Note: This is a transcript of an audio talk lightly edited by Claude AI. Misspellings have been corrected, paragraphs and sentences have been added for readability, and banter/interjections have been marked. Scripture quotations are highlighted. The original spoken style has been preserved throughout.
Luke 7:19–23 — Bible Study Talk
We’re in Luke chapter 7 and we’re going to go through verses 19 to 23, and if we have any time we’ll continue on. So I’ll just read and comment as we go along. May the Lord bless this reading of the Word to our hearts.
John’s Question: Are You the One? (vv. 19–20)
In the name of Jesus.
“And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?”
As I said previously, this was a chapter of sending. And again, we want to emphasise the fact that there is a hierarchy of people in the world. There was only one John the Baptist, and he had disciples. His disciples weren’t his master — he was the master, the rabbi, the teacher to his disciples.
That’s just something to accept. We must humble ourselves and say, “Well, I am very definitely the disciple of such-and-such a teacher,” and it’s good for us to remember that. Even if we can’t name the person whose thought we are repeating, we are probably repeating somebody else’s thoughts. We are almost certainly somebody’s disciple.
I know that’s not always the case with all things. I’ve seen truths emerge from a passage that I think are there but that I haven’t seen anybody go into — but even then I’ll have to say that it was somebody’s approach I’m borrowing. Somebody who by faith assumes that there’s a connection between God’s world and the world of the Bible. Why? Because both the Bible and the world we live in, and all the events of our lives, come from the same mind. Of course there’s a connection.
Others are very — you would say schooled — but they’re blind, because their perspective is that this is salvation history, which means it’s nothing. It’s just this made-up nonsense that they happen, subjectively, to put a value on.
[Interjection/aside: Anyway, I’m getting distracted.]
And the disciples of John showed him all of these things. And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus saying: are you he that should come, or do we look for another?
John’s expectation was for the coming of Jesus. He was checking him out — he was seeking the accreditation of the Lord Jesus. Is this really him? This is after a report about a raising from the dead and presumably before the healing of the centurion’s servant. And if we want to make a preliminary investigation into the goodness or badness of someone, a good starting point is: what works are they doing? What works have they done? That should pique our interest.
On the Comings of the Lord
He was looking for the coming, for the advent of Jesus. And we too should look for the coming of the Lord — but we should understand what the coming of the Lord means.
There are only two definitive comings of the Lord in Scripture, and one has already come and one is yet to come. But the coming of the Lord is repeated throughout history. The Lord came and visited the earth in a flood. He came in judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. He came in judgment on Babel. And then we have this in a very developed form with Isaiah — the coming of the Lord, the Day of the Lord. So yes, there are two very definitive comings of the Lord, but in history there are many lesser but real comings of the Lord. And what are those comings? Those comings are judgments — judgments that put the unrighteous back on their heels and put the people of God in a position of inheritance, in a position of coming into the promises.
Emissaries and Authority (v. 20)
“When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying…”
There they are again — recognising that they are disciples, emissaries of a greater authority.
Authority is various. Authority is political, but it’s also what you might call spiritual and educational. In society, if we understand society rightly, there are various robes. Who wears a robe in society? Well, there are the ecclesiastical robes — not so popular now, but we saw them only a couple of weeks ago at a quite significant funeral in Belfast at Fisherwick. But also, where else do we find robes? In law and places of judgment, in civil government. And where else? Well, here in John the Baptist — he’s a teacher — so in the university world.
These people carry great weight in society, and they send their emissaries around. And what are the emissaries of the university world today? Well, very sadly, the legion of people with all their ideas in their heads.
[Banter/aside: Now where does that come from? They are — whether they think so or not — effectively the emissaries of dead white men. All these people with their blue and pink and purple hair. We think they’re striking a blow against the patriarchy, but they’re just emissaries of greater men — not good men, but more influential men than they would ever be.]
So they are emissaries. There is a sending — that’s the theme of this chapter. People are sent. The centurion sends. John the Baptist sends.
They were faithful in their message — this was the inquiry verbatim that John issued.
[Aside: And what does the book of Proverbs say about a fool? Smoke in the eyes — it’s like somebody you sent on an errand and they can’t quite recall the message. We’ll come back to that.]
And what does Proverbs say? As it turns out:
“As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.” (Proverbs 10:26)
There’s something there about sending a message and being faithful to the message. All right, we can move on from that.
Jesus’ Answer: Works, Not Words (v. 21)
So what is Jesus’s answer? The Lord Jesus is our example in all things. What is his answer to the question of accreditation — and by extension, what should our answer be?
“And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.”
This was his answer. Not a verbal answer first — an hour after hour of consistent works. Then in the next verse he gives a verbal answer, but the foundation was the works themselves.
What were the nature of those works? Healing of the sick. What are we commissioned to do? It’s not the sum of the Great Commission, but part of it is to heal the sick. So if we want to know whether we have an accredited ministry — and I don’t mean state accreditation here, but denominational accreditation: are you ordained? What is your office? Are you under the elders? — none of these things were the case with the Lord Jesus. And the Jews were wiser than us in this, in that they came to him despite his lack of official qualifications.
