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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: (4/16) Luke 10:38-42

Apr16

A 5-day per week study.

April 16 – Reading Luke 10:38-42

Read and believe in Jesus.

“You are anxious and troubled about many things….”  Luke 10:41a

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The Gospel according to Luke 10:38-42

Review – Last time, Jesus and a knowledgeable Jewish lawyer butted heads. (Guess who comes out dizzy with a large swelling on his forehead?) The two “great commandments” and the “Good Samaritan” story are explained.

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Vss. 10:38-42.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.”

Jesus and His disciples continued walking along the road towards Jerusalem. The village they came to was Bethany, about two miles from the holy city on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

“And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary…”

Martha was probably the oldest of the three siblings and had inherited the house. Mary, along with their younger brother, Lazarus, lived with her. She was an “in charge” type of gal.

“Mary … sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching.

But Martha was distracted by much serving.”

Two sisters with two personalities. Martha, as “head” of the household, felt responsible for making everything perfect for the Master. She slaved in the kitchen. Maybe she even dusted and straightened things up in the room where Jesus (and his men?) sat. Who would help her serve the meal? Who would pour the wine?

And who knew where their little brother was!

“And she went up to Him (Jesus) and said,

‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone??? 

Tell her then to help me!’”

Wow, Martha was even bossing Jesus around!

Her “do you not care” question reminded me of the disciples in their boat during a storm, while Jesus slept.  Frantic, they had asked Him whether He cared if they perished in the storm!

Yes, Jesus cares. (1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.”

Jesus answered her firmly, but with great love. First, He identified her “heart” problem.

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.”

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(I’ve felt like Martha. So many things to worry about, so many things that I need to ‘fix’. I get stressed, and then resentful that I must do everything myself. No one helps! It’s not fair!   Just…like…Martha.)

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Jesus shows Martha what will calm her heart and soothe her anxious spirit. He points to her sister, sitting at His feet, listening.

“…one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion.”

The ‘one thing’ that Martha was missing, the ‘thing’ that would solve all her worries, the ‘good portion’ that Mary chose, is Jesus Himself. Putting everything else aside and listening with an open heart to Jesus’ words.

And, like Mary, it should be Martha’s and our first choice.

“…this will not be taken away from her (Mary).”

Did Jesus continue to look lovingly at Martha, waiting?  Did she sigh and smile a little?  Did she take off her apron and settle down at Jesus’ feet beside Mary? Did she then look to Jesus, her face and heart now calm?

I like to think so.

And there was time later, during general fellowship, for Mary to help Martha serve Jesus and the disciples … perhaps a simpler meal.

Service is good. But Jesus and His word are “gooder.” 😉

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!

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/9) Luke 9:1-20

Apr9

A 5-day per week study.

April 9 – Reading Luke 9:1-20

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Who do you say that I am?” “The Christ of God.”  Luke 9:20

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The Gospel according to Luke 9:1-20

Review – In the last study, two “daughters” are restored to “life” by Jesus. Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter and the woman who had a blood flow issue for 12 years. Both were unnamed, but both were loved and healed by Jesus.

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Vss. 1-6.

The TWELVE, whom Jesus has called “apostles,” have been watching and listening to Jesus’s teaching. They heard him preach the message of the Kingdom and saw countless miracles and healings.  It’s now their turn to “practice,” if you will.

Jesus gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.

He also gave them the principles of “living by faith.”

  • Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, nor two tunics.
  • Stay in the first house that receives you for as long as you minister in that town.
  • Wherever they don’t receive you, shake the dust of that town off your feet (as a judgment) and leave.

And they obeyed, going through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

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Vss. 7-9.

Luke gives us a little “aside” here. King Herod heard all that was happening (from the many reports circulating about Jesus), and he was perplexed. Who WAS this??

Remember, at the whim of his adulterous wife and her daughter, Herod had been tricked into beheading John the Baptist, whom he considered a righteous man.  Evidently, he was feeling massive guilt, fear, and condemnation, so much so that he feared John had returned from the dead and was preaching again … and now doing miracles!

Herod wanted above all else to see this miracle worker.

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Vss. 10-11.

All four Gospel accounts tell the miracle of the feeding of 5,000+ people.  Luke’s account of the miracle is brief, but accurate.

