Luke 20:27 - 40

  Luke 20:27 - 40

“…the Sadducees who say there is no Resurrection…” The Sadducees made up the ruling class of the Jews. They would cooperate with the Romans if it meant keeping power. They were wealthy, unbothered, and enjoyed the ‘good life’. They went so far as to shape their beliefs, and their faith practices to accomplish the goals of personal peace and affluence. For them Jesus represented a threat to their very comfortable lives. Jesus still represents a threat to a life of comfort and wealth.

In the American church we have Sadducees both in terms of rejecting the resurrection and wanting to make sure that Jesus doesn’t upset our lives of comfort and wealth.  Many who genuinely believe in the resurrection still don’t want Jesus messing with their wealth and comfort.  We build our lives with, on and around comfort and wealth, and our consumption is not restrained by sacrifice for the kingdom of God.  The only restraint on our consumption is our capacity to consume. Meanwhile our brothers and sisters and other parts of the world often live at a subsistence level or below. We placate our conscience with some given and imagine that our wealth is proof of God's approval. The most generous of all people give 10%. But rarely do we see among us those whose lifestyle or consumption is dramatically reduced so that more may be sent to the mission of the Kingdom. 

Had Jesus not represented a threat to the power and the perceived security it afforded the Sadducees, had His agenda not threaten their income and affluence the Sadducees would likely not have opposed Jesus. But every fiber of who He was and what He thought was a danger to their self centered lives and faith. Just as it is to us. We are not comfortable with Jesus because our lives do not conform to Him.  Our only solution is to make sure we don't really understand or take seriously what following Him means.

“Lord, never allow me to be comfortable in my comforts, but only in Your grace.  AMEN”

Luke 20:19 - 26

  Luke 20:19 - 26

There are two great points in this passage that are often missed. The second of these is the unasked question. If the questioner had been sincere he would have asked a follow up question. Caesar's image on a coin indicated the authority and ownership of Caesar over that coin. The unasked question ought to have been, “Whose image is on me?” The authority and ownership of our lives is marked by whose image in which we have been made. Render to Caesar the things made in the image of Caesar and render to God the things that are made in the image of God. The fact that the questioner never moves beyond the first question indicates the shallowness of his thinking. What belongs to Caesar? That which bears his image.  What belongs to God? That which bears His image. 

There's another less noticed point. “And they watched Him, and sent spies…” Oftentimes Christians act shocked when someone in the church behaves in a wicked, backbiting, or destructive way. The powers of darkness have employed spies since the Garden of Eden. It may be the spies in this passage were a regular group and not just thrown together for this occasion. While being paranoid doesn't accomplish the Kingdom's work. We need also to avoid the folly of naiveté, being Pollyanna about the possibility of the presence of evil in the church. What does a perfect spy look like? The perfect spy looks like the real thing.  In the church they look just like the real Christian. But unknown, perhaps even to themselves, they are working for a different kingdom.

Lord, mark me with Your image and protect me from the powers of darkness, especially those that appear righteous.  AMEN”

Luke 20:9 - 18

 Luke 20:9 - 18

We generally think of God in terms of limitlessness. He is not limited by time or in power. But God often limits Himself. We do not see the full glory of God because He limits Himself. God also self limits His patients. We are most fond of talking about God as the God of 2nd chances. And that is true. But what we really mean is that He is the God of 400th chances, or 7,167th chances, or the God of 10,091st chances. We tend to presume upon God's patience and Grace.  That we will always find that there is one more occasion when, in response to our willful sin, we can rush to God for one more round of forgiveness. That is a dangerous presumption.  It is a presumption upon God's grace and patience and one that is not supported by scripture. There comes a point where God says “enough”.

Having rejected God's call by all the prophets and finally the Son of God the vineyard owner will come and destroy those who have rejected His prophets, treated the Son with disgrace and defied God Himself. Quoting from the Psalms Jesus says that He is a Chief Cornerstone, the key point. Those who reject Him or throw themselves against him are completely destroyed. 

A life that consistently lives sinfully and presumes on God's patience and Grace is an attempt to be the center of the universe. “It is all about me so God will or even has to forgive me.” Such a person finds themselves at cross-purposes with God.  When a person is in that condition they are destroyed by the “Rock”, against which they have thrown themselves. Let us never sin with the presumption that God ‘has to’ forgive. The objective is not to find out how far into evil we can go and still make it to Heaven. The objective is Christ who is the Chief Cornerstone of life.

“Lord keep me from presumptuous sin and draw me to Christ the chief cornerstone.  AMEN”

Luke 20:1 - 8

 Luke 20:1 - 8

Jesus comes into town symbolically like a King and then cleanses the temple. The question that follows is in itself not a bad question. To allow people to call him King and to say by action that the status quo is wrong is something that ought to require some credentials. The problem was that the questioners were insincere. This delegation, which represented the aristocracy of the temple, refused to answer a question that would have answered their own question.  Because of John's testimony and his role as the forerunner of Jesus they had the capacity to understand the source of Jesus' authority. If John's baptism were from man then Jesus's authority would be from man. If John's baptism were from Heaven then Jesus's authority would have been from Heaven.

In their counsel the leaders revealed that they are not concerned with the truth. They wanted to set a trap for Jesus but found themselves in their own trap. Their objective of the counsel was to find a way out of their dilemma not discover the truth.  Truth didn't matter to them only keeping power and removing this Jesus who was a threat to their power. Any confession of ignorance is an opportunity to learn. But faking ignorance so we don't have to face an unpleasant truth is a manifestation of a dark and wicked heart. They knew, or could have known, but they just closed their eyes to the truth to their own ruin. Facing the truth can be difficult and painful but it is a better option than living in disobedience.

