Luke 7 – 8

Verse 7:25 Jesus is asking the people about John the Baptist:

What were you looking for? A man in expensive clothing? Look, if you were looking for fancy clothes and luxurious living, you went to the wrong place—you should have gone to the kings’ courts, not to the wilderness!

If you think about this, even if someone had been of means, they would have been ousted quickly. We tend to reject what is not the status quo in society. If John had been preaching the coming Messiah, then the people would have most likely rejected him as a fraud, thus pushing him into the wilderness.

Verses 7:33 & 34 are a perfect juxtaposition of why people should not try to judge someone from God:

³³ You can’t win with this generation. John the Baptist comes along, fasting and abstaining from wine, and you say, “This guy is demon-possessed!” ³⁴ The Son of Man comes along, feasting and drinking wine, and you say, “This guy is a glutton and a drunk, a friend of scoundrels and tax collectors!” 

I expect the same thing to happen on Jesus’ return. The ones in power who will lose much if Jesus actually returns will reject the return and call out his flaws. There is a statue in Davidson, NC that has Jesus curled up sleeping as a homeless man on a park bench. People who expect Him to return on a chariot of fire will reject a humble return on a park bench. Hence “they” will say similar things.

Verse 7:49 ends the story of the prostitute washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, drying them with her hair and applying perfumed oil on them:

Who does this guy think He is? He has the audacity to claim the authority to forgive sins?

This was the response of the people we was guests with; they saw this woman and judged her based on past transgressions. Jesus was judging her based on her remorse and desire for forgiveness. We must watch and not fall into these kinds of traps, where our self-righteous mindset ignores the word of God!!

I think the Voice has one of the clearest explanations of the sower’s story and suggest reading verse 8:10-15 on your own. I like the way it clearly shows what actually happens to the word in man.

Verse 8:37 ends the story of the man possessed with many called Battalion in this version and Legion in others:

The people are scared to death, and they don’t want this scary abnormality happening in their territory. They ask Jesus to leave immediately. Jesus doesn’t argue. He prepares to leave, 

They are not amazed that this once insane man is now sane, but rather the money that was lost when the heard of pigs committed suicide. In this case money trumps God!! Think about how this is the case in most lives; Jesus is the one to follow until it really starts to cost. We need to ensure we focus on the good that happens and not the lost pigs!!