First, the Twelve disciples return from their short-term Gospel ministry to nearby towns and villages. Jesus took them away to Bethsaida to let them share how it went and to ask questions.  But the crowds learned where they were going and followed Him.

He welcomed them and spoke of the kingdom of God.  He also cured those in need of healing.

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Vss. 12-19.

Finally, at sundown, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions. This is a desolate place.”

You are probably familiar with what happened next.

  • “YOU give them something to eat,” said Jesus.
  • “WE have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless we are to go and BUY food for all these people.”
  • “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.”
  • They obeyed.
  • “Tell them all to sit down.”
  • They did.
  • Jesus took the loaves and fish in hand, looked to heaven, blessed them, broke them up, and gave the pieces to the disciples to distribute.
  • All ate and were full.
  • The Twelve went around picking up the leftovers. There were twelve small baskets of broken pieces… a simple supper for the disciples.

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Vss. 18-20.

Later, or perhaps at another time, while they were alone and Jesus was praying, He asked them a question.

  • “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
  • (They’d probably heard lots of speculation in that 5,000+ crowd as they passed around the food.)
  • “Some said ‘John the Baptist’.”
  • “Others said, ‘Elijah’.”
  • “And others said, ‘one of the prophets of old has risen’.”
  • “But who do YOU say that I am?”
  • Peter answered for them, “The Christ (Messiah) of God.”

Jesus strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one.  (We’ll find out why tomorrow.)

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (4/7) Luke 8:16-39

Apr7

A 5-day per week study.

April 7 – Reading Luke 8:16-39

Read and believe in Jesus.

“”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 8:16-39

Review – In the last study, women follow Jesus and use their resources to support the group. Jesus’ teaching is now in parables as both a judgment and a mercy. The parable of the Sower/Soils puzzles the disciples, but Jesus explains it to them.

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Vss. 19-21.

Jesus is surrounded by crowds, no matter which town or village he goes to.  He is healing and teaching, although now more in veiled parables.

  1. He ended the Parable of the Sower/Soils by describing the “good” soil as “Those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, AND bear fruit with patience.”

While He is teaching, Jesus’ mother (Mary) and his brothers come to him. But they cannot get TO Him because of the crowd. We know from other accounts that Mary is concerned about Him because he doesn’t even take time to eat. (Sounds like a mom, right?)  Perhaps she brought his half-siblings along to maybe physically take him aside to eat.

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Yes, Jesus had brothers and sisters.  These are those who were born AFTER Jesus’ virgin birth.  They had Mary as their mom, but Joseph was their birth father, unlike Jesus.

(NOTE: Both Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 give the names of the brothers: James (who became the leader of the Jerusalem church and wrote a book by that name), Joseph, Simon, and Judas (or Jude), who also wrote a book in the New Testament – that shortie right before The Revelation.  Matthew mentions “all” of Jesus’ sisters, so He had at least three, although they are not named.)

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Jesus loved and respected His mother, but since his ministry, and eventually the way to the cross, began, His family had to take a secondary position.  He was now “Messiah,” “Savior,” and “Redeemer.”  Faith, not family, was primary.

  1. Jesus said to those who were telling Him His family was summoning Him, “My mother and my brothers are those who HEAR the word of God and DO it.”
  2. This was the point he made with that Parable. It was also something His brother, James, remembered.  In James’ letter (1:22), the church leader wrote, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

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Vss. 22-25.

After this, and to get some rest and alone time with His disciples, Jesus suggested, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.”

As soon as they set out, Jesus fell asleep on the bench at the back of the boat.

  • The disciples took turns rowing.
  • The wind freshened, then started to blow in earnest. It whipped up the waves, and they began to wash over the sides of the boat.
  • The disciples bucketed out the water, but they couldn’t do it fast enough, and the water level rose. The boat sank deeper into the Sea.
  • They were in serious danger!
  • One sloshed to the back of the boat, shaking Jesus. “MASTER, MASTER, we are perishing!”
  • Jesus sat up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves.
  • Both ceased, and there was a calm.
  • Silence and awe.
  • Jesus, “Where is your faith?”
  • They whispered among themselves, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and water and they obey Him?”

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The disciples were about to meet ANOTHER crazy whirlwind and dangerous, angry storm as soon as they reached the other side of the Lake.  A wild, dangerous demoniac. Jesus’ words would once again bring calm and peace.

