Category Archives: Luke

15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15

Dear God, last night I prayed through these three parables thinking about them from the perspective of your pain and then subsequent joy when you find us. Now, I’m thinking about the other thread between the Lost Sheep parable and the Lost Son parable: there is not as much celebrating for the one who stays. Again, Jesus didn’t have to expressly make this point, but he did.

For the Lost Sheep parable, he says, “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” The NLT even has this end with an exclamation point, although I don’t know that punctuation like that is in the original text. Then, for the Parable of the Lost Son, [you] tell the son who stayed, “‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”

Your love for us is truly amazing. Truly amazing. And the love you baked into our being made in your image for loving our children is amazing. But even animals have an amazing love for their children. Ostensibly, there is nothing different about my two children vs. all of the other people of the world except that they came from my wife and me. They are the two humans in the world who were born to us, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them. I can see where the same would be true if we adopted them, although I’ve never experienced that. But this parental instinct is deep. Yes, I failed to love them well several times. Yes, I made mistakes. But oh, how I love them.

Father, thank you. Thank you for not baking anything into me that you cannot relate to–except the sin nature. But thank you for even coming to earth through your Son and exposing yourself to temptation as well. Thank you for experiencing fear. Loss. Poverty. Homelessness. Love. Betrayal. Rejection. And I suppose I don’t want to leave these two parables without noting that it is possible for all of these stories that the sheep, coin, or son would never be found. That they would have successfully hidden from you and stayed away from you. For those I love, I pray that you would find them. That they would make themselves known to you.

I pray all of this through the mercy of Jesus,

Amen

15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15

Dear God, these three parables go together so I am going to take them together. I noticed something I’ve never notice before because I don’t think I’ve ever looked at these parables as being told at the same time and in the same context. What I noticed is that each one describes you as not only being delighted when you find us when we are lost, but you also celebrate it with others. Each of these parables includes inviting others to join in your celebration. The angels? I suppose. Whomever it is you celebrating with, this is not just a mild enjoyment you get from finding us again. It’s a celebration. What that tells me is that much celebration comes from a lot of pain and anguish.

How do you experience pain? What is that like for you? I’ll confess that I experienced that kind of pain even today. Something happened that brought some of my pain over relationships lost to the surface and I sat by myself and wept today. And I cannot imagine the joy I would feel if those relationships were even somewhat restored. So what about you. For that much celebration described by Jesus, how much more so are you experiencing the pain of the loss?

So that’s what makes you amazing. You make yourself vulnerable to pain when it comes to your relationships with us. We are so small and insignificant when compared with you, and yet you (as Jesus) describe yourself as being unbelievably happy when we return. You’re amazing!

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I might address another time the older brother in the last story, but right now I just want to sit with this idea of your pain and anguish over us as individuals. Oh, how I don’t want to cause you pain. Sure, if I stay with you then there isn’t a need for the big celebration. That’s okay. My love for you is such that I just want to be a source of joy for your Holy Spirit, for Jesus, and for the Father. It’s not about a party thrown over me, but about a lack of pain for you caused by me. Help me to live into that desire.

I offer you this prayer in the name of my Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen

²² Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He replied, ²⁴ “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. ²⁵ When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

²⁸ “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. ²⁹ And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. ³⁰ And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”

³¹ At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”

³² Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose. ³³ Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. ³⁵ And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Dear God, as I read this passage today, I just got the feeling that Jesus was feeling the full height, breadth, and depth of his deity. Well, the first thing I actually noticed was that some Pharisees seemed to care about Jesus’s safety. They were probably in the know among the other Pharisees and their plans for killing Jesus. Nicodemus might very well have been in this group. Anyway, it is nice to see some compassion and concern among some of the Pharisees.

But back to Jesus really feeling it. He was on a roll here. Again, if I were to find one theme among all of these parables as they describe you and your kingdom–your autobiography, if you will–it would be that there truly is a narrow road. I’m still not totally certain what defines the narrow road, but I know that it’s a matter of heart and purpose as we strive to love and know you.

It seems lately there are a lot of politicians who building their brand on describing themselves as knowing you, but their fruits simply are not there. They worship you with their lips, but their hearts are far from you (Matthew 15:8). And the weird thing is how many people are following them. I suppose because they are playing on the people’s fears and then giving them what they want to hear. They are sowing doubt and then giving the people themselves to worship.

But as for me, Father, I need to follow you. I need to pray for those who are my “enemies.” And I do. I have a few people right now who consider me their enemy. I pray for absolutely each and every one of them. I pray for their peace and healing. I pray for their joy. I pray that they would know you. I pray that they would experience you in the people around them. I pray that you would use people in their sphere to influence them with your voice. Your peace. Truly be their God. Help them to turn loose of all of their idols.

