Category: Bible Bite

Luke 19:47-48 [AMP]
And He continued to teach day after day in the temple [porches and courts]. The chief priests and scribes and the leading men of the people were seeking to put Him to death,
But they did not discover anything they could do, for all the people hung upon His words and stuck by Him.

This ‘hanging on every word’ is a posture that not only produces conviction and peace (yep, both at the same time), but also a dedication and trust that is discernible by the onlooker. When we hang on the teaching of Jesus, we are drawn to where He is going. His ways become our ways. Putting myself in Gods Word everyday possible (even for a short reading) and prayerfully anticipating something He is going to spurn inside of me, is exhilarating. The exhilaration that comes when we see His hand touching our hearts and minds when we know that within ourselves would have never produced the conviction on our own. It builds our faith.

I also hear a slow consumption and prioritization of hearing what Jesus has to say into my life everyday as an indicator of my walk with Him. Hanging on every Word of Jesus produces a steadfastness in Hope for eternity where will spend every moment in the presence those in Jerusalem felt at the time.

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that 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 some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Luke 19:37-40 [ESV]

Long night (writing this at 2:25am) but after reading this passage early this morning, this phrase by Jesus in response to the chiding by the Pharisees just kept ringing in my ears.

The meaning of the fulfilling of prophesy is palpable in this scene and it is not lost on Jesus the magnitude of it. So momentous is this entry into Jerusalem that if the people were not shouting the praise of God sending His Son, the rocks would! In just the next moment, Jesus weeps over the city because they do not understand the magnitude of the occasion. While weeping He says,

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:42-44 [ESV]

Pretty amazing set of statements in light of what has happened in Israel this month.

‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Luke 19:26 [ESV]

Today was the parable of the 10 minas. I don’t have time to go through the whole story, but I do want to talk about what the Lord has been revealing to me in this parable.

The Bible authors used 3 primary words for God’s Word that have really helped me understand how to look at God’s voice in my life. 1) Graphe: This is the written word; literally the letters on the paper making words. 2) Logos: This is the message of the words on the paper. I think you could also call this general revelation. The message through understanding the writer, the audience it was intended, and the circumstances in which it was said/written. 3) Rhema: This is the ‘Living Word’; the Word the Lord reveals to me through the Holy Spirit, when I read God’s Word, meant for me as an application to my sanctification process.

So, back to the parable of the 10 minas. The principle of the parable is that the servant who did well actually doubled the money the Noble Ruler left with him. When I read this today, I saw my minas being the divine seed of God deposited in me when I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. That seed (God’s Holy Spirit) is everything I need in this life; I just need to crucify myself and my sin everyday so that it is only His voice that is left…not only that, but I must also listen to and act on what He says. Doing so will align me with the paths He is laying straight before me and that will be a path that increases His Kingdom.

Yep, I missed my quiet time the last 2 days. No excuses, just very little sleep and running to and fro. Last week and the next are huge weeks for my team at work. I have been working from 9AM to about 2AM each day; getting up at 7AM to take Soph to school. I sat down with the family last night after dinner and the next thing I knew I was asleep on the couch. I wandered upstairs, went to bed, and didn’t get up until about 9:30AM this morning. 10 to 12 hours of sleep never felt so good! Because of this last week, all day today was about spending time with the family -> Took Prim and Brooklyn up to ride bikes in the cul-de-sac and when Marianne got home from her photoshoot, we all headed to Bob’s Corn for a day at the playground, pumpkin patch, tractor rides, Corn Crib, Donuts, Crepes, and coffee. It was such wonderful day after feeling so disconnected with them all week.

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:9-10 [ESV]

Today my reading was the story of Zacchaeus who, one of small stature, climbed into a tree to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was a Chief Tax Collector, a job where he was a person the Jews really disliked as he collected taxes for the Romans from the Jews. These people were looked on so unfavorably that when Jesus asked to come to his house, the people grumbled saying “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:7). But Zacchaeus coming to terms with Who Jesus is, told Jesus “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8) The conviction the presence of Jesus brought to this little man caused him to have regret and compassion; a change of heart. Following Jesus produces a change of heart in those who have been saved. A faith that is not changing you is likely not saving you.