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Vss. 26-39.

AS SOON AS they stepped out of the boat, the crazy, naked, menacing, demon-possessed man met them. (Talk about stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire!)

This poor man had been uncontrollable, both by himself and by the men of the town.  They had restrained him, but he broke the shackles and ran around naked in the graveyard, screaming and cutting himself.

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(This is a picture of Satan and what he would love to do to us all.  Praise God that Jesus defeated him, not only in the wilderness temptations, but would do once and for all on the cross.)

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  • The demons in the man slammed him down to the ground before Jesus. (They had no choice.)
  • Jesus commanded the demon(s) to come out.
  • “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!”
  • “What is your name?” Jesus demanded.
  • “Legion, for we are many,” they said and begged Jesus not to send them into the Abyss.”

(NOTE: The Abyss was the pit, the underworld, the prison of bound demons who disobeyed. 2 Peter 2:4 adds about fallen angels, “God committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.”)

  • Jesus instead commanded that this “legion” of demons be sent into a large herd of pigs nearby. The swine promptly ran over the cliff and perished in the lake.
  • This, of course, upset the swineherds and the townspeople, and they asked Jesus to “depart from them.” This, even though the former demon-possessed man was now sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully clothed, “in his right mind.”

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(We haven’t heard a peep out of the disciples. Were they standing around, first in fear, then in awe, then in amazement?  Did they ask themselves again, “Who then is this that a legion of demons obey Him?”)

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The released, whole, and sane former slave to Satan begged Jesus that he might go with Him.  But Jesus told the “new disciple” to return to his home and “declare how much God has done for you.”  

Saved, freed, and now a witness and preacher in his own hometown. “And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

Again, one who heard, believed, and became a “doer of the Word.”

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/27) Luke 6:1-11

Mar27

A 5-day per week study.

March 27 – Reading Luke 6:1-11

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” Luke 6:2

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The Gospel according to Luke 6:1-11

Review – Last time, we read how Jesus called not only lowly fishermen but also wealthy, important (yet hated) men to follow Him.  And the conversion of Levi was so profound that the former tax collector immediately wanted to introduce all his like-minded associates to his new Lord Jesus.

The giant feast Levi held might have sparked some envy in the hearts (and stomachs) of the local Pharisees, who made it their habit to fast two days per week. Using three illustrations, Jesus reminded them that a “new Way” was coming.  Their old works-related righteousness wouldn’t fit with faith and grace.

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Vss. 1-2

On a Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples were enjoying an afternoon stroll, with good conversation and camaraderie. A couple of them, maybe Jesus Himself, pulled off some grain from the stalks growing along the outer path. They rubbed the kernels between their hands to remove the husk and popped the sun-warmed grain into their mouths, savoring the crunch and flavor.

Abruptly, some religious leaders, “spying” on them, accosted Jesus with, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

Huh?

Picking and chomping on a little granola as you walked was unlawful on the Sabbath?

Was our sinless Savior breaking “the Law”?

Was this “harvesting” and “winnowing”?

Was Jesus WORKING???

Nope.

Deuteronomy 23:25 says, “If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, BUT you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.”

The Pharisees were so afraid of breaking the Law of Moses (not for God’s sake, but to show off their piety) that they put “fences” (their own laws) around each of God’s laws, so they wouldn’t accidentally “break” one.

Farming was working, and working was forbidden on the Sabbath.  But… what WAS farming?   Sure, you couldn’t go out with a sickle, harvest sheaves of grain, then take them to the winnowing floor and toss them into the air with a fork to send the husks off in the wind, then collect the grain and grind it into flour that could be made into bread and then eaten.

Every Jew knew this.

BUT… (maybe!!!) picking a head of grain “could” be considered harvesting.  And (maybe!!) rolling it between your hands “could” be winnowing!  And crunching it with your teeth…  Well, let’s just be safe and say it’s all breaking the law and therefore forbidden.

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Vss. 3-5.

“Have YOU not read…?” Jesus asks these educated teachers of the law if they haven’t read the scriptures.  Whoa! That was a well-deserved jab.

Jesus then reviews the story of David and his men, fleeing from the murderous King Saul and, desperately hungry, going to the tabernacle of God at Shiloh and asking the priest for the used “Shewbread” in the Holy Place.

