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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (6/15) John 1:35-51

Jun15

Read and believe in Jesus

“He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.” John 1:41

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – John the Baptist points people to Jesus, saying He is the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ He is questioned by the religious leaders from Jerusalem, but humbly claims only to be the one pointing others to the promised Messiah.

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John 1:35-42.

The next day, two of John the Baptist’s own followers were standing near him when Jesus walked by. John pointed to Him and said, “Behold (or look!), the Lamb of God.” The two disciples (who happened to be John and Andrew) began following after Jesus.

“What are you seeking?” Jesus turned and asked them.

“Rabbi, where are You staying?

Jesus, I think, with a grin on his face, answered, “Come, and you will see.”

They followed Him and stayed with Him that day.

(NOTE: If John was using the Jewish way of reckoning time, it would have been 4:00 pm, but John often uses the Roman method, and so it would have been 10:00 in the morning, and the two stayed with Jesus, learning from him all that day.)

It seems that John and Andrew were convinced of who Jesus was. Andrew went off to find his brother, Simon, and exclaimed, “We have found the Messiah!”

He brought Simon to Jesus, and after a simple look, Jesus said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas (which in Greek is Peter)?“

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John 1:43-46.

The next day, Jesus went north to Galilee, to the city of Bethsaida (the northern tip of the Sea). Peter and Andrew were originally from that city. Jesus found Philip there and said, “Follow Me.”

Almost immediately, Philip found Nathaniel (sometimes called Bartholomew) and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

(Philip got two things wrong, but they were later corrected. While Jesus WAS raised in Nazareth, He was born in Bethlehem, and while Joseph was His adopted father, Jesus was the Son of God. In reality, He had no earthly father.)

Nathaniel scoffed, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (Nazareth was an insignificant, poor village without prophetic significance. Nathaniel, a scholar, knew that.)

Philip’s answer? “Come and see.”

(This is a great way to introduce Jesus, even today. “Come and see.” You can invite friends or family to study the Gospels with you, or invite them to your church’s Sunday School or Bible study. There, as they read the Bible, they can “see” Jesus for themselves.)

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John 1:47-51.

Nathaniel agreed and went with Philip. Jesus saw him coming and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (Wow, what a thing for Jesus to say of him!)

“How do You know me?” Nathaniel asked, astonished.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Amazed, and recognizing Jesus as the Messiah that Philip called Him, Nathaniel said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israle!” (Wow! Nathaniel claimed Jesus as “the Son of God” way before Peter made that announcement!)

Jesus said, “Because I said I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

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(What did Jesus mean by that? If you remember way back in Genesis 28:12, Jacob (who became Israel) had a dream as he left the ‘promised land’ to seek a wife: a ladder stretched from earth to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending on it. That was when the LORD promised Jacob that He would be his God, as He had been to Abraham and Isaac, and that the promised land would be HIS and his offspring’s forever. —– Jesus’ point to Nathaniel was that just as Jacob/Israel experienced a supernatural, heaven-sent revelation, so Nathaniel and the other disciples would experience supernatural confirmation about WHO Jesus was. And “the Son of Man” replaced the “ladder” in Jacob’s dream, showing that Jesus was the means of access to God.)

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/10) Luke 24:36-52

Jun10

A five-day-per-week study

June 10 – Luke 24:36-52

Read and Believe in Jesus

“It is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46b-48

The Gospel according to Luke.

REVIEW – Jesus, in His “resurrected body disguise,” joined two disciples as they walked to Emmaus from Jerusalem after Passover week. They were astounded that this man didn’t know all the amazing things that had happened there, and told Him. Jesus then explained how all those things fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah in the Scriptures. The two were amazed and said that “their hearts burned.” Jesus accepted their invitation to stay at their home, and when He took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them …. they suddenly recognized him as their Master. At that moment Jesus disappeared. The two rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles.

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Luke 24:36-43.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the apostles and disciples were hearing and rejoicing at Simon Peter’s account of seeing Jesus himself. The two from Emmaus arrived and told their story. And there was great rejoicing.

As they were talking, encouraging each other, Jesus suddenly appeared among them. “Peace to you,” He immediately said, for they were frightened, thinking He was a ghost!

