Week #16 "Forgiven Much, Love Much"

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 7:36-50 dealing with Jesus’ encounter in the home of Simon the Pharisee. This narrative and dialogue is high drama indeed! It deals with the interrelated issues of hospitality, forgiveness, and love. It is very instructive to watch Jesus carefully as he lives graciously and lovingly in a very difficult situation.

Other passages to read: This story is unique to the Gospel of Luke, so there is no parallel passage to read from the other gospels. It might help to see how Abraham received guests hospitably in Genesis 18, ironically where the guest turns out to be the Lord. The Pharisee missed his clue!

Other Resources: This passage is covered at length with tremendous culturally insight in Kenneth E. Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (pages 239-260). In addition, N.T. Wright in Luke for Everyone (p. 89-92) briefly, but powerfully, captures the emotional setting.

Pastor Randy's Sermon Notes: "The Pharisee and the Prostitute"

Read the entire text of Luke 7:36-50

What we learn from the Pharisee and the Prostitute…

1.  Forgiveness – it’s what everyone needs

·         They both owed

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender.” (7:41a)

“As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:10-12, 23) 

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” (James 2:10)

·         They both couldn’t pay

“Neither of them had the money to pay him back” (7:41b)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

·         They both were forgiven 

“…so he canceled the debts of both.”  (7:42)

Jesus forgives more freely than what we’d like to admit…

Jesus forgives more freely than you and I do.

“ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." (7:39-40)

Satan’s two-fold lie:

— You are better than others

— You are worse than others

              The truth is that Jesus paid the same amount for everyone’s sin. 

2.      Understanding forgiveness leads to deep repentance and extravagant worship.

3.      Where there is much forgiveness, there is much love.

4.      Unforgiveness binds you to your past. Forgiveness binds you to your future and to God's hope and grace that things can be different.

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

• The Pharisee apparently thought that if one was a prophet that he would not allow sinners to approach…much less show such extravagant love. How does this Pharisaical idea effect the way that we live and love others today?
• What do I do when I see others being insulted and treated badly?
• What did Jesus do when he was treated disrespectfully by the Pharisees and lawyers?
• How is it possible for us to enter into, and identify with, Jesus’ suffering today?
• If in the Middle East the greatest “law” is the Law of Hospitality, what is the greatest cultural “law” here in the west? [It would be interesting to get feedback on this.]
• The Pharisees seemed to set a trap to provoke Jesus by their lack of hospitality, but Jesus seemed to catch them in their own trap...has he caught us? 

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

• How do we show hospitality to guests in our culture? Do we welcome Jesus in a similar way into our lives? How does this change our view of hospitality?
• How much have I been forgiven? It is important to our spiritual growth that we don’t minimize our own sin. If we truly understand how badly we needed forgiveness it can’t help but produce a response of gratitude.
• Name the people in your life that could testify that you are a thankful loving person this week.
• How much do I love Jesus? Am I willing to love Jesus, with abandon, this week? How will I do this? List three specific ways.

Commentary & Quotes: Some Cultural Issues to Consider...

·         The “Law of Hospitality” was one of the most deeply held cultural values. The basic hospitality that was required when invited into someone’s home would have included: a kiss of greeting, water to wash their feet and hands, olive oil for their head. Then the host would do their best to provide hospitable table fare as they would share a meal and conversation together. It was also the host’s responsibility to protect their guest from harm or insult as long as they remained in his home.

·         At a Middle Eastern at the time of Christ, the table was generally a “U-shaped” low table. Guests would recline on their left elbow, with the head towards the table, so as to eat with their right hand. This arrangement would have given the woman easy access to Jesus’ feet.

“Meals like this were not private: people could come and watch. But it took courage for this woman to go to a house where she knew she was not welcome. Jewish women often wore small flasks of perfume, like a necklace. The long neck of the flask was broken to release the contents. It was easy for the woman to reach Jesus’ feet, as guests reclined on couches: heads towards the table, feet away for it.” (Zondervan Handbook to the Bible—3^rd Edition,  607)

o   Jesus had been insulted by the hosts actions, but suffers this indignity in silence. But the woman, who had already been forgiven by Jesus, witnessed this shocking display of intentional rudeness. How could she stand by and watch it happen? What could she do, a woman of the city, a sinner even! She couldn’t just do nothing…so she took the risk and readily entered into the suffering of her new-found Messiah! Her gratitude for the forgiveness she had already received now overflowed in extravagant love, to more than make up what the Pharisees had wrongly withheld.

o   What a wonderful example of giving what you have when it is needed… she doesn’t appear to have planned this in advance.