Now this Shewbread was replaced each day with fresh loaves. The old loaves were meant ONLY for the priests. But old Ahimelech knew the difference between strictly keeping the letter of the law and showing compassion for someone in need. He asked if David and his men were “ritually” clean, and when affirmed, gave them the bread to eat.

Then Jesus told these self-righteous men that HE was greater than any priest. “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus, as God, instituted the Sabbath.  It was meant to be a gift to mankind. A day when they were released from labor.  A day they could use for physical and spiritual rest and renewal.  It was not a thin white line to carefully balance on.

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Vss. 6-11.

Jesus was now going to illustrate the idea of compassion over the “letter” of the law.

On another Sabbath, Jesus was again teaching in the synagogue. A crippled man was in attendance.  His right hand – the one he was supposed to use for labor – was deformed.

Jesus saw him.  The scribes and Pharisees saw him (perhaps even brought him in as a trap) and watched to see what Jesus would do.

(Um, this is like playing games on your phone in church. NOT the reason you are there.)

Jesus knew their thoughts.

He told the crippled man to come stand in front of Him.

Then Jesus asked,“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”

He looked around at the Pharisees, but none answered.

Then Jesus looked at the crippled man (surely with compassion) and said, “Stretch out your hand.” And when the man obeyed, his hand was restored.

Silence (except perhaps for the grateful weeping of the man).

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(Good works were especially appropriate on the Sabbath – particularly deeds of charity, mercy, and worship. REFUSAL to do good was the same as doing evil. See James 4:17)

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Nevertheless, the hearts of the religious leaders were FILLED WITH FURY.  Privately, they discussed what they might DO to Jesus.

(Why? You might ask.  Well, Jesus’ compassion showed them up for the hypocrites they were.)

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Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/26) Luke 5:27-39

Mar26

A 5-day per week study.

March 26 – Reading Luke 5:27-39

Read and believe in Jesus.

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32

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The Gospel according to Luke 5:27-39

Review – Yesterday, we looked at two astonishing miracles of healing that Jesus did around Galilee. A man full of leprosy came to Him in humility and FAITH and asked for cleansing. Jesus willingly healed him.

In the second instance, it was the FAITH of friends that moved Jesus. The paralyzed man’s four friends went to great lengths to bring him to Jesus.  Here, Jesus both forgave the man’s sins and instantly healed his paralysis.

Jesus has all power to forgive, deliver, and make well, and He is willing. What limits that power is unbelief. (Remember in Nazareth … Jesus could do no good “work” because of their unbelief. Mark 6:5-6)

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Vss. 27-28.

A few fishermen are following Jesus, learning how to “catch men” for the Kingdom of God. Now, Jesus approaches a man who is nearly the opposite in life.  Levi (later known as Matthew) is a hated tax collector.  Why were they hated, other than because mankind has hated to pay taxes forever?

Tax Collectors in Jesus’ day were employed by the Romans (the oppressors). Rome didn’t care how much money was collected beyond what was due to them, so tax collectors charged more, as much as 4x more than required, and filled their own pockets.  Common people had no choice but to pay, unless they wanted a company of armed Italian guards knocking at their doors.

(Imagine if the IRS worked that way!!)

Tax Collectors, especially “turncoat” Jews, were educated men who grew VERY rich. Prime locations in town or along the trade routes were very desirable. Levi had one.

Levi was wealthy, greedy, hated, and his only friends were fellow collectors. What was it that made him open to the Savior’s call?   The Holy Spirit was working in his heart, bringing conviction of sin and a need for mercy and forgiveness.

(Re-read the story Jesus told about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14.)

Had Levi heard the “reports” about Jesus – His teaching and healing, delivering, and cleansing powers? Oh, yes, for sure. The crowds who passed his booth daily talked about nothing else.

Then Jesus came to Levi personally.

“Follow me,” Jesus said, looking right at Levi.

And miracle of miracles, for a changed heart is just that, Levi LEFT EVERYTHING and followed Jesus. His prime real estate tax booth, the piles and bags of coins, the Roman records, all.  (I’m sure another collector quickly sat down in his place.)

It didn’t matter.  Levi’s longing for forgiveness and cleansing was there in the Master’s gaze.  Levi never turned back.

