Based on what is written about Jesus in Holy Scripture. Dialogue and events inferred from the body of scriptural, historical and anthropological knowledge about overall events and circumstances of the time and region.
Often, when witnessing as to the reality of Christ in His Church, I have been told words to the effect: "I have no use what-so-ever for religion in my life." As strange as it may seem; I have to agree with that sentiment. What has religion ever done for me? All of the kneeling, handshaking, and repetition are great for the purpose they were intended. However, what is all that compared to what I experienced at the first sight of my Savior's love which He expressed so elequently at Calvary. If you marvel that I say religion has nothing to do with the Christian life I can only wonder: do you know the Christ that we worship? Do you know that he was a tough, independent man who worked as a carpenter and could use the tools of his trade with more power than the Romans could with their weapons? Do you know that it was a man like Him who must have hewn the very cross on which Jesus was crucified. Yes, the same one who came to us dressed in burial garb and was laid in a cattle feeding trough became such a man. The very Son of God we know as the gentle Babe in the manger grew to be this rugged man.
What has that to do with spirituality? It has everything to do with it. Do you recall how Jesus debated against the San Hedrin over matters of faith and spiritual propriety; how he refused to let his disciples wash their hands because He would not have them subject to the scrutiny of those who could not keep their own affairs clean in the sight of God? The way Christ dealt with the issues of faith and religion required a toughness and cunning that aren't always taught in churches today. It is a discipline that He pursued because He had a Christ mind. He had the mind of God.
John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
To know Christ is to know that religious culture, while it may have its place, is not what should fuel our thought process. If that were the way; we would necessarily be caught in an endless loop of obeying the same ritual programs over and over and over again. While this is the custom of some, it is not the path we claim to have chosen. "Don't you think," you may say, "that men can have new and useful thought and ideas to bring to their faith?" To that I would say: "Yes, if those ideas come from God." That is called inspiration and we are precious little good without it. Do you remember the rich man who came to the Lord and claimed to have obeyed the ten commandments. And do you recall how he walked away disappointed because Jesus pointed out that for all his religious propriety he was unwilling to walk with the very God he claimed to serve.
Matthew 19:16-26
16
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Now I know that none of us have a perfect grip on spirituality. I'm not advocating that you expect to achieve spiritual perfection except in those moments when you are so close to the Lord that he can pick you up and carry you like a small tired child. I am only suggesting that there is a source, a guide, an ever-present counselor who can direct your life in ways you can only dream about unless you have experienced the flow of clear wisdom and strength that hymn writers write about and preachers preach about. It is the still, small voice. Yes, a voice that directs us gently and masterfully and brings power and salvation and healing and all blessing into our lives. "Yes," you may say: "that is the wisdom of God but what has that to do with being spiritual." Simply this: you can not have a spiritual life without heeding and following that still, small voice. It just can't be done; and if you think you can do it you are allowing yourself to be deluded. Be not deceived.
"Now what" you may ask "does that have to do with the toughness of Christ in His ministry on earth?" Once again: everything. Without spiritual tougness you can't serve God or be content to be a Christian because you will be carried on the winds of convention or on the latest trends in religious change without knowing which direction to take. That direction comes from that still, small voice and it takes toughness to obey it. Consequently, if you don't have strength to follow the right course, you will likely continue in whatever loop you are in. That may be religious but it is certainly not following the high road. Now we know where that leads. While honoring religious tradition, Jesus carved out a better way which was ordained by the Father. If God were not a God of change we would all be displaying the Star of David and lighting Menorahs yet today. That's not so bad; but think about it. We would yet be sacrificing animals to idols had God not brought about the Mosaic covenant in the first place. God has always been a God of change. Even though He himself never changes; he charts the course for changes in our lives.
Given the truth of these realities; what then of the image of the gentle Savior, our loving Lord. It is no less true. In him all understanding, compassion, and mercy are perfected. He is therefore that perfect place where all the fullness of God dwells and that includes the mercy of God. The mercy of the Lord is sure and unwavering. Now we know it takes a strong hand to be unwavering when the winds of change blow and there is no other hand to steady the rudder and lay a steady course for the right direction. Mercy does not herd like cattle those who would obtain it but gives careful guidance with a firm hand. Mercy is patient and loving and protects through wisdom and strength without fear and knows no quick retribution for minor offenses. We must therefore find strengh to learn the gentle way of mercy and apply it with commitment and even tenacity in our lives. There simply is no other way to live the life and walk the walk without the strength that comes from faith.
