Luke 8:26-29

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26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. ~ Luke 8:26-29

As we mentioned in yesterday's blog, in the second half of Luke 8, Luke records four miracles. Through these four miracles the power of the Lord Jesus is seen over nature, demons, and death. Today, we consider the second of these, the power of the Lord Jesus over demons in Luke 8:26-29.

We begin in v.26-27 which reads, "26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs." This is one of several situations in the gospels where the Lord Jesus dealt with the demonic world. Throughout the scriptures, demons which are fallen angels, have had the ability to inhabit humans, but not against the will of the human. Humans have to open themselves up to demonic activity through means that are known to be demonic.

Now, the Lord Jesus is on the boat with the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. And, at daybreak, they are met by a demon possessed man from a town called Gerasa, or Gergesa, as some call it. In Matthew 8:28 we are told there were two men. This man had a companion, but this man becomes the focus, so we really don't know what happened to the second man. 

Luke tells us this man hadn't put on any clothing for a long time. This is about shamelessness. Nakedness is always a sign of shamelessness in the Bible. Furthermore, he was a danger to himself. Mark 5:5 reads, "Night and day he was gashing and hacking at his naked body with sharp stones." He mutilated himself because those who possessed him were of Satan who is a destroyer. And his demons are the same. 

Mark goes on to point out in Mark 5:3-4, "nobody could control him." He lived up in the tombs, and when people came on the road, he would come out screaming in his nakedness. He would run down the hill with the intent to attack, and to kill. He was scary, and he had no contact with civil people. Isolation was common for him.

According Mark 5:4-5, "No one was able to bind him even with a chain because he had often been bound with shackles and chains and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly night and day among the tombs and in the mountains crying out and gashing himself with stones." This explains why this demon possessed man lived in the cemetery. No one wanted to be around him, he was unpredictable and frightening.

In v.28-29 we read, "28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places." 

When this man saw the Lord Jesus and His disciples come ashore, he came running down the hill screaming. "When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet." This unnamed man didn't know the Lord Jesus, but the demons did. And, out of this man, spoke one of the demons. Then, not only does this voice scream out but the man under the influence of these demons falls before the Lord Jesus.

The demon is panicked because he's in the presence of his enemy and he's in panic.  "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!" Here, in an amazing way, is testimony to the identity of the Lord Jesus, the Son of the Most High God is given, through a demon.

Demons are timeless and ageless. They were created at one time and they are as old as creation. They were originally holy angels. They have vast knowledge of the personality of God and the Godhead, and they know the identity of the Lord Jesus.

This demon refers to the Lord Jesus as the "Son of the Most High God."  When the angel came to announce the birth of the Messiah, he said He would be the Son of the Most High God and God would give to Him His kingdom. The Most High God is El Elyon. It means "God, the sovereign one, God the sovereign Lord." And so, they are identifying the Lord Jesus as the, "Son of the sovereign Lord."  

At the end of v.28, the demon says, "I beg you, don’t torture me!" Here's a tormented man. He's in shackles. He breaks the shackles. He's in isolation. He's in this filthy kind of living like an animal. He retreats back to the cemetery, and when he sees the Lord Jesus, he cries out and says, "Don't torture me." This man has been living in torture for many years. That's torture! But here the demon is speaking of something very particular. In v.31, "they begged him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss." The word "abyss" appears seven times in the book of Revelation. It's rendered "the bottomless pit." 

In 2 Peter 2:4 we read, "If God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world and the ungodly." 

In Daniel 10 we see angels who are fighting in heavenly places. There are other demons, who it seems are confined to the earthly realm, the realm of humanity, and they're in the spiritual battle in the earthly realm. And then there are other demons that are incarcerated in this special place. 

In Jude 6 we read, "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of this great day." These are demons that are involved in what Genesis 6 speaks about, "When the sons of God  (this term sons of God is always used of angels in the Bible) saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took wives unto themselves," and they produced a race, that was part human and part demonic. And God's judgment was to confine those demons from that point on into the abyss. The demons who are questioning the Lord Jesus, know about that confinement, they know that God has incarcerated some demons.

In the end, God is in total control. It does not matter what happens to us on this earth, we should fear no one but the Lord Jesus Himself. Given that God is sovereign, we must be about His business in this world. We must be active at pulling as many as possible out of the fire of hell.

Luke 8:22-25

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22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” ~ Luke 8:22-25

In v.22-56, Luke records four miracles. Through these four miracles Luke says: the Lord Jesus has power over the wind and the waves in v.22-25. The Lord Jesus has power over demons in v.26-39. The Lord Jesus has power over sickness in v.47. The Lord Jesus has power over death in v.56 where the Lord Jesus raises the twelve year old daughter of Jairus from the dead.

The people who saw Him stop the storm were fearful. Those who saw Him heal the demon-possessed man were gripped with great fear. The woman who had been healed of a disease in the midst of a big crowd was literally shaking with fear and terror. And the parents of the twelve year old girl that was raised from the dead, it says in v.56, were driven out of their minds. The Greek word used for "amazed' is  a contraction of two Greek words. The first means to be in place, or to stand. The second Greek word means out of place. "Amazed" literally means to be driven out of their mind.

