Tonight, weather permitting, we will continue our journey through the Gospel of Luke with a discussion of Luke 6:17-7:23. This week’s readings show Jesus continuing his teaching and healing ministry in Galilee. We also find Jesus’s Sermon on the Plain and his first ministry to a Gentile. You are always welcome to join us anytime. This email is available online and on Facebook.
Healing of the Centurion’s Slave: (vv.7:1-10)
In this story, we have one of the few places where Jesus is surprised. v.9. A Roman Centurion (probably the equivalent of a modern-day captain) has a sick slave. The unnamed Centurion is a friend and patron of the local Jewish community having given funds to construct the synagogue at Capernaum. v.5. Through the local Jewish leaders he asks Jesus to heal his slave, and as Jesus approaches the house, he sends his friends to tell Jesus to come no further. The Centurion simply suggests to Jesus that he can command the sickness to leave the slave immediately from a distance, just as the Centurion can command his subordinates (like the sick slave) to obey him from a distance. Jesus is surprised by this Gentile’s faith (i.e. reliance upon and recognition of) in Jesus’ authority.
This is Jesus’ first ministry to the Gentiles. The story of the Centurion should cause us to remember Jesus’ mention of Elisha’s healing of the Syrian commander Naaman during Jesus’ sermon in Nazareth in Luke 4:27 and the centurion at the Cross who will proclaim Jesus as the Son of God Luke 23:47.
The Raising of the Widow’s Son: (vv.11-17)
Luke follows the healing of the Gentile official’s slave with the raising of the widow’s son. Once more, Jesus is fulfilling his sermon in Nazareth where he mentions Elijah’s ministering to the widow of Zarapeth. This story includes Elijah raising the widow’s only son who had recently died. The prophets are being fulfilled in Jesus. Luke 1:1. We also see the fullness of whom Jesus comes to: not only the powerful, like the Centurion, but also the powerless like the now-sonless widow. Most importantly, however, we see the height of Jesus’s authority – he has power over death itself. He has made the sick and the lame arise, now he makes the dead arise as well.
Within this story, we should particularly notice that Jesus is not performing magic tricks. He does not raise the widow’s son to give himself attention or to advance his message. Rather, Jesus “was moved with compassion.” v.13. “Compassion” means “to suffer with.” The Greek word Luke uses is splagchnizomai which derives from the word for “entrails (gut)” and therefore means a deep, visceral feeling of compassion that provokes a deep visceral response to act. This is why Jesus acts, giving us an example to follow.
John’s Disciples: (vv.18-23)
John is imprisoned and sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus if Jesus is the one to come. Why would John ask this question? First, in Luke’s telling of Jesus’ baptism, John knows his mission but does not appear to know that Jesus is the one to come. Luke 3:21-22 (Although based on Luke’s Nativity, there should be some family lore that John is looking for Jesus. Luke 1-2.) Second, John may have doubts that Jesus was the one. Jesus is not the typical Jewish messianic figure who is going to overthrow the Roman occupiers and restore the correct Temple worship. Finally, John may be prodding Jesus to declare that he is the Messiah. John knows who Jesus is, and he wants Jesus to tell the world.
Jesus responds to John by citing the same Isaiah text that he read in the synagogue in Nazareth. Luke 4:18, Isa. 61:1. As Jesus often does, he refuses to give John’s disciples a direct answer, and requires them to draw their own conclusions.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is shrimp and grits. Discussion about 6:45. Compline around 8. Please join us (weather permitting)!
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.”
Luke 2:29-32, Isa. 42:6