Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/7) Luke 16:16-31

May7

A 5-day per week study.

May 7 – Reading Luke 16:16-31

Read and believe in Jesus.

“…if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!”  “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if SOMEONE should rise from the dead.”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus told and explained the Parable of the Dishonest Manager and declared that loving both God and money is impossible.

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Vss. 16:16-17.

The “Law and the Prophets” VS the “Good News of the Kingdom of God.”

Old and New Testaments.  Old and new wine.

Which is better, more relevant for today?

Jesus says both are needed. “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.”

(Read, study, and meditate on the WHOLE Bible. It is all God’s Word, and it is all profitable for us.)

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Vss. 16:18.

(For an expanded view on divorce and remarriage, see Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:31-31 and 19:3-9.)

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Vss. 16:19-22.

Jesus next tells the Parable (or was it?) of the Rich Man and Lazarus (not Mary and Martha’s brother).

  • “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted sumptuously every day.”

Purple and fine linen = rare and very costly.

He not only FEASTED every day, but the meals were extravagantly SUMPTUOUS. (Like eating a King Charles’ state dinner every night.

  • “At his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”

Lazarus was so starved and weak that others had to lay him at the rich man’s gate, in hopes of getting the few table scraps swept up and thrown out for the dogs.  The street-savvy dogs got the scraps, but they did lick Lazarus’ sores. (To help them heal? Or for a taste of raw meat?)

The Pharisees, to whom this story was told, would have seen poor Lazarus as “odious, unclean, and despised by God.”

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Vss. 16:22-23.

Jesus continued.

“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

“The rich man also died and was buried, ending up in Hades and in torment.”

“Abraham’s side pictures heaven, with Lazarus being in a “high” position, next to Abraham at the banquet table.

“Hades” (or Sheol) is not exactly hell.  It is the place where the wicked dead are kept until the final judgment.  There is a huge chasm between these two places, although it seems one side can see the other.

This is where the selfish, stingy, uber-wealthy man ended up.

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Vss. 16:24-31.

Jesus tells of a “revealing” conversation between the former rich man and Abraham.

“Father Abraham, send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”

Yes, the rich man is still ordering the “low life” around, thinking only of his own misery.  (How often Lazarus would have loved a compassionate touch from HIM when both of these men were alive.)

“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now, he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.  And besides, this great chasm between us is permanent. Those who would pass from here to you MAY NOT do it, and none can cross from there to us.’”

(I can imagine a huge howl of despair from the rich man here.)

“Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house. I have five brothers. Send him to warn THEM, lest they also come into this place of torment.”

Still, he wants to order Lazarus around, even if it’s for his siblings!

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear THEM.”

But Lazarus said, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they WILL repent.”

Abraham responded with truth that the listening Pharisees might later understand… or not. “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if …. SOMEONE should rise from the dead.”

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(Ah, LORD, open our hearts and minds to Your Word. Help us to cherish and always apply it in our lives. And, while there is time, may we find the courage and self-sacrifice to share the Good News of the death and resurrection of Jesus with our family and friends!)

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/6) Luke 16:1-15

May6

A 5-day per week study.

May 6 – Reading Luke 16:1-15

Read and believe in Jesus.

“No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal (wasteful) Son and the hardworking son, and a loving father who welcomes wanderers and disgruntled children alike, but who seeks repentance.

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Vss.  16:1-2

Jesus told this parable to the disciples (not the religious leaders), though it links to the one before. The prodigal son wasted his father’s inheritance, and the manager wasted his master’s possessions.

THIS story is about dishonesty, deception, retaliation, bribery, greed, and shrewdness.  And Jesus seems to condone them all, right?  Yeah, NO! This is the perfect, sinless Son of God.  So let’s try to dig out what He meant with this unusual parable.

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‘There was a rich man who had a crooked manager, and charges were brought against him…”

The rich man called the manager and told him to turn in the books, for he was fired.

So far, so good.

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Vss. 16:3-7.

At first, the manager was in panic mode.  Yikes! “I’m not strong enough to dig!  And I’m ashamed to beg!

Being a day-laborer was out – he’d spend his days with his feet up on a desk, scrolling on his phone, drinking iced sweet tea, and not paying attention to his boss’s assets.

And sitting in the local market, with an alms cup held out to strangers, also did not appeal to him.  Now what?