§  She had no water so she used the tears that flowed because her Lord suffered mistreatment.

§  She had no towel so she used her hair…a shockingly bold act of humility on her part.

§  She had no oil so she used the small ampule of perfume she would have worn around her neck.

“This episode illustrates perfectly Luke’s theme of the hospitality of God. Jesus, the divine visitor to the world, comes as a guest to this house but receives little or no hospitality from the one who as host ought to have provided it. A person publicly known as a sinner—one, therefore, on the margins—is drawn to the occasion. Though certainly not welcomed by the Pharisee, she has sensed—correctly, as it turns out—that a wider, deeper welcome (“acceptance”) awaits her. Boldly, she breaks through the barrier of hostility to herself and her kind. She, not the Pharisee, gives hospitality to Jesus…In return, she receives from him a new outflow of the “hospitality of God” as, publicly and authoritatively, he declares her forgiven and at home in the community (v.48). Well may “those at the table with him” ask: “Who is this who even forgives sin?” (v.49). Their fellow guest is the “visitor from high” (1:78), one who personally embodies and communicates the forgiveness of God.

            Jesus’ final assurance, “your faith has saved you; go in peace” (v.50), sheds light on the meaning of “salvation” in Luke. Taken as a dramatic whole, the episode shows that salvation consists not only in forgiveness but also in the human transformation the experience of salvation has brought about. Simon, who has neither experienced this forgiveness nor felt the need for it, comes across as cold, distant and unloving. By contrast, the previously marginalized woman is free to supply gestures of love and service on a most extravagant scale: the jar alabaster rather than common oil; sufficient tears to “bathe” the feet of Jesus; using her hair to dry them; “not ceasing” to kiss them. So, when finally (v.50) Jesus bids her “go in peace,” she carries with her the messianic peace of one transformed by Jesus’ power to save.” (Brendan Byrne, The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000, 75-76.)

Previously on Ponderables: last week I asked you to consider the following questions…

• Am I a part of an authentic community that will walk with me through anything…even through loss, sorrow, and the process of grief with me? Am I an active part of community of faith that is living and learning and growing together? I hope your answer is “Yes!” but too many believers today think that they can go through life on their own. This is just not biblical. We were made for community, and as the church we are less than complete when we distance ourselves from each other. Secondly, if we desire the church to be there for us we need to start by being there for them. Take the initiative to be the church!
• How does the ministry of Jesus relate to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha? Both Elijah and Elisha did miracles of resurrection in that general vicinity. There are other similarities that will emerge later in our series.
• How does this passage, and the others listed above, shape my understanding of how Jesus lived and loved? He was moved by compassion. He felt the widow’s pain and despair deeply and moved to change her situation. I love the part where he gives the newly arisen son back to his mother. It looks forward to the coming day when Jesus would give his disciple John to his mother and would commit the care of his mother to John form the cross.
• What other ways do we see Jesus showing power over sickness and death in Luke? This was an easy question as we could list all the healing miracles so far. Specifically, in this chapter, we have seen Jesus heal the Centurion’s servant from the “3-point line” with a word of authority. In answer to the question posed by the disciples of John the Baptist, it says, “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (v.21-22) Next week in Chapter 8 we will see even more!

Week #15 "He is Risen!"

Video Clip Notes:

• In Israel it was their custom to bury their dead the same day…this really is important due to the climate.
• They would be carried out on a bier (litter or open type coffin) wrapped in a shroud anointed with spices to either a community burial place if they were very poor or to a private family tomb if they were wealthy.
• The procession would be accompanied by professional mourners in addition to family and friends.  Even the poorest were to have "not less than 2 flutes and 1 wailing woman." Keening gives me the creeps!
• Later, after some time had passed the person’s dried bones would be gathered into an ossuary and placed on a niche in the wall of the tomb.
• Rocks placed are on their graves instead of flowers…
• Serve as an eternal reminder that someone cared and visited the grave. This could also serve to comfort the mourners.
• Flowers were originally used in the Europe to cover odor, but not effective nor needed in Israel with their same-day burial customs and fragrant spices used to anoint the body.
• The rocks also serve to connect them to their history…the history of the land.
• Jesus interrupted one such funeral procession in the town of Nain, 6 miles SE of Nazareth, on slopes of the Little Hermon…

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 7:11-17 dealing with Jesus’ miracle outside the village of Nain when he raised a widow’s son from the dead. This miracle is part of a series of healing as and resurrections that show Jesus power over sickness and death.

