HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1297
L UKE 7
page 927
20 John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to
him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you
the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we
keep looking for someone else?’”
21 At that very time, Jesus cured many people
of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits,
and he restored sight to many who were blind.
22 Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John
and tell him what you have seen and heard—the
blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are
cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life,
and the Good News is being preached to the
poor.” 23 And he added, “God blesses those who
do not fall away because of me.*”
24 After John’s disciples left, Jesus began
talking about him to the crowds. “What kind
of man did you go into the wilderness to see?
Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath
of wind? 25 Or were you expecting to see a man
dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who
wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are
found in palaces. 26 Were you looking for a
prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet.
27 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer
when they say,
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead
of you,
and he will prepare your way before
you.’*
28 I
tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is
greater than John. Yet even the least person in
the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!”
29 When they heard this, all the people—even
the tax collectors—agreed that God’s way was
right,* for they had been baptized by John.
30 But the Pharisees and experts in religious law
rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism.
31 “To what can I compare the people of this
generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe
them? 32 They are like children playing a game
in the public square. They complain to their
friends,
‘We played wedding songs,
and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn’t weep.’
33 For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s
possessed by a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man,* on
the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say,
‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of
tax collectors and other sinners!’ 35 But wisdom
is shown to be right by the lives of those who
follow it.*”
7:23 Or who are not offended by me. 7:27 Mal 3:1. 7:29 Or
praised God for his justice. 7:34 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus
used for himself. 7:35 Or But wisdom is justified by all her
children. 7:36 Or and reclined. 7:41 Greek 500 denarii.
A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat
down to eat.* 37 When a certain immoral woman
from that city heard he was eating there, she
brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him
at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet,
and she wiped them off with her hair. Then
she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume
on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him
saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a
prophet, he would know what kind of woman is
touching him. She’s a sinner!”
40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.
41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man
loaned money to two people—500 pieces of
silver* to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But
neither of them could repay him, so he kindly
• Compassion
LU K E 6:35-36
Our enemies are out to hurt us. They
want to steal from us, cheat us, and do
evil to us. Yet Jesus says we are to be
kind and compassionate to them. What is
his point? We reflect—or should reflect—
God to the world, and God is kind—even
to the unkind, the ungrateful, and those
whom we consider to be hopeless cases.
Kindness and compassion are based on
the love we have for others, not the love
others deserve.
• Compassion
LU K E 7:13-15
The widow lost not only her son but
also companionship and her source of
income. Hers was a triple tragedy. God’s
Son had encountered death numerous
times, but that did not dull his sympathy
toward those who were mourning their
own dead. His heart overflowed with
compassion as he saw this woman’s grief
and the bleak future that would result
from her loss. And he went beyond compassion to action. When we encounter
heartbreak in others, do we dare allow
our hearts to be filled with compassion
until they overflow with action?