What is the Heart of Jesus Like?-Luke 7:1-50

Luke 7:1-50;

Key Verse: 7:13a

“When the Lord saw her his heart went out to her…”

In Luke 7, Jesus ministered to different kinds of people: a high ranking noble Centurion whose servant was sick & likely dying (1-10), a devastated widow whose only son had already died (11-17), & a notorious sinful woman (36-50). From Jesus’ encounter with each of these people, we learn the heart of our Father God toward all kinds of needy persons in the world. Jesus demonstrated God’s broken shepherd’s heart. We also learn the kind of faith that pleases God.

1st, Jesus was impressed by a Roman Centurion’s great faith (1-10). After Jesus taught his disciples in the hearing of the crowds, Jesus entered Capernaum (1), where there was a centurion’s servant who was very sick & about to die (2b). When the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come & heal his servant (3), because he valued his servant highly (2a). When the elders came to Jesus, they said, “This man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation & has built our synagogue” (4,5). So Jesus went with them (6). But when the centurion realized that Jesus was coming & was already near his house, he sent friends to say to Jesus, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (6b-8). Verse 9 is Jesus’ response: “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’” As we know, nothing really ever amazes Jesus. But there is one thing that we can amaze Jesus. From the centurion we learn how to move God’s heart.

1stly, the centurion valued his sick & dying servant highly (2). Usually people are valued according to their popularity/usefulness/net worth. But this centurion valued his servant, whom he could simply replace with another healthier servant. It’s obvious that he had a close relationship with his servant and regarded his servant as a family member. We are so moved by Jesus because Jesus loves & values people simply for who they are. Because Jesus values people highly, he’d do anything to show us just how much he values us. And Jesus did. We deserve to be punished by God for all our wicked sins. But in order to show us how much we are valued & loved, Jesus willingly absorbed & took upon himself the terrible wrath & judgment of God. This Roman centurion moved Jesus, because he highly valued his dying servant, when he could simply discard/replace.

2ndly, the centurion was a truly humble man who never felt he deserved anything (6,7). Most people think they deserve something from God/government/church/other people—the so-called mentality of entitlement. Because we’re flawed & fallen, to some degree we all think we deserve something. Then when we don’t get what we think we deserve, we become weird. But this centurion never felt worthy or deserving, even to go & speak with Jesus personally (7), instead he sent a few Jewish elders on his behalf (3); & he also felt totally unworthy & undeserving for Jesus to come to his house (6). In the Bible, there’re countless people who felt unworthy & they moved God’s heart. Abel felt unworthy to make an offering to God, so he made his offering by faith, depending only on God’s mercy to accept his offering (Ge 4:4; Heb 11:4), while his brother Cain felt worthy. When Abraham petitioned God to save his nephew Lot, he came before God saying, “I am nothing but dust and ashes” (Ge 18:27). When God choose Moses to deliver his people from Egypt, Moses felt unqualified & unworthy, & said, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exo 3:11). When God choose David, he said, “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (2 Sa 7:18) Because these men knew of their own unworthiness, God could bless & use them greatly. Likewise, this centurion’s sense of his own unworthiness before God moved Jesus’ heart.

3rdly, he understood how to be under authority & to be in a position of authority (8). Most people have a problem with authority. So they rebel against authority. On the other hand, most people in positions of authority misuse or abuse their power. A few of our ex-governors were known for this. As a result, the world is filled with people with all kinds of obvious or not so obvious power struggles & resentments between people. But this centurion knew how to be under authority & to be in a position of authority. He knew how to receive instructions, & how to give instructions without using his seniority or abusing his power ranking. As a result, Jews who hated the Romans, loved & respected him, a Roman. Because of this centurion’s understanding of authority, he clearly saw & understood that Jesus had the authority of heaven.

4thly, he had an amazing faith (7b,9). Because of our fallen state, we live as though there is no God, and as though everything depends on us. But this centurion knew that nothing depended on him, even though he was a high-ranking Roman officer. At the same time, he knew that everything depended on Jesus’ mercy. This high-ranking man of achievement believed in the power of Jesus’ word. Because of his faith, Jesus was amazed & said to the crowd, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (9). Israelites are God’s chosen people. They knew God. But this Roman Gentile knew what God can do. My father believes in God simply because of the things he sees like the sun, moon, stars and huge mountains. This Roman Gentile knew God’s Almighty power. From this Roman Gentile we see many godly attributes that even God’s chosen people Israel failed to have: valuing people for who they are, having a deep sense of his own unworthiness, understanding Jesus’ authority & having simple faith in the power of Jesus’ word.

2nd, Jesus’ heart went out to a widow whose only son had just died (11-17). Soon afterward, when Jesus went to a town called Nain together with his disciples & a large crowd (11), a dead person was being carried out of the town gate. He was the only son of his widowed mother (12). A large crowd from the town was with her to mourn with her & share her grief of losing her only son. When Jesus saw her, “his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (13). “Then he (Jesus) went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother” (14,15). Read verse 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.” This short account shows us the heart of Christ. The heart of Jesus is a heart of compassion. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” Jesus is the God of compassion and the God of all comfort. Often times my wife says to me, “you don’t understand me” And I always, yes I understand you fully.” But the truth only our Father God can truly understand us. Only God knows our agony. Often we think that no one understands us & that we’re suffering all by ourselves. But Jesus’ heart of compassion always goes out to us, as his heart went out to this devastated widow who lost her only son. Praise & thank God that Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God is with us” (Mt 1:23). Thank God that we are never alone, because Jesus is always ready to embrace us in his bosom to share all of our agonies & sorrows of life. Isaiah 53:3,4 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.” Jesus was a man of sorrows because he came to be with us to share in our sufferings. Finally on the cross Jesus took upon himself all of our sufferings & sorrows so that he might lift all our burdens & save us from our sins.

