Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Luke 7:18–8:3

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, 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:

²⁸ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; 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, “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:

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.”

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.”

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 from their substance.

As John the Baptist sat in prison, his faith needed strengthening, so he wisely turned to Jesus for help, and he was given exactly the help he needed. John’s disciples were to see the miracles Jesus was performing, hear the message Jesus was preaching, and report what they saw and heard back to John. That report, that word about Jesus, which was also connected to the Old Testament word about the Messiah, would give John all the strength he needed to be faithful unto death.

Jesus also reminded the crowds who were with Him of the power of the word as preached by John. It wasn’t his fine appearance or fancy clothing or elegant preaching that brought tax collectors and sinners to faith. It was the simple word of God, the Law that exposed their sins, and the Gospel that promised the forgiveness of sins through Christ.

Of course, not everyone saw and heard and then believed. Most did not receive the word humbly. Most were like children in the marketplace who made up their own rules for how John and Jesus were to behave and preach. But their unbelief is contrasted in today’s reading with the faith and gratitude of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. His preaching of free forgiveness to all who came to Him for it was enough to persuade her that even her many sins would be forgiven by Him. And she was not alone. While the leading men of Israel mocked Jesus and rejected Him, many women were brought to faith by His word and devoted themselves to serving Him in whatever way they could.

May all these examples move us to hear the word of God humbly, not placing ourselves and our reason above it, but always beneath it. Consider the goodness and mercy of Christ that you have heard reported in Holy Scripture, and may His great love for you move you to great acts of love for others.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, keep us focused on the words and works of Your beloved Son. Grant that we may always receive Your word humbly and believe it steadfastly. Amen.

Luke 7:1-10

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.

Seeing is not necessarily believing. Many people in Israel saw the signs Jesus was doing and, instead of believing, kept demanding more and more signs. Not so with the Roman centurion. He had already seen enough. Or better, he had already heard enough.

It seems clear that the centurion had never met Jesus or watched Him perform His miracles. But he had clearly heard the word about Christ, that He was good and merciful, and that He behaved as a Commander over disease, and over nature, and even over demons, and that His commands were readily obeyed.   The word about Jesus created such faith in the centurion’s heart that, even when given the opportunity to see Jesus and have Him come under his roof, he refused. Why should he desire something so unnecessary when a simple word from the Commander will do?

Why should we? Why should we desire to see the Lord’s plan for His Church beyond what He has already revealed in His Word? Why should we desire to see more evidence of His loving care than the cross He willingly bore for us?

Let God’s Word be enough. If He has promised it, it must be done. It must come true. He has proven Himself dependable and reliable. He doesn’t have to keep proving His faithfulness over and over again, does He? If He has not said it, then we didn’t need to know it, nor should we expect it. But if He has, then let us believe it, without having to see a thing, knowing that, in the Lord’s time, we will see everything turn out just as He said.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, You are the mighty Commander and Ruler over all things. Grant us Your Spirit to strengthen our faith, that we may trust steadfastly in Your word and look to You for mercy at all times. Amen.

  Luke 6:43-49

⁴³ “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶ “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? ⁴⁷ Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. ⁴⁹ But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

In the verses just before today’s reading, Jesus warned His disciples to make sure they were able to see clearly before trying to correct their neighbor’s sight. In other words, before you try to fix your neighbor, you have to fix yourself. He expands on this with another illustration about good and bad trees. As you go about dealing with your own faults, it will do you no good to try to fix the outward behaviors that are sinful and evil. No, if you are to produce good fruit, you first have to be made good. Otherwise, like a bad tree, you will produce only bad fruit.

How can you be made good? Not by ignoring the words of the Lord Jesus and taking matters into your hands to improve yourself. The truth is, you can’t fix yourself. Only God can do that, and He will do it through His Word. He shows you your sin as His Word reveals what is right and wrong. He convicts you of sin as His Word is applied to you. He shows you your Savior Jesus who loved you and gave Himself for you. And then He shows you Jesus as the true Vine, the good Vine, into whom you must be grafted by Baptism and faith.

Once you are made into a good tree, or into a branch that is grafted into the good Vine, then the Word of God teaches you to work together with the Holy Spirit, to apply yourself to hearing and meditating on God’s Word, and to devote yourself to living according to it.

When you do, you are like that man who built his house on the solid rock foundation. No storm or wind will be able to move you from it. But if you ignore Jesus’ Word and rely on yourself instead, then, like the house built on nothing, you will come to nothing.

Let us pray: O Lord Jesus, we are nothing without You. Keep us from relying on ourselves. Forgive us for the evil we have done and the good we have failed to do. And graciously continue to send preachers of Your Word, that we may hear it and believe it and put it into practice. Amen.

Luke 6:1-19

6 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵ And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” ¹⁰ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. ¹¹ But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

There was a prevailing blindness in Israel with regard to the Sabbath law, and all God’s laws, at the time of Jesus. Most of the Jewish leaders thought that their religion was about doing things for God, obeying His commandments in order to earn His favor. They viewed the Sabbath law as Israel’s special obligation to “work” by not working.

Jesus exposes their blindness in today’s reading. The disciples were not breaking God’s Sabbath law by having a bite to eat on the Sabbath, and Jesus was not breaking God’s Sabbath law by healing on the Sabbath. The ceremonial aspect of the Sabbath law—the part about not doing any work on the Sabbath—was not an absolute commandment that was to be obeyed to the detriment of one’s own body or the body of one’s neighbor. On the contrary, the Sabbath law was God’s merciful gift to Israel. It was given for man’s benefit, as a way to ensure some rest in the midst of this world’s toil, and as an opportunity to help one’s neighbor in need. But the people’s focus on themselves and their works made them unable to see or to reflect God’s mercy.

The same blindness prevails in today’s world, too. Those who think they have a chance to earn their way into heaven despise the free favor and mercy of God in Christ, just as those who love their sin despise God’s condemnation of it and His insistence that all must come to repentance. In either case, they are unable to see how hopeless their situation is and that the only thing that can save them is resting in God’s mercy and in Christ’s work on our behalf.

May our eyes be open, both to our sin and to God’s mercy toward sinners. Then, having received mercy from God, we will finally be able to see how to be merciful toward those around us, just as the Lord Christ always was.

Let us pray: Merciful Lord God, turn our eyes toward the needs of our neighbor and warm our hearts by Your mercy to show mercy to those around us. Amen.