The Nature of the Works: Healing
[Interjection: Anyway.]
So what were the nature of the works? He cured infirmities and plagues. He healed. We’ve seen how he healed earlier in the previous stories. How did he heal? By a word.
Now, I know — we are not the Lord Jesus, we can’t heal by words. But let’s think about that. Can we heal by words? Well, I think we can certainly harm by words. Is that not true? Is not most of the chronic illness and suffering we deal with a result of words that kill? Killing words: “You’re nothing.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You’re stupid.” These might seem like trivial things — “grow up, grow a backbone” — but our words kill.
Do we have licence to say whatever we like to our brother? By no means. Do we have licence to discourage our brothers? Since when? Does your culture — so-called culture — trump the Word of God in the matter of words? Does it? Why so? Are you sure? No, it doesn’t.
So in a very real secondary sense, our words can heal — in cultures where there is nothing but discouragement. It’s called banter where I come from.
[Banter/aside: Banter — what else is it called? Oh, I’m just giving you a ribbing. I’m just being sarcastic.]
Do you have a licence to say what you want? Are your lips your own, brother or sister? No, they’re not. The sixth commandment says: “Thou shalt not kill.” The corollary of that — look at the catechism — is that you shall do everything in your power to further life. Firstly, by your words. What does it cost? Nothing.
Why the epidemic of cancers? Why the epidemic of so much chronic illness? A lot of this is to do with words. And so what can we do? We can minister healing words — words of truth. If a rebuke is needed, then:
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour; thou shalt altogether rebuke thy neighbour frankly.”
That’s what you are to do. But this low-level background interference — this death by words — is just not acceptable. We can be those who speak words of healing. It can be as simple as “God bless you,” or “You did that well,” or “You look well,” or “Well done.” Build each other up. We have no licence — no licence at all — to tear each other down.
“My brothers, why are there wars and fightings among you? It is because you desire and do not have… you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.” (cf. James 4:1–3)
All right. There are those who are formally gifted in the arena of healing words — teachers, counsellors — and they bring the words of life. What are the words of God? The words of life. Even words that condemn the guilty bring life — not to the condemned, perhaps, but to society. And they may even provoke him to spiritual life, to seeking the Lord.
So can we heal by words? Well, are we his disciples? A disciple, when fully trained, should be like his master. What does this master do? I’m not trying to make any big point about the continuation of gifts and so on, but if we’re not in the ministry of healing — and healing through our words — then are we his disciples?
Evil Spirits and the Authority of Disciples
And of evil spirits — okay. There’s a lot of talk out there about demons and giants, all sorts of fairy stories, as if it’s something to be uniquely afraid of. But we have authority. He deputised his disciples with authority to heal, authority to cast out demons. As the decay of humanism in the West continues, we may well need to exercise that on occasion. But we are equipped to do that by the Word that God gives us and by the commission that God gives us.
Sight to the Blind
“And unto many that were blind he gave sight.”
The analogy here is quite striking. He gave literal sight to the blind. But by our teaching, in a secondary sense — well, we’re all teachers. We teach ourselves. We tell ourselves things. Let’s tell ourselves truth. Let’s relieve the blindness that we sometimes impose upon ourselves. Let’s do that for others under our authority and influence.
One of the blindnesses is that of teachers who teach in secular schools and give the impression that there is no God. We carry on that impression, leaving people blind — without the light to see. In daylight we see by light. That’s how you see. This is the spiritual analogy. But we can also think of the Mercy Ships who do surgery — that’s a modern-day ministry extending the ministry of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus’ Verbal Answer: Go and Tell John (v. 22)
“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard.”
That’s your answer. Not just what you have seen — what you have seen and heard. So some of this healing came through the ministry of teaching, it seems from the context. We do and we speak. And there is an emphasis today — perhaps too much — on speaking over doing. Some treat any reference to works as heretical, thinking only of works that lead to salvation. But it is a heresy in its own right to say you can have faith without works. There is too much of that today in the evangelical and Reformed world.
So what are the things you have seen and heard?
“The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” (Luke 7:22 / cf. Isaiah 35:5–6; 61:1)
How that the blind see — that is the accreditation. The lame walk. People who were stuck have become profoundly unstuck, and they will never be stuck again. How many people reverted from being healed of lameness back to lameness? None. Once you see — as the saying goes — you can’t unsee it. This is the nature of profound change in people’s vision and action.
They see now. They didn’t see previously. They walk now. They move. They’re alive in a new way. What is the difference between seeing and not seeing? Is it a difference of degree? No — it is a difference of kind. It’s a profound difference. What is the difference between being able to walk and not being able to walk? A difference of kind. You are fundamentally a different person. You are fundamentally much more alive and engaged in the world.
The lepers are cleansed — what infirmity, after blindness and lameness, makes you unable to function in the world? Leprosy. Being diseased. And what is leprosy also a picture of? Sin. There are those who are caught in their sin. It’s a very bad place to be — you can’t get things done, you’re a prisoner to your sin, you’re isolated because of your sin.