In Luke 8:22, we read, "One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out."  Mark tells us it was the very same day that Jesus was teaching down at the Sea of Galilee. He got into a boat, pushed off from the shore because the massive crowd had pushed Him down to the water and the only way He could get away from them was to get in a boat and get out in the water. He had taught them all day, and He was exhausted. 

In v.23 we read, "As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger." This is the only place in Scripture where it ever tells us the Lord Jesus slept. And, He knew a storm was coming. His was a sleep of fearlessness, a sleep of trust.

According to v.25, after the Lord Jesus had stopped the wind and the waves, the disciples were fearful. They were terrified because they knew the Lord Jesus was God. He stopped wind and the waves. They knew no one but God could stop the waves, and they were frightened. 

The Lake Gennesaret is one of the most fascinating and most studied bodies of water on the Earth. It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, 682 feet below sea level. It is only 30 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, situated in a bowl-shaped valley. To the west are the hills of Galilee, which rise to a height of about 1,500 feet. 

To the east of the Sea of Galilee is a plateau that runs 42 miles down that part of Israel. It is 16 miles wide, known today as the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights rise to an elevation of 3,000 feet, high above the surface of the lake.

The lake itself is supplied by the snow melt that comes from the Lebanese mountains, Mount Hermon being the most familiar at 9,200 feet above sea level. The snow melts and sends the clean water down the Jordan River, and it fills up the lake. That whole area is geothermal, and at the north and west part of the lake, there are hot springs bubbling up out of the ground that also supplies the lake.

From the west come ocean winds over the hills of Galilee, speeding up as they come down, hitting the surface of the water. From the north come the cold winds off the Lebanese mountains. And as those winds come plummeting down the hills, they gain speed. And as they get closer to the lake of Gennesaret, these winds are forced into ravines. And as the wind is compressed into the ravines, it's speed accelerates rapidly.

In v.24 we read, "The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm." The Lord of all creation chose the ideal place on the planet for this display of astonishing power. He chose the little lake of Gennesaret, 13 miles at its longest length and 8 miles at its widest point.

That night the storm was so severe, the disciples who grew up on that lake as fishermen saw that it was life threatening. They said, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” They understood that they were in danger. The Lord allowed the storm and the Lord was in the storm. The Lord creates the storm in order to demonstrate that He can be trusted in the storm to increase the faith of His disciples.

Hopelessness always aids hope, if we let it. Terror always aids faith, if we let it. In fact, hopelessness and terror are necessary ingredients to the development of our hope and faith. We come to the Lord Jesus when we are desperate in the storm. The Lord Himself created the storm. It is He who creates the desperation so that we will cry out to Him.

In Mark's gospel, the Lord Jesus said, “Peace. Be still.” And the wind and the sea recognized the voice of their Creator and were still. The same way disease responded when He rebuked it was the same way demons responded when He rebuked them. The same way death responded when it yielded up its victim was the same way fish responded when He commanded them to go to a certain place. 

The Lord Jesus calmed the winds and the waves. Normally the waves went on splashing for hours. In this case, the wind stopped immediately, and the water didn’t finish its course to the shore. It just flattened out. 

Furthermore, in v.25 we read, "In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Immediately the disciples conclude, “This is God.” 

And, before they arrived upon this conclusion, the Lord Jesus asked them, "Where is your faith?" Mark puts it this way: "Jesus said, “How is that you have no faith?” This is the first time that a miracle involved the disciples so personally. That day the disciples were moved to trust the Lord more than they had to that point. Yet, they ran away on the day He was crucified.

Here then is another presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory as the Controller of all the natural forces of the universe. Here then is not only that picture of Him and His power, but His compassion and care over those who are His as He delivers them and rescues them from a storm, a storm which allow Him to put His power on display so their faith in Him would even be greater. We have God in our boat; that’s all we need. What’s to fear? And if He brings the storm, the intention of the storm may be to lead us to ask, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Luke 8:19-21

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19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” ~ Luke 8:19-21

According to Mark 3:20-21 the Lord Jesus went home to Nazareth after the events recorded in Luke 8:16-18. The crowd following Him had gathered around Him in such a way His family could not even get to Him. Mary, and her sons were there to see Him but to no avail.

In v.20 we read, "Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." Luke makes it clear that the Lord Jesus had brothers. Matthew lists their names as “James and Joseph and Simon and Judas” (Matthew 13:55). Matthew also says the Lord Jesus had “sisters” (Matthew 13:56). So, Jesus had at least 4 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters.

The word for brothers (adelphos) that Luke uses is always used in the New Testament to refer to “brothers.” Some try to say the Lord Jesus had no brothers and sisters, that these were His cousins. If this were the case, the word for cousin (anepsios) would have been used. But they were not His cousins; they were His brothers. 

Some wrongly say that James, Joseph, Simon and Judas were Joseph’s children from a prior marriage, and hence they were his stepbrothers. There is no evidence, however, that Joseph was married before he married Mary. 

