GAINING GOD’S WISDOM

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LUKE 7:16-35
Lesson #21

GAINING GOD’S WISDOM

• Memory Verse: Pro 4:11
• Jesus’ ministry was wildly popular at this point. The large multitudes of people followed him everywhere.
  • Some people recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
    • They saw Him as the Prophet (a title for the Messiah) that Moses had predicted would come in Deu 18:15-19.
    • The discussion at the time was: Who was Jesus?
  • The religious leaders, concerned over His popularity, were already opposed to Him. We have seen them set traps for Him, tempting Him to break the Sabbath laws by healing on the Sabbath.
    • Why the opposition from them?
    • They were concerned about their own position of power and control over the people if the majority of people believed that He was the Messiah.
• The last time we saw John the Baptist, he was in prison.
• Read Luk 7:16-23 The Problem of John the Baptist
  • John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to question Jesus. He was moved by the popular rumors that were spreading about Jesus. (17)
  • “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (19)
    • John the Baptist had preached that the Kingdom of God was at hand.
    • John the Baptist told the people to repent and follow Jesus.
    • Does John have second thoughts about who Jesus is?
      • John the Baptist assumed that Jesus was the Messiah, but he was puzzled because nothing was unfolding in the way he expected.
      • John’s problem was a matter of timing regarding the establishment of the Kingdom on earth.
        • John believed that when the Messiah came He would immediately establish His earthly kingdom.

John the Baptist did not see that the crucifixion must come before the establishment of the earthly kingdom.

In reality, the earthly kingdom will not be established until the second coming of Jesus. Then He will reign for 1000 years.

• • • • • John’s disciples kept him informed in prison as to what was happening with Jesus’ ministry.
        • When John did not see Jesus establish His kingdom to reign as King, he wondered if he had been mistaken.

This is a common human failure. When we take steps of faith toward a vision that God has given us, we assume we know exactly how God is going to fulfill that vision.

When things do not work out the way we anticipate, we question the vision and not the timing.

• • Notice what Luke tells us in verse 21. “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.”
    • Before Jesus answers the disciples of John the Baptist, he completes a number of healings.
    • Jesus did that as a proof to the disciples of John the Baptist that Jesus is exactly who John the Baptist said he was, the Messiah. Remember we learned in Luk 4:18 (Lesson #13) that Jesus fulfilled the prophetic scripture in Isa 61:1-3 about the ministry of the Messiah.
      • Why did Jesus do that?
      • People can make all kinds of grandiose claims but proofs in action are something else. Jesus wants John to understand that Jesus is following God’s plan as set down by the Old Testament prophets.
  • ^“ Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard;…” (22)
    • Jesus’ answer to John was that his life and actions proved who He was.
    • The fruit of ministry is how we are to judge the true from the false.
  • “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (23)
    • The person that believes in Jesus Christ by faith will not be disappointed for eventually the whole plan of God will be fulfilled.
    • It is not in our timing or the way we think the fulfillment will come.
    • Those doubts and questions do not prevent, neither destroy the plan of God.
• Read Luk 7:24-28 Jesus’ explanation about John the Baptist
  • Many of the people gathered around Jesus were familiar with the ministry of John the Baptist.
  • While Jesus told the disciples of John the Baptist to tell John what they saw and heard, He gives a broader explanation to the crowd.
    • “But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. “ (26-27)
    • John the Baptist was a prophet…the last of the Old Testament prophets of God.
    • But he was more than an ordinary prophet.
      • He was the special messenger to prepare the way for the coming the Messiah.
      • Even other Old Testament prophets predicted the coming of this special messenger. (27)
  • “..but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (28)
    • What did Jesus mean with these words?
      • While John the Baptist was a great Old Testament prophet and a special messenger of God, everything was changing.
      • Remember the new wine of the Holy Spirit could not be part of the Old Testament Judaism. God was going to do something new that surpassed what God did in the Old Testament.
      • The crucifixion would be the pivoting point after which everything would be different.
        • What happened after the crucifixion that would make an ordinary person in the Kingdom of God greater than John the Baptist?
        • On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would come to indwell all true believers in Jesus Christ.
        • The power of the Holy Spirit would enable believers to surpass anything that God did in the Old Testament.
• Luk 7:29-35 The separation of mankind: The Parable of the Generation and of Children
  • “…justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.” (29)
    • Luke tells us that some people believe what God says to them is the truth, and they repent and are baptized according to the baptism of repentance preached by John the Baptist.
    • Luke also tells us that some people, specifically the religious leaders, do not believe and are not baptized.
  • The nature of this generation…a parable that is also repeated in Matthew
    • The parable of the generation and of children (Mat 11:16-17)
      • This is a very difficult parable that we must keep in context of the chapter to understand it.
      • Read Mat 11:16-19
        • From the defense of the character of John the Baptist, Jesus moves to describe the character of the age.
        • Who are the “we” in Mat 11:17?

