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Category Archives: Luke

Luke 19:1-10

27 Apr

19 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:1-10

Dear God, I almost deleted verses 6-9 because what I wanted to focus on what the connection between Jesus intentionally seeking Zacchaeus and his line at the end of this story: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” This indicates that at the beginning of the story, Zacchaeus was definitely lost. He had gotten lost in selfishness and self-preservation. He was willing to be despised as long as it meant his life would be as comfortable and secure as possible. He didn’t care about others. In fact, he got his wealth by taking extra from others who needed it.

I had a woman come to my office this week looking for some help. I knew her as a donor, but I hadn’t made a connection in my head as to how large of a donor she is. As she told me her story, she shared with me how trying to help a loved one was draining her finances. And now she needs some expensive repairs done to her house. But still her real concern was how to effectively care for her loved one.

Later, I looked her up in our donor database and was surprised to see that all of her donations had been over $1,000 each year. She has seemingly been giving sacrificially all of this time. It was a reminder that people are trusting our nonprofit to be good stewards of their money.

So back to our story, Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in the tree, seemingly instantly knew who he was and what kind of man he was, and pursued him. He knew that Zacchaeus needed more than to just see him. Zacchaeus needed to know him. It is the knowing of Jesus that changes us.

This kind of feeds into the prayer I did yesterday from the video Fr. Mike Schmitz did on knowing Jesus. The question, “Do you know Jesus well enough to reject him?” is compelling. When Zacchaeus met and then got to know Jesus, it changed everything for him.

Father, help me to know you more and more. More and more, help me to know your entire Triune nature. Help me to then reflect all of you into this world and to those around me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 27, 2024 in Luke

 

Luke 24:35-37

14 Apr

35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

Luke 24:35-37

Dear God, if I’ve seen this before, I’ve forgotten it. Last night, when we were reading this passage in church I noticed that the two who saw Jesus on the way to Emmaus were present for this appearance to the disciples. They got to see him at least twice. What an experience. And what an affirmation. I’m sure they wondered if anyone would believe them. Maybe they doubted themselves a little since Jesus disappeared on them right after he broke the bread.

I’m not sure I have as much of an application for myself out of this except that it’s nice to see these two people affirmed in this way. It’s wonderful that you appeared to them for some reason that is never quite explained as they walked to Emmaus. They got to experience you privately and then with the others. I don’t know exactly who these two people were, but you gave them a special touch that is lovely to see.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I love you. I worship you. I want to pray for some this morning who need prayer. I pray for the Middle East and the tensions there. I pray for Ukraine in the same way. I don’t know how to pray for them, but they are on my heart, and I know that anything happening there is bigger than me. Oh, Father, please help people. Please be glorified. Please make this pain count and, as quickly as possible, make the pain stop. For my friend who is facing marital problems and looking at divorce, I pray that you will heal, make whole, and use this pain to drive changes in both the husband and the wife. For the sorrow in my life, please comfort me. Comfort my wife. And heal the wounds that drive this sorrow.

I offer this and my other prayers to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2024 in Luke

 

Luke 2 (Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, Simeon and Anna)

20 Dec

Dear God, this is a continuation of the project I started yesterday for a friend and her young daughter to use for Christmas. My hope is that it will help them to experience the Christmas story in a fresh way. I pray that you will be with them as they look through these passages. Be in their discussion over the questions I am asking them. And use all of this in their hearts, and mine (and all of our hearts) to draw us into deeper worship of you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Luke 2

1At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Luke 2:1-7

  • How long do you think Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem before Jesus was born?
  • Think about the idea that Bethlehem was crowded with people who were there for the same reason Joseph and Mary were there. Given that circumstance, where do you think they were staying while they were in Jerusalem?
  • A manger is a feeding trough, often made of stone. What are some possibilities for where Mary might have given birth to Jesus?
  • How do you think Joseph and Mary were feeling while they sat wherever they were with their new baby? Do you think they might have felt alone and scared?

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:8-20

  • God had choices when it came to announcing Jesus’s birth. One option was to not send angels to announce anything at all. Why do you think God chose to send angels to announce Jesus’s birth?
  • God could have sent the angels to anyone to announce the birth. He sent them to some of the poorest men in their society: the shepherds on the night shift. To whom else might God have chosen to send the angels? Why do you think God did NOT choose them, but chose the shepherds instead?
  • What impact do you think the angel visit and then seeing Jesus had on the shepherds for the rest of their lives?
  • What impact do you think the shepherd visit had on Mary and Joseph?

21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
    as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
    and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Luke 2:21-40

  • Look at verses 34 and 35 again. These are the first recorded negative words Mary and Joseph heard about Jesus. How do you think this made them feel about Simeon?
  • How do you think what Anna did in verse 38 affected Mary and Joseph
  • When Jesus was an adult and Mary no longer had Joseph, Elizabeth, or Zechariah to talk about this with, how important do you think these experiences with the shepherds, Simeon and Anna were to her? How do you think they helped her if she ever started to question what Jesus was doing when he was an adult?
 
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Posted by on December 20, 2023 in Luke

 

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Luke 1 – Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary (and a little Joseph)

19 Dec

Dear God, I am wanting to help a friend lead her young daughter through the Christmas story and see it in a new, fresh way. A way that makes all of these characters more relatable. To that end, I sat down tonight to give her a lesson to take her through covering Luke 1. Here it is below. I pray that we might all see you working in our own lives through what we see in you through the lives of these people recorded in Luke (and Matthew) 2,000 years ago.

I pray all of this through Jesus’s name,

Amen

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

Luke 1:5-25

  • If you were Zechariah, what kind of dreams do you think you would have had for the son the angel promised? As you wrote to Elizabeth what the angel told you and you “talked” over the next 9-10 months through him writing and her talking, what kinds of discussions do you think they had about the baby they would have?

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 

Luke 1:26-40

  • After the angel left, how do you imagine Mary felt? Scared? Why would she or wouldn’t she be scared? Happy? Why would she or wouldn’t she be happy?
  • In Matthew 1:18-19, we learn that Joseph knew about her pregnancy so we know she told him. How do you think that went? What do you think she said to him, and what do you think he said back? How do you think their conversation might have ended?
  • Do you think Mary tried to tell anyone else about the pregnancy before she went to Zechariah and Elizabeth?
  • Why do you think Mary decided to go to Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s house?
  • How do you think she felt along the way? What do you think she was thinking while she walked?

41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
    He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
    and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
    and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and his children forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

Luke 1:41-56

  • Why do you think Mary broke into the Magnificat after Elizabeth’s greeting?
  • What kinds of conversations and dreams do you think Elizabeth, Zechariah and Mary shared about their new baby boys over the next three months? How do you think they thought their lives would turn out?

57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
    from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

Luke 1:57-80

What do you think about Zechariah’s prophecy over John? Was he right about everything he said? If no, what did he get wrong and why do you think he got it wrong?

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2023 in Luke

 

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Luke 1:35-47 – The God Who Sees Me

17 Dec

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

Luke 1:35-47

Dear God, for the last few years, I’ve had an interesting relationship with this story. What interests me most is everything that happened from the end of verse 38 to the beginning of verse 40. Yes, I know that means verse 39, but more than that. It’s the “few days later” part. What were those days like for Mary? I imagine a lot of fear. Maybe even some buyer’s remorse. Did she second guess her decision to tell the angel yes? What was it like to go to sleep that night? Is that when she told Joseph. Did Joseph get his angel visit from Matthew 1:18-24 while she was with Elizabeth? It must have been a rough few days.

The angel told her about Elizabeth being pregnant, so she probably figured that would be the safest place for her to go. Maybe Elizabeth would understand. Maybe she was somehow in on this. I would imagine she practiced her speech the whole way there. She probably had it all worked out, but no idea how they would respond. Then there was the joy and wonder of it all. She was called to do something special. To be someone special in God’s plan for Israel. For the Messiah. What a mixture.

What happened when she walked into the room, I’m sure Elizabeth’s response was not what she expected to hear. She probably never expected that Elizabeth would prophecy over her and her baby before she even had a chance to say anything. What a relief!! She didn’t have to explain anything to Elizabeth and Zechariah. They just knew. Sure, she could tell them the story, but she never had to combat their disbelief. She just felt their love, but more than that. She felt your affirmation through Elizabeth’s spontaneous words. I’m sure that any doubts that had accumulated–that Satan had planted–over the previous few days went away immediately, and the result was a bursting of joy out of her mouth: “My soul proclaims the glory of the LORD…” How could she help but worship in that moment? It’s beautiful.

