JOHN 7

In today’s study we have the following titles. Verses 1-10 Jesus heals a centurion’s servant. Verses 11-18 Jesus raises a widow’s son. Verses 19-35 John the Baptist asks about Jesus. Verses 36-40 Jesus is anointed by a sinner. Verses 41-50 The parable of the creditor. Luke 7 and verse 1 reads.

Luke 7:1] Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

Capernaum means; City of compassion. Jesus began to dwell in Capernaum after he was not received in Nazareth. Mat.4:13.

Luke 7:2] And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
[3] And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

A centurion is in command of 100-800 people. This centurion is quoted in Matthew 27 and verse 54 reads.

Mat.27:54] Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

This statement along with repentance is all that is needed for baptism. Back to Luke 7 and verse 4 reads.

Luke 7:4] And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
[5] For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

This centurion loved their nation and even built them a synagogue. This is very impressive. They say this because Jesus was sent only to the house of Jacob, all twelve tribes. But this man is a gentile, how will Jesus respond?

Luke 7:6] Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
[7] Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

This man has great faith. Let’s go to Psalms 33 and verse 9 reads.

Psa.33:8] Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
[9] For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

And in Psalms 107 and verse 20 reads.

Psa.107:20] He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
[21] Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Back to Luke 7 and verse 8 reads.

Luke 7:8] For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
[9] When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
[10] And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

This man humbled himself before the Lord, and was found with great faith. Though a gentile, his servant was healed because of his faith. Call it an intercessory prayer. But that this prophecy might be fulfilled that was written in many places, let’s begin in Genesis 12 and verse 3 reads.

Gen.12:3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Now, Isaiah 2 and verse 2 reads.

Isa.2:2] And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
[3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Notice in verse 1 it said in the last days. We have two advents. This shows us that both advents of Jesus Christ brings Salvation into the whole world. Now let’s go to Ephesians 3 and verse 6 reads.

Eph.3:6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

After his crucifixion both Israel and the Gentiles will have Salvation. But you must believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But what of this great faith? Let’s go to John 20 and verse 24 reads.

John 20:24] But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
[25] The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
[26] And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
[27] Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
[28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
[29] Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

We are blessed for not seeing, yet believing. A great comfort for me. Back to Luke 7 and verse 11 reads.

Luke 7:11] And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

Nain is a Hebrew word and means; Beauty. It is a village in Galilee located at the north base of Little Hermon.

Luke 7:12] Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

This was a big deal in those days. A woman who loses her only child and is widowed has no one to take care of her, except the church. I cannot help but think of Naomi whose daughter in-law Ruth was the perfect example of kinsman redeemer.

Luke 7:13] And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
[14] And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

It would have been illegal for anyone to touch a dead body, Jesus did not, again he simply spoke and said, Arise.

Luke 7:15] And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
[16] And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

Remember when Zacharias lost his tongue due to his unbelief, when he received his voice again the first thing out of his mouth was in Luke 1 and verse 64 reads.

Luke 1:64] And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
[65] And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
[66] And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
[67] And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
[68] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
[69] And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Back to Luke 7 and verse 17 reads.

Luke 7:17] And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
[18] And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

These would be the disciples of John the Baptist. They witnessed the miracles that Jesus did and told John.

Luke 7:19] And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
[20] When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

John wasn’t being foolish, he simply asked is this the first advent or the second. He, being a prophet himself, knew the scriptures, so we can presume that it in fact could be both, if they had received him. They won’t. Let’s go to Zechariah 9 and verse 9 reads.

Zec.9:9] Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

This is the first advent when Jesus comes for Salvation.

Zec.9:10] And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth.

This is the second advent, the seventh trump. Remember above it said in Isaiah 2:2 In the last days, this is that. Let’s go to Micah 5 and verse 2 reads.

Mic.5:2] But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Let’s now go to Malachi 3 and verse 1 reads.

Mal.3:1] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
[2] But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
[3] And he shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Sons of Levi are the priests. Back to Luke 7 and verse 21 reads.

