Luke 7
Bible Passage: Luke 7
Like Shalom, I like reading the gospels too as they make me feel that Jesus came in the flesh to be among us and be near us. All of us have probably read the gospels several times, but as we read them at different stages of our lives, we learn and discover new teachings which we have missed out before.
New lessons learnt from the Centurion
The centurion’s request was for Jesus to heal his sick servant. He sent elders of the Jews to Him, earnestly pleading with Him to heal his servant. The centurion probably thought of himself as unworthy to come before the Lord and therefore sent Jewish leaders to represent him.
We do not need to have anyone representing us to go to Jesus. We can come to Him ourselves.
But the problem is, while God welcomes us with open arms, are we ourselves willing to come before Him and worship Him? Do we take for granted, church services, bible studies sessions or RE lessons? How much time do we give to God whom we claim we love?
Today we have preachers and deacons delivering sermons and interpreters ready to translate the message into mandarin or English. We have church ministers and leaders pastoring and caring for members. We get to enjoy the aircon in the church hall. We have cooks and helpers whipping up a storm for lunch after Saturday morning services. We have buses to transport members from their homes to church.
And the list goes on…
Because we have, therefore we take for granted.
We all lead busy lives but we need to spend quality time with God. God has blessed us with all these in abundance, we merely need to take time out to worship Him.
The centurion had an unusual attitude towards his servant. When he heard about Jesus, he pleaded with the Lord to heal his servant. Obviously both master and servant had a close relationship.
The character of a man is determined by how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. Do we show disrespect towards the janitor from our office, the school canteen aunty, or the uncle who sells tissue paper?
Are we dismissive towards people who are inferior to us? Do we subconsciously regard the poor or people from not-as-good family backgrounds, with disdain?
The centurion showed great faith in Jesus’ Word. He understands that Jesus can heal as long as He is willing to. Our Lord was pleased with this man’s level of faith. Will He be pleased with our level of faith too?
New lessons learnt from the sinful woman
It was bold of this woman with such a reputation to come into the house of a Pharisee, but she was willing to do anything to express her remorse and show her love for Jesus. She longs for the Lord to forgive her.
Like this woman, we are all sinners. And, like this woman, we need to have the courage and determination to come before our Jesus, to beg our Lord to have mercy on our weaknesses and forgive us.
Sometimes, I feel too guilty and unworthy to come before God. How dare I have the audacity to ask for forgiveness?
Sin creates a barrier between us and God. The devil makes use of our guilt to cause a rift between us and Him. Gradually, this rift becomes greater and God might seem like a stranger to us.
As long as we are remorseful, no matter how great our sin is, we have to have the same courage and determination as this woman, to come before God and beg Him for forgiveness. In faith, this woman anticipated Jesus’ forgiveness. It could be so hard for us to truly believe that we are forgiven. Sometimes the burden of sin weighs so heavily on our hearts that we often need to be persuaded that we ARE forgiven.
The key to the woman’s forgiveness was faith- faith that saved her, faith that enabled her to receive the grace from God. Forgiveness comes readily from our Lord, our part is to come with humility and with faith, receive the forgiveness He offers.