In v.21 we read, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice." It appears this response from the Lord Jesus was indifferent to the request of His family. His response rather gave a definition of the make up of His family. The Lord Jesus defines family as those who hear the Word of God and are obedient to its teaching. From the age of twelve He said He had to be about His Father's business. Spiritual relationships supersede family relationships. Long before we are Americans, we are believers and followers of the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus used the opportunity to teach a deeper spiritual truth. His kinfolk are not only those who have placed their faith in Him as Messiah, but also who are responding positively to His word. Having heard the Word of God, we allow the seed to take firm root, and then, He produces His fruit in, to and through our lives.

In Luke 11:27 a woman among other women said, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." She said this trying to compliment the Lord Jesus. He responded, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and do it." The picture is clear, the Lord says the people who have a relationship with Me hear the Word of God and obey it.

The flow of thought in today's text takes us back to Luke 8:10 where the Lord Jesus explained that the purpose of His parables was both to reveal truth to the spiritually responsive and to conceal truth from the spiritually superficial. The Lord Jesus does not want His disciples to think that His main purpose is to conceal truth. Thus He gives the illustration of the lamp being set on the lampstand, not hidden under a container or bed, to show them that the main purpose of His teaching is to illumine the truth, not to hide it. But, at the same time, light serves two functions: it illumines, but it also exposes. Jesus’ teaching not only illumines the truth, it also exposes the evil that lurks in the dark corners of the human heart. Therefore, we must take care how we listen, so that we respond correctly to biblical teaching. If we respond correctly, we will receive more light. If we turn back, what light we think we have will be taken from us.

Luke then inserts the story about Jesus’ mother and brothers (Luke 8:19-21) to underscore the importance of the primary importance of the teaching of God in our lives. The word of God is the truth. The ultimate message of the Bible is that we must listen carefully to His Word with the goal of being governed in our thinking by His word. As in the parable of the sower, our heart response is of most importance. When God has authority over our hearts, what burdens Him burdens us, what brings delight to Him brings delight to us.  

In v.16-17 we learn God’s truth is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. In v.18 we learn we must listen carefully to His word for His truth defines us best. If His truth doesn't define us, it will be as if we are His enemies. For this reason, in v.19-21, He teaches us that obedience to His Word is more important than being with family.

James was one of the half-brothers of the Lord Jesus. James died a horrible, painful death. At the age of 94 James was stoned by the Jews and had his head bashed in with a club. James, as well as almost all of the apostles, went to his grave claiming one specific truth, that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. They were given chance after chance to change their story.  Rather than change their story, they all chose rather to die and be defined by the truth.

Luke 8:16-18

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16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” ~ Luke 8:16-18

The disciples were confused because the Lord Jesus taught in parables, so they asked Him for an explanation. His reply was He used parables in order to reveal the truth to those wanting to believe. He also used parables to hide the truth from those who didn't want to believe.

The main idea in today's text is in v.18 which reads, "Therefore consider carefully how you listen." This is a constant theme in Scripture. The command, "Hear the Word of the Lord," appears thirty-five times in the Old Testament. The command, "Hear, O Israel," appears many times in the Old Testament. Numerous times God says, "Listen to Me." Several times in the Scripture the phrase, "Today, hear His voice." 

The Lord Jesus made a statement in v.8, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." It is a serious thing to hear and understand the Word of God, because this puts on us the obligation to share that Word with others. Everyone who receives the seed then becomes a sower, a light-bearer, a transmitter of God’s truth. 

In v.16, we read, "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." The "fruit" of v.15 is the "light" of v.16. It is the disciples to whom He is speaking now. Fruitful soil bears God's fruitfulness when properly plowed by the conviction that we are dependent upon the Lord Jesus for all things.

The Lord Jesus here is giving a story that anybody could understand. It is an analogy the Lord Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:15. He also uses it later in Luke 11:33: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."  It is self-evident truth. It's what we call an axiom because it's self-evident.  Nobody lights a lamp to put it out. We light a lamp to give light. Being careful to not hide the light of God, the gospel, from those around us is His point.  We light a lamp in order for others to see. Having experienced God for ourselves, we desire to let His shine that others might see His work in our lives.

The Lord Jesus had just told them, "I'm speaking in parables so you will understand, but I'm also speaking in parables so they won't." He had rendered a verdict on those who are in unbelief. They are that way because the do not listen. And, He knows the disciples are thinking that they were to do the same thing. The Lord Jesus, wanting to make sure that misunderstanding doesn't exist in their minds, says, "No, the light was lit in you to be kept burning."It is not for the disciple to do only as the Lord Jesus can do. So He is saying to the disciples, "It's not for you to put the light out. Only I can make that determination, it's for you to let it shine, to proclaim it to everybody."

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we are to take the gospel everywhere. We are to let His light shine in, to, and through us as we come into contact with people. In Matthew 5:14, the Lord Jesus said, "You are the light of the world.  You are like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.  So let your light shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." True believers hear and proclaim. Now that we have the light, the Good News, the free gift of the forgiveness of sins, we do not conceal it.  

