Christ’s Compassion
Luke 7
A sermon preached by
Kyle Newcomer
on Sunday, March 5, 2023
at Christ Our Savior Baptist Church
Spring, Texas
Introduction
In my neighborhood, there are several houses that have big, wooden signs propped up next to the front door. These are vertical planks, artfully painted to match the season of the year. I assume they come from Hobby Lobby or Michaels. I think their messages vary. I think some say, “Welcome,” and others say, “Home,” but the reason I noticed them is that some say, “Believe.” This puzzled me in one particular case, because we know the people who live in the house, and they are very kind, but not religious.
But then Lindsay reminded me that “Believe” is the message that fictional Soccer coach Ted Lasso has taped above the door in his locker room. In the show, he’s known for his sincerity, kindness, and positivity. “Believe” has become a kind of generally hopeful word in a cynical world. It means something like, “Believe the best about people,” or “believe that things can get better.” I should ask my neighbor what they mean by it. But whatever the case, “believe” is not a word that can stand on it’s own. For it to have any meaning, it has to be followed by something. The thing or person we believe in makes all the difference.
This morning we’re going to be looking at what it means to believe in Luke chapter 7. We’re taking our cue from something Jesus says in this chapter. In verse 9, we read that Jesus marveled at a centurion in Capernaum, “and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’” This Roman soldier believed, and he believed in such a way that distinguished him from God’s own people, who were supposedly people of faith. So this morning we’re going to be looking at two questions:
What is saving faith?
Why do we lack faith?
What is saving faith?
To answer this first question, let’s begin by reading verses 1-17. You can find this reading on page 863 of the Bibles provided. Again, that’s Luke chapter 7, verse 1.
After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Luke 7:1–17 (ESV)
As we look at this question, “What is faith?” we have to ask why Jesus found the centurion’s faith so remarkable? Luke says he marveled when he heard the centurion’s words. We should also note that Jesus compares the faith of this Roman soldier with the lack of faith among God’s people Israel. So one reason Jesus marvel is that no one would have expected a Roman soldier to be interested in a Jewish rabbi. This faith has a surprising source. And that’s a repeated theme in the gospels. It’s not the people who you would expect who come to Christ. It is not the religious experts. It’s not the people with cleaned up lives. It is tax collectors, roman soldiers, fishermen and sinful women who trust in Jesus. Perhaps because of some feeling of guilt, you think that you think that you have no business coming to Jesus. Or perhaps you have an unsaved friend who you think is an impossible case. But we see again and again in God’s word, that God can save anyone. God often saves and works through those who we would least expect. Anyone can be given the gift of faith. So that’s one reason why Jesus marvels at the centurion’s faith.
Bu there is more that we can say about what saving faith is.
Believing in Jesus’s authority over you.
First, we see that saving faith means believing that Jesus has authority over you. Look at how we see this in the centurion in verse 6.
Luke 7:6-7a: When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you.
It’s especially notable that the centurion says he is not worthy because earlier, in verse 4, the elders of the Jews had said that this man was worthy of Jesus’ attention. He loved Israel and had helped to build the synagogue in Capernaum. But when the centurion describes himself in relationship to Jesus, he sees himself as a servant of Christ.
We can see that as the centurion keeps talking. He knows in his own life he has men and servants under him. He says go and they go. They obey his authority. He’s clearly an important man with a good reputation. But he says he is not worthy to come into Jesus’ presence or to have Jesus come into his house.
What the centurion is doing is taking care not to create the impression that Jesus is his servant. He wants to make it clear that Jesus is just another person in Capernaum who comes when the centurion says, “come.” He recognizes the proper of order of things. He recognizes that Jesus has authority over life and death, and so he would not dare to dishonor Jesus by treating Jesus as a servant.
Here we could argue with the centurion. We might say, Mr. Centurion, sir, didn’t you know that Jesus said he didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many? That’s true, and that is a glorious saving truth, but that’s not the point here. The point here is that the centurion sees something truly that most in Israel have missed. Jesus is God himself. Jesus is the Lord of all creation. He is the rightful King over creation, and his authority extends to Jewish elders and Roman centurions, and even over life and death.
Saving faith recognizes Jesus’ authority over us. We rightly say to Jesus, you are our God and king. You are righteous and we are sinful, and we are not worthy to be in your presence. True faith recognizes this about Jesus. When we see Jesus rightly, we have a sense of our own unworthiness. He is the glorious God and king. He has authority over life and death itself. God created us to live in his presence and have fellowship with God, but humanity spoiled that fellowship when Adam and Eve sinned. And so each one of us should confess with the centurion, “I am not worthy.”
Do you have a sense of Jesus greatness and glory? Do you have a sense of his worth an honor? In our age we value authenticity, and we think that the only way to be authentic is to be informal and causal. But thinking this way can make us miss something essential about God. He is above us in his perfection and power. We need to learn from the centurion. Reverence is appropriate. The amazing grace of Jesus who eats and drinks with sinners can only be truly seen when we grasp his glory. Too often we skip over the glory to talk about the grace. Saving faith understand the glory of Jesus. There are important ways that he is not like us. He is high above us. He is our good king and righteous judge.
