tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59015950243793937562024-03-13T12:29:51.808-06:00A Look Into LukeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-23501248482805904522009-06-07T14:06:00.005-06:002009-06-07T14:35:06.930-06:00Luke Study Wrap-Up: Themes Given Special Emphasis in the Gospel According to Luke<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. God’s Plan of Salvation is Being Fulfilled in Christ</span><br /><br />a) <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+1:54-55">Lk 1:54-55</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+1:68-79">68-79</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+2:29-32">2:29-32</a> – the hymns in the infancy account by Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon<br /><br />(e.g. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David…” <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+1:68-69">Lk 1:68-69</a>)<br /><br />b) <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+4:18-30">Lk 4:18-30</a> – Jesus’ declaration in the synagogue – “the Spirit of the LORD is on me…” “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”<br /><br />c) The Greek word that is translated either “must” or “it is necessary” is used constantly by Luke to describe what Jesus has to do to fulfill God’s mission:<br /><br />- Jesus has to be in His Father’s house (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+2:49">Lk 2:49</a>)<br />- He has to preach the good news of the kingdom in many cities (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+4:43">4:43</a>)<br />- As a prophet, He must die in Jerusalem (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+13:33">13:33</a>)<br />- He must suffer and then die on a cross (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+9:22">9:22</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+17:25">17:25</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+23:37">23:37</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+24:7">24:7</a>)<br />- He must rise from death (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+24:44-47">24:44-47</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Salvation Is Emphasized as The Center Of God's Plan In Christ</span><br /><br />a) Luke is the only synoptic gospel account writer to use the noun “salvation” (8 times), and He uses the verb “save” more than any other N.T. book (though this is due in part to the sheer length of Luke’s account)<br /><br />b) A lot of emphasis is given on Christ’s forgiveness of sin (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+1:77">1:77</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+5:17-26">5:17-26</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+7:48-50">7:48-50</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+24:46-47">24:46-47</a>)<br /><br />c) and Luke alone has this key statement from Christ concerning His mission: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+19:10">Lk 19:10</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Gentiles As Recipients Of Salvation</span><br /><br />a) implied in Luke’s genealogy (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+3:23-38">Lk 3:23-38</a>), which goes all the way back to Adam<br />b) in a rebuke to Nazareth’s townspeople, Jesus speaks of God’s mercy to the widow in Zarephath, and Naaman the Syrian (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+4:24-27">Lk 4:24-27</a>)<br />c) Jesus acknowledges a centurion as having a faith greater than anyone in Israel (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:1-10">7:1-10</a>)<br />d) Luke makes a Samaritan “the hero” – in one instance, through the famous parable (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+10:30-37">10:30-37</a>) and in the other, through the re-telling of those whom Christ healed of leprosy – with only the Samaritan returning to give thanks (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+17:11-16">17:11-16</a>)<br />e) much more about the inclusion of Gentiles is spoken of, of course, in Luke’s “sequel” to his gospel account – the Acts of the Apostles (e.g., <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+10">Acts 10</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+28:25-29">28:25-29</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Outcasts Of Society As Recipients Of Salvation, And Special Objects Of Christ's Compassion</span><br /><br />Constantly throughout Luke’s account, we see Jesus reaching out to the marginalized of society:<br /><br />a) to the poor – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+1:46-55">1:46-55</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+4:18-31">4:18</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:20-23">6:20-23</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:22">7:22</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+10:21-22">10:21, 22</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+14:13">14:13</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+14:21-24">21-24</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+16:19-31">16:19-31</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+21:1-4">21:1-4</a><br />b) “sinners” (i.e. anyone who didn’t conform to all of the Pharisees’ laws): <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+5:27-32">5:27-32</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:28-50">7:28-50</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+15:1-2">15:1-2</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+19:7">19:7</a><br />c) women (not typically given the dignity <span style="font-style: italic;">to even</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> be</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">spoken to</span> at that time – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+4:27">Jn 4:27</a>): <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:36-50">Lk 7:36-50</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+8:1-3">8:1-3</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+8:48">48</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+10:38-42">10:38-42</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:10-17">13:10-17</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+24:1-12">24:1-12</a><br />d) tax collectors (despised especially at that time): <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+3:12">Lk 3:12</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+5:27">5:27</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:29">7:29</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk15:1">15:1</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:10-13">18:10-13</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+19:2">19:2</a><br /><br />…and He desires His disciples to give priority in their ministry to the marginalized as well (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+14:12-14">Lk 14:12-14</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. "Counting The Cost" As Christ's Will For His Disciples</span><br /><br />a) “if anyone would come after me…” – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:23-27">9:23-27</a><br />b) there is no looking back – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:57-62">9:57-62</a><br />c) “if anyone comes to me and does not hate…” – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+14:25-27">14:25-27</a><br />d) the necessity to estimate the cost (Jesus’ two illustrations) – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+14:28-33">14:28-33</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Prayer As Christ's Will For His Disciples</span><br /><br />a) Exemplified the importance of prayer in his own person – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+3:21-22">3:21-22</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:12">6:12</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:18">9:18</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:28-29">9:28-29</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+22:32">22:32</a><br />b) Jesus gives His disciples specific instruction, and encouragement, on prayer – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+11:1-11">Lk 11:1-11</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:1-8">18:1-8</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+22:40">22:40</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+22:46">46</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Watchfulness Against The Danger Of Riches, And Embracing Good Stewardship, As Christ's Will For His Disciples</span><br /><br />a) “woe to you who are rich…well-fed…” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:23-24">6:23-24</a>)<br />b) the seed that falls upon the thorns is “choked by life’ worries, riches and pleasures” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk8:14">8:14</a>)<br />c) the parable of the rich fool (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk12:13-21">12:13-21</a>)<br />d) “whoever can be trusted with very little….”; “no one can serve two masters” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+16:10-13">16:10-13</a>)<br />e) the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+16:19-31">16:19-31</a>)<br />f) Jesus’ words about the widow – giving out of one’s wealth vs. giving out of one’s poverty (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+21:3-4">21:3-4</a>)<br />g) “Sell your possessions….provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:33-34">12:33-34</a>)<br />h) “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+16:9">16:9</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Watchfulness For His Return As Christ's Will For His Disciples</span><br /><br />a) “"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet…..” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:35-40">12:35-40</a>)<br />b) “Who then is the faithful and wise manager…?” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:42-48">12:42-48</a>)<br />c) “For the Son of Man in His day will be like the lightning…” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+17:20-37">17:20-37</a>)<br />d) the parable of the ten minas – the importance of being faithful with what you’ve been entrusted (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+19:11-27">19:11-27</a>)<br />e) Jesus tell His disciples of the signs marking the end of the age (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+21:5-38">21:5-38</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">References: </span><br /><br />D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo, <span style="font-style: italic;">An Introduction to the New Testament: Second Edition</span>. Zondervan: 2005, pp. 219-221.<br /><br />John MacArthur, <span style="font-style: italic;">The MacArthur Study Bible</span>. Word: 1997, p. 1505.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The ESV Study Bible</span>. Crossway: 2008, p. 1938.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-29901007844184147702009-05-31T19:30:00.011-06:002009-05-31T20:01:49.515-06:00Luke 24:36-53 - Christ's Appearance to His Disciples, and His Gospel Commission<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SiMyxqsXD6I/AAAAAAAAAF0/cHK6XeHgQVY/s1600-h/image11.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 212px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SiMyxqsXD6I/AAAAAAAAAF0/cHK6XeHgQVY/s400/image11.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342169411846868898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.</span> (NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Observations</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Jesus' resurrection is a <span style="font-style: italic;">bodily</span> resurrection, not a "disembodied spirit" resurrection (vv. 36-43).</span><br /><br />Many non-Christian religious movements, or pseudo-Christian cults (such as the Jehovah's witnesses) declare that Jesus rose from death only in a disembodied spirit. But what Luke endeavours to show in his typically matter-of-fact way - by reporting Jesus' invitations to his disciples to touch him and give him something to eat - clearly denies this. The apostle John, in his gospel account, also records how Jesus convinced the twelve, and - in particular - "doubting Thomas" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+20:19-29&src=esv.org">Jn 20:19-29</a>) of his bodily presence, by inviting him to touch him. John's later testimony confirms how essential the bodily aspect of Jesus' resurrection is to his life-giving Lordship: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+1:1">1 Jn 1:1</a>).<br /><br /><br />All too often we look upon Christ's resurrection only - or, at least, primarily - as something that verifies the truth of Christianity and of who Christ is. Indeed, Paul does make mention of this (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+15:12-19">1 Co 15:12-19</a>). But what we tend to overlook is something that Paul goes on to talk about in the very same chapter - namely, that Christ's bodily resurrection is a guarantee that those who trust in Him will also be resurrected in their own bodies (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+15:20-23">1 Co 15:20-23</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+15:35-57">35-57</a>).<br /><br />Wayne Grudem speaks of how Christ's resurrection, and ours, confirms the delight God takes in all He's made:<br /><br />"It is important to insist on the resurrection of a real, physical body...because this provides a clear affirmation of the goodness of God's physical creation. We will live in bodies that have all the excellent qualities God created us to have, and thereby we will forever be living proof of the wisdom of God in making a material creation that from the beginning was "very good" (Gen 1:31). We will live as resurrected believers in those new bodies, and they will be suitable for inhabiting the "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Pe+3:13">2 Pe 3:13</a>). (Grudem, <span style="font-style: italic;">Systematic Theology</span>, 1994, p. 835)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question #1:</span> How often do you meditate on the fact that the church will not just be in "heaven" with the LORD, but that we will have new bodies like His, and dwell in a "new heavens and new earth"? What kinds of joy does this cause you to feel?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Jesus reminds his disciples that His resurrection was according to God's plan, by showing how the Old Testament pointed to His suffering, rising and commission.</span><br /><br />The LORD mentions three particular sources in verse 44:<br /><br />a) <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">the Law of Moses</span> (Exodus - Deuteronomy): numerous scriptures that alludes to Christ's work can be found in Exodus 1 to 15 (suffering, and then deliverance) and Leviticus (sacrifices that require the shedding of blood)<br /><br />b) <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">the Prophets</span> (Isaiah - Malachi) - examples are <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah+53:4-12">Isaiah 53:4-12</a> (Christ's suffering - "...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities"); <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jonah+2:6">Jonah 2:6</a> ("you brought my life up from the pit") and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah+49:6">Isaiah 49:6</a> (Christ's commission - "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.")<br /><br />c) <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">the Psalms</span> - examples are <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+22">Ps 22</a> ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+16:10">Ps 16:10</a> (Christ's resurrection -"...nor will you let your Holy One see decay.")<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question #2:</span> What other Old Testament passages, themes, or passages that anticipate the work of Christ are ones you find particularly memorable? Why?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Knowing the meaning of the Scriptures, and proclaiming the One who is its grand subject, can only be possible through the LORD's enabling power.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"Then he (Christ) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." (v. 45)</span> This statement does not suggest that the Scriptures are incomprehensible and "require assistance" from God to be understood; rather, it teaches that the problem of sin has, among other things, darkened people's understanding enough so that they can't discover the full meaning of many passages - particularly in the way they relate to Jesus - without divine intervention. "Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+119:144">Ps 119:144</a>; see also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+2:14">1 Co 2:14</a>)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (v. 49)</span> What the Father has promised is the Holy Spirit, as is made clear from Jesus' words in John's gospel account. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+14:26">Jn 14:26</a>) He will also "convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+16:8">16:8</a>).<br /><br />Not least of what the Spirit provides the disciples is great strength, as Luke records at the beginning of the book of Acts: "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+1:8">Acts 1:8</a>). All of these provisions of the Holy Spirit remind us that, in and of ourselves, we are completely inadequate to fulfill the task of making Christ known to others (see also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+15:5">Jn 15:5</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Co+3:5-6">2 Co 3:5-6</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question #3</span>: Do I tend to overlook the role of the Holy Spirit in helping me to live as a disciple of Christ, and make Him known to others? What kinds of things can help me remember how essential He is for my spiritual life?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. The necessity of turning from sin, and the blessing of being forgiven of sin, are two essential components of the gospel message.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">”repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations”</span> (v. 47).<br /><br />It is not likely that the matter of forgiveness would ever be absent from any attempted gospel presentation, but it can be easy for even sincere believers to leave out the matter of repentance, especially when they are faced with the prospect of offending the unbelievers whom they’re speaking to. After all, the underlying idea behind repentance (the turning away from one’s idols – <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ezek+18:30-31">Ezek 18:30-31</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Thes+1:8-10">1 Thes 1:8-10</a>) is the lordship of Christ, and the right He has to rule over every facet of a person’s life.<br /><br />But repentance is essential to conversion (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:1-5">Lk 13:1-5</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+3:19-20">Acts 3:19-20</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+17:29-30">17:29-30</a>); one cannot accept Jesus as Saviour without bowing down to Him as Lord. Therefore, a failure to mention repentance in one's gospel presentation really amounts to no gospel being proclaimed at all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. The LORD's victory over death, and His authority over all heaven and earth, should lead to praise of the people.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." (vv. 51-53)</span><br /><br />Paul enlightens us on some of the ways we are to praise God: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. " (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+5:19-20">Eph 5:19-20</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-70529924693443374432009-05-24T18:53:00.005-06:002009-05-24T19:13:09.877-06:00Luke 24:1-35 - Christ's Resurrection: the Fulfillment of God's Plan and Purpose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/ShnuzYfocXI/AAAAAAAAAFs/3KxLJ80-77o/s1600-h/empty_tomb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 303px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/ShnuzYfocXI/AAAAAAAAAFs/3KxLJ80-77o/s400/empty_tomb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339561399740297586" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/COMPAQ%7E1.SEA/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1627421319 -2147483648 8 0 66047 0;} @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;} h1 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-font-kerning:0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:right; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style><h1><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;">1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 17He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 19"What things?" he asked.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 25He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 28As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"</span> <span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"> 33They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.</span> (NIV)
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Observations</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">
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<br />1. Even Christ's disciples are slow to take Him at His word and believe what He says.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<br />a) <span style="font-style: italic;">the women</span> - "they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (and) they were wondering about this..."(vv. 3-4) They had to be reminded, by the angels, of the words that Jesus spoke earlier about His approaching death. This shows that they had not previously been paying attention to all of his words. Neither, really, had Peter, as evidenced by verse 12: "he went away, wondering to himself what had happened."</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<br />b) <span style="font-style: italic;">the eleven remaining disciples</span> - "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense." We shouldn't think that our age is the only one in which skepticism over miracles is found. And to think this statement came from the disciples themselves, who had already witnessed countless miracles of Christ, not least of which had been the raising of a widow's son (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:11-17&src=esv.org">Lk 7:11-17</a>) and the raising of Lazarus (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+11:38-43">Jn 11:38-43</a>)! The disciples' words towards the women provide a good rebuttal to the ignorant claims of many in our day that the disciples were wishful thinkers who made up the "myth" of Jesus' resurrection because they wanted to believe it, against all reason.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<br />c) <span style="font-style: italic;">the travelers to Emmaus</span> - since Cleopas and his traveler (possibly his wife) were "downcast" - because the events surrounding Jesus did not turn out the way they expected - they were "amazed" when learning of the fact that the women "didn't find his body" (v. 22). As a response, Jesus rebukes them for being "foolish" and "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" (v. 25). They, like the women, had not paid attention to God's word - although what is emphasized here is how little they had studied what the Old Testament had said about the coming Messiah. </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">What is especially noteworthy in this account of the Emmaus travelers is how false ideas - and the expectations that arise from them - can greatly injure the faith God wants us to have. It seems as though Cleopas and his companion expected Jesus to be a political Messiah that would free the Jews from the Romans. At very least, they thought He would set up His kingdom right away. The kind of faith that holds to false expectations will be greatly shaken.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<br />So what we find in this passage is something rather alarming: even when the greatest event in human history has occurred, where Jesus is "declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead" (Rom 1:4, compare with verse 3), some of His very own people have trouble believing it. What Luke reports here should be somewhat reassuring to us, because when we flounder in our faith, we tend to contrast our weaknesses with the strengths of the "early church". But in this passage we find that the "early church" was, in some ways, not that different from us at all!</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Still, we need to take Jesus' displeasure - as expressed in His rebuke to the traveling companions - very seriously, and ask ourselves to what degree we find ourselves in the shoes of these characters. Those who have placed their trust in the Lord are commanded to remember His words (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+8:11">Deut 8:11</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+119:141">Ps 119:141</a>) and believe that He has all power and authority to bring His words to pass (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+4:18-21">Rom 4:18-21</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+55:10-11">Isa 55:10-11</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+28:6">Mt 28:6</a>).</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Reflection Question 1:</span> What things do we need to be on the alert for, that can hinder our faith in Christ? What kinds of things can strengthen it?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span></h1><h1>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's design and purpose - as expressed by Jesus Himself, and by Old Testament teaching.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">a) by Jesus Himself - "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Indeed, Luke records that Jesus made this prediction four times while in Galilee (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:22">Lk 9:22</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:44">44</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+17:25">17:25</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:32-33">18:32-33</a>) and one more time in Jerusalem (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=luke+22:37">22:37</a>).</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<br />b) by Old Testament teaching - "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them (i.e. the travelers to Emmaus) what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (v. 27) There may have been many passages that Jesus used from the Old Testament - passages which spoke either clearly or subtly about the coming Messiah. Some of these were likely passages that Luke himself refers to all the way through his gospel account. As
<br />Darrell Bock says:
<br /></span></h1><h1>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">"Though this passage only gives a general inference to the promises in the Law and the Prophets, the specific texts in view have been noted throughout Luke. Consider <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah+40">Isaiah 40</a> and its promise of a forerunner (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+3:4-6">Luke 3:4-6</a>), <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah+61">Isaiah 61</a> and its proclamation and realization of deliverance (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+4:18-19">Luke 4:18-19</a>). <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Psalm+118">Psalm 118</a> and its call to receive one who comes in the Lord's name (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+13:35">Luke 13:35</a>) and its warning that the rejected stone will be exalted (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+19:38">Luke 19:38</a>), <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Psalm+110">Psalm 110</a> and its promise of a shared rule with God and an exaltation to come (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+20:42-43">Luke 20:42-43</a>), and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Daniel+7">Daniel 7</a> and its picture of the Son of Man coming on the clouds (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+21:27">Luke 21:27</a>)." (Bock, <span style="font-style: italic;">NIV Application Commentary: Luke</span>, p. 616). </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">
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<br />Reflection Question 2:</span> What other passages, themes, images, etc. that you know from the Old Testament provide a "preview" of Christ? How do they do so?</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">
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<br />Reflection Question 3:</span> In what way does God's plan and purpose for His people resemble His plan and purpose for Christ? How does this affect the way your view your life on this earth?</span>
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<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other Observations from this passage: </span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
<br />
<br />The resurrection is reported by Luke in every bit of a matter-of-fact way as everything else in his gospel account.</span> (There is absolutely no change in tone, or anything else, that would suggest that the resurrection is some fanciful idea that is made up by Luke. And His report of the disciples' initial skepticism only confirms that he is reporting what he has investigated.)</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
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<br />The LORD is with those who talk about Him, even when their understanding is feeble, and they earn a rebuke as a result.</span> (The fact that the LORD walked alongside two people who were discussing Him should remind us of His statement from <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt.18:20">Matt. 18:20</a>: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.")</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
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<br />The LORD loves to be entreated by His people.</span> (Jesus is more than willing to accommodate those - such as the travelers to Emmaus - who desire His company. Recall what He says to the Laodicean church in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev.3:20">Rev. 3:20</a>: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.")</span>
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<br /><o:p></o:p></h1> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-7466524429142189912009-05-10T22:29:00.004-06:002009-05-10T22:43:45.225-06:00Luke 23:26-56: Jesus' Last Words on Calvary; the Aftermath of His Death<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sger9M7R3KI/AAAAAAAAAFk/tLXmoVCnz1c/s1600-h/cross.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 128px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sger9M7R3KI/AAAAAAAAAFk/tLXmoVCnz1c/s400/cross.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334421351573871778" border="0" /></a><br />26As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30Then they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' 31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"<br /><br />32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.<br /><br />35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."<br /><br />36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."<br /><br />38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.<br /><br />39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"<br /><br />40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."<br /><br />42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."<br /><br />43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."<br /><br />44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.<br /><br />47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." 48When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.<br /><br />50Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 53Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.<br /><br />55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Observations</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. The real tragedy related to Jesus’ death is not mourning for Him upon reflection of it, but to misjudge Him and to be judged accordingly.</span><br /><br />”do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.” (v.28) When we compare what Jesus says to the women from verses 28 to 31 to what He speaks of earlier in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=luke+19:41-44&src=esv.org">19:41-44</a> and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=luke+21:20-24">21:20-24</a>, we can infer that He is making one last prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.<br /><br />The words of Jesus to the mourning women – particularly verses 29 and 30 – may sound very harsh on the surface, but there’s no evidence to suggest that these women were truly disciples of Jesus. They may even have been only “professional” mourners, since these were often a fixture of “wailing” ceremonies following a Jew’s death (see <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt.+9:23-24">Matt. 9:23-24</a>).<br /><br />”For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (v. 31) This is a strange statement, to our ears anyway. Several interpretations have been made of it; the following quotation provides what I believe to be its likely meaning: “This was probably a common proverb. Jesus’ meaning seems to be this: If the Romans would perpetrate such atrocities on Jesus (the “green wood” – young, strong and a source of life), what would they do to the Jewish nation (the “dry wood” – old, barren, and ripe for judgment?” (<span style="font-style: italic;">MacArthur Study Bible</span>, p. 1564).<br /><br />Jesus, even in the midst of His impending death, knew of the joy set before Him and so willingly endured the cross (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+12:2">Heb 12:2</a>). Not long after this, He would be reunited with God the Father (v. 46, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+20:17">Jn 20:17</a>) and sit at His right hand (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+12:2">Heb 12:2</a>).<br /><br />But Jerusalem, because she “did not recognize the time of God’s coming” to her, will be “dash(ed)…to the ground”, without even children being spared (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+19:41-44">Luke 19:41-44</a>). This judgment is sobering, not only because of what it means in itself, but also for the picture it provides of the judgment God will bring, at the end of time, upon all who reject Jesus – both Jews and Gentiles (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+2:8-9">Rom 2:8-9</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Thes+1:8-10">2 Thes 1:8-10</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question:</span> How often do you reflect on the attribute of God as judge? Why is it essential for us not to lose sight of this?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">B. Jesus’ compassion for sinners is unwavering.</span><br /><br />v. 34 – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” – even at the very moment of his crucifixion, Jesus shows more concern for the lost state of sinners than for His own plight. It may have been that this prayer was used by God to bring massive numbers to faith on the day of Pentecost, during Peter’s address to the crowds (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+2:14-41">Acts 2:14-41</a>). Already we can see some indications of repentance on the part of many people who are watching Jesus in His final hours (vv. 47-48).<br /><br />v. 43 – “I tell you the truth – today, you will be with me in paradise” – the brief account of the penitent thief (vv. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=luke+23:39-43">39-43</a>), which ends with this promise of Jesus, demonstrates that it’s never too late for someone on the brink of death to come to faith, by the power of God. Of course, such an individual must show the marks of repentance of faith, which this thief did: he acknowledged his guilt (v. 40), declared Jesus’ faultlessness (v. 40), proclaimed Jesus’ lordship by referencing His kingdom (v. 42), and showed humility by asking only to be remembered (v. 42).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question:</span> Am I growing more and more like Christ in the way I view people, especially in yearning for the redemption of those who don’t know Him?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">C. Words of hostility and hatred toward Jesus can sometimes have an ironic flavour which still gives glory to God.</span><br /><br />“Save yourself and us” – v. 35, 36, 39 – while these words were spoken with mere mockery, the LORD was pleased to bring them to fulfillment: Jesus did indeed, in a short time, raise Himself from the dead as He predicted back in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+2:18-22">Jn 2:18-22</a>; and He then provided – and continues to provide, to this day – salvation for all who call upon Him (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+19:10">Lk 19:10</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+10:12-13">Rom 10:12-13</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Tim+1:15">1 Tim 1:15</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">D. There are always seemingly ordinary individuals who deserve special attention for their faith-driven courage, because they break ranks with the world and are thus used by God for special purposes.</span><br /><br />Continuing in his trend to turn the attention of his readers toward ordinary individuals, Luke the doctor puts the spotlight on Joseph of Arimathea. Luke wants us to take notice of the fact that “he had not consented to (the Council’s) decision and action”. Though history books likely would have never mentioned him, this man is singled out in Scripture for the courage that comes from faith. Thus God was pleased to use him to do the essential task of burying our Lord’s body in a freshly-cut tomb (v. 53).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-56282332480812974672009-05-03T14:08:00.004-06:002009-05-03T14:20:29.740-06:00Luke 23:1-24: Pilate, Herod and the Jews: A Study in Fallen Human Nature<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sf38TQFYZYI/AAAAAAAAAFc/GTwKi4KZ-Cs/s1600-h/herod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 202px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sf38TQFYZYI/AAAAAAAAAFc/GTwKi4KZ-Cs/s400/herod.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331694941541787010" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">1Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">4Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">5But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">6On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">8When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">18With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">22For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand.</span> (NIV)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Observations</u></span>
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<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;" >The assembly knew that they couldn’t convince Pilate that Jesus was a criminal because He claimed divinity, so they tried to accuse him on political grounds. Notice how on the first and third charges (i.e. subverting the nation and claiming to be a king), there are kernels of truth, but they are couched in such a way as to mislead unsuspecting leaders like Pilate. As for the second charge – that Christ opposed the payment of taxes to Caesar – it was outright lie. Remember how Christ said in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+20:25">Luke 20:25</a>: “…give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."</span><b style=""><span style=";font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;" >
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Herod was initially glad to see Jesus, because he hoped He’d perform a sign. When Jesus (presumably) didn’t deliver one – and did not even answer any questions, Herod’s contempt was revealed by the way he ridiculed and mocked Jesus, along with his soldiers.
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<br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Reflection question</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">: What does Jesus say elsewhere – particularly in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+12:39">Matthew 12:39</a> and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+16:4">16:4</a>, about the character of the person who demands signs and wonders? Why does such a person revealed to be such through his or her demandingness?
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<br /></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/COMPAQ%7E1.SEA/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1627421319 -2147483648 8 0 66047 0;} @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;} h1 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning:0pt; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} h2 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:2; font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} h5 {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-outline-level:5; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; font-weight:bold;} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyText2, li.MsoBodyText2, div.MsoBodyText2 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyText3, li.MsoBodyText3, div.MsoBodyText3 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";} span.sup {mso-style-name:sup;} span.apple-style-span {mso-style-name:apple-style-span;} span.apple-converted-space {mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;} span.keywordresultextras {mso-style-name:keywordresultextras;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> </p><p class="MsoBodyText2">C. In Herod and Pilate, we also see an example of how two enemies can become friends: through their common opposition to the truth.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It is not clear, to be sure, just how or why Herod and Pilate became friends, but it’s easy to conclude that there was something about their common indifference to Jesus that brought them to have an affinity with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2">
<br />D. In Pilate, we see how the fear of man, and the quest to continue in power, can so easily lead one to capitulate to the demands of others.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Although Pilate says three times in this passage that he finds no basis on which to charge Jesus, any serious conviction he may have had easily gives way before the shouting crowds. One of the last things that many political leaders want is unrest.</span>
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<br /><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style="font-weight: normal;">But if Pilate thought he was “washing of hands” of guilt, he was wrong. It is clear from the believers’ prayer in Acts 4 that he, as well as Herod, share the responsibility – along with the Jewish leaders and crowds, and other Gentiles – of condemning Jesus to death (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ac+4:27-28">Ac 4:27-28</a>).
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<br />”Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Prov+29:25">Prov 29:25</a>)
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Even though Barabbas was guilty of the very thing that Jesus was accused of – i.e. inresurrection (to say nothing of murder), the crowd wanted him to let go and have Jesus be condemned. It’s hard to conceive of any greater example of the blindness and illogical character of sin.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Regarding these crowds especially, Paul’s words to the Romans are most appropriate:</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+1:21">Rom 1:21</a>)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Yet, we who know Christ were once no less guilty of such folly and darkness; we can count ourselves among the crowds. “….that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+6:11">1 Co 6:11</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-74339117521709752422009-04-26T13:37:00.009-06:002009-04-26T14:06:11.988-06:00Luke 22:54-71 - Peter's Sorrow and Jesus' Declaration<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SfS8xV6EmqI/AAAAAAAAAFU/NNj4V_2diZQ/s1600-h/Peter_rooster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 168px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SfS8xV6EmqI/AAAAAAAAAFU/NNj4V_2diZQ/s400/Peter_rooster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329091814966467234" border="0" /></a><br />54Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him."<br /><br />57But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.<br /><br />58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them."<br />"Man, I am not!" Peter replied.<br /><br />59About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."<br /><br />60Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62And he went outside and wept bitterly.<br /><br />63The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" 65And they said many other insulting things to him.<br /><br />66At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67"If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us."<br /><br />Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."<br /><br />70They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?"<br />He replied, "You are right in saying I am."<br /><br />71Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips." (NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><u>Observations</u></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. When it comes to the matter of being faithful to Jesus, His disciples have no grounds for self-confidence.</span><br /><br />Contrast Peter's cockiness ("I am ready to go with you to prison and to death" - <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+22:33&src=esv.org">22:33</a>) with his inability to stay awake (v. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+22:40">40</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+22:46">46</a>), and, of course, his three-time denial that he knows Jesus (vv. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+22:56-60">56-60</a>).<br /><br />It was not Peter's spoken desire to suffer with Jesus that was problematic; after all, the Apostle Paul says to the church in Rome that in order for them to share in Christ's glory, they must be willing to share in His suffering (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+8:16-17">Rom 8:17</a>). The problem, rather, was that Peter thought he was capable, in and of himself, of doing so. He failed at this time to understand what the Apostle Paul would later realize - that only <span style="font-style: italic;">God</span> can give His people what He requires of them:<br /><br />"...We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. <span style="font-style: italic;">But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead</span>." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+1:8-9">2 Cor 1:8-9</a>, emphasis added)<br /><br />"we are (not) competent <span style="font-style: italic;">in ourselves</span> to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes <span style="font-style: italic;">from God</span>." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+3:5-6">2 Cor 3:5</a>, emphasis added)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: Do I often find myself thinking that I can do God's work in my own strength? What consequences have I experienced as a result of such thinking, and how have these served to teach me humility and dependence on the LORD?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. What the LORD predicts comes to pass.</span><br /><br />What Peter did was exactly what Christ had predicted back in verse 34: "Jesus answered, 'I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.'"<br /><br />Although this truth is illustrated in a sobering way here, with the fall of Peter, it should be cause for great encouragement for us - especially as it relates to what Jesus says about His soon-to-be rule at the right hand of God (v. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+22:69">69</a>) and, as a result, His coming in glory (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+26:64">Matt 26:64</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. By accepting His shameful treatment at the hands of the guards, Jesus shows His great love to sinners, and leaves an example for His people of what it means to submit to authority.</span><br /><br />Regarding how verses 63 to 65 show Jesus' love to sinners, J.C. Ryle comments:<br /><br />"Our Lord's calm submission to insults like those here described, shows the depth of His love towards sinners. Had He so willed, He could have stopped the insolence of His enemies in a moment. He who could cast out devils with a word, could have summoned legions of angels to His side, and scattered those wretched tools of Satan to the winds. But our Lord's heart was set on the great work he had come on earth to do. He had undertaken to purchase our redemption by His own humiliation, and He did not flinch from paying the uttermost farthing of the price. He had undertaken to drink the bitter cup of vicarious suffering to save sinners, and "for the joy set before Him He despised the shame," and drank the cup to the very dregs. (Heb. 12:2.)" (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>)<br /><br />Regarding the example that Jesus leaves for His followers in these same verses, the Apostle Peter himself elaborates on this in one of his letters to the church: "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God....To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' <span style="font-style: italic;">When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly</span>." (1 Pet 1:21-23, emphasis added)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What are some modern-day possibilities, in our culture, of how we as Christians might experience unjust suffering from those in authority? How can we show submission when this happens?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Jesus confirms that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. </span><br /><br />The following quotation expresses well what titles of Jesus we are reminded of when He and the council communicate with each other from verses 66 to 71:<br /><br />"'Son of God', 'the Christ' (the Messiah; v. 67), and 'Son of Man' all refer to Jesus, emphasizing different aspects of his person and role. 'Son of God' points to Jesus' unique relationship to God and (when rightly understood) his equality with God the Father in his very being. The term 'Christ' indicates that Jesus claimed to be the Son of David, the Messiah. 'Son of Man' points to the person identified in Dan. 7:13–14, who will rule the kingdom of God." (<span style="font-style: italic;">ESV Study Bible</span>, pp. 2008-09)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: Why is it important for us to know the meanings of these titles for Christ, and take them to heart?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What other names are given to Jesus throughout Scripture? How does each of these names/titles encourage you?<br /><br /><br />Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+23:1-24">Luke 23:1-24</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-56474740418748688372009-04-19T00:52:00.009-06:002009-04-26T14:10:14.144-06:00Luke 22:39-53: Jesus’ final prayer and Judas’ betrayal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SerNakg0adI/AAAAAAAAAFM/XqwZGxCPQfc/s1600-h/gethsemane.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 153px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SerNakg0adI/AAAAAAAAAFM/XqwZGxCPQfc/s400/gethsemane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326295365680654802" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; 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text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";} span.sup {mso-style-name:sup;} span.apple-style-span {mso-style-name:apple-style-span;} span.apple-converted-space {mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;} span.keywordresultextras {mso-style-name:keywordresultextras;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
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<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>47While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>49When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>51But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
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<br />52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."</span></p> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>
<br />Main Points</u></span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. Christ's disciples need to be on the alert when opportunities of temptation present themselves, by asking God to be rescued from them.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Pray that you will not fall into temptation." "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."</span>
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<br />Verses 40 and 46 provide one of the first indications we get in the book of Luke that the life of a disciple of Jesus, while on this earth, must necessarily involve a spiritual battle. Other places in the New Testament reinforce the fact that this battle is fought against Satan (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+6:10-20&src=esv.org">Eph 6:10-20</a>), the world (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+2:15-17">1 Jn 2:15-17</a>) and one's own flesh (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+26:41">Mt 26:41</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jas+1:13-15">Jas 1:13-15</a>).
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<br />God has promised His people that He will always provide a way for them to stand up under temptation (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+10:13">1 Co 10:13</a>). However, this does not them give them warrant to be passive. They must avail themselves of the means God uses to provide a way of escape: knowing the Scriptures and using them as a weapon (as Jesus did toward Satan in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+4:1-11">Mt 4:1-11</a> and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+4:1-13">Lk 4:1-13</a>) and, as this passage and Matthew 26:41 make clear, prayer.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Reflection Question</span>: is my life characterized by a tendency to give into temptation rather than flee from it? If so, what does this reveal about my habits in using the means of grace that God has given me?
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">B. Jesus provides His people with an example for how we are to pray in times of difficulty.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (v. 42)</span>
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<br />"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=James+5:13">James 5:13</a>)
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<br />"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+5:14-15">1 Jn 5:14-15</a>)
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<br />If the Son prayed to the Father with the view to submit to His sovereignty above all else, how much more must we.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Reflection Question</span>: Do my prayers reveal a desire for the glory and will of God above everything else? Or do they assume that God is some "genie" who is obliged to give us, and/or owe us, whatever we think we need?
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">C. One of the roles of angels is to serve Christ, and, by extension, His people.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"an angel from heaven appeared to Him, and strengthened Him." (v. 43)</span>
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<br />Angels' service to Christ is, in part, a reflection of their worship of Him: "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Hebrews+1:6">Hebrews 1:6</a>).
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<br />And yet, the ministry of angels extends to Christ's people too: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+1:14">Heb 1:14</a>)
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection questions</span>: How can we make too much of angels? Too little of them?
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<br />D. The fact of Jesus' request to God the Father, i.e. that the "cup" may pass from Him, combined with his physical condition at the time of this prayer, ought to provide a sobering reminder to us of just what he had to suffer to free His people from the penalty of their sin.</span>
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<br />"How can we account for the deep agony which our Lord underwent in the garden? What reason can we assign for the intense suffering, both mental and bodily, which He manifestly endured? There is only one satisfactory answer. It was caused by the burden of a world's imputed sin, which then began to press upon Him in a peculiar manner. He had undertaken to be "sin for us"--to be "made a curse for us"--and to allow our iniquities to be laid on Himself. (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor.+5:21">2 Cor. 5:21</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gal.+3:13">Gal. 3:13</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah.+53:6">Isaiah. 53:6</a>.) It was the enormous weight of these iniquities which made Him suffer agony." (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>)
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection questions</span>: As opposed to merely doing so around the time of Good Friday, do I make a point throughout the year to think about the unimaginable pain it must have caused Jesus to anticipate, and finally suffer, the wrath of God for my sin, and the sin of the whole world throughout history? What does His suffering reveal about the pure wretchedness of sin? Do I
<br />undergo a deeper repentance as a result?
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">E. The most evil acts may be done under the guise of love to Christ.</span>
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<br />Judas kissed Jesus (vv. 47-48) even as he was about to hand Him over to the authorities.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">F. The love that Christ's people have for Him often proves to be remarkably fickle.</span>
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<br />The disciples follow Jesus into the garden; yet they fall asleep just moments later. One of them defends Jesus by cutting off the ear of the high priest's servant, yet all of the disciples flee just moments later. Jesus anticipates such unfaithfulness and wavering commitment (remember last week - <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+22:34">Lk 22:34</a>; also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+16:32">Jn 16:32</a>), but He remains faithful and committed to complete the work He starts in those who know Him (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+22:31-32">Lk 22:31-32</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Phil+1:6">Phil 1:6</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Ti+2:13">2 Ti 2:13</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+7:25">Heb 7:25</a>).
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">G. God may permit evil to triumph for a time, though such time will not last.</span>
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<br />"But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."
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<br />"The devil could not touch Job's property or person until God allowed him. He could not prevent Job's prosperity returning, when God's designs on Job were accomplished. Our Lord's enemies could not take and slay him, until the appointed "hour" of His weakness arrived. Nor yet could they prevent His rising again, when the hour came in which He was declared the Son of God with power, by His resurrection from the dead. (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom.+1:4">Rom. 1:4</a>) When He was led forth to Calvary, it was "their hour." When He rose victorious from the grave, it was His." (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>)
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What implications - both sobering, and hopeful - can you draw from Jesus' statement in verse 53 for your own Christian life?
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<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:georgia;font-size:13;" >Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+22:54-71">Luke 22: 54-71</a></span></span>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-8032211741987093022009-04-05T15:21:00.005-06:002009-04-09T18:45:02.143-06:00Luke 22:24-38 - Where True Greatness Lies; The Priestly Office of Christ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SdwIsdo11tI/AAAAAAAAAFA/nCQejKzt63o/s1600-h/feet_washing.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 140px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SdwIsdo11tI/AAAAAAAAAFA/nCQejKzt63o/s400/feet_washing.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322138419608278738" border="0" /></a><br />24Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.<br /><br />31"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."<br /><br />33But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."<br /><br />34Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."<br /><br />35Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"<br /> "Nothing," they answered.<br /><br />36He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."<br /><br />38The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords."<br /> "That is enough," he replied.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Important Points</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. True greatness belongs to those who have have no claim to rule over others, but rather, puts others ahead of themselves. (vv. 24-27)</span><br /><br />It is a testament to the ongoing corruption that exists even in Christ’s disciples that His first chosen group would argue among themselves about who would have the highest status in the new kingdom. What, do you think, are the subtle ways in which we aspire to greatness today?<br /><br />”But I am among you as one who serves.” (v.27) He “made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Phil+2:5-7">Phil 2:7</a>). He even stooped down to wash the disciples’ feet (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=jn+13:1-17">Jn 13:1-7</a>). In fact, His entire mission was one of service and sacrifice: He came “to serve, and to give His life for a ransom for many” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mk+10:45">Mk 10:45</a>). When one considers that the One who created the entire universe – and has it in the palm of His hands – was willing not only to become a man, but to suffer a humiliating death at the hands of men, the condescension is simply staggering. Yet, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” Jesus calls upon His disciples to walk in a similar way.<br /><br />To consider others better than ourselves, or to look upon ourselves “as the younger”, does not mean that we should, for example, avoid taking initiative; it is especially important that those who are called to take on any kind of leadership role do not fail to do this. But it <span style="font-style: italic;">does</span> mean that we should use our leadership to put others before ourselves, and not claim any aspiration to greatness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">B. One mark of a true disciple of Christ is abiding with Him. (vv. 28-30)</span><br /><br />”You are those who have stood by me…” (v. 28) Perseverance is something that is necessary for true disciples, and Jesus readily acknowledges this trait in His first group of devotees – even despite their constant blunders and flaws.<br /><br />"There is something very striking in these words of praise. We know the weakness and infirmity of our Lord's disciples during the whole period of His earthly ministry….. He knew full well that within a few hours they were all going to forsake Him. But here we find Him graciously dwelling on one good point in their conduct, and holding it up to the perpetual notice of His Church. They had been faithful to their Master, notwithstanding all their faults." (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">C. Disciples of Christ will disappoint Him (no matter how bold and fearless they may claim to be) and it is only His intercessory power that enables them to repent, and to persevere against Satan. (vv. 31-34)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">”Satan has asked…”</span> – notice how even Satan recognizes the LORD’s authority (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Job+1:6-12">Job 1:6-12</a> and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Job+2:1-6">2:1-6</a>).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“…to sift you as wheat”</span> (v. 31) – likely suggestive of attempting to bring someone to ruin, or at least severely testing them (as God allowed Satan to do to Job). We must never forget that we have an enemy who is bent on deceiving, attacking and accusing us (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pet+5:8">1 Pet 5:8</a>).<br /><br />Over against Peter’s self-confidence, Jesus says “I have prayed for you…so that your faith may not fail.” It is only by the intercession of Jesus and the power of God that believers are kept in the right way (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+7:25">Heb 7:25</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pe+1:3-5">1 Pe 1:3-5</a>).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">”When you turn back, strengthen your brothers.”</span> At least two things stand out about this statement: a) the LORD is not only unsurprised by the failings of His people, but anticipates them; and b) whatever failings we have gone through can be used by God to help us minister to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Refection question</span>: What encourages you – and challenges you – about Jesus’ words to Peter and the others in this section?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">D. Disciples of Christ need to be prepared to use means as they carry out what the LORD wants them to do in this world, because they will not always receive a warm reception. (vv. 35-38)</span><br />There is debate over whether or not the purse, bag and sword spoken of by Jesus is literal or figurative. At face value, it appears to be the former. Swords, in particular, were looked upon at the time as not being primarily a combative tool, but one that was meant for self-protection. What’s more – because they were shorter and stubbier than the swords we typically imagine - they could even be used as knives.<br /><br />He said to them, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."</span> (vv. 36-37). How does Jesus’ admonition for his disciples to be well-equipped relate to what is about to happen to Him? It seems to suggest that , since Jesus was about to face terrible hostility, His disciples should learn to be more self-reliant (i.e. not less dependent upon Him, but upon people), for they can expect to receive rejection by many – especially within their own homeland.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What are the subtle ways in which our culture has shown hostility to Christ’s disciples today? Because of this, what kinds of things should we not expect our culture to provide for us?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-10941096325351432282009-03-22T20:30:00.013-06:002009-03-22T20:43:19.544-06:00Luke 22:1-23 - Plot in Motion to Kill Jesus; The Lord's Supper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Scb2cJV2uMI/AAAAAAAAAE4/zsjyqDvd7b4/s1600-h/lords_supper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 132px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Scb2cJV2uMI/AAAAAAAAAE4/zsjyqDvd7b4/s400/lords_supper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316207373561804994" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25857" class="versenum" style="vertical-align: text-top;font-size:0.65em;"><b><span style="font-family:georgia;">1</span></b></sup></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25858" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>2</b></sup>and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25859" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>3</b></sup>Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25860" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>4</b></sup>And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25861" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>5</b></sup>They were delighted and agreed to give him money.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25862" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>6</b></sup>He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. <sup id="en-NIV-25863" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>7</b></sup>Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25864" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>8</b></sup>Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."</span><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25865" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>9</b></sup>"Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.</span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25866" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>10</b></sup>He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters,</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25867" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>11</b></sup>and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25868" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>12</b></sup>He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."</span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25869" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>13</b></sup>They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.</span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25870" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>14</b></sup>When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25871" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>15</b></sup>And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25872" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>16</b></sup>For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."</span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25873" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>17</b></sup>After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25874" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>18</b></sup>For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."</span></p><p style="font-family:georgia;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><sup id="en-NIV-25875" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>19</b></sup>And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."</span></p><p> <span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25876" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>20</b></sup>In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25877" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>21</b></sup>But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25878" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>22</b></sup>The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him."</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" class="Apple-converted-space" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><sup id="en-NIV-25879" class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: text-top;"><b>23</b></sup>They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><u>Main Things to Observe</u></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >1. God ordained the time of our Lord's death to occur simultaneously with the very event that pointed to it - the Passover. (v.1, 7-8, 14-15, 19-20)</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />"Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover" (v. 1) - "The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Exod+12:1-20&src=esv.org">Exod 12:1-20</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Exod+23:15">23:15</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Exod+34:18">34:18</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+16:1-8">Deut 16:1-8</a>)." [NET Bible]<br /><br />"We cannot doubt that the time of our Lord's crucifixion was overruled by God. His perfect wisdom and controlling power arranged that the Lamb of God should die, at the very time when the passover-lamb was being slain. The death of Christ was the fulfillment of the passover. He was the true sacrifice to which every passover-lamb had been pointing for 1500 years. What the death of the lamb had been to Israel in Egypt, His death was to be to sinners all over the world. The safety which the blood of the passover-lamb had provided for Israel, His blood was to provide far more abundantly for all that believed in Him." (Ryle, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >2. Those in high religious positions may, in fact, hate Jesus, and be delighted with the prospect of casting out His presence. (vv. 2-6)</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />Yet, no such opposition to our Lord takes Him off guard in the least. He knows what's in a man's heart (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+2:23-25">Jn 2:23-25</a>), and He predicted long before this event that the chief priests would seek to destroy Him (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+9:21-22">Lk 9:21-22</a>; see also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+2:1-6">Ps 2:1-6</a>).<br /><br />Just as the chief priests sought to destroy our Lord, so many leaders - throughout church history and even today - do not want to have anything to do with the true Jesus (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+11:4-5">2 Cor 11:4-5</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+11:13-15">13-15</a>).<br />"Then Satan entered Judas" (v. 3) - Satan is always behind the plans people have to diminish Jesus' influence (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+4:4">2 Cor 4:4</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+11:13-15">11:13-15</a>).<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Question for Reflection</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >: In a day and age where we may find ourselves among many groups of people who come together to decry certain realities (e.g., the prominence of secularism), does it become easier for us to gladly accept anyone who invokes the name of God or Jesus? If so, is this a wise thing for us to do?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >3. Jesus orchestrates everything that He wants to have happen. (vv. 8-13)</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />Just as our Lord moved events just before his arrival into Jerusalem - so that his disciples would be able to find, and to bring to him, a donkey to ride on (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+19:28-34">Luke 19:28-34</a>), just as He predicted - so here, He controls what happens in order to facilitate the use of a meeting room for Him and His disciples to eat in. (It's somewhat amusing to me, by the way, how he ensures that his disciples won't miss the sign of the person carrying the jar of water. Usually it's a woman - but this time it's a man.)<br /><br />"(He) works out everything according to the purpose of His will" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+1:11">Eph 1:11</a>)<br /><br />"The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+145:15">Ps 145:15</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Jesus reminds His disciples that the final consummation of His rule is yet to come (vv. 15-18).</span><br /><br />"I will not eat it again/I will not drink again until the kingdom of God comes..."(v. 16/18) While the LORD's ultimate celebration with His people ("the marriage supper") is sure, it will not happen until He returns (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+19:9">Rev 19:9</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+15:20-28">1 Co 15:20-28</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+15:50-56">50-56</a>).<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >5. Jesus, in commanding His disciples to observe the commemoration of His death until He comes, confirms that His work on the cross is the very heart of His mission (vv. 19-20).</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />"This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (v. 19)<br />"This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."(v.20)<br /><br />"...I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+2:2">1 Co 2:2</a>)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Question for Reflection</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >: In recent years, it's been popular in many evangelical circles to ask - presumably, with the goal of helping believers make decisions - "WWJD?" (What would Jesus do?) What is helpful, and harmful, about such a focus?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >6. Even if the sovereign work of God utilizes evildoers to accomplish His will, it does not allow them to escape just condemnation and punishment. (v. 22)</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />"The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him."<br /><br />As is so often the case with matters related to the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, this is hard to get our heads around. Nevertheless, we should rejoice that God has complete control over evildoers and directs them to accomplish His own ends - especially the objective of Christ's redemption for us, which is His greatest work of all.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >7. True and false professions of faith are not always obvious. (v. 23)</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />The fact that Jesus' announcement - i.e., that His betrayer was among His disciples - took them completely off-guard, and caused each of them to ask who it was, means that there must have been a sense in which Judas fit in seamlessly with the rest.<br /><br />"Let the recollection of Judas Iscariot constrain every professing, Christian to pray much for humility. Let us often say, "Search me, O God, and know my heart--try me, and know my thoughts." (Psalm. 139:23.)....The lengths to which men may go in religion, and yet be without grace, is far greater than we suppose." (Ryle, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >)<br /><br />Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+22:24-48">Luke 22:24-48</a><br /></span><br /></p></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-80688907970793205862009-03-15T16:24:00.008-06:002009-03-15T19:17:31.656-06:00Luke 21:20-38 - The Day of Fulfillment, Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sb2AZHPnaTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/NmNkN1d36WE/s1600-h/lookingup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/Sb2AZHPnaTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/NmNkN1d36WE/s400/lookingup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313544304296683826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">20"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">23How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">24They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 29He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">31Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 32"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 37Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.</span> (NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">REVIEW of LAST WEEK</span> (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+21:5-19&src=esv.org">Lk 21:5-19</a>)<br /><br />Since last Sunday's passage is really "of a piece" with the one for this morning, it's a good idea to briefly recap the main points of what Jesus says from verse 5 to verse 19 of Luke 21:<br /><br />a) Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem, and implies, by extension, that not even the greatest powers - with all of their accompanying institutions and landmarks - can last forever. (vv. 5-6)<br /><br />b) Jesus reminds his disciples how important it is for them not to lose sight of Him or his words. (v.8)<br /><br />c) Jesus speaks of many signs - such as wars, natural disasters, and epidemics - that, despite the fact that they have always been found in a fallen world, will only confirm that he is coming again. (vv. 9-11)<br /><br />d) Jesus says that his followers can expect opposition; but when they do, they will have opportunities to testify of His grace. (vv. 12-13, 16-17)<br /><br />e) Jesus assures his disciples that he will give them what they need to persevere, and to magnify Him; however, he also calls upon them to persevere. (vv. 14-15, 19)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A FEW MORE THINGS TO NOTE</span><br /><br />It's important to clarify just what the disciples were getting at when they said, "When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" Matthew sheds considerable light on the meaning of their words by recording their question this way: "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+24:3&src=esv.org">Mt. 24:3</a>). So they seem to be inquiring about two things: 1) the demise of Jerusalem (cf. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+24:1-2">Mt 24:1-2</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+21:5-6&src=esv.org">Lk 21:5-6</a>); and the return of Jesus as King.<br /><br />If, indeed, there are two "events" being spoken of here, it seems likely that, from verse 5 to verse 11, Jesus begins by talking about "the later things" (i.e., the things that will happen immediately before His return) and then "works backward", so to speak, by speaking of the disciples' sufferings around the time of Jerusalem (vv. 12 to 19 - note especially the phrase "before all this" in v. 12) and then, of Jerusalem's destruction itself (vv.20-24). Lastly, Jesus comes back to speaking of events that will occur before His return (vv. 25-28).<br /><br />To be sure, though, it is difficult to know precisely what frame of time Jesus is referring to in everything He's saying - especially when it comes to Jerusalem. Verse 24 seems to suggest that the city will suffer not only at the time of Rome's invasion (in A.D. 70), but also at the end of time too ("Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.") For our purposes, it is good to reflect not merely on the "events" in this passage, but also on what Jesus reveals about Himself, and what He wants His people to be like in the midst of these events.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><u>MAIN POINTS in verses 20 to 38</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. God will fulfill His prophecies of vengeance (vv. 20-24).</span><br /><br />- in the statements Jesus makes about Jerusalem in verses 20 to 24, verse 22 is especially worth noting (in the NASB it reads, "these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled."). Even if Titus' invasion of Jerusalem (in A.D. 70) is what Jesus has in view, He makes clear that the "vengeance" is not that of any emperor, but of God. "in fulfillment of all that has been written" - God will fulfill His intention to punish Israel for her covenantal unfaithfulness, as prophesied in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+28:64">Deut 28:64</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jer.+20%3A4-6&src=esv.org">Jer. 20:4-6</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Zech+12%3A3">Zech 12:3</a>; and countless other passages.<br /><br />We have a holy God who means what He says.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection</span>: How often do I think of God as the God of vengeance and judgment?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Events that are to occur immediately before Christ's return will bring great anxiety, confusion, terror and anguish to the world; but His own people are not to grieve as those who have no hope (vv. 25-29).</span><br /><br />"...nations will be in anguish and perplexity....Men will faint from terror...the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory....stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."<br /><br />"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Thes+4%3A13-14">1 Thes 4:13-14</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection</span>: Is my hope found in the glorious return of Christ? Or in something else?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Jesus once again says that all of these turbulent times will only confirm his return, and the consummation of His kingdom (vv. 29-32).</span><br /><br />Here He uses the image of a fig tree, not as representing Israel this time, but rather as a picture for explaining the significance that "sprouting leaves" has for what is to come.<br /><br />"This generation" - there are all kinds of interpretations of what Jesus means here; it probably doesn't mean the particular generation of people still alive at the time Jesus spoke. More likely it refers to the Jewish people.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Jesus calls upon his disciples to be faithful. This faithfulness involves alertness, prayerfulness, perseverance, and the constant ability to guard themselves against the inclinations of their own hearts (vv. 34-36).</span><br /><br />- The temptation to be weighed down by "the cares of this life" has already been mentioned in Jesus' parable of the sower (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk.8%3A14">Ch.8:14</a> - the seed that falls upon the thorns).<br /><br />""Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt.+26%3A41">Mt. 26:41</a>)<br /><br />Paul also echoes Jesus' warnings in verses 34 to 36 when he pleads with the Ephesian church to put on the whole armour of God (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+6%3A10-20">Eph 6:10-20</a>) since - like all of God's people - they are at war with "principalities and powers" who would love nothing more than hinder God's work in their lives.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for reflection:</span> What is your heart occupied with these days?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Even in his last days, Jesus never ceased to fulfill the role of a teacher and prophet (vv. 37-38).</span><br /><br />If the Lord Jesus was a teacher all day and night - even as His death was approaching - how much more will He be for us, now that He has conquered death and is standing at God's right hand?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-62763538161344741082009-03-08T13:30:00.006-06:002009-03-10T00:58:02.761-06:00Luke 21:5-19: The Day of Fulfillment, Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SbQhChSdNfI/AAAAAAAAAEo/5Z-zlNSjHok/s1600-h/temple.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 172px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SbQhChSdNfI/AAAAAAAAAEo/5Z-zlNSjHok/s400/temple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310906187755894258" border="0" /></a>5Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."<br /><br />7"Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"<br /><br />8He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."<br /><br />10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.<br /><br />12"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17All men will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By standing firm you will gain life.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Main Ideas to Glean from This Passage</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Not even the greatest institutions and powers will last forever.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."</span><br /><br />From one angle, Jesus is simply predicting the fall of Jerusalem. That the fall happened in A.D 70 confirms the fact that the Lord is true to his word. From another angle however, the statement reminds us of words of warning - in other places of Scripture - that the world - with all of its landmarks, institutions, and powers - will be destroyed as we know it (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+2:17&src=esv.org">1 Jn 2:17</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Pe+3:10">2 Pe 3:10</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Jesus begins his prophecy by reminding His disciples how important it is to not lose sight of him or his words.</span><br /><br />Attention given to false prophets and false prophecies can undermine the disciples' reception of the very message Jesus is trying to make.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"Watch out that you are not deceived....do not follow them"</span> - similar to Paul's warning to the Roman church in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+16:17">Rom 16:17</a>: "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Reflection question</span>: Where do I find the false prophets and prophecies that I have to guard myself against today? In what areas of their teaching do they reveal themselves to be opposed to Christ, the gospel and/or Scripture?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Some signs that seem to suggest the world's ongoing nature will, ironically, confirm the LORD's final appearing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"wars and revolutions....these things must happen....nation will rise against nation....famines and pestilences....fearful events..."</span> - These are things that have always happened in a fallen world. So much so, that they give enemies of the faith reason to scoff, as <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Peter+3:4">2 Peter 3 </a>shows: They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." (verse 4).<br /><br />By mentioning these signs, Jesus implied to his disciples that much time would need to pass before He comes in final judgment, and by doing so, he invalidates their (likely) idea that He will set Himself up as King at that very time (see Acts 1:6).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Persecution and opposition bring opportunities to testify to others about Christ.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"they will lay hands on you and persecute you....They will deliver you to....and you will be brought before......This will result in your being witnesses to them."</span><br /><br />Even though it is not wrong to pray that those who are persecuted be delivered from their persecutors (even Paul asks for this in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Thes+3:2">2 Thes 3:2</a>), we should not underestimate what the LORD can do through them, as they faithfully speak of His grace.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Jesus will enable His people to persevere in times of opposition; yet, they are still <span style="font-style: italic;">called</span> to persevere.</span><br /><br />Compare v. 15 ("For I will give you words of wisdom...") with v. 19 ("by standing firm..."). Perseverance to the end is necessary for our final salvation (this kind of warning prevents us from becoming slack and presumptuous); yet the LORD will provide us with everything we need (this kind of assurance prevents us from despair).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-8431715166225881592009-03-01T19:33:00.003-07:002009-03-01T19:57:48.560-07:00Luke 20:41 - 21:4 - Jesus' Warning about the Jewish Leaders; The Poor Widow's Gift<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SatItGx4i8I/AAAAAAAAAEg/k4-r021MYNw/s1600-h/poverty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 250px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SatItGx4i8I/AAAAAAAAAEg/k4-r021MYNw/s400/poverty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308416525537414082" border="0" /></a>41Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David? 42David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:<br /> " 'The Lord said to my Lord:<br /> "Sit at my right hand<br />43until I make your enemies<br /> a footstool for your feet." ' 44David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"<br /><br />45While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46"Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."<br /><br />1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Main Points</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Jesus is not merely a human descendant of David; David's own testimony reveals this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." ' David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"How is it that they say...? </span>- Who says? The Pharisees, if indeed Luke 20:41-44 is a parallel account of <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+22:41ff&src=esv.org">Matthew 22:41ff</a>, which it probably is. It may be that the law-teachers say the same thing too.<br /><br />Jesus' question in Lk 20:44 seems strange on the surface, as if Jesus seemed to be denying his special human relationship to David. But by quoting David's words in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Psalm+110:1">Ps 110:1</a>, His main purpose is to assert His divinity, or deity. This is because, in Mt 22:41, by saying "the Son of David", the Pharisees are likely insinuating that the Messiah is special only by virtue of being a human descendant of David and nothing more.<br /><br />Here again we're reminded of the selectivity and ignorance that the Pharisees - and, indeed, all human beings - are prone to when approaching the Scriptures (in this case, being the Psalms), as J.C. Ryle explains:<br /><br />"They did not see the mighty truth, that Messiah was to be God as well as man, and that while as man He was to be David's son, as God He was to be David's Lord. Their ignorance of Scripture was thus exposed before all the people. Professing themselves to be instructors of others and possessors of the key of knowledge, they were proved unable to explain what their own Scriptures contained. We may well believe that of all the defeats which our Lord's malicious enemies met with, none galled them more than this. Nothing so abashes the pride of man, as to be publicly proved ignorant of that which he fancies is his own peculiar department of knowledge." (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What important truths that the Bible makes clear about Jesus are ones that I tend to ignore or at least overlook?<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Disciples of Christ must be on their guard against all leaders who practice hypocrisy under the guise of religion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"walk around in flowing robes", "love to be greeted", "have the most important seats", "places of honor"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span>- while the law-teachers (and, for that matter, the Pharisees) claimed to be serving God and worshiping Him only, the ways in which Jesus describes them here prove that they really ultimately concerned about themselves, and how well they were received by others.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"devour widows' houses"</span> - "Jesus exposed the greedy, unscrupulous practice of the scribes. Scribes often served as the estate planners for widows, which gave them the opportunity to convince distraught widows that they would be serving God by supporting the temple or the scribes' own holy work. In either case, the scribe benefit monetarily and effectively robbed the widow of her husband's legacy to her" (<span style="font-style: italic;">MacArthur Study Bible</span>, p. 1490).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"for a show make lengthy prayers"</span> - this is precisely what Jesus warns His disciples against doing in the Sermon on the Mount (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+6:+1,+5-15">Matt 6:1, 5-15</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Such men will be punished most severely"</span> (NASB: "They will receive greater condemnation") - It is hard to come to any other conclusion but that the LORD condemns pride and hypocrisy as two of the most wicked sins of all. Recall how the entire chapter of <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+23">Matthew 23</a> is devoted to the "seven woes" through which Christ pronounces judgment on the Pharisees and law-teachers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: What can we learn about the kind of leadership that Jesus wants his disciples to have through the negative example that he provides of the law-teachers?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. God measures the greatness of gifts not by their size, but by the sincerity of heart and selfless sacrifice shown on the part of the giver.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"As he looked up, Jesus saw....He also saw..."</span> - It's important to observe how Jesus takes notice of all that goes on in the world - even the little things. As Ryle says:<br /><br />"We read that 'He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in two pennies.' We might well suppose that our Lord's mind at this season would have been wholly occupied with the things immediately before Him....And yet at a time like this we find Him taking note of all that is going on around Him! He thinks it not beneath Him to observe the conduct of a 'certain poor widow.'....Let us remember, that the Lord Jesus never changes. The thing that we read of in the passage before us is the thing that is going on all over the world. 'The eyes of the Lord are in every place.' (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Prov.+15:3">Prov. 15:3</a>.) Nothing is too little to escape His observation. No act is too trifling to be noted down in the book of His remembrance. The same hand that formed the sun, moon, and stars, was the hand that formed the tongue of the gnat and the wing of the fly with perfect wisdom. The same eye that sees the council-chambers of kings and emperors, is the eye that notices all that goes on in the laborer's cottage. 'All things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.' (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+4:13">Heb. 4:13</a>.) He measures littleness and greatness by a very different measure from the measure of man. Events in our own daily life, to which we attach no importance, are often very grave and serious matters in Christ's sight" (Ryle, <span style="font-style: italic;">Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke</span>).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"two very small copper coins"</span> - about one centimeter in diameter.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on."</span> - Jesus sets before us a contrasting pair of images between one kind of giver and another. What Jesus accomplishes by doing so is described well by Bock:<br /><br />"Jesus turns the tables of evaluation here. We tend to appreciate the amount of the gift, not necessarily the sacrifice that went into the giving. As in other Lucan texts, the example comes from a person on the fringe of society, a woman who would have been a nonperson culturally. Yet God sees her gift as among the most significant. His evaluation of resources differs greatly from our way of reading giving. A seemingly poor gift can actually be rich in what it costs and represents" (Bock: <span style="font-style: italic;">NIV Application Commentary: Luke</span>, p. 527).<br /><br />"I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Sam+24:24">2 Sam 24:24</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question</span>: Does my giving - not just of money, but of time and energy as well - cost me something? If not - or, at least, not very much - what does this reveal about my heart before the Lord - whether I take his commands seriously, and how much I am willing to trust Him?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-22806653643628861132009-02-22T22:23:00.010-07:002009-02-22T22:52:58.657-07:00Luke 20:20-40: Further Attempts to Discredit Jesus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SaIzxn3rFMI/AAAAAAAAAEY/cusleURJG2s/s1600-h/scheming.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SaIzxn3rFMI/AAAAAAAAAEY/cusleURJG2s/s400/scheming.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305860238604965058" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">20Keeping a close watch on him, they (i.e., the teachers of the law and the chief priests) sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24"Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 25"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 27Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30The second 31and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32Finally, the woman died too. 33Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 34Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 39Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" 40And no one dared to ask him any more questions. (NIV)<br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><b><u>Main Points</u></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">1. Many who oppose Christ don't easily give up trying to discredit Him.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Keeping a close watch on him..."</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Even though Jesus triumphed over the Jewish leaders already in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk20%3A1-8&src=esv.org">20:1-8</a> - during their first attempt to defame and expose him - they not only tried to do so again, but they resorted to the use of a tactic - sending out spies - that would have been completely beneath their morally upright stature. So desperate is Satan to destroy the work of Christ, that there is no limit to the twisted acts he can devise and have the people of the world carry out (regardless of how "religious" - or not - they think themselves to be).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Question for Reflection</span></span>: Should it be any surprise to us if, today, after a best-selling book asserting lies about Jesus has been widely refuted, there should be another "new, bold, provocative" book released just months later, whose aim is to discredit him in the same way?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">2. Many who oppose Christ may appear to admire Him.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth...."</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>The company sent by the Jewish leaders tried to "butter up" the LORD by flattering him with words that they really didn't believe at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of what the Apostle Paul said about the "super-apostles" in 2 Corinthians could also be said of these spies: "For such men are....deceitful workmen..... And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Co+11%3A13-15">2 Co 11:13-15</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection</span></span>: When we hear people say nice things about Jesus, is it wise for us to assume that they are His disciples? If not, what kinds of things would provide evidence that they are genuine (even though we can't ultimately know their hearts)?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">3. There are two different realms in which God's people must live in this life.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's"</span></span> - i.e., give that which is made in the image of Caesar to Caesar - namely, your coin (as representing taxes); and give that which is made in the image of God to God - namely, yourself. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+13%3A1-7">Rom 13:1-7</a> elaborates on the first part, while <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+12%3A1">Rom 12:1</a> explains the second. </div><div><br /></div><div>While our ultimate allegiance is to God, He has given us the authority of the state, and He calls us - as citiizens - to submit to it, no matter how evil or good a particular government may be. This submission provides a test for us, as not only to whether we accept political authority, but also whether we accept God's authority (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+13%3A2">Rom 13:2</a>). The Jewish leaders - represented by the spies - failed on both counts; their contempt of Caesar prompted their question about the taxes, and their hatred of Jesus revealed what they truly thought of God (cf. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+8%3A19">Jn 8:19</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Questions for Reflection</span></span>: What does submission to government involve? What does it not involve? What does submission to God involve? What does it not involve?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">4. Many who oppose a Christian doctrine often have misconceptions about what they refuse to believe.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"</span></span> By asking this question, and presenting the scenario that preceded it, the Saduccees showed how they misunderstood the resurrection, by thinking that it would lead to the same life as what people have known on earth (in Jewish life, in particular, it was expected that the brother of a deceased married man would marry the latter's widow if they had had no children - <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen+38%3A8">Gen 38:8</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+25%3A5">Deut 25:5</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ruth+4%3A1-12">Ruth 4:1-12</a>). </div><div><br /></div><div>But Jesus' first step in refuting the Sadduccees was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> showing them how the resurrection must be true, but pointing out that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">their idea of resurrection is wrong to begin with</span>. He does this by saying that the resurrection will not be like life as people have known it - not least because there will be no marriage.</div><div><br /></div><div>In like manner, as we learn to "gently instruct" "those who oppose" us (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Tim+2%3A24-26">2 Tim 2:24-26</a>), let us aim first of all, as Jesus did, to remove whatever misconceptions they have to begin with. It may be that we do not remove obstacles to belief (like in the case of this passage, where the Saduccees were clearly set on opposing Jesus no matter what), but at least we magnify God's truth and leave our opponents without excuse.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">5. There will be no marriage in the new heavens and earth. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Rather, Jesus says that those are "worthy of" (likely meaning "fit for" rather than "deserving") the resurrection will be like angels. The Lord does not elaborate in just what respect they will be like angels - but the least we are to understand is that angels do not join together in matrimony and produce more angels.</div><div><br /></div><div>"...when Jesus speaks of the end of marriage in heaven, it almost comes as a shock to our ears. But we must remember that the quality and purity of relationships will extend far beyond what marriage provides today. Sin will no longer cloud our relationships, and the quality of personal interaction in a world will be directed fully by the presence of God. The absence of evil and the presence of God make marriage as a supportive and protective institution superfluous. For those who hesitate at this remark because their marriage has been good, just remember: heaven will be even better" (Bock, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">NIV Application Commentary: Luk</span>e, p. 520).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6. Jesus uses Scripture to refute the idea that there is no resurrection. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>He uses <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Exodus+3%3A2-6+">Exodus 3:2-6 </a>(part of the canon that the Sadduccees actually believed in - namely, the Pentateuch) to show them how God's Old Testament saints (particularly Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) are still living, and presumably anticipating the resurrection. </div><div><br /></div><div>So here we have an example of Jesus refuting falsehoods through the Written Word of God, just as He had done with Satan back in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+4%3A1-13">Lk 4:1-13</a>. If the Living Word sought to use the Written Word as a weapon, how much more must we learn to (especially since we are called upon to do so in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph+6%3A17">Eph 6:17</a>)!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-75277569122803549282009-02-14T22:30:00.010-07:002009-02-21T21:28:37.781-07:00Luke 20:1-19 - The Authority of Jesus; The Parable of the Tenants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SZeqxO-OC6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/OSh43oQMDzA/s1600-h/tenants.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 147px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SZeqxO-OC6I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/OSh43oQMDzA/s400/tenants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302894849061424034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2"Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 3He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 5They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' 6But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 7So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 8Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 9He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 13"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 14"But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 17Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> " 'The stone the builders rejected </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> has become the capstone'? 18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.</span> (NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Some Important Points</u><br /><br />1. Jesus will not cater to those whose questions are driven by insincere, hypocritical motives; rather, he will reveal their folly. (vv. 1-8)</span><br /><br />By asking his accusers about the origin of John's ministry, Jesus was not avoiding their question. He was actually backing them into a corner from which they could not escape. If they answered by saying that John came from heaven, they would have to admit that Jesus came from heaven, too, because John's whole purpose was to point to Christ as the Lamb of God who takes sin away from the world. The fact that they were unwilling to do this - even after hearing about the works Jesus had done, in fulfillment of what John said - reveals their stubborn refusal to believe in Christ.<br /><br />On the other hand, if they said John came from man, they would succumb to fear over what the Jewish people would do to them, because they held John in high esteem as a prophet.<br /><br />This incident provides one example of the truth spoken of in Proverbs 29:25 - "Fear of men will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."<br /><br />In this incident we also see Jesus exemplifying something he commands his disciples to do in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matthew+7:6&src=esv.org">Matthew 7:6</a>.<br /><br />In light of all of the attempts made by self-appointed scholars in this day and age to discredit Jesus by creating lies about him in the name of "truth", we can be assured that their<br />foolishness will be shown for what it is, sooner or later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Israel has had the promises of God taken away from her because she rejected the very One who is the foundation of those promises. (vv. 9-19)</span><br /><br />In the parable of the tenants, Jesus likens God's promises to a vineyard; the owner to God the Father; the servants to the Old Testament prophets; and "the son", of course, to Christ Himself.<br /><br />This is a parable that could be easily understood by the people, since many landowners tended to rent their land to tenants at that time.<br /><br />What's especially notable in this parable is the patience shown by the landowner when the tenants refuse to pay Him what is His. This echoes the long-suffering love of God the Father in the Old Testament, even when His people are continually rejecting Him to His face. Ultimately, of course, he must be true to his Holiness by executing judgment.<br /><br />"The stone the builders rejected..."- taken from <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps.+118:22">Ps. 118:22</a>. The Son who was rejected will become Head of the church (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=ac+4.11&src=esv.org">Ac 4:11</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pe+2:7">1 Pe 2:7</a>).<br /><br />"Everyone who falls on that stone..."/"he on whom it falls..." - by giving this warning, Jesus is making strong allusions to <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+8%3A13-15&src=esv.org">Isa 8:13-15</a> and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Dan+2%3A34%2C+44-45">Dan 2:34, 44-45</a>. Each of these passages describes how the Messiah will only bring devastation to those who reject Him.<br /><br />"May this never be!"- it's easy to imagine that the praise heaped upon Jesus only a short time ago - as he was making his way into Jerusalem - is now beginning to give way to anger and hostility... (as Christ's representatives, we shouldn't expect that any positive reception we get will always necessarily remain, either.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Reflection Question</span>: Even though this parable is aimed squarely at Israel, do I see in myself a tendency - as Israel had - to presume upon God's favor, while at the same time, ignoring his call for me to be holy, or refusing to trust him, or to do what he says?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-11816289587062486792009-02-08T16:41:00.004-07:002009-02-08T17:03:35.936-07:00Luke 19:28-48: Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SY9x2U3tDLI/AAAAAAAAAEI/C_jbH1Z91_E/s1600-h/colt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 176px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SY9x2U3tDLI/AAAAAAAAAEI/C_jbH1Z91_E/s400/colt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300580464567585970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">28After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone </span><span style="font-style: italic;">asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 34They replied, "The Lord needs it."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 45Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 46"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">'a den of robbers.'"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.</span> (NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Important Ideas from this Passage</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Jesus is finally making his way into the city where He will suffer and die for humanity.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem..."</span><br /><br />Luke has been preparing us for this moment throughout his account (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+9:30-31">9:31</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+9:51">9:51</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+13:22">13:22</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+13:34">13:34</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+17:11">17:11</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+18:31">18:31</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+19:11">19:11</a>). What is the significance of Jerusalem for Jesus? MacArthur describes it well in one of his sermons on this passage:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jerusalem...(was) where the altar was, that's where the temple was, that was God's city. That was the holy city, the temple city, the place where God met His people, the place where God was worshiped and the only place where sacrifices were made....He comes to the right city on exactly the right day to be...executed on the very day that Passover lambs are always killed as symbolic sacrifices for sin because He is the real and true sacrifice for sins.</span><sup style="font-style: italic;">1</sup><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Jesus' coronation reflects the servanthood that characterized his first coming.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road."</span><br /><br />No majestic figure of authority living at this time - such as, for example, a Roman dignitary - would enter a city riding on a colt. But in doing this, Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of<br /><a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Zechariah+9:9">Zechariah 9:9</a>: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." He was also reiterating to the public, by this humble display, that his purpose was not to immediately claim Kingship for himself. "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mk+10:45">Mk 10:45</a>) However, there is a time coming when he will return in glory (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+1:7">Rev 1:7</a>) - to bring salvation to those who have been waiting for Him (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+9:28">Heb 9:28</a>) and destroy all who do not know Him (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Th+1:6-10">2 Th 1:6-10</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">When we reflect on who Jesus is, and all He is to us, why is it important to keep His Priesthood in view as much as His kingship, and vice-versa?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />3. Once again, we see that Jesus divides. (vv. 37-39 and vv. 47-48)</span><br /><br />A few chapters after Jesus has spoken of the way His Lordship divides even the closest of family members (see <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:49-53">Lk 12:49-53</a>), we see another display of the different responses to Jesus: contrast the response of Jesus' disciples with that of the Pharisees as the LORD came into the city (vv. 37-39); notice the difference in attitudes again when Christ is teaching (vv. 47-48).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Jesus' rule over the universe is such that even creation recognizes it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."</span><br /><br />In a way, His statement was a rebuke to the Pharisees, because it was tantamount to saying, "Look, even creation acknowledges my kingship over everything...why can't you?"<br /><br />Also see <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+148">Ps 148</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+1:3">Isa 1:3</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Jesus fulfills the role of the Ultimate Prophet by declaring the demise of Jerusalem, which indeed happened about forty years later.</span><br /><br />Isaiah and Jeremiah lamented for Israel (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+29:1-4">Isa 29:1-4</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jer+6:6-21">Jer 6:6-21</a>) and now Jesus, as the final and greatest prophet, does the same.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">hidden from your eyes</span>" - this could refer to the fact that after so many rejections, Jerusalem finally and completely hardens her heart against the LORD; or to the fact that the LORD is keeping her from believing. While the latter interpretation is no less true than the former, it may be the former that Jesus has in view here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Jesus grieves over those who reject Him.</span><br /><br />We cannot say that the LORD is pleased when anyone rejects Him. Remember again the words of <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eze+18:23">Eze 18:23</a>: "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"<br /><br />It is not that Jesus needs Jerusalem - as if He were incomplete without her - but that she needs Him, because she was made for Him - "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace..."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Do we grieve for those who do not believe, as Jesus does? What can we do to cultivate this sorrow?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. The LORD hates places of worship being turned into places of commerce.</span><br /><br />Here is one of those incidents that refute the notion that Jesus is only gentle, affectionate, peaceful, etc. As the great King he has every right to cast away everything that desecrates a place of worship and dishonours the purpose for which it was created.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Question for Reflection:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Do I approach a place of worship with a pure heart? Or do I "bring in" things that should not be there - things that compete with the LORD for my heart's affections?</span><br /><br /><sup>1</sup>Taken from John MacArthur's sermon, "Jesus' Humble Coronation, Part 1", on this page:<br /><a href="http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-241">http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-241</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-41167234044837112812009-01-25T16:57:00.012-07:002009-01-27T00:00:59.007-07:00Luke 19:1-27: Jesus Meets Zacchaeus; Parable of the Ten Minas<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SX0AT-dlyNI/AAAAAAAAAEA/MDg5uV4GCF0/s1600-h/zac.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 177px; float: left; height: 188px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295389080042195154" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SX0AT-dlyNI/AAAAAAAAAEA/MDg5uV4GCF0/s400/zac.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><em>1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.<br /><br />7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "<br /><br />8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."<br /><br />11While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'<br /><br />14"But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 15"He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16"The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17" 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'<br /><br />18"The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' 19"His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'<br /><br />20"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'<br /><br />22"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'<br /><br />24"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 25" 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' 26"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me."</em> (NIV)<br /><br /><strong><u>Main Points</u></strong><br /><br /><strong>A. Jesus brings the rich as well as the poor into His kingdom.</strong></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.<br /><br />9Jesus said…"Today salvation has come to this house….”</em></span><br /><br />Recall how our Lord said in Luke 18 that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." But this story of Zacchaeus – as well as the account of the centurion (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:1-10&src=esv.org">Lk 7:1-10</a>) – reminds us that “what is impossible with men is possible with God” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:27">Lk 18:27</a>).<br /><br />What ultimately counts in God’s eyes is a “poverty of spirit” – the realization that, no matter how much – or little – you own, you look upon yourself as helpless and hopeless before a holy God (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+57:15">Isa 57:15</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+66:2">66:2</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+18:9-14">Luke 18:9-14</a>). The eagerness with which Zacchaeus sought out Jesus (by climbing a tree) may have indicated that - even then - he had come to this place in his heart; being in a tree was not the most dignified position for someone like him (especially as a “chief” tax collector, who presided over many others in the same role) to be in!<br /><br /><strong>B. Generosity is one of the fruits of saving faith.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>8…"Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "this man, too, is a son of Abraham.</em></span><br /><br />Zacchaeus’ commitment to provide for the poor was not a condition of salvation, but was rather a reflection of a transformed heart.<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question</em></strong>: Is my faith in Christ made manifest through what I give?<br /><br /><strong>C. Once again we are reminded of the purpose of Jesus' mission: to save sinners.<br /></strong></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."<br /><br /></em></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">An important recurring theme in Luke’s gospel account – see also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+5:31-32">Lk 5:31-32</a>, and the entirety of <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+15">chapter 15</a>. We need always need to be reminded of this, lest we fall into the trap of embracing an idea that's often associated with “liberal Christianity” or even some aspects of the “emerging church movement” – i.e., that Jesus’ main purpose was to bring a moral and social revolution.<br /><br /><strong>D. It was Christ's design to go away and return again, as opposed to taking reign immediately.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>11…the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return…”<br /><br /></em></span><strong>E. Since Christ has yet to return, His disciples must be faithful with what He has entrusted to them.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'</em></span><br /><br />”minas” – “…more than 3 months’ salary. The mina was one-sixtieth of a talent, meaning that the 10 servants in this parable had been given a considerably smaller sum to account for than any of the 3 servants in the parable of the talents (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+25:14-30">Matt 25:14-30</a>)." (<span style="font-style: italic;">MacArthur Study Bible</span>, p. 1553)<br /><br />In the same way that the master of the parable has entrusted money to his servants, so the LORD has entrusted His people to be faithful with any gift He’s given them: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pet+4:10">1 Pet 4:10</a>).<br /><br /><strong>F. Christ will reward faithfulness when He returns.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">16…'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'<br /><br />18….Sir, your mina has earned five more.'<br /><br /></span>There is considerable Biblical evidence for this concept of “reward” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+6:1-18">Mt 6:1-18</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt10:40-42">10:40-42</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+16:27">16:27</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:22-24">Lk 6:22-24</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:35">35</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+4:5">1 Co 4:5</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Col+3:23-24">Col 3:23-24</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Jn+8">2 Jn 8</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+22:12">Rev 22:12</a>), even though it is never quite made clear just what it is. For some interesting and persuasive insight, however, I recommend a sermon of John Piper’s on 2 Cor 5:1-10 (click <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1993/847_What_Happens_When_You_Die_All_Appear_Before_the_Judgment_Seat_of_Christ/">here</a>)<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Do I continually realize that God will hold me to account for what He has entrusted to me? What am I doing with my time, energy and resources?<br /><br /><strong>G. Those who do not believe in God – no matter what “relationship” they might have with Him – ultimately end up with nothing at all.<br /><br /></strong><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man….<br /><br />24'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'<br /><br /></span></em>“I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant”(v. 22): Although in fact the master was not harsh (look at how he treated the other two servants), he is condemning the third servant by the same standards that the latter is holding the former to – i.e. Has the servant received what he “put in”? (no, because he never “put in” , or invested his mina to begin with); Has the servant “reaped” what he’s sown? (no, for the same reason). ”The third servant represents all those tied to the community who neither trust nor know the goodness of the master Jesus. Perhaps a figure like Judas is in view here. Mere association with the community counts for nothing; what counts is personal relationship to Jesus.” (Bock, <em>NIV Application Commentary</em>: Luke, p. 487)<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>H. Those who do not accept Christ as their King and Ruler will experience His wrath.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">27But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“Kill them in front of me” – a horrible picture, to be sure, but we should bear in mind that this image only provides a picture of something far worse, i.e. eternal judgment for those who have rejected Christ.<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Have I come to terms with just how horrible the reality of everlasting judgment is? Am I praying for my non-Christian friends, family members, coworkers, etc. as a result?</span> </span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span><br /><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span> </p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span> </p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-5498400798937057762009-01-18T18:36:00.011-07:002009-01-18T20:12:20.577-07:00Luke 18:31-43: Jesus Predicts his Death Again; Another Healing of a Blind Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SXPtk66GPAI/AAAAAAAAADw/A7axtc1xRd4/s1600-h/blind.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 226px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SXPtk66GPAI/AAAAAAAAADw/A7axtc1xRd4/s400/blind.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292835205634472962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">31Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. 33On the third day he will rise again."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 34The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 35As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 38He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 39Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 40Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41"What do you want me to do for you?"</span>
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> "Lord, I want to see," he replied.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 42Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." 43Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.</span>
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<br /><u style="font-weight: bold;">Main Points</u>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. God fulfills His prophecies about Christ.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">“…everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.” (v. 31)</span>
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<br />Christ’s saying here reminds us of two things: 1) the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and the suffering through which He would redeem sinners (e.g. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+22">Ps 22</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=ps+69">69</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isa+53">Isa 53</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Dan+9:26">Dan 9:26</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Zech+13:7">Zech 13:7</a>); and 2) God not only knows the future, but is in complete control of it.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">B. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">“He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." (vv. 32-33)</span>
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<br />This is the third time in Luke’s account that Jesus warns his disciples about His impending suffering and death. What’s new this time – and may bewilder His followers all the more – is His saying that He was going to be delivered over to the Gentiles.
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<br />One might ask what purpose Jesus has in mentioning this to His disciples if the meaning of it “was hidden from them” anyways (v. 34). In hindsight, such a warning would serve His disciples – and, by extension, all subsequent human history – well, in part because it reminds us how Jesus’ suffering was all “according to plan”, and thus His mission was not “cut short” by some tragedy that He did not foresee. This idea is often propagated by individuals who may have some kind of fascination towards Jesus, but who also ignore the gospel accounts. As John MacArthur says:
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the ways in which our Lord is continuously attacked by pseudo-scholars, skeptics and critics is that they deny that His sufferings were planned...that His sufferings were purposeful. They rather love to suggest, and have done so in innumerable books, that His suffering and death were accidental. It was a sad misfortune. It was a bad ending. It was a miscalculation on His part, a good try at bringing goodness into the world that ended in an unplanned disaster. Many books have been written to suggest that Jesus was everything from a naive, well-intentioned good man wanting to elevate people religiously by His ideas, but lacking the sense to know when He had gone too far, to a misguided nationalist whose efforts at a revelation were inept and hopeless, to a very ambitious self-styled conqueror with delusions of grandeur, to a religious nut and a whole lot more. </span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In any case, it's a very popular critical approach to say that things in Jesus' life did not go the way He intended them to go. And the whole ending was a nightmare at the end of what He hoped would be a dream for a better world. </span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Nothing could be further from the truth than that.<sup>1</sup></span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">C. Only God can give spiritual understanding.</span>
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<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/COMPAQ%7E1.SEA/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1627421319 -2147483648 8 0 66047 0;} @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;} h1 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning:0pt; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} h2 {mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:2; font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} h5 {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-outline-level:5; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; font-weight:bold;} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyText2, li.MsoBodyText2, div.MsoBodyText2 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;} p.MsoBodyText3, li.MsoBodyText3, div.MsoBodyText3 {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";} span.sup {mso-style-name:sup;} span.apple-style-span {mso-style-name:apple-style-span;} span.apple-converted-space {mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;} span.keywordresultextras {mso-style-name:keywordresultextras;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="">“The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” (v. 34)</span></span>
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<br />Some commentators have rightly mentioned that the disciples had shown a lot of ignorance and were very slow to understand. However, it’s no less true that the LORD was concealing the significance of Jesus’ suffering until the proper time. May we be reminded that though we are responsible for our defects and shortcomings, the LORD alone should be acknowledged for providing anything within us that is good.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">D. The LORD honours perseverance in faith and prayer, irrespective of all opposition.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (v. 39)</span>
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<br />The blind man demonstrated well what Jesus commended the persistent widow for in the parable He shared earlier in this chapter (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+18:1-8">18:1-8</a> – as well as the “nagging neighbour” in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+11:5-13">11:5-13</a>).
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question:</span> Do I persist in prayer even if people or circumstances discourage me from doing so?
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">E. The LORD will typically answer prayers that are borne in faith.</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"</span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;"> "Lord, I want to see," he replied. (vv. 40-41)</span>
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<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." (v. 42)</span>
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<br />It seems that Luke is not as interested in the fact that Jesus can perform miracles, as he is by the truth that Christ gives, to those who trust in Him, “eyes to see”.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">F. Answered prayer should result in praise.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (v. 43)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Reflection question:</span> Do I give praise to God for answered prayer, both in my heart and before others? Or do I tend not to give Him much of an afterthought?
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<br /><sup>1</sup>Taken from this sermon of MacArthur’s: <a href="http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-235">http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-235</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-61053627080127396742009-01-11T16:47:00.010-07:002009-01-11T17:33:52.563-07:00Luke 18:9-30: The Parable of the Two Prayers; Little Children; The Wealthy Ruler<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SWqK2dg0YbI/AAAAAAAAADg/RghwqCxeFJs/s1600-h/children.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 252px; float: left; height: 173px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290193380539916722" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SWqK2dg0YbI/AAAAAAAAADg/RghwqCxeFJs/s400/children.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><em>9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' </em><br /><em><br />13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'<br /><br />14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."<br /><br />15People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."<br /><br />18A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"<br /><br />19"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 20You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother."<br /><br />21"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.<br /><br />22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."<br /><br />23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."<br /><br />26Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" 27Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."<br /><br />28Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"<br /><br />29"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." (NIV)<br /><br /></em><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Main Points</span><br /></strong><br /><strong>A. The only ones who can be declared righteous are those who have no hope in themselves, but in God’s mercy alone.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God….”</span><br /><br />Humility – the realization that you are hopeless and helpless before a holy, perfect and just God, and throwing yourself at His mercy as a result – is the mark of true repentance and faith. The tax collector understood this and the Pharisee didn’t.<br /><br />Isaiah the prophet understood this too, in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Isaiah+6:1-8">Isaiah 6:1-8</a> – “Woe to me; I am ruined…”<br /><br /><em><strong>Reflection question</strong></em>: Which attitude characterizes my heart more – the Pharisee’s or the tax collector’s? Not only on Sunday mornings but in day-to-day living?<br /><br /><strong>B. Through their utter sense of need and dependence, children show us how we need to approach God.<br /></strong><br />17I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."<br /><br />Many may have this passage in mind when they assert that little children are inherently good, but it is only as they grow up and become exposed to the “evil institutions of society” that they become corrupt. But this is a misuse of the passage. Children, no less than adults, are born and conceived in sin and therefore need a Saviour (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+51:5">Ps 51:5</a>).<br /><br />Nevertheless, children provide a model for us in the way they demonstrate trust, and rely upon others; this is how we need to be towards God.<br /><br />Paul understood this well in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Cor+1:8-9">2 Cor 1:8-9</a>, as he speaks of how he responded to one of his great trials: ”We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that <em>we might not rely on ourselves but on God</em>, who raises the dead.” (emphasis mine)<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> How often do I turn to God in need?<br /><br /><strong>C. Only the saving grace of God can break the idol of wealth in the hearts of the wealthy.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" 27Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."</span><br /><br />Some take Jesus’ instruction to the ruler in verse 22 (“Sell everything you have and give to the poor…”) as normative for all Christians, therefore requiring us to be ascetics who can’t own anything, and therefore need to rely on others to get by. But this idea doesn’t square with passages such as <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Th+4:11-13+">1 Th 4:11-13 </a>and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Ti+6:17-19">1 Ti 6:17-19</a>. (Note also that when Zacchaeus says – in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk19.8-10">Lk 19:8-10 </a>– that he has given half of his goods to the poor – Jesus commends him, rather than scold him “for giving only half and not all”. )<br /><br />What Jesus is doing, however, is providing a probing test to the ruler – what does he care for the most in the end – his wealth, or the kingdom?<br /><br />Recall Jesus’ words in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+16:13">Lk 16:13</a>: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Does my thinking about money mainly relate to a sense of responsibility I have over how to manage it for the good of others and the glory of God? Or do I tend to dream about how I could be fulfilled through it? If the latter, have I truly experienced God's saving grace?<br /><br /><strong>D. God will bountifully provide for those who put Him before all other devotions.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."</span><br /><br />”Jesus is not encouraging his disciples to abandon familial responsibilities (cf. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph.+5:25">Eph. 5:25</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Eph.+6:4">6:4</a>). But sometimes family members turn against a believer, or there may be times of temporary separation due to Christian ministry….Whatever someone has to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom will be repaid many times more by God.” (<em>ESV Study Bible</em>, p. 1995)<br /><br />Recall that even though Peter says in verse 28, "we have left everything to follow you", Paul reveals in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+9:5">1 Co 9:5</a> that Peter did not permanently abandon his wife at all.<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Do I constantly put God first in my life? If not, is it because I don’t trust Him to provide for me?<br /><br />Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=luke+18%3A31-43&src=esv.org">Luke 18:31-43</a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-41180164242649064892009-01-04T15:11:00.003-07:002009-01-11T16:22:45.207-07:00Luke 17:20 - 18:8 (The “Now” and “Not Yet” of the Kingdom; Persistence in Prayer)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SWE1KkPRhiI/AAAAAAAAADQ/yRgsxrto3I0/s1600-h/prayer_kingdom.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 193px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287565893152376354" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SWE1KkPRhiI/AAAAAAAAADQ/yRgsxrto3I0/s400/prayer_kingdom.jpg" /></a><br /><div><em>20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."<br /><br />22Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.<br /><br />26"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.<br /><br />28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.<br /><br />30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32Remember Lot's wife! 33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."<br /><br />37"Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."<br /><br />1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'<br /><br />4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "<br /><br />6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"</em> (NIV)<br /><br /><u>Main Points</u><br /><br /><strong>A. God’s coming rule has, in a sense, already arrived; for it has appeared in Jesus and is also found in the hearts of those following Him.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."</span><br /><br />The Pharisees wanted signs that would make the kingdom of God easily seen. This desire approaches the kind of spiritual adultery Christ condemned elsewhere in the Gospel according to Matthew: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign….” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+12:39&src=esv.org">Mt 12:39</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+16:4">16:4</a>)<br /><br />“kingdom of God is within you” – better translated as “in the midst of you” (ESV). Many a practicioner of Eastern religions, or “New Age” spirituality, have taken the typical rendering to justify the idea of divinity being found within human beings (just as everything else).<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection questions:</em></strong> Do we believe and rejoice in the fact that God’s kingdom is growing, no matter how things may seem – through our observations – to be otherwise?<br /><br />Do we appreciate the fact that God is most often at work in quiet, non-obvious ways? Or do we tend to view His activity as if it needed to be some kind of spectacle?<br /><br /><strong>B. While God’s coming rule is growing in a way that can’t easily be seen, its consummation will be unmistakably obvious to all when Christ returns.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">23Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>Reflection questions:</em></strong> Do we have a tendency to speculate over the time of Christ’s return, as some Christians have been prone to do in the past and present? Or are we developing an alertness (of heart as well as mind) that anticipates His return at any time?</span><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>C. Christ’s rejection and death is a necessary part of God’s plan of redemption.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.<br /><br /></span><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Do we appreciate how central the cross is to what God has achieved for us through Christ?<br /><br /><strong>D. When Christ returns, many people will be caught off-guard, because the world will seem to be carrying on the same way as usual.<br /><br /></strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man….. people were eating, drinking, marrying….It was the same in the days of Lot…..<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Peter speaks of a skeptical attitude that will characterize unbelievers just before Jesus’ second coming, because of the apparent normalcy of life: “They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Peter+3:4">2 Peter 3:4</a>)<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> How can we make sure that we don’t find ourselves harbouring the same attitude as those whom Peter speaks of?</span> </span></span></div><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></span><br /><p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>E. As part of their readiness for Christ’s return, disciples of Christ should be prepared to part with the things of this world at any time.<br /><br /></strong></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">On that day, no one…should go down….no one…should go back…remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">The tragedy of Lot’s wife was that she “looked back”, i.e. she had a greater longing for the things of the world than for the things of God; as a result she experienced God’s judgment by being turned into a pillar of salt (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen+19:17,26">Gen 19: 17, 26</a>).<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">”For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Tim+6:7">1 Tim 6:7</a>)<br /><br />”Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+2:15-17">1 Jn 2:15-17</a>)</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> What are the ways in which we may still love the world more than God? How can we work – as God gives us the grace - to combat this idolatry?</span><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">“Where the corpse is, the vultures will gather” (v. 37) – “It seems best not to “over-interpret” this striking proverbial expression. It probably means simply that, just as people from far away can see vultures circling high in the air, Christ's return in judgment will be visible and predictable. A similar view is that the vultures suggest the widespread death that will accompany the return of Christ to judge those who have rejected his kingdom. In either case, it will be impossible for people not to see and recognize the return of Christ.” (<em>ESV Study Bible</em>, p. 1994)<br /><br /><strong>F. If an unjust judge can hear and respond to a widow’s unrelenting pleadings for justice, how much more will the just God hear and answer the unrelenting prayers of His children.</strong><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#ff0000;">“….they should always pray and not give up.”<br /><br />”will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">Some sensitive Christians might believe that the only “justice” they should receive from God is being thrown into hell, since that is truly what they deserve – not mercy. But because Christ has paid the penalty for our sin and has therefore reconciled us with God, so that we are His children, it is – in a sense, at least – “just” for Him to do good to them. Recall <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+John+1:9">1 John 1:9</a>: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”<br /><br />Recall how the LORD welcomed and accepted Abraham’s constant “nagging” for Him to spare any righteous people that might be found in Sodom (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen+18:16-33">Gen 18:16-33</a>).<br /><br /><strong><em>Reflection question:</em></strong> Do we keep persevering in prayer towards God for the things that we need, even when His answer and/or provision doesn’t seem to be forthcoming? Have we thanked Him when He finally has answered?<br /><br /><em>“will he find faith on earth?”</em> “The answer, of course, is “yes,” but Jesus poses this as a question in order to encourage his disciples to constant watchfulness and prayer. When he returns, Jesus will be looking for those who are praying and watching for him.” (ESVSB, p. 1994). </span></p><p><span style="color:#ff0000;"></p></span><p><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-1401910532507115832008-12-13T21:50:00.009-07:002009-01-04T15:11:47.518-07:00Luke 17:1-19: The Importance of Faith, and Some of Its Various Marks<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SUSQ3PWU36I/AAAAAAAAADI/pzlia7zOooE/s1600-h/mulberry.jpg"><em><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 184px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279503941872443298" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SUSQ3PWU36I/AAAAAAAAADI/pzlia7zOooE/s400/mulberry.jpg" /></em></a><br /><em>1Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3So watch yourselves.<br /><br />"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."<br /><br />5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"<br /><br />6He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.<br /><br />7"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "<br /><br />11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at<br />a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were<br />cleansed. 15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.<br /><br />17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise<br />and go; your faith has made you well."</em> (NIV)<br /><br /><u><strong>Main Points</strong></u><br /><br /><strong>A. Those who entice God's people to commit acts of sin will be condemned.<br /><br /></strong>"<em>woe</em>" - a pronouncement of judgment (Lk 6:24-26)<br />"<em>millstone</em>" - heavy upper stone of a grinding mill. Having one of these around one's neck, and then being thrown into the sea, would ensure one's demise, since drowning is quite a certainty! Yet, Jesus states that this situation is "better", presumably because it does not have eternal consequences.<br />"<em>little ones</em>" - true believers, i.e. those who have genuinely humbled themselves like little children<br /><br />These individuals may lead Christians astray either by teaching false doctrine (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+16:17&src=esv.org">Rom 16:17</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gal+1:8-9">Gal 1:8-9</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Co+11:4-5,+13">2 Co 11:4-5, 13</a>) or leading them into evil attitudes or behaviour (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jude+4,+17-19">Jude 4, 17-19</a>;<br /><a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+2:20-21">Rev 2:20-21</a>). They may have no association with Christianity. Yet, they may not only have this association, but may even profess to know God personally, and even be leaders (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+23.1-3">Mt<br />23:1-3</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ac+20:29-30">Ac 20:29-30</a>).<br /><br />"<em>So watch yourselves</em>" - even genuine believers, particulary those who become leaders (as Christ's apostles would), are warned by Jesus against becoming evil in this way.<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection question:</em></strong> What attitudes or behaviours do I encourage in my fellow believers, or in those under my care? Are these attitudes godly or ungodly?<br /><br /><strong>B. Disciples of Christ must always forgive those who are repentant, no matter how much the latter has sinned against the former.<br /></strong><br />"<em>If your brother sins</em>" - referring to an individual act of sin. We can't see what's in each other's hearts.<br />"<em>rebuke him</em>" - sin can't be overlooked; God calls His people to be holy as He is holy (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pe+1:15-16">1 Pe 1:15-16</a>). Of course, rebuke could be subtle or stern, depending on the situation.<br />"<em>if he repents, forgive him . . . seven times</em>." "In Judaism it was considered honorable to forgive three times; the disciples, as part of the new covenant community, were to exceed that standard." (<em>ESV Study Bible</em>, p. 1992). Forgiveness towards the repentant is to be unlimited (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Col+3:12-14">Col 3:12-14</a>).<br />"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Prov+19:11">Prov 19:11</a>)<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection question</em></strong>: Have I held a fellow believer's sin against him or her in any way? Even if I may have "formally" forgiven him/her, do I still find that my heart is bitter towards<br />him/her through the looks I give, the actions I do and/or the words I say?<br /><br /><strong>C. God can do great things through even the smallest amount of faith.</strong><br /><br />"<em>you could say to this black mulberry tree..."</em> - simply an idiom used to communicate that God can accomplish amazing things through the faith of His people. It is not grounds for a<br />believer to think of him/herself (or of God, for that matter) as a performer of magic, or fantastical activity.<br /><br />It should be kept in mind just what the disciples were crying out for: <em>the faith to constantly forgive others</em>. "Apparently the apostles thought great faith would be needed to be so<br />forgiving. Jesus points to what even small faith can bring about. More important than the quantity of faith is the <em>object of faith - a great and powerful God</em>." (<em>New Geneva Study<br />Bible</em>, p. 1637, emphasis added).<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection questions:</em></strong><br />-Do I know God's promises from Scripture?<br />-Do I believe them to be true?<br />-Do I demonstrate my faith through prayer? And do I wait on God to answer my prayers, even if everything around me seems to suggest that He won't ("hoping against hope")?<br /><br /><strong>D. A Christian's obedience should never be motivated by a belief that God is indebted to him or her (for He isn't), but rather simply by the fact that he/she belongs to God, and is therefore simply doing what God has commanded.</strong><br /><br />At this point, some may be troubled by an apparent contradiction that they find between Jesus' words in verses 7 to 10, and what He says in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:37">Lk 12:37</a>: "It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them."<br /><br />What's going on here?<br /><br />We must recall that when certain subjects come up from the mouth of Jesus, He (and other individual Bible authors, for that matter) does not necessarily treat them in an exhaustive manner. Recall, when we were looking at Luke 16 last week, that verse 18 in this chapter did not give the whole teaching on the topic of divorce and remarriage.<br /><br />And so, in Chapter 17, verses 7 to 10 are not all that God's word says about servanthood. "This text...should not be left by itself when it comes to the theme of service, for God does honor faithful service (cf. Lk 12:37). The balance is important, because the servant needs to appreciate what his duty is, while God is clear that service well done is honored. God rewards those who serve without thought of reward." (Bock, <em>NIV Application Commentary: Luke</em>, p. 441).<br /><br />Nevertheless, we shouldn't lose sight of the main thing Christ is driving at in verses 7 to 10, which is simply that God is never our debtor. He owes us nothing, but we owe him<br />everything. "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+4:7">1 Co 4:7</a>)<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection questions:</em></strong><br />-What goes through your mind when God has given you the grace to please Him in some way?<br />-Do you thank Him, or do you think, "Woww...I did pretty well here...the LORD's got<br />to take note of this"?How do you feel when you don't immediately see a positive result from something important you've done for the LORD?<br /><br /><strong>E. True disciples of Christ can be found among individuals who are often cast out by God's people.<br /><br /></strong>In this instance, of course, it's important to realize that by casting out those with leprosy, Jews were only fulfilling God's command as given in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev+13:46">Lev 13:46</a>. However, it's easy to<br />imagine that such an action would be accompanied by great contempt, especially - in light of what we've already seen - on the part of the Pharisees and law-teachers (see also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:9-14">Lk<br />18:9ff</a>).<br /><br />People such as lepers - and, indeed, any who are considered outcasts - might indeed be in a pitiful state, but what we tend not to realize (and what the Gospel of Luke continually<br />makes us aware of) is that these people are aware of their pitiful state, and cry out to God in mercy as a result.<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection questions:</em></strong><br />-Is my prayer life marked by a "crying out" of helplessness and self-impoverishment that was found in these lepers?<br />-Have I ever considered carrying out some sort of ministry to the kinds of people that I tend not to associate with?<br /><br /><strong>F. True disciples of Christ are marked by taking God at His word, and by praising and thanking Him too.<br /><br /></strong>True faith takes God at His word, and acts accordingly. Note how Jesus does not heal the lepers right then and there - but commands them to show themselves to the priests, as if to say, "this is a test for you, to believe whether I will heal you or not." Recall that the centurion invites Jesus to give him such a test back in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+7:1-10">Lk 7: 1-10</a>, and Jesus responds by saying, ""I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."<br /><br />True faith marvels in the goodness and glory of God. Jesus told the one person who returned to give thanks and praise to Him that his faith has "made him well" (i.e., saved him).<br /><br />The fact that this person was a Samaritan must have given pause to any of Luke's readers who believed that God showed favour to the Jews to the exclusion of others.<br /><br /><strong><em>Self-reflection questions:</em></strong><br />-Are my praise and thanksgiving sincere?<br />-Are they limited to the Sunday morning service?<br />-Or are they to be found in many moments during each day of the week?<br />-Are you thankful for the gift of God's Son only at Christmas time? Or during every month of the year?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-40555633423432486152008-12-07T17:34:00.007-07:002008-12-10T00:16:54.893-07:00Luke 16:16-31: Jesus on the Law and Divorce; Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/STxwXEwJtoI/AAAAAAAAADA/q5e_vkzV9Nc/s1600-h/rich_poor.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277216405086385794" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/STxwXEwJtoI/AAAAAAAAADA/q5e_vkzV9Nc/s400/rich_poor.gif" /></a><br /><div><em>16"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.<br /><br />18"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.<br /><br />19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.<br /><br />22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'<br /><br />25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'<br /><br />27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'<br /><br />29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'<br /><br />30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'<br /><br />31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "</em> (NIV)<br /><br /><strong><u>Main Points</u></strong><br /><br /><strong>A.The new era of proclaiming the kingdom of God in Christ does not diminish the importance of the law of God.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"The law and prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time...."</em></span><br /><br />The distinguishing mark of the law-and-prophets period (lasting from the giving of the Mosaic Law in Exodus, all the way to the ministry of John the Baptist) was NOT that people had to pay attention to God's law (whereas now they don't have to), but rather that in this period, God revealed and established His character and attributes to a chosen group of people; and through different means (prophecies, images, miracles), He made them aware of a Messiah who was to come and rescue them from their sin. Now that the Messiah has come in the person of Christ, the new era is marked by proclaiming His lordship and His salvation.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"everyone his forcing his way into it..."</em></span><br /><br />the original Greek expression could mean the above-rendered phrase, which, in effect, means that "exercising the faith that brings one into the kingdom and keeps one there involves a kind of holy “violence” toward oneself in the form of repentance and self-denial" (<em>ESV Study Bible</em>, p. 1991), or - alternately - it could mean "everyone is urged to enter it" (the <em>NET Bible</em>'s translation). While the first rendering seems to be made by most translations, the latter makes more sense. It does so because 1) it is not the case that everyone, or likely even most people, are making their way into the kingdom of God, whether at Jesus' time, throughout church history, or today; and 2) the rendering of "everyone is urged to enter it" makes sense in light of Christ's continuous, urgent calls to repent and believe the good news (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+5:32&src=esv.org">Lk 5:32</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+10:13">10:13</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+11:32">11:32</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:3">13:3</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+15:7">15:7</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk+15:10">10</a>)<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear..."</em></span><br /><br />While Christ came to fulfill the demands of the Mosaic Law (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+5:17">Mt 5:17</a>) so that His disciples are no longer under its condemnation (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+8:1">Rom 8:1</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gal+3:13">Gal 3:13</a>), this does not mean that it has ceased to be a force that guides and directs Christians in an authoritative way. Indeed, Jesus - by fulfilling the Law, made it "His own", so to speak. We can see that a great many of His instructions reiterate and reinforce the will of God as originally expressed in the Mosaic Law (read in the "sermon on the mount" in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+5-7">Mt 5-7</a> for just one example). So all Christians must say, with Paul, that they are "not...free from God's law but... under Christ's law" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+9:21">1 Co 9:21</a>).<br /><br /><strong>B. The ongoing importance of the law of God is confirmed by Jesus' statement that divorcing a spouse or marrying a divorcee amounts to adultery (as a general principle).<br /></strong><br />Some readers of Scriptures are understandably puzzled, and even troubled, by the fact that Luke (as well as Mark, for that matter) does not provide the "exceptions" of sexual immorality (by Matthew, in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+5:32">Mt 5:32</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+19:9">19:9</a>) or desertion by an unbelieving partner (by Paul, in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+7:10-11">1 Co 7:10-11</a>) as permissible grounds for divorce. Why do these "allowances" not appear here?<br /><br />Some commentators have argued that Luke's main recipient, Theophilus, was already aware of the "exceptions" and, therefore, didn't need to be informed of them again. This is not convincing, especially because believers always need to be reminded of God's revealed truth (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+15:14-16">Rom 15:14-16</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Php+3:1">Php 3:1</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Ti+2:8-14">2 Ti 2:8-14</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Pe+2:12-15">2 Pe 2:12-15</a>). Rather, in light of the immediate context - verse 17 - it seems that Luke's main purpose is NOT to give the "entire truth" or the whole Biblical teaching about divorce and remarriage, but rather to make a general statement, in order to give but one example of how the Law - and, in particular, the Seventh commandment - is still authoritative over believers' lives. Christ says elsewhere that God still intends marriage to be an indissoluble union between a man and a woman (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+19:6">Mt 19:6</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mk+10:9">Mk 10:9</a>). Divorce brings such a union to an end, and therefore God hates it (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mal%202.16;&version=49;">Mal 2:16</a>).<br /><br /><strong>C. Death is a reality for rich and poor alike.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried."</em></span><br /><br />"Most men eat, and drink, and talk, and plan, as if they were going to live upon earth forever. The true Christian must be on his guard against this spirit. "He that would live well," said a great divine, "should often think of his last day, and make it his company-keeper." Against murmuring, and discontent, and envy, in the state of poverty; and against pride, and self-sufficiency, and arrogance, in the possession of wealth, there are few better antidotes than the remembrance of death." (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke)<br /><br /><strong>D. The material status that people have while on earth does not determine their status before God.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony."</em></span><br /><br />"Let us never give way to the common idea that men are to be valued according to their income, and that the man who has most money is the one who ought to be the most highly esteemed. There is no authority for this notion in the Bible. The general teaching of Scripture is flatly opposed to it. "Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Cor.+1:26">1 Cor. 1:26</a>.) "Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glories glory in this, that he knows and understands me." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jer.+9:24">Jer. 9:24</a>.) Wealth is no mark of God's favor. Poverty is no mark of God's displeasure. Those whom God justifies and glorifies are seldom the rich of this world. It we would measure men as God measures them, we must value them according to their grace." (Ryle, Luke)<br /><br /><strong>E. Hell is dreadfully real, and ongoing.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'<br /></em></span><br />While not every detail of this parable should be pressed so as to communicate what's going to happen in real life (e.g. it is not likely that unbelievers in hell can either "call out" to God, or to believers in heaven), we cannot help but conclude that this parable reinforces the idea - spoken elsewhere by Jesus - of hell as a place of never-ending, conscious torment (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+25:46">Mt 25:46</a>, and also all of the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" passages also found in Matthew's gospel account.)<br /><br /><strong>Discussion Question</strong>: <em>More than a few evangelical Christians have begun to deny the idea of hell as a place of conscious torment, but rather define it as a "cessation of existence". What is the danger of holding this view?<br /></em><br /><strong>F. The greatest miracles cannot change people's hearts if they refuse to put their trust in God's Word.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "<br /></em></span><br />Miracles - particularly the resurrection - testify to the truth of Jesus Christ and his claims, but they cannot save anyone. Only the Word of God can give birth to new life (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Peter+1:23">1 Peter 1:23</a>). </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-14931802270124640872008-11-29T20:53:00.006-07:002008-11-29T21:13:01.071-07:00Luke 16:1-15: The Parable of the Unjust Manager, and the Proper Use of Wealth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/STIOcl9dhYI/AAAAAAAAAC4/oOVnbYnR1Xs/s1600-h/money.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/STIOcl9dhYI/AAAAAAAAAC4/oOVnbYnR1Xs/s400/money.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274293997993297282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 1Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 3"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg— 4I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 5"So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 6" 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 7"Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> " 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 8"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 10"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. </span>(NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A PUZZLING PARABLE (vv. 1-8)</span><br /><br />There are at least four interpretatons that commentators (whom I've consulted) have made concerning the manager's actions and the master's response:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1)</span> What the manager originally charged included interest, and now he is allowing the debtors to forego paying the interest. The master is not greatly affected by this waiving of the interest, since he basically receives his money, and praises the manager for bringing this about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2)</span> What the manager originally charged included commission for himself, and now he is allowing the debtors to forego paying the commission. The master is not affected by this waiving of the commission, since he receives his entire amount of money, and praises the manager for bringing this about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3)</span> Since the debts must have been hard to collect, the master was pleased that, even if he didn't get all of his money back, he at least got a quick influx of dough, so he praises the manager for bringing this about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4)</span> The manager was deliberately cunning and deceitful, reducing the debt of the debtors without informing the master (which helps to explain, in part, why he says, "quickly...") in the hope that the debtors would reciprocate by giving him shelter and anything else he needed. The master's "commendation" is one of admiration for the manager's foresight in looking after himself, but not praise for the manager's action itself.<br /><br />After a bit of humming and hawing, I have opted for #4, for the following reasons:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">a)</span> This is a fictional account that Jesus tells (a parable, after all, is a story) and not an event that actually happened. Stories are typically taken at face value, and there is no reason for the listener to surmise what details are missing. Everything is told that needs to be told. So if the manager tells the debtors to provide a smaller amount than what they owe, we should naturally interpret this amount as being a <span style="font-style: italic;">reduction of their debt</span>, not their "basic" or "essential" debt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">b)</span><span> There may be objections over</span> how Jesus could uphold such a conniving character as being worthy of our attention. But it is the specific characteristic of <span style="font-style: italic;">shrewdness</span> that Jesus is calling attention to - not the general character of the manager. If we think that the main character of Jesus' parables should always be virtuous, we'll have a problem when we get to Luke 18 and study the "prayer parables". There we find an <span style="font-style: italic;">unjust</span> judge and an <span style="font-style: italic;">irritable</span> neighbour who are not only singled out for positive attention, but who are likened to God. Not in every way, but in the way they grant the requests of those who come to them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">c)</span> When, in verses 10 to 12, Jesus is warning his disciples about not being faithful to what's been entrusted to them, it is very hard not to conclude that he's making an allusion to the manager's actions. But if we take any of the interpretations #1, 2 or 3 (above) to be true, then we have to say that the manager's actions were good. As a result, Jesus' words in verses 10 to 12 sound kind of strange - or, at least, strangely timed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>MAIN LESSONS from vv. 1-15</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. Christ's disciples must learn positively from the unjust manager, in the way he took care of things that mattered to him. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light"</span> - people of the world attend to practical matters better than the people of God do to spiritual matters. This statement ought to have us reflect on questions like:<br /><br />- Do we feed on God's word as we do on real food? (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+8:3&src=esv.org">Deut 8:3</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+4:4">Matt 4:4</a>)<br />- Do we pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances? (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Thes+5:16-18">1 Thes 5:16-18</a>)<br />- Do we encourage other Christians daily? (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+3:13">Heb 3:13</a>)<br />- Do we pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the LORD? (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb+12:14">Heb 12:14</a>)<br />- and - what Jesus is particularly driving at in verse 9 - are we using "worldly wealth" to "gain friends for ourselves"?<br /><br />What Jesus likely means by this exhortation is that we use money to invest in those who have need, with a view to the "profitable return" that will happen in the new heavens and earth, as Paul explains to Timothy in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Ti+6:17-19">1 Ti 6:17-19</a>:<br /><br />"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />B. Christ's disciples must learn negatively from the unjust manager, in that they must show that they are faithful (unlike him) with the small things entrusted to them.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">11So if you have not been trustworthy...who will trust you with....if you have not been trustworthy....who will give you....?</span><br /><br />- Verses 10 to 12 underline the fact that, like the manager, we have been entrusted with someone else's resources; only in our case, it's God's.<br />- Unlike the farming fool of <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+12:13-21">Lk 12:13-21</a>, the manager knew that his property wasn't his own, but like the farming fool, he treated it as if it were his own anyway.<br />- Just as both of them were called to account, so will Christians be, by God (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+14:12">Rom 14:12</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+3:11-14">1 Co 3:11-14</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Co+5:10">2 Co 5:10</a>). However, for Christians, this is not a summons that would result in their condemnation - for there's no condemnation for those in Christ (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+8:1">Rom 8:1</a>) - but it may mean loss of reward. While time can't permit us now to talk about just what is meant by "reward" for the Christian, there's ample Biblical evidence for this concept (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+6:1-18">Mt 6:1-18</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+10:40-42">10:40-42</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mt+16:27">16:27</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:22-24">Lk 6:22-24</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:35">35</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Co+4:5">1 Co 4:5</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Col+3:23-24">Col 3:23-24</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Jn+8">2 Jn 8</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+22:12">Rev 22:12</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />C. Serving money cannot allow one to serve God, and vice-versa.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">No servant can serve two masters....You cannot serve both God and Money.</span><br /><br />"Those who are Jesus' true disciples must make an either/or choice between serving God and serving money. “Money” is personified here in parallel with “God,” indicating the way in which money can often take on an idolatrous place in one's life. The way to serve God rather than money is to put one's resources to the service of others and the work of the kingdom." (<span style="font-style: italic;">ESV Study Bible</span>, pp. 1990-1991)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question 1:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Why is money often singled out in Scripture as a particularly dangerous temptation for the believer?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />D. God hates what is esteemed by people, and vice-versa.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question 2:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">As Jesus makes clear in verse 15, the love of money is a subtle sin because it can't always be easily seen (also recall Jesus' words to the Pharisees earlier in Lk 11:39: "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness"). What other things that God hates are "well-hidden" enough so that we could still show ourselves to be "righteous" before others? How can we guard against these?<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-29115658416363790062008-11-23T14:02:00.003-07:002008-11-23T14:16:40.700-07:00Luke 15:11-32 (The Parable of the Passionate Father, The Lost Son and The Proud Brother)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SSnGbp-sgFI/AAAAAAAAACw/ssRhZej7kBM/s1600-h/prodigal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 260px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SSnGbp-sgFI/AAAAAAAAACw/ssRhZej7kBM/s400/prodigal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271963017241460818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> 31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' </span>"(NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>LESSONS OF THIS PARABLE</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Just as the parable's reckless son always had the choice of abandoning his lifestyle and coming home, so all people - no matter what they've done - may confess their sin and turn to God in repentance (vv. 11-20a).</span><br /><br />"Father, give me my share of the estate" (v. 12): a shockingly disrespectful thing to say to a father at that time and place, because honour paid to a family - especially to its patriarch - was one of the most common virtues that a Middle East youth was expected to practice. A son - especially a younger son - would not dare ask such a thing, particularly when the father was still alive. Yet, this defiance and irreverence represents well how all humanity has treated the LORD: "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps+53:2-3&src=esv.org">Ps 53:2-3</a>; cf. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+3:10-12">Rom 3:10-12</a>)<br /><br />"The younger son...squandered his wealth in wild living...and he began to be in need" (vv. 13-14): the price that people have had to pay for their rejection of God is high - "the way of the unfaithful is hard" (Pr 13:15); "ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know" (Rom 3:16-17).<br /><br />"When he came to his senses..." (v. 17) - repentance begins when sinners are able to see their hopeless situation clearly.<br /><br />"I am no longer worthy to become your son; make me like one of your hired men" (v.19) - repentance is marked by a humility that asks for nothing but mercy (also <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:9-14">Lk 18:9-14</a>). And, as <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Prov+28:13">Prov 28:13</a> attests, that is exactly what the son gets upon his return.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Just as the parable's father was more than willing to show reconciliation to his returning son, so God gladly offers all people, out of His sheer grace, abundant forgiveness if they repent and believe in Christ (vv. 20b-24).</span><br /><br />"His father saw him..." (v. 20) Though, in all likelihood, the son's family declared him "dead" because he disowned them, his father must have felt great loss and sorrow, and longed for his return - note how he "saw him" even when the son "was still a long way off" (v.20). Recall God's sorrow for sinners through the words of Ezekiel: "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Eze 18:23)<br /><br />"he ran to his son....the father said, 'let's have a feast and celebrate'" (vv. 20, 22, 23) "However inwardly glad he may have been to see his son again, no older, self-respecting Middle Eastern male head of an estate would have disgraced himself by the undignified action of running to greet his son. Nor would he have interrupted the son's speech before a full display of repentance, or instantly commanded such a luxurious outpouring of affection for him (vv. 22-23). All of these details strongly suggest that Jesus wanted to present his audience with more than a simple, realistic picture of family life. Rather, he used an extraordinary story to illustrate<span style="font-style: italic;"> God's amazing patience and love for his ungrateful children.</span>" (Craig Blomberg, <span style="font-style: italic;">Interpreting the Parables</span>, p. 176, emphasis added).<br /><br />"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isa 1:18)<br /><br />Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. (Mic 7:18)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Just as the "older brother" of the parable's son should not have resented his brother's return to the family fold - but rather taken joy in it - so those who profess to be God's people should be happy - not angry - that the LORD extends His grace even to "the most unworthy"(vv. 25-32).</span><br /><br />That Jesus is probably likening the pride of the older brother to that of the Pharisees can be seen in...<br /><br />a) the way the older brother becomes angry when seeing his father celebrating the prodigal's return (just as the Pharisees complained about Jesus eating with the tax collectors and "sinners" - 15:2);<br /><br />b) the way the older brother views the relationship with his father as a "meritorious works" arrangement (just as the Pharisees perceived their relationship to God as being - <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:11">Lk 18:11</a>); and<br /><br />c) the way the older brother expresses sheer contempt for his younger brother by calling him "this son of yours" (just as the Pharisees "were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else" - <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+18:9">Lk 18:9</a>).<br /><br />Another strong indication of God's love for sinners can be seen in the way that Jesus, through the telling of this parable, is trying to reach out to the Pharisees and help them see what happiness they could have, if only they took to heart that a) obeying God means having communion with Him as well as serving Him; and b) loving God means sharing in His joy when another sinner repents and comes to faith.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question 1:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">We might say that in this parable, the younger brother was marked by immoral behaviour and the older one by virtuous self-righteousness. Why are both traits offensive to God?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question 2:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">What are some things we can reflect on that would keep us in the same state of humility, and dependence on God, that marked the younger son once he repented (and that would also keep us from becoming more like the older brother)?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-8368570486074846072008-11-15T23:42:00.015-07:002008-11-16T00:04:38.436-07:00Luke 14:25-15:10 (The Cost of Discipleship, and the Parables of the Lost Sheep and Coin)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SR_BV6cCw8I/AAAAAAAAACo/zmZY5mH0OrM/s1600-h/sheep_coin.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 284px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 257px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269142671255061442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SR_BV6cCw8I/AAAAAAAAACo/zmZY5mH0OrM/s400/sheep_coin.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><em>25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'<br /><br />31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.<br /><br />34"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.<br />"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."<br /><br />1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.<br /><br />8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."</em> (NIV)<br /><br /><strong>1. A mark of true discipleship is the commitment to love Jesus more than family, possessions, or life itself.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">"If anyone comes to me and does not hate....he cannot be my disciple."</span><br /><br />By recording these shocking words of our Lord, Luke is once again stating, as he did in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+6:46-49&src=esv.org">Luke 6:46-49</a>, and <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk13:22-30">13:22-30</a>, that for one to merely have <em>association with</em> Jesus does not necessarily constitute true faith.<br /><br />"The meaning of "hate" carries a comparative force here. The idea is not that we should hate our family or lives, but that <em>in comparison to Jesus, if we are forced to choose, the winner in that choice must be Jesus</em>." (Bock, <em>NIV Application Commentary: Luke</em>, p. 401, emphasis added)<br /><br />Jesus certainly wasn't promoting hatred of family when He held up the fourth commandment of Moses ("honor your father and mother") while taking issue with a man-made rule - taught by the Pharisees and law-teachers - that gave a Jew the right to neglect care for his parents because he was giving "service to God instead" (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mk+7:9-13">Mk 7:9-13</a>).<br /><br />Also, Paul upholds the importance of family when he says to Timothy: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Ti 5:8).<br /><br />Nevertheless, family devotion can become a huge idol that stands in the way of following Jesus, partly because it seems so innocuous: "We tend to agree that there is something sordid about the attitude which gives priority to money-making over the nobler and more humane issues of life. But proper care for one's family is one of those....issues. ...Nevertheless, a man or woman may be <em>so bound up by family ties as to have no time or interest</em> for matters of...the kingdom of God" (F.F. Bruce, <em>The Hard Sayings of Jesus</em>: Hodder, pp. 119-120, emphasis added).<br /><br /><strong>Discussion Question #1:</strong> <em>What are some ways in which we can learn to give Christ priority in every area of our lives?<br /></em><br /><strong>2. There is a cost to Christian commitment.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower..."<br />"Suppose a king is about to go to war..."</span><br /><br />- true faith must come to terms with the fact that to call Jesus Lord means to do what He says (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:46">Lk 6:46</a>).<br /><br />- "As a builder estimates costs or a king evaluates miltary strength, so <em>a person must consider what Jesus expects of his followers</em>" (NIV Study Bible, p. 1566, emphasis added). One such "cost" of following Jesus is enduring the hostility that inevitably comes from the world (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+15:19">Jn 15:19</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+3:13">1 Jn 3:13</a>), the devil (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pet+5:8-9">1 Pet 5:8-9</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rev+12:10">Rev 12:10</a>) and our own sinful corruption (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gal+5:17">Gal 5:17</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Pet+2:11">1 Pet 2:11</a>) as the disciple learns, by God's grace, to become more and more like Christ.<br /><br />- "any of you who does not give up everything he has" - this statement seems to be promoting asceticism. But if it did, how could some of Christ's followers (like Zacchaeus, Mary and Martha) open their homes to Him if they did not have the means or goods to do so? "...renouncing all (means) that everything we have <em>is at Jesus' disposal for purposes that please him</em>, and that it must never get in the way of radical obedience to his command to love" (Piper, <em>What Jesus Demands FromThe World</em>, p. 73, emphasis added).<br /><br /><strong>3. God will dispense with professing Christians who do not continue on the path of discipleship.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness..."<br /></span><br />Some might take issue with Jesus' salt illustration because the salt we use most often - sodium chloride - can never really lose its "salty" properties, and, by extension, its flavour. But Jesus is likely referring to the salt found in the Mediterranean sea: "Most salt came from the Dead Sea and contained impurities (carnallite and gypsum). If not processed properly, it would have a poor taste and would be worse than useless, being unusable for food and creating a disposal problem. If the conditions of discipleship (vv. 26–27, 33) are not kept, the disciples likewise will become less than worthless" (<em>ESV Study Bible</em>, p. 1988).<br /><br />Such a warning might strike fear into us, wondering if we can meet the demands of discipleship. We need to be assured, however, our walk of fruit-bearing discipleship was ultimately initiated by God (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jn+15:16">Jn 15:16</a>) and so it will be completed by Him also (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Phil+1:6">Phil 1:6</a>). Christ's warnings are some of the <em>means</em> used by God to keep His true disciples on the right path (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex+20:18-20">Ex 20:18-20</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Jer+32:40">Jer 32:40</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+27:21-32">Acts 27:21-32</a>).<br /><br /><strong>4. The LORD takes the initiative in seeking to save sinners, and rejoices when He has done so.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them..."<br />"Suppose one of you has ten silver coins...."<br /></span><br />For the second time in Luke, we see Jesus eating with those considered the outcasts, the scum of the earth (the first occurs in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk5:27-32">5:27-32</a>). The self-righteous Pharisees and law teachers pour scorn - once again - upon our Lord for doing so in 15:2. In response, Jesus tells the three famous "lost" parables (the third of which we will look at next week).<br /><br />"In the first two parables, Jesus emphasizes the loss sustained by the owner, his anxious and rigorous search for the object, and his joy when he finds it" (Boice, <em>The Parables of Jesus</em>, p. 49). Just because God is sovereign, we should not conclude that He is any less distraught than anyone would be when a person is lost, nor that He is any less joyful when he or she is found. "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Eze 18:23)<br /><br /><strong>Discussion Question #2:</strong> <em>As we prepare ourselves to share the gospel with those who don't know Christ, how can we dismantle the kind of attitude that's characteristic of the Pharisees, and cultivate the compassionate mindset of Jesus?</em><br /><br />Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+15:11-32+">Luke 15:11-32 </a>– The Parable of the Lost Son (a.k.a. The Prodigal Son Parable)</div><div></div><div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901595024379393756.post-8369149622929681472008-11-08T17:56:00.004-07:002008-11-08T18:10:30.724-07:00Luke 14:1-24 (The Sabbath, Seats Of Honour & The Special Banquet)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SRY4Z_wbDWI/AAAAAAAAACY/6pgTXPHUP-U/s1600-h/banquet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 158px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dFl3FIBlRLU/SRY4Z_wbDWI/AAAAAAAAACY/6pgTXPHUP-U/s400/banquet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266458833518792034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 5Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 6And they had nothing to say.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "</span>(NIV)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>MAIN IDEAS FROM THIS TEXT</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A. Taking a rest-day for God does not mean taking a rest from seeking others' welfare.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">5Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?"</span><br /><br />Given that this is yet another “Sabbath lesson” (and we had already taken in the last one only two weeks ago – in <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:10-17&src=esv.org">Lk 13:10-17</a>), it is tempting to wonder if Luke isn’t getting just a bit repetitive…!<br /><br />However, we need to be reminded of God’s truth as much as be taught it (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+8:11-20">Deut 8:11-20</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Rom+15:14-16">Rom 15:14-16</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Php+3:1">Php 3:1</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Ti+2:8-14">2 Ti 2:8-14</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=2+Pe+2:12-15">2 Pe 2:12-15</a>).<br /><br />It might be, however, that Luke has at least a couple of new purposes in describing this moment: a) to show that, even after the prevous Sabbath healings (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:1-10">Lk 6:1-10</a>, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:10-17">13:10-17</a>), the Jewish leaders still remained hardened in their hearts; and yet b), whereas before, they were willing to devise many tactics and clever words to try and humiliate Jesus (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+6:11">Lk 6:11</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk10:25">10:25</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=lk11:53-54">11:53-54</a>), they now had nothing to say or do in response to His wisdom and power (Lk 14:6). Jesus has clearly prevailed over them.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">B. Humility now is better than humiliation later.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."</span><br /><br />“At an ancient meal, the table was usually in the shape of a U, and the host sat at the base. The seats of honor were located next to him. Often the most honored guests arrived the latest.” (Bock, <span style="font-style: italic;">NIV Application Commentary: Luke</span>, p. 392).<br /><br />In this passage, Jesus was likely making an allusion to Pr. 25:6-7: “Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.”<br /><br />Since the situation Jesus is speaking of in verses 8 to 10 is not one that we in Western culture would often find ourselves in, His “summary statement” in verse 11 (“whoever exalts…humbles…”) is most significant for our purposes. It has a lot of relevance for<br /><br />1) the way we relate to others, especially in our speech:<br />Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. (Prov 27:2)<br /><br />2) the way we relate to God:<br />God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (1 Pet 5:5; James 4:6)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question #1</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">What are some of the ways in which we can, as God gives us the grace, cultivate humility and destroy pride in our hearts?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">C. The LORD wants us to serve those who can’t repay us for what we do for them.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."</span><br /><br />We shouldn’t conclude that our Lord is saying that we should never invite our loved ones over for a meal, any more than we should conclude from His words in 14:26 (discussed next week) that we should hate our family members. Jesus is employing hyperbole here, as Semitic statements would often tend to do at this time.<br /><br />However, what we can conclude is that there isn’t necessarily anything special, generous or charitable about doing things for those we love. Here, it is useful to think back on the words of Christ in Luke 6:32-36, where He is exhorting us to love our enemies: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.”<br /><br />In contrast, carrying out hospitality or other forms of service to those who can never repay us is a good test for us who profess to know Christ – a test of whether or not we believe that Christ will acknowlege our deeds when He returns (v. 14, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Matt+16:27">Matt 16:27</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">D. Rejecting the rule of God often takes the form of excuse-making.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">'18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'</span><br /><br />“All the excuses smack of insincerity. One does not purchase property without seeing it first. And since the purchase was already complete., there was no urgency. The land would still be there after the banquet. Likewise (v. 19), one does not purchase oxen without first testing them. The man who had recently married (v. 20) was excused from business travel, or serving in the miltary (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Deut+24:5">Deut 24:5</a>), but there was no legitimate reason for newlyweds to avoid such a social engagement.” (MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1544).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discussion Question #2:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Even though we may, by God’s grace, be part of His kingdom to come, are we ever prone to making excuses or rationalizations to avoid things the LORD would have us do? What might some of these be? What do these reveal about the state of our hearts?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">E. Those who seem to be the “first in line” to take their place in the arrival of God’s kingdom will be rejected if they reject Christ. In their place, God will draw many others who are often labelled as outcasts.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'</span><br /><br />While Jesus has the Jews in mind here, we should always be prepared to take warning from this passage and all that are like it (i.e. all such passages where Jews are addressed) by asking ourselves if we might be presuming upon God’s favour to us simply because we attend worship, fellowship with God’s people, etc. We must examine ourselves and make sure that our lives are marked by repentance from sin (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:1-5">Lk 13:1-5</a>), the fruit of such repentance (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+3:8">Lk 3:8</a>; <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+13:6-9">13:6-9</a>) and growing faith in Christ (<a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lk+8:22-25">Lk 8:22-25</a>).<br /><br />Next week: <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+14:25-15:10">Luke 14:25-15:10</a> – The Cost of Discipleship, and the Parables of the Lost Sheep and CoinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com