(He basically didn’t WANT to work.  He liked the ease. Then he got an idea!)

“I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into the houses.”

(Notice his reason, beginning with “so that…”  This was bribery. ‘I do this for you; you will reciprocate this to me.’  No thought for his employer.)

So, that’s what he did.  He went around to all his employer’s debtors and lowered the amounts they owed.  Notice that BOTH parties are complicit. None of the debtors said, ‘Well, that wouldn’t be fair to your employer.’  Nope, they all agreed.

And we presume, if this were a TRUE story, these debtors would have made life easy for that manager.  BUT this is a parable, a story with a lesson to be learned.  And this is the hard part.

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Vss. 16:8a.

Notice the master’s reaction. Totally shocking,

“The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.”

This shows, first, that the master was also a crook.  One crook to another, he admired his manager’s criminal genius. Perhaps he would have considered re-hiring him if this were a true story.  

It’s clear now that ALL the characters in this story are corrupt/dishonest: the master, the manager, and the debtors.   

Huh!

What does Jesus want His disciples to ‘see’ in this crazy parable?

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Vss. 16:8b-9

First, Jesus says, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”

Sons of this world – unbelievers.

Sons of light – believers.

(Most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the [financial] world than some believers are toward the things of God.

Even the most wicked are shrewd enough to provide for themselves against coming evil.  Believers ought to be more ‘shrewd’, because they are concerned with matters of eternity.)

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Jesus continues with true advice to His disciples about what to do NOW to ensure a more fruitful, glorious eternity.  

He says, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

“Unrighteous wealth” = money in this world.

“Make friends” = share the gospel, pray for unbelievers, support missions and ministries for evangelism.

“The failing world and its economy” = At the (or your) end, when Jesus comes, or you die.

“THEY may receive you” = all those you had a part in bringing to Jesus will welcome you into glory.

“The eternal dwellings.” = Heaven, for all eternity.

Invest yourself in promoting the kingdom of God, with what earthly money and work you can. You will have a living “treasure” in Heaven to meet you when you die or when Jesus comes.

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Vss. 16:10-13.

Jesus sums it up, looking at the negative side. 

“If then you have NOT been faithful in unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you true riches.  And if you have NOT been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other … OR he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

“You CANNOT serve God and money.”

Serve the Lord! Use the world’s money to further the Kingdom. Put the Lord first in your life, love Him, serve Him.

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Vss. 16:14-15.

Oh, it seems that the richly clad Pharisees WERE still there, around the peripheral, probably.  These “lovers of money” ridiculed Jesus when they heard these things.

Jesus answered them harshly, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Whoa!

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 Oh, Lord, please let my heart be towards You and not the things of the world. Help me to be wise in how I handle the money You give me.

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/5) Luke 15:11-32

May5

A 5-day per week study.

May 5 – Reading Luke 15:11-32

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Let us eat and celebrate. For this, my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” Luke15:24

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus told two “lost and found” parables: a lost sheep and a lost coin, emphasizing the importance of the missing one and the need to restore it.

Today is the third such parable, about a son who was lost and then found, and the great rejoicing that followed.

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Vss. 15:11-12. 

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is very well known and loved.  It’s the longest of Jesus’ parables, and it has several applications.  I always thought “prodigal” meant a wayward son, but the word actually means “recklessly wasteful, extravagant spending of resources without caution.”

It would be like winning the lottery and spending it all on the pleasures you’ve dreamed about without a thought of future responsibility.

In this parable, a man had two sons. The younger demanded to have his inheritance immediately. This would be like a wish that his father were already dead.  It was unheard of and shocking.

But the father did it. He converted 1/3 of his wealth into cash and gave it to the boy. (As the oldest, the other son had the birthright inheritance of two portions (or 2/3 of his father’s wealth. Now, it was ALL his.)

(The religious leaders who so hated the tax collectors that Jesus was associating with were shocked at the younger son’s behavior and saw immediately that he must represent those sinners. THEY, of course, were represented by the faithful, hard-working older son.)

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Vss. 15:13-16.

Jesus continues the story about the fall of the younger son, causing the religious leaders to feel smug and proud that THEY would never do that.

The wandering son journeyed far away (out of his father’s influence) and squandered his inheritance in reckless living. He was living the “good life,” with lots of “fair-weather” friends.  But when the money ran out, he found himself alone and in need.  To top it off, a famine came to that country, and he became hungry.