Now if faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word as the Bible tells us; where can we go to find the strength we need to live except to the Word? "Well, you may say, can't I learn to have faith through listening to my pastor?" Not unless you are trusting in the scriptures you receive from him or her above all else. No minister is the ultimate authority over the Word or over any matters concerning faith. All spiritual matters come under the authority of the Word and there is no subordination of this authority. This is why Jesus told the religious leaders that the scriptures were to be written on the hearts of all believers. That is so that everyone in the church body can know what is light and what is darkness that no one might color their world with darkness while they believe they remain in the light. If you have no light apart from the lamp your companion holds; you will fall in the ditch in their absence. But Christ will be your constant companion who is the light and you will never fall if you only trust in Him alone above all others.
If the matter of faith rests upon the Word then must we place our faith in a book? Absolutely not. The Bible, sitting on your night stand, can no more save or heal you than the slippers you wear or the robe you wrap around you until you read it. Does that mean that anyone who reads the Bible will be saved? Well, here we must make a distiction in the terminology used. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. Hearing is a process whereby sound is encoded by the ears and processed by the brain. But in the process of hearing (or understanding) the Word; the Spirit must be part of that process. In school you had a teacher to instruct you and explain what you were given to read. The Holy Spirit, in like manner, must instruct us in all matters spiritual or what we read will only be perceived as carnal; as a collection of beautiful stories and allegories only with little contemporary significance. I assure you that understanding the Word is above all else a profoundly spiritual matter.
If we would have fellowship with God (He certainly desires to have fellowship with us) we must meet Him where His power abides. Therefore, if the power of His wisdom is in His Word, we must be in the Word to meet with Him and receive the blessing that he has brought to us that He might meet with us. A few years ago, a pastor drove many miles accross the state to visit me just to see how I was doing. He is a trusted friend and a dedicated man of God. At the time I was spending a great deal of time doing research and was consequently at the library even though I knew he would be visiting soon. I felt regretful that I had been so insensitive and to this day I am more careful about receiving guests. He, however, simply got back in his car and drove all those miles back home. He never complained; never said a word but what a testimony to the willingness of God to meet us where we are! It is in the character of the Father to continue paying that visit as often as necessary to get our attention and secure our fellowship and participation in His plan. It has to be obvious that if there is a righteous God He must surely be patient with all of us.
Here again, patience and longsuffering requires a strength which goes beyond the ordinary experience and challenges us to run along with like endurance in compassion and love with charity. Nothing less can successfully represent itself as spiritual activity. Yes, spiritual activity. Do you know that everything spiritual is active. Even in quiet reflection, His Spirit must be active in our hearts and lives or we are wasting our time. Spiritual inactivity is spiritual death. If you don't believe that just examine the life of anyone whose faith is dead. The negative affect on their life is pervasive and unmistakable. There is something about their spirit which will degrade your whole outlook if you let it and you linger with them too long without doing something to uplift them. There came a point in my life when I decided I needed to prepare my own way by doing something to improve the condition of those around me. To ignore the condition of the world is to allow your world to cave-in around you and that might be unsalvagable.
So if the world then demands our spiritual toughness, what about the matter of the permissive will of God. Of course, we all know that the Lord allows us to choose our own path and is patient; allowing us to make our mistakes and thereby learn from them. Wouldn't that be seen as being flexible? How does that convey spiritual toughness? Well, God certainly sets up rigid barriers to discourage us from wandering outside His will. When we are outside His will it can only be that we have jumped the fence. If He ever relaxed His standards we would simply wander farther outside the fence and risk becoming lost forever. Now we know that His standard is given in the life and ministry of Jesus. He is our standard and therefore everything about the life of Christ is a part of the plan God has for our lives. Then He who is the Word is revealed in His Word in rigid certainty. He is our protector, the shield about us, our loving Father who is strong and steadfast in wisdom and mercy. If we were the children of a lessor God, we would surely be unable to listen to Him.
We need to get rid of our conception, if we have it, that we can't be loving examples of Christ without letting the world flow through our fingers like water. If He truly intends to make us rulers over all that we see; we must start now to have an effect upon our world and especially those in it who need our strength to deal with their weaknesses and misgivings. If we look to any other source of strength we will fail. Their is none tougher than Christ. He is the rock upon which His Church was founded. Empires lay in waste at His feet. The nations rise and fall and wait upon His Word for news of assurance of survival or warning of impending destruction. By His hand the waters also rise and fall and no one can yet contain the power of His awesome love. For it is love that makes us strong. Without love it is just another day in Lebanon; waiting for the enemy and finding none who will deliver. And all the while, the toughened hand of the carpenter is waiting to comfort; waiting to deliver.