“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

(We may laugh at them, but seriously! How would YOU feel if Jesus in resurrected flesh was suddenly behind you while you read this on your phone or tablet? You would be wide-eyed. You would gasp. Your heart might start pounding. I know that’s how “I” would feel.)

Jesus then held out His nail-printed hands and showed his scarred feet. Surely they could see the healed wounds the crown of thorns made on his forehead. Yes, it was Jesus! Yes, He had risen as He said! But oh, how absolutely amazing and astounding it was to actually SEE Him. They looked and touched, wide-eyed and trembling. They saw Jesus but still “disbelieved for joy.”

(You know how that is. Sometimes something is SO amazing, we might say, “Wow! Unbelievable! I can’t believe I saw that!” That’s the attitude they had.)

Smiling at their amazement and joy, Jesus sought further proof to show them, and asked for some food. Surely ghosts don’t EAT! They gave Jesus a piece of boiled fish, and He ate it. Oh, how they watched wide-eyed as He bit, chewed, and swallowed.

(I can even see Him open His mouth and stick out His tongue to show that the fish had actually been swallowed!! Ha-ha)

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Luke 24:44-49.

Then, as He had done with the two on the road to Emmaus, Jesus told them that “Everything written about Me in 1) the Law of Moses, 2) the Prophets, and 3) the Psalms (the whole Old Testament) must be fulfilled.” Then Jesus did a wonderful thing. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Often, when He had taught the crowds, He told His disciples that they wouldn’t understand it all “then,” but they would later. NOW was that time.

(Can you imagine how it would be to totally understand and “see” Jesus throughout the Bible? We study and learn some, but to have instant understanding! Wow. Of course, these men (and women) would need that knowledge, as well as the Holy Spirit in them, to begin preaching the Gospel to all the world.)

Then Jesus states clearly the Gospel that is to be preached to all nations. “That Christ (Messiah) should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name.” This message would first be preached in Jerusalem and then spread to the whole world.

Jesus also promised that He would “clothe them with the power” they would need for the task. The Holy Spirit of God would soon come upon them. They were to wait in the city until this happened. (40 days later, on Pentecost)

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Luke 24:50-53,

Their clear task before them; the promise of power soon to be fulfilled; it was time for Jesus to return to Glory, to the Father, to the place of honor from which he had come 33 earth-years earlier. From there, He would send the Holy Spirit. And there He would intercede for them when the Tempter tried to prevail. And from there He would welcome them home when they were martyred for His name’s sake.

Jesus led them out as far as Bethany on the easter slope of the Mount of Olives. He lifted up His hands in a final blessing on them. And as He did, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

Like we would, they continued to stare in amazement into heaven at the last tiny spot they had seen Jesus. Then they worshiped Him (in praise and prayer). They returned to the Holy City with great joy, and were in the temple continually blessing God.

Hallelujah!!

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Luke omits some incidents and words that the other Gospels include after the Resurrection and goes straight to the glorious point of Jesus’ ascension.

As we study John next, we will see Jesus in those precious moments with Mary Magdalene in the garden, with “doubting” Thomas, who then proclaimed Him as “My Lord and my God”, with 500 disciples at one time in Galilee, and with the disciples beside the Sea, when Peter humbly said three times that he DOES love Jesus.

Matthew ends with the Great Commission and Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/4) Luke 23:44-49

Jun4

A 5-day per week study.

June 4 – Reading Luke 23:44-49

 

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’And He breathed His last.”  Luke 23:46

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus was nailed to the cross. “Father, forgive them…” Jesus was mocked by religious leaders, soldiers, and criminals, but one finally found faith and trusted in Jesus.  “Today you will be with me in Paradice.”

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Vss. 23:44-49.

Jesus was nailed to the cross at 9:00 am.  At noon, “there was darkness over the whole land until 3:00 pm, while the sun’s light failed.”  

“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two (‘from top to bottom’, says Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38).

Jesus (knowing about that temple curtain and what it’s tearing stood for) cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit.”

And He breathed His last breath.

Jesus was dead.

(The other Gospels record more of Jesus’ words.  They also record how, when earthly life left the Son of God, all hell broke loose.  With the darkness, violent earthquakes, and rocks splitting, tombs were opened, and the bodies of the dead came out.)