“Lord, give me the courage to face the ugly truth of my own selfishness and sin.  AMEN”

Luke 19:41 - 48

  Luke 19:41 - 48

It is hard not to notice that Luke places the lament of Jesus over the destruction of Jerusalem next to the cleansing of the Temple. In the time between the weeping over the destruction and the turning over of the table of the money changers Jesus, no doubt, had conversations, answered and/or asked questions and interacted with the crowds. But Luke records nothing till Jesus cleanses the temple.

The Jewish people, under the leadership of the religious leaders, we're on a collision course with Rome. That in and of itself was not a problem. But they were doing so outside of the will of God. Remember the God plus one is a majority and the “one” is not essentially needed. Within 40 years the Jews would find the city brutalized and ruined. The Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans is horrible to read. What makes it so especially terrible is that it was completely avoidable.

How could they have avoided the run and destruction? By following the message of the Savior, the gospel, the way of peace, by becoming Disciples of Christ. God's plan of redemption by the atoning death of His only begotten Son would have been accomplished even if Jesus were not rejected by the Jewish leadership. Had the Jewish people followed Christ they could have avoided their own ruin. History would be dramatically different but it would still accomplish the will of God the redemption by the sacrifice of Christ.

There's some correlation, some link between the misdirected religious life of the people which caused the rejection of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem. The misguided focus of the religious leaders and, as a result of their leadership, those they lead astray resulted in the ruin of the people.

This principle applies at every level individually, congregationally, and even nationally. When we fail to recognize and follow the Prince of Peace we ought not be surprised to find we are headed forward to conflict and our own destruction. In some way my current walk profoundly impacts a long-term distant future that I will never see with God.  Every moment must be submitted to the Prince of Peace.

“Lord in these confusing times help me follow the Prince of Peace. AMEN”

Luke 19:28 - 40

 Luke 19: 28 - 40 

Jesus comes to Jerusalem as the great king of peace in what is called the triumphal entry.  It is full of symbolic gestures and actions. The cries of the people, the makeshift carpet for the ass to walk over, the ass itself all have meaning. But one phrase in the story doesn't seem to fit, one line seems, in the bigger picture, to be out of place. 

Beast of burden were kept by people living near Jerusalem. The animals were used to carry the baggage and sometimes the pilgrims the last couple of miles into the city. The presence of the animal and its availability is not that surprising. Some have seen the acquisition of the animal as a pre-arranged plan, others as the moving of the Spirit. But notice one line in this story, “The Lord has need of it”. That line is paradoxical if not oxymoronic. Allow a paraphrase here: “The Creator and master of the universe, God himself needs to borrow your donkey”. God doesn't need anything. The self-existing One who's being is complete in Himself doesn't need anything. The One who spoke the vastness of the universe into existence doesn't need a young burro. But there it is, “the Lord has need of it”. In the marvel and condescension (in the best sense of the word) of the Incarnation, the God of creation has a need that can only be filled by a little donkey. 

God doesn't need you or me. His will is going to be accomplished because of Whom He is. But in another wonder of the limitations He places on Himself He invites us to partner with Him in his scheme of redemption. Does God need us? Not at all.  Did Jesus need a donkey? Yes. But if not that donkey another one would have done. The Lord has chosen to work in and through His disciples so He in one sense needs disciples, us, you and me. But if not through us there is somewhere, someone else or even an ass that will carry the gospel. So why not surrender ourselves and be His instrument?

“Lord, use me as you see fit. AMEN”

Luke 19:11-27

 Luke 19:11-27

This is the last event before the triumphal entry. There was already a movement that expected Jesus to begin his earthly Kingdom when He arrived in Jerusalem. There was a common belief that the Messiah would establish His kingdom at Passover. Jesus’ disciples had that wish or dream.  Jesus dispels that fantasy while making two points.  This parable was taken from the news of the day.  Archelous would fail in his attempt to gain the title king from the Romans. But Jesus would succeed in becoming King. Archelous would leave and go to the Romans and return without the title he wanted. Jesus would leave and when He returned He would come back as king to render judgment on both His servants and His opponents.

Here is the point for our time. Jesus will return! He will return as king confirmed in that position by God.   He will pass judgment on His servants for what they have done with His resources. And He will pass judgment on those who were unwilling to submit to His reign.  In this short parable we have a fairly complete picture of waiting and the end times.

Let us focus our attention on the unfaithful servant.  Is Jesus teaching salvation by works?  Not at all!  Rather Jesus is teaching that our stewardship of life and all that He gives us is an indication of our loyalty to Him.  The servant who held the money may have been hoping that the delegation opposing the king would be successful.  Should that happen he would find that he was a mina richer.  (A mina represents about 3 months wages).  The problem was this servant didn’t like or trust the new king even if he was part of the kings’ people.  

What we do with the resources and the life the Lord gives us says a lot more about my faith than any statement of doctrine, beliefs, or rituals.  Faithfulness is rewarded always, disloyalty no matter how carefully concealed is always discovered. 

“Lord, help me live every day, using what You have given to me, preparing for Your return. AMEN”

Luke 19: 1-10

 Luke 19: 1-10

When does God have to do something? We have two stories of people who get Jesus's attention as he passes through Jericho. The first was the blind man and now Zacchaeus. This Zacchaeus was a chief toll collector. Jericho was perhaps the most beautiful city in the region.  It was possibly the wealthiest as well. It was the access to Jerusalem for pilgrims and the river crossing of the Jordan. Jericho had a forest of palm trees and balsam trees, the land was fertile and the city as a whole was wealthy. It was considered the jewel of this region. Zacchaeus, a Greek name derived from the Hebrew word that means “pure”, was working for the Romans. We picture him sitting at a tollbooth, he didn't. He was the chief tax collector. The people at the toll booths worked for him. He may have been the richest man in Jericho and apart from the Roman rulers and the priest he could have been the richest man in Israel. Tax collectors had a well earned reputation for corruption and evil. This guy was a bad guy.

