Tag: Luke

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Luke: Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

Read: Luke 17:11-19

Traveling on the border between Samaria (the forbidden) and Galilee (the promised), Jesus encounters a group of men with leprosy. Somehow they heard about His ability to heal this dreaded disease, so they broke the rules and sought Him out, though they were respectful enough to stand at a distance and called out in a loud voice:

Jesus, Master, have pity on us! Luke 17:13

Without missing a beat, Jesus heals them and sends them to return to the priests to be officially accepted back into the community from which they were no doubt ostracized for their uncleanliness.

You would think they would all be overwhelmed with gratitude, praise, and worship beyond words. Not so quick. One of the ten sought out Jesus to show his appreciation. One knew he was clean and fell at the feet of Jesus. One.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:17-19

The wording of Jesus’ response is interesting. The way I read this, Jesus is not looking for any glory at all. Instead, He points to God. I know this is a bit beyond human comprehension, the whole notion of the triune Father-Son-Spirit relationship is challenging, but for those listening, He provides another great example of His desire to follow the will of God.

So should we.

Even if we are foreigners.

It strikes me that we talk about Samaritans here as if we appreciate the implication. For our culture, we might substitute something a bit more relatable like whore, drug dealer, child-molester, Islamic State, Mormon, Wiccan, witch, etc., something to drive home the point that Samaritans were looked down upon as if they were scum of the earth. Obviously, I’m not advocating for anyone in the sample list provided, but let’s get real. We were called to seek those who are lost. I don’t relate to anyone in the list, but I must somehow get my mind wrapped around the idea that God wants all to come into His glory–even those I don’t like to think about!

Years ago I, when I was on active duty in the military in England, I removed myself from chapel leadership because of the presence of the new Base Chaplain. You see, he was a Mormon and was implementing new policies that offended me as a Christian. For example, the Base Christmas Tree lighting ceremony was renamed the Base Holiday Tree. Seriously. Like any other religion has an evergreen tree as its centerpiece. Don’t get me started!

I ran and joined a wonderful group of Christ-following missionaries in a nearby village. I hid myself until one day we had an event in the base chapel where we (five of us) sang an old a capella song as a tribute to someone being transferred back to the States. I sang low bass. After we were done an old lady (I mean this with the best of intentions) came up to me and asked me where I’d been? You see, I was the “song leader” for the chapel prior to the Mormon’s arrival. She flat out rebuked me: “Don’t ever hide your gifts from God again,” she convicted me, “promise me you won’t ever run away again. We needed your leadership while we were going through this dark time!” Ouch!

Glory and gratitude belongs to God alone. I’ll never forget that rebuke and I suspect the disciples will never forget the story of the Samaritan leper who was cured and worshiped Jesus.

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Luke: Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Duty

Read: Luke 17:1-10

What is discipleship all about? Sin, forgiveness, faith, and duty. The reading this morning encourages us to look at three aspects of discipleship, well, bullet points from Jesus’ presentation.

  1. Don’t cause someone else to sin: Luke 17:1-3a
  2. Forgiveness: Luke 17:3b-4
  3. Have faith: Luke 17:5
  4. Do your duty: Luke 17:6-10

Causing someone to sin who is under your leadership is a tragedy that will not be overlooked. This is not intended to be a guilt-trip for those with rogue students. From my perspective, this short narrative serves as a strong reminder that we must take our role as discipler seriously. I think it’s reasonable to extend this into other venues, e.g., work, home, etc., since the thought of leading someone astray can arise in many areas, but help me to stay focused as Jesus is speaking to us directly.

This heavy edict is followed quickly by the need to forgive — often. Jesus knows us well. He knows we will continue to trip and fall. The good news is that He not only forgives us, He teaches us to forgive others.

Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them. Luke 17:4

I’m so very thankful for this assertion, and unhappy at the same time. Thankful for those who forgive me, unhappy that I have to forgive someone again and again! I’m just being honest. This is not as easy as it sounds!

This verse always astounds me:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5

Don’t you find this troubling? The apostles, the very men that walked with Jesus, watched Him perform miracles, saw how He handled religious leaders, these men have to ask Jesus to increase their faith. Their struggle helps me to know I’m not alone. Thanks, Luke, for putting that in there for us!