Saving faith says, “Jesus, we are not worthy of you.”
Believing in Jesus’s powerful word.
There’s another aspect of saving faith we can see in the centurion’s words. We see that saving faith means believing in Jesus’ powerful word.
Right after the centurion says in verse 7, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” he says, “But say the word, and let my servant be healed.” Again, the centurion understands how those in power exercise authority. They speak and their word is obeyey. And he sees Jesus as having ultimate power. He knows that his valued servant is at the point, but he is convinced that all Jesus has to do is say the word, and the servant will be healed. He believes in Jesus powerful word.
Funnily enough, in this first episode, we don’t actually read Jesus saying the healing word. Luke interrupts the story to tell us how Jesus marveled at the centurion’s faith. But we do get to read about Jesus powerful word in the next episode, in the raising of the widow’s son. The story is full of drama. Jesus happens upon the funeral procession. He is moved by compassion for the weeping widow. The first powerful word Jesus speaks is a command to the bereaved mother, “Do not weep.” And he is able to give that command because he is about to turn her weeping to laughter. Look at verses 14-15
Then he came up and touched the bier,…
and the bearers stood still…
And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
The centurion was right about Jesus. All he had to do was say the word, and the sick would be healed. Jesus speaks to dead people, and his word makes them alive.
Saving faith believes in Jesus’ powerful word. This faith is not simply that these miracles happened, though that is part of believing in Jesus. No, we must believe in the powerful words Jesus speaks to us in the gospel. Listen to the way the Apostle Paul speaks of God’s word in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. He relates salvation in Jesus to the word God spoke at creation. This is 2 Corinthians 4:5-6
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The powerful word we must believe is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are dead in our sins, but Jesus promises to forgive our sins and to raise us to eternal life by faith in him. We are saved, we are counted righteous in Christ, when we are fully convinced that Jesus bore our sin on the cross.
Are you convinced? Do you believe in Jesus powerful word? Friends, you can trust in Jesus, the one who speaks and makes dead men live.
Brothers and sisters, we continue to live by faith in Jesus’ powerful word. We trust that he continues to lead and teach and sustain us. We trust that Jesus is still working through his powerful word to save sinners.
True faith believes in Jesus’s powerful word.
Transition: Believing that God’s salvation is found in Christ.
When Jesus raised the dead men, there were many witnesses. They were gathered there in the funeral profession with the weeping widow. They, too show us something of saving faith. Look at Luke tells us about them in verses 16-17
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
They speak of this great prophet, probably remembering the promise that God would send a prophet like Moses from Deuteronomy 18 who would speak God’s own words. And they said that God has visited his people. They recognized that in Christ, God himself was among them. They show us that saving faith believes that God salvation is found in Christ.
And note that their report spread throughout all Galilee and Judea. All Israel heard their testimony, and yet as Jesus said, faith was lacking in Israel. Why is this the case? Let’s turn to examine the question, “Why do we lack faith?
Let’s pick up Luke chapter 7 at verse 18
Why do we lack faith?
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 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. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Luke 7:18–35 (ESV)
To make sure we get to final episode of this chapter, we’ll have to go quickly here.
This seems like a very abrupt shift. But this section makes sense if we remember Jesus statement about the centurion, “not even in Israel have I found such faith.” So now we turn our attention to Israel.
We find that apparently even John the Baptists had a lack of understanding about the true nature of Jesus’ mission. Perhaps he thought there would be an immediate, visible manifestation of God’s kingdom. But whatever the case, John’s question gives Jesus the opportunity to declare that God’s kingdom really has come in Christ. That’s the point of verses 22-23
“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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Even the greatest prophet of Israel was struggling to grasp this.
And this leads us to why faith is lacking.
We are blind to Christ’s glory
Faith is lacking because we are blind to Christ’s glory. We don’t see the wonder of what Jesus has done, and we aren’t amazed at the grace God has shown to us in making us “one who is least in the kingdom of God.”
Do you see Jesus’ glory? He is the glorious God who rules over all, who is worthy of all honor and glory, and he is the one who has compassion for us in our grief. Though he was rich, yet for our sake, he became poor, so that we by his poverty might become rich. (paraphrased from 2 Cor 8:9) He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men… becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. (Phil 2:8-9). Jesus’ glorious kingdom comes as he died to give sinners life and peace with God.
If we look for Jesus to affirm us or make much of us, to meet our every felt need, or to give us power, we will be blind to his glory. We read in this passage that many Pharisees and lawyers rejected the purpose of God, the purpose he revealed in Jesus. God sent John and Jesus, but they wanted no part of Jesus’ life-giving kingdom.
And that leads us to a second reason why we lack faith.
We expect Christ to do things our way
We expect Jesus to do things our way. That’s the point of the jingle that Jesus quotes in verse 32. The Pharisees didn’t like that John came fasting and preaching repentance of sin. They didn’t like that Jesus came feasting and proclaiming new life to tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders wanted John and Jesus to dance to their tune. Faith was lacking in Israel because they expected God to do things their way.