Jesus said “I must stay at your house”. Let that sink in. The God of all creation and the absolutely Holy One said, “I MUST stay at your house”.  God HAD to do something. This likely wasn't a pastoral call, a quick visit with a cup of coffee or a light meal. Most likely Jesus was going over for the night. He is accepting hospitality with all the associated cultural bonds of loyalty and friendship.  He was accepting this from a really bad man. Compelled by Zacchaeus’ spiritual hunger and need, God ‘had to  respond’ and go with him. What does God have to do? Compelled by his own nature God has to respond to those who would hear Him.

As modern-day disciples we tend to have a list, never written, never spoken, of people we would not associate with and with whom we certainly would not initiate the relationship. You don't get the idea that Jesus went to that house to preach Hellfire and repentance sermons at Zacchaeus. You don't get the idea that Jesus had to hammer this guy for his evil.  His presence and obvious love for the man was all that was needed to start the process.

Would I be willing to spend the night or weekend with a gangster, a pimp, a porn producer, a homosexual activist, etc? What does God have to do? He is compelled by love to seek and save that which was lost. If I am to be a disciple I must do the same.

“Lord, give me the heart and the opportunity to love really bad people, people like Zaccheaus , people like me. AMEN

Luke 18:31-43

 Luke 18:31-43

It is no accident these two stories are placed together in the Life of Christ. Jesus is on the way to the cross He has for months been teaching and pouring His life into the 12. They, of all people, know Him and have found in Him that He is completely truthful. Jesus gives them a direct and exact description of what will happen in Jerusalem in seven words: delivered, mock, mistreated, spit, scourged, kill and rise. Jesus is truthful and makes it simple, direct, plain and clear. Luke tells us the disciples didn't get it. Their vision was blocked and while Luke doesn't say specifically why they missed it in other places Luke emphasizes that they were looking for an earthly Kingdom. 

After the disciples' failure Luke immediately points to a blind man screaming for Jesus's help. In verse 38 he is “calling” by verse 39 “crying out”.  The word and verse 38 is “the call to get someone's attention”, the crying out in verse 39 is “screaming in desperation” for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of rescue.  His cries are passionate enough to get Jesus attention and gain him an audience with the Lord. His faith in Jesus was the rescue.

So what is the contrast? How were the 12 different from the man crying for help? While we must be careful about going beyond what the Lord says or scripture declares, Jesus emphasizes the Blind Man's faith. His is a faith that is located specifically and solely on Jesus.  This is different from a “Jesus and” kind of faith. A “Jesus and faith” is when we try to add Jesus to our agenda: “Jesus and my agenda”, “Jesus and national renewal”, “Jesus and my political party”, etc. It has been said that “God is our only home when He is our only hope.” While the 12 still had visions of a great Kingdom of which Jesus would be the central part and in which they would have their own smaller parts. This blind man had nothing but one hope and that was in Jesus. The competing claims of our agendas, even good ones, will cause our faith to be perverted and distorted. We need no Kingdom of our own, we only need Jesus.

“Lord, keep me from adding anything or agenda to faith in Christ. AMEN”

Luke 18: 18-30

 Luke 18: 18-30

Nomads don't have a lot of stuff. Imagine a person with pack rat tendencies a person who, having lived in the same house for many years, has filled every nook and cranny and corner with stuff. Everywhere you look they have collections of their life, “a salt and pepper shaker collection”, commemorative plate collection, a framed photograph of every relative they have ever met, every book or magazine they have ever purchased, overstuffed furniture overstuffed in every room. Outside they have hundreds of planters each with a carefully tended plant, yard gnomes and garden decorations. Such a person is anchored and the likelihood of their moving is in inverse proportion to their disposition to hang on to all their stuff. “I can't let it go” is the same as “I can't move”.

The same is true spiritually. As a disciple of Jesus we face that moment in which we must say “I want Jesus more than my idols”. To hold on to my idol is to say “I won’t go with Jesus”. This young man’s the idol was his wealthy comfortable life. He would likely have been willing to make a generous donation to “Jesus Ministries Inc.”. But Jesus wasn't interested in his money; Jesus wanted to destroy his idols. We cannot conclude that every disciple must become a traveling itinerant preacher. Jesus once told a man that his discipleship called him to stay home and tell his family and friends what God had done rather than to follow Jesus. Jesus doesn't say to everyone “Sell all and hit the road preaching”. He does say to all of us: “Get rid of all that would be a rival to Me for first place in your life”.

We must ask ourselves: What is most important to me? What would cause the greatest crisis of heart if I had to leave it? That is most likely our idol. The good things God gives us are to be seen as messengers of His love and kindness. They are to be a means of directing our love and thanks back to Him. In such a context these good things are not idols, they are graces. If the love of a spouse, family and the enjoyment of home and land are means by which we glorify God, we can know they are sacramental means of worshiping God and not the object of our affection.  Then we are to be received and enjoy these things. But we must beware lest while we are saying we worship God in and because of these things we are in fact making them our gods. The challenge is to examine our heart and seek the Holy Spirit's conviction about our affection and loyalties.  When we find that an idol has become a rival to God then we walk away from it.  We are like a nomad refusing to carry what would hold him back.