In v.17 we read, "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." The Lord is addressing what is on the inside. He's talking about our authenticity. When He says, "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed," the assumption is we are hiding something. But it's not going to work because it's going to be made evident. 

In the second part of v.17 He says, "and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." The light of the word of God not only reveals to others their need for the Savior, it also shines on our hearts revealing its true condition. We must be careful to not be hypocrites because this will hinder the effectiveness of the Gospel in the lives of our hearers.

In v.18 we read, "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." This is another statement the Lord Jesus used on a number of occasions. Whoever has eternal life, whoever genuinely has salvation, will be given more life. And whoever does not have God's life in them, whoever doesn't hear with a believing heart, loses absolutely everything. The unbeliever loses and will spend eternity in a place of judgment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Our wills are governed by our hearts and what our hearts love. The Bible teaches that our new hearts are a work of God. In Ezekiel 36:26 He told us, "I will give you a new heart." In Jeremiah 24:7 He said, "I will give them a heart to know Me." So we should be in the habit of asking God to give us a passionate heart for Him and that it translates into a compassionate heart for the lost.

Luke 8:4-15

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4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand."

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. ~ Luke 8:4-15

In today's text, the Lord Jesus begins teaching in parables. The word "parable" appears forty-eight times in the New Testament. This is the Parable of the Soils, also recorded by Matthew and Mark. It's a simple story that teaches a profound spiritual truth about the condition of the human heart. In this story the Lord Jesus uses an analogy that helps us to understand that the condition of the sinful human heart is the issue in all of mankind ills. 

According to v.4, "While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable." A parable is a comparison of two things, putting one beside the other in order to better understand it. The Lord Jesus put a story alongside a spiritual truth to make the truth better understood. The Lord Jesus spoke in parables that demanded an explanation.

With the teaching of this parable, a major turning point happens in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. According to Matthew 13:34, from this time onward, He did not speak to the crowds except in parables. His purpose for speaking in parables was to provide deeper understanding to those who were seeking the truth and to conceal the truth from those who were playing games. He taught in parables for two reasons: to reveal the truth, and to conceal the truth: to reveal the truth to those whose hearts were soft enough to received it, and to conceal the truth from those whose hearts were hardened. 

In v. 5 we read, "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up."

The hearers of the Lord Jesus understood the analogy clearly. They were all in some way involved in an agricultural life. The sower used what was called a broadcasting method, which is to throw seeds in a broad swath. The field was then plowed with deep furrows and up and down the rows the farmer would go and he would have a bag over his shoulder full of seed and he would broadcast the seed, throwing it everywhere. And as the seed was being thrown, very typically, it would fall to the ground and find different soils. There are four different soils mentioned by the Lord Jesus here.  

The first soil is pathway soil: "As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path." At that time in Israel the fields basically were divided into long, narrow strips for cultivation. And between those long, narrow strips of field there were beaten paths about three feet wide, so that people could move around the countryside and go between the fields, going from place to place. The only thing that separated the fields were these beaten paths. When the sower threw the seed on the path, it had no hope of getting into the soil. It would just lie there. And the Lord Jesus said when that happens it's trampled underfoot because that's a thoroughfare, that's where people walk and they would just crush it under their feet and what wasn't crushed the birds of the air ate it up.

In v.6, the second soil that which fell on "the rocky ground." This was not soil full of rocks. Israel is a tremendously rocky area, and not just with pebbles and stones, but under the soil, down under the soil is rock bed. There were limestone rock beds that was below the surface just far enough below to have escaped the plow. And so, in those situations the seed goes in. As soon as it grew up it withered away because it had no moisture, the roots can't get down into the water that's down in the soil and so immediately they draw whatever nutrients, whatever warmth, whatever water is out of the surface soil and the plant goes up because it can't go down, and it looks like it's really going to bloom and it's really going to flourish but as soon as the sun comes out and warms it even more and the water is gone, the roots can't go any deeper and it withers and dies. 

The third kind of soil is discovered in v.7: "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants." The word "thorns" is a general word for weeds, thorns, thistles, that category of useless harmful plants, particularly harmful in cultivated crop land. This same word, by the way, was used for the crown of thorns that was placed upon Jesus' head. He was crowned with thorns.

Thorns can look good on the surface, but they suck out the water, drain out the nutrients, and they block the sunlight, and kill the good plant.  And so it choked out the vital nutrition in the soil. Weeds win in that environment, squeezing out the good plant.

And then finally in v.8 we read, "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When the seed hits the good soil, it produces an amazing crop. 

Then the Lord Jesus ends v.8 with these words, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Note that the effectiveness of the seed is found in the soil or in the heart of the one receiving the seed.

In response to the disciples question about what the parable meant in v.9, the Lord Jesus begins to explain the parable in v.10. "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand." 

