#disciplemaking
#adventcalendarday7
#willyoujoinme

Chapter 7 (It’s tough to read such big slabs when you’re also trying to reflect on what they mean, isn’t it?)

Oh to have the faith of the Centurion! v7 “ . . . just say the word and my servant will be healed” and yet I know that many of you reading this have faith just like that! Your prayers amount to the same – and that’s without Jesus moving about (in the flesh) in your community! And notice that Jesus’ comment is about faith rather than his own power to heal “remotely”.

But then things get ramped up even further by a resurrection! Wow! Just imagine you were hearing these stories for the first time . . . wouldn’t you be thinking “who IS this man”? Luke reports the people as saying he must be a v17 “great prophet”. Then we hear of John the Baptist (Jesus’ cousin remember) asking, v19 “are you the one?” Everyone’s trying to work it out.

In v22 Jesus is effectively saying, “If you want to work out who I am, look at what I’m doing”. “Who else do you know who can do these things?” The trouble for the people at the time was, only God can and yet Jesus was a man, so how would they respond?

The story of the woman anointing Jesus’ feet is one response, the faith of the centurion another. These incidents are recounted to help US think about who Jesus is and how we will respond to him. This is exactly what Luke is trying to do for us and therefore exactly what God wants us to be thinking about and responding to.

• In what ways has Jesus been “good news” to you? (eg healing, forgiveness, wisdom)
• How would you like to respond to Jesus in thankfulness?
• How might you tell your good news story so that somebody else might have faith in Jesus?
• Who would you love to tell? Why not pray about an opportunity to do so?