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The Guest of a Man Who is a Sinner

"[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.' So he hur...

Will Not God Give Justice?

"And [Jesus] told [the disciples] a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, "Give me justice against my adversary." For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, "Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not be...

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

"The apostles said to the Lord [Jesus], 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'" - Luke 17:5-6The kind of faith the apostles are talking about here is phase two faith, not phase one faith. They have already believed in Jesus as the Messiah and already have forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. Here the apostles want their faith as already justi...

Shrewdness

"[Jesus] also said to the disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, "What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager." And the manager said to himself, "What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that whe...

The Anger of the Older Son

"'Now [the father's] older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound." But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed ...

Sit in the Lowest Place

"Now [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 'When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, "Give your place to this person," and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your ho...

Enter through the Narrow Door

"[Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, 'Lord, will those who are saved be few?' And he said to them, 'Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, "Lord, open to us," then he will answer you, "I do not know where you come from." ...

The Faithful and Wise Manager

"And the Lord [Yeshua] said, 'Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming," and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat, drink, and get drunk, the master of that servant will...

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.' And he said to them, 'When you pray say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."'" - Luke 11:1-4Jesus prayed a lot, including in the presence of his disciples. I wonder if there were t...

To Whom the Son Chooses to Reveal

"In that same hour [Yeshua] rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious desire. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." - Luke 10:21-22Here, Yeshua rejoices that ...

The Cost of Discipleship

"And [Jesus] said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." - Luke 9:23-24 "As they were going along the road, someone said to [Jesus], 'I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' To another he said, 'Follow me.' But he sai...

Through Cities and Villages

"Soon afterward [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means." - Luke 8:1-3Jesus is on the move. His plan is not to settle in one place. His job is to ...

She Loved Much

"Then turning toward the woman [Jesus] said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little....

The Log in Your Own Eye

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye." - Luke 6:41-42Jesus is instructing his disciples (v. 20) with a great multitude looking on (v. 17)...

Which Is Easier?

"'Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Rise and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins'—[Yeshua] said to the man who was paralysed—'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.' And immediately he rose up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God." - Luke 5:23-25 With the scribes and Pharisees looking on, Yeshua forgives the sins of a paralysed man (v. 20). This i...

The Demon Came Out of Him

"And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 'Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked him saying, 'Be silent and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, 'What is this word? For with authority and p...

Repentance for the Forgiveness of Sins

"And [John the Baptist] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." - Luke 3:3"John answered them all saying, 'I baptize you with water, but he [Yeshua] who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire." - Luke 3:16In these two verses, we see the mission of John the Baptist. He viewed himself as an agent of the New covenant. The New covenant ha...

My Eyes Have Seen Your Yeshua

"Lord, now you are letting your servant [Simeon] depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation/Yeshua that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the nations, and for glory to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:29-32Simeon, an old man, sees a baby brought to the Jerusalem temple by Joseph and Mary. By the Holy Spirit, he recognises the baby as the promised Messiah. He connects the prophesies of Isaiah and other prophets to th...

Certainty

"...[I]t seemed good to me [Luke] also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things about which you have been informed (κατηχέω)." - Luke 1:3-4 As Luke begins his gospel, he explains to Theophilus that he will be writing an orderly account based on eyewitness testimony. The purpose of the gospel is for Theophilus to have certainty. Theophilus is probably a legal inv...

Behold My Servant

"Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations." - Isaiah 42:1In this ancient prophecy of Isaiah, written around 700 bc, God presents his "Servant" to humanity. He says, "Behold!" which means, "Pay attention! Listen up!" God upholds his Servant, who is his Chosen one. God's soul delights in his Servant. God has put his Spirit on his Servant, and it will be the mission of his Servant to bring perman...

The Great Gathering Up

"Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man [Jesus]. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." - Matthew 24:30-31In these verses, Jesus continues to inform his disciples about his second coming. People are not to be misled by false messiahs (...

Wars and Rumours of Wars

"And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." - Matthew 24:6-8 Jesus is instructing his disciples what will take place in the future, before his second coming. The disciples (and those after them) are not to be alarmed by wars, which must...

Practice What You Preach

"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.'" - Matthew 23:1-5 In Jesus' final week before his crucifixion, he has a lot to say about...

From Above the Mercy Seat

"There I [Yahweh] will meet with you [Moses], and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel." - Exodus 25:22Here God is meeting with Moses on the top of Mount Sinai, with Joshua standing by. Moses is there for forty days and forty nights. God begins to detail what type of meeting place he wants the Israelites to build so that he can dwell among them as...

Scripture and Power

"But Jesus answered [the Sadducees], 'You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.'" - Matthew 22:29The Sadducees test Jesus with a question about a woman who had seven husbands and no children. They want to know who she will be married to in the resurrection. They actually don't believe in the resurrection. They are just trying to make Jesus look foolish. It doesn't work. The Sadducees don't understand how God's kingdom works. They aren't familiar with Scripture,...