What Jesus Did

[Jesus continued,] "### 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.'

I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than ###. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!"


—Luke 7:27-28 NLT

Key Thought​

### was incredible! The voice of God through the prophets had not been heard for hundreds of years in Israel. When ### the...

 

[Jesus continued,] "I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than ###. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!"
When they heard this, all the people — even the tax collectors — agreed that God's way was right, for they had been baptized by ###. But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God's plan for them, for they had refused ###'s baptism.

—Luke 7:28-30 NLT

Key Thought​

"Some are last who will be first, and some...

 

After ###'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? 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. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet."

—Luke 7:24-26 NLT

Key Thought​

### the Baptizer had changed everything! The voice of...

 

[While ### was in prison, his] two disciples found Jesus and said to him, "### the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?'"
At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told ###'s disciples, "Go back to ### and tell him what you have seen and heard — the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf...

 

The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"

—Luke 7:18-19 NLT

Key Thought​

We sometimes exalt key figures in the Scriptures to the legendary status of "Bible characters." We don't allow them to have bad days, doubts, lapses of passion, or faith dilemmas. However, Jesus was the...

 

Great fear swept the crowd [when Jesus raised the widow's son], and they praised God, saying, "A mighty prophet has risen among us," and "God has visited his people today." And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

—Luke 7:16-17 NLT

Key Thought​

Talk about a mind-blowing experience: Seeing this boy raised from the dead [1] was unbelievable. Naturally, there was a holy fear of Jesus and his power by those who witnessed this event. They...

 

Then [Jesus] walked over to the coffin [of the widow's son] and touched it, and the bearers stopped. "Young man," he said, "I tell you, get up." Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

—Luke 7:14-15 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus spoke to the dead young man and made him alive. Then Luke says it so beautifully, "And Jesus gave him back to his mother." Despite death, Jesus brings reunion! Despite sorrow, Jesus brings back joy. This event is a...

 

Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow's only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. "Don't cry!" he said.

—Luke 7:11-13 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus' heart went out to this woman who was left all alone. While many mourned with her, Jesus...

 

[After the Roman officer's expression of faith in Jesus,] when the officer's friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

—Luke 7:10 NLT

Key Thought​

The Roman officer's trust in Jesus' power [1] was more than warranted! The servant for whom he was concerned was completely healed — not partially healed, not temporarily healed, not incrementally healed, but completely healed! When we open our lives to the authority of Jesus, when we trust him at his...

 

[The message from the Roman officer to Jesus included,] "I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed..."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!"

—Luke 7:7, 9 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus loved to shock those who heard him into listening and sometimes did so by making outsiders the heroes of his stories...