Luke 7:24

Luke 7:24

What kind of a person was John the Baptist? What were his strengths and accomplishments? Is there anything that we should learn from the kind of person that was John the Baptist? Jesus spoke about John the Baptist in Luke 7:24-29. The Bible says, "And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John. What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in king’s courts. But what went you out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And all the people that heard him and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John."

Jesus told us what kind of person John the Baptist was, and Jesus told us what things John the Baptist accomplished. The first thing about John the Baptist’s character that we are told is that he was not a reed shaken with the wind. Sometimes in the Bible the Christian life is compared to a tree. If your life grows the way that it can grow through the nourishment of God’s Word, eventually you can be like a strong tree that survives the storms. Compared to a tree, a reed is a very small plant. A reed will be shaken by the wind. It will easily be moved and bent over by the blowing of the wind. It’s not strong enough to resist. There are many people who are like reeds. They stand for nothing. Whichever way the wind of society blows, they go with it. If you do what you do because it’s what everyone else does, then you are weak. If you learn to follow God, then you will have principles that are based upon God’s Word. Just because society permits certain activities does not mean that you will permit them in your life. Principle is more important than convenience. The opinion of God is more important than the opinion of man. Doing the right thing becomes the highest priority. Evidently God pays attention when He sees someone whose highest priority is doing right and someone who has enough character to avoid the bad influences of the winds of the low standards of society.

Jesus said that John the Baptist was not a reed shaken in the wind, and Jesus also said that John the Baptist was not clothed in soft raiment. Of course, this is an emphasis on the fact that John the Baptist did not need the finest material possessions to be happy. Some people have pierced themselves through with many sorrows because of their unbalanced love of material things. There are some things more important than money. Your character and the person that you are inside are more important than the size of your bank account. Jesus said, "A man’s life does not consist of the things that he does possess."

In the materialistic society in which we live, sometimes you will hear someone say that if you serve God faithfully, He will give you great supplies of material riches. They give the impression that spirituality will result in material and financial abundance. Nothing could be further from the truth. God does promise to supply our needs, but He does not promise to make us rich. If faithfulness to God resulted in material riches, then John the Baptist would have been one of the richest people ever to live, but he was not. Jesus praised John the Baptist because John was not a person who possessed fine material things. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." John the Baptist was praised because of his lack of interest in material things. He had his priorities right. Serving God was evidently more important to him than the acquiring of material things. It’s just like Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and mammon. You will either love the one or hate the other."

Jesus told us about John the Baptist’s character, and He also told us about John’s accomplishments. John was the forerunner to the Messiah. That was a great privilege and a great calling to be the forerunner to the Messiah. John was the one who would announce the coming of the Lord, and who would present a message to the people that God would use to prepare their hearts to believe in Jesus. Notice the connection between the character of John and the calling of John. In order to be able to fulfill his calling, he had to first of all develop a strong spiritual character. John the Baptist had a unique calling, and so do you. God has given life to you for a reason. You will find that reason and that purpose if you first of all acquire the spiritual character that God wants you to have.

In order to become the person that you ought to be, you must start with the right spiritual foundation. The foundation is Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was the forerunner to Christ. John pointed to Christ and said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Anyone who has not accepted Christ or believed in Christ has not even started to live life the way that it was meant to be lived. They have not even started to fulfill the will of God for them. Some people become determined that they are not going to believe. Many of the Pharisees were like that.

The attitude of the Pharisees is described in Luke 7:30-35 where the Bible says, "But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the council of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you and you have not danced. We have mourned to you and you have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and you say, He has a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and you say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of her children."

A negative person will be negative no matter what you say or do. Even Jesus, who was perfect, was criticized by his enemies. Don’t be surprised. Those who oppose you, will always find something negative to say. They don’t seek truth: they seek to be negative and so they are. They found just what they were looking for: a reason to be negative. Don’t be unwise. Understand the people of the world. Your enemies and your competitors will always be negative towards you. Don’t try to please them. Make it your goal to please God instead.

For the most part the Pharisees were the enemies of Christ, but there were a few exceptions. The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee until he became a believer in Jesus. Another Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to a meal at his home, and the rest of Luke Chapter 7 takes place in the home of this Pharisee. The Bible says in Luke 7:36-39, "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisees which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner."

As happened so often in the life of Jesus, we are given an incident that clearly explains through symbolism the meaning of the gospel and how it can apply to every individual. Jesus went into the home of a Pharisee, a religious person. But as far as we know the Pharisee did not appreciate or understand the true character of Christ. You can be religious but lost. The woman who was called a sinner did understand and appreciate. The Apostle Paul said, "Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." If you have come to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, then you know also. You know that you are a sinner. You know that you owe everything to Jesus.

Notice the difference in attitude between the self-righteous Pharisee and Jesus concerning the woman who was called a sinner. Obviously, the Pharisee thought he was better than her. The Pharisee thought that she should be regarded as an outcast and an untouchable. The Pharisee thought that if Christ were a prophet, he would not have permitted such a woman to touch him. But God loves everyone equally. God knows that we are all sinners, and He will gladly receive any of us no matter how great are our sins. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son."

Why was the woman touched so deeply? Luke 7:38 says that she was "weeping." Why did the woman spend so generously? Luke 7:37 said that she came to Christ with an alabaster box of ointment, which would have been expensive. Why was she so willing to expose herself to the ridicule of the Pharisees? In order to be with the Christ she came into the house of a Pharisee, and certainly she knew what the religious Pharisees were like. Certainly she knew that they would condemn her. Jesus explained the answers to such questions in the rest of Luke Chapter 7.

The Bible says in Luke 7:40-50, "And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned unto the woman, and said unto Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet: but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. You gave me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil you did not anoint: but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore, I say unto you, Her sins which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace."

Why do some people love Jesus and others do not? The answer is very simple. Those who realize how great their sins have been will always love Jesus for the wonderful unmerited forgiveness that He has given them. Those who have been forgiven much will love much. That’s why the worst of sinners sometimes make the best of saints. That’s why true Christianity is made up of sinners saved by grace who serve Jesus out of appreciation for what He has done for them. True Christians are not people who are better than others. There are people who call themselves Christians who are much more like this Pharisee who looked down on the woman who was called a sinner. True Christians are sinners saved by grace. If you want to love God more, ask Him to reveal to you how great your sins have truly been. And then you will love Him for the right reason and for the same reason that this woman loved Him: for the great forgiveness He has graciously and lovingly provided for you.

Jesus said to this woman some of the most wonderful words that could be said to anyone. He said to her, "Thy sins are forgiven." The Pharisee looked down on her and cast her out because of her sins. Jesus forgave her of her sins. To err is human: to forgive divine.

It’s a tremendous thing that human life can be so much improved through the right kind of contact with Jesus. This woman was called a sinner for what she had done in her life, but already we see her in Luke Chapter 7 as a woman who is brave and loving and generous and dedicated to that which is true and good. Even so, Jesus did not praise her for her new-found character and dedication. Jesus said to her in Luke 7:50, "Thy faith has saved thee."

This woman found the most important thing in the world. She found salvation and she found forgiveness of sins through the Lord Jesus Christ. She was not saved through the means of doing good works. She was saved through faith in Christ. Paul wrote in Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." If you have not yet done so, make sure that you do what this woman did. Put your faith in Jesus in order to find the forgiveness of your sins.

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