Desperate, he hired himself out to one of the citizens there, who sent him into the fields to feed … pigs. (super detestable to Jews) Things got so bad that he longed to be fed EVEN THE PIGS’ SLOP, but no one gave him anything.

(Can’t you imagine the pious Pharisees nodding and giving Jesus thumbs-up signs.  This is JUST what that boy deserved.  The tax collectors standing off to the side probably recognized themselves in this parable. So far from God, sinners, unworthy … but with hope.)

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Vss. 15:17-20a.

In that distant land, during a famine, standing in the mud with pigs, this wasteful, selfish younger son “came to himself.”

“How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger. 

I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’”

THIS is a clear picture of repentance.

It’s recognizing the helpless, horrible state that you are in, and that in no way can you help yourself. It’s realizing that you are completely unworthy to be God’s child. Your sin has separated you from Him. But, because you know what kind of God He is – just, but merciful – you have hope.  You will humble yourself and return to Him, and lay your life into His hands, trusting Him.

This part of Jesus’ story probably made the religious leaders a bit uncomfortable.  They might have soothed their thoughts by assuming the father would probably punish the son and put him in the lowest servant position he had. He would have to labor hard and eat little.  THAT would teach him a lesson!

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Vss. 15:20-24.

The skinny, dirty and in rags, son stumbles homeward.  When he is still afar off, barely able to make out the buildings of his father’s property, he sees an image that must surely be a mirage!

His father, with his robes girded up so his legs are free, is running towards him!  And he’s weeping with joy, calling, “My son!  My son!”

How can this be?

Reaching him, the father embraces his son in a hug so genuine, so loving, and soon they both are weeping.

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son……”

But the father immediately calls for his servants. “Bring the best robe quickly, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate!

Or THIS, my son, was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found.”

And they began to celebrate.

(Okay, you know for sure that the Pharisees and scribes did NOT like this ending.  That kid should have been punished severely, not only for stealing his father’s property and wishing him dead, but for his gall in accepting all the prizes and the restored position.  THIS UNFAITHFUL SON DID NOT DESERVE THIS HONOR!

Yes, of course, the sinners and tax collectors who had hopped in Jesus rejoiced at this ending.)

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Vss. 15:25-32.

The religious leaders cooled down when Jesus began with “the rest of the story,” about the faithful oldest son.  HE was the one that deserved praise!

”Now, the older son was in the field, and as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  He called one of the servants and asked him what it meant.

The servant said, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

As you can imagine, this infuriated the older brother, jealousy raising its ugly head in his heart.  He refused to join the celebration, but remained outside, no doubt pouting.

The father came out and begged him to join in the celebration.  But he would not.

“Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when THIS SON OF YOURS came – who has devoured your property with prostitutes – you killed the fattened calf for him!!!”

(I can imagine the religious leaders, hearing this with their arms crossed on their chests and looking down their noses, totally agreeing with this son.  HE was the faithful one. (Like them.)  It was totally NOT FAIR for the son who wasted all to be honored so. (Like those tax collectors and sinners and gentiles.)

Jesus’ words were gentle as He finished the parable.

“Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.  It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this YOUR BROTHER was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”

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Lost and found things.  Yes, the 99 sheep, the 9 other coins, and the older son were important and valued. But the lost ones… they (he) needed to be brought back, and then celebrated.  This is the love and mercy of God for lost sinners.

Oh, thank You, LORD!

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/4) Luke 15:1-10

May4

A 5-day per week study.

May 4 – Reading Luke 15:1-10

Read and believe in Jesus.

“…there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  Luke 15:10

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus & the parable of the Master filling his banquet with the unloved and Gentiles instead of those who were FIRST invited but made excuses not to come. Jesus then explains the COST of discipleship. And uses the example of true salt vs. undesirable salt, noting that the latter is contaminated with minerals.

Jesus & the parable of the Master filling up his banquet with the unloved and Gentiles instead of those who were FIRST invited but made excuses. He then tells the COST of discipleship. And uses the example of true salt, and that found contaminated with minerals.

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Vss.

15:1-3.

Here, we see Jesus with two groups of people: tax collectors and sinners, and Pharisees and scribes. Polar opposites. One group is considered the lowest of sinners; the other group, the uber righteous.

