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Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/3) Luke 23:26-43

Jun3

A 5-day per week study.

June 3 – Reading Luke 23:26-43

 

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  Luke 23:43

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus stood under the interrogations of Pilate, of Herod, and of Pilate again.  The Roman governor declared him not guilty of anything worthy of death. But the religious leaders and the incited crowds demanded crucifixion.  Pilate gives in and delivers Jesus to their will (not knowing it was GOD’S will for Jesus to die).

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Vss. 23:26-32.

As they led the weakened Jesus away from the court and up the hill to Golgotha with the heavy cross on His bleeding back, He stopped, unable to continue.  A Roman soldier grabbed the nearest strong-looking guy and made him carry Jesus’ cross the rest of the way.

(Not what HE expected to do on Passover morning! Did he stay and watch Jesus crucified and hear Him speak?)

(Simon of Cyrene evidently told this experience to his sons, Alexander and Rufus.  Paul later references them as believers.)

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A great multitude followed the procession up the hill. The women in the crowd were mourning and lamenting for Jesus.

Jesus turned to them with this warning.

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for ME, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’  At that time, they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’

For if they do THESE THINGS when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

(These women were not necessarily believers. More probably, they were professional mourners who attended “high-profile” executions. Jesus’ words to them were a prophetic warning about what was coming to their city and nation.)

Two other criminals were led away as well, to be put to death with Jesus.  We will hear more of them later.

 (NOT the murderer Barabbas, however. He got off scot-free. He was like us.  We were sinners, condemned to death. But Jesus became our substitute, dying in our place.  The sinless for the sinful.  His death and resurrection made it possible for us to then be declared righteous by God when we trust in Him.)

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Vss. 23:33-38.

(Such a horrible scene, I can hardly write about it.)

When they came to the top of the hill, a place called ‘The Skull,’ they stripped Jesus and the others and nailed Him to the wood. Then they raised those instruments of torture and dropped them into prepared holes.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Jesus cried out.

Beneath His cross, the soldiers picked through His clothes and cast lots for them.

(Pitiful garments of His earthly journey.)

People stood around watching.

  • The rulers scoffed at Him, saying, “He saved others, let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen one.”

(Such blasphemy!)

  • The soldiers also mocked Jesus, coming up and offering Him sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!)

(Pilate had put a placard over Jesus’ head with that inscription.)

  • One of the criminals who was also hanged on a cross railed at Jesus, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself AND US!”

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(Luke gives three of the horrible verbal assaults thrown at Jesus. They remind me of the mocking assaults Satan hurled at Jesus after His 40 days of fasting in the desert.  And, indeed, these, at His crucifixion, were inspired by the devil himself, trying to cast doubt on Jesus’ heredity and mission – the “seed of woman” who would “crush the head of the serpent.” Genesis 3:15.)

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Then we meet the second of the two criminals on the crosses on either side of Jesus.  He said to the scoffing one, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but THIS MAN has done nothing wrong!”

And turning to Jesus, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

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(Did you see that beautiful conversion?  A confession of sin and acknowledgment that he deserved death.  A declaration of who Jesus was (sinless, the King of the Jews). A plea for remembrance and forgiveness.  And then …  Jesus’ beautiful acceptance of the saved sinner. 

(And this is how people are born again today, too!  GLORIOUS!!)

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/29) Luke 22:47-53

May29

A 5-day per week study.

May 29 – Reading Luke 22:47-53

 

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”  Luke 22:48

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus had just spent hours in agonized prayer about His upcoming ordeal, to the point that He was sweating blood.  He despised the shame of the cross, but for the joy set before Him, He would endure it. (Hebrews 12:2)  He stands and awakens His disciples, scolding them for not praying too.  He knows the crowd was coming – not for His teaching or healing this time – but for His life.

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Vss. 22:47-48.

First to walk up the path from the Holy City to Gethsemane was Judas.  He had promised the Jewish religious leaders that he would betray Jesus to them “in the absence of a crowd.”

He knew the quiet place where Jesus often came to rest and be alone with His disciples. So, he led them, “a great crowd with torches, swords, and clubs,” to the place.

This crowd included a “cohort” of (600) Roman soldiers (the ones with swords) and armed temple guards from the Sanhedrin (with clubs). (The religious leaders had included the Roman soldiers because they needed permission to arrest a man for the death penalty.)

Judas had promised. Now he was delivering.

