Tag: Luke 7

JEFF TURNER

Many people outside the church question who Jesus really is. Secular media and academics often search for the “historical Jesus,” as if the truth isn’t already clear. But one surprising question came from someone you wouldn’t expect—John the Baptist. In Luke 7, while he was in prison, John sent a message to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

This might seem shocking, since John was the one who introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God, the one who would take away the sin of the world. He had seen the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and heard the voice of God say, “This is my beloved Son.” Still, time passed, and what John expected didn’t happen. Jesus didn’t overthrow Roman rule or establish a visible kingdom. Instead, He travelled from place to place, teaching and healing—but not doing what many thought the Messiah would do. Meanwhile, John sat in a prison cell, facing death. This wasn’t the future he had imagined.

John’s doubt wasn’t rooted in disbelief, but in confusion and suffering. It shows that even strong believers can struggle when God’s plan looks different from their expectations.

The Bible reassures us that God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8–9). Like John, we may not always see the full picture, but we are still called to trust. Jesus’ answer to John was not a rebuke, but a reminder of the miracles and truth already being shown—a quiet but powerful proof of who He really is.

JEFF TURNER

In the Gospels, we rarely see Jesus surprised. Yet, there are two times when Jesus is said to be amazed. One of those moments happened when a Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. In Luke 7, the Bible says Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” This was a strong statement.

At that time, Jesus was travelling through Israel, healing the sick, casting out demons, even raising the dead. Crowds followed Him, but many people only showed shallow interest. They were impressed by His miracles but didn’t truly believe in Him. After Jesus rose from the dead, only 500 believers gathered in Galilee, and just 120 in Judea. This shows how few truly accepted Him.

Then came the centurion—a Gentile, not a Jew. He believed in Jesus’ power so deeply that he didn’t even ask Jesus to come in person. He just trusted that Jesus’ word was enough. This kind of deep, humble faith was rare, even among Jesus’ own people.

As believers today, we should ask ourselves: is our faith like the centurion’s—strong, humble, and trusting? Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” May our trust in Christ be the kind that moves His heart.