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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/5) John 13:31-38

Aug5

Read and Believe in Jesus

“When he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.'” John 13:31

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus had just revealed that one of His small group would betray Him. None suspected Judas. In fact, Peter asks John to ask Jesus who it was. Jesus indicated Judas when He handed him the dipped piece of bread, but it was as if a veil was over their eyes. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have mobbed Judas and stopped him? Judas took the offered bread, and at Jesus’ “What you are going to do, do quickly,” he slipped out into the night, the devil filling his heart with darkness.

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John 13:31-33.

A moment or two after the door closed, Jesus looked up at his beloved men and said, “NOW is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”

Yes, Jesus could have dwelt on the things that were going to happen to him soon as a result of Judas’ mission. But He turned to look PAST that, to the way that both He and His Father would be glorified at His finished work on the cross (that They had planned before the world was created), after it was accomplished.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who, for the JOY that was set before Him, ENDURED the cross, DESPISING the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Then Jesus looks around at the Twelve, His men, and calls them, “little children.” Tenderly He tells them that he is going “somewhere” they cannot come.

He means His death on the cross.

Yes, almost all of them will one day face martyrdom, some on a Roman cross, but THIS death, Jesus’s death, is for the redemption of all those who will ever believe in Him. THIS death is the “wages” earned by sinful man that God pronounced in Genesis 3. It will be substitutionary, for a sinless Jesus will die in the place of every sinner who repents and believes in Him.

NO, His disciples cannot go with Jesus.

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John 13:34-35

Then Jesus gives them a NEW commandment, that He (and they) will repeat in their teaching and writings. It is:

“Love one another:

just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.” (repeated three times!)

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What makes this a “NEW” commandment? Isn’t it already part of the two greatest commands: LOVE God and LOVE your neighbor as yourself?

Yes and no. It has the tone of the second commandment, for sure. But notice that Jesus replaces “as yourself” with “as I have loved you.”

Yes, we are to love others (our neighbors) as we love ourselves, treating others well, caring for them, sparing nothing on their welfare… but Jesus’s “as I have loved you” speaks of DYING for others. Not just giving our time, money, experience, kindness … but sacrificing our LIVES, our physical lives for others. Wow.

Yes, this will definitely reveal that those who love in this way ARE the true disciples of Jesus.

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John 13:36-38.

Then Peter – (don’t you just love him) – jumps up and asks, “Lord, WHERE are you going?”

And Jesus answers him as before, “Somewhere you can’t follow me … though you WILL follow some day.”

“Lord, why can I not follow you NOW?” And then, thinking of that new love, he says, “I will lay down my life for you!”

Jesus answers, “WILL you lay down your life for me, Peter? Truly, truly, I tell you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”

Whoa.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/30) John 12:20-36

Jul30

Read and believe in Jesus

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – On what we now call “Palm Sunday,” Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (the picture of a peaceful king). Crowds called out Hosanna, and Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, but did they know what they were saying? Did they truly believe Jesus was their Messiah? The religious authorities were even more determined to arrest Jesus and put Him to death, jealous of his popularity, angered at His exposing their hypocrisy. The tide is going to quickly change … and Jesus knows it.

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John 12:20-26.

Interestingly, as the Jewish officials plot Jesus’ death, and the manic crowds are soon to turn their opinion against Him, some Greeks (Gentiles, probably converted to Judaism and in Jerusalem for Passover) are SEEKING Jesus.

They ask Philip, who asks Andrew, who goes to Jesus. (With this, we get just a peek of the door opening to the Gentiles, as the Jews, “His own people, receive Him not,” and the promise, “but to those who do believe and receive Him, He gave the power to become the children of God.” See John 1:11-12)

Jesus continues with the cost of following Him, starting with His own sacrifice. He compares Himself to “a grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies,” and then, as with a seed, it abides alone a certain time, but then grows and bears much fruit. (He is speaking of His own death, burial, and resurrection, which will eventually bring in a harvest of both Gentiles and Jews.)