Judas had told them exactly how they would know which man to arrest.  He would go to Jesus and greet Him with a kiss. That would be the sign.  They could then move in and arrest Him.

But when Judas grew near to kiss Him, Jesus quietly asked his wayward disciple,

“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Judas may have hesitated, but both Matthew and Mark tell us he followed through with an embrace and kiss on Jesus’ cheek, usually the most intimate and affectionate demonstration of love.

The guards moved in quickly after this “sign.”

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Vss. 22:49-51.

The other disciples were thoroughly awake now. They took in the situation and decided it was time to act, to defend their Master.

“Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”

Surely this was Peter who spoke. He immediately withdrew his short sword and took a swing at the closest person.  It was the servant of the high priest (Caiaphas).  Peter missed lopping off his head, and instead, the man’s ear was sliced off.

“No more of this!”  Jesus cried. He then turned and healed the servant’s ear.

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Vss. 22:52-54.

This startling incident briefly paused the arrest as they stared at the healed man. Jesus turned to the chief priests and officers of the temple and the elders who’d come up from behind and said,

“Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me!”

Then it was as if Jesus sighed.

“But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

They could have arrested Him at any time while he was in the city, but they chose to do it in the night, reflecting the darkness of their hearts.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/18) Luke 19:11-27.

May18

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“.”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Last time was the wonderful story of the “short” Tax Collector, Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus.  But Jesus saw him first and desired to fellowship with him.  Zacchaeus joyfully welcomed Jesus into his home and heart.  The evidence of his true conversion was the abundance of giving back and restitution. (Unlike the rich, young ruler, Jesus meant much more to Zacchaeus than all he possessed, even though he was also very rich.  (Oh, for such a hungry heart!)

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Vs. 11.

  1. Because of who Zacchaeus was and what he had done with all his MONEY after meeting Jesus, and …
  2. Because Jesus was getting close to Jerusalem, and his followers “supposed” He would now take the Kingdom NOW, overthrow Rome, and rule (and they would be by His side) …
  3. And because the Jews were “circling” Jesus, like beasts of prey …
  4. Because of these things … Jesus told this parable about a Nobleman who went away to a FAR country to receive his kingdom, and then returned to settle his affairs.

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Vss. 12-15.

There are three main characters in this parable: the Nobleman, His servants, and His citizens. See if you can guess who each represents.

The nobleman, of course, illustrates Jesus, who would soon depart to receive His kingdom … and ONE DAY return to rule.

  • (Kings in Roman provinces like Galilee actually went to Rome to receive their kingdoms from the Emperor. This was true of the Herodian dynasty. The listening audience would know about this.)

Before the Nobleman left, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.  (A mina was worth about 100 days of salary.)  He told His servants to “Engage in business until I come.”  (The KJV says, “occupy until I come.”)

These are those who are left to represent Jesus on earth – true and false followers.

Then Jesus introduced another group of characters in the parable.  The “citizens” of his land HATED the nobleman and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to reign over us.”

  • (Actually, this happened in the case of Herod. The Jews sent a delegation to Rome saying they did NOT want him to reign over them.  But they were denied, and he returned as king for a while.)

These “citizens” represented the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day, who rejected Him as their Messiah, and were plotting even then to kill Him.

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Eventually, the Nobleman returned, having gained His Kingdom, and He called His servants to account, rewarding them in His Kingdom.

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Vss. 16-26.

In this accounting, the nobleman addresses only THREE servants, but let’s consider them representatives of the others.

The first came and presented ten minas for the one he was given. “Well done, good servant!  Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”

The second came and presented five minas for the one he was given.  “And you are to be over fivc cities.”

Then another came with  “such an excuse!!”  “Here is your one mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man.  You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” 

Ah-oh!

  • (Could this servant represent those who profess to be followers of Jesus, but who are afraid to witness, and never mention His name or share the good news with someone? The “least” this servant could have done was to support those who DID spread the Gospel)

The nobleman answered, “You wicked servant!  I will condemn you with your own words.  If you knew I was that kind of man … why did you not put my money in the bank, and I would (at least) get it back with interest?”

And the nobleman gave this servant’s mina to the servant who had earned ten.

THEN, the nobleman dealt with his citizens (enemies), who hated him and didn’t want him to reign over them.   “Bring them here and slaughter them before me.”

WHOA!!

This is the end for those who reject Jesus.

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/15) Luke 19:1-10

May15

A 5-day per week study.

