Allen Jackson - Listening, Learning and God's Power
We're doing a bit of a unique study for us. We're walking through the Gospel of Luke. Maybe we're crawling through the Gospel of Luke. I haven't moved at quite the pace I had hoped initially. But I've given you a little bit of a special reading assignment and asked you to read the Gospel of Luke with me as we do this as frequently as your schedule will permit. There's only 24 chapters. You can read the entire Gospel of Luke in less time than it takes to watch a ball game. I know that's, like, meddling, isn't it?
And so whether you can do that on a daily basis or a weekly basis, I don't know what that would look like. What I can tell you is in the repetitive reading of a book like that you'll move past just identifying some miracle stories or some things you remember from a sermon at some point and you'll become familiar enough with the text that you'll begin to see patterns and themes and as I'm doing this, I'm just gonna highlight some things that have become really clear to me. But I'd like to invite you because it changes the way you'll understand the Bible.
So it's a bit of a non-Jewish perspective, but Luke writes with the eye of a diagnostician and there's a message that he's trying to tell us. Not simply relate some stories about Jesus, or help us understand the circumstances, he's giving us the pathway to become better disciples. And I'm just gonna walk through some of the text with you, offer some insights, but I really wanna encourage you to read it. Which, one of the things Jesus told us as we approach the end of the age, and I don't know where you are on all of that, I don't know that it's the end of the age. I can promise you, without a change it's the end of an empire. But one of the things Jesus promised was that deception would increase, and the best way I know to protect against deception is to get to know the Word of God for yourself.
You won't understand it all. I don't. I don't know how to pronounce all the names. I just make it up. Hebrew was a dead language for a long time. Nobody knows exactly how it's pronounced. But in reading the text, it will change your life. I wanna start in Luke 8 and verse 40. You got it in your notes. It says, "When Jesus returned (to Capernaum)," Capernaum is little fishing village on the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus set up shop for his public ministry, he left Nazareth and he went to Capernaum. I say he left Nazareth, he went to Nazareth, to the synagogue, and he read from the book of Isaiah and they got so angry at his commentary that they tried to kill him.
So Jesus, being a clever sort, moved to Capernaum. "A crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him". Some of you remember the verses that just preceded this, was the story about the demonized man on the other side of the lake and the herd of pigs. And the people in that village, when the man was set free, pled with Jesus to leave. They didn't want him to stay.
So he's gone back to Capernaum and here the people welcome him. It shouldn't be lost that there's a very stark contrast between the attitude of the people who had just seen a most remarkable miracle, they didn't want Jesus to stay, and now he's back in Capernaum and they're glad he's there. They've been expecting him. "Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house, his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying".
Now, the synagogue rulers are not Jesus's biggest fans. The Pharisees, the teachers of the law, the Sadducees, the religious brokers of the generation, the political brokers of the generation, were angry and resistant to Jesus. They rejected his message almost universally. And in Capernaum now, Luke gives us an exception. The leader of the synagogue there, his daughter is dying and he comes publicly to ask Jesus for his help. Now, if you've been doing this study with us, I hope you'll remember the narrative sounds really familiar. Somebody else came to Jesus in Capernaum to ask for help. I put it back in your notes.
This seems to be one of the things Luke is telling us, is that in Capernaum there were people who regularly came and said, "Will you help us"? These two particular events are so parallel. It's Luke 7, just a chapter ago, "A centurion's servant, who his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. And the centurion heard of Jesus and sent some of the elders of the Jews", do you remember the story? And before Jesus gets to his house, the centurion sends other people and says, "I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof". Remember that? It's very bizarre behavior.
The centurion is the most powerful, influential person in town. The Romans are the authority in the land of Israel. They're exacting taxes, Capernaum was on a very busy Roman road. The Centurion there, I'm certain, is there to help keep the peace. He could have had Jesus brought to him in chains. Do you understand the degree to which the centurion would be mocked by his peers because he sent somebody to an itinerant Jewish rabbi and says, "I need your help"? "Are you trying to lower our status? You're trying to make our job more difficult"?