Other passages to read: This miracle is unique to the Gospel of Luke, so there is no parallel passage to read from the other gospels. However, is seems to allude to the miracles of Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament, so we encourage you to read 1 Kings 17 (Elijah); and 2 Kings 4 (Elisha). In addition we can study Jesus’ compassion in action (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 18:27; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; 8:2; 9:22; and elsewhere in Luke 10:33 and 15:20.)

Semon Notes: "When Death and Life Collide"

Read: Luke 7:11-17

3 Perspectives on Jesus’ Resurrection… Some Focus on it as:

1.      An Historical Fact (1 Corinthians 15:3-7)

2.      A Future Hope (John 11:25-26)

3.      A Present Power

·         Power that is moved by compassion "When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don't cry.’"

      Compassion: That churning in your gut, that unsettling feeling that says, “I’ve got to do something about this.”

·         Power that makes dead people alive (Ephesians 2:1-5; John 5:28-29)

·         Power that shows us who Jesus is (Luke 7:18-23; Romans 10:9-10)

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

• When I suffer loss, am I a part of an authentic community that will walk with me through anything…even through loss, sorrow, and the process of grief with me? Am I an active part of community of faith that is living and learning and growing together?  Both are important.
• How does the ministry of Jesus relate to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha?
• How does this passage, and the others listed above,  shape my understanding of how Jesus lived and loved?
• What other ways do we see Jesus showing power over sickness and death in Luke?

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

• What kind of a neighbor am I? Do I mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice or do I distance myself from others?
• Am I moved with the compassion of Christ to get involved in loving people? How dirty am I willing to get to show God’s love for hurting people?
• What great things have I seen Jesus do? What is my honest response when someone tells me about how God is working in their life? Am I moved to worship or something less?
• Can I see myself in the grieving widow, utterly spent and without hope without the intervention of Jesus in my life? Do I trust in Jesus to make a way for me today?
• Who is he asking me to show compassion for this week?

Word Study: The English word “compassion” means “to suffer with another, sorrow, sympathy with the desire to help.” It translates the Greek word splankhnezomi (Strong’s # 4697). Since the cultural view of that day saw the bowels as the seat of love and compassion, this word “to be moved to one’s bowels” meant to feel deep down the need of others…suffering with them. We see this word twelve times in the New Testament and only in the gospels (see “Other Passages” list above). However, compassion is more than mere pity, as it generally moves one to act on behalf of its object. Here we see Jesus seeing a need, feeling their deep pain and loss, and doing what he could to help. In this case he provided for a destitute widow by raising her son from the dead.

Commentary & Quotes: The following are quotes from various commentators we have features in our "Other Resources" section.

“So where is the faith this time? The centurion’s servant was healed because of his owner’s faith, but in this story the only person who has any faith that the dead man can be raised is jesus himself. Though Jesus loves to see the signs of faith, he isn’t always bound by it, and in this case he acts freely, from sheer compassion, to do something nobody had imagined he could or would.” (N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, WJK, 2004, 82.)

“Come inside the story and allow its force to sweep over you. Walk in the crowd a few paces behind the bier, on a hot day in Galilee, with the bright sun sparkling on the tears which are streaming down everyone’s cheeks. Death is common enough, and everybody knows what to do. The professional mourners and wailers are there, making plenty of noise so that friends and relatives, and particularly the poor mother, can cry their hearts out without the embarrassment of making a scene all by themselves. (How much kinder a system than the clinical, detached solemnity of a modern Western funeral!)” (N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, WJK, 2004, 82-83.)

“Luke is the only Gospel to tell the story of the widow of Nain. This fits into the theme of his concern for the outcast and marginalized. No group was more marginalized. No group was more marginalized in the first century than women, and among women, widows were more desperate still…” (Michael Card, Luke: Gospel of Amazement, IVP, 2011, 98.)