May 15 – Reading Luke 19:1-10

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Today, salvation has come to this house.”  Luke 19:9

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – On the road outside Jericho, Jesus healed a blind beggar, who already believed He was Israel’s Messiah. Now that faith blossomed, and he was able to see again. His first sight? The Messiah of Israel. After that, the seeing beggar followed Jesus, glorifying God. He would probably not be a beggar much longer.

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Vss. 19:1-4

Jesus and the rejoicing crowd now entered through Jericho’s gates. Inside, there lived a wealthy, shrewd chief tax collector named Zacchaeus. Zach was a short guy. Maybe his small stature was what led him to become an important and very rich tax collector. Instead of being mocked for his size, he would get “some respect” (or fear) from the people.

But Zach was curious about the uproar in his city. Why the crowd? What for the noise? He just HAD to see.

Of course, being barely over 4 feet tall among much taller people, he’d probably been used to climbing trees to see better. There, he could get a good look at the crowd and who was at the center. Yes, it was a bit embarrassing. He had to make sure his gorgeous robes covered his “nether parts” and that he did not lose a sandal when astride a fat limb. Perhaps there was a certain tree that he knew well that he could scurry right up and be among the leaves before anyone noticed.

But someone noticed.

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Vss. 19:5-7.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.'”

WHAT? WOW!

“So Zachhaeus hurried and came down and received Him joyfully.”

Wow, Someone actually wanted to fellowship and dine with this tax collector … someone who obviously was not wealthy himself. This man looked plain and even, poor. But oh, that face! Love seemed to shine out continuously.

OF COURSE, there were those – probably most of the crowd that followed – who did NOT APPROVE of Jesus eating/staying with a “sinner,” a hated Tax Collector (even IF one of his own disciples was a former collector for Rome).

But Jesus came for sinners. He saw the emptiness in Zach’s soul, the dissatisfaction of all that money (which could not buy love or even friendship), and He LOVED him.

Zachhaeus became a believer in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son and Lamb of God. As proof, well, take a look at what he did that proved his changed heart.

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Vss. 19:8-10.

“Behold, Lord (Yes, Jesus must be your Savior AND Lord), the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold!”

You might think, well, what is so amazing about this?

  1. First, his WILLINGNESS to admit his crimes and make amends for his greed and fraud.

2. The Law required 20% extra when restoring money that a Jew defrauded from others. Zach offered 400%!

3. AND, on top of that, he pledged – not 10% – but HALF his wealth to go to the poor. (And he was very rich.)

Zachhaeus’ heart had been changed. The Bible doesn’t say that he left all to follow Jesus as Matthew had done. But his salvation had greatly improved his standing in the eyes of the people. His money gladly flowed to them, the cheated and the poor. Perhaps he remained as a Roman Tax Collector, but I believe his fees were now true and fair. And… he “maybe” even regularly hosted meals for the poor (just conjecture on my part.)

We DO know that this short-statured man must have become “taller” in the eyes of the people. He had a new attitude and a new life within him… Jesus.

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(Did our lives change so much when we became believers? The gentle, loving Savior living in us surely must have made us love and share with one another more. “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” “God IS love.” 1 John 4:7-8)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/8) Luke 17:1-19

May8

A 5-day per week study.

May 8 – Reading Luke 17:1-19

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Lord, increase our faith!” “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed…”  Luke 17:5-6a

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review: Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus, who both died and had very different fates.  The rich man wanted to warn his brothers about that horrid place, but Father Abraham told him, EVEN IF someone would return from the grave, they would not listen.”  We have such hard hearts!

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Vss. 17:1-5.

“Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come.”

Jesus states a fact: we will all face many temptations every day. Some will come from within ourselves, from our sinful desires, and should be resisted. But many subtle or even gross temptations to sin will come via the ungodly people around us. It’s a given.

However, what Jesus adamantly forbids here is for a believer to tempt someone to sin.  He’d be better off dead!

We say, “I’d never do that!” But think about it. What about those “innocent” fun activities that escalate into sinful indulgence or gross misconduct?

Jesus then turns the picture around from temptations to your reactions.  “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times a day, and turns to you in repentance, YOU MUST forgive him.”

And what was the disciples’ reaction?  “Lord, increase our faith!” They weren’t sure they could do what Jesus said.

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Vss. 17:6-7.

Jesus reacted by telling them they didn’t need MORE faith. They need to USE their faith, not desire MORE.  What they had already possessed would move trees and mountains elsewhere. No, the faith they had at that moment was sufficient.