3rd, the work of the Messiah (18-35). When John’s disciples heard about the great things that Jesus was doing, they likely felt sorry for their master John the Baptist who was in prison (18). John, sensing their heaviness, sorrow & uncertainty, sent 2 of them with a question for Jesus: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (19) The question was: “Are you the promised Messiah or not?” So they went & asked Jesus (20). “At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind” (21). So Jesus replied to John’s disciples in verses 22,23. “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Jesus didn’t answer their question directly as to whether or not he was the promised Messiah. But Jesus told them to report to John what was being done. The work done is essentially the great & miraculous work of God, & it is the work that only the Messiah is able to do. All the miracles being done were not to demonstrate God’s power. Rather, God’s work is always prompted by his love for us as his most precious children (Mt 9:36, 14:14, 20:34). One time as I was walking by the park during my lunch time at work, I saw two kids and one of them was on a wheel chair and with their grandparents. My heart sank when I saw the boy because he reminded me of my son. He looked the same age as my son and even had the same hair style. So when I saw him, I felt like I was like looking at son. In my heart, I began to cry out to God to immediately heal him, or that God would grant me power to heal that boy. Every loving parent will grieve beyond measure, if their child is blinded, or lame, or sick & suffering with leprosy, or deaf, or dead. Likewise, God is grieved when we’re sick. Jesus, the Son of God, is a man of sorrows, not because of his own suffering, but because he took up our sufferings, & our sorrows, & our wounds & our hurts in order to alleviate our sufferings. When Jesus died, his heart of love was poured out lavishly into this world of suffering. Because of Jesus’ outpouring of love, tremendous & miraculous works of God always accompanied Jesus. Because of Jesus’ heart of love, Jesus never failed to preach the good news of the kingdom of God, so that those who are dying in their captivity to sin might repent & turn their hearts back to God.

4th, Jesus commended a notorious sinful woman (36-50). This event happened in the home of Simon the Pharisee who had invited Jesus for dinner (36). There was a highly expressive episode. “When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.  Why did the woman weep when she saw Jesus? My wife and I try to find things to do together and one of the things she struggle to watch movies with me. Almost of the times she falls. But when she watches movies with me especially movies that are the heart felt, she always cries. I could see why the woman was endlessly weeping when she was with Jesus. She was so moved by who Jesus is. She was so moved by Jesus beautiful shepherd’s heart. This is how we should see our Father God and Jesus. We should always think about what God has done for us. People do many beautiful things to God when they see the God’s heart. Beautiful songs are written like the very famous “Amazing grace.” There is one song that I like by Paul Baloche and it’s called “A Greater song.” The song goes like this. “I see the heavens proclaiming you day after day. And I know in my heart that there must be a way, to sing a greater song, a greater song to you on the earth.”  When we see God’s heart we can understand others and love others and, even sacrifice our time for them. When the woman wet Jesus’ feet with tears, she wiped them with her hair. To a woman, hair is every thing. That is why there are salons out there that charges over a hundred dollars on women’s hair style. But this woman used her hair as a towel for Jesus’ dirty feet. Not only, she kissed Jesus’ feet again and again, and poured perfume on them” (37,38). This woman was pouring out her heart to Jesus. How did Simon respond to this woman’s dramatic gesture of thanksgiving? “When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner’” (39). He felt disgusted that Jesus, a man of God, was allowing this notorious wayward woman to touch him, & was even appreciating & approving what she was doing. When Jesus sensed Simon’s disapproval, he told him a story about a generous moneylender (40). Read verses 41,42. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” The answer was obvious, & “Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said” (43). “Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’  48Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” Jesus had a simple point to make. The woman clearly expressed how much she loved Jesus, & how thankful she was to Jesus, because she knows the depth & depravity of her sins, which Jesus freely forgave, just like the man with the bigger debt canceled. On the other hand, Simon, who was a religious man with much knowledge of the Bible in his big head, hardly showed any love for Jesus, other than his well-behaved formal outward manner, etiquette & decorum. Even Simon’s so-called friends & guests, who were likely fellow Pharisees & other well behaved people were apparently confused about Jesus’ approval & commendation of the woman when they said, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (49) Because this woman was so confident of Jesus’ love & forgiveness for her despite her life of sins, Jesus said to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (50).

In this passage, Jesus’ heart is the very heart of God, & Jesus’ heart is always going out to us, especially in times when our hurt & pain is unbearable. Jesus is like our loving mother who is willing to sacrifice herself, so that her children would be safe. Because Jesus’ heart is always going out to us, we should never feel lonely. Just come to God. When we come to understand the heart of Jesus, we are always deeply satisfied & content.