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth.” (Proverbs 28:1)
[Banter/aside: It’s like jogging — that’s what I think of. The wicked flee though no man pursues. What are you running for?]
So are there people stuck in their sins today? It doesn’t matter that they know the latest conspiracy theory better than anyone. It doesn’t matter that they agree with you on a point of doctrine. What matters — from Jesus’s words here — is that they were leprous, unable to be in contact with others because of their uncleanness. And now they are clean and can function in the world in a profoundly different way. What can a leper do? Basically nothing — hang out with other lepers. But once healed? Anything a whole person can do.
The deaf hear — well, to me this seems among the most impossible of things. People say others are so blind, why don’t they see? But deafness — why can’t they hear? It’s as if they literally cannot. An effective, accredited Christian ministry will get in like those videos on YouTube where they clear the earwax out, and suddenly they can hear.
[Banter/aside: You know those videos — they put it on there with a little ear scoop, slap it down, and suddenly — wow, they can hear!]
And hearing, of course, is an analogy for hearing God’s Word and obeying it — rather than being ever so careful to listen to the world, to their peer group, to their own lusts. They hear the Word of God and obey. They’re moving. They’re active.
The dead are raised — well, you can’t get better than that. And of course that’s a picture of conversion.
To the poor the gospel is preached — interesting. We think of the Old Testament command to remember the Levites, to have the poor among you, to invite those who cannot repay you. That’s a good measure of who the poor are. And the Lord wants there to be no social barrier in the kingdom of God.
The Standard of Accreditation
So if you want an accredited ministry, use this as your rule of thumb. Use this as your plumb line. Do the deaf come to hear? Are the lepers cleansed? Do the blind see? Do the lame walk?
This is, in essence, a testimonial. If you’re running a business, this is the kind of testimonials you want — testimonials of transformed lives. Think of a body transformation on YouTube: someone was heavy, inflexible, diabetic, and then through exercise and discipline over six, twelve, eighteen months — you’re almost moved to tears. That’s the standard. Any other standard is just noise.
So we don’t need an official stamp of approval from the usual suspects — the state, or what’s called the institutional church or a denomination. We don’t need a degree or a PhD.
[Aside: That can be useful for some things, no doubt — but for ministry, you want testimonials of radically changed lives.]
The Kicker: Not Being Offended in Christ (v. 23)
And here is the kicker:
“Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Luke 7:23)
A Christ-centred ministry — people say, “Well, I want my accreditation from the state. That’s where my income comes from, my prestige. That’s solid ground to me and I don’t want to change that standard.” But blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Christ.
If we want this ministry — and I think this is connected now, as I think about it, to the centurion — we have to be under Christ’s authority to have these kinds of results. You have to be under his authority. John sent his disciples. Jesus sent them back. John’s disciples, the centurion, sent the elders — a delegation of sending, sending, sending. The centurion said, “I am a man under authority.”
So if we want that, we must humble ourselves to Christ. And not just to Christ in the abstract — this is something I’m working through at the moment. We have to humble ourselves to the offence. The offence is that you cannot do this for yourself.
The centurion had compassion — he just had it, for his servant. He had a love for the nation which manifested itself in his works. And with the raising of the widow’s son at Nain, Jesus had compassion. But if you want a ministry, you have to be a minister. And a minister is not an office — “I am a minister” — it’s a function. The function of what? We go back to the centurion: a servant. His servant was at the point of death.
What is a servant? A servant is somebody who is dedicated to understanding and meeting the needs of their master. This is the kingdom of God. You want to be first? Excellent ambition. Good. The Lord Jesus applauds that ambition, as it were. But here’s the qualification:
“Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister… even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” (cf. Matthew 20:26–28)
You must become servant of all — of all the people you are serving in your particular domain. You must wrack your brains and expand your energy trying to serve those people in whatever way you can, which requires putting yourself behind their needs. And that is an offence. I struggle with it. I would rather have people serve me.
But let’s say this was Business 101 — what’s the first lesson? You can only have long-term, meaningful success when you serve people. It’s business 101.
[Aside: So there’s a lot in there. There’s probably more to unpack, but there’s a lot to unpack for business, for ministry, for accreditation — for all sorts of things.]
We thank God for His Word and we ask that He would bless it to our minds and hearts.
Scriptures Referenced
| Reference | Text / Topic |
|---|---|
| Luke 7:19–23 | John’s question and Jesus’s answer |
| Proverbs 10:26 | ”As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him” |
| Proverbs 28:1 | ”The wicked flee when no man pursueth” |
| The Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) | “Thou shalt not kill” — and the positive duty to further life |
| Leviticus 19:17 | ”Thou shalt rebuke thy neighbour frankly” |
| James 4:1–3 | Wars and fightings among you; asking wrongly |
| Isaiah 35:5–6 | Blind see, deaf hear, lame leap |
| Isaiah 61:1 | Good news preached to the poor |
| Ephesians 4:12 | Equipping the saints for works of service |
| Matthew 20:26–28 | Whoever would be great among you must be servant of all |
| Luke 7:2–10 | The centurion’s servant (background) |
| Luke 7:11–17 | The widow of Nain (background) |