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Vss. 29-32.

Chosen, forgiven, and loved, Levi now wanted to share Jesus with the only friends he had.  He invited all the tax collectors and other outcasts he knew who could fit into his large, well-appointed house.  And they came. (Hey, free food and entertainment!)  Jesus and his few followers also came and enjoyed the feast.

(Perhaps many of these guests turned to Jesus as well and mended their greedy ways.)

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(It’s interesting that Zacchaeus, a tax collector in Jericho, also invited Jesus and his fellow outcasts to a feast after meeting/believing in Jesus.  He also restored all he’d stolen or cheated, recompensing MORE than was required.  Luke 19:1-10.  Perhaps Levi also did this.)

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Jesus and the outcasts are joyfully celebrating the return of a ‘Son of Israel’ to God.  Outside, the Pharisees and teachers of the law (envious and jealous?) are grumbling.

“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” they say.

Jesus’ answer is a bit perplexing.

“Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

WHO are “the well” and “the righteous”?   WHO are “the sick” and “the sinners”?

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It must be that Jesus is speaking about HEART ATTITUDES.  Those who “think” they are righteous and of no need for repentance will not see their need and seek help.  But those who “know” they are sinners and sick unto death, gratefully welcome a physician.

(Again, review the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  Think also about the Prodigal Son and his jealous brother. Luke 15:11-32)

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Vss. 33-39.

On another occasion, these Pharisees are back with their condemning questions. (They don’t really want to know the answer, only to accuse.)

“The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do disciples of the Pharisees, but YOURS eat and drink.” 

Again, I hear some jealousy. The Pharisees bragged that THEY fasted twice a week.  But this was for
“show” to prove their “holiness.”  God only required fasting ONCE A YEAR on the Day of Atonement.  All other fasting was to be private between just you and God.  (Or in a national emergency.)

So, seeing Jesus and His disciples feasting irked them (perhaps making their stomachs growl).

Again, Jesus’ answer is perplexing, although after Jesus’ work on earth is finished, we can see more clearly what He meant.

He refers to a wedding feast, how, as long as “the groom” is present, “the groomsmen” will feast along with Him.  Once he leaves (this refers to Jesus’ death), the feasting is over, and they will grieve and fast … for a time, at least.

But this is all above the Pharisees’ heads.

So, Jesus gives a couple of illustrations that perhaps they WILL understand.

  1. A person does not mend an old garment by cutting a piece from a NEW one to repair it. It won’t match, and the new garment is now ruined.
  2. A person does not put NEW (expanding, fermenting) wine into old, stiff wineskins, but into new, flexible ones. Why? Because the expanding wine will split the old skins, and both will be ruined. Still-expanding wine needs to be put into new, expandable skins so that both are saved.
  3. And Jesus adds, “No one, after drinking old wine, desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

WHAT WAS JESUS TALKING ABOUT?

Old garments and old wine are familiar things. They feel and taste good.  This is how the Pharisees viewed their strict religious way of that day.  The letter of the law. Fast, tithe, keep strict Sabbath rules, don’t associate with any of this New Way of Jesus, or everything will be wrecked.

“Our old ways are best!”

New garments need to be worn by “new-hearted” people.  New wine – that of salvation by faith alone – is for new believers/followers of Jesus.  The “old” ways must go to allow the “new” to come in.

The Pharisees were not willing.  They would go so far as to kill Jesus to get rid of the New Way.

  • At Jesus’ crucifixion, the dividing veil in the Temple is torn, allowing access through Jesus to God for everyone, “a new and living way”.
  • And in 70 A.D., all those old “ways” would be forcibly taken away by the Romans when the temple was destroyed and the priesthood demolished.

 

(Blessed are those who turn to Jesus and follow Him instead of trying to make themselves holy by their good works. It won’t work.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/19) Luke 4:1-13

Mar19

A 5-day per week study.

March 19 – Reading Luke 4:1-13

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit … was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…”  Luke 4:1 and 14

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The Gospel according to Luke 4:1-13

Review:  Jesus – the Son of God – testified to by the descent of the Holy Spirit on Him, and God’s voice, and by His own genealogy.  Totally God and totally man with that genealogy leading clear back to Adam, who was formed of the dust by God’s own hands and received the breath of life from He Who IS life.  No wonder Paul calls Jesus “the Last Adam.” (Check out 1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

Today we will see Jesus tested by the same”Snake” that tempted the first of mankind.  But Jesus succeeds in resisting that old serpent again & again by using the two-edged sword, which are the words that God spoke.