These are all of the thoughts I was having yesterday, but I never got to sit down and journal about them like I am doing now. But today is different. I experienced you in a much smaller but similar way this morning. I was really struggling this morning. I was feeling down. I was feeling some self-pity. I was feeling remorseful. I was feeling a lot of things. And then, out of the blue, something extraordinary happened. I’ve gone to the Catholic church with my wife since 2011 (nearly 13 years). I only occasionally go up for a blessing during the eucharist–usually when I am with our couples group at church. I normally just sit and pray while others go up to take the sacrament. Today was no exception. I was praying for a friend who is gravely ill. I was praying for my children and their significant others. I was praying for my wife. I was praying for myself, even. And then, at the end of the time, the priest came over to me while I was sitting on the front row (I sit there because my wife canters and I like to sit where she can sit with me during part of the service), and he gave me a blessing and a special word of encouragement. I would say that I don’t know why he did that, but I have to confess that about 10 seconds after he walked away, I felt like the Holy Spirit whispered to me that this moment was God, you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, speaking to me in a similar way (albeit much smaller) as Elizabeth spoke to Mary.

It also reminds me of Hagar in Genesis 16:7-13, when the angel appears to her and she changes her name for you to “the God who sees me.” In that moment this morning, I felt seen and encouraged by you.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank you. Thank you for the priest this morning. I don’t know that he had any idea that my heart was struggling and burdened. But I know you did, and you gave him a prophetic word for me. Help me to carry that blessing and be worthy of it. Help me to be your ambassador in this world. The man you need me to be for my wife, my children, my friends, my coworkers, and the rest of the community. And please have mercy on Israelis and Palestinians who are locked in battle, and those who are innocent bystanders and suffering. Please break this cycle of hatred and retribution. Break the war in Ukraine. Please use this pain to bring about a special love of you. In fact, even that prayer seems feeble. I don’t really know how to pray for any of it. But Holy Spirit, please pray what the Father needs to hear. You know our hearts. May your kingdom come into this world, and your will be done throughout the world through your body, and even through those who do not call on you. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

I pray all of this through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, my intermediary to the Father,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2023 in Genesis, Luke, Matthew

 

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Luke 5:17-26

14 Dec

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”
Luke 5:17-26

Dear God, I wonder if Jesus’s first intention was to heal this paralyzed man. Did he see the greater need than paralysis that was in the man’s life? What was his background.

The line from Luke that really caught my attention in this passage was, “And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.” I looked at several translations, and they all communicated the same thing: a unique moment for Jesus that was beyond most. I never thought about the idea that Jesus might not always have your healing power strongly with him. That there would be surges in it. I don’t know that I have any deep thoughts on that matter other than it being an interesting revelation, but I suppose it does make me feel a little better about the surges of your presence in me.

I was thinking yesterday that I’m not as much in the Christmas spirit as I was a couple of weeks ago. This is my busiest time of year at work and then the social calendar fills up quickly too so I can certainly be distracted. I think one problem is that I am not as dialed in with spending this time with you. I am still taking in sermons, podcasts and even some reading materials that are spiritually nourishing, but it’s been a few days since I sat and stilled myself before you in this way.

Father, here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you’re my God. You’re altogether holy. Altogether lovely. Altogether wonderful to me. I offer you my praise.

I pray all of this in the name of Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 14, 2023 in Luke

 

Judas and Barabbas

10 Dec

Matthew

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4 plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. 7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:1-16

27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:1-5

15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Matthew 27:15-26

Mark

14 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Mark 14:1-11

6 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. 7 One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. 8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.

9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Mark 15:6-15

Luke

22 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. 2 The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

Luke 22:1-6

13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.

Luke 23:13-25

John

12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

John 12:1-8

2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

John 13:2

38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

40 But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

John 18:38-40

Dear God, so I started this because I was thinking about Judas and his disillusionment with Jesus and who he was turning out to be compared with who Judas wanted Jesus to be.

Last year, I was listening to a Catholic “Bible in a Year” podcast, and I remember a new thought coming to me when I was listening to Maccabees for the first time. The text referred to Judas Maccabeus. Now, I know his name was also pronounced Judah, so I might be making a reach here, but after realizing there were so many people in the New Testament names Judas, including another disciple, it made me wonder if Judas hadn’t been named for a revolutionary hero from 160 years before he was born.

Everyone in the New Testament was longing for a victorious Messiah who would triumph over Rome and make Israel great again. Even Zechariah’s prophecy over John the Baptist in Luke 1 shows that they were looking for a savior from Rome, not a savior from their own sins:

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior
    from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1:67-79

I think the other disciples had the same problem. Take this story about James and John:

51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53 But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 So they went on to another village.