"To add to the hardship and the sense of loneliness and sorrow there was the knowledge that the family line had ended. The large crowd from the city that accompanied her shows that her plight was widely appreciated and there was a septh of sympathy for her. Luke does not mention professional mourners but they would have been there: 'Even the poorest in Israel should hire not less than two flutes and one wailing woman' (Ketabith 4:4)." (Leon Morris, Luke, IVP, 1988, 153.)

The following extended section is from Do You See Him? Expository Studies in the New Testament, by Greg K. Dueker which we have used in our Church-based Bible Institute over the years.

Jesus Built Faith by Raising the Dead
In competitive diving, divers are rated on how well the dive is executed technically, then that score is multiplied by something called a "degree of difficulty," with the result being the final score for that dive.  This is done to give the divers some incentive to try the harder dives rather than just repeating the easier dives.  As a diver gets more proficient, he or she progressively tries harder and harder dives--in order to get higher scores.  We see the same general pattern happening in Jesus' ministry.  In the specific Biblical examples of Jesus raising the dead to life we see an increasing "degree of difficulty."  It would be wrong to think that Jesus had to work up to the "harder" miracles, but rather that He was building the disciples' faith progressively.  He allowed them to grow to trust Him in the smaller things, then in bigger things.  Let's see how Jesus built His disciples faith, so they would see Jesus as their Creator and Redeemer.

A)  A Little Girl Was Raised from the Dead (Matthew 9:18-26)
"While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died.  But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.  Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."  Jesus turned and saw her.  "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you."  And the woman was healed from that moment.  When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away.  The girl is not dead but asleep."  But they laughed at him.  After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region."

The first record that we have in the New Testament of Jesus raising someone from the dead was the daughter of the synagogue ruler whom Luke identified as Jairus. (Note: While Matthew records this miracle first, Luke places this miracle after the raising of the widow's son outside the town of Nain.) Jairus came to obtain Jesus' help before his daughter died.  On their way to Jairus' home, their trip is interrupted by the woman with the incurable flow of blood.  Her healing probably enabled the man to trust Jesus for his own situation, for when we see God's loving care for others we can more readily trust that He will care for our needs as well.  When we compare the woman's plight with that of Jairus' daughter, the similarities are obviously there is more than coincidence.  The Lord had a message to communicate to Jairus, to the reader of the Gospels, and to us.  What are some of the things that the Father says through this situation?  Perhaps you might consider it in your devotional time.

The Jews had the custom of burying their dead the same day they died--a very practical custom given their climate.  The fact that the body was still in the house seems to indicate that Jesus got there soon after she died.  The crowd in the house was there to mourn the death of the young girl.  Many were probably professional mourners, others were friends and neighbors--but none believed that Jesus could do anything about the girl's death.  They laughed Him to scorn when He said that the girl was not dead but asleep.  She was dead, but to Jesus, death was something more like sleep.  Wiersbe explained it well when he wrote,
"Of course she was dead, for her spirit had left her body (compare Luke 8:55 with James 2:26); but to Jesus, death was only sleep… Sleep is a normal experience that we do not fear, and we [as believers] should not fear death. It is the body that sleeps, not the spirit, for the spirit of the believer goes to be with Christ (Philippians 1:20-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8). At the resurrection, the body will be `awakened' and glorified, and God's people will share the image of Christ (1 John 3:1-2)."^[1]

Jesus drove the scornful crowd of insincere mourners out of the house, and, in a touching scene, took the girl's little hand and said, "Little girl, arise!"  She did.  What joy must have filled the hearts of the family as well as a great sense of awe for the One who could perform such a miracle.

B) A Widow’s Son Was Raised from the Dead (Luke 7:11-17)
We have seen that Jesus was able to raise up someone who had just died, now here in Luke 7 we see that He had the power to raise up someone that had been dead for several hours--as He interrupted a funeral service.

As Jesus approached the town of Nain, he was met by a funeral procession.  Just as there was more than coincidence involved in the incident with the little twelve year old girl and the woman who had been ill twelve years, so too in this story we have the meeting of two crowds, two only sons, two sufferers (Jesus and the widow), and two enemies (Jesus and death).  You might take a moment to compare these elements of the story.

Jesus was not asked to do anything.  Perhaps they did not believe that He could, or perhaps they did not know who He was.  We see the amazing care of our Lord for hurting people.  He was "the Man of Sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), and when He saw the grieving widow, His heart went out to her and He told her not to cry.  He went and touched the coffin and commanded the man to get up--and he did!  Wow!  The text says that the people were filled with awe and worshipped God.

