Luke 7

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-10

Verses 11-17

Compassion is meant to guide our actions, as it did many of Jesus' actions, even to giving Him the ability to perform certain miracles.
- If you feel compassion or sorrow for a person, it's a good sign that action should be taken, to help them. So, take action! At least go a pray for them. This is a good step.
Just as the people who saw the miracle said, “God has visited His people,” others will feel like God has visited them if you go and help them as a representative of Jesus.
- Remember that you are bringing God to people when you go to help them!

Verses 18-28, 31-35

Verses 29-30

This passage adds a detail that Matthew does not.
The tax collectors—notorious for theft—believed John and therefore believed Jesus. But the Pharisees and lawyers—those known for being religious—rejected John, and so they rejected what God wanted for them through Jesus.
- Understand that we all have the ability to reject what God wants for us to do. We all have a choice!

Verses 36-50

People experience greater joy and show greater gratitude for Christ when they know how much sin they've been forgiven of.
- The Pharisees could not feel any appreciation for Jesus, and did not honor Him, because they did not think they needed to be forgiven of much (Luke 18:11-12).
- This woman, who truly knew her sins and was trusting in Christ for forgiveness, showed it by her appreciation for Christ.
Even so, our level of appreciation for Jesus shows how much we are putting our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins. If we don't appreciate Christ very much, we are showing either that we don't think we have much sin, or that our own good works are more important than Jesus.
- Honor Jesus and give Him heartfelt thanks often! If you do not, you're only hardening your heart towards Him and rely more on your own self-righteousness.
  - Also honor and serve others, appreciating them out of your appreciation for Jesus. This is a great way to grow your love for Christ!