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Vss. 17:8-10.

Next comes a curious example that falls crookedly on our modern-day sensibilities. We have people who work for us, but most of us do not own servants and/or slaves.  We pay our workers for their jobs, and don’t really expect them to go over and beyond what they’ve been hired to do (without negotiating).

So, put your imagination back to Jesus’ day, and see what you can learn about “unworthy servants.”  (Meaning US????  Whoa!!!)

“Will any of you (speaking to a broader audience now)  say to your servant who has been plowing or keeping sheep and has come into the house, ‘Come at once and recline at the table?’”

Can’t you almost hear them laughing at such a notion?

“No, you will rather say, ‘Prepare supper for me. Dress properly and serve me while I eat and drink.  After THAT, YOU will eat and drink.’ Does he then thank the servant for doing what was commanded?”

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Wow.  Doesn’t this go against our natural inclinations, especially in the U.S.?  Your hardworking man slaves all day in the heat, and THEN he’s supposed to come in, cook your meal, and serve you BEFORE he can take a bite???  Yes.  And he doesn’t even expect a ‘thank you.’

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So, what was Jesus saying?

The point is that a slave/servant should not expect special reward for doing what his duty in the first place was.

Now recall the standards Jesus set for believers in verses 1-4.

  1. Believers had better not tempt others to sin.
  2. Believers must forgive a repentant brother AS MANY TIMES as he sincerely repents.
  3. Believers should USE the faith they already have rather than ask for more.

The above “duties” are the minimal things that believers are expected to do. No special merit for obedience should be expected.

Whoa.

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Vss. 17:11-19.

(This incident happened sometime later, maybe after He’d raised Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus from the dead, and He had retreated into the country to avoid the Jerusalem authorities who wanted to kill Him right then.  Luke 19 tells of Jesus’s triumphal entry at Jerusalem and His subsequent death, at His OWN timing.)

Anyway, when Jesus and His disciples entered a village, they were met by TEN LEPERS who stood at a distance calling.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

These men believed Jesus could heal them if only He would.  Jesus saw their faith.

“Go and show yourselves to the priests.” He called to them.

Huh?

A strict law was established for dealing with “healed” lepers.  They had to go to the priest, show them their now clear skin, and do some tests. In a certain time, they’d return, and if they were still healed, the priest would take them through the ceremonial cleansing ritual and then give them a clean bill of health.

These men knew the routine and left, believing Jesus had healed them.

Then, one of the men looked down at his hands and feet and SAW the miracle. Gratitude and worship filled his soul. He turned back, praising God with a loud voice, and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks.

He, among the ten, was a Samaritan.

Jesus was amazed that the Samaritan, among the Jews, had returned to thank and praise God.  A foreigner, and one hated by Jews at that.  HE had been “converted,” I am sure.  Not only a “clean body,” he now had a “clean soul” as well.

Jesus looked at him and said, “Rise and go your way, your FAITH has made you well (“saved you” like the woman with the issue of blood. See Mark 5:34).

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(What a glorious story! “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.? Ephesians 2:8-9.  Others look down on this man with disdain.  A Samaritan, pooh!  But this man received Jesus AND healing: a double miracle.  And he praised and worshiped God.

Wow.  When is the last time I fell to my knees and proclaimed my worship and praise for my Savior and God loudly?)

 

 

 

 

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 the rich man 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: (5/5) 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: (4/17) Luke 11:1-13

Apr17

A 5-day per week study.

April 17 – Reading Luke 11:1-13

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Lord, teach us to pray…”  Luke 11:1

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The Gospel according to Luke

Review – Last time, Jesus visited two sisters in Bethany. Martha is anxious because there is “so much to do.” She commands Jesus to tell Mary to help her! Jesus, kindly but firmly, says no. Mary’s choice to sit and listen to his teaching was a good one. Rebuked … what did Martha do?

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Vss. 11:1-4.

We don’t know where this happened, but somewhere, the disciples quietly watched Jesus as He prayed. After He finished, they asked Him to teach them to pray.  And Jesus did.

This is a shorter version of the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught the crowds in the Sermon on the Mount. At that time, He’d instructed them…

  1. NOT to stand up to pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by others, but to go into their room, shut the door, and pray to God in secret. God will hear that prayer.
  2. NOT to “heap up empty words” when they prayed as the pagans did. God knew what they needed even before they asked.

Here, Jesus gave them a simplified version.

