Luke Bible Study, Day 15
Today’s passage: Luke 7:18–35
Focus verse: “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard.” (Luke 7:22)
John the Baptist appears three times in Luke’s biography of Jesus. First, Luke writes about John’s birth and the events that lead up to it. Next, Luke records John’s baptism of Jesus. Now, we read about John one last time.
John languishes in prison, landing there unjustly after criticizing Herod for marrying his brother’s wife.
With time to think, I imagine John wonders why Jesus doesn’t come to visit him. Couldn’t Jesus, the Son of God, free him from prison? Isn’t he supposed to set the captives free? That’s what he said he came to do.
John merely did what God called him to do. Why should he suffer for it? Maybe these thoughts flood John’s mind as he sits in prison.
Regardless, John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus a question, a critical one. “Are you the person the prophets wrote about, or should we wait for someone else?”
This question suggests a tinge of doubt in John’s mind about who Jesus is. I suspect John seeks confirmation that his work wasn’t in vain. He wants to know his life mattered.
John’s disciples go to Jesus and ask him this question. They approach Jesus as he heals people from their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits. He even restores sight to the blind.
Jesus doesn’t directly answer their question. Instead, he tells them to report to John what they’ve seen and heard.
He instructs them to tell John that the blind now see, the lame now walk, the lepers now have clear skin, the deaf now hear, and the dead now live. In addition, the poor are hearing the good news.
To wrap up his message for John, Jesus concludes with what could appear as a rebuke, “fortunate are those who don’t trip because of me,” but it’s actually encouragement for John to stay strong and not doubt.
John’s disciples leave. Then Jesus launches into a teaching about John’s life and ministry. Jesus makes three key points.
First, he confirms John is the person the Old Testament prophets predicted would pave the way for the Messiah.
Next, Jesus affirms there’s no person on earth more important than John, but in the kingdom of God we will all be greater than John.
Third, Jesus gives us a lesson about people with a religious spirit. When John followed his restricted diet, as God commanded, the people criticized him.
Yet Jesus ate and drank freely, and the people criticized him for that.
So too for us. Whatever we do, it seems someone will complain.
Questions:
How do we react when we’re wrongly criticized?
Have we ever criticized things we didn’t understand?
What about things we didn’t like?
[Discover more about Jesus coming to set captives free in Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18. Read about Herod and John the Baptist in Luke 3:19–20 and Luke 9:7–9. Learn about others wrongly imprisoned and then freed in Acts 5:18–20 and Acts 12:5–11.]
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Read more about the book of Luke in Dear Theophilus: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, now available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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