Luke 9:51-56

Or when they put their mother up to asking for seats of honor in what they perceived to be the Kingdom Jesus would establish as Messiah:

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man[b] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

Matthew 20:17-22

And then the other disciples got jealous and had to be rebuked by Jesus:

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:24-28

My point is, no one could begin to fathom what your plan was. Judas was the weakest, most deceptive, and the one willing to act on his frustration that you weren’t living up to your “promise” as a Messiah, but everyone else figured you were there to take over our world at that time. But your plan was so amazing. So different.

And why do I bring Barabbas into this? Well, because he was the revolutionary the Pharisees stoked the crowd/mob to set free. He was the kind of leader they wanted. It was easy to get behind them. Earlier in the week, some of them saw what they perceived to be the “make Israel great again” Messiah triumphantly enter the down on the donkey to great fanfare, but not one of them knew what was happening or what would happen. They were thinking what everyone else was thinking: “This is it! It’s go time!” And even the Pharisees might have been down with that kind of Messiah had he not always turned his ire on them and not the Romans. But instead he angered them, made a scene at the Temple, and basically dared them to kill him. So by the end of the week, the Pharisees and those they were able to get in the crowd were sick of it. They wanted someone they perceived to be strong. They wanted someone who would fight for them because they were under siege. In the end, Barabbas will be remembered for all time not because of the actual things he did, but because he was the mob’s preference when they had to choose between your true Messiah and a person they thought would fight for them.

So what was it that Jesus did? What was his plan? It was actually remarkably simple: Teach us to love, serve, forgive, pray, and repent, and then show us how to do all of these things. He taught us to not make idols out of things and simply worship you. He showed us how miraculous you can be. He destroyed racism through the acceptance of not only Samaritans, but Gentiles too. He taught us that we should render unto the government what is the government’s. He didn’t show any interest in exerting power, but showing mercy instead. He prayed, served, persuaded and suffered. He exhibited how power. He taught us through his example. And then the most surprising things happened: he ascended to heaven and left us as his/your church to carry on.

Father, I can make idols out of the government. I can make idols out of my job. My wife. My children. I’m sorry for worrying about who will govern me–as if I have the power beyond one American vote in Texas to do anything about it. I’m sorry for worrying about the economy, or even where my next meal or paycheck will come from. What was it the people of Jesus’s time, including the disciples and even John the Baptist, who was disappointed with Jesus (18 The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, 19 and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Luke 7:18-19), were wanting? They wanted power. The wanted peace. They wanted security. They wanted influence. But that is not what you came to give. So I am sorry for wanting those things too. What you have given me is a knowledge of you and an expectation that I worship you–and it’s actually to my benefit when I worship you. You have given me people to love–family, friends, and “neighbors” in my community. Basically, you have given me the two things you expect from me: to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbor as myself. That’s it. And the more I do those things, including my neighbors and my world within my small sphere of influence, the more I find that the fruits of your Spirit are growing in me. So help me to do that today. Oh, Lord, thank you for making me your child. Thank you for being here with me in this moment. And thank you for not being the kind of Messiah everyone around Jesus wanted.

I pray all of this in the name of your Messiah, Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2023 in John, Luke, Mark, Matthew

 

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Who is God’s Neighbor?

18 Nov

“A few days later the university team gathers for a prayer meeting, as we do every Wednesday. We follow a consistent pattern: Joe prays, Craig prays, Chris prays, then all three pause politely, waiting for me. I never pray, and after a brief silence we open our eyes and return to our dorm rooms.

With the essay deadline looming, I join the team grudgingly for the requisite meeting. Joe prays, Craig prays, Chris prays, and they wait the usual few seconds. To everyone’s surprise—most of all my own—I begin to pray aloud.

“God…” I say, and the room crackles with tension. A door slams down the hall, interrupting me. I start again.

“God, here we are, supposed to be concerned about those ten thousand students at the university who are going to Hell. Well, you know that I don’t care if they all go to Hell, if there is one. I don’t care if I go to Hell.”

I might as well be invoking witchcraft or offering child sacrifices. Even so, these are my friends, and no one moves. My mouth goes dry. I swallow hard and continue. For some reason I start talking about the parable of the Good Samaritan, which one of my classes has just been studying. “We’re supposed to feel the same concern for university students as the Samaritan felt for the bloodied Jew lying in the ditch,” I pray. “I feel no such concern. I feel nothing.”