  • Whom to pray to: the Father,
  • Worship/adoration: hallowed (holy) is Your name.
  • Humble submission to His will: (may) Your kingdom come.
  • Looking to Him for our needs: give us each day our daily bread,
  • Confession: forgive us our sins
  • Repentance: as we forgive everyone indebted to us.
  • Dependence on Him for holy living: lead us not into temptation.

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Vss. 11:5-7.

Jesus encourages His disciples not just to recite a prayer, but to be serious and urgent in their praying. We aren’t to kneel for a 5-minute morning prayer and a few “table graces” and think that is all we need.

Jesus then tells the disciples a parable to illustrate the persistence they should have in prayer.

The scenario Jesus paints is that of a man surprised by a friend who arrives very late at night from a long journey. The man wants to feed this tired and hungry traveler, but there is nothing in the “fridge.”

Even though it is late, he goes to his neighbor, who is also a friend. And, although this neighbor and his entire family have long since blown out the lamps and gone to bed, our guy pounds on the door.

“Please lend me three small loaves for a surprise visitor!”

“What? Are you serious? We are all in bed! I can’t get up to give you any bread!”

Knock, knock, knock. “Please! Just a few loaves!”

“Go away!”

Knock, knock, knock. “Please, I have nothing to give him at all!”

Silence.

Knock, knock, knock. “Please, neighbor! I am desperate. I have nothing!”

Silence.

Then a click and a creak as the door is opened.  A basket of bread is shoved out. Our man takes it and begins to thank his neighbor profusely, but the door closes.

Nevertheless, he joyfully returns home. He has something to feed his exhausted and hungry long-distance visitor.

(No, this is not teaching us to simply “bother God” with constantly repeating requests. Or that God is begrudging with His answers.  But with another’s need in mind, and with a selfless, dependent attitude, we are to be persistent before the throne of grace.)

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Vss. 11:8-10.

So, Jesus encourages His disciples in TWO WAYS to –

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

“For everyone who asks, receives, and the one who seeks, finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.”

That almost seems like ‘carte blanche’. But note the examples of requests that Jesus gives in the next section.

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Vss. 11:11-13.

“If a son asks for a FISH (to eat), will the father give him a snake instead?

If a son asks for an EGG, will the father give him a scorpion?

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give THE HOLY SPIRIT to those who ask Him?”

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/15) Luke 10:25-37

Apr15

A 5-day per week study.

April 15 – Reading Luke 10:25-37

Read and believe in Jesus.

“And who is my neighbor?”  Luke 10:29

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The Gospel according to Luke 10:25-37

Review – Jesus sent out 72 disciples to towns on His way to Jerusalem, to prepare them for His coming. The 72 return, with joy. Woe to the cities in Galilee that He ministered in for 3 years, and who remained indifferent. REJOICE THAT YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN!

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Vss. 10:25-29.

Perhaps this next section takes place in a synagogue on the Sabbath.  We see a “lawyer” (a Scribe, expert in The Law) STAND UP to speak.  It’s as if Jesus has been teaching, and he stands up to argue.

To TEST Jesus, this knowledgeable man asks, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

He had no interest in eternal life, only to catch Jesus in His words.

Jesus turns it back on him.  After all, he IS an educated man. “What is written in the Law?  How do YOU read it?”

The man answers quickly, proving that indeed he DOES know the law of Moses. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  (Deuteronomy 6:24-25.)

The scribe must have preened when Jesus said, “You have answered correctly.”

Then to answer the man’s original question, which HE had probably forgotten all about, Jesus continued, “Do this and you shall live.”

This pompous scribe just could not let Jesus have the last word.  Maybe standing a little straighter, the lawyer looked around at the listeners and said with a smirk. “And WHO is my neighbor?”

(Jesus will answer the lawyer’s query in true debater’s form, with another question, forcing him to a begrudging answer. Then Jesus will speak AGAIN to this lawyer’s initial question.)

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Vss. 10:30-37

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho…” Jesus began.

As soon as the people realized Jesus was going to tell a story, they settled back to listen. Probably even the contentious lawyer sat down.  All of them were familiar with that dangerous road through the Judean wilderness.

“… and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.”

Several nodded, clicking their tongues. Yep.

“Now by chance,” Jesus continued, “…a priest was going down that road.

You could feel the listeners’ tension rise. A priest? That poor man was … bloody! The priest couldn’t touch him without becoming ceremonially ‘unclean!’