Luke 7:21] And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
[22] Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
[23] And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

John the Baptist knew prophecy, he also knows that both advents have the same results. Let’s go to Isaiah 29 and verse 18 reads.

Isa.29:18] And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
[19] The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
[20] For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:

The first advent. And in Isaiah 35 and verse 4 reads.

Isa.35:4] Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
[5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
[6] Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

This is the second advent. Both advents result in the same outcome. This is why John would ask is this it or is there another. Back to Luke 7 and verse 24 reads.

Luke 7:24] And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Meaning, did you go to see a man whose opinion shifted from one way to the other way. The answer is, of course not.

Luke 7:25] But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.

John the Baptist wore raiment of camel hair, the clothing of a prophet.

Luke 7:26] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
[27] This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

We find this written in Isaiah 40 and verse 3 reads.

Isa.40:3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

We find in the gospel of John 1 and verse 1 reads.

John 1:1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus is the Word, drop down to verse 14 with me, and it reads.

John 1:14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
[15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

That was John the Baptist that was speaking. Back to Luke 7 and verse 28 reads.

Luke 7:28] For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Least in the kingdom of God is greater than he, because they are in spirit and not the flesh. Prophesied of John the Baptist in Luke 1 and verse 15 reads.

Luke 1:15] For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

Do not overlook, filled with the Holy Spirit while in the womb. Back to Luke 7 and verse 29 reads.

Luke 7:29] And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
[30] But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Let’s go to where this was prophesied in Malachi 4 and verse 3 reads.

Mal.4:3] And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
[4] Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
[5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Here is the most important part of the prophecy. Elijah comes during the sixth trump, just before Jesus comes at the seventh trump. John the Baptist comes at the first advent in the spirit of Elijah. Which means what? Let’s read on.

Mal.4:6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Notice that it says, fathers, plural. There are two fathers, God our Father (uppercase) and the Serpent which is the lowercase f for their father. Learn the Serpent’s seed, his children are the Kenites. This is the Key of David. Back to Luke 7 and verse 31 reads.

Luke 7:31] And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

This word Generation is G1085 from G1074 and means; offspring of Cain. Kenites. Jesus is about to liken them to something that will upset many of them.

Luke 7:32] They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

Sitting around in the market place and having nothing better to do than criticize the prophet John the Baptist and our Lord.

Luke 7:33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.

John the Baptist was under the vow of a Nazarite, and they say he has a devil.

Luke 7:34] The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

It shows us here that Jesus did indeed drink wine. The Son of God sits with sinners and publicans, as if publicans are bad people to be around. This brings to mind that they are holier than thou. Let’s go to Isaiah 65 and verse 5 reads.

Isa.65:5] Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Back to Luke 7 and verse 35 reads.

Luke 7:35] But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Showing us here that the Pharisees lacked wisdom.

Luke 7:36] And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
[37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
[38] And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

Listen to the compassion between the woman and Jesus. The same compassion Jesus has for us who repent, and love him. Now, this Pharisee will only be thinking and not speaking out loud, the LORD can read our thoughts. Notice that this Pharisees name is Simon, which means a hearing. Open our ears to your Word O LORD. I will let this read through and then give my thoughts, hear the compassion of the Lord.

Luke 7:39] Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
[40] And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
[41] There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
[42] And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
[43] Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
[44] And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
[45] Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
[46] My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
[47] Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
[48] And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
[49] And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
[50] And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Now we covered Isaiah 65:5 above, don’t just think of the Pharisee, think of ourselves. Do we judge others? And when we do, are their sins greater than ours? Yet, Jesus has compassion on all his children, and to judge others is a greater sin than most. Let’s go to 2Peter 3 and verse 9 reads.

2Pet.3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Do not judge others, but discern. Let’s go back to Luke 6 and verse 36 reads.

Luke 6:36] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Awesome study today, let’s go to his throne.

Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.

KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible