Moved By Mercy
Luke 7:1-17
Introduction
For the past few weeks we have been focused on the theme of hearing Jesus - listening to him. But we also learn from watching what Jesus does.
Luke wrote both Luke / Acts. In Acts 1 he writes, “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” (Acts 1:1-2). We learn from what Jesus said and from the things he did. Today we are going to look at two miracles of Jesus that show us how he was moved by mercy.
Mercy is defined by Kenneth Boa as “the ability to deeply empathize and engage in compassionate acts on behalf of people who are suffering physical, mental, or emotional distress … concern and kindness to people who are often overlooked.”
That is what we see Jesus doing here today in this text.
That is what Jesus has done in our lives.
That is what Jesus calls us to demonstrate in our own lives.
Two accounts of Jesus being moved by Mercy.
The Healing of the Centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10)
The Raising of the Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-15)
Luke 7:16-17 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.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.”
I want to share with you four principles of being moved by mercy that we see in these two stories and how to put them into practice.
1. Mercy Reaches Across The Distance
Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant from far away. He was able to heal him without seeing him, being near him,
touching him. So often we feel far away from God and what we need to know is that He is near even when we do not perceive Him.
We are not too far from Jesus - but some things in our lives make us feel far away from Him. Sin we have harbored and protected. Unwillingness to repent of our sins. Unwilling to forgive someone who has hurt us.
Psalm 139:7-8 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
Spurgeon: “God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God.”
Whatever distance you feel between you and God, he is able to reach across the distance and bring healing and hope.
2. Mercy Reaches Across Social Barriers
Jesus lived in a time of Roman occupation.
Centurion: Roughly equivalent to an army captain. He commanded a company of a hundred troops, in this case
probably for Herod the tetrarch. The interaction between Jesus and this non-Jewish outsider tells us much - especially when he is held up as an example of faith (vs 9)
No matter who we are or what we have done, the mercy of Jesus moves him to reach across social barriers. If you have felt the barriers that have been put up by some people, I encourage you to lead the way in loving outside of our cultural hostility, outrage, and objections. “If it weren’t for God’s infinite mercy, who knows where I would be. At times, you may want to give up on God, but he will never give up on you.” - Marcel Turner
3. Mercy Reaches toward the Unimportant
The Centurion was a man of power, someone who commanded the respect of others, the Widow of Nain was a nobody. No support system, counting on her son to take care of her. A woman without any men to protect her was the most helpless of people, since wage work for women was rare. “His heart went out to her”. Perhaps this was personal. Was Joseph dead and Jesus was aware of the struggle his mother endured as a widow in that culture? The ministry of Jesus was among the regular people - though he didn’t reject the wealthy and powerful. Mary’s Song: Luke 1:50 “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
Whatever pain you bear, heartache you endure, sorrow you struggle with - the heart of Jesus is extended toward you.
4. Mercy Moves Toward Rescue
Jesus is the one who wipes the tears away and restores what is lost. “Jesus gave him back to his mother”
Feeling empathy should move us to action. We should see ourselves in this moment of compassion.
"What is the Christian gospel? …We were all unfortunate. Without the mercy of God, every one of us is terminally unfortunate. The most holy God, looking down upon us and seeing what a mess we have made of his creation, might have remained untouched and untroubled, abandoning us to our self-chosen fate. Instead … God, sending his Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), made himself one with all of us "unfortunates." Jesus took upon himself the condemnation unto death that we had incurred, and in doing so made himself not only unfortunate," but a human outcast, thrown onto the dustbin of the Roman Empire, publicly executed in the most degrading possible way … Everything we believe about Christian action in the world flows from this central affirmation: the Son of God entered into solidarity with the wretched of the earth, and that means you and me.” - Fleming Rutledge.
Conclusion: Mercy Received Becomes Mercy Given.
Mercy reaches across the distance - is our mercy limited to just what we see in front us?
Mercy reaches across social barriers - wherever we see another human there is someone created in the image of God. “The Christ in me sees the Christ in you.”
Mercy Reaches toward the unimportant - because there truly is no one who is unimportant!
Mercy moves toward rescue - not content to leave the hurting where they are.
Mercy is to be lived out in our lives every day as we learn from the Master of Mercy, Jesus.
"Human mercy is proof of having received divine mercy."- Alistair Begg
Christians need to be leading the way to overcoming hostility. Racial, political, religious, even moral differences -love cannot die on the Altar of prejudice and judgment. Jesus found faith in an unexpected place, and we may also.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
“His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:50)
The conclusion of those who witnessed the miracles of Jesus was: “God has come to help his people.”
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Discussion Questions
1. What are some things we know about the Centurion from Luke’s account? (Luke 7:1-8)
2. Why does Jesus say “I have not found such great faith even in Israel”? What does that mean to the Jewish listeners? The Gentile listeners? To you?
3. What does Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s servant tell us about Jesus?
4. Do you think the raising of the widow’s son was incidental or something Jesus had mapped out? Why do you think he raised her son in particular? He likely encountered many people who had lost loved ones.
5. How does Jesus' healing of the widow’s son demonstrate His deep care for those in grief? When you are in a season of grief - is his care meaningful or hard to understand? What message should override our questions?
6. What practical ways can we, as a church, reflect Christ’s compassion in our daily lives?
7. Why is it important to respond to God’s mercy with worship and gratitude?
8. How can we cultivate a heart that is more sensitive to the needs of others, like Jesus?
Next Week: Luke 7:36-50
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Resources
Boa, Kenneth. Conformed to His Image, Revised Ed. Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Fleming Rutledge. Help My Unbelief (Function). Kindle Edition.
Turner, Marcel. We All Fall Short: Hope, Faith, and Trust in God. Kindle edition.
