Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture Mt 8, 11, Lk 7, Jn 4
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. And welcome to our Journey Through Scripture. We are continuing our chronological walk ⁓ through Scripture. We are in the Gospels right now. ⁓ and ⁓ again, we kind of skipped all over the place, so bear with us. If you read more than what we go over, that's fine. ⁓ I kind of just give ⁓ chapters that we're going to hit from some of the different gospels. Sometimes we don't hit everything in that chapter. ⁓ because again, we're trying to go in a chronological ⁓ order as much as possible. So today we're going to be looking in Matthew chapter eight ⁓ and eleven, all of Luke chapter seven and a little bit in John chapter four. ⁓ so Matthew eight, ⁓ starting in verse five through thirteen, and then the first part of Luke chapter seven talk about ⁓ the same miracle. ⁓ this is a healing of the centurion's ⁓ servant. ⁓ so you have a centurion, a Roman centurion, ⁓ would have been someone who was in charge of around eighty men. ⁓ so someone that was a good soldier, ⁓ it did have some leadership responsibility, ⁓ you know, was ⁓ was probably what we would consider kind of a a lower middle class middle class Roman. and and so That's the type of person ⁓ that that we're talking with here. And I think it's very interesting and this reveals that ⁓ the Romans were very aware of Jesus, like they were hearing the teachings of of Jesus too. And so here this Roman is reaching out to Jesus and to heal his ⁓ servant. And he pleads with him, he says, My servant is lying at home. This is in Matthew chapter eight, again, verses five through thirteen. Jesus said, I'll come and heal him. ⁓ So Jesus says, Okay, I'll I'll come and do that. And what's interesting is what the centurion says. He says, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak a word, and my servant will be healed, for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this this one, go, and he goes, To another come, and he comes, ⁓ and my servant do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. And so what is it about this centurion's faith? Well, he he recognizes one, his his position in relation to Jesus. He's he's acknowledging he's unworthy. ⁓ and then he he acknowledges that Jesus is commanding something more than than human people, right? That there's a spiritual element to this, that Jesus is is Lord, that What he says goes that he is he is in command ⁓ of of people's health, of people's lives, ⁓ of this the spiritual side of of things. And so if Jesus was just willing to say the words, he knows that they will be done. That's the kind of faith that he has in Jesus. And in Matthew, ⁓ Jesus kind of ⁓ then ⁓ continues and he says, you know, this is more faith than I see within the people of Israel. He says there are some ⁓ who are going to be separated, ⁓ even though that they are part of ⁓ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ⁓ because they do not have faith ⁓ in me. Luke chapter seven ⁓ gives the same same story. It's very similar. ⁓ Jesus of course he he heals the servant ⁓ by just saying the words ⁓ then ⁓ in Luke chapter seven, then that goes right into the story of Jesus raising ⁓ the son of a widow. ⁓ it's in verse starting in verse eleven. you know and this is this is important ⁓ because I mean the ramifications of this are very important. So this is a widow. There's no one to take care of her. You had to have a it was a a ⁓ patriarchal society to the highest and so a woman was in deep trouble if she did not have someone to be ⁓ kind of head of the household. Well, the son was was that and now he has died, so she is going to be out on her own. And so Jesus ⁓ raises him from the dead. And in that immediately following that well, I I'll ⁓ wait just a a second. So let's take a break from Luke chapter seven, so it has these two stories together. ⁓ John chapter four, the second sign of Jesus as the Messiah is him raising the centurion's ⁓ son. So he he John ⁓ shows that again is ⁓ very similar. ⁓ makes no mistake that it is Jesus who ⁓ healed the servant. ⁓ and so so we see ⁓ ⁓ in ⁓ a rare occasion that the synoptics Matthew and Luke ha share a story with John and this is the second sign ⁓ from from John. Then we get into Matthew chapter eleven, ⁓ and then we're fixing to hit the last part of Luke chapter seven. But Matthew chapter eleven, ⁓ you have ⁓ all of this that has happened, all these healings and miracles that have been going on And so now John the Baptist sends his disciples ⁓ to ask Jesus, and it's kind of this questioning, okay, Jesus, are you really the one? I I've been pointing people to you. ⁓ I think that you are, ⁓ but are you truly ⁓ the Messiah? So in Matthew chapter eleven, ⁓ starting in verse two, it says, And when Jo John had heard in prison about the words of Christ, he sent two of his disciples to And said, Are you the coming one or do we look for another? So I I think this is in interesting. ⁓ first off, John, where is he? He is in prison. So he's been doing all this preaching, pointing people to the Messiah, and what does he get for it? He gets