“Lord, thank You for all the good you give me.  Never let Your gifts become Your rival in my heart. AMEN

Luke 18: 9-17

 Luke 18: 9-17

In the prior passage Jesus teaches us that we do not pray because we are not desperate enough. In this passage we see that the motions of prayer are not enough. The main thrust of this parable is about humble repentance. Jesus saying that a Roman tax collector could be justified would have been shocking to His audience.

The contrasts in this parable are profound: the hyper-religious Pharisee contrasted with a social pariah of a tax collector, the reciting of good deeds contrasted with the self description of the tax collector as literally “the sinner”. Jesus contrast the story in such a way that these two are near perfect opposites. The results of their prayers were opposites as well.

Prayer presents us a special challenge and temptation. You can easily become a tool for the purpose of self-promotion or advancing our agenda. The Pharisee “prayed to himself” or perhaps about himself. Jesus makes no indication that the Pharisee was in any way being false in his self-description. He just wasn't talking to God so much as talking about himself. He sounded good, he followed the acceptable customs of prayer. He was in the right place, at the right time, saying the right things and for those around him he would have seemed right.

Prayer is at the same time the hardest part of the life of a disciple and the easiest part to fake. Memorize a few key phrases and words, learn the right delivery inflection and pauses,throw in a creative “in the name of”, and you can sound like a person of great prayer. But unless our prayer reaches for God's heart it reaches no further then our voice will carry. Prayers that are said to or about ourselves are better off not being said at all.. If we're reaching for God's heart the awkward, stumbling, messed up prayer is plenty good enough in fact it may be the best.

“Help me Lord, to pray with an honest heart that wants You above all else.  AMEN”

Luke 18: 1 - 8

Luke 18: 1 - 8

What gets in the way of a faith so strong that it compels us to pray? Jesus asked if when the Son of Man comes would He find the kind of faith that compels disciples to pray the way the persistent widow prayed to the unjust judge? Why do we not pray with the same kind of passion and energy that this widow had for her cause? She was so aggressive that she was “wearing out” the judge. The phrase literally means “hit me under the eye”. She was giving him a black eye. This phrase was used for boxing in the literal sense. Her persistence was beating him down. Why don't we pray that way?

The answer is not so much in the character of the widow, while that is important, as in her situation. Roman judges were notoriously corrupt. For them a case was an opportunity for profit and kickback. This widow was in a hopeless situation. She was without the resources to bribe the judge and she was desperate. There was only one solution for her, only one option, only one way to get help, only one way to get the judge to act.

The reason we do not pray is because we believe we have other options. Why plead for daily bread when we have a cupboard full with a week's groceries? Why passionately pray for forgiveness and a heart of repentance when we have other ways to soothe our conscience? Why beg for the Kingdom to come when we enjoy our own little empire of self?

Jesus asked if He would find the kind of faith that inspires passionate persistent prayer when He comes. There are two questions that we must ask ourselves to understand our passion for prayer. First do we believe that prayer is at the core of all change, and without it nothing meaningful will happen? Second, do we want to see change or are we content with the status quo? Until I passionately want Jesus's will and realize it can only begin with prayer I will not pray passionately.

“Lord, forgive us of our shallow, faithless prayers. Bring about change and let it begin with me. AMEN”

Luke 17: 20 - 37

Luke 17: 20 - 37

Knowing in advance may not be an advantage. On His way to Jerusalem the Pharisees asked Jesus about when the kingdom of God was to come. The question happened in the context of the political expectation concerning the kingdom by Jesus's followers, as well as by the other Jews. This question may not have been hostile. Perhaps these Pharisees were positively disposed toward Jesus. Maybe they saw Him as a political ruler they could support. Maybe they were ready for a revolution. There was a teaching that the Messiah would initiate his kingdom at the Passover. "Hey Jesus will the Revolution start at this Passover? Do we need to call up the troops?" May have been what they were thinking.

If you don't know what you are looking for you will never find it. Jesus said to the Pharisees that the kingdom’s coming would not be marked by observable phenomenon. Rather, He says that the Kingdom is in your midst. That might mean that the kingdom is a “heart reality” and is a change that will come to the inner man. It may also mean that the kingdom is in their midst and the person of Jesus Christ. Where Jesus is there is the kingdom. It is not a political entity either way.

Jesus then addresses the disciples, this includes us, with a mysterious statement about the kingdom and the end of time. The conversation has been about the coming Kingdom and now Jesus turns to talk about the end time. There's a common theme in this text and four sub-themes. First, Jesus warns about false teachers in verses 22-23. Next Jesus talks about the suddenness and unpredictability of His coming in the midst of daily living. This is in verses 23-30. Third comes what appears to be a reference or a comparison of His coming to the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. Finally there is a selectiveness about that moment in which one is taken and the other left. It is not hard to imagine the disciples after this teaching. They are scratching their heads and asking each other “Did you understand that?” It was both at that moment and today very mysterious. If you meet someone who has the end times all figured out, runaway they are either insane, or a deceiver and they are certainly wrong.

So what is the point of this passage? What is the certain and clear take away for us? It is the one major theme that it is within our power to remain faithful. In the midst of misguided and false teachers, in the functions of daily living, in the political upheaval and national crisis, and in the close company of those who are not committed to Christ we can and must remain faithful.

If for our good Jesus has given us every advantage that we need and He has and at the same time has not given us advance knowledge about when He is coming, we can conclude that such knowledge is not an advantage. After all this the disciples asked one question they were told not to ask, “When?” Jesus uses a maxim in verse 37 to say “When the situation is right it will happen and when it happens you will know that the situation is right.”