And before Jesus even gets to his house, he says, "Listen, I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof". You remember that. And Jesus turned around to a Jewish audience in Capernaum and said, "I haven't found faith in all of Israel like this Roman soldier". He just ticked off the whole community. "This pagan enforcer that's here as a sign of humiliation has greater faith than all of you". I always smile. Luke makes this so clear. And if you've been doing this with us, you know the thought in contemporary American evangelicalism is Jesus is all about love, right? Let's just all hug it right in. Come on, everybody. Jesus is all about love.
Now, there's certainly, love is a part of his message, but time after time after time after time, Jesus's message is somewhat antagonistic. In fact, he seldom misses an opportunity to point out the deviation from where somebody is and where they should be. Nobody in this city has faith like this Roman soldier and the soldier's servant is healed. That's Luke 7, so now we're in Luke 8, and Luke is using this device of repetition. I think it's important. You know, scholars, I had a friend years ago that told me commentaries are written by commentators, and most commentators are "common taters".
If you come from a big city, ask a country person, they'll help you with that. Because so often when you find somebody with a background, they will read the Bible as if they're separate from it and they'll dissect it to the point that they will drain it of its power. But I don't think there's a repetition of an event that the details were not clear on. I believe that one of the ways we learn is by repetition and I don't think it's an accident that Luke is repeating a pattern. I think it was a pattern in Jesus's ministry.
In fact, before we're done with the Gospel, you'll find that Jesus's messages that he presents in different places have some very clear similarities because Jesus has a set of things to say to the people. He wasn't trying to be unique. He was trying to prepare a generation. And so Luke is using this pattern of repetition in chapter 7 and then again in chapter 8 to help us understand that Jesus's message was not just delivered once.
I think that's important because something, I'm gonna skip ahead just a bit because I've lost hope that I'm gonna get to chapter 24. In Luke chapter 10, Jesus has something to say to the people in Capernaum, but he expands the message a little bit to a couple of other communities that are just adjacent. They're all fishing villages on the northern end of the lake. That's where the fishing is best, so there's these little Jewish fishing villages. Not fancy towns like Caesarea or Beit She'an, just little Jewish communities: Bethsaida, Korazin, Capernaum. They were the places where so many of the miracles that Jesus did took place. It's where the largest crowds that he gathered were there.
So, they made money from it. They sold things in Walmart and Home Depot. The restaurants did well because Jesus was gathering these crowds, and Jesus has a message to them in Luke chapter 10 that I think, he's sending out 72 people. Remember that story where he commissioned 72 disciples? Some of you will. And these are his instructions. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick, who were there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and aren't welcomed, go into the streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'"
Now, I wanna pause there just a moment. It's a very important message for us. Jesus is sending out 72 people. They're kind of the advanced scouts for his ministry. "Go into the villages around here, I'm coming. We're gonna do there what we've done here, and if you get there and they receive you, cooperate with them. Be as low maintenance as you can be. And if they don't receive you," this is noteworthy, folks. Jesus understands, in fact, he doesn't give us a percentage, but it's presented as if it's about 50/50. Some will receive you and some will want nothing to do with you.
Can we pull that forward to the 21st century? We're reluctant to take our Jesus stories, our faith, our biblical perspective, our Judeo-Christian worldview, whatever label you wanna use, we're pretty reluctant to take it outside the church 'cause somebody might be offended, or not everybody would say thank you. And then, because of that, we go, "Well, you know, it's the end of the age and Jesus is coming back and we're gonna get raptured out of here, because it's a dark, dark time".
Well, I would agree with you, It's a pretty dark time. I mean, I would even agree that I think there's an unprecedented demonic invasion that we're having to deal with, but it's not the first dark time. But I have a question for you. Are we gonna have the courage to be Christ followers or are we gonna huddle as biblically informed cowards? It's time to choose. This isn't something unique to the 21st century. When Jesus is getting his friends together, he said, "Now, listen. I'm gonna send you out. I'm gonna give you power and authority to go do something, and if they welcome you, good, be low maintenance. If they want nothing to do with you," he said, "move on".