Jesus’ answer let’s us know that it doesn’t take a certain amount of faith to do amazing things. In other words, don’t wait until you have all of your faith merit badges before you start your ministry!

The last point in this passage addresses those who simply doing their duty. This story depicts a servant that does his job all day, then comes in to serve his master a meal. I want to say, “there, there,” to the servant, take a break, but that’s not his job. He has a responsibility to serve the master his supper.

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. Luke 17:10

Lord, help me to hear what you command and go about doing your business as required. It it my duty. Beyond that, I should not look for rewards or recognition. Help me to work with excellence beyond what is simply required without any promise of earthly reward.

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Luke: The Rich Man and Lazarus — The Great Chasm

Read: Luke 16:19-31

It seems fitting that we should study this passage during the week that follows Easter. How many heard the message of the resurrection? Have we built relationships with those far from Christ to the point that they are open to hearing this incredible news?

Jesus paints two portraits. The first is a rich man, steeped with the wealth of the world with no worries. I often refer to this as the BMW driver. All the bills are paid and there is plenty of excess to cover all earthly desires. You can have anything you want if you just work hard and believe in yourself. This is the rich man.

The poor man is truly poor in this picture. Like many who are homeless or simply without means to support themselves, they know they are poor, they are fully aware of their present state.

The rich man knows the poor man. He knows his name and yet, obviously, does nothing to help. We aren’t given details, but I suspect when Jesus told the story, many people were nodding in agreement that they would not associate with the beggar, let alone do something to help.

Then comes the twist. They both die and eternity awaits. We read about the roles of earth being reversed: the rich in hell and the poor in heaven. The rich man still treats Lazarus like a servant and begs for favor, but this is where the story become harsh. There will come a time when we will face a reality we seem to avoid as much as possible.

My heart is heavy as I read this passage. Part of the weight could be a Francis Chan snippet I watched yesterday where he simply kept pointing to the challenging words of Jesus on the subject of salvation, an exhortation to read the Bible to hear from God, and the consequence for those who do not heed the call.

“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.’” Luke 16:31

Even if someone rises from the dead. Wow. The conversation comes to an end in the parable. The angel refuses to send any special envoy to the rich man’s family. What they have in front of them is sufficient. We don’t preach this parable because it’s seriously tough to take. There will come a time when the line will be drawn — for eternity.

Eternity is a long time. It’s impossible to measure in human terms, with a clock or sundial. Honestly, I really can’t get my mind around the notion except to say I believe we are eternal beings temporarily bound in human flesh.

If this is the case, and I hope you agree that it is true, we have an incredibly important purpose in the short number of years we get to spin around the sun. We need to be in the business of saving souls.

I get it, only Jesus can save. I’m not for a moment suggesting I can save anyone, but I can be the ultimate connections pastor and point people to the best eternal solution in Christ. It’s always their decision, but do they hear the question?

In this parable, Jesus attempts to help us understand the seriousness of the call.

And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ Luke 16:26

We will all die some day. There is no escape. But there is an eternal solution that needs to be shared with the world in a serious and meaningful way.

Lord, help me see eternity in each person I meet. May I be a light that shines on your path, that guides the poor in spirit and helps the poor in wealth. Both. Your love is greater than life. Your love is strong.

 

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Luke: Detestable Things

Read: Luke 16:14-18

Just a few verses this morning, a pause between two lessons on money, compels us to rethink our perspective on riches of this world. Luke begins by clarifying that the Pharisees have an unhealthy love of money and their reaction to His lesson on the shrewd manager causes them to “sneer” at Jesus.

I’m no biblical scholar, but with the click of a few buttons I was able to look at the word “sneering” in the NIV translation to discover that the Greek word, ekmyktērizō, to deride by turning up the nose, to sneer at, scoff at*, shows up twice in the Bible. Both times by Luke, once here, and the other time in Luke 23:35 as Jesus is being led to His death on the cross. I’m sure Luke carefully placed this word in this context.

The Pharisees are appalled at the teaching of Jesus to the point that they ridiculed Him.

But God knows your hearts. Luke 16:15b

Those who justify themselves for the glory of man have no place in leadership for Christ’s church. Stern words, perhaps, but can you imagine a sermon based on this key verse:

What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:15c

I might change that to “What you value highly…” What we value is detestable to the Creator, The I Am. The Message version of the Bible provides a concise thought here:

So Jesus spoke to them: “You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what’s behind the appearance. Luke 16:14-18

While this isn’t a lesson on marriage, Jesus uses divorce and adultery as prime examples to hammer the point home: we should be a people of integrity and we should have our priorities in order.

Lord, help us to run from detestable things that evoke such strong words of discipline from You. May we be people of integrity, different from the world, true in character, and full of love and compassion.

 

*https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1592&t=NIV

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Luke: God Or Money

Read: Luke 16:1-13

My friend, mentor, and wise sage, Greg Wiens, is consistently reading and learning from shrewd people in the world, something he encourages us to do as well. The parable of the shrewd manager invites us to learn from the world for the Kingdom’s cause. The story is intriguing. The conclusion is a test. The challenge is to read these words from Jesus and do something more than just nod our head. Please remember, past performance doesn’t have to dictate the future. Focus on the present condition and change what needs to be changed without looking back. Learn and grow. Age is not a factor, merely a data point.

The irony of this particular parable is that many people I know are being forced from one job to the next, or live with incredible frustration. Long before factory workers, mechanization, and defined work-week hours, Jesus speaks to our modern day with a completely worldly example of what it means to be shrewd.

Here’s a guy who’s about to lose his job as a manager. To ensure he has some hope of a future, he thinks to himself:

I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses. Luke 16:3-4

He went through his list of those who owed his boss money and wrote off huge portions of their debt. His boss was not completely in the dark. When he discovered the actions by his soon-to-be former employee, he couldn’t help but be impressed:

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. Luke 16:8

Jesus then goes on to explain that we should use worldly wealth to gain friends, true riches. Several years ago, the church we were part of was going through their annual stewardship campaign. The cool thing about this particular campaign was its focus on stewardship more than money. The emphasis left me with a solid grasp on the reality that I need to be a good steward of what I have AND use it for building the kingdom.

As a business, it’s obvious that the local church needs money to effectively serve the body of Christ in the community. We should be so good at managing money that we can openly ask for contributions without reservation. Come and take a look at my books anytime. Here’s what we pay our staff, here are the utility bills, and how we use money for the upkeep of the facility. These are necessary, but more importantly, here’s how we use money to serve the least, the lost, and the lonely–all of which have little to do with worldly wealth.

It’s not unusual to be challenged to justify costs and expenses. When I owned a private school many years ago, I was frequently challenged to explain the high price of tuition. For those who sincerely wanted to know, I showed them: 1) I had no salary, but four children at the school, and 2) the total salary of our paid staff as something like 80% of the total revenue, and even then, their salaries individually were not above their peers in education. Open and honest. This parable has always guided these principles.

To be completely transparent, I wish I could be better at generating income, but not because I’m concerned about personal wealth–God takes care of us completely. I would really like to learn how to generate income so I could be better at supporting ministries that are positively growing the kingdom of Christ here on earth. I’m terrible about asking for money.

Just in case we misunderstand the story, or the main point, Jesus leaves us with a clear decision:

You cannot serve both God and money. Luke 16:13

Lord, help us to learn from the world without being sucked into worldliness. We cannot do this alone, but with the constant reminder, with brothers and sisters in Christ speaking into our lives, and with the guidance of the Spirit we can and will. Help us to be shrewd for Your kingdom.

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Luke: Forgiveness and Grumpy People

Read: Luke 15:11-32

One of the most familiar stories in the Bible, otherwise known as the prodigal son. This is every parent’s nightmare as well as every parent’s fantasy. Not that our children would squander whatever we give them, but that they would one day realize just how much we love them and the extent to which we will go for them. And then, the real prayer, that they would understand the bigger story in the story and see God the Father and His relentless pursuit of His children.

Two sides of this story revolve around the prodigal son. Jesus is reaching out to those who are lost, as in the two previous parables, and celebrates when the lost are found. The feast is open to all, yet there are those who would find fault, criticize, and openly fight against such forgiveness.

Grumpy People.

Do you agree that the older brother is a metaphor for the Pharisees? Perhaps for the pious church leaders of today that have strings attached and conditions for acceptance rather then complete forgiveness. It’s messy to forgive someone who’s squandered all that’s been given to him. It certainly requires discernment, but my prayer is that my reliance on discernment isn’t the same as the older brother in this story.

The younger son had to be completely broken before he realized what he had in his hands all along. He had no idea that he would be accepted when he returned, but he humbly returned anyway. After it all fell apart, the memory of a loving family flooded his mind. A safe place where servants and sons were cared for. Is our home that inviting? Is our church willing to forgive that much? Are we the beacon of hope Jesus talks about?

Forgiveness.

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Luke 15:32

Jesus talks about forgiveness quite often. Maybe it’s easy for Him, after all, He’s been around forever. But wait, aren’t we more than mere mortals? If we get a tiny glimpse of what it means to be an eternal being, one with the Father for all eternity, perhaps then we too can be a people that forgives like Jesus. The epitome of Christlikeness.

Lord, I want to be one known for love and compassion, one who is quick to forgive completely — just like You.

Happy Good Friday.

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Luke: Rejoicing for the One Who Repents

Read: Luke 15:1-10

Make no mistake, Jesus’ call to discipleship is serious and it begins with repentance. The decision to repent is significant. The first domino to fall in a succession of events we like to call sanctification. Luke recalls two of the many parables Jesus used to teach this point: the lost sheep and the lost coin.

Before we jump in, let’s not miss the prompt for these two lessons:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. Luke 15:1

Jesus is once again mingling with those who are looked down upon by the Pharisees and teachers of the law. He hangs out in places where they gather, eats with them, knows them by name — and they know Jesus. The true “least of these” are those who are lost. They might be wealthy or poor, part of a big family or an orphan. Whatever the social status, Jesus sees through the facade, straight to the heart, and knows them.

His first call is to repentance, to find those who are lost.

I 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. There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.Luke 15:7, 10

Two Parables, One Lesson

Lately, we’ve been singing Reckless Love, a wonderful song that embraces the overwhelming reckless love of God. Part of the chorus comes from the parable of the lost sheep where Jesus explains what everyone in the crowd gather knows is true: when a sheep wanders away, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to go and find it. Likewise, the woman who loses her silver coin doesn’t rest until she finds the lost coin. In both cases they, along with their friends, celebrate! This is a great day! The lost are found!!

Invest Time With the Lost

How can we expect to find those who are lost if we don’t invest time with them? And by investing time, I mean building relationships, not preaching at them. I can imagine screaming at the wandering sheep as it bolts away from the heard — not very effective.

In our busy schedules, our crazy lifestyle of go, go, go, until we drop, have we spent time with the ninety-nine or the one? Have we counted nine silver coins over and over again, or have we turned on the lights to find the one?

Suppose one of you…

These two short stories begin with the phrase, “Suppose one of you…” Think about it. Act on the thought. Love God. Love yourself. Love others. Go find the one and let’s celebrate!

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Luke: The Cost of Being a Disciple

Read: Luke 14:25-35

In Luke’s gospel account, we’re still far from events directly surrounding Easter, but Jesus is already talking about the cross. Take some time and read the passage linked above as we consider Easter. I have to believe that most failed to understand the significance of this line of thought when Jesus spoke these words:

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27

No one in their right mind would have thought He would soon carry His own cross on the way to Golgotha.

This week is Holy Week and the overwhelming thought of the crucifixion weighs heavily on my mind. Tomorrow we will consider The Way of the Cross (our term) based on The Stations of the Cross from our Catholic Church brothers and sisters.

Jesus goes on to explain what He means in the passage and concludes with this vivid reality:

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Luke 14:33

Being a disciple is so much more than accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. I get frustrated when I hear the statement, “It’s easy, all you have to do is ____ and you’re saved!” Most of the time the altar call happens when we’ve tugged on emotions through Spirit-lead music or preaching, we’ve worked up emotions to the brink and deliver the punchline.

Does this means we shouldn’t invite people to accept Jesus? By no means! I’m certainly not suggesting we refrain from offering the invitation, but when I read this passage, I get the message that discipleship is far more than decisionship. And we should be clear and up front with that distinction.

In other words, make the altar call, but don’t preface the invitation with words that this is an easy path. Make it hard, but not legalistic and not based on human conditions. Point to the words in this passage, words from Jesus.

Consider this example: imagine being selected for a sports team that openly accepts anyone, regardless of ability, compared to one that wants you to demonstrate your skills and abilities.  The first team has lots of players, but lacks any sense of accomplishment compared to the second (not to mention the ensuing season of competition). The first team holds hands a lot and has fun, but even after being selected for the second team, I know I have to keep proving myself daily in order to keep my spot.

In our culture, we’ve taken sports to an unhealthy extreme, but the concept I’m trying to paint is one of distinction. I want nothing to do with the Universalist “church” movement. My hope is that Christians, true Christ-followers, look different from the rest of the world because we are willing to take up our cross for the sake of Christ.

Jesus makes it clear when He explains what it means to be a disciple and what it means to NOT be a disciple:

…such a person cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

Lord, I want to be Your disciple. Help me understand how that looks today. Make it hard. With the help of the Spirit, I can and I will follow You, all the way to the cross and beyond.

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Luke: Jesus and the Pharisees Again

Read: Luke 14:1-24

Once again we see Jesus addressing the Pharisees. After rolling my eyes and a deep sigh, I jumped into the passage with the expectation of reading a lesson for the ancient religious leaders and its relevance to today’s church. While that is evident – something not to miss – this morning I was drawn to the fact that Jesus is still interacting with the Pharisees. Why is that?

Look at the beginning words:

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, Luke 14:1

This passage involves a Sabbath and a prominent Pharisee. Jesus was apparently invited by this Pharisee and He accepted the invitation. Let’s stop there and learn something from the implication. At this point we’ve read about several interactions with this small, but significant group or religious leaders. Luke includes the Pharisees in each of the last three chapters, a total of 28 times in the gospel.

Here’s the thought: Jesus cares about the Pharisees. If Jesus cared about them, so should I.

While the Pharisees don’t exist as a group today, legalistic leaders certainly do. It’s also very likely that we wear the robe of a Pharisee with our own set of rules, most of which we are not aware of. You see, we are a privileged people who are proud of choices.  We choose what to watch, what to wear, when to come, and when to go. All that’s well and good, but we also choose who to do all the above with. We select friends that are compatible with us, who watch things we watch and wear things we wear. We’ve become biased. We’ve become Pharisees.

Unless we make an intentional effort to seek those who are not like us, we will no longer be salt.

Lord Jesus, You healed another person on the Sabbath and the Pharisees watched in silence, unable to respond to your questions. You invite those to Your banquet who cannot possibly repay the lavish generosity, while the privileged list excuses why they cannot attend. Yet You invite us anyway.

May we get excited about this idea:

‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Luke 14:22

There is still room.

There is still room, so let this be the day we make friends with someone who doesn’t look like us, one who doesn’t fit in with our crowd. There is still room for the most unlikely.

Jesus knew He would only spend a thousand or so days preaching during His time on earth. If Jesus would take time to give one of those days to the Pharisees, perhaps the song we sang last night should encourage us: So Will I.

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Luke: Lament for Jerusalem

Read: Luke 13:31-35

What breaks your heart? I’m sure you could list a lot of things that move you to a place of serious mourning, especially those of us with children. There’s something special about the parent-child relationship that speaks directly to the heart. In this passage, Jesus laments for Jerusalem, the chosen city. His heart breaks for the people of Jerusalem. Though they were called to be a special people, so many have fallen away that it is no longer the place once hoped for. It’s not the end of the story, but a sad reminder of the reality that sin has tarnished us all.

Jesus is not the least bit dissuaded by the Pharisees’ fake concern for Jesus’ life. Across the translations, Jesus refers to Herod as a fox:

Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. Luke 13:32

On the third day…interesting. It seems like Jesus is continuing to teach the Pharisees to read their own scrolls and recall the prophecies as they actually apply to Jesus–right in front of them. Most of them don’t get it.

This passage begins as if it’s another discussion with the Pharisees or about the Roman rule, but it quickly changes into a lament as Jesus ponders not only His fate in the coming days, but those who have gone before.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you… Luke 13:34

As we read the Bible as a whole, we see God’s story unfold, His great desire for His chosen people. The geographical center is still in Israel, Jerusalem in particular. Yet the wickedness of the heart of mankind turns what was designed to be a blessing into a painful reminder. Prophets are killed. Those who proclaim the good news are stoned.

Our limited time on earth is challenging. Lord, give us strength to stand when all around us we have excuses to sit. May we be known as one who comes in the name of the Lord, may we long to hear Your blessings, and may that lead us to action:

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Luke 13:35

 

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