“Lord, help me to be faithful until, regardless of my situation. AMEN”

Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

This passage is often called “The healing of the ten lepers”. It might better be called “The thankful Samaritan”. Clearly the main point of this passage is about thankfulness. But there is a second point from this event that might escape us. It is only half of a verse but it has profound applications for us.

The ten lepers made their request. But Jesus does not heal them at the moment. Nor does the healing occur the moment they appear before the priest. Luke is most specific in verse 14 he wrote that “as they were going they were cleansed”. In the process of going they were being healed. Apparently the healing was completed before they had gone too far, but it was in the going that the cleansing occurred. The going for them was a test of their faith. Was there calling Jesus master and verse 13 merely a religious show? Jesus tested them as if to say “You call me master now let's see if you obey”. Notice Jesus did not promise healing. That would be a logical implication of His command, but that was only an assumption that they made based on His known character, His other miracles and the Old Testament law. But in this moment Jesus is testing them. The healing, the answer to their request did not, and would not have come if they had waited passively. The command to “go” was responded to in act of faith, in their going their expressed faith in obedience which resulted in their healing.

How often have we asked for God to move or work in our lives and then simply waited, done nothing? Perhaps the answer came but the answer required us to respond in faith-filled obedience. It is like asking God for patience to deal with a troublesome person. The answer may not come in an outpouring of patience, but in spending time with the troublesome person. God calls us to first repent of our self centeredness regarding that troublesome person and on the other side of repentance is the blessing of patience. Instead we wait passively doing nothing including not repenting and wonder why the blessing never comes. Imagine that there was an eleventh leper in the story. He says “I'm not moving till I see clearly what God is planning to do”. He would have died there in the same spot, in the same condition, and in the same misery.

Where am I to act? Where do I want to go at this moment? What has the Lord called me to do now? Sometimes there is not a clear link between the big picture objective, the call to action or the Mercy from faith-filled obedience. But our actions, even imperfect actions, get us out of passive idleness. Never forget that the real objective of inactivity, may not be faith filled waiting in the Lord, it may be disobedience.

“Lord, move me from idleness to faith filled actions. AMEN”

Luke 17: 1 - 10

Luke 17: 1 - 10

In these verses we find four aspects of the life of a disciple. The first two are opposite sides of the same coin. First we live in a fallen and broken world, there will always be occasions for sin and temptations to go wrong. But as disciples we must do our all, and be guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word, to see to it that we are not the source of that temptation. But, second, on the other side of that coin when we are the victims of sin and of evil we must be expressive of forgiveness. When evil enters the world by means of one of our brothers and his sin wounds us we have to have a kind of complete forgiveness. Seven is the number of completion. This is not a countdown to when we can withhold our forgiveness but rather to forgive completely and wholly. That is the way God forgives us.

The prevailing teaching in Jesus's day was to forgive up to three times. The saying of Jesus was difficult and the disciples felt that they needed more faith to accomplish this kind of forgiveness. We see here the third aspect of a disciple's life . Jesus offers up a polite rebuke. You need not have a lot of faith to forgive, but you do need a real and genuine faith. It is the alloy of doubt, selfishness and lack of faith that prevents forgiveness. Rather than seeking more faith, what we need is a real or a pure face. The words of Jesus are not an invitation for disciples to become conjurers and magicians going around doing shows by moving mulberry trees into the sea. But rather the smallest amount of authentic faith is enough faith to live out lives that are not the source of temptation but are lives that offer grace filled forgiveness.

Finally we must never even assume that we can run up a favorable score with God because we have lives of holiness, forgiveness, and faith. The final parable is a remembrance of humility. We must never forget that the minimum standard for a creature is to do exactly and all that its creator requires. If we live from birth to death and absolute perfection we would have only achieved a sort of minimum expectation and certainly would not have placed God in our debt. The lives we live must never make us think that we have earned anything. So here is a simple outline of the disciple’s life.

“Lord help me to live in personal holiness, gracious forgiveness, genuine faith, and serving humbly. AMEN”

Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

The rich man and Lazarus parable, like all of Scripture, needs to be rooted in the context. The preceding of chapter 16 has been Jesus teaching about the use of wealth. There are two powerful applications from this passage for a disciple.

First is that the devil would prefer that you be apathetic than profoundly evil. There is nothing wrong with the listed behavior of the rich man. The description of his life is not to show evil behavior but to show that he had the resources to help. Feasting is Biblically commanded and can be a good thing. This man had the resources that allowed him to feast consistently. The problem of the rich man was his apathy toward the poor Lazarus. Having received much he believed that what he was given was for his own use and enjoyment. The devil would rather a man be numb, tepid and apathetic. Such a man is much less likely to have a pang of conscience that might cause repentance. The worst case is the combination of apathy and evil, but if we don’t become both Satan prefers apathy.

The second powerful message of this parable is the priority of God’s word. Father Abraham tells us that if a person is deaf to the words of scripture then they will not be convinced if they see a miracle. The skeptic that says I will believe if I see enough proof is offering a fool's excuse.  Proof there is aplenty if we want to see, hear and trust it.  But if you don't want to believe a man coming back from the dead will not be enough. 

Sadly the ideal of repentance never occurred to the rich man while he was living. It also appears that the lack of  compassion he had in life found its way into his godless eternity. "Have Lazarus dip water on my tongue is actually saying "Send that man to the misery of torment so I can be comforted."  “Rescue my brothers”, may have been his first selfless thought in years or ever. But even in this moment he is still heartless toward Lazarus. He acts as if he were still trying to live like a king and command Lazarus to do his bidding. “Send him to dip water for me. Send him to warn my brothers''. Even in hell the hard heart is not cured.