C) Lazarus was Raised from the Dead  (John 11:11-45)
This is probably a miracle that we are all familiar with.  Jesus again used sleep as a metaphor for death and had to explain what He meant to His disciples.  Jesus purposely waited two days after hearing that Lazarus was dying before He began the trip back to Judea.  He was motivated by the assurance that God would be glorified through the situation.  By the time Jesus got to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days.  As it is written, "On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days." (v.17)

When He got to Bethany, Martha came out to meet Him.  Her tone at the beginning was one of "little faith," for she believed that if He had been there, He would have been able to heal Lazarus… but now, obviously, it was too late.  Jesus used this situation to teach Martha something important about the resurrection and about who He was.  As it is written,

"When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.  ‘Lord,' Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.' Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.' Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Jesus said to her, `I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?' `Yes, Lord,' she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.'" (vss. 20-27)

Jesus said that not only could He raise Lazarus, but that He was in fact the Resurrection and the Life.  Martha responded in faith by confessing that Jesus was the Lord, the Messiah (or Christ) and the Son of God.

"Martha did not hesitate to affirm her faith.  She used three different titles for Jesus: Lord, Christ (Messiah), and Son of God.  The words ‘I believe’ are in the perfect tense, indicating a fixed and settled faith.  ‘I have believed and I will continue to believe!’"^[2]

Yet we see that her faith, though strong in confession, was weak in practice, for at the last minute she hesitated at the thought that Lazarus would stink, having been in the grave four days.

Martha went back to the house and told Mary that Jesus was there.  Mary quickly got up and went to meet Him.  She said the same thing that Martha had said to Jesus, but she said it while laying at Jesus' feet, weeping.  We can see the great compassion and empathy that characterized the Lord as her tears and others' tears moved Jesus to tears.  As it is written,

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  `Where have you laid him?' he asked.  `Come and see, Lord,' they replied.  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, `See how he loved him!' But some of them said, `Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?' Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  `Take away the stone,' he said.  `But, Lord,' said Martha, the sister of the dead man, `by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.' Then Jesus said, `Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?' So they took away the stone.  Then Jesus looked up and said, `Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.' When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, `Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, `Take off the grave clothes and let him go.' Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him." (vss. 33-45)

The people did not understand why Jesus did not prevent Lazarus' death.  They certainly did not believe that anything could be done at such a late date.  The text says that Jesus became deeply moved, which actually means that Jesus was angry.  What was He angry at?  Most likely, Jesus was indignant at sin and the destruction that it had wreaked in a world that Jesus had created to be perfect, but now was filled with death: the dead, and the dying.  Perhaps He wept for Lazarus and the fact that to prove that He was the Messiah He had to bring Lazarus back from a better place to, as the old song says, "this world of woe." 

John 12:9-10 "Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well."

We see that it was this miracle, the raising of Lazarus, that set the stage for His triumphal entry to Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passion week.

"Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.  Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him." (John 12:17-18)

Did these miracles really convince the people of Jesus' identity as the Messiah?  The answer is both yes and no.  Those who believed the Word of God believed in Jesus, those who had rejected the heart and spirit of the Word rejected Jesus and did not believe He was the Christ--even though many came back from the dead to testify.

Jesus taught that those who would not listen to the Word of God would not be persuaded by the power of God (Luke 16:19-31).  Yet one day, that last great terrible day they will see (Revelation 6:16).

D) Jesus Himself was Raised from the Dead 

Jesus suffered through the terrible torturous acts of the Romans, as well as the Jewish guards.  He died a violent death on the cross and was taken down, prepared for burial, and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  On the third day, He was raised from the dead.  A live Jesus was not there to raise Him up.  It was the power of the Father that raised Him, along with the fact that He had lived a life without sin so the grave could not hold Him.  As it is written, "But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." (Acts 2:24)

All four Gospels record the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20) and the events that followed it.  The New Testament makes many other references to Jesus having been raised from the dead.  Here are a few such references:

·         John 2:22 "After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.  Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken."

·         Acts 3:15 "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this."

·         Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."

·         1 Corinthians 6:14 "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also."