The "secrets" are the spiritual truth hidden in the Old Testament revealed in the New. It refers to those things that the Old Testament people didn't know that the New Testament reveals: the secret of the incarnation, the secret of Christ in you the hope of glory. Truths hidden in the Old revealed in the New and He says it is granted to you by God to know these things. But to the rest, the Lord Jesus spoke in parables, unexplained ones, so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand.

Those who are willing to see, see. We are privileged. Those who have a growing knowledge of the truth are those who believe in the Lord Jesus. Those who don't believe in Him don't know the truth.  I'm going to start explaining parables only to those who believe so that they are parables of revelation to them. And, for those who don't believe, I will not explain the meaning of the parables, said the Lord Jesus. 

In v.11, the Lord Jesus provides for the disciples His explanation. There is no definition of the sower because the sower is anybody who sows. The seed, He says, is the Word of God, His definition of all things.It is His word, His rhema, His spoken word which creates faith in the heart of the believer.

According to v.12, "Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."  Now the word "hearts" is the key to interpreting the parable. According to v.15, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."  So, you see the parable is about heart condition. It's not about the skill of the sower, it's not about the seed. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. 

Luke 8:1-3

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1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. ~ Luke 8:1-3

It is our understanding of God's definition of all things as found in the Scriptures and the confidence that it renders that enables us to live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. And, once we realize the truth of God applied to our thinking and choosing, we discover that we want others to experience the same kind of life. In John 5:30 the Lord Jesus said, "I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me."  The Scriptures define our lives and life from God's standpoint, His teachings work in our lives as we choose to be defined by Him. 

In v.1 of our text, we read, "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him." The Lord Jesus came to teach us "the good news of the kingdom of God." He began in Galilee which was not the intellectual center of the world. It wasn't the place you would think He would want to go and carry on this several-year ministry. But that's exactly what He did. He went to the least first with His teachings on His kingdom. This is the way He always works, from the inside out, from the least toward the greatest.

The Lord Jesus primary message was the "kingdom of God." The Lord Jesus came "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." Proclaiming means to publicly herald something, like a town crier. Before we had the various forms of media, the king would send his representative into the city square and he would declare, "Hear ye, hear ye," then he would give the message from the king. 

The heart of the Lord Jesus' message was "the Kingdom of God." Thirty-two times in his gospel, Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven, in order to help his Jewish readers to understand. 

In Matthew 19:23, the Lord Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Then He said in v.24, "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The Lord Jesus used the two, the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God, interchangeably. The Lord Jesus demonstrated that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same subject.

Then, in Matthew 19:25, "the disciples who heard it were very astonished and said, 'Then who can be saved?'" The kingdom of God is the sphere in which God defines all things and we come to Him for those definitions. In His definitions, we discover our salvation, which is more than forgiveness of sin. Salvation includes being defined by God in all ways. This is not a political message, it is a salvation message. Those who cry out to God to be their God, those who enter into a personal relationship with God through His Son, they are the qualified.

The whole Bible is the story of salvation. All the way through human history from Adam to the very end and all the way through redemptive history from election to glorification, the whole Bible is the saga, the story of salvation. Preaching the kingdom is preaching the good news then, that sinners can be brought into a personal relationship with God. We can be delivered out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Delivered out of the domain of Satan into the domain of Christ. This is the message of the kingdom.

The Lord Jesus not only had twelve men with Him, but, according to v.2-3, "also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."  This flew in the face of the conventional thinking. The Lord Jesus went against the grain of normal rabbinical behavior. But traveling along with the Lord Jesus were some women, not necessarily all the time, or all together, but during His travels. They were women who had been delivered spiritually and physically by His power over illness and over demons. They had become believers.

Mary Magdalene, once possessed by seven demons, became the first witness of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and the first person in history to tell others the full and complete message of Christ’s power over sin and death. Her darkest moment in life, shedding tears at the tomb of Jesus Christ, became her greatest moment when the Lord Jesus appeared to her and commissioned her to be His first witness. These followed the Lord Jesus because they loved Him. 

The Bible is God's written witness of Himself to us. What we make of the Bible will never be as great as what the Bible will, if we let it, make of us. We must live in and out of this truth, and go forth with great faith in His ability to direct us into His continued ministry in this sin-filled world. 

Luke 7:40-50

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40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ~ Luke 7:40-50

Simon concluded the Lord Jesus didn't know who the woman was, therefore He's not a prophet. But the Lord Jesus knew what Simon was thinking. So, in v.41 the Lord Jesus reaches out to this man who wants to do Him in and says, "Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty." A guy approaches a moneylender, and says I need a year and a half's pay.  And he loaned him a year and a half’s wages. And another person came and they needed, two months wages. He loaned it to him. 

In v.42 we learn, "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both." Neither of these could repay their debt. So the moneylender graciously forgave them both. The moneylender incurred their debt so that neither of them would have to think twice about it.

Anytime somebody forgives a debt, they themselves incur that debt in full. If I lend you $75,000 and you can't repay it and I say, "I forgive that," then I've incurred that debt completely. That debt is now mine. The cost is transferred to me. I pay the bill. When God forgave our sins, He incurred the debt and the Lord Jesus Christ died to pay it. The debt just doesn't go away. It still has to be paid. Forgiveness transferred our debt to the forgiver.

