40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 26 (Luke 10)

by Roseanna White | Mar 10, 2016 | Bible Study

Luke 10

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also,[a] and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And
remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give,
for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us[b] we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But[c] I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

I find these instructions very interesting–especially that twice he commands them to eat what they’re given.

Woe to the Impenitent Cities

13 “Woe
to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.[d] 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

The Seventy Return with Joy

17 Then the seventy[e] returned with Joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold,
I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather[f] rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Something important for us to remember–it’s easy to get caught up in the signs, even for those performing them. But Jesus reminds us here that it isn’t about the power. It isn’t about the miracles. It isn’t about anything but Him, and the life we receive through Him. 

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All[g]
things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the
Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[h] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[i]
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him
and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his
own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed,[j] he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

This man knew the right answer. He knew the two greatest commandments–but he obviously wasn’t doing them, if he wanted to justify himself. He wanted to hear that those to whom He was already kind were the only neighbors he needed to worry about. But instead, Jesus’s answer no doubt told him to broaden his definition, because Samaritans were probably not counted among the lawyer’s neighbors in his mind.

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’[k] feet and heard His word. 40 But
Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and
said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus[l] answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 25 (Luke 9)

by Roseanna White | Mar 9, 2016 | Bible Study

Luke 9

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And
whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off
the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod Seeks to See Jesus

7 Now
Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was
perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the
dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him.

Feeding the Five Thousand

10 And
the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.
Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place
belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When
the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the
multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country,
and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

18 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”
20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

I always wonder at this part, at least the “John the Baptist” answer. Their ministries overlapped a bit, after all, so it seems odd that anyone would think Jesus was John the Baptist. Though I guess word traveled more slowly back then, and not everyone would have heard about Jesus before John’s death. Still, these parts always make me pause. They would have thought, I suppose, that these previous prophets had risen from the dead (verse 19) and not that they’d been reincarnated…

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The
Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

He sure lays it all out right there, doesn’t He? But still no one expected what happened later. 

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,[a] and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Love this section. First, I love the foreshadowing in “take up his cross.” I mean, yes, Jesus knew the means by which he’d die. But more, everyone knew about this practice, they knew the cross as a symbol of suffering and ultimately death, and they certainly knew that the convicted had to carry their own cross.

So remembering that, “taking up our cross” sounds pretty grim, doesn’t it? That Jesus is telling us to shoulder the burden daily that will lead to our death. Because our goal is not to preserve our lives, but to live them for Him until our day has come. At which point, as Paul says, to die is gain.

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount

28 Now
it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took
Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But
Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were
fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us
make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son.[b] Hear Him!” 36 When
the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and
told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

A Boy Is Healed

37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.
But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 But
they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so
that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about
this saying.

Who Is the Greatest?

46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever
receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives
Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be
great.”

Jesus Forbids Sectarianism

49 Now
John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in
Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”
50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us[c] is on our side.”[d]

A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior

51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”[e]
55 But He turned and rebuked them,[f] and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”[g] And they went to another village.

Wow, an interesting passage, isn’t this? First, the Samaritans. They do not receive Him because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. This is one of the main bones of contention between Jews and Samaritans, as the woman at the well tells us–that Jews think Jerusalem is the only place to worship (with sacrifices and rituals, etc), and Samaritans have their own mountain. They resented, not who Jesus was or what things he was doing, as some did, but the fact that he wanted to go to Jerusalem.

But the reaction of the disciples! How offended must they have been to want to destroy the whole town? Or . . . did they just want to demonstrate power?

But here again we see the complete love of Jesus. His disciples don’t really understand yet what all this means, who they’re becoming, the role they’ll play. They don’t understand yet the power, or its purpose. But Jesus makes it clear here–He didn’t come to bring justice upon people. He came to save them from it. Thank you, Lord.

The Cost of Discipleship

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

These verses always felt a little harsh to me–perhaps because they’re so typical of human nature, and it’s so clear what Jesus thinks about that. When He calls, we’re supposed to go. Now. Drop it all and follow him. But I think more often than doing just that, like the 12 did, we do what these nameless men did. We say, “I want to follow you  . . . but not if it means giving up my home. I want to follow you . . . but my first priority is caring for my family. I want to follow you . . . but at least let me say goodbye and get my affairs in order.”