Grant us Lord, repentance that is genuine and sincere. By your grace change my heart. AMEN

Luke 16:10-18

Luke 16:10-18

Jesus calls His disciples to be radically counter-cultural. He does that in three specific ways in these verses. They are profoundly disquieting for our comfortable faith.

The Jews of Jesus’ day saw wealth as evidence of God’s favor. Jesus took a contrary view, He taught that earthly wealth is not wealth at all, or not real wealth. Wealth may allow us to look good and even go through the motions of generosity. But image is nothing and only appearing to be good is worthless. “What is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God”. We have no wiggle room here, the pursuit of wealth, regardless of how we try to polish our image is to purse something God finds contemptible. This is a message that we need to take to heart both as individuals and congregations.

Jesus second lesson is that some times people mistake the Kingdom of God for the latest cool fad. Verse 16 is difficult to interpret and apply. Until the conclusion of John the Baptist's ministry the law and the prophets were the final authority. Jesus begins the new stage with the preaching of the Kingdom. Everyone wanted to co-op Jesus’ ministry and the Kingdom for their agenda. Not unlike how today political parties (both/all) will try to appeal to the church. How special interest groups will see the church and an avenue for their agenda. But no one will ever successfully turn the church into its servant.

Rather than conform the Kingdom to suit us, we must conform ourselves to the Kingdom. Jesus makes this point by using the example of divorce. In Jesus’ day a divorce was as easy as a man writing a note for his wife with two witnesses. And he could do so for any reason at all, including finding a more attractive woman. One sentence two witnesses and she is thrown out. It is as foolish to try to make the kingdom fit our agenda as it to assume that we could so easily dissolve God’s plan for marriage. We must not try to reshape God’s plans. Rather we must be reshaped by them.

"Lord, change me so that I conform to what you want me to be. AMEN"

Luke 16:1-9

Luke 16:1-9

This is clearly Jesus’ most confusing parable. It appears that He is praising dishonesty and corruption. It may be helpful to understand this story not so much as a parable but more of a news report. This may have been the talk of the area, the telling of some real event that Jesus used to demonstrate a point. Jesus is certainly not advocating dishonesty. But the effort, hard work, and creativity of people trying to avoid work is astonishing. The trouble and risk that people will go to for a big, though dishonest, score is huge.

What if our efforts to accomplish kingdom goals were as passionate and driven? If you look at the highly successful in any field you will find tireless effort. Less than 1 in 1000 high school seniors make it to the NFL. Of those who do, everyone worked ridiculously hard. They have sacrificed without measure and most will have little or nothing to show for it. To succeed you must become a mono-maniac on a mission. Everything is used to create the opportunity to achieve the goal. It is interesting that a high school senior football player is more likely to earn a college scholarship (5.8%) than a Christian is to lead someone to Christ (5.0%).

But Jesus is not strictly talking about evangelism and disciple making. He is mainly talking about all our efforts and opportunities being used for the Kingdom. Jesus concludes this story with a bit of great advice to sum up the story. In verse 9 Jesus tells us to use even something as corrupting and corruptible as money to prepare our place in Heaven. Doing for eternity what the unfaithful steward did for life. This teaching challenges us to reorder everything with the singular purpose and focus of and preparation of Heaven. Warren Buffett is noted for his long term perspective in investing. Jesus advocates the same, but not in terms of 25 or 50 or 100 years. but in terms where 100 years is merely a blink of an eye.

“Lord, guide me as I pour all of my life into eternity. AMEN”

Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:11-32

Will we allow the father to love us? The father in the story never stopped loving his sons. And at one point neither son would allow the father to love them. The repentance of the younger son was more than just rejecting the pigsty. Returning to work as a hired hand was a bargain that was beneficial for the boy. The father orders the robe, the ring, and the shoes, and it is when the son accepts these that his repentance has finished its work. The boy allowed his father to love him.

The older son had a perversity of character that would not allow the father to love him. He saw his relationship to the father as a form of slavery. He complains that he has never even had a young goat to celebrate with his friends. Note that had such a party occurred it would have been with the friends and not the father. Likely the father would not have been invited. The older brother could not accept the father's love, which made it painful him to see anyone else enjoying the father's affection.

Until we get it through your thick skulls that God loves us, our faith and relationship with Him will always lack a dimension of depth. Many of us have a hard time accepting love because we don't think of ourselves as lovable. In point of fact we are not very lovable. We are profoundly interested in our own agenda and our selfish interest. What sometimes passes as lovability may be nothing more than an act, and attempt to behave in such a way as to secure some benefit for ourselves at some future point. We are very like the older son. The question we must ask is, “Am I, like the younger son, still trying to work out a deal? Am I still trying to work out a bargain with the father while standing on the road? Are my insecurities in collaboration with my pride and keeping me from accepting the Father's Love?”

The intellectual side is really the easier side of the question. God's nature is to always have mercy and to love us. But for some reason our heart always returns to the default setting of being good so that God will like us. That has not worked, it never will.

The difference between the two boys in this story is most pronounced when we see their willingness to accept the Father's Love. Scrupulous legalistic righteousness is no better than riotous living, and in fact it maybe worse in that it gives us a false sense of righteousness. The difference between the two boys is most profound in that one accepted the Father's Love and the other did not. The truth of scripture and of the Christian faith is that actions of worship and the fellowship in the community will always be two-dimensional and lacking depth until I allow the father to love me without trying to earn it or make an argument. I can know the theology of the atonement but its beauty occurs to me when I accept the Father's Love. This “allowing” is the great challenge for me and it will never occur apart from the grace and work of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, help me accept and enjoy Your love. AMEN

Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

How Christ-like am I becoming? If the goal of a disciple is to be like Christ how is that measured? There are plenty of measurements that can be faked but do not mean I am becoming like Christ. Refusal to do some things, like go to R rated movies, or doing others things, like memorizing scripture, can be done by non-believers. These practices are not bad things in and of themselves, but the fact that they can be done by someone who does not love God, which is the first and greatest commandment, means that they are not a reliable means to measure if I am becoming like Christ. The best way I can measure my Christ-likeness is my reaction to lost people.