Other references: John 21:14; Acts 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30-38; Romans 4:24; 6:4,9; 7:4; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 20, 32; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 2:8; 1 Peter 1:21.

As far as history is concerned, there is no one event that has been so thoroughly documented as fact as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the great truth upon which all of our faith rests.  The Apostle Paul said well,

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins… If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19-20)

---

     [1]Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary - Vol. 1, Victor Books, 1989, p. 204.

     [2]Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary - Vol. 1, Victor Books, 1989, p. 336.

Week #14 "The Triumphal Entry"

Here are some notes from this week’s video  entitled, "Presumption."
• This current east wall of the city is right where Solomon’s Temple wall would have been. It is built right on the ridge above the Kidron Valley. We are looking across from the Mt. of Olives. Notice the gate in the wall across from us. This is the East Gate, also called the Golden Gate; the most iconic of all the gates of Jerusalem.
• The Golden Gate is the most important and most impressive gate in Jerusalem, and the only visible entrance to the city of Jerusalem from the East. This oldest of all the gates to the city was the only one not rebuilt by Suleiman the Magnificent in AD 1539-42. Monolithic stones in the wall just above ground have been identified as 6th Century BC masonry from the time of Nehemiah, (Biblical Archaeological Review [BAR], Mar/Apr 1992, p40).
• But it is walled up. Why is it walled up? Inquiring minds want to know!  Sultan Suleiman of the Ottoman Turks walled it up to prevent the entry of the Messiah of course. The Muslim cemetery just in front of the wall was intentionally built outside the gate to prevent the forerunner of the Messiah from entering. The thinking being that the forerunner, being a priest, would not enter the cemetery for fear of being made unclean.
• What an example of medieval thinking! To think that literal stones could prevent the Messiah’s entry into the city. Yet, we modern and post-modern thinkers do the same when we compartmentalize our lives in an effort to deny Jesus the Messiah access to our hearts.
• It was also a bit of “locking the barn door after the horse gets out” Too late to seal it up… the Messiah already went through that Gate…most likely on Palm Sunday!]

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 19:28-44 dealing with Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, the people shouting praises, Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, and a second cleansing of the Temple (the first, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry is found in John 2:13-22)

Other passages to read: We encourage you to read "horizontally" in these passages that are parallel to our text from Luke:

·         Donkey Selection (Luke 19:28-34): Matt. 21:1-5; Mark 11:1-6;

·         Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:35-40): Matt. 21:6-11; Mark 11:7-11; John 12:12-19

·         Cleansing the Temple a second time (Luke 19:45-46): Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18

·         Other References: Psalm 118; Zechariah 9:9

Other Resources: This week’s recommended resource is Luke (Volume 2): That You May Know the Truth, Crossway Books, 1998, by R. Kent Hughes. Earlier we considered volume 1 in this two volume treatment of Luke’s gospel. Volume 2 covers Luke 11:29 – 24:53.

Sermon Notes: "From Cheers to Tears"

Read Luke 19:28-40

3 Truths about Jesus:

·        Jesus is Confrontational: Crown Him or Crucify Him

·        Jesus is Counterintuitive: 

“God always gives you what you would have asked for if you knew everything that He knows.” 

·        Jesus is Coming:

“The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.”  (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Five Personal Lessons

1.      Even if you feel insignificant, the Master can use you!

2.      Don’t let anyone discourage you from praising the Lord!

3.      You’ll never know peace until you surrender to Jesus!

4.      Rejection of Jesus leads to terrible judgment!

5.      That which makes Jesus cry should also break our hearts!

“O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.  26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.” (Psalm 118:25-26)

 

“Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

13 they will sing before the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.” (Psalm 96:12-13)

“Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

“ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" (John 12:17-19)

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

• Why was Jesus riding on a donkey? Was there an embedded cultural message in it?
• Look for parallels between this narrative and the previous kingship parable (19-11:27).
• To what Old Testament narrative does the section about Jesus giving instructions to the disciples on how to find and procure the donkey allude (i.e., what does it remind us of)?
• How would you harmonize (i.e., put the events in order) the various accounts of this event?
• Why & how would the stones “cry out” if the people did not praise Jesus at this moment? Is this just personification and hyperbole, or a theological statement about creation, or…?
• Who was in control of this day in the life of Jesus and the days to follow? The crowds, the Pharisees, the priests, Pilate, the disciples, or someone else? What are the theological ramifications of this answer?