At the end of v.42, the Lord Jesus asked a pertinent question: "Which of them will love him more?” In v.43 "Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said." 

While Simon assumed that he was the one with the smaller debt, the Lord Jesus never says this. He does make it clear later that the woman has a large debt. And he knew Simon would assume that he had the smaller debt. But the Lord Jesus wants Simon to understand that he too has a debt. It is not a small, insignificant debt that can be worked off. It is a huge debt, every bit as large as this woman’s.

Then in v.44 it starts to make sense. "Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair."  Great love comes from great forgiveness. The woman so loved because she was so aware of her unworthiness. Simon didn't even do the courteous things for the Lord Jesus when He arrived at his house. Simon did not even recognize his own sinfulness, but the woman did recognize hers. This is why she had a heart for the Lord and Simon did not.

In v.47 we read, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” This is perfect tense which means something happened in the past with continuing effect now and into the future. She came there already forgiven to find the Lord Jesus to thank Him. 

According to v.48, the Lord Jesus affirms it when He says to the woman, "Your sins have been forgiven." Again it's the perfect tense, have been in the past with continuing result. And, the evidence is there from her love. She loved much because she was forgiven much. Great love comes from great forgiveness.

According to v.49, "The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?" These always asked questions but they never got to the answer. Their self-righteousness caused blindness, making them unable to see the greatest to ever walk the earth.

Notice the woman didn't say anything. She didn't have to for her actions spoke volumes. And then in v.50, He said to her, "Your faith has saved you." It wasn't her love that saved her, it was her faith that saved her which produced her love. It is always our faith that saved us, always. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast."  And because our faith in the Lord Jesus saved us, our love is manifest because our sins are forgiven. "Go in peace." The Lord Jesus is literally saying, "Go into God's peace, and live there forever."

When the forgiveness of God defines us, we are put in a position to be used of the Lord in remarkable ways. It is His peace that has been unleashed in our souls and we throw caution to the wind. He is the audience of the forgiven. Being a leader is much like being a conductor of an orchestra, you have to turn your back on the crowd in order to lead the band.

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Luke 7:36-39

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36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner.”  ~ Luke 7:36-39

Our text today is a narrative, a true story. In v.36 we learned that as "the friend of sinners," the Lord Jesus responds affirmative to the invitation of a Pharisee, who is the worst of sinners, even worse than the prostitute. The worst possible sinner, the most unredeemable of all is the one who thinks he's not a sinner and doesn't need redemption, who thinks that God is pleased with him the way he is. This is the worst of sinners.  

The Apostle Paul was one of these and that's why he called himself "the chief of sinners." The worst kind of sin is the sin of self-righteousness, the assumption that we by our own religious activities and moral merit can somehow earn a place in the kingdom of God. That is the most heinous crime of all for it treats the sacrifice of Christ with utter disdain, as being unnecessary and foolish.

The religious leaders hated the Lord Jesus and His message. And, they were in the process of accumulating incriminating evidence against Him. This is why Simon the Pharisee asked the Lord Jesus over for a meal. This Pharisee has in mind getting Jesus in a situation whereby His own words He can incriminate Himself.

Simon is no friend of the Lord Jesus, though he may have feigned a measure of friendship. He is a hypocritical enemy, along with the rest of the self-appointed guardians of external righteousness. He hated everything Jesus said and was. But the full hostility hasn't yet broken out. They’re still accumulating their material against Jesus. They want Him dead. Now there are serious plots. Trapping Him in His words is their intent so that they can then accuse Him of some crime of bringing about His own execution.

The Lord Jesus willingly went into the house of a man whom He knew was a hypocrite. He went there knowing the man was going to do everything he could to get some incriminating evidence against Him. The Lord Jesus graciously meets with the people who saw Him as their enemy.

The meeting was a lunch meeting where they reclined around the meal table. The doors were open and the town folk were allowed to listen to the conversation that ensued around the table which was in the middle of the house. Everybody who is around the table is leaning in to the table. Around the perimeter walls were spaces for the local people to come in and experience the event itself and to hear the discussion and learn from it.  

In v.37 we read, "A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume." It was not shocking for a stranger to listen in on the conversation, but it was shocking that a woman who was a prostitute came. And, by the way, this is not Mary Magdalene. She is first introduced in Luke 8:2.

This woman brought an alabaster jar of perfume which was part of the trade of being a prostitute. In v.38, we learn she went to the Lord Jesus to anoint Him with this costly perfume. She is weeping. She is flooded with tears over the reality that she is unworthy. As she weeps, she begins to wet His feet with her tears.  She's  sees all things that the host did not provide the Lord Jesus when He arrived, primarily washing His feet.

And then we read in v.38, "Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."  She took her hair down because all Jewish women in public were required to wear their hair up. To let one's hair down was a sign of shame and looseness. But she had no choice except to use her hair to clean and dry His dirty feet. 