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Vss. 1-4.

In a desert wilderness with wild animals and reptiles.  No food.  Hungry.  Tempted constantly by Satan in all the ways WE are.  (1 John 2:15-17)

#1 – the lust of the flesh

Satan: “IF you ARE the Son of God, command this stone to become bread…”   (‘You ARE hungry, Jesus. I know it. Maybe even starving.  You don’t want to die … now … do you?  You deserve some food.  You have the power.  USE it to satisfy your hunger.  God will understand…’)

JESUS: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.”

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Vss. 5-8.

#2 – the lust of the eyes

The devil took Jesus up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time (Persia, Greece, Rome, Great Britain, America), and said to Him,

Satan: “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If YOU, then, will worship ME, it will ALL BE … YOURS.”   (You are God’s SON.  You deserve to have authority and glory… NOW.  You don’t have to go through all that ridiculous suffering.  Merely bow a knee – just one – to ME, and it will be yours NOW.  God WANTS this for You…’)

JESUS: “It is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your GOD, and HIM ONLY shall you serve.”

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Vss. 9-12.

#3 – the pride of life

And the devil took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him,

Satan: “IF you ARE the Son of God, throw yourself down from here!  FOR IT IS WRITTEN,  ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’  and  ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike  your foot against a stone.'”  (See, Jesus, I know the scriptures too. Here’s a couple you can claim.  Just think, how amazed the people will be to see you walking on angels’ wings!  This is the sign they need!  They will see you as … THE MESSIAH!  Do it!  God is waiting to send His angels…)

JESUS: “It is said, ‘You shall NOT put the Lord your God to the test!'”

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And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him … until an opportune time.

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1 John 2:17 – “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

1 Peter 2:9 and 11 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  “Beloved, I URGE you … abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

James 4:7-8a – “Submit yourselves therefore to God. RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/16) Luke 2:41-52

Mar16

A 5-day per week study.

March 16 – Reading Luke 2:41-52

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49

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The Gospel according to Luke 2:41-52

We ended last week’s study after the dedication of the baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon’s prophecy, and Anna’s testimony. The family then returned to Nazareth, where Jesus grew and matured.  (Luke does not cover the Magi or the family’s flight to Egypt.) We pick up this time with Jesus as a twelve-year-old.

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Vss. 41-45.

It’s the time of the Passover celebration.  This is one of the Feasts that the Lord required all Jewish men to attend in Jerusalem.  Joseph took his family, including Jesus, who was “about to be a man” when he turned thirteen.  They spent the days of the Festival in Jerusalem, including sacrificing a lamb and eating the “Passover meal” together as Moses commanded Israel when they were freed from Pharaoh’s slavery in Egypt.

The family had traveled to Jerusalem in a larger group of friends/family for both safety and fellowship. After the Festival ended, they all headed back to Nazareth, with fathers and older teens at the front and women and kids behind. In this case, both Joseph and Mary “assumed” that Jesus was with the other.  But He was neither.  The boy Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem.

After a full day of travel, when the family began looking for lodging, they realized that Jesus was not with the other parent.  He was not with any of the group’s members.

Can’t you imagine a panic taking hold?  Have you ever lost a child in a big crowd?  Then you know.

Early the next morning, Joseph and Mary set out on a daylong trek back to Jerusalem.  And the following day, they searched the city from top to bottom, asking one and all if they’d seen Jesus.

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Vss. 45-50.

Finally, they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.  All the learned men who heard Him were amazed at His understanding of the law and his answers.

You wonder what Jesus did during the two nights He was absent from Mary and Joseph.  Did the scholars take Him in?

Of course, Mary and Joseph were astonished.  (But Jesus had done what any child should do when separated from his parents.  He remained in a public place in the presence of trusted adults, where his parents might be expected to find him.)

Do you know that feeling after finding a lost child?  Relief at finding him and anger at his being separated. This was Mary.

“Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress,” Mary fired at Him.