put in prison. So I think ⁓ there's a little bit of this as he's like, Is this was this worth it? Was was I right? ⁓ I here I am now in prison. I don't know what my future holds, which by the way Spoiler alert, the future is not good. ⁓ and he is wondering what it who is is this guy really who he says he is and who I said he was? Right? I I think this is a very human thing by John that he is making sure ⁓ that, okay, guys, tell me, is Jesus is he is is he who he says he was? And and so they go to Jesus. And Jesus just responds, he says, Go tell John the things that you've seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who is not offended because of me. ⁓ and ⁓ so it basically he just shows them all tells them all the signs that are doing which connect with what's what the old testament had said the Messiah would do. ⁓ there especially in Isaiah sixty one. Remember when Jesus read in Isaiah sixty one? And and so this is going to be assurance and reassurance for John that Jesus truly is the Messiah. But then Jesus continues in Matthew eleven, ⁓ verse seven, says, as they departed, Jesus b began to say to the multitudes concerning John. What did you go do out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind, but what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings houses. But what did you go out and see? A prophet. Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet, for this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger before your face, you will prepare your way before me. So he is reassuring the people that John the Baptist is the the one that was promised to come and prepare the way for the Messiah, that he was he is not ⁓ you know, some ⁓ soft ⁓ son of the royal family. No, he is truly a prophet, that John the Baptist is the prophet ⁓ and that that ⁓ he did prophesy, he connects it there in verse fourteen, and if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. ⁓ so again, it was the belief was Elijah would come ⁓ and and prophesy and point people to the Messiah. ⁓ Jesus is saying that is who John the Baptist is. And he says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Because he knows people are going to be skeptical of this, but he's saying, ⁓ you have you can believe what you want, but if you want to hear the truth, listen to what I am saying ⁓ for you, ⁓ to you. And ⁓ and then he he talks just about how so many people they miss the words of the prophets because they don't like what they have to say. ⁓ which I I think is is very very accurate, something that we've seen all through the Old Testament as we were going through the Old Testament. So then you get into Luke chapter seven and you have this same story. I think it's interesting, Luke puts in the r raising of the widow's son right before this, so it it fits. It's a natural fit whenever Jesus tells John's disciples, you've seen me raise people from the dead. Well, he it had just been talked about. ⁓ so his disciple John's disciples would have seen ⁓ all of these things. So y you read Luke ⁓ eighteen through thirty five, it's basically the very similar to Matthew's ⁓ account of of ⁓ John's disciples ⁓ coming and talking to him. ⁓ then and you continue on in Luke chapter seven, starting in verse thirty six, you have a sinful woman who is forgiven. ⁓ so again, part of the message ⁓ of Jesus is that the kingdom of God is open to anyone and to everyone. Everyone has the opportunity to enter into the kingdom. So you have a Pharisee named Simon. He asks Jesus to his house. ⁓ you have a woman who comes ⁓ and begins to ⁓ wash Jesus' feet ⁓ and is weeping and is, you know, just kind of ⁓ pouring her heart out to Jesus and ⁓ the Pharisee just thinks in his head, if this guy really was a prophet, he would know who this was. And then Jesus, of course, because he is the Son of God, knew w what Simon was thinking, and he says to him in verse forty, and Jesus answered and said, Simon, I have something to say to you. He said, Teacher, say it. There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one owed five hundred denare, the other fifty. When they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Which of them would love him more? And he said, Of course the one who Forgave more. And so Jesus is like, this woman has a lot more to be forgiven, and that is why she is reacting the way that she is. And then in verse 48 he says, Your sins are forgiven to the woman. And those who sat at the table with with began to say to themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins? Then he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. The kingdom of God that Jesus is talking about ⁓ is not a military kingdom. ⁓ It is something that is found in a relationship with Him where we can find healing, where we can find forgiveness, where we can find new life. Okay, we will be looking in Matthew chapter twelve and thirteen, Mark three and four, and then ⁓ a little bit more in Luke chapter eleven, ⁓ and then eight, Luke chapters eight. and thirteen. So Matthew twelve and thirteen, Mark three and four, Luke eleven, but mainly eight and thirteen. Okay, we'll see you all. Have a great day.