And now, lest I be seen as somehow seeing myself as better than any of them, I ask the same things for myself…for us all. I pray for my peace and healing. I pray for my joy. I pray that I would know you. I pray that I would experience you in the people around me. I pray that you would use people in my sphere to influence me with your voice. Your peace. Truly be my God. Help me to turn loose of all of my idols. Reveal to me what those idols are. What my sin is.

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

Amen

¹³ Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”

¹⁴ Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” ¹⁵ Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

¹⁶ Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. ¹⁹ And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

²¹ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

²² Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. ²⁴ Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! ²⁵ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? ²⁶ And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

²⁷ “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ²⁸ And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

²⁹ “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. ³⁰ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. ³¹ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

³² “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

³³ “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. ³⁴ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Luke 12:13-34

Dear God, I had a meeting today that included a remarkable woman. She and her husband have experienced a great crop in their lives. However, there was also a time of personal tragedy 30-ish years ago when they were struggling to the point that she said their church had to make their house payment for them for six months because of a severe medical emergency their child experienced. But now she has expertise, resources, and an incredibly giving heart. She has not just added more money to her bank account from the great “crops” that have come in for them over the last 30 years. She gives and gives and gives. And not just of her money. She gives her time. Our nonprofit is about to embark on a big project. She heard about it, and asked to meet with me and some board members so she could share her expertise with us. And she did, and it was invaluable.

The thing about her that I think Jesus is emphasizing here is that it’s obvious she has a relationship with you. Not because of what she says, but because of who she is. I just see the fruits of the Spirit in her.

I had a weird dream last night. I found myself in what was basically Nazi Germany and I was one of the vulnerable who was being hunted and trying to escape. I was able to make sure the people I was with got away, but I was left behind. After being temporarily caught and even shot (but I was okay because I had a bulletproof vest for some reason), I managed to escape and mysteriously found myself in a safe place. I say all of this here because, while I was scared, I was not terrified. When they were shooting me, I was disappointed, but not defeated. And the whole experience left me feeling sympathy for people in both Israel and Gaza right now. Also in Ukraine. When I woke up, I just laid their in silence and processed the deep emotions I was feeling.

I don’t know, maybe that has nothing to do with any of this. I guess the other thing I was thinking about today is some of the Christian media I consume and the danger of doing too much of it. One Christian podcast I listen to came out today and the main topic was discussion of an article about 7 (or was it 9?) things Christians disagree on that just don’t matter. So the hosts talked about the article item by item. It was interesting and thought-provoking, but not really soul-nurturing. Then I listened to another podcast that talked about current divisions in the Christian church in the U.S. and Europe over political lines. Again, interesting, but not soul-nurturing. I had to get up early for a board meeting this morning, so I didn’t spend time with you in prayer, but I decided this afternoon that I really needed to spend some time with you like this before I go to bed.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I love you. I need you. I need this relationship with you. You aren’t a theology, a philosophy, or a guideline for my life. You are my God, and I need you growing in me. I need you living through me. I need you all around me. That’s what this parable is saying. If I don’t have you then I am a fool. I don’t want to be a fool. Thank you for meeting me here.

I offer my life to you through the grace of Jesus,

Amen

⁵ Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ⁶ ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ ⁷ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ ⁸ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? ¹² Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:5-13

Dear God, as I look at these parables and try to decipher what it is I can learn about you through them, this one puzzles me. I can change you?!? I can change your will?!? Who are you that you should even listen to me, much less relent and change your mind?

As long as I am on this earth, I do not think I will ever understand this part of your nature or exactly how this works. But I know there are some things on my heart this morning. The one that is really on my heart is a friend and his wife who are going through a huge health issue. Oh, Father, I’m not only asking for her life. I’m asking for an easy path forward for them…for her. Oh, please, Father, heal her. Holy Spirit, move in her body and give her a sense of your peace and hope. Guide her. Love her. Love him. Give him strength to love her and serve her. Help this pain to count. Draw them closer to yourself through this. And help their children. Comfort them. One of their children has a young and rich faith in you. Use this to draw him closer to yourself, and protect him from being drawn away from you because of any disillusionment he might have. The same for their two daughters. Use this in their lives. Don’t let this pain and fear be wasted.

Lord, there are so many other things. I had lunch with some dear people yesterday, and there is a lot of pain in their lives. Don’t let their pain be wasted. Heal their pain and use the healing to bring them into complete relationship with you. With each other. With their extended families. One of them is staying with a sister tonight. Use that time, Holy Spirit, to heal both of them.

Oh, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, you know I’m not as good at intercessory prayer. I need to be better. But from international things like Ukraine and Israel, to national things like congress and the presidency, to local things in our state and local governments, to personal things in our community, to individuals, we need you. Lord, use my life as soil for a tiny mustard seed and, even if it only provides a branch for one bird, let my life be a source of your hope and joy in the world.

I pray all of this through the grace of Jesus,

Amen