Now, those are his... imagine getting a small group of leaders who are gonna say, "Listen, about half the people who come are gonna stick their tongues out at you. They're gonna talk about you". But then he has something to say to those communities that don't cooperate. Look at verse 12. He said, "I tell you," and you know that little phrase. When Jesus says, "I tell you the truth," or, "I tell you," what's coming next is so bizarre, he has to say, "No, I'm telling you the truth, really". "I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town".
Well, I think most of you remember what happened to Sodom. They were destroyed by the judgment of God. Look at verse 13. "Woe to you, Korazin"! It's the neighboring community to Capernaum. "Woe to you, Bethsaida"! The same. "If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago".
Tyre and Sidon are pagan cities, not Jewish communities. They're coastal towns with coastal trade. He said the pagans "would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you'll go down to the depths. And he who listens to you listens to me; and he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me".
That's that theme we've been, we keep coming back to in Luke, where he talks to us about listening. I'm gonna come back to that in just a moment, but Jesus's message is very direct. In fact, it's very clear that he's expecting a response. This is Capernaum, and we've got some information on Jesus's ministry in Capernaum. There's a centurion that had amazing faith. There's a synagogue ruler that's interested. It's where Peter's mother-in-law got healed. There's a lot of God activity in Capernaum, but Jesus has an expectation that it would be different. See, when I read my Bible, I'm often amazed at how we have migrated to some place that really doesn't reflect what we're told in the scripture.
Now, we gotta go back to Luke chapter 8... we'll never get done if I don't. We got a couple of minutes. Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. He's on his way where? To Jairus's home. Keep up, okay? Come on. The synagogue ruler, he's got a daughter that's dying, and Jesus is on his way and there's big crowds, people wanting help. Jesus just delivered this really difficult message to these large crowds of people. Judgement's what's coming on you because of your hard hearts.
"And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, and no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and her bleeding stopped. And Jesus said, 'Who touched me?' Nobody said anything, so Peter said, 'Master, it's a big crowd and they're all pressing against you. What's wrong with you? You kidding me? Who touched you?'" God bless Peter. He says what we think. "But Jesus said, 'No, someone touched me; and I know that power has going out from me.' And the woman, seeing that she couldn't go unnoticed," turn the page, "and came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she'd been instantly healed. And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.'"
Wow. There's something in there, I think, for all of us, or at least for me, because this woman was able to receive something from Jesus that his closest friends and followers were completely unaware of. See, we build, kind of, a hierarchical approach to knowing God, where we think somebody's, because they stand behind the podium or they have more tenure or whatever has a degree of spirituality and awareness that exceeds ours, but that's not really the message in the gospel.
The Roman centurion that doesn't study synagogue, that doesn't read scripture portions, that doesn't keep Sabbath, that doesn't keep kosher, that doesn't keep the holidays, he has great faith. And a woman whose name we don't even know, Luke doesn't even give us her name, has an understanding that if she can just touch the hem of Jesus's garment she'll be healed. Peter, he got no clue. Now, Peter is in the inner circle. He's going to the Mount of Transfiguration in another chapter and he's gonna see Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus.
So it isn't that he's been rejected, it isn't that his heart's divided, but I don't want you to miss, I don't want to miss the invitation that we can seek the Lord and he will respond to us. I don't have to have another degree. I don't have to have some special pronouncement. I don't have to come from the right family. I don't have to belong to the right group of people, even the right race of people. In fact, there may be every reason why I should be excluded, and yet I can choose to put my faith in God and he transforms my life.
Folks, we have a message that is so redemptive. See, we don't have to compromise with sin. We don't have to try to convince one another that ungodliness is okay if we would understand that pursuing the Lord will bring something to our lives that is so remarkable. I believe Luke is trying very hard to give us that message. So now the woman's been healed. "While Jesus is speaking, they come from the house of Jairus, and they say, 'Your daughter is dead. Don't bother the teacher anymore.' And Jesus said to Jairus, 'Don't be afraid; just believe, and she'll be healed.'" And we've got this little battle, this little tug of war, between fear and faith. And it's still relevant for us.