(Satan had a sudden, horrible headache. Genesis 3:15)

The Centurion in charge of the crucifixion stood trembling. “Certainly, this Man was innocent!”

Two criminals still hung, alive, on the crosses. But the spectators who came to see Jesus die, “returned home, beating their breasts.”  All (men and women) who had followed Jesus from Galilee stood at a distance and watched. Stunned? Horrified?

But Jesus was with His Father, just as all true believers will be with the LORD the minute they die.” (2 Corinthians 5:8) Did God say to Jesus, “WELL DONE, Son!  Salvation is accomplished.”  There needed but one final seal – His resurrection.

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So, what did it mean that the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, and from  TOP to bottom?

  • Inside the original Wilderness Tabernacle, then in the Great Temple, and the ones to follow, the tall, thick curtain, or veil, separated the Holy Place, where the priests ministered daily before the Lord, from the Most Holy Place, where God’s Glory dwelled, and where the High Priest was allowed to enter ONCE a year on the Day of Atonement, to sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the Mercy Seat to atone (cover) the sins of the people.
  • This golden lid (mercy seat) covered the box of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained THE LAW, and the judgments on man for breaking them.
  • Jesus’ death (He was the total righteous Lamb of God) represented the final sprinkling of blood (His) on the mercy seat, covering and atoning for the sins of all who would believe in the world.
  • No longer was the separating curtain needed. Jesus’s death opened the way for true believers to approach God (and not die).
  • And it was God who, satisfied with His Son’s sacrificial death, tore it apart (represented by the veil being torn FROM THE TOP, or Heaven).

What an accomplishment!  You did it!  Oh, thank you, Jesus!  Praise You!

 

 

 

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Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/2) Luke 22:66 – 23:23:25

Jun2

A 5-day per week study.

June 2 – Reading Luke 22:66 – 23:25

 

Read and believe in Jesus.

“I find no fault in this Man.”  Luke

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – Jesus is arrested and taken away. Peter, following into the courtyard, denies his Lord three times.  Jesus looks at him, and he remembers, running out and weeping bitterly. Jesus is mocked and blasphemed.

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Vss. 15:66-71.

At Caiaphas’ house, Jesus was questioned and abused (see Matthew’s account). Witnesses were called, but none could agree. When morning came, the “official” trial began with the full 70-member Sanhedrin meeting. They’d already decided to put Jesus to death; this was simply the formal charge.

Caiaphas: “IF you are the Christ, tell us.”

Jesus: “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer.  But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

The whole council: “Are you the Son of God, then?

Jesus: “You said it.”

The whole council: “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from His own lips.”

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(There was at least one member who voted ‘nay,’ Joseph of Arimathea. It’s possible the ‘secret believer,’ Nicodemus, also did not vote ‘yes.’ But they had all they needed in this illegal trial.)

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Vss. 23:1-5.

Settled in their own minds and law, they also needed to ensure the death penalty.  The Council took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate, for this.

The Council: “We found this man misleading our nation…”

The Council: “…and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar…”

The Council: “…and saying that He himself is Christ, a king.”

Pilate: Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus: “You said it.”

Speaking to the chief priests and the crowd, Pilate declared, “I find no guilt in this man.”

The Council: “He stirs up the people…”

The Council: “…teaching throughout all Judea…”

The Council: “…from Galilee even to this place!”

Pilate: “Galilee?”

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Vss. 23:6-12.

When Pilate heard that, he asked if Jesus was a Galilean. And when he heard that Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod… who himself was in Jerusalem at the time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see Him, because he had heard about Him, and he was hoping to see some miracle done by Him.

Herod questioned Him at some length, but Jesus made no answer.

The chief priests and scribes stood by, vehemently accusing Him.

But no deal. Jesus remained silent.

Miffed, Herod, with his soldiers, treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him. Then, arraying Him in splendid clothing, he sent Jesus back to Pilate.

(“And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.”)

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Vss. 15:13-17.

Pilate then called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people (the Sanhedrin and a growing crowd).

“You brought me this Man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining Him before you, behold, I did not find this Man guilty of any of your charges against Him. Neither did Herod, for he sent Him back to us.

“Look, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.  I will therefore punish and release Him.”

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Vss. 15:18-25.

But they all cried out together, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas.”

(Now Barabbas was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder.)

Pilate tried to release Jesus instead.

The crowd: “Crucify, crucify Him!”

Pilate: “WHY? What evil has He done?  I have found in Him NO GUILT DESERVING DEATH. I will therefore punish and release Him.”

The manic crowd chanted: “CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!”

So, Pilate granted their demand. He released Barabbas and delivered Jesus over to their will.

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(Ultimately, this was God’s will and plan (see Acts 2:23). The true Lamb of God was killed for the sins of the people.  Jesus, indeed, had ‘no guilt deserving death.’  But he carried our sin to the cross and was killed in our place.

2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”)

 

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

May29

A 5-day per week study.

May 29 – Reading Luke 22:47-53

 

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

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

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Vss. 22:47-48.

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

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

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

Judas had promised. Now he was delivering.

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

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

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

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

The guards moved in quickly after this “sign.”

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Vss. 22:49-51.

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

“Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”

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

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

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Vss. 22:52-54.

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

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

Then it was as if Jesus sighed.

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

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

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/22) Luke 21:1-19.

May22

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“…you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”  Luke 21:12b-13

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – While Jesus taught at the Temple, the Sadducees, Pharisees, and others tried to trick Him with their questions. But His answers stumped them, and when He asked THEM a question, they silently went away,

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Vss. 21:1-4.

At the end of chapter 20, Jesus warned the people to beware of the ways of the scribes (Pharisees), because, among other ridiculous things, they “..devour widows’ houses..” This was a practice in which pious religious leaders would visit newly widowed and vulnerable women and persuade them to give all their inherited possessions to the “religious community.” It would be a “donation to God,” and “what their husbands would have wanted.” This usually left the new widows bankrupt, and the temple coffers bulging. Jesus hated the practice of “devouring widows’ houses.”

Now, it seems that when Jesus lifted His eyes, there, in front of them, was just such a desperately poor widow. (Righteous anger for her must have burned in Him for what those scribes had done. But for the woman, herself, noting but love and tenderness and admiration.

As this widow dropped two tiny copper coins into the temple offering box (ALL that she had, says Mark 12:42), Jesus commended her. “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them (the rich). For they all contributed out of their ABUNDANCE, but she out of her POVERTY, put in all she had to live on.”

(This makes me feel convicted. When I drop 10% or even 20% into the offering box, I often feel so “righteous.” But I would be giving out of “my abundance.” LORD, help me to be generous (even till it hurts) with all You’ve given me!”)

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Vss. 21:5-6.

While Jesus continued to sit in the temple courtyard, watching the people with His disciples, He heard a comment about how beautiful the temple was and how it was adorned with noble stones and decorations (donations from the wealthy). And although this temple was not as grand as Solomon’s, Herod had done a pretty amazing job at renovating the old one. It was almost gaudy-beautiful.

Still, Jesus knew its future was less than 40 years….

“As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will ot be thrown down.”

Shocking words. It would be like someone saying this about the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. Unimaginable. Still, the God of the universe knew everything from eternity past to eternity future, and Jesus spoke the truth.

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Vss. 21:7-19.

Horrified, the disciples and people around Jesus wanted to know WHEN this would happen and WHAT the warning signs of imminent destruction would be.

Jesus listed a few “signs of the times,” mingling the horrors of 40 A.D. and Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem, with the signs of the Great Tribulation, still future to us.

  1. Many would come, claiming to be the Messiah.
  2. They would hear of wars and tumults.
  3. Nations fighting nations would be common.
  4. Earthquakes would be everywhere.
  5. Famines and plagues (viruses) would come.
  6. Terrible signs in the sky would appear.
  7. Severe persecution would come.
  8. Family betrayals unto death would be common.
  9. Martyrdom.

Then Jesus says some amazing words that speak to a believer’s ETERNAL SECURITY even in the face of martyrdom.

“But not a hair of your head will PERISH. By your endurance, you will GAIN your lives.

