REPORT WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND HEARD
Luke_Ch07_18_35_M_DavidGates
Luke 7:18-35
Key Verses: 7:22
“So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’”
The last two lessons in Luke’s gospel happened in separate towns, Capernaum and then Nain. News of two miraculous events, healing a servant by saying the word from afar and raising the widow’s recently deceased son spread all over the region. Socially, it was the most amazing time to dream of paradise on earth with no more sickness or premature dying. Politically it might seem like midterm season as people cheer for Jesus the messiah candidate and large crowds gather for help. Spiritually however, there is a time of transition going on behind the scenes. Jesus’ accomplishments sparked interest among some of John’s disciples in the region. Their inquiries gave Jesus a chance to share his insight about John’s ministry and help us consider what it takes to keep the faith in troubled times.
Verse 18 mentions John’s disciples reporting to him about all that was happening in Galilee. We forgot about John after he was locked up in prison way back in Luke chapter 3. Since then, all our attention has turned to Jesus. We can imagine John’s arrest would have dispersed most of his disciples back to their villages. Many others returned home soon after being baptized. They were waiting for God’s kingdom to come and they were repenting and fasting expecting something to happen soon. They were just not sure what would happen and they were unclear how God’s kingdom would unfold. It is natural to imagine they were excited to share the current events with John, hoping to encourage him in jail. “Hey John, hang in there, somebody named Jesus in Galilee has amazing power to help us. Even Roman centurions are on his side.” They thought things were looking good for revolutionary ideas, and might be thinking John could be set free to continue his ministry soon. They likely expected John to continue advocating for the less educated and marginalized, giving them a voice in the new kingdom.
In verse 19 John sends two disciples back to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” John’s inquiry inspires many questions in our mind about what John was going through. We wonder if he had doubts about Jesus or even doubts about his own situation. When we put ourselves in John’s place, we are quick to feel doubtful, unsure if Jesus forgot about me or if he is going to help me. In fact, a lot of believers fall into such doubts over and over again, and over much more trivial situations than being unjustly imprisoned. – SLIDE open doors map – On the same topic, let us remember those who are imprisoned unjustly for their faith in Christ and for telling the truth about sin in their community because we tend to let them go out of sight and out of mind.
Back to John’s instructions and how they might fit into the bigger picture. In Chapter 3 John instructed everyone to look for a more important person. He was certain someone was on the way to establish a greater kingdom although it is not clear if John had any specific knowledge of what it would look like. He was sure his only purpose at the time was to prepare the way and introduce the people to Christ. So, the depth of John’s doubt, if there was any, might mostly be regarding what Jesus would do politically.
On the other hand, his instructions for the disciples he sends as messengers might give a clue of his intention. John most likely had no knowledge of what Jesus was up to for some time, so hearing the amazing stories of his work in Galilee inspired him to send two more disciples to certify that it is not some other prophet. This would be more for the sake of his disciples, because he needs to ensure his followers connect with the Lamb of God he met many moons ago.
We can wonder endlessly about John’s reason for asking about Jesus’ identity. But let’s keep this in mind. John was clear on his mission, he did not interact with Jesus much after introducing him, and then got arrested and imprisoned. If we were John, we would be dreaming of Jesus setting us free soon. But John was full of the Spirit, more than anything, he wanted his disciples to get on track, following the one greater than himself, while his case worked through the courts.
Look at verse 20 and 21. “When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.” Jesus did not simply answer their question or bluntly invite them to drop everything and follow him as with some other disciples. Rather, Jesus let John’s disciples see for themselves the unprecedented, amazing, miraculous things going on. After caring for all the patients, Jesus gave the messengers their next instructions in verse 22.
“Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Even this is not a simple “Yes, I am the one to look for. Now follow me…” Instead they have to return to John with their report and wait for him to agree. They should get permission from their teacher to leave his school and sign up with Jesus. It’s actually amazing to see Jesus defer the decision on whom to follow back to John, as if he respects John’s authority and trusts him to send the disciples back for their own good. The things he mentioned seem to be things indicated in prophetic promises regarding Israel’s savior. Even Jesus may have read one earlier in his hometown. Reporting this to John would give him the reliable, first hand report he needed to grant permission for his disciples to stop waiting on him and go follow Jesus, since it was his goal from the beginning.
Jesus did add one word of encouragement in verse 23. He said, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” These kinds of sayings challenge everyone who hears them to consider their faith and commitment to Jesus. The blessed will keep their faith in Jesus as the savior, their good shepherd and lord of all. They will side with him and abandon their former philosophies, religious communities and ways of thinking so their life may be useful to Jesus for expanding his kingdom however he enables them. On the other hand, those who fall away on account of Jesus are overcome with shame for trusting him or they may give in to community pressure to save their life in this world. They will fall away from God’s kingdom when Jesus becomes unacceptable to them. They ultimately fall into the hands of God who will bring them to judgment day and they are in danger of eternal condemnation for rejecting his gracious salvation in Christ. This part of the passage is mostly about John’s disciples, trying to decide if they must leave their teacher and sign up with Jesus. But it reminds us to examine our faith often. If we find ourselves committed to John, rather than Jesus, we should repent. If we notice ourselves falling away into society instead of standing up for God’s Kingdom, it’s time to repent. If suffering some loss or persecution because of Jesus seems unbearable, remember how John and Christ suffered for serving God and repent before we fall away on account of King Jesus.
After John’s disciples departed, Jesus turned his attention to the crowd, sharing his opinion about John the Baptist in verse 24-28. John was not a reed swayed by the wind, that is, someone who hypes up any message that sounds good to the audience. Or a message lasts only for a short time, like a sly politician. John’s message was the word of god. The kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news. It is true and life-giving then and now. His message is good news of salvation. Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! His message is also harrowing news of spiritual division with everlasting consequences: he will gather the wheat into the barn and cast the chaff into the fire.
