The Gospel of Luke – Jesus is for everyone: Jesus works miracles

Luke 7:1-23

Chapter 7 is one of the most exciting chapters in the Gospel of Luke. In the first 35 verses Jesus heals the centurions servant (v 10), raises the woman’s son from the dead (vs 14-15) and cured many of diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits and gave sight to the blind (vs 21-22). These three stories in Luke 7 tell us several  truths about Jesus:

1. Jesus really is for everyone – As a Jew and a Jewish Rabbi Jesus should have obeyed very strict purity rules. He should have had no dealings with Gentiles, no contact with anything or anyone who was unclean and He would become unclean if the touched a dead body. These stories show that Jesus was radically different from other Jews and Rabbis. He reached out to the Gentile centurion, He touched the dead boy’s coffin and He healed people with unclean diseases. Jesus reached out to the outsiders, the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the needy, the ostracised, the demonised, the bereaved and those who were lost. Jesus hasn’t changed, He is the same today and He reaches out to those same people today. There is no-one to bad, to sinful or to broken for Jesus to reach out to. We can go to Jesus today.
2. Jesus has authority – The centurion had authority over Jesus, but he recognised that Jesus had an authority far beyond his own. He recognised Jesus’ authority as coming directly from heaven. He knew his servant would be healed if Jesus would only command it. Jesus commended the centurion for his faith. God wants us to have confidence in the authority of Jesus. What is your faith like today? We need to have faith in the authority of Jesus.
3. Jesus has compassion – Jesus had compassion on the woman having lost her son. She had lost her only means of support in life. Jesus did more than grieve with her. His power did not take away His compassion, His heart went out to her. Jesus sees us in our distress and troubles today. He knows all about us, He cares for us and His heart goes out to us.
4. Jesus’ power is not limited – Jesus specialises in all things thought impossible. Nothing is impossible for Him. Your needs and situation is not beyond the power of Jesus.