The Pharisees grumbled that Jesus was receiving and eating with sinners. (Ahem, may we remind them of Jesus recently eating at a Pharisee’s house with all his “upper crust” friends?)

So… Jesus tells them a pair of parables.

(Although one parable features a lowly shepherd and the other a woman, both teach the value or cost of something lost. This would perhaps appeal to the wealth-conscious Pharisees.)

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Vss. 15:4-7

A shepherd had 100 sheep. One, perhaps an ornery lamb, ran off and got separated from the flock. Maybe it wasn’t even the first time this little guy had done this.

Jesus asked the Jewish leaders what they would do: forget about the one and care for the 99, or leave the 99 and go after the little lost one.

Would not a good shepherd (picturing the God of Israel) search high and low for the lost one?  And when he finds it, would he not tenderly carry it back to the flock?  And wouldn’t he then gather friends and have them rejoice with him for the ONE LOST LAMB that was found?

(Jesus viewed the tax collectors and sinners as the little lost lamb. Each one was worth a search-and-rescue. Hadn’t He already done so with Matthew/Levi?)

“I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over the sinner who repents than over ninety-nine ‘righteous’ persons who think they need no repentance.”

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Vss. 15:8-10.

In the second parable, a woman had ten silver coins, perhaps her dowry. (Sometimes these coins were worn in a band across the forehead.) While working around the house, one of these coins became detached and was lost.

Oh, no! This was HER money; her safety in case something happened to her husband.  Oh, where was it??

Jesus looks at the Pharisees, who were perhaps calculating the value of the silver coin, and suggested, “Does she not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

Nods all around.

And wouldn’t you, Pharisees, like the woman, call together your friends and neighbors to “Rejoice with her, for she had found the coin that was lost?”

Perhaps more nods.

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

(One sinner who acknowledges his sin and turns to God is welcomed back with rejoicing, over these self-righteous, hard-hearted ones who thought they needed no forgiveness.)

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(Tomorrow is the last in this trio of “lost things” parables that Jesus tells. It will really hit home with those religious leaders!  Tomorrow, there will be no nods of agreement, only outrage.)

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/1) Luke 14:15-34

May1

A 5-day per week study.

May 1 – Reading Luke 14:15-34

Read and believe in Jesus.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  Luke 14:35

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review –

Jesus, invited to dine by a wealthy Pharisee, accepts. But before the meal begins, a crippled man suddenly appears. Okay, it’s the Sabbath, and Jesus knew what they were up to. He quickly healed the man and sent him on his way. Then, He asked them a sharp question that they couldn’t answer.
After that, Jesus watched the guests and the host and told two parables that made them all uncomfortable.
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Vss. 14:15-24.

Jesus, still at the Pharisee’s dinner among other posh guests of the religious leader’s ilk, hears one of them burst out with…

          “Blessed is EVERYONE (meaning, “we righteous Jews”) who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!

The guy probably wanted to sound ‘magnanimous’ to his fellow guests after Jesus had said ONLY the humble would be exalted, ONLY the compassionate would be rewarded, and that reward is from GOD, not from man, after the resurrection. (yesterday’s parables)

That prompted another jarring story from Jesus in answer to the man’s declaration.

No, not EVERYONE will be blessed to dine in God’s kingdom. And Jesus begins…

“A man once gave a great banquet and invited MANY.”

You can picture the well-fed guests leaning back to listen, perhaps finishing their final sips of wine.

“At the time for the banquet to begin, he sent his servants to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”

The guests nodded. In those days, a formal invite would be sent out first. Once it was acknowledged with “I will attend,” they would later receive a final call right before the feast was served.  The guests would immediately come.

But in Jesus’ story…

“When the final call was sent out by messenger, the guests ALIKE began to make excuses. Huh?

          “I just bought a field, and I have to go see it.”

          “I have bought a yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them.”

          “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”

These are not reasons but excuses.

Surely the men would have checked out the land and the oxen BEFORE buying them.  And a “new wife” was only a valid excuse for a soldier at wartime. He could be excused to spend a year at home (and hopefully to father a child) before going off to fight.  This was a banquet!

The guests, hearing Jesus’ words, “maybe,” were feeling uncomfortable now.  Sure, they might have made an excuse in the past, but none so blatant as THESE! The host understood, didn’t he?

“The master of the house became angry and told his servant to ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”

Every jaw at the table dropped.