When he was quite young, he knew every inch of the village and knew every soul who lived there. That didn't mean that he was well liked by everyone. He was, however, well known. He was also different from other boys. He always seemed a step ahead yet somehow quieter and more removed from the struggle for supremacy that young boys seem to thrive on. The other boys weren't always vocal about these perceptions but on occasion would speak their minds.
"Yesoo!" one might begin.
"Yes?" He would reply.
"Isn't your father Joe the carpenter?"
"Verily." He would respond.
"That's what I thought. So why aren't you anything like your father? Thomas there moves and talks like his father when you see them seperating grain. And the carpenter is one of the strongest men in Nazareth. What gives?" the boy would challenge.
Jesus would shrug his shoulders slightly and remark: "I am exactly like Father but you will find out soon enough."
When the other boys would challenge his strength; they would always marvel at how he always appeared to be much stronger, more agile than He looked. And so he dealt with such curiosity by revealing exactly what each child was seeking before they could kindle an argument and shame or malign Him or his family.
As Jesus grew, His life became anything but simple and peaceful. The Roman Empire's domination of Israel also grew and often Nazareth was rocked by disagreements over tribute and property rights. Those who co-operated with the regime were held in great contempt by the vast majority of Nazarenes. Often the social upheaval proved to be yet another trial for Yesus and his father to deal with along with the work load. Jesus began apprenticeship early and made his father very proud. If nothing else was obvious about the man; the fact that he loved the boy was obvious to every one and the boy was quickly becoming a man. His physical appearence was beginning to match His obvious strength and He mastered the grueling and (in Joseph's case) exacting craft in an astonishing flourish of days making piles of wood chips that some would have considered a chore to clean up.
Just before He entered His teens, the family (Mother Mary also) sojourned to the temple for the feast of the passover. While leaving the temple His parents were horrified to realize they had lost track of Him. After a frantic search, they found him sharing the Lord's wisdom with men of various ages and were astonished but relieved to have found Him. After scolding Him for being where He shouldn't be. Jesus remarked something to the effect of 'where would I be but where I could take care of My Father's business. You can imagine the mixed feelings of Joseph and Mary but while obeying His parents He once again put them in their place.
Not much is known about the ensuing years prior to the beginning of His ministry. Their is only supposition about Joseph's feelings about losing His treasured apprentice and (perhaps) never seeing his son again. Some have suggested that it must have broken his heart knowing the direction Jesus' life would take. I have little doubt that he did know. It might be the reason little is generally said about him concerning the few years his son spent in the ministry. It should be said that sharing a Son with another Father is not easy for most men. I would not speculate their was any resentment there, however. If a son can be judged based on the father then perhaps we can draw some conclusions about the father based on the life and death of the Son.
If we can surmise anything about the man we refer to as the Carpenter's Son; it is certain He was not a man to harbor ill will or long remember offenses whether inflicted or only perceived. One might even say He showed incredible mercy to citizens of the empire that He decided to tear apart and rebuild at a very early age. It can truthfully be said that the plan for this reconstruction was drawn long before the invasion. All this was set in motion while the Son was still with the Father. Even though He had only His Son to assist Him with the work. Soon the whole world would hear of the work of the Carperter's Son. Soon.
The father watched as Jesus returned home from his prayer group. Worry must have been evident on Joseph's face for Jesus reacted with concern but then smiled.
"I am not late, Father." He assured.
"You have been with radicals again." Joseph said.
"If studying scripture can be taken as heresy than what does that say about your religion?" Jesus asked.
"Don't make this about me, Son." Joseph sighed briefly. "You know what the Rabbis think you are doing."
"Yes, Father, they think I am taking scrolls from the temple." He answered.
"Are you?" Joseph asked uncertainly.
Jesus gave him a look of astonishment then smiled. "How can one remove without authority or steal that which one already has." He pondered.
"Of course, you realize this is not going to go away." Joseph affirmed. "If you are leading the congregation away from the temple..."
"You know these things are already etched in stone." Jesus explained. "If men must withold what is written on papyrus then what is written thereon must withold their authority lest the blind cast the world into darkness while the road to the light remains unseen."
Joseph sighed again; this time more deeply. As he walked home with Jesus; he reminded himself that the Lord could not be fastened into a yoke and therefore He would always be an indomitable spirit no matter how hard he tried to protect Him. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not bridle his own concern for his Son.
In the coming years, he saw less and less of Jesus. Although the Lord worked with him when he could; the ministry drove Him further away as He wrestled with His own tasks which were laid before Him. At home, it was noised everywhere that Rome's hold on the eastern Mediteranian had only intensified even as resistance made their conquest a sour fruit to swallow. Jesus was not the only young man to chose a different spiritual path than the older rabbis. New religious movements were cropping up everywhere.
