This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to our look at chapter 7 of the book of Luke, week 2 of our survey
through this incredible book. We're going to see in this chapter that Jesus
serves three people and that He answers one of the most important questions in
human history. He serves a Roman army officer servant.

He serves a grieving widow. He serves an immoral woman and He answers a question
about who He truly is. First beginning in verse 1, He serves a centurion, a
Roman army officer servant.

Listen to what happened. When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing
of the people, He entered Capernaum. And there a centurion servant, whom his
master valued highly, was sick and about to die.

The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him
to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly
with Him, "This man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation and
he's built our synagogue. " So in verse 6, Jesus goes with them and on His way
there something happens.

Some people come out to meet Him and to say to Him, "No, you don't need to come
to the house because the centurion has said something. " In verse 8, the
centurion says, "For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.
And I tell this one go and he goes and that one come and he comes and I say to
my servant do this and he does it.

" When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at Him. And turning to the crowd
following Him, He said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in
Israel. " And then the men who had been sent returned to the house, they found
the servant well.

The centurion believed that Jesus could heal even from afar because he knew that
if Jesus had command, He had command. He could command men from afar. Why
couldn't God command healing from afar?

He had faith even though He didn't have to see it. That's a great kind of faith.
He had faith even though He didn't have to have the evidence of Jesus being
there.

That's a great kind of faith. It's the kind of faith that God wants you and I to
grow into. As Jesus serves this servant, He also teaches us a lesson about
faith.

Faith isn't about what I see, it's about who I trust. And now Jesus serves a
grieving widow. In verse 11, "Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain
and His disciples and a large crowd went along with Him.

As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out, the only
son of His mother, and she was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with
her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her, and He said, 'Don't cry.
' And then He went up and He touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood
still.

And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up. ' And the dead man sat up and
began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to His mother. And they were all filled
with awe and they praised God.

A great prophet has appeared here among us. They said, 'God has come to help His
people. ' This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding
country.

Well, I suppose it would spread. Jesus heals a man who has been dead. He
resurrects this man, or He resuscitates him for a time at least, from his death.

What a miracle that happens here. But I don't want you to miss in this what
motivated this miracle. In verse 13, "When the Lord saw her, His heart went out
to her.

" What motivates the miracles of Jesus Christ? We see teaching in all of His
miracles. We see power in all of His miracles.

But it is the compassion of God that motivates every miracle. It's the
compassion of God that sent Jesus into this world. It's the compassion of God
that sent Jesus to the cross.

Because God cares, He does these miracles. Now as we see these miracles
throughout the book of Luke, one of the questions you're going to have is, "Why
doesn't He work a miracle in my life? " There may be some sickness that you're
facing.

There may be some situation in your life that if only God would do this, it
could all change. And sometimes we wonder, "Is God compassionate towards me if
this miracle that I'm asking for does not happen? " I've learned that even
though He does not always do the specific miracles that I ask, the compassion of
God is seen in the life of Christ.

I see in Jesus' life that He's compassionate not just for this widow but for
all, for everyone. Because He gave His life on a cross, we're going to see at
the end. He gave His life so that we can enjoy eternity with Him.

From a human perspective, it often seems to us like the miracle is never going
to happen. The miracle will not happen. It's too late for the miracle, but it's
never too late from God's perspective.

And when you get to heaven, you and I are going to see things we have never seen
before. We're going to see that through every moment of your life, the
compassion of God was there with you and for you and in you and even through
you. He shows His compassion.

So I'll admit, I can't understand it all. I can't explain it all. I don't know
why Jesus happened to heal this son, give him back to his mother.

When there were a lot of other dead people, He could have resuscitated and given
back to parents and to husbands and to wives. But I do know this. He is
compassionate.

He always cares. He's compassionate to forgive. Jesus serves the grieving widow.

He serves the centurion servant. Jesus answers a question in this chapter. He
answers the question of John the Baptist.

In verse 18, the Bible says John's disciples told him about these things, this
healing, and calling two of them. He sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the
one who was to come, or should we expect someone else? " When the men came to
Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to ask, are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?

" At that very time, Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil
spirits. And He gave sight to many who were blind. So He replied to the
messengers, "Go back and report to John what you've seen and heard.

" The blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cured.

The deaf hear. The dead are raised. And the good news is preached to the poor.

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me. Now Jesus talks
about John for a bit. In fact, in verse 28, He says, "I tell you, among those
born of women, there is no one greater than John.

" And yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than He. Jesus
is continually putting things in perspective in these verses. And here is John.

Even John, who came to be the forerunner of Jesus, has his moment of doubt. And
Jesus says, "Look at what I'm doing. You know the scripture.

Don't fall away on account of Me. It may be different than exactly you expected.
The way God's working in your life may be different than you expected.

In fact, it probably is different than exactly you expected. It does not mean
that He's not at work. Don't fall away on account of the plan of God because it
is greater, it is more wonderful you're going to discover when you get to heaven
than you can imagine.

" Jesus answers the question, "Look at what I'm doing. " And then He serves a
third person in this chapter. He serves an immoral woman.

Verse 36, "Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So he
went to the Pharisee's house and he reclined at the table. Then a woman who had
lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's
house.

She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and she stood behind him at his feet,
weeping. And began to wet his feet with her tears. And then she wiped them with
her hair, kissing them, and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man
were a prophet, he would know who was touching him and what kind of woman she
is. She is a sinner. ' Jesus answered him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you.

Tell me, teacher,' he said. Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One
owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty.

Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.
Now which one will love him more? ' Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had
the bigger debt canceled.

' 'You've judged correctly,' Jesus said. 'Therefore I tell you, her many sins
have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little,
loves little.

' Here is this moment in the life and the ministry of Jesus. Very uncomfortable
moment for many people that were there. This woman does something shocking.

She's an immoral woman. She probably shouldn't even be at the party, but she
knows Jesus is there. So she apparently somehow gets in, and this expensive
perfume she has with her, probably the only thing of value, possibly the only
thing of value in her life.

And she begins to weep, and the tears fall on the feet of Jesus. And then even
more shocking, she takes her hair, her hair. Women were supposed to keep their
hair up, covered in that day, but she takes her hair and she's unashamed to wipe
the feet of Jesus with her hair, to pour perfume on the feet of Jesus.

She has an extravagant kind of love. She has an unashamed kind of love. Simon,
the Pharisee, he doesn't understand.

Jesus explains it's because she's been forgiven so much. My question for you and
for me is, do you have the heart of Simon, or do you have the heart of the
forgiving woman? Do you spend time sitting in judgment of others more lately, or
do you spend time more lately so caught up in the love of God, that there's
nothing you can do but offer him exuberant praise?

But in essence, pour perfume on the feet of Jesus. What does that mean for you
and I to pour perfume on the feet of Jesus? It might mean singing songs of
worship.

It might mean serving someone in need. It might mean loving your own family. It
might mean giving to someone at work.

When it's done out of gratefulness for what he's done for you, that's pouring
perfume on Jesus' feet. Our Father, we thank you for the love of this woman. We
thank you for the example of this woman.

She had lived a sinful life. I've lived a sinful life, we all have. Her sin was
evident to all, everyone knew, but that's not the example that lives.

The example that lives on is her praise to Jesus Christ, because she also lived
a grateful life, grateful for forgiveness. Lord, help me to live that life
today. Help us to live that life, grateful for the forgiveness you have given,
so that everything that we do is done out of that gratefulness, pouring perfume
on your feet.

We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Tomorrow from the ministry of Jesus, we're
going to move back again now to the teaching of Jesus.