“The returning servant said, ‘Sir, what You commanded has been done, and still there is room.’”

          “And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and to the hedges, and COMPEL people to come in … that my house may be filled.”

The guests around the Pharisee’s table, who believed every one of themselves was worthy to eat at God’s table in the Kingdom, were shaken. The poor, crippled, blind, and lame?  Sit at the lavish table with THEM???  And GENTILES!!!  NO. WAY.

Jesus then quietly, with all seriousness and warning, said…

“I tell you … NONE of those men WHO WERE INVITED shall taste my banquet.”

“Okay, Jesus,” the host might have said, “time to go. Thanks for coming and all of that…no, the servants will take care of the mess…and oh, here are your sandals. Bye.”

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Vss. 14:25-27.

In the rest of chapter 14, Jesus shows how, not crowds, but true disciples are His aim. No half-hearted followers who just want to be with the “in” crowd, Jesus was looking for those few who meant business, who, in order to be His disciple …

“…would hate their own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and yes, even their own lives (in comparison to the love they would have for HIM).

“…would bear their own cross (a willingness to die) and follow after HIM.

(Check out Matthew 10:37-38 for more understanding of this “hate.”)

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Vss. 14:28-33.

Here, Jesus gives two examples of “counting the cost” before deciding you want to be His disciple.

  1. A builder who wants to construct a tower just doesn’t begin with supplies on hand, but draws plans, makes material lists, prices labor … all BEFORE he digs the foundation. Why?  Because he doesn’t want to get halfway done and run out of money.  How EMBARRASSING!!  He would become a laughingstock!
  2. OR, a king who goes out to fight another king in a war. He first counts his troops and weapons, then decides whether his army of 10K can actually stand a chance against the enemy army of 20K. If not, well before the initial clash, he will send out a delegation (with an appeasement?) to seek peace.

Jesus was telling this huge crowd to examine their own hearts and see if they REALLY wanted to follow Him. (After all, remember, Jesus was heading for the cross.) Were they actually willing to give up ALL but Him?

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has, cannot be my disciple.”

It was not so much about giving up all their possessions as an absolute, unconditional surrender.  Their commitment to Him was to be without reservation.

(Wow. It’s serious business to want to give your life to the LORD. You may not have to live in poverty or die a martyr, but you should be willing to.  Am I that committed? Praise God, He sends His Holy Spirit to convict us and give us the power!)

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Vss. 14:34-35.

          “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? ”  It’s only good for keeping footpaths free of weeds.

Okay, TRUE salt (like a true disciple and his love for Christ) cannot lose its saltiness (flavor and preserving power).

But the salt around the Dead Sea can be contaminated with gypsum and other minerals that cause a flat, metallic taste and aren’t good as a preservative. This is like the majority of the people of the “crowds” following Jesus.  Just “fluff.”   And He knows it.

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/30) Luke 14:1-14

Apr30

A 5-day per week study.

April 30 – Reading Luke 14:1-14

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled … and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 14:11

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus is ministering in Perea, answering questions with hard responses. His “face” is always set “towards Jerusalem and His death.”

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Vss. 14:1-6.

          “One Sabbath…”

Already, you know that Jesus is going to anger the religious leaders.  The Sabbath was (so to speak) “their” day.  They had so many minute rules about what you could and couldn’t do, or eat, or where to go, it was like being bound to a pole with ropes! And gagged.

          “Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. They were watching Him carefully.”

We presume Jesus was invited – many of the rulers asked Him to dine with them – and Jesus accepted.

They did this in order to “catch Him” with some minor rule of theirs that He might not have observed.

He did it to “teach” them what they should have already known.

          “And behold!! There was a man before him who had dropsy.”

 (He had super-giant, swollen, water-filled ankles and feet from kidney or liver disease.)

Did the Pharisee, or one of his scribes, “just happen” to bring this poor man before Jesus?

(Seems suspicious to me.)

They must have spoken to Jesus (like, ‘Oh, poor man, what a sad condition he’s in.’), because Jesus “responded” by saying,

          “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

Notice that “They remained SILENT.” 

Why?  They certainly had an opinion about it.  You can almost feel them waiting with bated breath….

Done with their nonsense, Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.

Then Jesus turned to the Pharisee and his friends, and asked,

          “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”

          “And they could not reply to these things.”