I think ultimately, God is very patient with us as we work through those things tying us down. But how many blessings do we miss as we shuffle our feet?

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 24 (Luke 8)

by Roseanna White | Mar 8, 2016 | Bible Study

 Luke 8

Now
it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and
village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.
And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him[a] from their substance.

The Parable of the Sower

4 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 “A
sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the
wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables

9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’[b]

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those
by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes
away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be
saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those
who, when they hear, receive the word with Joy; and these have no root,
who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that
fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are
choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to
maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

The Parable of the Revealed Light

16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Take heed how you hear. I’ve never really noticed that line before. I kept rereading this little section today, trying to figure out how 11-15 and 16-18 fit together, since it’s all in the same speech and the division there is arbitrary. They seem different, unrelated, until you factor in that take heed how you hear. That we are responsible for what kind of ground we ultimately are? That to those who bear fruit, more will be planted and sewn and given, but those whose fruit withers away etc., it will all be taken away?

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Come to Him

19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”
21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

22 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And
they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this
be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

Still love this. =) If we’re certain of what God has called us to, if we’re working toward something we haven’t yet achieved, we can be confident of His protection. God promised Paul he would go before Caesar, so Paul had no need to fear the bite of a poisonous snake. Got had promised Simeon that he would live to see the Christ, so I daresay he strode through life rather confidently as well. Here, Jesus obviously knew what his fate would ultimately be, and if his followers really believed in Him, they should have known that a storm wasn’t going to be His demise.

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes,[c] which is opposite Galilee. 27 And
when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the
city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes,[d] nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When
he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice
said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I
beg You, do not torment me!” 29 For
He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had
often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and
shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the
wilderness.
30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”
And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
32 Now
a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged
Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. 33 Then
the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran
violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.
34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then
they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found
the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus,
clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes[e] asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And
behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the
synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his
house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 Now
a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her
livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him[f] said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”[g]
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now
when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and
falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the
people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed
immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer;[h] your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”[i]
50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in[j] except Peter, James, and John,[k] and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But He put them all outside,[l] took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Do not be afraid, only believe. That’s a pretty huge command, isn’t it? Death seems pretty darn final to us, so how are we to believe something like this? Yet that’s exactly what Jesus asks of us. Believe. Believe in the miraculous. Believe in the impossible. Believe in His love for us.

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 23 (Luke 7)

by Roseanna White | Mar 7, 2016 | Bible Study

Luke 7

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
6 Then
Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house,
the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble
Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For
I also am a man placed under authority, having 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 turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.[a]

This passage always inspires me, not only because of the faith, but because of the humility. This is a man of authority . . . a man who is obviously in favor with the Jews–I mean he must be one awesome guy for the Jewish elders to defend him! But he thought himself unworthy of being in the presence of the Lord.

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

11 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And
when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being
carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a
large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
16 Then
fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet
has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus

18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus,[b] saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
20 When
the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to
You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
24 When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But
what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed
those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’
courts. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to 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.’[c]

28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist;[d] but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.
31 And the Lord said,[e] “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
    And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
    And you did not weep.’

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The
Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton
and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

I’m a wee bit confused about this passage. John had already baptized Jesus, the Spirit had already visibly descended. In other gospels, when John sees Jesus then, he knows who He is. Here, quite a while after the baptism, he’s asking for clarification. Not sure I really get why and wonder if it’s a bit out of place chronologically…though the point of the conversation certainly stands. And I find it telling indeed that the everyday people had accepted the call to repentance that John preached, but the upper class, the educated, the rulers of the people did not.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And
when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.
Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do
you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My
feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Love this. This is told in the same way as any other miracle Jesus performs–and so it is. This woman didn’t have a physical ailment. She didn’t have a demon. But she needed healed as surely as the paralytic. And she knew that–she sought the Lord, the Christ as earnestly as the physically sick people did, and she was rewarded with the same healing…in her soul. It’s every bit as much a miracle, and every bit as beautiful.