The looks on their faces, the question they asked still stops me in my tracks,
"Please, could you just tell us about Jesus?"
And then another day I asked a neighbor who had recently started attending our Bible study what she thought about it. Again, the look on her face and her answer shocked me. She did not comment on the number of women or the specific content, instead she said, "This is the first time I have ever heard about Jesus."
'We just want to know who Jesus was,’ the high school athletes said to me.
Those two young guys came to planning meetings for Fellowship of Christian Athletes – whatever it took – to find out about Jesus. Hmmm... has there ever been a more important endeavor? I do not believe so.
The gospels put skin on Jesus - each from a slightly different angle. In his seventh chapter, Luke describes Jesus in four different settings. First, so moved by the centurion’s faith, Jesus healed his beloved servant – from a distance, one of four times Jesus does the miraculous from a distance. One thing I learned from that Roman centurion: I want what he had; I want to have the kind of faith that causes Jesus to marvel. Remember? "He marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 1
From there, Jesus traveled a distance of about 33 miles to a town called Nain, "and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. [can you imagine this large mass of people traveling as one?] As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Luke 7.11-17
Besides the ability to supernaturally heal this woman’s only son, what did you learn about Jesus? He was so very compassionate.
To read all of Luke 7. Link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207&version=ESV.
Strangely, John the Baptist who was in jail then sent word to Jesus: "Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for another?”2
>Hold on…Is this THE John the Baptist, the one who prophets spoke about, the one who went before the Lord in the desert, and even baptized Jesus in the Jordan River? Wait, he doubted Jesus? And how did our Lord respond?
Jesus did not answer the question straightaway, but instead handled what was right in front of him – many people in need. Jesus healed and set people free. Then Jesus told John the Baptist's friends to go back and tell John what they saw Jesus do; it removed any doubts born in the darkness of a jail cell.
[psssst.... are you in a dark place? Remind yourself what is true and meditate on it. Keep it right in front of you - write it on a paper, carry it with you, memorize it. For instance, this morning I was texting with a friend in Virginia who is caring for her mother with dementia who has decided she does not want to eat anymore....lack of control, exhaustion, fear of where this is going is really difficult on Jan, who reached out. Thinking of what would help me, I texted back, "Perhaps pray Paul's prayer over yourself? 'May the God of hope fill me with joy and peace as I trust in him,
So that I may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit'!"3]
Friend, Jesus can handle your doubts so long as you are honest enough to bring them into the light and truly search for truth. It seems many shove their doubting, sometimes-accusatory, argumentative thoughts about God out front, but do not search for honest answers--they simple erect smokescreens.
"Please, won't you just tell us about Jesus?"
From our place in the crowd, we watch and learn more about him.
Moved by the faith of a centurion, Jesus healed.
Touched by the heartache of a widow, so great was his compassion, he raised her
only son from the dead.
Confronted with questioning doubts from his own, Jesus does not condemn
the doubter, but responded naturally from His own nature--Healer, Savior, Truth and
Life.
Jesus, truly there has never been another like him!
Next up ... Jesus and women. The real truth.
If you've got Jesus, you've got it all. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cna2RrsUi0A
Jesus will be found by you,
Christine
Luke, #34
1 - Luke 7.9
2 - Luke 7.20
3 - Romans 15.13
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