(Yeah, right!)

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Vss. 14:7-11.

“Now Jesus told a parable to those who were invited, when He noticed how they chose the places of HONOR … saying to THEM…”

Was this at the same dinner He’d been invited to?  Had the man’s healing taken place before they all came to the table to eat?  If so, Jesus was carefully “watching them” this time.

He saw that some were choosing (maybe even elbowing others to get) the “places of honor” (near the inviting Pharisee? Or near Him?)  So, Jesus told them a parable.

(Perhaps before the appetizers arrived?)

“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, and the host say to you, ‘Give your place to THIS person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.”

Perhaps Jesus, having their attention, paused to look at each around the table. Did they squirm?

          “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so then when your host comes in, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ THEN you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.”

Silence.

Then Jesus wraps it up with “the moral of the story.”

         “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

(Then, I imagine Jesus reaching for the bread and raising His eyes to Heaven before breaking off a piece, dipping it in the sauce, and beginning to eat.)

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Vss. 14:12-14.

Then, not to exclude His host from His wisdom, Jesus speaks another parable.

         “When you give a dinner or banquet, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or rich neighbors, lest they also invite YOU in return and you be repaid.”

Did His host, the Pharisee, glare at Jesus?  Did the guests raise their eyebrows and secretly grin?

“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…

Was Jesus thinking of that man He’d just healed?  Where was he at the table?

          “Then you will be blessed, because they CANNOT repay you.  For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Again, awkward silence, as perhaps Jesus passed the next dish to His neighbor…

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(Jesus will continue in the next verses tomorrow with more “banquet parables.”)

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/29) Luke 13:22-35

Apr29

A 5-day per week study.

April 29 – Reading Luke 13:22-35

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”  Luke 13:23

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Do natural disasters mean God’s judgment? Jesus answers. He then gives three parables – the barren fig tree, the mustard seed and birds, and “good” leaven making soft, raised bread.

Then a woman afflicted for 18 years by a disabling spirit was healed …. on the Sabbath. Ah-oh!

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Vss. 13:22.

Luke reminds us readers that Jesus is still ultimately heading towards Jerusalem and His death.  The fact that he is vague about specific destinations (“through towns and villages”) is probably because Jesus has moved His ministry eastward to the other side of the Jordan River in Perea.  (See Matthew 19:1, Mark 10:1, and John 10:40.)

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Vss. 13:23-30.

Perhaps seeing the dwindling crowds following Jesus in Perea, or because of Jesus’ recent strong teaching about repentance, someone in the people following called out a question.

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”***

As Jesus continues, we see that it is probable this man was a religious leader and a Jew confident in his place in the Kingdom.  Jesus confirms the man’s question with a roundabout answer.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For MANY, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to.

“Once the master of the house has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

“Then you’ll say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets…’ But He will say, ‘I do not know where you come from.  Get out of here, all you workers of iniquity!!’

(Here’s where it’s confirmed that Jesus was talking to an important Jewish man, who thought that because he “kept” all the rules, he was assured a place in the kingdom.)

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but YOU YOURSELVES cast out!  Many (gentiles) will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at the table in the Kingdom of God.

“Behold, some are last (the Gentiles) who will be first, and some are first (the Jews) who will be last.”

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***A reminder: After His resurrection, there were only 500 gathered to see Him in Galilee, and some of them doubted. And in the upper room at Pentecost, there were only 120 believers.  Few indeed from the great thousands who followed Jesus.

(So what does that mean for me?  Am I a true believer? Have I entered through the ‘narrow door’?  Jesus later told His disciples, “No man comes to the Father except by Me.”  Am I trusting fully in Jesus’ righteousness to cover my sin? Am I following and obeying Him as Lord of my life?

2 Peter 1:10 encourages us “to make our calling and election sure.”

Philippians 2:12:  Paul tells believers in Philippi to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

But gives this encouragement from Philippians 1:6. “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”)

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Vss. 13:31-35.

A Pharisee came to Jesus and said, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”

Herod ruled Perea as well as Galilee. Perhaps the Pharisee wanted Jesus back in Judea, where THEY had jurisdiction over Him.

(I love Jesus’ answer to this threat [from both Herod and the Pharisees].)

“Go tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.”

Jesus was following His own time schedule. His “hour” was coming, and Jesus knew exactly the time on the clock and the date on the calendar.  No one could force Him earlier or later.  Especially not King Herod.

