Jesus loved all kinds of people. He went out to meet them, hear their stories, and help wherever he could. And he did it because as God’s Son he was the channel of God’s love. When people asked him why he did what he did,

“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’” John 5:19

The Centurion’s Servant

Jesus met a Roman centurion in Capernaum one day. His servant was paralyzed and in terrible pain.

“Jesus said to him, ‘Shall I come and heal him?’

The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.’” Matthew 8:7-8

Usually Jesus healed people in person, but this centurion believed Jesus could heal his servant by speaking, without seeing or touching him.

The centurion was a Gentile and he didn’t feel worthy of having Jesus come to his house, but he believed his servant was worthy of a miracle.

Jesus agreed, and he did the miracle, but not just because of the servant’s worth as a person. Jesus had not seen anything like the centurion’s faith in all of Israel. He remarked that when God’s kingdom is finally revealed at the end of time, people are going to be stunned to see who was in and who was out of it.

There are some unexpected people in God’s kingdom; and some who thought they belonged there will be thrown out of it. Citizenship in the kingdom is based on faith in Jesus Christ – the kind of faith the centurion had.

The Widow’s Son

What Jesus did for the widow with the dead son is remarkable because no one asked him to do it. The woman didn’t send for Jesus when her son was dying; perhaps she didn’t have time because an accident or sudden illness took him. As far as we know, the first time Jesus met this family was at the funeral procession on the road out of Nain.

“When the Lord saw [the mother], his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” Luke 7:13

One crowd was leaving Nain with the dead body and the other crowd was approaching Nain with Jesus. Jesus brought both crowds to a stop.

“Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.” Luke 7:14-15

The Mercy of God

Rabbis weren’t allowed to touch the dead body of anyone except a close relative and, even then, touching the body made the rabbi unclean. But Jesus had the power to make what was dead and unclean come alive and be clean again.

“They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’” Luke 7:16

Their words echoed the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:1-2

No one petitioned Jesus to raise the dead, and he hadn’t done it before that moment so there was no reason to expect he would. But God wanted the people of Galilee to see his great light so he sent his Son to do this awesome thing.

Jesus Comforts John the Baptist

Jesus went away after the resurrection at Nain and spent some time instructing his disciples. Meanwhile, “news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.” Luke 7:17

Word got back to John the Baptist in Herod’s prison. Most likely he was at Machaerus, a fortress on the east side of the Dead Sea. John probably only got in 1-2 years of public ministry before Herod Antipas put him in prison.

His whole life had been about Jesus. He recognized Jesus even before he was born and God sent John to introduce him to the world as the Messiah. But as soon as Jesus began his ministry they were separated and John was soon locked up. He may never have seen Jesus perform a miracle or preach a sermon. Most of what he knew about Jesus was what he heard from people, like his own disciples.

So it wasn’t surprising that John the Baptist sent two of his men to ask Jesus a question.

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Luke 7:19

John wanted to know if he had risked everything for a false Messiah. Could Jesus prove he was the One? Jesus replied in terms John could understand. He showed John’s disciples the good works he did that only the Messiah could do.

“Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Luke 7:22-23

Jesus Testifies About John

Jesus loved John the Baptist. There was no one else on earth that he spoke about the way he spoke about John.

“I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Luke 7:24-27

As great as John was, his time on earth and the scope of his mission was limited. The Jesus followers who have come after John had many more opportunities to minister than John did. Since his time, the kingdom of Christ has spread across the globe through the “least” of people who faithfully served God. No one is ranked higher than anyone else, but some have the chance to make a longer and deeper impact for the kingdom by God’s grace.

Most of the people who knew John and had been baptized by him agreed with Jesus that John was a great man of God. But there were some skeptics in the crowd and Jesus addressed them.

“To what then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other – ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’” Luke 7:31-32

John the Baptist was a serious, disciplined man with a sober, straightforward message and the skeptics thought he was from the devil. Jesus was a man of the people, approachable and loving, and the skeptics didn’t take him seriously. Only “wisdom’s children” were able to understand that both of these men came from God.

Chorazin and Bethsaida

Jesus criticized the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida for failing to believe in him despite his miracles. They were going to be judged harshly someday for rejecting the One God sent to them.

It wasn’t hard to come to Jesus. He was gentle and humble and he offered rest for people’s souls. When people joined Jesus, they learned how to carry life lightly. They could share their burdens with him and he helped them find balance so their burdens were easy to carry.

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar

A woman came silently to see Jesus at dinner one night. She washed his feet with her tears, then dried them with her hair and anointed them with precious perfume. She was one of the people Jesus loved so much.

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.” Matthew 11:25-26

She performed her loving act of worship in front of Simon the Pharisee, and he was disgusted by what he perceived to be her sinfulness. Jesus pointed out that Simon would never experience the joy of forgiveness until he realized what a sinner he actually was.

Simon couldn’t begin to understand the love between Jesus and this repentant woman. His self-righteousness stunted his ability to love and be loved and he couldn’t experience the joy of being told:

• “Your sins are forgiven.”
• “Your faith has saved you.”
• “Go in peace.”

Only those who have been delivered from the burden of their sins know how wonderful it was for the woman to hear those words.

Jesus gave her the gift the keeps on giving – a gift that all of us can still receive from him today.