notes

Main point summary

There is abundant comfort in suffering... if your hope is in the right place.

notes 1453298114552 Main point summary There is abundant comfort in suffering... if your hope is in the right place.

Arc

editing

NT

Luke 7:18-23

esv

The disciples of John reported all these things to him.

And (so) John, 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?”

actionresult

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?’”

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 [vs 21]

situationresponse

ideaexplanation

and heard : [22d-23]

the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, [[Isaiah 35:5-6a]]

the dead are raised up, [[Luke 7:11-17 - the immediate preceding context of this encounter]]

the poor have good news preached to them. [[Isaiah 61:1]]

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

progression

series

questionanswer

discourse

1364806195959 Arc 1364806198 1453293844 editing 24 NT 42 7 18 7 23 Luke 7:18-23 esv i1061048 i1061049 i1061039 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And (so) John, 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?” i1061062 actionresult 2 i1061041 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?’” i1061042 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. i1061043 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen [vs 21] i1061057 i1061061 situationresponse 1 1 i1061059 ideaexplanation 1 2 and heard : [22d-23] i1061058 i1061044 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, [[Isaiah 35:5-6a]] i1061045 the dead are raised up, [[Luke 7:11-17 - the immediate preceding context of this encounter]] i1061046 the poor have good news preached to them. [[Isaiah 61:1]] i1061047 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” i1061056 progression i1061060 ideaexplanation 1 i1061055 series i1061054 questionanswer 2 questionanswer 2 1 1 1 1 esv 25 a 50 80 discourse 11364806198402

Why would you ask such a question?!?

In Luke 7:18-23, John the Baptist, suffering in a nasty Roman prison and in danger of being executed, hears of all of the works Jesus is doing--healing people, preaching, even raising people from the dead! Because of what he hears, John sends some of his own disciples go to ask Jesus a question: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" What a strange question!!! Why is John the Baptist, of all people, asking if Jesus is really the Promised One? Didn't John himself, while in his mother's womb, recognize Jesus and jump for joy? Didn't he baptize Jesus in the Jordan and see the dove alight on Him and hear God's voice call Him His Son? Isn't John himself the fulfillment of the return of the prophet Isaiah heralding the coming Messiah, as Jesus attests a few verses after our passage (Luke 7:24-35)? Yes, to all of these! Then why would he ask such a question? Have you ever been in a really terrible situation and you are waiting for deliverance that doesn't seem to be coming? Have you, in the midst of incredible suffering, heard of what God is doing in other people's lives and wondered why He doesn't seem to be doing anything in your life? Have you ever had thoughts or words of wind, like Job, doubts, cried out to God, saying "I know You have the power, why aren't You helping me!?!?" John was sitting in prison waiting to be rescued. He was hearing about Jesus' miraculous works, but Jesus didn't seem to be throwing any of those works John's way. And John was no lemming in the crowd following Jesus around to see a cool trick, John knew the prophecies of the Tanach (OT). He knew that one of the tasks of the Messiah was to "proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." Isaiah 61:1 --this is even the passage that Jesus himself read in the synagogue and identified as speaking about Himself ( Luke 4:16-21 ). So, John wonders, if Jesus is really the Messiah, why isn't he proclaiming liberty to this captive and opening this prison? What is Jesus' answer? He does not simply or directly say "Yes, I am He." No, first Jesus demonstrates His power there in front of the men John had sent, so that they can "Go and tell John what [they] have seen and heard..." (v 22). The heard fits together with the seeing, because what they see are works prophesied in the OT that the Messiah will do, and what they "hear" is what Jesus says next, quoting those same prophecies--including prophecies from Isaiah 61:1, the same prophecy that He read in the synagogue in Luke 4, the same prophecy that I think John was banking on for being freed from prison. "Look John," Jesus effectively says, "I am indeed doing the works of the Messiah, and I know what you want, but..." and here we reach what I think is the crux of Jesus' message to John: Jesus does not finish quoting Is 61:1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1 ESV He says that "the poor have good news preached to them." (Luke 7:22 cf. Isaiah 61:1b) John knows this passage, it continues (as above), "...He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." That is, exactly what John is waiting for. But i nstead of finishing the verse, Jesus says, "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Jesus leaves out the part about setting captives free, and instead says 'you will be blessed if you are not be offended by Me.' God never says or does anything random. Everything has a purpose, everything that Jesus says has a purpose. Jesus was answering John's questions, both the spoken and the heart question. 'Yes John, I am the Messiah, but no John, I am not setting you free in this situation. Do not be offended by Me-- that is, do not doubt, despair or lose faith. Take comfort, for though you will die in prison, " the dead are raised up. " (v22e).' There is abundant Comfort in Suffering-- if your hope is in the right place. If my hope is in the right place...if I am seeing the Gospel truly, hearing Jesus words about the Kingdom of God, hearing His warnings that in this life there will be suffering-- and a lot of it, but that our hope is for the Kingdom, that we will be raised up and there--in the Kingdom , not here on earth, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21: 4)... If my hope is in the Kingdom, and not in this world, then I will see the incredible grace and comfort that God offers me. He has purposes for leaving us His children in this world and not just spiriting them away as soon as they become believers (our sanctification, witness to others, etc.), He has purposes for showing His power in us through miraculous healing and saving...and He has purposes for ordaining and allowing suffering for us in this life, even as He ordained and allowed it for His own Son. But we are never alone in our suffering, we are always offered God's gracious, personal and sufficient (2 Cor 12:9) comfort and peace (Phil 4:6). We are always given the Holy Spirit, God with us, intimately, in every detail. Every tear recorded, every sin forgiven, every single ounce of suffering meant and turned for our ultimate good (Romans 8:20). Every single help supplied so that we will finish victorious in faith.