And then it happens. In the middle of my prayer, as I am admitting my lack of care for our designated targets of compassion, the parable comes to me in a new light. I have been visualizing the scene as I speak: a swarthy Middle Eastern man, dressed in robes and a turban, bending over a dirty, blood-stained form in a ditch. Without warning, those two figures now morph on the internal screen of my mind. The Samaritan takes on the face of Jesus. The Jew, pitiable victim of a highway robbery, also takes on another face—one I recognize with a start as my own.

In slow motion, I watch Jesus reach down with a moistened rag to clean my wounds and stanch the flow of blood. As he bends toward me, I see myself, the wounded victim of a crime, open my eyes and spit on him, full in the face. Just that. The image unnerves me—the apostate who doesn’t believe in visions or in biblical parables. I am rendered speechless. Abruptly, I stop praying, rise, and leave the room.

All that evening I brood over what took place. It wasn’t exactly a vision—more like a vivid daydream or an epiphany. Regardless, I can’t put the scene out of mind. In a single stroke my cockiness has been shattered. I have always found security in my outsider status, which at a Bible college means an outsider to belief. Now I have caught a new and humbling glimpse of myself. In my arrogance and mocking condescension, maybe I’m the neediest one of all.

A feeling of shame overwhelms me. Shame that my façade of self-control has been unmasked. And also shame that I might end up as one more cookie-cutter Christian on this campus.”

Philip Yancey from Where the Light Fell

Dear God, I was praying this morning about what I will preach about tomorrow. Nothing was coming to me. My wife was surprised I didn’t have football on and I told her I didn’t want the distraction. I wanted my mind to still be seeking you. Finally, I decided to lie in bed and read the memoir I’ve been reading by Philip Yancey, Where the Light Fell. That’s when I came across this story, about 80% of the way into the book.

The set up is that Yancey lost his father to polio when he was one year old, and his mother raised him and his older brother in an ultra conservative version of being Baptist. Fringe enough that Southern Baptists in the 50s and 60s thought they were weird. His parents intended to be foreign missionaries, and his mother put enormous amounts of pressure on her two boys to fulfill their father’s ambition in life. It’s a long story that takes 240 pages to tell up to this point, but by the time we arrive at the scene above, Yancey is a sophomore at a Bible college he disdains, he is in a romantic relationship for the first time in his life, his older brother has left the college and experienced serious mental breakdowns, and he cynically realizes that he’s had enough of you, Bible college, and everything else. I don’t think he would put it this way, necessarily, but reading it makes me think he’s just completely burned out on structured religion and the games religious Christians play. Now he’s going to be smarter than everyone.

Then you show up. A professor he actually respects assigns his class to “write an essay about a time when God spoke to you through a passage of the Bible.” It’s the rolling around of this assignment in his mind that set the context for what I copied above. It’s almost like Job 38 when you’ve had enough of Job going on and on and you decide it’s time to set him straight. In fact, Yancey references Job in the report he gives to his class as a result of his experience: “In the words of Job, ‘I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear. But now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.‘”

So I think this will be the core of my sermon tomorrow. When Jesus is describing the Samaritan who shows boundless compassion in his story, he isn’t only asking us to rise up and be better people. He is challenging us to be more like you.

Like me, Yancey made professions of faith and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior several times as a child, thinking maybe he hadn’t done it right. For Yancey, this experience above was new. He describes it as follows:

Part of me–a rather large part–expects this, too, to pass. How many times have I gone forward to accept Jesus into my heart, only later to find him missing? I feel a kind of sheepish horror at regaining faith. But I also feel obliged to admit what has taken me unawares, a gift of grace neither sought nor desired [emphasis mine].

I think one of the things that frustrates me so much about the current American Evangelical church is that it is selling the wrong thing. It is selling some sort of puritanical life that, if achieved, will enable you to claim victory and then stand in self-righteous judgment over those around you. But that’s not what Jesus told us. Yes, he was harsh when he described how there would be a sorting that comes at the end of the age. Yes, he was harsh when he talked about separating parents and children and all kinds of people over himself. But he never called us to be judgmental or mean. He never called us to be unloving. He called us to love you with everything we have and then love our neighbor as ourself? Who is our neighbor? Well, that’s when he gave us this story of a man of a certain nationality beaten. The nationality is only important to set up that this man would have natural alliances and enemies. Two people who should have helped him didn’t, but a natural enemy did. A natural enemy cared for him extravagantly. Are you my natural enemy? Yes, I suppose you are since I am so insufficient in my sin. But–and I can’t believe I’ve never seen this in this story before–you chose to be extravagant with me, your natural enemy.