And then Jesus turns the concept to His followers (His disciples and the seeking Gentile Greeks). “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

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I wonder if these Greeks went away satisfied with Jesus’ answer, stayed around for the horrendous happenings of the next week, heard about/saw His resurrection, and were ones of those who returned to their homes outside of Israel with the message of Salvation through Jesus. I wonder…

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John 12:27-30.

And now, the horror of what is to take place begins to hit Jesus. He will experience physical pain, yes, but greater still is the taking on of the wrath of God for the sins of the world. The SINLESS Savior!

2 Corinthians 5:21
"For OUR sake He made Him to be sin,
who knew no sin,
that in Him,
we might become the righteousness of God."

Philippians 2:5-8
"Have this mind among yourselves, 
which was in Christ Jesus, who, 
though He was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God, 
a thing to be grasped,
but,
made Himself nothing
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men. 
And being found in human form, 
He humbled Himself 
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross."

Hebrews 12:2
"...looking to Jesus, 
the founder and perfecter of our faith, 
who for the joy that was set before Him, 
endured the cross, 
despising the shame..."

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“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

And a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

But the crowd heard it only as thunder or perhaps an angel speaking.

“This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself!”

Jesus said this to reveal what death He would die (crucified and lifted up on a Roman cross). But the crowd disagreed. (Can you see them beginning to turn from Jesus?) “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can YOU say that the Son of Man must be “lifted up?” WHO is this Son of Man?”

Jesus knows they don’t understand, but urges them that, “The Light is among you for only a little while longer. Walk in the light while you HAVE the light. The darkness is coming and will overtake you.”

“WHILE YOU HAVE THE LIGHT, BELIEVE IN THE LIGHT, THAT YOU MAY BECOME SONS OF LIGHT.”

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And this warning is for us today, too. Jesus will return for those who believe in Him. Waste no time. Believe in Him while you can. Walk in that Light.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/1) John 6:25-40

Jul1

Read and believe in Jesus

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus miraculously feeds 5000+ people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish from a boy’s lunch. All are filled, and there was enough leftover for the disciples to have their fill. The people wanted to make Jesus KING, so He would feed them for free every day. But He hides, sends the disciples back across the Sea, and after it’s dark, He walks to them (on the water). Another pair of miracles.

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John 6:25-29.

Jesus and the disciples had arrived back in Capernaum during the night via a miracle of Jesus. The crowds had waited around and, when they found Him gone, had boarded boats (or traipsed around) and arrived much later.

“Rabbi, when did you come here?‘” they asked Jesus in wonder. I think their real question might have been HOW did you come here? Jesus had walked on the water half way, got into the disciples’ boat, which was then miracously at the opposite shore. Wouldn’t that have shocked them!!

Jesus knew the reason for their anxious seeking Him. They still wanted to make Him king after that miraculous sign of multiplying the loaves and fish. But Jesus wanted them to “hunger” for Spiritual things, for Him.

“Don’t labor for the food that perishes, but rather for the food that endures to eternal life … which the Son of Man will give to you.” (What a promise!)

“What must we DO to be doing the works of God?” The people thought they were required to do some works to “earn” eternal life.

(OH, isn’t that what so many people think today. They HAVE to be good, not lie, cheat, steal, kill, and all the other commands, to be “good enough” to deserve eternal life. NOT SO! We can never be good enough. It is a gift of God that Jesus gives by His own sacrifice.)

“THIS is the work of God,” Jesus tells them. “that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

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John 6:30-34.

Believe in Jesus, the Son that God sent into the world to save the sinners whom He loved so much. Believe in that mercy and grace, and receive life everlasting. (John 3:16)

But the people are way off on another planet in their understanding. Jesus’ words of salvation go right over their heads. “Um…then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness (for 40 years!) Moses gave them ‘bread from heaven to eat.”