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

• What was it that the crowds and disciples did for Jesus that day (v. 36-38) as he entered Jerusalem? Do we still welcome Jesus’ presence in our lives with such enthusiasm?
• What would we do to welcome Jesus if he came into our town today?
• People were praising God for all the miracles that had seen Jesus do. What are some of the “mighty works” that we have seen as we have studied through Luke?
• What are some of the “mighty works” that we have seen Jesus do in the world, in the church, and in our lives? When was the last time you told anyone and praised God for it?

Word Study: “Hosanna” is a word we use every tear at this time when we remember Jesus’ entering into Jerusalem. The people used it as an expression of praise…but what does the word mean? Originally it was a term of urgent lament in Hebrew prayer that meant, “Save us Lord!” or “Save now!” as in Psalm 118:25 “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!” Over the centuries this desperate plea morphed into praise by acknowledging that the Lord was the only One who could save! So Hosanna acknowledged both personal need and trusting praise.

Quotes & Commentary: Jesus, who had always avoided “publicity”, now enters Jerusalem in glory, in fulfillment of prophecy. This was the Messiah’s entrance into Jerusalem in power! Yet he still came humbly on a donkey, instead of on a horse or chariot as may have been preferred by worldly kings. I would love to be able to lay out the answers to all the questions asked above but it is of more value for you to dig in and seek to answer them yourselves. However, here are just a few clarifying notes.

Bethany the village from which Jesus was coming is about 2 miles from Jerusalem just the other side of the summit of the Mount of Olives with the area of Bethphage (House of Figs) between the two as almost a district of Jerusalem (like Aloha is to Beaverton, except even closer).

There were two crowds, one following Jesus from Bethany, filled with amazement at the recent raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11) that included the Apostles, and the crowd of Passover pilgrims that came out from Jerusalem to meet then as they came with their own stories of Jesus miracles that they had seen at various times during his ministry. People began throwing their outer garments on the ground, providing a first-century red carpet treatment (or maybe beige) for Jesus. R Kent Hughes writes,

“Not only did the exuberant followers place their clothing on the donkey as a saddle, they flung their garments to the ground as a gesture of reverence and indicating their willingness for him to take everything they had.” (R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Vol.2, Crossway, 1998, 240)

The content of what the crowd declared in v. 38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (ESV) is taken from Psalm 118 with one small change…the word “king” has been substituted for the more general word “he”. Interestingly Luke omits the word “Hosanna” defined above which may not have been understood by his Gentile audience.

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (v.38) seems to echo the angel song at Jesus’ birth, and seems fitting as he comes to make it possible for lost mankind to find peace in heaven, even if peace on earth is delayed. Joel B. Green writes in his commentary on Luke,

“Peace in heaven,” then, refers to the divine intention, the reality of God’s reconciling presence, its full manifestation on earth interrupted by opposition to Jesus.” (Green, Joel, The Gospel of Luke [NICNT], Eerdmans, 1977, 687.)

Visitation (episkopes) found in verse 44 is a strong word. It does not refer to someone coming over for some tea and perhaps a scone. This word had two meanings in the Old Testament? Luke Timothy Johnson writes,

“The kairos (“time”) here means specific season…The “season of visitation” (kairos tēs episkopēs) occurs in Jer. 6:15; 10:15 to mean God’s punishment (see also Deut. 28:25; Isa 24:22). Episkopē can also refer to God’s intervention to save (as in Gen 50:24-25; Ex 3:16; Isa 10:3; 29:6);…here the term is double edged. The prophet’s arrival should be God’s visitation for peace. But because he is not recognized as such, his rejection becomes a “visitation” of punishment.” (Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke [Sacra Pagina Series], Liturgical Press, 1991, 299)

This entrance into Jerusalem that will end a week later on a Roman cross, was the goal of Jesus’ life. This final journey to Jerusalem began in the far north of Israel, at Caesarea Philippi  with his prediction of his death (9:22,44) and his determination to go to Jerusalem (9:51). G. Campbell Morgan wrote,

“All the way Jerusalem had been the goal of His journeying. Now He had come to the final things, the last hours, come to that which was ever before Him as the deepest passion of His life. He arrived at the city, majestic, and magnificent, no Victim this, but a Victor.” (G. Campbell Morgan, The God Who Cares, Revell, 1931, 319)