1364806195959 Why would you ask such a question?!? 1364806198 1453298004 In Luke 7:18-23, John the Baptist, suffering in a nasty Roman prison and in danger of being executed, hears of all of the works Jesus is doing--healing people, preaching, even raising people from the dead! Because of what he hears, John sends some of his own disciples go to ask Jesus a question: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" What a strange question!!! Why is John the Baptist, of all people, asking if Jesus is really the Promised One? Didn't John himself, while in his mother's womb, recognize Jesus and jump for joy? Didn't he baptize Jesus in the Jordan and see the dove alight on Him and hear God's voice call Him His Son? Isn't John himself the fulfillment of the return of the prophet Isaiah heralding the coming Messiah, as Jesus attests a few verses after our passage (Luke 7:24-35)? Yes, to all of these! Then why would he ask such a question? Have you ever been in a really terrible situation and you are waiting for deliverance that doesn't seem to be coming? Have you, in the midst of incredible suffering, heard of what God is doing in other people's lives and wondered why He doesn't seem to be doing anything in your life? Have you ever had thoughts or words of wind, like Job, doubts, cried out to God, saying "I know You have the power, why aren't You helping me!?!?" John was sitting in prison waiting to be rescued. He was hearing about Jesus' miraculous works, but Jesus didn't seem to be throwing any of those works John's way. And John was no lemming in the crowd following Jesus around to see a cool trick, John knew the prophecies of the Tanach (OT). He knew that one of the tasks of the Messiah was to "proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." Isaiah 61:1 --this is even the passage that Jesus himself read in the synagogue and identified as speaking about Himself ( Luke 4:16-21 ). So, John wonders, if Jesus is really the Messiah, why isn't he proclaiming liberty to this captive and opening this prison? What is Jesus' answer? He does not simply or directly say "Yes, I am He." No, first Jesus demonstrates His power there in front of the men John had sent, so that they can "Go and tell John what [they] have seen and heard..." (v 22). The heard fits together with the seeing, because what they see are works prophesied in the OT that the Messiah will do, and what they "hear" is what Jesus says next, quoting those same prophecies--including prophecies from Isaiah 61:1, the same prophecy that He read in the synagogue in Luke 4, the same prophecy that I think John was banking on for being freed from prison. "Look John," Jesus effectively says, "I am indeed doing the works of the Messiah, and I know what you want, but..." and here we reach what I think is the crux of Jesus' message to John: Jesus does not finish quoting Is 61:1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1 ESV He says that "the poor have good news preached to them." (Luke 7:22 cf. Isaiah 61:1b) John knows this passage, it continues (as above), "...He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." That is, exactly what John is waiting for. But i nstead of finishing the verse, Jesus says, "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Jesus leaves out the part about setting captives free, and instead says 'you will be blessed if you are not be offended by Me.' God never says or does anything random. Everything has a purpose, everything that Jesus says has a purpose. Jesus was answering John's questions, both the spoken and the heart question. 'Yes John, I am the Messiah, but no John, I am not setting you free in this situation. Do not be offended by Me-- that is, do not doubt, despair or lose faith. Take comfort, for though you will die in prison, " the dead are raised up. " (v22e).' There is abundant Comfort in Suffering-- if your hope is in the right place. If my hope is in the right place...if I am seeing the Gospel truly, hearing Jesus words about the Kingdom of God, hearing His warnings that in this life there will be suffering-- and a lot of it, but that our hope is for the Kingdom, that we will be raised up and there--in the Kingdom , not here on earth, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21: 4)... If my hope is in the Kingdom, and not in this world, then I will see the incredible grace and comfort that God offers me. He has purposes for leaving us His children in this world and not just spiriting them away as soon as they become believers (our sanctification, witness to others, etc.), He has purposes for showing His power in us through miraculous healing and saving...and He has purposes for ordaining and allowing suffering for us in this life, even as He ordained and allowed it for His own Son. But we are never alone in our suffering, we are always offered God's gracious, personal and sufficient (2 Cor 12:9) comfort and peace (Phil 4:6). We are always given the Holy Spirit, God with us, intimately, in every detail. Every tear recorded, every sin forgiven, every single ounce of suffering meant and turned for our ultimate good (Romans 8:20). Every single help supplied so that we will finish victorious in faith. notes 11364806198252