Luke 7:18-35
Exegete
1. It was most likely John’s disciples, and not John himself, that struggled with reconciling Jesus’ messianic ministry with commonly held traditions and ideas about the Messiah.
2. Jewish Tradition Concerning Messiah (currently held by many Jews)
• Elijah will proceed him.
• He will restore the kingdom of David to former glory
• He will achieve victory in battle against Israel’s enemies
• He will lead in rebuilding the temple
• He will lead in gathering exiles to the land of Israel
• He will not be killed (of course a result of the crucifixion)
3. Jesus offers his works as evidence and directs John’s disciples’ attention to prophetic scriptures, that if reexamined, are evidence that he is the Messiah. (Luke 7:18-22, Isaiah 35:5-6 & Daniel 12:2).
4. Unfortunately, Jesus became a stumbling block to those who held and could not let go of such traditions and ideas. (Luke 7:23 & Isaiah 8:14-15)
5. Jesus also points to John as evidence that he is the Messiah. (Luke 7:24-27 & Micah 3:1)
6. Jesus challenged these commonly held traditions and ideas. Those who humbled themselves (repented) and sought the truth were able to see the truth and respond to it. (Luke 7:28-35)
Developing the right attitude for transformation
• Be humble and acknowledge the finitude of your knowledge.
• Be careful about placing faith in things that are not fully revealed in or supported by scripture.
• Believe that if you genuinely seek truth God will not withhold it.
• Always seek mind renewing opportunities which leads to a transformed life.
The transformation expectation
• Develop genuine faith.
• Submit fully to God.
• Seek truth.
• Be transformed by the truth.