1. What stood out to me from this chapter?
One of the things I noticed about this chapter is that it is bookended by two instances where Jesus commends and rewards people for their faith. To the centurion who recognized Jesus authority on earth, Jesus said that he hadn't seen anyone in all of Israel with such great faith! That is a bold, and probably a little offensive, statement. At the end of the chapter is this story where Jesus is dining at a Pharisee's house and a "sinful" woman comes up and anoints him. Jesus points out that it is her faith that has saved her. But just prior to that statement, Jesus teaches the Pharisee about the power and depth of forgiveness by sharing a brief parable describing a large and small debt. Both can be forgiven, but the one who is forgiven more will likely be more grateful and likely to pay it forward and express their thanks in worship. One of my spiritual breakthroughs was when God revealed to me that my debt of sin was much too large to ever think about repaying on my own. It really did create an attitude of gratitude and service. No matter what my testimony is, or how far astray I have gone, the debt accrued by our sin can only be fully paid by Jesus' death and resurrection!
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
Well, raising people from the dead wasn't an everyday occurrence. It happened with a prophet or two back in the day, but until Jesus came around it was quite out of the ordinary. There are two other instances of Jesus raising others from the dead. Lazarus in John 11, and Mark 5:21-43. All of them are fun to compare.
3. What does this mean for my life?
Hearing the centurion describe his own authority and then comparing it to Jesus was a great reminder to me that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). I should not doubt that he is able to do anything. Nor should I doubt that he wants to hear us ask for things. Jesus CAN do it! I need to remember that.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
I thought John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the Messiah for a long time. For one, he leaped in his mother's womb when Jesus (in utero) came by. Besides that, he was the one who baptized Jesus and saw the whole heavens being opened things. My question is, why did John feel like he had to ask if Jesus was the one?
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
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We had this story as part of our worship service tonight. What struck me was, am I that different from the Pharisees? If Jesus came today, would I say, if Jesus was really God, why would he help "those people", he should know that they are sinners. Way worse than me!
ReplyDeleteI pray that I would realize that I am the sinner and that only because God loves me, would he send his son to die for me and my sins.
I have a heart to serve and am so grateful for the blessings God has provided in my life! I hope that i would make the choice to get down and wash his feet because I love him and owe everything to him!
Praise God!
That is really the challenge of this passage and story. I believe this story actually happened, especially because it was carefully investigated by an educated doctor. But even if it were just a "fable," the reflective question would be, "Is my heart more like the Pharisee, feeling like I deserve the righteousness that Jesus gives, or is my heart like the woman realizing that we too fall short of God's standards and only by God's grace and unfathomable, unconditional love can we be saved through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. You nailed it, Nick.
DeleteAmen Nick! For me I don't think I remember the story of the other boy raised from the dead. What would it have been like to be there for that? I can't even imagine what emotions one would have! Freaked out? Amazed? Crazy to think!
ReplyDeleteThis one doesn't seem to get shared as much as the others. I wonder if Jesus got a lot of funeral invitations after that...
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