Along with the other movements, Zealots threatened what little peace remained and Joseph could only comfort himself with knowing that Jesus' path was a peaceful one for a season. However, Israel's own government had become a puppet to Rome, all hope of avoiding bloodshed became impossible to hold. It was then that Jerusalem became a city of great social turmoil, and at the same time, an even greater center for religious change than Israel had ever known. It was in this arena that the Carpenter's Son brought also the skillful hands of the potter and began to craft a new world; the likes of which had never been seen before. It was also a human transformation and a spiritual realization that will never be seen on anything but a personal level ever again. Or will it?
When Jesus came into acceptance as a man by the rabbis, he was invited to read the Holy Scripture before the congregation. On that day Mary, Joseph and James were there to hear as He took the scrolls and read from them openly for the first time. Few missed the look of triumph on his face as He took the scroll from the rabbi and held it before the people. Yet he seemed not to focus or even direct His eyes on it even once. This irritated the rabbi and intrigued the congregation.
"Joseph?" Mary began.
"Yes, woman?" Joseph answered.
"Will you keep James with you?" she asked. It appeared she was about to move toward the front where Jesus stood. However, she held her ground."
Jesus read from the sacred writings of Isaiah by choice. It was, however, expected that the reader would not expound on the scripture other than to render the reading of it. As He read, Mother Mary listened and watched every nuance of the room with skill and felt the mood with an impassioned heart.
During the argument that ensued, Joseph heard the words: "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" for perhaps the last time he was willing to stand idly by and take them in. Had not James been with him in that confusing tangle of angry bodies, he would have made a righteous stand. Then he remembered that Jesus was now a man and to take this moment from Him would be disrespectful and only make matters worse.
When Joseph heard Jesus say: "A prophet is never accepted in his own land!" The words cut through his heart like a Roman short sword and his eyes caught Mary's in a moment of parental passion that was the first moment of complete realization."
Then Joseph heard someone say: "He is not the Messiah!"
Mary turned and said: "He is not..." but their eyes met again in helpless resignation.
That day Jesus answered every challenge of that onslaught far better than both of them could have done in His stead. But there was no surprise in this. When had Jesus ever let an insult go unanswered; much less suffer His family to be see degradation. There wasn't a moment when He needed any support until it was all over and the hurt and disappointment was overwhelming for Him. In that day, they understood His role in the conflict. They now understood the meaning of the scripture: "My Word is a two-edged sword." That day they watched as Jesus launched a chain of conflicts that could only be described as war. It was the unmistakable debut of a ministerial career that had never been anticipated, never prepared for.
For Joseph, it was the day he lost his son but gained a Savior. It was the day he began to serve his own son as his only King. In many ways it felt very strange. But in many more ways it felt very, very good. It was the day Joseph always looked to which characterized his memories of Jesus. It was also the day that Joseph knew exactly how near His salvation was.
"Repent, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!!!" John proclaimed as he loosened the garment from its hold against his skin. "Only a nation of vipers would fail to heed the command of the Spirit of its own fathers against the proclamations of the wicked. Repent!!!"
"What the devil do you know about repentance, you heretic! You can't even dress yourself right!" a man shouted.
"What in...deed!!!" John glared. "Let loose of those sandals, take them off and join your God in death!" Swelling with pride, the man's companion began to draw his sword from beneath his robe. A staff quickly smacked against the sword and a strong hand rested firmly on the handle. "You were saying, John?"
The man who had challenged John looked aside to his companion and asked: "What in the world is he talking about?"
"Vipers!!!" John declared.
Online Study Bible: read chapter 7
American Standard Version Luke 7 Read This Chapter chapter 7
DBY ->
GIL -> Study Notes on 7:20
GEN -> Study Notes on 7:20
JFB -> Commentary on 7:20
MHC-COM -> Commentary on 7:20
MHC-CON -> Commentary on 7:20
PNT -> Commentary on 7:20
RWP -> Study Notes on 7:20
TFG -> Commentary on 7:20
NTB -> Jesus, The Christ; John
TTT -> Miracles
TSK -> Entry for 7:20
BED -> John the Baptist; Luke-Acts, Theology of
Luke 7:19-35
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?20 And when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
21 In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.
22 And he answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good tidings preached to them.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
26 But what went ye out 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, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there is none greater than John: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people when they heard, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him.
31 Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation, and to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children that sit in the marketplace, and call one to another; who say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not weep.
33 For John the Baptist is come eating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a demon.
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!
35 And wisdom is justified of all her children.
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