John was not a high profile messenger from a rich and luxurious palace. He was nobody’s puppet or elitist party’s mouthpiece. John challenged the marginal people and the most powerful rulers to repent and turn back to God. He fearlessly stood for what is right in God’s eyes and suffered the worst case of cancellation possible for his uncompromising attitude.
How can we understand John’s ministry? In verse 26, Jesus concluded that John was a prophet and even more than that. Look at verse 27 This is the one about whom it is written: ” ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Jesus shared a quote from prophet Malachi, the last prophetic book in our Old Testament, assumed to be the last prophet whose message belonged to the Hebrew Scriptures. There were clearly other prophets working for God, one named Anna was mentioned in Luke’s gospel, but Jesus considered John different from one who simply shares prophetic messages. An unusual note might be that John was a prophet who was specifically prophesied about. A prophet who fulfills a prophecy seems special, but even that might not make him more than a prophet. What makes him more, must be in his specific ministry to Christ.
John was the first son of a priest, and he was set apart for God’s plan from his birth. He is the one appointed on earth to consecrate Jesus for his ministry of sacrificial service. He was the prophet whose message all kings and former prophets longed to see fulfilled, that is, heralding the arrival of Christ, Israel’s messiah. John was more than simply someone who foretold the promise of God, he was the one who made it happen.
Let’s read verse 28, where Jesus shares an unexpected thought about John and an obscure word about someone else. Let’s go. “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” In light of what John did, we can tell he was greater than other men because his job was very special in the history of the world. He prepared the way for the Lord and by baptizing Jesus, John introduced mankind to the Son of God, the lamb of God, the last Adam and God in the flesh. He is greater than any other prophet in history because he started the kingdom of God coming to all the nations. But someone is even greater than John. Who might this be, if they are considered the least in the kingdom of God? What does that even mean? There may be many applications, since it is clearly a parabolic lesson about what makes someone great.
Maybe the first lesson is that no one who is born of women can be greater or more important than John. So, emperors, presidents, sports or war heroes or civil rights champions may all be important, but they will fall short of God’s glory. It’s a humbling revelation, because John’s life seems short and very obscure while others are memorable and vastly influential. Considering this I tried to comfort myself with an idea that maybe those born of women might be “almost as great” as John, by following his example. Jesus said somewhere that even sharing a cup of cold water with those who belong to him would be recognized by God. And he described an unusual equality several times in parables, concluding that the first would be last and the last first. Maybe if they keep their faith and accomplish their mission for God in their life, even a small mission like one hour’s worth of harvesting grain be all it takes to be almost as great as John in this world.
But then, who could be the least in God’s kingdom and greater than John? There may be one answer in John’s message. In Luke 3:16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” In John’s gospel he testified about Jesus saying, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'” If John looked forward to Jesus being greater than he was, it makes sense to wonder if Jesus could be alluding to himself as the least. He did make some other lessons like this, especially for his disciples at their last supper, by washing their feet to help them understand greatness in the kingdom of God. In the same mode of serving others, knowing he will be serving everyone as the lamb of God, Jesus may be sharing a secret with them.
There are a few other places in Jesus’ lessons where he almost explicitly claimed a manner of greatness. He claimed to be greater than Solomon (Luke 11:31), Jonah (Luke 11:32), Abraham (John 8:53) and greater than the Temple (Matthew 12:6). Those things sounded insane, even blasphemous to those who were falling away on account of Jesus, but they do illustrate a greatness we cannot fully comprehend. Achieving it was costly. Phillipians recollects Jesus’ attitude and God’s reward in chapter 2. Saying Jesus made himself nothing and that God exalted him to the highest place, granting him the name above every other name, Lord in English.
These are a few reasons to imagine Jesus speaking of himself as the least being greater. But there may be other nuances hidden in the lesson. It may be a way of saying everyone in God’s kingdom will have greater glory, and more awesomeness than even the greatest servant of God in this world. In this sense, the saying is just encouraging everyone to follow Jesus, looking forward to God’s renovation of our souls. It is similar to the lesson in 1 Corinthians about the seeds growing into various amazing plants when God’s kingdom is revealed.
In the context of Luke’s account, he may be speaking of all those everyday people around Jesus at the time. Verse 29 says, “All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.” They were nobodies, the least of society when compared to the self-righteous leaders described in verse 30, yet they were among the first to enter the kingdom according to Jesus. And they were great in their own way in God’s eyes. Jesus said somewhere that there is much joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Those least around him were unimportant and even outcast in their society’s eyes, but in God’s view they were champions who overcame themselves, peer pressures and superstitions to seek his kingdom by faith.
In the last part of this conversation, Jesus describes two groups of children, representing the same folks Luke described in verse 29 and 30. One group is compared to stubborn, pouting children who complained when nobody wanted to mourn with them or dance with them. They were falling away as they were stuck in their religious way of life. They concluded John was demon possessed and they rejected Jesus, saying he was a friend of sinners. The other group are children of wisdom. By being baptized by John, they acknowledged God’s way was right. So, they were wiser regarding their souls. They humbly repented in hope of experiencing God’s favor when they heard of God’s kingdom. But now they must decide to follow Jesus, based on what they saw and heard. If they remain in Jesus they may be treated as the lowest among their peers, but they will be great in God’s sight and bear much fruit now and forever in his kingdom.
Let’s read the key verse one more time. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.’ Today’s passage highlighted John’s disciples’ search for God’s kingdom. We have similar doubts and situations. But the facts of Jesus’ ministry and his encouraging words help us determine to side with him and report to others of what we have seen and heard. May God use our testimony to help the lost world to repent and encourage our coworkers on the way.