Had they completely forgotten how Jesus had just miraculously fed a crowd of 20,000 with one boy’s lunch???

(I would have given up on them and just walked away. But Jesus shows His love for His own people.)

“It wasn’t Moses who gave you Manna, but my Father in Heaven. My Father (now) gives you the TRUE bread from Heaven … the “Bread of God” is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is speaking of Himself.

Then, much like the Samaritan woman who sought the water that would quench her thirst forever, these people misunderstood Jesus’ words. “Sir, give us THIS bread always.”

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John 6:35-36.

“I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.“

Jesus could not make that much plainer. HE was the answer to their heart’s hunger and thirst. HE was sent down by the Father to fill them and satisfy them. And yet they do not believe.

(Earlier in John 1:10, the apostle says, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” Paul later explains that Israel was blinded or hardened temporarily concerning Jesus, as a mercy for the Gentiles to be included in salvation. Then the nation of Israel would believe. See Romans 11:25-31)

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John 6:37-40.

This section is full of wonderful promises. Read and meditate on them!

“All that the Father gives me WILL come to me…

“And whoever comes to me I will NEVER cast out.”

“I have come from heaven NOT to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose NOTHING of all that He has given me.”

“For this is the will of my Father, that EVERYONE who looks on the Son and believes in Him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

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Amen! Thank You, Jesus!

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/19) John 3:22-36

Jun19

Read and believe in Jesus

“” John

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus spoke and taught Nicodemus one night and explained the wonders of new birth, true belief, and eternal life. He even gave the inquiring Pharisee a picture of how all this could happen – when He was lifted up like Moses’ serpant in the wilderness. Difficult, but Nicodemus pondered it I’m sure. And he was eventually saved. See John 7:50-51 and John 19:38-40 to see the evidence.

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John 3:22–24.

After the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went through the Judean countryside to the river. They remainded there, and His disciples were baptizing. John the Baptist was also baptizing, farther south where the water was plentiful, and the people were coming to him in repentance.. (In doing this, John always pointed the people to the Messiah, Jesus.)

At one point, a discussion began between John’s disciples and a Jew.. They brought their question to John. “Rabbi, He who was with you across the Jordan (Jesus), to whom you bore witness, is baptising and all are going to HIM.” In other words, we are losing our baptees.and followers.

But this was not a probllem to the humble “voice” in the wilderness.

He said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. The one who has “the bride” is “the bridegroom”. A friend of the bridegroom rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.“

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John 3:30-36

Then John gives a speech that is surely spirit-inspired.

“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way,” (John). “He who comes from Heaven is above all. (Jesus the Messiah) He bears witness to what He has seen and heard, yet no one receives His testimony.

“Whoever receives His testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.”

And as John fades from the forefront, he gives an invitation to faith in Jesus.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Wow! What a testimony of truth. What a man of God. Wouldn’t you love to have heard more of his sermons before he held the baptisims? He was a preacher, and you know his words were Spirit-led, for this “invitation” is just like Jesus was preaching to Nicodemus in the previous section.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/18) John 3:1-21

Jun18

Read and believe in Jesus

“Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus, indignant about how “His Father’s house had been turned into a marketplace, made a whip and drove out the animals, birds, the men selling them, and the moneychangers. (They simply moved their business outside the walls.) However the chief priests were angry at Jesus, for they got a cut of all the money exchanged “for the Temple,” they said (haha). They wanted to know by whose authority Jesus had done this.

Give us a “sign,” they said. Jesus told them the only sign of His authority was His own resurrection from the dead. (He’d cloaked this information in an allegory – “Destroy this temple (His body) and in three days I will raise it up.” They took it wrong, of course, and thought He meant the temple King Herod was restoring. He was crazy!)

After this, “many believed in His name when they saw the miracles He was doing,” but Jesus knew their hearts and did not trust their allegience to be genuine..”

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John 3:1-8.

But there was a man, a Pharisee, a renowned teacher of the law and member of the Jewish “Supreme Court,” the Sanhedrin, who wanted to know more about this country rabbi who spoke so forceibly and performed miracles. But this important man did not want to be seen inquiring. He might have been black-balled, even thrown out of the court. So he came to Jesus by night.

(Perhaps, Jesus was already establishing the garden on the Mount of Olives, as a place for He and His men to relax and sleep. It was quiet and private.)

Nicodemas came up to Jesus in the dim light of a torch and began his shpeal. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” You can almost here him open his mouth to continue, but Jesus spoke first, getting right to the question that bothered this man the most.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Taken aback, Nicademas blurted out, “How can a man be BORN AGAIN when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? (Good question, Nick.)

Again Jesus emphasized the truth of what He was saying. He wasn’t joking. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is flesh is FLESH. And that which is Spirit is spirit. Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Then Jesus clarifies (and confuses) with, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. SO it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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John 3:9-15.

Okay, now Nick is really confused. “How can theses things be?” he asks.

Jesus scolds him. Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but YOU do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe it if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And … as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that … WHOEVER believes in Him may have eternal life.”

Whoa, that was a mini-sermon that Jesus spoke to Nicodemas. 1) Who is the “we” and “our” that Jesus uses first? 2) Is Jesus declaring openly to this Pharisee that He came down from heaven? 3) Why is He comparing Himself to a serpant?? 4) And when anyone looks on Him (lifted up like Moses’ snake) and believes they will have eternal life.What does THAT mean? WOW.

  1. Jesus’ use of “we” and “our” (speaking for the Godhead) in verse 11 counters Nicodemus’s “we” in verse 2, and places the real, devine testimony of God against the flawed understanding of the Pharisees.
  2. And yes, Jesus reveals to Nicodemas that He, like the Son of Man of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 7:13-14), has descended from heaven and has true knowledge of heavenly things.
  3. Yes, as an “picture” or simile, Jesus was saying that LIKE the bronze image of the serpant that Moses made and lifted on a pole for the people to see (in obedience to God’s instructions) and be healed … HE would be lifted up on a cross.
  4. In Numbers 21:5-9, God sent vipers to the people as a judgment on their sin. In His mercy, He told Moses to make an image of the vipers and put it high on a pole. If the people would look on the image – NOT to worship it, but in obedience and faith in God’s words – He promised them they would not die from the poison, but live. And so, those who will look on Jesus – lifted up on the cross to pay for the sins of man, and believe what God says about Him – they too will live. TAnd this time have eternal life.

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John 3:16-21.

You know this wonderful and well know verse. Say it with me and think of the wonderful sacrifice and promise God makes in it.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came to earth to die as the judgment on the sins of man because of the great LOVE of God for His human creation. God sent His only beloved Son to be tortured, disgraced and die in the place of all who would believe (place their trust) in Him. BELIEVE that His death covers their sin once and for all… that His death gives them the righteousness they need to one day stand before a super-holy God of the universe, and not desinergrate.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but in order that it might be saved through Him.

And sadly, those who reject Jesus and His work on the cross, have no chance, for they are ALREADY condemned. They love darkness instead of that Light that has come into the world. And why? Because their deeds (thoughts, speech) was evil, and Light shows that up, and they would stand … EXPOSED.

Not so, those of the Light. They eagerly come to the light to show what God has worked in them.

"This is the message we have from Him and proclaim to you, 
that God is light and in Him is no darknesses of all.
If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness,
 we LIE, and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, 
we have fellowship with one another, 
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/9) Luke 24:13-35

Jun9

A five-day-per-week study

June 9 – Luke 24:13-35

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened the Scriptures?” Luke 24:32

The Gospel according the Luke.

REVIEW – Jesus was resurrected early on the first day of the week (Sunday). A group of women came to do a thorough job of annointing His body with spices and ointments. (Joseph was hurried on Friday when he placed Jesus’ body in his tomb because it was almost the Sabbath.) /But the women found the tomb empty. Then a pair of angels appeared. One asked them the most amazing question. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” He told them to remember what Jesus had said about rising from the dead. The women ran to tell the disciples, who pooh-poohed their account. But … after they left, Peter (and John) ran to the tomb to find it exactly as the women had said.

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Luke 24:13-24.

Later on the same day, when the women and the apostles received the good news that Jesus had risen, we meet two more of the Master’s disciples. They were returning home from Jerusalem to Emmaus after Passover. One was named Cleopas (possibly the husband of one of the Marys who stood at the cross, see John 19:25).

As they walked, they talked about everything that had happened in Jerusalem that week: 1) Jesus’ triumphant entry on a donkey, 2) His amazing teaching, 3) His arrest, trial, and ultimate horrible crucifixion, with the darkness and earthquake, 4) Joseph’s merciful act of burial, and then 5) the news about His resurrection. It was all just too much to take in.

As they walked, a man joined them on the road. Jesus kept His identity from them as they went, listening, then questioning what they were talking about.

They stopped, amazed, and Cleopas asked, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?“

“What things?” Jesus asked them, urging them on.

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. We had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel! And now, some of the women amazed us, saying they saw a vision of angels who said that He was alive!

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Luke 24:25-27.

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” said Jesus tenderly. “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?

And beginning with Moses (five books of the Law) and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in ALL Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

(Some of the Scriptures would have included an explanation of the sacrificial system, with its offerings and death. He would have pointed them to the prophetic passages that spoke of crucifixion, like Psalm 16, 22, and 69, Isaiah 52-53, Zechariah 12-13, and even explained such passages as Genesis 3:15, Numbers 21:5-9, Psalm 16:10, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Daniel 9:26, as well as many more.)

OH, WOULDN’T YOU HAVE LOVED TO HEAR THAT TEACHING AS THEY WALKED ALONG? This is why we should study the Old Testament too. It’s rich in the things that point to Jesus.

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Luke 24:28-32.

When they came to their house in Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he would travel farther, but they urged Him strongly to stay with them for the night. Jesus agreed.

When he was at the table with them, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. (OH, that must have seemed SO familiar!!) And at that minute, Jesus “opened their eyes to recognize Him.” And then He vanished.

Amazed, cheered, and with more understanding of all the events as they finished the simple meal, they said over and over, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

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Luke 24:33-35.

And they got up that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the Eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two from Emmaus told what had happened along the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

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What a time of rejoicing that must have been. Jesus really was alive. And those who hadn’t witnessed His appearing yet longed for it to happen to them too. (And it would soon.)

Oh, and don’t you know that special appearance to “Simon” (not Peter) was surely a sweet time, when the distraught disciple who had denied his Lord three times, as predicted, was tenderly assured that he was still Jesus’ own sure possession. Such grace. Such love.

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/19) Luke 19:28-48.

May19

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus told a parable about a nobleman, his servants, and his citizens, that, if the disciples and religious leaders were truly listening, would have explained just how and when Jesus would set up His Kingdom on earth. It would be in the future, not during the coming Passover in Jerusalem, which the disciples eagerly anticipated and the religious leaders desperately wanted to prevent.

Today’s lesson would ramp up the disciples’ hopes and terrorize the religious leaders.

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Vss. 28-35.

After telling the parable, Jesus left Jericho and traveled up the road towards Jerusalem. When He came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Eastern brow of the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples on a mission.

“Go into the village in front of you, where, upon entering, you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'”

The two disciples went into the village, found the colt, and answered the questioning owner just as Jesus told them. They brought the young donkey to Jesus, threw their cloaks on its back, and set Jesus on it.

(Now this was a miracle in itself. If you have ever been around horses or donkeys, you know that an unbroken animal would not stand still as a person perched on its back, but would shy away and even buck. AND, besides that, flapping cloaks thrown over its back would have totally spooked it. — BUT, this was Jesus. This young donkey was as chosen for this task as the disciples were for the ministry He had for them. Like the wind and sea, the colt knew its Creator. Perhaps it even knew its destiny to carry the King of the Jews into the Holy City, NOT for coronation, but for execution.)

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Vss. 36-40.

As Jesus rode along the descending Mount of Olives, over the Kidron Brook, and then into the City of God, the growing crowd spread their cloaks on the road. The other Gospels tell of them cutting palm branches and waving them before Jesus, calling “Hosannah.”

Luke tells us Jesus’ disciples really got “into” the rejoicing too. YES!! THIS WAS IT! JESUS WOULD NOW DECLARE HIMSELF KING!

They and the crowds began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

And Jesus allowed it. He WAS their King, but His time to set up the kingdom was not now. He had to “go away” for a time, just as the nobleman did in yesterday’s parable. But the day would come when He would return to set up His kingdom.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd, in a panic, called to Jesus. “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” This was a strong claim to deity, and perhaps reflected Habakkuk 2:11.

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Vss. 41-44.

Luke is the only one who recorded Jesus weeping over Jerusalem at this point. They had been calling out, “peace and glory,” but Jesus longed for them to know what/who could truly bring them peace. “But now, the things are hidden from your eyes.”

Then (and WERE THEY LISTENING??) Jesus foretold of the time in less than 40 years, when “enemies would set up a barricade around the city and tear down its walls to the ground, not leaving one stone upon another.” Why would this happen? Because Jerusalem and her people did NOT recognize their Messiah. Not a king to ruin Rome, but a Messiah to rule their hearts in righteousness. No wonder Jesus wept.

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Vss. 45-48.

Later, with the donkey returned, Jesus is drawn to the Temple, His Father’s House, the place where Israel was “supposed” to meet with their God. Instead, the courtyard is again filled with noise, filth, and buying and selling, with no sense of holiness or worship. Yes, it is Passover, and lambs needed to be purchased. The temple tax was due, and coins of other lands needed to be exchanged for shekels. BUT, in the House of the Living God???

Jesus began to drive out those who sold, crying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!“

Then, with it cleansed, Jesus came there daily to teach. And the people were all hanging on His words.

But the chief priests (Sadducees, rulers of the temple), scribes (Pharisees, experts in the law and traditions), and the principal men of the people (prominent Jewish laymen with influence in temple affairs) were seeking to destroy Him. And although Jesus was now in the very heart of the opposition … they did not find anything they could do.

(I use the 2010 MacArthur Study Bible, English Standard Version, for my studies.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/13) Luke 18:15-34

May13

May 13 – Reading Luke 18:15-34

A five-days per week study.

NOTE: In the last several months, WORDPRESS has changed the formatting process of its posts several times. It’s hard to keep up, and it takes me some time even to get TO the Bible study each day. Please pardon the later posting times.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“What must I DO to inherit eternal life?”  Luke 18:18

The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus used two parables to teach about prayer. The first urges us to be PERSISTENT in prayer (the widow and the unrighteous judge). The second one taught us about our ATTITUDE when we pray (the Pharisee and the Tax Collector).

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Vss. 18:15-17.

The right way and the wrong way to “come to Jesus.”

Moms began bringing their babies and little children to Jesus so He could touch them and “bless” them.  It was a sweet, gentle picture, and Jesus loved it.  He took them eagerly into his arms, smiled at their wiggly joy, stubby finger pokes, and tugs on his beard.  Even toddlers did not seem a bit afraid of this teacher. In fact, they came to Him with arms raised, seeking His embrace and acceptance.

“Hey, get those sticky babies away from the Master,” said Jesus’ disciples, herding the moms and little ones off to a “safe” distance.

“No. ALLOW the children to come to me!  Do not hinder them!  The kingdom of God is made up of such trusting ones!” was Jesus’ rebuke.  

“Whoever does not ‘receive’ the kingdom of God like a child shall NOT enter it.”

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This is how Jesus pictured conversion. Faith is a simple, helpless, trusting dependence of those who have no resources of their own. They come with no accomplishments to commend themselves. 

(Unlike the next fellow.)

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Vss. 18:19-23.

The right way and the wrong way to “come to Jesus.”

As the children left, a man of substance approached.  He’s called the rich, young ruler, and as such, he had it all: wealth, youth, and power.  What could he possibly need?  He is the kind of important person the disciples gladly escorted to Jesus’ side.

“Good Teacher, what must “I” do to inherit eternal life?”  Was he expecting Jesus to say, “Nothing. You’re good.”

But no, Jesus asked a question in return, causing the man to adjust his thoughts and his bold manner.  “Why do you call Me good?”  Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.”

Was this synagogue ‘ruler’ saying he believed Jesus was … God?  If so, he needed an attitude adjustment.

After a minute or two, Jesus said, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery; Do not murder; Do not steal; Do not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’”

(These were the six commands dealing with person-to-person.)

Relieved, the young man straightened and said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”

When Jesus heard this, He identified the rich man’s problem.  He loved his wealth and possessions MORE than God (the first four commandments concerned person-to-God relationships).  His riches had become idols to him, a god, even.

I think Jesus said these words tenderly, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

(Wealth is not evil, except when it replaces God in your life.)

When the rich young ruler heard this, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

Seeing his sadness as the man walked away, Jesus said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Yep, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

How different from the little, trusting children was this assured man, who thought he had all that was needed to enter Jesus’ kingdom.

(Sincere trusting VS assurance of wealth and a half-righteousness.  A good lesson for you and me today.  What are WE depending on for heaven and eternal life?)

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Vss. 18:26-30.

Now the disciples (and the crowd around Jesus) were totally confused.  Jesus desired little children MORE than wealthy patrons?  Surely a man’s wealth revealed that God was pleased with him.  And, as for the commands, how many of THEM could say they kept ALL of the last six commands?

“Who then can be saved?” they asked Jesus.

“What is IMPOSSIBLE with men is POSSIBLE with God.

Peter (and perhaps the other disciples) thought about their own lives.  “See, WE have left our homes and followed you….”

And Jesus gave them a deeper answer than they expected.

“Truly, I say to you, there is NO ONE who has left house… or wife…or brothers… or parents… or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time. And in the age to come… eternal life.”

(Is that enough, Peter?)

Food for thought. 

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Vss. 18:31-34.

And while they thought about how that all would work out, Jesus overwhelms them – for the third time – with the prediction of His soon-to-be death.

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.  And after flogging him, they will kill Him.  And on the third day, He will rise.”

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“Hmm…” thought Peter. “I wonder how I will get a new house.  Another wife?”  Wives??”

James and John might have been thinking, “Another set of parents?  What about Zebedee?”

And John, “We will receive… eternal life?”

But Jesus knew that these, His beloved disciples, understood none of what was about to happen. “This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. “

(They probably would have wanted to whisk Him away and keep Him forever out of Jerusalem.)

But then, what of our salvation?

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

May6

A 5-day per week study.

May 6 – Reading Luke 16:1-15

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

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

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Vss.  16:1-2

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

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

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

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

So far, so good.

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Vss. 16:3-7.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 16:8a.

Notice the master’s reaction. Totally shocking,

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

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

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

Huh!

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

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Vss. 16:8b-9

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

Sons of this world – unbelievers.

Sons of light – believers.

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

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

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

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

“Unrighteous wealth” = money in this world.

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 16:10-13.

Jesus sums it up, looking at the negative side. 

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

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

“You CANNOT serve God and money.”

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

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Vss. 16:14-15.

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

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

Whoa!

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

 

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

May1

A 5-day per week study.

May 1 – Reading Luke 14:15-34

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But in Jesus’ story…

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

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

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

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

These are not reasons but excuses.

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

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

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

Every jaw at the table dropped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:25-27.

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:28-33.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:34-35.

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

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

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