Then came the gentle rebuke by the child to His mother, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”   (It seemed such a natural thing for a child to be separated from his parents in Jerusalem to go to the temple!  And … there was that gentle acknowledgement that Jesus, “the Son of God,” which Mary knew, would be with His true “Father,” in His Father’s house.)

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Vss. 51-52.

They all left Jerusalem and again headed back to Nazareth.  Jesus was submissive to them, as He should.  And “Mary treasured up all these things in her heart.”  (THE Son of God…  the SON of GOD.  ‘Immanuel,’ Gabriel had said.)

And all that covers Jesus’ teenage years and His twenties is … “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (3/12) Luke 2:1-21

Mar12

A 5-day per week study.

March 12 – Reading Luke 2:1-21

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”  Luke 2:10

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The Gospel according to Luke 2:1-21

In the last study, we saw the birth and naming of John (the Baptist) and Zechariah’s voice returning. Immediately after confirming his son’s name, the old priest was filled with the Holy Spirit.  He praised God for the salvation He was sending and His great mercy. Zechariah also prophesied his son’s future ministry as a prophet and the herald of the Messiah.

Then we saw John grow and become strong in spirit, and retreat into the wilderness until God would call him to appear in Israel and begin his ministry.

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Vss. 1-7.

And now we return to Mary and follow the details of Jesus’ birth.

          (This chapter is very familiar to believers. We’ve probably heard it read many, many times at Christmas.  Some can probably recite it by heart.  But let’s read it with “fresh eyes” if we can.)

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The Roman ruler of the “world” said everyone had to be registered.  This was so Augustus wouldn’t miss anyone when levying taxes.  And at least for the Jews, who kept records of their genealogies, their ancestors’ birthplaces were mostly known to them. For both Mary and Joseph, the place was the same because both were of the “house and lineage of King David.”  And David was born in Bethlehem.

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(NOTE:  Luke records Jesus’ lineage back from Mary’s line, through King David’s son Nathan (3:31), to Adam.  Matthew records the lineage from Abraham down through King David’s son Solomon (Matt. 1:6) to Joseph, the husband of Mary.  BOTH these lineages were important.

           The line that came through Solomon was eventually cursed because of the last despicable king who reigned until Jerusalem fell. (See Jeremiah 22:30.) Jesus had no genetic connection to this line (other than title) because of His virgin birth.   Jesus, born of Mary, came through the line of Nathan, which had no curse.  Jesus, called the Son of David, would inherit the kingdom from his earthly ancestor David, through the “uncursed” line.)

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Okay, back to the account of Jesus’ birth.

Even though Mary was due to give birth very soon, she and Joseph were forced to travel to Bethlehem (more than 70 miles).  Were Joseph and Mary remembering Micah 5:2, which says the Messiah would be born in that little town … or were they just concentrating on the grueling trip and Mary’s condition?

They finally made it, and while they were there, she gave birth to Jesus in a lowly stable. (All the inns were full by then.)  She wrapped baby Jesus in swaddling cloths and laid him in an animal’s feed trough.

I love this painting by Gari Melchers, which is probably closer to how it was than our traditional nativity scenes…

Vss. 8-20.

Meanwhile, in the hills outside Bethlehem, there was a group of shepherds watching their sheep.  The animals were probably all snuggled down together, sleeping, while the men sat around a campfire that was fast going out.

THEN AN ANGEL APPEARED!

THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHONE AROUND THE SHEPHERDS!

They were VERY afraid.

But the angel (could it have been the messenger, Gabriel?) told them,

  • “Fear not, for behold, I bring you Good News of great joy that will be for all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And THIS will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying … in a manger.”

And then, more wonderfully terrifying, a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared, praising God and saying,

  • “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

And then they were gone, and again it was a dark, silent night.

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us!”

And so they did.  They didn’t search inns, but looked for a stable. (After all, the angel said the baby would be in a feed trough.)  And they FOUND Mary and Joseph and the baby … lying in the manger, just as the angel had said.  They told the couple what had happened out on that hillside.  And Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And then the shepherds returned to their duties, glorifying and praising God for all they’d seen and heard, as it was told to them.  And everybody who heard their story was in wonder about it.

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Vs. 21.

And at eight days, Jesus was circumcised and officially named JESUS, the name that Gabriel had given to Mary before He was conceived.

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed on Him, would not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16