John 10:28-29 makes this even clearer. “I (Jesus) give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

True believers are double-protected, in the hands of Christ underneath, and the hands of God Almighty above. Completely covered and protected FOR ETERNITY, though we may suffer loss and death in the horrific times to come (as many Jews did in 40 A.D.).

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

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (5/21) Luke 20:21-47.

May21

A 5-day per week study.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“They were not able in the presence of the people to catch Him in what He said, but marveling at His answers, they became silent.”  Luke 20:26

The Gospel according to Luke 

Review – In the temple, Jesus taught and told a parable that infuriated the religious leaders. A vineyard owner, his tenants, his servants, and his son are all in the story. THEY know it’s about their faulty oversight of Israel. And they hate Jesus even more.

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Vss. 20:21-26.

After that scathing parable, the Jewish leaders tried even harder to catch Jesus. They sent “spies” who seemed “honest” but who asked Him controversial questions in hopes Jesus would say something indictable.

#1. The first was so obvious.

“Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

(In other words, should godly people pay taxes to an ungodly government. (A good question for today, too.)

Of course, Jesus saw right through their craftiness. “Show me a denarius. (They did.) “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?”

They knew, but they looked anyway. “Caesar’s.”

“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

(And the first set of spies left, defeated and silent.)

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Vss. 20:27-

#2. The second came from a delegation of Sadducees (or chief priests), who did NOT believe in a bodily resurrection. (This made them … Sad, you see!)

‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.”

This WAS a provision given by Moses to help carry on the line of ownership for Israel in a new land. It was not compulsory, but a single brother sharing an estate might be looked down upon if he refused to do this for his brother’s line. (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10)

But these Sadducees carried the example to absurdity, suggesting that this poor widow went through seven brothers without producing an heir, leaving them all dead. (We might call her a “black widow!”) “In the resurrection (if there IS one) whose wife would she be?” they asked, believing they’d “caught” Jesus.

You can almost see Jesus rolling His eyes. Matthew’s account begins with Jesus correcting them, “You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.” Here, in Luke, Jesus merely explains that there is no marriage in the resurrection. Those who have attained heaven are equal to angels. There is also no death, because God is the God of the living, and all the resurrected live in Him.

The Sadducees were stumped. But some of the scribes (Pharisees, who did believe in bodily resurrection) thought Jesus had “spoken well.” And they no longer tried to trick Him with their questions.

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Vss. 20 41-47.

But Jesus had a question of His own, one that left them speechless, fearful of answering either way.

“How can they say that the Christ (Messiah) is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, (110:1) ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ “David thus calls ‘LORD,’ so how is He his son?“

Then Jesus, in the hearing of ALL the people, said to His disciples, “Beware of the scribes (Pharisees), who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.“

This is not the first time Jesus warned His disciples about the Pharisees – not the men themselves, but their hypocrisy – teaching extreme righteousness but acting entirely differently.

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

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

May8

A 5-day per week study.

May 8 – Reading Luke 17:1-19

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

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

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Vss. 17:1-5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 17:6-7.

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

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Vss. 17:8-10.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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So, what was Jesus saying?

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

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

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

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

Whoa.

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Vss. 17:11-19.

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

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

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

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

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

Huh?

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

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

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

He, among the ten, was a Samaritan.

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

May1

A 5-day per week study.

May 1 – Reading Luke 14:15-34

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

Review –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But in Jesus’ story…

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

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

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

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

These are not reasons but excuses.

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

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

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

Every jaw at the table dropped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:25-27.

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:28-33.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:34-35.

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

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

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

 

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

Apr30

A 5-day per week study.

April 30 – Reading Luke 14:1-14

Read and believe in Jesus.

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

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The Gospel according to Luke 

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

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Vss. 14:1-6.

          “One Sabbath…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Seems suspicious to me.)

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

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

Notice that “They remained SILENT.” 

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

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

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

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

          “And they could not reply to these things.”

(Yeah, right!)

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Vss. 14:7-11.

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

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

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

(Perhaps before the appetizers arrived?)

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone MORE distinguished than you be invited, and the host say to you, ‘Give your place to THIS person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.”

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

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

Silence.

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

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

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

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Vss. 14:12-14.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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