Category Archives: Luke

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Luke 11:27-28

Dear God, what an interesting scene from Jesus’s life for Like to capture. Traditionally, Luke got at least some of his material from Mary (Jesus’s mother) herself. If that’s true and if she was the source for this story (two pretty big ifs) it’s an interesting thing for her to have pointed out about herself and Jesus’s attitude towards her vs. the message he came to deliver and work he came to do.

I would imagine that, if not at the time of this story then by the time she was telling Luke about this story, Mary had reached that ultimate level of faith where we realize that our lives are about you and your purposes and not us and our glory. It’s something that you don’t see tons of biblical characters achieve although it seems to be what you are trying to teach all of us. I guess it goes back to that same temptation that Satan used on Adam and Eve: to be like you and replace you with ourselves.

I go to a Catholic Church with my wife, and while I’ve observed that the do not worship Mary, they do certainly revere her. This passage in the context I’ve proposed above makes me wonder now, for the first time, what would Mary have to say about her role in the church and how does she feel about all of the acclamation. I’m thinking she would likely reject it.

Father, help me to reject any acclamation I might receive as well. I get too much credit and I tend to crave too much love. But it’s all about the message I have from you for others: “There is a hope. There is a peace that will make this life complete. Repent and humble yourself before God. Pursue him in discipleship and you will experience life in the most fulfilling way.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

¹When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. ² At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. ³ When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ⁴ So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, ⁵ “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

⁶ So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷ I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰ And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

Luke 7:1-10

Dear God, I was at a church yesterday that emphasized the inerrancy of scripture. And while I do believe that you speak to me through every passage of scripture and that you inspired it and provided it to us, the word inerrancy can have a lot of meanings.

For example, which version of scripture is inerrant? Which translation? Does it have to be in the original tongue of Hebrew or Greek (depending on the book) to be inerrant? If English translations are allowed, does it have to be King James, NIV, or NASB (1995 or the updated one)? Does The Message count?

Another example is passages like this. It can be inferred from this passage that Jesus sanctions slavery because he seemingly did not do anything to rebuke this centurion for having a slave. In fact, he complimented him and rewarded him. Now, I don’t believe that Jesus supported or continues to support slavery, but it is interesting that he seemingly chose to ignore the practice and didn’t make it part of his agenda.

Another example is biblical characters seemingly doing the wrong thing, but never being corrected on it. So does that make their behavior acceptable? I’m thinking about Samson. You used him when there was seemingly nothing redeemable about his behavior. Jacob was a scoundrel and much of his behavior was never addressed. Peter spearheaded naming Mathias an apostle when it was Paul you appear to have designated as Judas’s replacement.

No, I think we back ourselves into a narrow-minded corner if we insist that each word is absolutely inerrant. However, I do think you speak to me through each and every story. Each and every prophecy–whether I understand it or not. I know I’m in theologically dicey territory here, and I probably don’t have enough theological education to credibly make these arguments, but I cannot help but think that clinging to a concept like inerrancy of scripture is an intellectually lazy thing to do. And I feel like I can say that because I used to hold to that concept, although I had never bothered to define it. But studying scripture and thinking and praying through these things with you does mold me into the man you are continuously transforming me into being.

Father, Rich Mullins once said, “I don’t read scripture to know truth. I read it to know God.” You have given us the most peculiar of manuals by which we are to learn about you and live our lives. It is full of stories–mainly stories–mixed in with a few directives here at there. And I think the stories are great at teaching me. But I do need your Holy Spirit to fill in the gaps. And in terms of this story, I need you to show me what it is you have for me to focus on. Jesus wasn’t here to address slavery, but you’ve put it on others to address it over the millennia. Going back to Nehemiah, you didn’t put it on anyone else’s heart to rebuild Jerusalem, but you inspired a man who was in a unique position to address it. So help me to know, today, what you would have me do to 1.) refine myself into being the man you need me to be, and 2.) do what you need me to do so that your kingdom might come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Luke 12:4-7

Dear God, I spent some time studying about and thinking about Naomi yesterday. As I now sit here and think about this verse I can only imagine how these words might have hit her early in Ruth chapter 1. She had the world collapsing around her. No husband. No sons. Two daughters-in-law who didn’t have much more agency, if any, than she did. The combination of mourning the loss of her husband and sons and fear of what happens next must have been overwhelming. I cannot imagine the grief that would come with losing my wife and two children. Adding insecurity over my fiscal survival to the equation might push me to the edge.

But your words through everything are to trust in you. Even regarding death. If my path is to walk into death, I can do it peacefully because the end here on earth is not the end. Yes, it is easier to say these things in a peaceful moment than live them in the midst of trials, but the only way I have a shot at living this out in a trial is if I do my best to learn the concept now.

Father, I don’t know what is next for me. I don’t know the path my children are walking or what is in store for them. Nor do I know what is ahead for my wife and me. Thank you for reminding me this morning that was don’t need to fear. Thank you that you care more about me. Thank you for Jesus saying and Luke recording that I have nothing to fear but you, and you love me immeasurably.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:21-27

Dear God, how much of my life do I still try to hold on to each day? As a percentage, I mean. I’d like to say it’s as low as 25%, but reality tells me it’s probably as high as 75%. I still like an awful lot of what I like and I can be very selfish.

What does a life completely surrendered to you look like? Have I ever seen it? In my American life, I haven’t seen many. Perhaps Jimmy Dorrell. He and his wife are incredibly sacrificial people. They gave up comfort and safety and moved to a very poor, dangerous part of their city to love people. They have sacrificed much more than I ever have. They have given of themselves. They sacrificed what they would give to their children. Yes, Jimmy is probably I’ve known personally who comes the closest this kind of sacrifice. Mother Theresa would be another, but I didn’t know her. My point is, they are truly few and far between—especially in America.

So what am I to do? What am I not doing that you would call me to do? Is there anything? Is there anything else you want me to sacrifice? My car? My nice home? My safe job? How about simpler things like the time I spend watching videos? The time I spend reading about sports? The time I exercise? If I were to truly put everything on the table, what would you have me give, and what would you allow me to keep?

Father, I don’t want to pray this next thing, but help me to see what it means to “give up [my] own way, take up [my] cross, and follow [you].” Reveal to me what you need me to see.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 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. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 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

Dear God, I’m so grateful to Luke for recording all of this. And it always amazes me how efficient biblical writers are with their words. He tells this particular part of the story with 130-ish words (depending on the translation). I probably need to be a lot more efficient in my own writing and storytelling.

Isn’t it interesting that you have this story for us at all. If it were up to me to give believers in Jesus a handbook, I would have just given them Jesus’s teachings. Here’s what he said about this. Here’s what he said about that. Instead, we get these stories about everyone around him. His second cousin, Elizabeth and her son John. His disciples. His mother and father. His siblings. The Pharisees like Nicodemus. Pilate. In this case, we have two real people responding the real challenges. They made the best of a bad situation, but you weren’t the first person to be laid in a manger and you won’t be the last. It’s just that stories like this help us to understand we are not alone. It’s possible to do it right and still face struggles.

Father, help me to face my life the way these two parents did–one moment at a time. They had their dreams and thoughts about what and who Jesus would be (and they were mostly wrong), but they had a problem to solve and provision from you to seek. And you provided. You provided a manger. Later, you would provide gold and other gifts from the wise men they could use to fund their escape to Egypt. They didn’t have to know the future or your plan. They just had to be faithful. Help me to be faithful today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen