New York UBF – NY University Bible Fellowship (NYUBF)

Luke Lesson 23 (2009)
GOD’S WAY IS RIGHT

Luke 7:18-35
Key Verse: 7:29

“All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledge that Gods’ way was right, because they had been baptized by John.”

How many of you know the song “My Way” popularized by Frank Sinatra many years ago? Before I came to know Gods’ way through Jesus Christ, I really liked this song, especially the part that says “I did it my way.” I liked it because it seemed to satisfy my rebelliousness and pride. “And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full. I’ve traveled each and every highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way.” The lyrics tell the story of a man who is nearing death. As he reflects on his life, he has no regrets about, how he lived it, saying that, until the end, he did things his way. Many people today think that if they live their lives their way they can be happy. But we must examine that idea. “Is my way really the right way? Does my way truly lead me to happiness?” Isaiah 55:8-9 reads, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

People are not sure about many things today. We live in a time that things are very confusing. In today’s passage, we see that some religious leaders who had been trained in the law of God in Jesus’ time were also very confused. They thought that their way was God’s way and rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. They rejected God’s way. This was a very serious matter. Jesus rebuked them, comparing them to the children sitting in the market place. (31-32) But when the ordinary people heard Jesus’ words, they recognized that God’s way was right. Luke commented that it was because they had been baptized by John while the religious leaders had not been baptized by John. But what really puzzles us in today’s passage is that John the Baptist, a great man of God, also had a moment of doubt and asked Jesus, “Are you the one who was to come” or “Should we expect someone else?” Obviously, John the Baptist had second thoughts about Jesus. We all have moments of doubt in our journey of faith. We know that our faith in God is challenged with many reasons in today’s world. How can we be sure that Jesus is the one who was to come, the Prophet that Moses had predicted (Deut 18:18) and the Messiah, Immanuel- God with us (Isaiah 7:14)? This is a spiritual mystery which God reveals to His children. Let’s think about what God’s way is and how we can know God’s way is right.