In the parables of the sheep and coin God is portrayed as one who is looking for the lost love.. That picture is set in contrast to the Pharisees and the Scribes. What is my reaction to the undesirable? How do I respond to the lost? What is my reaction to the absent sinner? The sheep is not a church member who has missed a few weeks or a month of services. The lost one is the mean old bitter woman living in a filthy trailer, the hard hearted cruel racist wallowing in hate, the gay prostitute, the crack whore selling herself for a $5 rock, the most revolting person I could ever encounter. While more respectable people can also be the lost sheep it is my rejection of the one that I personally find repugnant that tells of my Christ-likeness.

The real measure of my discipleship is how I respond to the lost! The mess of their lives is the result of their wandering. They are far from God because they have been absent from the love and presence of the Lord for so long. The wandering sheep deteriorates till it finally dies. It will not grow healthier, stronger and more handsome. If I am shocked at the mess of people’s lives it is because I am too foolish to realize that the absence of God is the cause of their slow creeping death. The self destructive behaviors and their lostness are two sides of the same coin.

“Lord, help me to love like Jesus the most unacceptable people. AMEN”

Luke 14:25-35

Luke 14:25-35

Hard on the heels of Jesus's parable about the invitation to the Wedding Feast, to which everyone in the right mind would want to go, Jesus set down the terms of discipleship. These terms are absolute. It is not like we're negotiating over the price of a lawn mower at a yard sale. Jesus sets these terms very much in a “take-it-or-leave-it”, end of discussion context.

Loyalty to Jesus is first and foremost. For many of us there is no conflict between our love for and loyalty to Christ and to our earthly relationships. But there is never any doubt about who is first in our lives. Martyrs are expressing the loyalty that every follower of Christ ought to have. When it comes to Christ there is no such thing as loyal to a fault.

But Jesus doesn't want His disciples to misunderstand what they can lose, yes there is loss in following Christ. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem not to receive a crown and coronation, but a cross and a crucifixion. No doubt many in the crowds were ready to take up a revolutionary war in the hope of winning a kingdom. Jesus paints a stark picture of a procession to death, the one who is carrying a cross in such a procession is condemned to die. There's no picture here of victory or a kingdom but only of dying. If our loyalty is to a cause, a party, or even a kingdom it is misplaced. Our loyalty is to Jesus even if it means isolation, property, ruin, and torturous death. Jesus insists that we decide, before we commit, if we want these terms.

The one who is useless is bound for ruin. Many have decided to follow Jesus but ultimately end up useless for His cause and name. Salt in the ancient times was often not pure sodium chloride. It degraded into tastelessness as the sodium chloride leached out and only inert material was left behind, even while looking like the real stuff. This degraded tasteless salt was useless. So a disciple that is useless is in grave danger, even if they look real. Service does not earn us a place in the Kingdom but service shows we are part of the Kingdom. It is our goal to find where we fit into the kingdom and how we serve Christ.

“Lord, help me to be real in my absolute loyalty to Jesus. AMEN”

Luke 14:15-24

Luke 14:15-24

What does it mean that Jesus said, “Compel them to come in”? Jesus apparently didn't believe in a predestination in which salvation was operating mechanically without human participation. Nor is salvation something that man achieves on his own; there must be the invitation of God. The tension between these two mistaken ideas is resolved in the person of the servants sent out. There will always be resistance to the gospel. Resistance from the originally invited guest and from those later called. This Parable is predicated on the resistance of those invited. The alternative guests are expected to be resistant as well. If you invited the cardboard holding beggar to a formal dinner would he be suspicious and resistant? The migrant workers are apt to doubt an invitation to a wedding reception for someone they do not know. The resistance is real. So we, the church, resort to inviting only ourselves to dinner.

Overcoming resistance is difficult and “compel them to come in” is not a pleasant task. There are no shortcuts. Putting on a great and often compromised religious show, is not the answer. Neither is the power of the state forcing faith, which can effectively compel, but also turns into an Inquisition. Of all the tasks of being a disciple the hardest is making other disciples. And in making other disciples the hardest part is knowing how to do it and how much compelling is appropriate. That is why we must depend on the work of the Spirit and why we must cooperate with His leading. We may not know what is the perfect compelling but by eliminating mistaken ideas and carefully searching we can move toward fulfilling our calling.

“Compel them”, the pressure is not only on the people in the street, or the highways, or under the bridge. The pressure is also on me, it is on the believer, it is on the disciple, it is on the church. Those who hear the message will be resistant. But sadly they are more willing to hear than the church is to tell. Before we compel them we must compel ourselves.

“Lord, stir my heart to make a disciple, just one to begin with. AMEN”

Luke 14:1-14

Luke 14:1-14

It has been said that humility is not thinking low of oneself, but not thinking of oneself at all. Humility is perhaps the most attractive of all virtues. The truly humble person is a delight to be around, especially if we are trying to learn humility. Humility is not a great person trying to pretend to be a nobody. Humility can be practiced by anyone, anyone who is willing to shift their focus from themselves to those near them is practicing humility.

