And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Luke 22:39-40 (read vv. 39-71)

INTRO: If you have been to Israel, remember what it looked like and felt like when you were on the Mount of Olives

That is where we catch up with Jesus in this story
– what do we learn from being here and witnessing these events?
– but before we make that discovery . . .

Do you have a secret — a secret fear? longing? sorrow? experience? pain?
– the reason we keep secrets is because we don’t trust others:

• that they can deal with it
• that they can help with it
• that they will be able to understand it

Some secrets we keep from ourselves (the Greek word for secret also means hidden)
– so then we remain blind to what drives us – we never figure out why we act as we do Continue reading →

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” Luke 22:15 (read vv. 1-38)

INTRO: Why are we here this morning?

We want God – we want to belong to Him
– to develop a constant awareness of him and contact with him
– to be inspired, directed, and empowered by him
– to be agents of his love in the world

God has helped men and women who’ve walked this path
– guided them to freedom from other preoccupations
– nurtured their spirits to greater sensitivity Continue reading →

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 →

. . . 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 →

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes . . .” Luke 19:41-42 (read vv. 28-48)

INTRO: We have been in the gospel of Luke for almost a year and for a majority of the time we’ve been on a road-trip with Jesus

Various sources of tension have expanded the plot as we’ve traveled along:

• people trying to figure out who Jesus is – and a few of them coming to faith in him
• Jesus’ mission to people on the margin of society
• his conflict with the religious classes
• Jesus’ own dark predictions about what will happen to him in Jerusalem

But now Jesus has reached his destination
– this is the point in the story where everything should resolve

Luke has developed the plot to create the impression now that Jesus has reached Jerusalem, something big is about to happen to him
– but something even bigger is about to happen to Jerusalem

Verses 28-36, We’re so used to hearing this story, we miss one important fact

It is unlike anything else in the story of Jesus – he never went for this kind of attention
– the pace of the story changes when he reaches the villages on outskirts of Jerusalem
– more details are given, and the preparations made for his entrance build suspense
– we are taken back to the importance of fulfilled prophecy as in the beginning of Luke’s gospel

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a cold, the foal of a Donkey. (Zech. 9:9)

In fact, Luke began his narrative in the temple and that is where it will eventually end
– it was necessary for Jesus to return here – and Luke makes his return BIG

Verses 37-40, For one brief moment, Jesus is the center of attention in Jerusalem

The slogan shouted by the crowd was specific and can be found in Psalm 118
– in times of celebration, pilgrims to Jerusalem would be greeted in this way
– according to the Midrash – people who lived in Jerusalem would welcome the visitors:

Jerusalem: “Save us, O Lord! (Hosanna!)”
Pilgrims: “So be it, Lord!”
Jerusalem: “Blessed is he who comes in his name!”
Pilgrims: “We bless you from the house of the Lord!”

The crowd changed the greeting by directing it to Jesus
– they also added something, which is a variation on the angel’s song in ch. 2

The Pharisees appear in the story one last time – and true to form they tell Jesus to rebuke his disciples
– some believers are always eager to hand out rebukes
– to squelch innovation or anything that doesn’t fit their system
– they are like the people described in Jeremiah who “handle the law” but do not know God (Jer. 2:8)

As we’ve seen before, people who try to tell Jesus what to do, never succeed
– “the stones” – I’m tempted to relate this to John’s statement in 3:8
– the point here: this event is of such cosmic significance that it can’t be silenced
– the people were responding to a divine impulse that ran through the created world

Verses 41-44, Here we come to the heart of this whole episode

I’m going to return here in a moment
– for now we just want to notice what happens when Jesus sees the city
– it is blind – has no idea of the seriousness of its present condition
– no idea of the meaning of this historic moment
– and no idea that the course it is on will lead to its total destruction

Verses 45-48, Jesus makes himself at home in temple, the heart of Jerusalem

Money-changing and selling ritual animals were legitimate services
– but like other legitimate services, they easily could be abused – especially when

• culprits are able to monopolize the services
• it has the advantage of providing a convenience or resolving desperation
• it caters especially to foreigners

Had the temple become too much associated with money and finances?
– during Roman assault on Jerusalem, rebels entered temple and burned the debt records archived there

What Jesus points out in the verses he quotes is related to his reason for weeping over the city
– the temple was a contradiction: what it was designed to be and what it had become
– “you have made it” – they were responsible for the change — they had made it a robbers’ den

This section ends with Jesus teaching in the temple under shadow of his enemies

CONC: Let’s return to the passage for an ariel view

Luke has structured the first part of the story around Jesus’ “approach” to Jerusalem
– he uses the word three times and in each stage it draws a verbal reaction:

