Monthly Archives: November 2011

November 13, 2011

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And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. Luke 21:8 (read vv. 5-38)

INTRO: What’s your gut reaction when you hear, someone say, “We’re coming close to the end”?

Or, “These are the last days”?
– it seems that there is  always someone announcing the end of the world
– of course, not all of the the doomsday people are Christians

  • Do we see more stability, less violence, or improved international ties in the Arab countries where dictatorships have recently been toppled?
  • Do the current financial crises in Greece and Italy improve our outlook on the world economy?
  • Does the fact that Iran has nuclear weapons capability help us sleep better at night?

We can agree with the “End Times” enthusiasts at least on one point: we face an uncertain future

In Luke 21, Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem and his coming “with power and great glory”
– as we enter the text, we immediately come to two challenges that need to be resolved:

  1. To clearly understand as precisely as possible what Jesus is saying
  2. To fit the teaching of this chapter into the rest of his teaching and ministry
    – in other words, into the context of the whole story

Continue reading →

Day Sixty – Matthew 20:29-34

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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” . . . And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Matthew 20:29-33

Only a few moments prior to this scene, the mother of two disciples bowed before Jesus and requested that in his kingdom her two sons would have the honor of sitting one at his right and the other at his left (vv. 20-21). Now two beggars shout at Jesus and they, too, want something from him.

Jesus asked them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” knowing that there was nothing they could ask that he could not give them. When they asked him to open their eyes, his kind heart was moved with compassion, he touched them, and “immediately they regained their sight” (v. 34).

How many people passed the beggars every day without offering them a single coin, a piece of bread, or a cup of water? But Jesus could not pass them by without asking, “What do you want?” Then he satisfied their want, and having received their sight, they were able to follow him.

When people request to meet with me, I could ask, “What do you want?” but there is precious little I can give them. A slice of time, a bit of wisdom, a prayer is about all I have to offer. In fact, there were times when the first thing a counselee said to me was, “I know you can’t do anything for me.” They were right. But when Jesus asks . . . well, that’s a different story.

O Jesus, Son of God, You are all that we need. What do we want, Lord? We may say, “Money to pay bills,” when what we really want is a peace and that cannot be purchased for any amount of money. Not knowing our own hearts, we ask for the best gift, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.”

November 6, 2011

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And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent. Luke 20:26 (read 20:20-21:4)

INTRO: We are down to the final days of Jesus’ public ministry and they are filled with conflict – one confrontation after another

Luke makes it clear what Jesus’ opponents are trying to do: “in order to catch Him in some statement”
– their intention is either to accuse him to the (Roman) governor (20) or shame him in public (26)

We are used to reading about the skirmishes in this chapter and being amazed at Jesus’ wisdom
– but I think we usually miss something truly profound in his responses Continue reading →

October 30, 2011

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. . . and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” Luke 20:1-3 (read vv. 1-19)

INTRO: Perhaps the most critical question regarding Christianity is, “Why Jesus?”

Why not another teacher? Or simply God?

Luke uses a confrontation between religious leaders and Jesus to raise this question
– the rest of the story is built around the answer

Chapters 20 – 21 form a single unit, which we could title, “Jesus Teaching In the Temple”
– this unit was introduced by the word “approach” (three times in chapter 19)
– Luke indicates the beginning and end of the unit by making references to Jesus teaching in the temple (20:1 & 21:37-38)
– then the next unit begins in 22:1, where once again the word “approach” signals the new section (this time, the approach of Passover) Continue reading →