Once His feet were clean, it says she was kissing His feet. The Greek word that Luke employs is kataphileō is an intense word. This word is used in Luke 15:20 of the father's kisses when the prodigal came home. This woman is there at His feet and first the tears start falling on His feet and then she realizes that she can use the tears to clean His feet, a courtesy that hasn't been given to Him. And then she can take her hair down and use her hair to dry His feet.

And then comes the woman's final act of generosity, she anoints Jesus' feet with the perfume. So swept away in the emotion she opens the alabaster bottle and she pours the perfume out on His feet.

I mean, this could be a very, very difficult situation for Jesus. In the first place, she's a known prostitute.  She's shamefully taken down her hair, certainly in the view of the Pharisee.  She's touching Him.  Not only is she touching Him, but she's washing His feet with her hair.  Not only that but she continues to embrace His feet to hold on to Him, as if she didn't want to let Him go.  And then she's pouring out this perfume. This could be a very serious breach of propriety. It would be very easy to say, "How in the world does this prostitute feel so familiar with Jesus? She must know Him. How did He have any relationship with such a shameless woman?" Well somebody might make an obvious connection.

Then in v.39, Simon the Pharisee picks up on it. "When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner."

In v.39, Luke gives us a view into the Pharisee’s thoughts. The Pharisee wondered if the Lord Jesus was a prophet, but now he concludes the Lord Jesus could not be for if He was He would have had insight into this woman’s background and rejected her overtures. What the Pharisee thinks he sees, is not what the Lord Jesus sees. The Lord Jesus does not see a sinner in this woman who was a prostitute, what He sees is her. 

Simon, the Pharisee was a man who was looking to incriminate the Lord Jesus. But as much as he wanted incriminating proof that Jesus was not the Messiah, he couldn't bring himself to say, "Here's a man who is familiar with a prostitute."  No one ever accused the Lord Jesus of that. That shows a measure of real respect of the Lord Jesus and a true understanding of His goodness and purity so that the worst the man can say was, "He just doesn't know who or what kind of person she is." Simon chalks it up to ignorance rather than evil. 

Notice the Lord Jesus is not put off by this woman or her past. He does not reject her or keep her at a distance. He is not afraid that her impurity will rub off on Him. Instead, he accepts the woman as she is. He does the same for us. He doesn’t require that we clean ourselves before we come to Him. He doesn’t require that we get our lives together before He hears our prayer inviting Him into our lives. Instead, He invites us in just as we are.

Luke 7:31-35

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31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” ~ Luke 7:31-35

In today's text, the Lord Jesus uses an illustration to identify those who did not believe in Him and thus plotted to kill Him. These people, for the most part, had acknowledged that John the Baptist was a prophet who was the forerunner announcing the arrival of Messiah. But, as we saw in v.30, the religious leaders rejected God's definition for themselves, not having been baptized by John. What started out as a revival quickly disintegrating and the people rejected the Lord Jesus. Their problem was a weak understanding of their sinfulness and of their need for a Savior. They never "proved right" the claims of the Lord Jesus.

John Owen once said: "He who has a slight view of sin has never had a great view or great thoughts of God." If we don't think our sin is all that bad, we will not think that we need God. In order for the "good news" to be the "good news" it must be opposed by the "bad news" which is our hopelessness apart from the Lord Jesus.

Seeing all of this, the Lord Jesus says in v.31, "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?" The Lord Jesus' assessment of the people is yet another attempt to open their eyes to the truth. He likens them to spoiled children who refuse to believe. And, because they were self-righteous, they thought they had, by their keeping of the law and the traditions, entered into a state of pleasing God, and therefore they were not sinful. They believed they were not headed for judgment, they didn't need to repent and they certainly didn't need to be baptized with some Gentile baptism that was used for Gentiles coming into Judaism. 

Then the Lord Jesus uses an illustration to describe those to whom He speaks. In v.32 He said, "They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry." The Lord Jesus provides a picture of children celebrating. Music is being played, and people didn't dance. A dirge is being played and no one cried. The picture is that of the message brought forth by John the Baptist. These people were like spoiled children who were unwilling to be moved in their hearts by John's strong message of repentance. 

In v.33-34, the Lord Jesus provides the application of the illustration in v.32. John came blowing the minor key, playing a dirge. His ministry was judgment, fire, wrath, and vengeance. His preaching was designed to make his hearers embrace the brokenness that comes over their sinful condition. 

John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine. He didn't engage in normal life. John was totally disconnected. He couldn't eat what they ate. He couldn't drink what they drank. If his diet was bugs and honey and water, he would not be able to engage himself in the normal life of the people around him. He disdained normal, common, everyday provisions. He didn't eat bread, he didn't drink wine.  He lived a life of self-denial in every way. He didn't look like everybody else, nor did he live like everybody else. He didn't talk like everybody else. 

The people concluded of John the Baptist, “You say he has a demon." But, before this, the people said that he was the true prophet of God, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The conclusion about John the Baptist of the religious leaders was not informed by the Scriptures. Their conclusion was due to their hardened hearts. They were hardened because they had rejected God's diagnosis of their true condition. 