• 29, Bethany, “Why are you untying the colt”
• 37, the descent of the Mt of Olives – a dual reaction
  1.) The crowd, “began to praise God joyfully”
  2.) The Pharisees, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples”
• 41, the city, he wept over it
  – and as I’ve said, this is the heart of this episode

Imagine standing nearby when Jesus caught sight of Jerusalem — we’re watching him cry
– what is tearing him up inside?
– the contradiction between what God meant for the holy city to be and what it was

Jerusalem had another name, “Zion”
– Zion was a dream, an ideal – a society of humans where heaven coexisted with earth
– in the same way paradise could be a garden, Zion could be a city
– this was the creative vision God had given to the psalmists and the prophets
But the leaders of Israel had lost the vision, the dream of Zion, and so it became something else

Now imagine Jesus weeping over a human life
– God had a design for this man, but he took a different road – made himself something else

We come to intersections where we can take one road or the other
– from the road we take, we can’t see the other – we do not know what might have been
– “If you had known . . . hidden from your eyes . . . you did not recognize”
– its tragic when we have only one view of our life and it’s a false one
Jesus weeps over the person who ruins a life that could have been meaningful

I have not done everything I’m capable of accomplishing
– the question is, Am I moving in the right direction? Or am I moving further from God’s dream?

What are verses 45-48? They are hope!

1. Jesus moves into the heart of what is wrong and shakes it up (greed, etc.)
   – this is not a permanent change – it’s up to them to carry on what he started
2. Jesus gives them the instruction they need to no longer be unaware
   – awareness is vital to the process of change
   – we must bring awareness to our situation in life

What was Jesus teaching them? He was teaching them to dream

“Creative passion in life depends on the ability to dream, no matter whether the dream be of a society or a great man. A teacher who does not know how to teach us to dream, to conjure up ideal visions, is not worth of the name.” Helmut Thielicke

The NASB did not translate verse 48 literally – the people were not “hanging on to every word he said”
– they were hanging on to him – attentive to his teaching, yes
– but Jesus is salvation and it is by hanging on to him that we move into a position where it is possible to fulfill our destiny

And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, ad was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. Luke 19:2-3 (read verses 1-27)

INTRO: These stories of personal encounters with Jesus build our faith in a way that is unique to anything else in the New Testament

Jesus in front of the crowds is the Founder of our religion
– but Jesus one-to-one with people is the foundation of our hope

It isn’t simply that Jesus had time for individuals
– but these encounters reveal the essence our life with God
– it consists of ongoing interaction with Jesus Christ

The heart of Christian spirituality is knowing Jesus
– but there is more to it than knowing him – there is living the life of Christ Continue reading →

And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. Luke 18:15 (read vv. 15-43)

INTRO: This passage is about gatekeepers, followers, and being “saved”

Verses 15-17, Children are frequently blocked at the gate

Parents were bringing their children to be touched by Jesus
– his healing ministry began with touch (Lk. 4:40; 5:13) and power was released through him by touch (8:46)
– these parents wanted a blessing for their children – in some cases, a healing
I suffered many childhood illnesses, and each time, my grandmother came to pray for me
– I can still feel the gentle pressure of her hand on my forehead
– imagine the fingertips of Jesus on your forehead, or his palm on the top of your head Continue reading →

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart Luke 18:1 (read vv. 1-14)

INTRO: When I was first starting out in the ministry and trying to teach others how to pray,

I would make statements, like, “Prayer does not need to be fancy,” and “You don’t have to say anything holy, just talk to God”
– that statement is deceptively simple
– how do we know if we are talking to God or to the air? or to ourselves? Continue reading →

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is! or, “There it is!” For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. Luke 17:20-1 (read verses 20-37)

INTRO: I have frequently been asked why I think my dad’s church grew so rapidly

Among the other lame answers I give, I explain that most of the rapid growth occurred during what was an apocalyptic era
– the revolutionary 1960’s that ended in many shattered dreams
– the youth were looking for an authority who understood the times, who seemed to have a handle on what was next
– in the late 60’s, Dad began emphasizing biblical prophecy — current events had a purpose, an apocalyptic meaning
– like others, he was inspired by Israel’s 1967 war and once again having Jerusalem under their control Continue reading →

He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!” Luke 17:1 (read vv. 1-19)

INTRO: A friend of mine mentioned a book to me about jerks in the workplace

In it, the author says, “More and more evidence keeps emerging that power causes people to be more focused on their own needs, less focused on others’ needs, and to ack like ‘rules don’t apply to me’ . . . .” Experiments “also show when people get a little power, they feel less compassion when hearing others talk about painful experiences, such as the death of a friend.” (Robert Sutton)

Moving up the ladder in status, position, or income changes a person
– not in the ways we tend to assume – that is, they do not become more generous, but less Continue reading →