See verses Mat 11:18 and 19.

The “we” refers to Jesus and John the Baptist.

• • • • • What is the central truth of the parable?

People generally are so caught up in their own daily activity that they fail to pay attention to what is more important, truth and wisdom.

Even when truth and wisdom are presented to them by Jesus and John the Baptist.

• • • • • What does the “piping” represent in verse Mat 11:17?

The “piping” refers to Jesus’ message that the Kingdom of God has come to earth to them.

What immediately comes to mind is a mental picture of a sweet, catchy melody that makes you suddenly stop what you are doing in order to listen. The catchy melody has a supernatural drawing quality. Of course, that is the spiritual action of the Holy Spirit.

• • • • • What does the “mourning” represent in verse Mat 11:17?

The “mourning” refers to John’s message of repentance.

Repentance means that you see your sins from God’s viewpoint, and that makes you extremely sad because your sin has separated you from God.

• • • • • What does the marketplace represent? (Luk 7:32)

The marketplace represents the world system.

The world system presents and entices you with a cafeteria of pleasures, indulgences, lusts, and opportunities of which most are sinful.

• • • • • Who are the children in the marketplace that do not dance or lament (17)?

The children in the marketplace are the non-believers who choose not to hear the truth of the gospel.

They choose not to mourn in repentance over their sins. Therefore, they refuse to receive Christ as their personal savior.

• • • • • In the parable, the children are depicted as surly children who will not play at any game and then blame others because they are bored.
        • What did Jesus mean in the last part of Mat 11:19 where it says, “wisdom is justified by her children”?

The “children” in this verse refers to works or deeds.

It is the same as Jesus’ statement that you can tell a tree by its fruit.

• • • • • Did you ever do something that you thought was really wise at the time, then later have it turn out to be something really stupid?

In other words, the end result will determine if something is really done in wisdom.

The Pharisees criticized Jesus because He ate with sinners and they criticized John the Baptist because he did not eat the common diet.

Jesus pointed directly to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders whose wisdom was not wisdom at all.

Read Pro 1:5-9

What is the Biblical difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom?

Knowledge is information that is useful based on the perception of reality.

Understanding is intelligence and discernment.

Wisdom is to use correctly the knowledge that you have.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

If you want knowledge, you start with what God thinks about things.

You discover knowledge of God’s truth in his Word, the Bible.

Read Pro 1:22-25

These verses are a good illustration of our parable.

They remind is specifically of the “children playing in the field who refuse to dance.”

Read Pro 2:1-5

These verses tell us what happens when we listen to the sweet, drawing sound of the Holy Spirit.

The drawing power of the Holy Spirit brings us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read Pro 4:7

We have seen that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord.

Pro 4:7 tells us that if you have a desire for wisdom, get understanding and knowledge.

• • • • • The progressive cycle to wisdom

The steps	The progression	The results	Scripture
Step 1	Commandments from God	You obtain knowledge and facts of the truth	Pro 8:12
Step 2	Teaching	You obtain understanding and implications of the truth	Pro 14:6
Step 3	Reproofs	You obtain instruction and personalized applications of the truth	Pro 19:25
Step 4	The way of life	You obtain wisdom and success which results from the previous three steps	Pro 21:11
These steps lead one back to the beginning step to begin the cycle over again			Pro 4:11
Warning: if you skip step #3 you will go astray			Pro 10:17 Pro 12:1 Pro 15:32 Pro 19:27
The pursuit of wisdom requires active commitment			Pro 2
The pursuit of wisdom requires two basic character qualities: humility and faith			Pro 15:33 Jam 1:5-8

• • • From the parable we can see the importance of the Holy Spirit that convicts man’s heart of sin so that he will repent and be saved.
    • We can also see the importance of having spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit is telling us.

Homework
Luke 7:36-50

• Application of Luk 7:16-35
  • Have you ever had difficulty in determining if something you heard was true or false?
  • How did you determine truth?
  • How are Christians supposed to determine truth?
• Preparation for Luk 7:36-50
  • Read Luk 7:36-50
    • To whom was the parable directed? How do you know?
    • What is the relationship between love and forgiveness? (Joh 14:15)
• Memory Verse: Luk 7:47c “…but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”