If we're gonna talk about parallels between the 1st century and the 21st century, fear and faith still live in the midst of God's people and we have to decide which voice we're gonna turn the volume up on. "When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he didn't let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James". It wasn't because Peter was so astute, so discerning. "Lord, I know exactly who touched you. I could see the woman filled with faith. She's riding up". No, instead, Peter go, "Huh"? But Jesus puts out the others and he brings Peter and John and James and the child's parents. He's preparing disciples, he's not just busy addressing problems. "And all the people were wailing and mourning and Jesus said, 'Stop it. She's not dead but asleep.'"
Again, it's not what I expect Jesus to say. You would expect him to quietly slip into the room, done his miracle business, and slipped out again. No. "Would y'all be quiet? The little girl's napping". I mean, it's provocative. It isn't polite or comfortable or easy. She's not dead. "They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. Then he took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' And her spirit returned, and she stood up". How do you think mom and dad felt? Oh, you think they invited Jesus to read in that synagogue?
"Jesus told then to give her something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened". Yeah, good luck with that. It's a passage of contrast. There's a woman with a long standing physical issue that is determined to believe and disciples who can't understand. It's Jairus and his wife tenaciously clinging to the words of Jesus in the midst of a community that really isn't sure they even want him there. It's crowds of friends and supporters laughing at Jesus's perspective, and Jairus and his wife have to decide what they're gonna do. Their friends are laughing at them derisively. Their daughter is dead. Are they gonna stand with Jesus, or are they gonna yield to the larger crowd?
Folks, they are very relevant questions for us and I believe the reason we find ourselves in the mess we are isn't because of a collapse of integrity in Washington DC or Pennsylvania Avenue or the Halls of Congress. I believe it's because of a collapse of integrity within the churches. But I believe Luke is telling us all something, that everyone must decide for themselves whether we're gonna live with fear or faith. It's not that they're both not present. We have to decide which voice we're going to listen to. When we consider ourselves and our future, it's not easy to understand everything that's happening. It's a confusing time. There's much deception. The truth is in short supply. You can totally misrepresent your résumé, and when you're called out on it, you can say, "Well, you know, I just misremembered".
You know, there was a time we used to call that lying. Now, it's just a memory hiccup. No harm, no foul, let's just go. But because we value the truth so lightly within our own churches and in our own communities. But I believe it's time for us to choose. I believe Almighty God is still alive and well and at work in the earth, I believe his eyes are still searching the earth looking for men and women who will put their trust in him. But I think we have to decide to make a choice. What are we going to do in our generation?
Every generation has to make a choice for themselves. We can celebrate what Peter and James and John did. They stood up to the Sanhedrin after Jesus left with an amazing boldness and tenacity. They ultimately gave their lives as martyrs. They gave a momentum that let the church find its footing, that changed the Roman Empire. I could talk about seasons in our own nation's history, great awakenings that allowed an American revolution to take place, or to allow us to stand up to the evils of slavery.
You see, we're not the first generation that capitulated in the face of sin. For decades, the church was silent in the face of slavery until there was enough of an awakening that they weren't. So now, for decades, we've been silent in the face of another horror. We don't have to be defined by that. We can have enough of an awakening where we stood up and said, "No, we won't tolerate that. We won't endorse that. We won't accept that". This is our watch. This is our time. What will be said of our generation? Let's borrow Joshua's line. "As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord," amen.
I wanna close. I brought you a prayer. We can stand together. You've got it in your notes. It's actually a part of that proclamation we've said here together and for a while, but it seems in this season it's appropriate. When you take what God says about you and you say it for yourself, you're given an authority in your life. See, the measure of the church isn't how many of us gather in a building or how electric a service we can plan. The measure of the church is how effective we are when we leave the campus, how much light we take into the darkness, how much impact the salt of our lives has. So, proclamations such as this, I think, are an important part of the assignment. Let's read it together:
We believe The Church is His Body. We have been commissioned by the King. Our presence on planet earth is ordained by Almighty God. We are empowered by the Spirit of the Living Christ. The angels are ministering Spirits sent forth on our behalf. Our reward is sure. Our role is pivotal. Our faithfulness is required. And together we stand, united in heart and purpose to accomplish the purposes of God in our generation. WE WILL NOT STOP, amen.