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Then, Jesus turns His heart and mind toward Jerusalem, beginning with a proverb of the day,

“’It cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’”

(Most Old Testament prophets were martyred at the hands of the Jewish people, not by foreign enemies. This underscores that the purpose of Jesus’ relentless journey to Jerusalem WAS to die.)

And then Jesus continues,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!  And you WOULD NOT.”

Jesus desired foremost that His people would return to Him. To embrace their promised Messiah. To believe in Him and be saved.  But alas, FEW did. And the Gospel would be taken to the Gentiles after Pentecost.

But, there will be a day when “all Israel will be saved.”

Paul writes this in Romans 11:25-26b, 28-31

“I want you to understand this mystery, brothers,

A partial hardening has come upon Israel,

Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

And in this way, all Israel will be saved.”

“As regards the gospel,

They are enemies of God for your sake.

But as regards election,

They are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

 

And from Zechariah 12:10, 13:1

“And I will pour out on the house of David,

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

A spirit of grace and pleas for mercy

So that, when they look on me,

On Him whom they have pierced,

They shall mourn for Him….

On that day, there shall be

A fountain opened for the house of David

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

To cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/28) Luke 13:1-21

Apr28

A 5-day per week study.

April 28 – Reading Luke 13:1-21

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath Day?”  Luke 13:16

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus told the crowd that they knew the signs of upcoming weather: a cloud in the west means rain, wind from the south means heat …. but they didn’t know the signs of Jesus’ coming.  Get prepared!

Vss. 13:1-9.

Do political persecution and natural disasters indicate judgment by God?  Does this mean people who suffer in this way are MORE sinful and deserve to experience violent deaths?

Yes and no.  It could.  God sometimes brought destruction on wicked sinners.

But Jesus told His questioners that these victims (of Pilate’s anger, and a faulty tower) were NOT more sinful.  And THESE “pious” tattlers were not morally superior to have escaped such fates.  And, in fact, if THEY did not repent, they would also perish.

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Jesus then told them a parable about a barren fig tree (picturing Israel, which lacked all fruit of righteousness). After three years with no fruit, the “owner” wanted to cut it down, saying, “Why should it use up the ground?”

(This could have pictured the years Jesus had been ministering among them. There were some who honestly believed, but the majority of Israel were rejecting Him.)

The gardener pleaded for the tree. “Let me dig around it and put on manure this year. Then, if it should bear fruit next year, well and good! But if not, then cut it down.”

(Jesus’ life and death, and glorious resurrection, plus the apostles’ preaching at Pentecost and beyond, represented the “digging and fertilizing” year. But for the most part, Israel still rejected their Messiah.  And, in less than 40 years, Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed, and the Jews taken captive into Roman slavery.  The “barren fig tree” would be cut down. But…a stump would remain, guarding living roots.)

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Vss. 13:19-21.

Skip the incident of the women in the synagogue for now, and go to two more of Jesus’s parables, which seem to connect with the fig tree (representing Israel) parable.

Jesus here compares the Kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed, which a farmer plants. It grows tall enough that birds can safely build nests (and raise their young) in it.

The second parable is similar. A woman (perhaps, the farmer’s wife) takes some leaven (yeast) and works it into “measures” of flour in order to bake some nice, soft bread.

The small mustard seed and the leaven (in this case, NOT representing sin, but a good baking ingredient) both grow and influence for good.

These parables illustrate 1) the inclusion of Gentiles in the Kingdom of God (the birds) and 2) the unstoppable pervasiveness of the Kingdom of God (or the Gospel) in the world (like leaven in the dough).

Yes, Israel would reject their Messiah, but this would open the doors for the Gospel to spread to ALL peoples of the world.  PRAISE GOD!

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Vss. 13:10-17.

Jesus is back in a synagogue on Sabbath Day, teaching as He normally does.

There was a crippled woman also in attendance. She had been “bent over from the waist” for EIGHTEEN YEARS!   A “disabling spirit from Satan” had caused this.

The woman was quiet, probably resigned to her permanently bowed state.  She did not come forward to ask Jesus to heal her. She did not try to touch the “hem of His garment.”

But Jesus saw her.

He called her to Him.

He said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”

And He laid his hands on her.