Are we guilty of that? Do we have ideas in our mind of what God should do? If God is just, we think, he would not allow this suffering to go on, or he would not allow this blasphemy to go unpunished. Are we doubting Christ for his failure to work on our timetable? Are we rebellious when Christ commands us to love that enemy or to forgive our spouse? Are we angry about the painful situation we’re enduring?
Faith does not demand that Christ’s conform to our expectations. We lack faith when we make such demands of Christ.
The story of the two debtors.
We see both our definition of faith and our reasons for unbelief play out in the final scene of this chapter. Let’s read verses 36-50:
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:35–50 (ESV)
It’s not a coincidence that Luke repeatedly calls Simon “the Pharisee” at the beginning of this account. He wants us to draw the connection back to what he has just told us about the Pharisees and lawyers. By rejecting John and Jesus, they had rejected the purpose of God.
The Pharisee in this case reveals his doubts by his inner monologue in verse 39: “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” The Pharisee’s assumptions about Jesus are completely the opposite of the centurion. The centurion assumed Jesus’ power and authority. The Pharisee assumes that Jesus is an ignorant and naïve about the woman. The Pharisee can think of no reason why a prophet would allow this sinful woman to touch him, and so he concludes that Jesus must not be a prophet. Simon had certain expectations of the way Jesus would act, and Jesus has failed to live up to them.
But notice how wrong Simon was. Not only does Jesus know about the sinfulness of the woman, he knows Simon’s heart as well. And through his parable and his words about the woman, Jesus exposes the root problems in Simon’s heart. First, look at the end of verse 47. Jesus says to Simon: “But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Simon has no sense of his sin. Again, compare Simon to the centurion. The centurion said “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.” Simon clearly suffers from no such concern. He does not recognize any authority in Jesus. He shows Jesus no honor. Simon is blind to the glory of Christ. He is ignorant of the fact that fellowship with God comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Simon is a debtor who imagines that his bill is so small that it can be safely ignored. Simon is blind to his own guilt before God.
Are you afflicted with the same blindness as Simon? Are you blind to the authority and glory of Jesus? Do you recognize Jesus as your God and judge? If you need help answering those questions, examine what you believe about your own sin. Do you minimize it and explain it away? Are you the debtor who has been forgiven little, if anything? Or are you able to confess the ugly truth of your sin?
Another way Jesus calls us to examine our faith here is by examining our love. Jesus says that the woman in this story loved much because she had been forgiven much. But Simon loved little. In this context, the love that Jesus is speaking about is love for Jesus. But it’s legitimate to expand out our examination also to our love of others. Jeff read for us in Colossians 3:13, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” If we lack love for God or if we lack love for others, perhaps we are like Simon. We have a small view of God’s grace to us. We have failed to grasp the great abundance of God’s love for us in Christ.
It may seem strange, but a sign of true faith is that we have a greater sense of our own sin. By faith our conscience becomes rightly tuned to God’s word, and we are more grieved when we sin. Which trajectory are you on? Does your sin seem like less and less of a big deal to you, or are you more grieved by it? Are you growing in love for Christ and in forgiving others?
Clearly the sinful woman at Simon’s house was overwhelmed by her sin. Luke draws our attention to her weeping. And Jesus tells us that her sins were many. But by God’s grace, her grief over her sin drove her to Christ. This is the way faith responds to sin. Faith drives us to Christ to bring our sins to him. And we see that when sinners come to Christ by faith, they receive forgiveness. The way Luke writes the story, he gets to say the word forgive or forgiven three times.
· First, Jesus says to Simon in verse 47, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.”
· Then, Jesus peaks directly to the woman in verse 48 “Your sins are forgiven.”
· Then the other guests at the echo in verse 49, “Who is this, who even forgives sins.”
That’s the glory of Christ. He is the King of all things, with authority over every person, and even power of life and death. He deserves all of our worship, honor and love. Jesus is all of those things, and he is the God who forgives sins.
When Jesus speaks to the woman, he has no need to lay her heart open with a parable, like he did to Simon. He has no word of correction for her. His word for her is a word of salvation. His word here for the woman is the same powerful word that the centurion taught us about. It is the same powerful word that spoke to the dead man and made him rise. And he speaks it to any sinner who comes to Jesus, repenting of their sins and trusting in Jesus saving work on the cross. “Your sins are forgiven.”
Do you see the compassion of Christ? He said to the grieving widow, “Do not weep.” And now he says to this woman weeping over her sin, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” If you’re overwhelmed by your sin this morning, if you’re distressed by your weakness, come to Jesus. His death on the cross is the sufficient sacrifice for your sins. Your anger, your refusal to forgive, your immorality, your greed – bring them all to Christ. He will relieve you of the burden of guilt. If you trust in Christ, you can know that those sins were all paid for when Christ died. The good news of the gospel is that even though Christ is the glorious king over all, he willingly suffered and died to pay the price that your sins and my sins deserve. By faith in Christ, we can be forgiven. We can be saved from hell. We can have peace with God.
The answer to our sin is not to look inward and to try to muster up more faith. The answer is to look to Christ. Come to him, trust in his work on the cross, and hear his powerful words,
· “Your sins are forgiven.
· Your faith has saved you.
· Go in peace.”