Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Jesus is teaching on the way to Jerusalem when someone asks: Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? It’s a reasonable question for those who’ve been paying attention to His teaching. While Jesus shows great compassion for the least, the lame, and the forgotten, He also teaches tough lessons about leaving …
Read: Jesus asks two rhetorical questions in the form of two short parables to help us imagine what the Kingdom of God is like. For His answers, He uses the tiny mustard seed and the small amount of yeast required for bread to make His point. Both serve to highlight the depth and breadth of …
Read: While my focus in this post will center on the leaders, I don’t want to lose the excitement surrounding this amazing event. Jesus, full of compassion, reaches out to a woman who has lived with a crippling infirmity for 18 years. In an instant, her body was restored, she could stand tall again. Lord, …
Read: Spanning the artificial chapter boundaries, this morning we consider three hard lessons. Jesus loves people, no doubt, but He is not about to hold back when teaching subjects that are challenging. One of the key lessons I take here is this: grow up, learn to read yourself, you have enough information to make a …
Read: A beatitude, a warning, and a parable. Three sections carefully designed to emphasize the call to consistent, faithful service. Beware! The narrative comes with warnings of judgment and dire consequences for disobedience. The warning is clear and the parable is often used to convict those in vocational service within the church, but don’t miss …
Read: The narrative today begins with the words “then” and “therefore” as a reminder that it’s important to remember this is a continuing story related to the previous lesson on greed. The next section of this chapter continues the lesson, but it seems prudent to post in smaller bites as long as we keep the …
Read: The parable of the rich fool was setup by someone in the crowd that wanted Jesus to get in the middle of a sibling battle over inheritance. It’s interesting that Luke captured the moment that prompted the parable. Here we have Jesus preaching and teaching on matters of eternal importance and someone in the …
Read: Thousands of people began to gather as Jesus’ preaching continues to attract the masses. His first concern for His disciples is to warn them about the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy–all will be revealed. But this seems trivial compared to this statement: But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear …
Read: Invited to dinner with the Pharisees, Jesus is quick to point out their deficiencies as a group. The way Luke records this is fascinating. He sits down, doesn’t wash ceremoniously to get their attention, then proceeds to tell them they are fools! Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, …
Continue reading “Luke: Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders”
Read: This section in Luke digs into some details that are challenging to discuss with those raised in a Christ-centered home; imagine what it’s like to talk to a non-believer about these things! An impure spirit is released and the house left empty, Jesus’ mother is honored, demands for a sign, and the parable of lamp …