Look at verses 18-19. “John’s disciples told him about all these things. 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?’” At that time, John the Baptist was in prison because he challenged Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, for his many unethical behaviors, including his immoral relationship with his brother’s wife Herodias. (3:19-20) In fact, John the Baptist, who was once a very powerful prophet and the forerunner of the Messiah, had been in prison several months, while Jesus’ ministry was on the rise and his popularity had reached its peak. John’s disciples had been informing him about what Jesus was doing, about his miraculous healing of all kinds of diseases, driving out demons and his preaching of the gospel to the poor, the oppressed and marginalized. Obviously, he had heard that Jesus had recently healed the Roman centurion’s servant or that he raised a dead man, the only son of a widow in Nain, by simply saying “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (7:14)
When John heard all these reports, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus and asked, “Are you the one who was to come?” or “Should we expect someone else?” Why would John ask such question? Didn’t he believe and preached that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? (Jn 1:29) Didn’t he also preach that Jesus is the one who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire? (Lk 3:16) But why did he begin to have second thoughts about Jesus? We are not sure. But it was possible that it was because of discouragement due to his situation in prison. He might have thought, “If Jesus is the Messiah who would bring justice to this world, why he is not releasing me from prison? Didn’t he preach that he came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners? (4:18) There is no record in any of the four gospels that Jesus ever made a visit to John in prison. When John the Baptist thought about the political justice and freedom that the Messiah would bring for which the prophets of the old had predicted, Jesus wasn’t doing what he had expected. He was disappointed. So his questions were very understandable ones. He really needed to clarify his view of the Messiah. What kind of Messiah is Jesus? So the men came to Jesus and asked, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (20)
What was Jesus’ answer to them? Look at verses 21-23. “At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, 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.” Here, we see that Jesus’ answer to their question was not a simple answer. We wonder why Jesus didn’t reply to them more directly by saying “Yes, I am the one who was to come. And you don’t have to expect someone else.” Wouldn’t it make everything clear if he had answered “Yes” or “no”? Why didn’t he?
I think it’s because the question about who Jesus really is should be answered not necessarily by Jesus himself but by us. For example, that’s why in Luke chapter 9 when Jesus was with his disciples, he asked them two questions, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” Then Jesus asked one more question, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus helped John the Baptist and his disciples who had second thoughts about his identity as the Messiah to rethink the ministry of the Messiah by showing what he does was prophesied in the Scriptures. (Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 42:7; 61:1) I don’t think John the Baptist had doubts about the fact that Jesus was from God. He only had a question about the ministry of Jesus as the Messiah because of the issue of God’s righteousness and judgment. We see clearly that Jesus wasn’t bringing God’s righteous judgment immediately even though he performed many messianic works. One thing is clear in his answer: Jesus didn’t come to establish a political kingdom on earth as most Jews, including John the Baptist, had eagerly expected, but rather the kingdom of God was right there in the messianic ministry of Jesus.
Jesus showed no intention of releasing John the Baptist from prison. He just said to him, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Many of us are puzzled when we look at the world full of evil and injustice. Where is God? What is he doing in heaven while people suffer endlessly? Many of us are somewhat disappointed about God. Does God really know what’s going on in the world? Does he really care? Why are there such terrible things, like swine-flu, cancer, AIDS, earthquake, hurricane? Why doesn’t God get rid of all evil? Is God really working? Even if he is working, it seems that God’s work is too small and not powerful enough, not really satisfying. What can you achieve through one-to-one Bible study? Since our effort wouldn’t seem to make any major difference in the world, some of us may not feel truly motivated. Is that all? In our nature and expectation, we want God’s work to be glamorous and fantastic. So it’s easy to ignore and become blind about what God is actually doing around us.
As a result, many Christians are disappointed. But God’s work does not have to be fantastic as we expect. In fact, the work of God in the New Testament started in a small and humble manger, which is very different from the glamorous throne in Rome. When we fail to see God’s work in us, we are doomed to be disappointed. We don’t necessarily deny God’s salvation in our lives. God is changing us into the image of Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet, we still have many nagging problems to solve. So we often say, “Is that all?” We fail to recognize the work of God. Many people had a fantastic vision to serve God by bearing a lot of spiritual fruit. But when what you had expected is not happening, you are disappointed and say, “Is that all?” We should never minimize the great salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That’s why Jesus said to John the Baptist who was in prison who was about to die, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Jesus noticed that John the Baptist was in danger of being trapped because of his concern about what Jesus was not doing. John was stumbling over Jesus because of his own understanding of the work of the Messiah. So Jesus gently told him to have faith in his Lord, for the Lord knew what he was doing. Having a sense of God’s history is therefore very important. God is working mightily according to his perfect plan and schedule. We don’t understand everything God does. But we need to trust that God is the sovereign over all and everything and working among us according to his perfect plan.
Look at verses 24-28. After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to publicly praise John for his greatness. People used to follow John the Baptist when his ministry became very successful. But when he was in prison, they forgot about him. Some might have asked, “If he was such a great prophet, why is he in prison? See now look at what happen to his faith? His faith is falling apart.” Even though John the Baptist had moments of doubt, Jesus didn’t criticize him. Instead, he deeply admired him as a great man of God saying that among those born of women there is no one greater than John.” Read verses 24-26. “After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” According to Jesus’ comment, John was a righteous man who was not easily swayed by the trends of the world, who did not allow worldly temptation or political ambition to hinder his life of mission, like politicians or religious leaders of his time. John was more than an ordinary prophet. He was the greatest among all the prophets because he directly prepared the way before the Messiah by preaching the baptism of repentance as was prophesied by Malachi 3:1, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.”
Look at verse 28. “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” It seems that there are two conflicting statements concerning John the Baptist. What does it mean that the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John? If John was the greatest person who ever lived, how could he be the least in the kingdom of God? Of course, it does not mean that John would be the least in the kingdom of God. While John lived in the world, John was the herald of the King who announced the coming kingdom. There is no doubt about the greatness of John the Baptist. He was the greatest servant of all, yet he belonged to the era of the Old Testament. Now, the new era of God’s grace had begun through Jesus Christ. In fact, John the Baptist prepared the new era of Jesus Christ. He was like a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. When his mission was accomplished, he died.
Read verses 29-30. “All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.” We need to pay attention to these statements because here Luke is making a point that John’s baptism, which is the baptism of repentance, is the prerequisite to knowing God’s way. The religious leaders with all their knowledge of the Scriptures, religious rituals and traditions, failed to recognize God’s purpose for their lives. On the other hand, ordinary people who didn’t seem to be experts in religious stuffs recognize that God’s way was right. They acknowledged the message of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ that one has to repent to experience and enter the kingdom of God. Repentance is not a one-time event for God’s people. It’s a lifestyle for us. Unless we repent, we become spiritually ignorant people even though we may have great knowledge of the Bible.
Those who accept Jesus’ words through sincere repentance can actually taste the kingdom of God. Many ordinary people who humbly accepted the message of John the Baptist and repented of their sins accepted Jesus as the Messiah and were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Their hearts were filled with all the treasures of heaven. Even tax collectors and many sinful people whom the religious leaders condemned and despised became true disciples of Jesus through their sincere repentance. The religious leaders who were unrepentant rejected God’s way and lost their spiritual blessing as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
In verses 31-35, Jesus expressed his lament toward the willful unbelief of the people of his time, particularly the Jewish religious leaders. Look at verses 31 and 32. “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’” At that time, some children played a funeral game, dividing into two groups. When one group of children played the flute, imitating a joyful wedding, the other group of children was supposed to dance. Then all of a sudden, when they started to sing a dirge, they were supposed to pretend to cry, beating their chest. Actually, it would be a fun game if the instructions are followed. But since they were so childish and rebellious, they only ended up fighting, blaming each other by saying, “We played the flute, and you did not dance; No, we sang a dirge, and you did not cry. No, you didn’t. No, you didn’t.”
Look at verses 33 and 34. Jesus was saying that the Jewish religious leaders of his time were childish. When John the Baptist came and lived a holy life, they accused him of being demon-possessed. And Jesus came and mingled with the people and preached the message of salvation, and they accused him, saying “He is a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” They would neither dance nor mourn because nothing pleased them. Jesus said in verse 35. “But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Who are the children of God’s wisdom? They are those who are willing to change their attitude before God through sincere repentance.
People who think they are very smart should be careful not to reject God’s wisdom. God’s way is different from man’s way or my way. God’s way is higher than my way. 1 Corinthians 1:20-23 reads, ‘Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jesus and foolishness to Gentiles.”
We all have moments of doubt and discouragement and God does not blame us for our weaknesses. But He wants us to see His great salvation through Jesus Christ in our lives and trust in His absolute sovereignty. He wants us to acknowledge that His way is right, different from our way. Even though we say we are Christians, how often do we do things our way, not God’s way? How often do we entertain disappointment because we fail to see God’s salvation in and around us? We need to overcome discouragement and doubt and stop living “my way or our way” but start living God’s way. Jesus is our way. Repentance is something we should always enjoy doing in our lifetime. That will brings us constant joy and satisfaction and lead us to heave. Let us overcome our discouragement and continue to live by faith in Jesus so that we may be able to testify that “God’s way if right” in the world full of confusion and discouragement.