Immediately, she was made to stand straight, AND SHE GLORIFIED GOD.

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BUT, the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on THOSE DAYS and be healed, and NOT on the Sabbath Day.”

It had probably NOT been the woman’s intention to come for healing. She was probably worshiping and listening to the teaching as the others were.  JESUS had called HER over.

This hypocrisy infuriated Jesus, and He lashed out at them, perhaps pointing an accusing finger.

“You hypocrites!  Does not each of YOU on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?  Ought not THIS WOMAN, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?

(In other words, was she (a Jew, like them) not better than their animals?)

Of course, when He said this, all those accusing “adversaries” were put to shame (and angered all the more).

However, all the people REJOICED at all the glorious things that were done by Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/27) Luke 12:49-59

Apr27

A 5-day per week study.

April 27 – Reading Luke 12:49-59

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, but rather division.”  Luke 12:51

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus talked about being prepared with their lamps burning, ready for His return in power and glory. He told His disciples to be faithful in working for His Kingdom until He comes.

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Vss. 12:49-53.

Here, Jesus opens with two surprising statements:

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled.”

and,

“Do you think I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

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Jesus has set His face “like flint” towards the cross, although He is dreading it. (He’s already told his disciples about this twice.)

He’s seen and preached against the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership and the temporal greed and self-concern of the crowd.  He probably wants to shake the people and tell them to “wake up!” Judgment is coming!”

He warns of conflict, not peace, when someone in a household hears and trusts in Him. Divisions will arise between believers and non-believers. Lines will be drawn. Persecution and perhaps denouncing will happen.

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Vss. 54-56.

“When you see a cloud rising in the west, you know a shower is coming.”

“When you see the south wind blowing, you know it will be hot.

Jesus tells them to WAKE UP!  They know the signs of approaching weather, but they can’t discern the spiritual signs of the times.  Judgment is coming, can’t they see that?

(Perhaps Jesus would say this to us today, too. ‘Can’t you see the day of My return approaching?  Look around you, read My scriptures. Get ready!  Be prepared!’)

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Vss. 57-59.

Perhaps Jesus is thinking about the man who earlier called out for Him to settle an inheritance dispute between him and his brother.

Why don’t you judge between yourselves what is right? Seek reconciliation even if it means self-sacrifice.  Settle before you get to court, or the magistrate may sentence you to something you will not like.

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(In this whole section, Jesus seems to be saying, “C’mon, you guys!  Get serious! Recognize the times. Get right, and live right. Judgment is coming.”

Appropriate for today too.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/24) Luke 12:35-48

Apr24

A 5-day per week study.

April 24 – Reading Luke 12:35-48

Read and believe in Jesus.

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  Luke 12:40.

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The Gospel according to Luke

Review –

Jesus talked about anxiety, what we worry about, and told us to seek and store our “treasures” in Heaven, and not on earth in the material “things” of the here and now.

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Vss. 12:35-40.

From Jesus’ last admonition to “Sell your possessions, give to the needy, and provide yourselves with treasure in Heaven,” where He seems to tell them to free themselves from the pull of earthly possessions, He now urges His listeners toward further preparedness for Christ’s return.

“Stay dressed for action!”

“Keep your lamps burning!”

“Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once!”

And… “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”

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Vss. 12:41-48.

Peter, the spokesman for the disciples, asks a question that you and I are probably wondering too.

“Lord, are You telling this parable for us or for all?”

Good question, but Jesus does not answer it fully.  He sort of implies that these admonitions are for unbelievers, especially the ones to whom much had been given.

Jesus then compares three “managers” or chief servants of the Master.  (Those in leadership?)

  1. The faithful and wise one, whom the Master will find doing what He commanded before He left, will be rewarded plentifully.
  2. The lazy and cruel one who knew the Master’s will but did not do it. Instead, he beat the other servants and indulged in eating, drinking, and getting drunk. This one will be “rewarded” with a severe beating.
  3. And lastly, the servant who had not heard and did not know the Master’s will. He still deserved punishment, but received a light beating.

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(NOTE: Yes, the Bible teaches that there will be varying degrees of punishment in hell.  See Matthew 10:15, 11:22 & 24, Mark 6:11, and Hebrews 10:29)

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Jesus ended this teaching (perhaps peering into the faces of the people and Jewish leaders around Him) by saying,

“Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrust much, they will demand the more.”