One unique thing about Jesus is that he didn’t see enemies in the usual way. He didn’t see a Roman centurion as an enemy. He didn’t see Caesar as his enemy. He saw anyone who misrepresented you as the real problem. And the stories he told about you are amazing.

So I am going to try to put an outline for tomorrow morning here.

  • I. I think I am going to read the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
  • II. Set up Yancey biography and background
  • III. Read Yancey’s telling of his story
  • IV. Expound on this different way of looking at the Samaritan in the story as representing you and the beaten man representing me
  • V. So we have to ask ourselves: in coming to church, reading our Bible, being on committees, etc. why are we doing it?
  • VI. In honest self-reflection, how do we feel about envisioning ourselves as being the beaten man/woman and accepting God’s help
  • VII. Is there anyone in our lives who God wants to use us to reach on his behalf, not by accomplishing righteousness so we can use it as a weapon against the unrighteous, but so we can be the Samaritan in their life?
  • VIII. Read the CS Lewis quote by Yancey: “God sometimes show grace by drawing us to himself while we kick and scream and pummel him with our fists.” Is there anyone today who needs to stop resisting God, kicking and scream. Is there anyone here who would like to let go and accept the gift of Jesus?

Father, I consecrate this sermon to you. Holy Spirit, please use me. Love through me. Through my flawed delivery and possibly even flawed theology, reach those who need you and draw them to yourself. Oh, Lord, be merciful to us all.

I pray it in the name of Jesus, my Lord,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 18, 2023 in Luke, Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

10 Nov

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 18:1-8

Dear God, justice seems to be the key word in this book translation. So what does justice look like? And are there times when you need me to experience injustice for your purposes and/or my growth?

The obvious thing that comes to mind right now is what is happening in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza. The injustice of all of that for countless people is overwhelming. Maybe I and others haven’t prayed for their justice enough. I don’t know. But that’s a hard one to I’m not saying you caused it. I know Satan’s plan is to divide us and he is perfecting that plan more and more. But it’s still hard to watch. I’d love to see you come and bring justice quickly.

Someone asked me yesterday what my core tenants of faith are. Before telling him what I think you’ve taught me about the soil in my heart, the fruits of the Spirit and Jesus’s two top commandments, I told him my favorite verse is Acts 20:24: “However I consider my life worth nothing to me…” If that is true then do I really need justice for myself?

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I confess there are times I just don’t know how to pray—especially for myself. But I offer my life to you. Break me, melt me, mold me, heal me. And please show me how to love you and love others as well as you need me to for my sake and for theirs.

I pray all of this in your, my Triune God,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Luke, Parables of the Bible

 

Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13)

07 Nov

Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’ “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Luke 16:1-13

Dear God, I have never been able to get my head around this parable. I mean, you might as well be describing a scoundrel like Jacob and you would never bless…Hold it. Wait. I guess you would bless a scoundrel like Jacob.

I just looked at a biblical commentary for this passage to see what they said, and it didn’t necessarily work for me. It felt like they added some words to it that weren’t there.

I had another thought this morning as I pondered this scripture. I had lunch yesterday with a friend, and we talked about how our temptation when we read ancient texts like the Bible is to lay our 21st-century culture onto theirs. To read the stories through our own eyes instead of theirs. Maybe that’s what’s happening here too. Maybe I’m doing mental gymnastics to make this story align with my 21st-century viewpoint instead of sinking into the message Jesus says he is teaching in verses 8 and 9. The NLT translates verse 9 to say, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

I told another friend yesterday about Rotary International’s Four-Way Test. It is the idea that if run everything we do through a simple filter of honesty and good will then good things will follow–even if it costs me something personally. Here’s the Four-Way Test: Of all of the things we think, say, and do,

  • Is it the Truth?
  • Is it fair to all concerned?
  • Will it build good will and better friendships?
  • Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Of course, this parable violates the “truth” part of this test, and it isn’t necessarily embracing fairness, and even the beneficial to all concerned is sketchy. But the shrewd manager certainly built good will and better friendships.

I don’t know, Father. This parable immediately follows the “Parable of the Lost Son.” But I can’t tell if Jesus is saying you are the rich man in this parable or not. If it’s your nature to reward this scoundrel. And maybe there’s a cultural layer I’m missing. Maybe there are unspoken nuances that someone in the audience would automatically know that I don’t. Either way, I think my role today is just to listen to the Holy Spirit as best as I can and then be responsive. To go when He says, “Go!” To wait when He says, “Wait!” So please give me ears to hear and eyes to see.

I pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Luke, Parables of the Bible

 
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