In v.34 we read, "The Son of Man has come..." The Lord Jesus refers to Himself by a title of the Messiah drawn out of Daniel 7:13, which was His most common way of referring to Himself. In fact, Luke refers to the Lord Jesus as "the Son of Man" twenty five times. The term "Son of Man" has the double meaning of human being and exalted heavenly one. 

A study of the term "Son of Man" in the Gospels enables us to see that He didn't refer to Himself most often as Son of God but as Son of Man. The Lord Jesus was very subtle in that He was always opening his identity to those with eyes to see, but He wasn't opening it so blatantly that everybody would come and make Him king. He had to steer a very narrow course in disclosing His identity, not just openly saying, "I'm the Messiah." 

The Lord Jesus was quiet and subtle. And He would make claims that were explicit in certain settings and implicit in others. And only when the time was right, mainly when He was on trial for His life, and they said, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the living God?," did He say, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory." 

While John was preaching judgment, the Lord Jesus was emphasizing the kingdom. And, John associated with nobody while the Lord Jesus associated with everybody.  Because John associated with nobody they said he's demonic. Because the Lord Jesus associated with the sinners, they called the Lord Jesus "a glutton and a drunkard."

In v.35 we are given a conclusion, "But wisdom is proved right by all her children." The wisdom of revelation leads to salvation. Salvation wisdom is vindicated by what it can produce. The spiritual children of John the Baptist were the ones with the most wisdom for they heard what John had to say and they responded to the invitation of God to enter into eternal life. 

The Lord Jesus compared His generation to people who were childish, not childlike. He was mostly referring to the religious leaders, but He includes the common folk, as well. When we want to avoid the truth about ourselves we can always find something in the preacher to criticize. This is one way we justify ourselves. But God’s wisdom is not frustrated by these deflecting arguments. This is demonstrated in the changed lives of those who believe. This is how true wisdom is “proved right.”

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Luke 7:24-30

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24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) ~ Luke 7:24-30

In today's text we learn that almost everyone in Israel believed that John the Baptist was a prophet sent from God. When a Gentile wanted to embrace Judaism, there was a ceremonial baptism that they went through in order to identify with Judaism. But John was baptizing Jews, which was tantamount to them confessing, "I am no better than a pagan. I am no better than a Gentile," which was very hard for the Jews to admit. 

In v.28 we read, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." John the Baptist, according to the Lord Jesus, was the greatest man who ever lived. And, the greatest man that ever lived had none of the normal criteria for which the world would acknowledge him as being from God. In today's world, most would say John was unconventional, politically incorrect, insensitive, irritating, and he ought to be shut up.  That's exactly what Herod said, who represented the world.  

The greatest man to ever live ended up in prison and beheaded. He had no wealth, came from a very humble family of a priest in the Judean hill country. He had absolutely no social prominence, no worldly status, no education, no success, no achievement by any measure of the world.  He held no position, built no organization, headed no institution.  He wrote no books, left no sermons except a few excerpts from his preaching, possessed no social position, owned nothing, had no particular charm. In fact, John was very uncharming.

Today, we learn why John the Baptist was great. As we considered yesterday, John had some doubts and he sought to get them resolved. That's a part of his greatness. It takes humility to entertain one's doubts. Pride stifles greatness, know-it-alls are never great. It's the humble people who know what they don't know and seek to learn it that become great, if in fact they do.

John preached a hard message of repentance. He spoke of hell, fire, judgment and damnation. John not only confronted the Jewish leaders and called them snakes and said if you're going to be true repenters then bring forth fruit that is fit for repentance. John went eyeball to eyeball with Herod Antipas, condemned him for seducing his brother's wife and then taking her as his own wife. 

John was a man of conviction, he knew what he believed. The people went out to hear John because this man was a man who was strong, was bold, and courageous.  He certainly didn't try to gain favor with those who were in the royal palace. He didn't seek an indulgent life of ease and luxury. He wore clothes made out of Camel's hair. His diet was locusts and wild honey. He didn't have a life of ease, he didn't own anything, he lived out in the wilderness, the vault above his head, stars, was his ceiling.  This is a man of self-denial. 

John's greatness was within his calling. He had the amazing privilege of being the forerunner to the Messiah. God defined John. This is when we are at our best, when God defines us. This is where we discover real life, real meaning, real significance.

In v.28 we read, "I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." The Lord Jesus says, "The least person  in the kingdom of God is greater than the greatest man who ever lived." He described the greatest as the one who gets the fact that he is the least. Humility is the greatest quality of the believer who understands the Lord Jesus measured up on his behalf, and when God looks at us He sees us through the lens of His Son, the Lord Jesus.

Now, those whom the Lord Jesus calls great, access God's greatness through our admission that we do not and can not measure up. When the Lord Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament, He brought it to its intended purpose in our lives. This is GREATNESS! He fulfilled the Law and the prophecies of the Old Testament, and having received His performance on our behalf, we are positionally perfect in Christ. That is GREATNESS! 

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