And he said to them, “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.” Luke 18:29-30 [ESV]

As I was continuing through Luke 18 today, I was reminded of Galatians 2:20. I feel like the Lord has laid this verse on my heart several times in the last several weeks. To us the Kingdom of Jesus is an upside-down kingdom where the lowest receive the best and the highest are humbled. The laying down of my life here on earth grows my future hope in what is to come. What becomes the most important aspects of my life is the investment in others and dying to myself. Jesus came to save the lost; to redeem a lost world to a right standing the sight of God the Father for all who would believe.

In order for me to walk the Cruciform life I have to crucify all the worldly things that my fleshly body gravitates to hold dear. For the joy set before Jesus, He died on the cross; scorning its shame (Hebrews 12:2). This is what it means to live a God-Pleasing life…to die to the things of this world because of the Joy that is to come. That has to be my ONLY focus.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “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.” Luke 18:22 [ESV]

Today was a long day. Got up at 6:00am and made it to church for a meeting at 7:00am. Here I sit at 12:34am after a long day at work. The passage I read today was a discussion between Jesus and a rich ruler. This conversation has many times been taken too literally like you and I might have a discussion…However, what we see is a dialog rooted from a knowledge Jesus had of the man’s heart. All of His questions and suggestions were made to cause the man to reflect on his own words and intentions.

When I look at my own walk and deeply search my own heart as I read God’s Word, I am constantly reminded of my own ‘smallness’ relative to God’s greatness and mercy. When I allow myself to be revealed in my sin and fleshly thoughts, I am convicted almost every time I sit in the presence of my Lord and Savior through His Holy Spirit; being washed in the cleansing Living Word of His instruction and correction. There is no greater builder of faith than to see God break me and then mold me into He wants me to be. After all, He knows my heart better than I know myself.

Living, praying, and studying in the Spirit always results in a continuing sanctification that is a most confirming faith; spurning me on to persevere toward the day that I will have finished my race. Hebrews 12:1 & 2.

The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. Luke 16:8 [ESV]

Quick note today on one of the most difficult parables to interpret. In this parable a house manager is fired for squandering his master’s money. Because the dishonest manager was able to manage the affairs of his master and even make money deals in his master’s name, the manager was likely a free man.

He had to figure out how to make a living so he came up with the genius idea of going back to some of the customers of business deals he had made for his previous master and offered them a new loan note that would remove/lessen the supposed interest (not interest but something else as Jews were forbidden to charge interest based on religious law). This prompted the borrowers to immediately pay their debt to get the reduced loan cost.

The manager then used the money (the master’s money) to live on. Now the crazy part of this passage – the master respected the ingenuity of the manager and even hired him back. I think it is clear that the master was not happy for the manager losing/using this money from these deals but he had to “admire” (commend) the manager for getting himself out of a tough spot; the manager, in a difficult position, had to make a rush decision.

The coming of Jesus forced people to decision. When even dishonest worldly people know how and when to take decisive action, much more should those who follow Jesus. It is the astuteness of the steward, which is commended, not his commercial practices.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11 [ESV]

Jesus in this passage gets done telling the followers not to jockey over the best seats in the house. Leave the best seats for those the host has invited to be in seats of prominence. Rather come and sit in the lowest seat and the host may notice and ask you to take one of the better seats.

This is not about taking the lower seat to manipulate the situation, no, it’s a condition of the heart to be humble and see others more highly than yourself.

There are no shortages of situations this can be applied by a follower of Jesus. Am I always taking the lower seat, the last place, the scraps of the buffet? Is my heart constantly looking for the one who needs to be pushed ahead in line by me giving up my spot?

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”
And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, I do not know you, where you are from,’ Luke 13:23-25 [NKJV]

Continuing my reading of Luke 13 tonight, the word that really became impressed upon me is “Strive”. This word denotes a character of continuance. When I read Jesus talking about ‘many will seek to enter and will not be able’, I think they are all of those who will try other things to EARN their way into heaven by some other avenue than putting their trust in the Savior.

I think the narrowness of the gate has to do with the criteria to be met and heart of the seeker. Criteria – surrender of our self and pride and acceptance and worship of the One True King. Heart – singularly focused on obeying and seeking the Lords will alone in their life. Only these people truly know Jesus and can Jesus know them.