“When the priest saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road.”

They nodded.  It was tragic, but it was the way of things.

Jesus continued. “So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”

The listeners were uncomfortable, but, well, a Levite had to also stay ceremonially clean to minister in the Temple. It was a sad situation. They looked at their hands in their laps.

“But a Samaritan…”

Heads flew up.  What?  How dare Jesus speak of a despised half-breed Samaritan!

“…as the Samaritan journeyed, he came to where the man was, and when he saw him … he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

“And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back’.”

Grumbling began among Jesus’ listeners; outrage mingled perhaps with a touch of guilt?  No one spoke.

Jesus looked to the pretentious lawyer and said, “Which of these three, do YOU think, proved to be a ‘neighbor’ to the man who fell among the robbers?”

Hardly able to get the words out, the learned man said, “The one who showed mercy.”

Jesus leaned back, softly answering the man’s FIRST question about what he should do to have eternal life.  “You go and do likewise.”

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Wow.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/14) Luke 10:1-24

Apr14

A 5-day per week study.

April 14 – Reading Luke 10:1-24

Read and believe in Jesus.

“”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 10:1-24

Review –

In the last lesson, the disciples didn’t seem all that “spiritual.”  They argued about WHO was the greatest among them.  They tried to stop a person who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name JUST BECAUSE he wasn’t a part of “the Twelve.”  And James and John wanted to call down FIRE FROM HEAVEN on a Samaritan town because they wouldn’t let them stay there overnight.

Then, three men that Jesus called to follow Him turned back because it conflicted with their lifestyles.  What disappointments for Jesus as He steadily walked towards Jerusalem and all that would happen there.

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Vss. 10:1-12.

Jesus appointed 72 others of those who were following Him to go on ahead.  Their mission?  They were to prepare the people of the towns on the way to Jerusalem for Jesus’ visit.  Not for accommodations, but their hearts.

Jesus told them that the harvest in these towns was huge.  People’s hearts were ready to hear “good news.” He also told these missionaries to pray to God for even MORE workers.

Like when Jesus sent out the Twelve, He gave these workers instructions.

  1. They were to go out in pairs. (Two are stronger than a lone witness in any situation.)
  2. They were to carry no extra supplies (be self-sufficient), but to go in faith that God would use the townspeople to feed and house them.
  3. They were to announce their purpose right away. “Peace be to this house.” (They were not promoting a Messiah of insurrection.)
  4. Like their Master, they were to heal and preach that the kingdom of God had come.
  5. And … if the town did NOT receive them (like that Samaritan town in the previous lesson), they were to shake the dust off their feet as they left, as a sign that the kingdom of God had come near them, and they’d refused it.

A town’s refusal to accept His message was not about “them.”  It was a collective refusal of the mercy and grace of God, who had not spared His Only Son but sent Him, as a sacrificial Lamb, to take on the sin of the world and experience the death that was the “earned wages.”

“I tell you it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”

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Vss. 10:13-16.

Jesus then names three towns in Galilee that had, for the most part, rejected His message. (Yes, they had gladly received His miracles!)

Chorazin (inland), Bethsaida, and Capernaum were all at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee.  And even though Capernaum had been the headquarters of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and had never forced Jesus out or tried to kill Him, their hearts had remained indifferent.

It’s kind of a shock that Jesus said, “If the mighty works done in these cities had been done in Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon, THEY would have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” And the people of these cities – because they had had the very Saviour of the world ministering in them for three years … would be held MORE accountable on the day of judgment.

Whoa.  A warning to my country, America, so privileged, with the Gospel, Bibles, churches, and ministries available on every hand. And still the cares and pleasures of this world seem more important.

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Vss. 10:17-20.

The 72 returned to Jesus WITH JOY. They were so amazed that “even the demons were subject to us in Your name!”

Jesus reminded them that HE had seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven (after his rebellion). Jesus was eminently more powerful than Satan, a mere fallen angel. He gave his followers authority over all the enemy’s power.  Nothing could harm them, apart from God’s will.

“Nevertheless, so not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

YES!  THAT is the important part. That our names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life. The greatest wonder of all is the reality of salvation – the whole point of the Gospel. (Philippians 4:3, Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 21:27).

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Vss. 10:21-24.

Then Jesus turns to His Father in prayer, rejoicing that “The Lord of heaven and earth had hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and had revealed them to ‘little children,’ for this was His gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son … and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Yes, Jesus, we are so privileged. We thank You!