of true repentance. This is why people claim that Christianity doesn’t work. They lack true repentance. We can be confident that the gospel message works because God is good and He is almighty God who graciously gives a powerful and effective message (Romans 8:32). It is life-changing gratitude and joy that comes when we repent and receive the salvation that is not earned by our deeds but paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Kingdom Message is Practical
In Luke 8:3, we see all those who are in the kingdom of God become servants of God. They have experienced the goodness and power of the message. Now they want to serve and help the church. These women continually, voluntarily, and sacrificially serve the Lord out of their love for Him. They desire to be like Jesus who loved and sacrificed Himself for them.

Likewise, Christian, be bold and share the kingdom message because we know who is our King! We are already in the kingdom of God and we love Jesus Christ the most. This love is an obedient love (Matthew 11:28-30). As servants and citizens, we come to our King and are satisfied with Him and His reign in our lives. Let us bring more people into this blessed kingdom as we live out and proclaim the gospel message to them.

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.