Jesus uses the occasion of people struggling for seats at a dinner to illustrate how humility works. A humble person is as comfortable dining with those who could never repay them as with those who would reward them with a reciprocal invitation. A humble person simply does not presume any place for themselves. Like much of the life of a disciple, humility is counter intuitive. Looking at the place and practice of humility we can’t see any way in which humility would be a blessing. But humility is an end-times kind of thing. We are rewarded at the end for its practice and its practice prepares us for the end.

Humility is one of those things that is difficult to pursue directly. The resolution to act humble is something we can’t help but notice, measure and hold with pride. Humility is almost a by-product of focusing on the interest of others with a lack of concern for our own interest. The person standing at an intersection with a cardboard sign proclaiming their victimhood and their life of woe and pointing to their own interest may be practicing the very opposite of humility.

Jesus lived out humility by attending this meal at a Pharisee’s house on this Sabbath. Pharisaic opposition was already strong. There was a real possibility that this meal was a trap. Nevertheless Jesus accepts the invitation to dine with one who, in all likelihood, had it in for Him. Humility is not about having a relationship with our betters or our lesser, it is about having no ideal who is who, because we have no reference point in ourselves.

“Lord, please help me to be self forgetful. AMEN”

Luke 13:22-35

Luke 13:22-35

“Imprint upon our heart such a dread of Thy judgments as to make us afraid to offend Thee”. Christianity, in many ways, is not a comfortable or comforting religion. Jesus is asked about how big is the circle of salvation. The questioner may have been thinking in terms of devout Jews vs. Ethnic Jews. Jesus changes the picture and focus. I need not worry about how extensive the circle of salvation is and where the line of inclusion versus exclusion is to be to drawn. Jesus points to the individual.

The word translated "strive" is from the Greek word from which we get the word agony. Have agony to get in to the kingdom. We may be vaguely aware of the agony an athlete goes through to make it to a premiere team. Last-minute efforts are bound to fail. What does the Lord mean by this story? First those who have not entered the agony will not enter the kingdom. Second those who wait to the last minute will find the door locked and shut against them. The procrastination of dealing with our sins, by repentance, will mean that those sins will have such a hold on us, that we will because of them, be excluded. We were guilty of having loved the sin more than the Lord. Third casual knowledge of Jesus is worthless. Horrifyingly evil people may have an occasional religious practice, symbol, or Christian talisman. The harsh reality is that the Lord makes a declarative statement and then gives a command. He declares “I don't know you”. Admission to the Grand Banquet is not based on casual knowledge. He makes the command: "Go away". Without a doubt the worst moment in the universe is the realization that our rejection of Him causes us to be rejected.  There is no hope then, there is only one hope now: Grace at work in us by the power of the Spirit. 

"Lord, have mercy help me to know You. Help me to die to self, to be changed by You and live what that new life means. AMEN"

Luke 13:10-21

Luke 13:10-21

We see Jesus in a synagogue for the last time in Luke's gospel. On this occasion Jesus meets a woman who as result of the work of the demonic has for 18 years been crippled. Jesus heals her. It is Jesus's default setting to have mercy. We might recall the ancient prayer that reads, “But Thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy”. We might assume that in some way this woman had opened herself up to the power of the demonic. At some point in her life she had, perhaps, given herself over to the powers of evil and the demon took control, twisted her and held her. Jesus simply heals her without any expectation for her to clean up her life, reform her ways or realign herself spiritually. She may have been a mess, but Jesus didn't care. He simply healed her. She, and the others Jesus healed, are presenting in our art and imagination as lovable people. The pictures I've seen depicting this occasion portray her as a grandmother who might be on her way to bake cookies.

But maybe she wasn’t like that. Maybe she was like a lady I once met. She lives in a shabby, run-down trailer in a swampy part of Florida. She came to the door with a broom, with which she beat at her dog, but if she had mounted it and flown off it would have fit Hollywood central casting. When she opened the door the smell of body odor and dog feces was overwhelming. Her conversation was laced with profanity; she seemed to live with a low-grade anger that boiled over into fury quickly and easily. She disliked people of color and “other foreigners”; she hated the cars on the road and even the trees beside the road. Her hair was greasy and needed washing, (apparently she burned her bra in a 1960’s protest and never replaced it), she wore a thin, dirty “wife beater”. Her face was marked by anger and facial hair. Maybe this is what the woman in the synagogue was like. And Jesus saw the need beyond the symptoms and His default setting of mercy moved Him to act.

The glory of Christ is manifested in His acts of power. But it is also manifested in that He expressed His mercy to the most undeserving people, all of us, including those who never respond to that love and mercy. We have no evidence that this healed woman became a disciple of Jesus. Perhaps this woman held onto that which enabled the demon to dominate her and she never responded to Christ’s love. Christ, far too kind to impose Himself. He accepts that His love is, at times, unrequited. The objects of His love can be most objectionable.

As a disciple of Jesus, if I really want to be like Him, I must understand that no one should be outside of my heart’s reach. This must include the awkward teen that strives for attention to the point of annoyance, the arrogant elitist so convinced of his superiority that they would be a racist but for the fact they consider everyone their lesser, the social and relational leech that demands and demands and then demands more, never lifting a finger to help themselves or offering a word of thanks, or the unhygienic old woman living in filth of a home and perhaps a heart.

But I only want to deal with people that are nice and responsive and grateful and interesting. This is not about walking in someone else’s shoes to try to understand them. That can degenerate into so much psychobabble and lead to patronizing condescension. No, what I must do is by the power of the Holy Spirit have my default setting reordered so that my first response is to have mercy. I can’t do it by myself; this must be the gift of grace. It will only come as I die to self and live for and in Christ. What I can do is make that choice and ask for forgiveness for my past attitudes and seek the Holy Spirit’s judgment and help.

“Lord, help me to be like Jesus, merciful. AMEN”