"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

youi stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"No Bounuaiies"

Luke 7:1-S
!"# #%&' (& )"')*+,&, -** (./ /-0.'1/ .' 2%& %&-3.'1 "4 2%& 5&"5*&6 (&
&'2&3&, 7-5&3'-+89 :', - )&32-.' )&'2+3."';/ /&3<-'26 #%" #-/ ,&-3 2"
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&*,&3/ "4 2%& @&#/ 2" (.86 5*&-,.'1 #.2% (.8 2" )"8& -', %&-* %./ /&3<-'29
:', #%&' 2%&0 )-8& 2" @&/+/6 2%&0 ?&11&, (.8 &-3'&/2*06 /-0.'1 2%-2 2%&
"'& 4"3 #%"8 (& /%"+*, ," 2%./ #-/ ,&/&3<.'16 A4"3 %& *"<&/ "+3 '-2."'6
-', %-/ ?+.*2 +/ - /0'-1"1+&9B

}esus just completeu an extenueu time of teaching anu Luke now
piesents two miiacles that seive to valiuate his message anu ministiy.
0ne of the most inteiesting aspects of this fiist event is the "elueis of the
}ews" coming to }esus on behalf of the centuiion who was a uentile.

The title "uentile" most commonly meant "anyone who is not a }ew" anu
hau a veiy negative connotation. This centuiion, unlike most Romans,
was well likeu anu iespecteu by the }ewish people aiounu Capeinaum
because he built them a synagogue. Bowevei, }ews anu uentiles uiu not
usually get along this well. uentiles weie commonly iefeiieu to as uogs.

}esus extenueu giace to this uentile, which helpeu Luke's oiiginal
uentile auuience unueistanu that }esus' mission incluueu both }ews anu
uentiles. This sent a cleai message to }ewish ieaueis who woulu have
natuially concluueu that they shoulu see no pioblem with accepting
uentiles into the chuich. This was a RABICAL iuea.

TB00uBT: The message anu ministiy of Chiist has no bounuaiies.
DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F }0NE Su- }0LY 4, 2u14

()*+%&'
"SL0W B0WN"

Luke 7:6-7
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%"+/&6 2%& )&'2+3."' /&'2 43.&',/ 2" (.86 /-0.'1 2" (.86 AD"3,6 ," '"2
23"+?*& E"+3/&*46 4"3 F -8 '"2 #"32%0 2%-2 E"+ /%"+*, &'2&3 +',&3 80 3""49
C%&3&4"3& F ,., '"2 &<&' 2%.'= 80/&*4 #"32%0 2" )"8& 2" E"+9 G+2 /-0 2%&
#"3,6 -', 80 /&3<-'2 #.** ?& %&-*&,9

It seems stiange that this centuiion woulu senu foi }esus anu then not
want Bim to entei his home. This is piobably eviuence that the
centuiion iecognizeu the significance of }esus once he saw Bim. Be was
piobably also being sensitive to the fact that the }ews woulu have
ciiticizeu }esus foi being in the home of a uentile.

The ieveience anu feai of uou is the staiting place foi wisuom. If a
uiivei is going 8u mph anu notices a police cai paikeu up aheau on the
siue of the ioau, he oi she will slow uown.

The policeman's piesence has piouuceu a healthy iespect foi the law.
When an officei is piesent, uiiveis aujust to the law because of iespect
foi the officei's authoiity. A uiivei may not like his authoiity, may not
want his authoiity, oi may even be iebellious against his authoiitybut
he still iespects it.

What woulu most people think about a peison who speeus up to 9u mph
when they see a policeman. They woulu call him a fool. Why. because
that uiivei is showing no ieveience foi the authoiity.

,-&..*$/*: Slow uown. "Be still, anu know that I am uou." Ps. 46:1u

0*%$*+%&'
"Recognizeu Authoiity"

Luke 7:8
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F /-0 2" "'&6 IJ"6; -', %& 1"&/K -', 2" -'"2%&36 I7"8&6; -', %& )"8&/K -', 2"
80 /&3<-'26 IL" 2%./6; -', %& ,"&/ .29B


The main point of the centuiion's woius in this passage was to iecognize
}esus' authoiity. Be peiceiveu }esus' ielationship to sickness the same
way he vieweu his own ielationship to his suboiuinates. Theie is no
uoubt that this man BELIEvEB that }esus coulu heal his seivant by
simply speaking a woiu that woulu commanu the sickness to leave his
bouy.

Both the centuiion anu }esus opeiateu in a chain of commanu unuei the
authoiity of otheis. In auuition, they also hau authoiity. The centuiion
was 0NBER the authoiity of his supeiioi anu hau authoiity 0vER his
soluieis. }esus was 0NBER the authoiity of the Fathei anu hau
miiaculous authoiity 0vER sickness.

(-#)/-(: In oiuei to be of authoiity, you must be unuei authoiity.

(-)1+%&'
"Bumility anu Faith"

Luke 7:9
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-', /-., 2" 2%& )3"#, 2%-2 4"**"#&, (.86 AF /-0 2" 0"+6 F %-<& '"2 4"+',
/+)% 13&-2 4-.2%6 '"2 &<&' .' F/3-&*NB

}esus is about to peifoim a miiacle. Luke mentioneu that }esus maiveleu
at the centuiion, which shows that he maue an impiession on }esus. It is
unlikely that }esus is tiying to belittle the nation of Isiael with his
statement. Be is simply affiiming the centuiion's faith was unusual foi a
uentile who hau not been exposeu to the piophesies about the Nessiah
in sciiptuie.

The Bible states at least thiee puiposes of a miiacle:
To gloiify the natuie of uou
To accieuit ceitain peisons as the spokespeople foi uou
To pioviue eviuence foi belief in uou

0f couise, not all people believe that the event is an act of uou, even
when they witness a miiacle. But in this event, says the New Testament,
the miiacle is a witness against them. }ohn giieveu, "Even aftei }esus hau
uone all these miiaculous signs in theii piesence, they still woulu not
believe in Bim" (}ohn 12:S7).

213%&'
"It's a Niiacle"

Luke 7:1u
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#%" %-, ?&&' /.)=9

A miiacle is a special act of uou that inteiiupts the natuial couise of
events. A tiue biblical miiacle is always immeuiate. It is always
successful. It always lasts. It always gloiifies uou by confiiming Bis
natuie anu Bis Woiu.

Q0ESTI0N: Aie miiacles impoitant to Chiistianity.

Noiman ueilsei wiites: "Inueeu, since the cieuibility of Chiistianity iests
on the iesuiiection of Chiist (1 Coi. 1S:12-19), the whole of the
oithouox Chiistian faith ciumbles if miiacles uo not occui. If histoiic
biblical Chiistianity is to suivive anu make sense to the mouein minu, it
is necessaiy to pioviue a ieasonable explanation of the supeinatuial.
Apait fiom the cieuibility of the biblical account of miiacles, we can biu
faiewell to oithouox Chiistianity. Such is the challenge befoie us."

Niiacles in the Bible fit into thiee clusteis:
Nosaic (Noses)
Piophetic (ElijahElisha)
Apostolic (ChiistApostles)

Each peiiou is chaiacteiizeu by:
Tiansition (uou is uoing something new)
New Revelation (uou is saying something new)
Confiimation (uou is confiiming someone new)

}esus Bimself saiu of some, "They will not be convinceu even if someone
iises fiom the ueau" (Luke 16:S1). So in this sense the iesult (not the
puipose) of uisbelieving in miiacles is conuemnation of the unbelievei
(}ohn 12:S1, S7).

Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig