Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Love your enemies, don’t judge others, the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, here the words and do what Jesus commanded. Somewhere there’s a sign for the wall with these short phrases that summarize so much of Jesus’ teaching. The original audience that heard these words for the very first time were …
Read: Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount is probably another time when Jesus preached to a large group, this time on a level place, a plateau, if you will. This passage provides both blessings and woes in comparison, first the blessings, then the woes. Luke leaves us with the opportunity to sense Jesus’ …
Read: “They said to Him…” begins the reading for today and one of my recurring nightmares: will I be counted as one of them? Am I in the “they” group? Jesus wants us all to be part of His family, but He is not about checking boxes to gain acceptance, that would be easy, He …
Continue reading “Luke: Legalism Concerns – Fasting and the Sabbath”
Read: Consider two phrases in the passage we read today: Lord if you are willing and when Jesus saw their faith. Both demonstrate an unusual faith in a man they hardly knew. They had heard about this preacher that was going from village to village, town to town, teaching good news, adding wisdom to wise …
Read: The readings this morning jump around a bit as I attempt to collect Luke’s writing about Jesus calling His disciples. Luke chose to weave the story of how Jesus called Peter (Simon) with the Zebedee brothers, James and John, and Matthew (Levi) in chapter 5, then provides a pivotal moment in chapter 6 when …
Read: Rejected by His hometown, Jesus goes to Capernaum, some 40 miles (a 9-hour walk according to Google Maps). Luke surrounds these two miraculous interventions with observations about the spreading of Jesus’ ministry. Don’t miss the detail that Jesus is not only teaching on the Sabbath, but He is also “working” by casting out demons …
Continue reading “Luke: Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit, Heals Many”
Read: Back from the desert temptation experience, Jesus’ ministry is now set for launch. Not surprising, His teaching is exceptional and people are amazed. They were amazed when He taught as a 12-year old (), I can’t even fathom what another 18 years of life on earth added to His sermon archive! In this passage, …
Read: Tempting Jesus has always seemed like a moot point to me. Each time I read this passage, it seems there’s no way Jesus would actually be enticed by Satan’s offers. The highlight reel of this extended time of fasting includes three specific temptations: prove God is the ultimate provider bow down to Satan test …
Read: We fast-forward to somewhere between A.D. 25 and A.D. 26, when John the Baptist, and his cousin Jesus, were about 30 years old. John preaches the need for repentance through baptism and even baptizes Jesus. Luke covers the story of John the Baptist differently than the other Gospel accounts. His intentional process of identifying …
Read: Today we read a story that I’ve read a hundred times. It reveals the incredible truth that Jesus was fully human and, we later appreciate, fully God. Of all the stories, I’m so grateful that Luke was careful about choosing this one. There are times when I read a verse that my head seems …