Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7 (read Jn. 21:1-9)

INTRO: For many years, archeologists in the mid-east have been digging up mugs and cups with inscriptions on them

One frequent inscription in particular from the first century has captured the attention of biblical scholars
– four Greek words are inscribed on it that read, “Rejoice, that’s why you’re here”
(at least on scholar translated it as a question, “Why are you here? Rejoice!”)
– perhaps it was intended as a blessing or a first-century toast

What’s so special about these four Greek words? Continue reading →

The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trapmled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Luke 8:5 (read 8:1-21) 

INTRO: From the time we were big enough to carry a lunch sack, we were sent off to school every day to learn
– first, to read and write, and then everything else (history, gramar, science, etc.) 

Do you remember ever being taught how to learn?
We were constantly told to pay attention, but were you taught how to pay attention?
– it was assumed from our first day of class that we knew how to learn, focus our attention, and use good study habits 

Jesus taught his autdience how to listen to his teaching Continue reading →

A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more? Luke 7:41-42 (read verses 36-50)

INTRO: Do you remember being told as a child, “Never play with matches”?

The danger of a fire getting out of control is even greater in the age of the Internet
– a pyromaniac can strike a match in Florida that sets fires all over Afghanistan
(See recent news of the preacher who burned the Quran. With all the tragedy going on in world right now, why did he think he needed to add this to it?)

It is one of the great mysteries of human nature that in the name of God, people can become calloused regarding the death of others
But the truth is, this is a spiritual virus that creeps into every religion and all religious people
– either we get too devoted to the wrong things or our devotion gets twisted–e.g., fanaticism Continue reading →

Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else? Luke 7:19 (read verses 18-35)

INTRO: This week, Barbara said she was going to look into getting a bus pass for next month

Gasoline is simply too expensive right now to keep filling up her tank

Gas prices right now, like the tidal changes along the West Coast due to the earthquake in Japan, illustrate the famous “Butterfly Effect”–only it’s not the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil nor is the effect a tornado in Texas
The hike in the cost of gas is the result of another famous physics’ model, the “Domino Effect” in the middle-east as the population of one nation attempts the achievement of those in another nation that brought down the authoritarian rule of an elite

I read an interesting article in Jadaliyya, in which Lina Khatib described the typical response of Arab autocrats to the current protests in their nations: Continue reading →

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchang seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

Treasure . . . it was there all along, but hidden. The treasure was a source of joy. As long as the treasure was hidden, the man in the story did not know this joy. Had he passed that field every day unaware of the joy beneath him?

Jesus’ purpose for the parables is to give us knowledge of that which is present yet invisible (vv. 31-33). Truth is hidden in the ordinariness of the parables, the kingdom of heaven is hidden in every moment, and God is hidden in Jesus Christ. Jesus told parables to enable his followers to go beyond looking to seeing (Mk. 8:17-21). Continue reading →

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” Luke 7:9 (read 7:1-19)

INTRO: So many centuries have passed since the time of Jesus, it isn’t often that archeology can locate an exact spot that is mentioned in the gospels
– one of the exceptions is the synagogue in Capernaum
– the ruins of the structure you see there today was built on the site of the first century synagogue

Continue reading →

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to unrighteous and evil men. Be merciful, just as Your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36 (Read verses 20-49) 

INTRO: I’ve been thinking about a book I would like to write 

The Psychology of Jerks: How to Spot Them and Avoid Them (or otherwise learn to deal with them)  

Not every jerk tries to be one
– not because he has an inflated ego, or simply doesn’t care, or is not all that bright
– some jerks are just guys who have a flawed set of values and if that is all they know, then for them success comes from practicing those values rigidly
– for example, to some people it is a virtue to never pay full retail price for anything (what they cannot see is how that practice can hurt other people)
– if such a person feels the need to try harder, he simply contiues to do the wrong thing, but more intensely Continue reading →

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (Lk. 6:12; read verses 12-19)

INTRO: In 2005, I was able to spend a month in a monastery

Later, when I was talking about my experience with a man from the church–a rather cynical person–, he asked, “How do they justify their lives? They have it sort of easy, don’t they? All they concern themselves with is their own spirituality. What are they doing for others?”
Leaving aside the spiritual support they give to others simply by being there, through counsel, and through their daily prayers for the world, I simply replied, “Given the billions of people in the world today, don’t you feel that it’s justifiable if just a few of them are totally devoted to glorifying and worshiping God?”

His question highlights a common misperception about Christian spirituality; namely, that it is an escape from life, self-focused, and that it does nothing that touches the world
Continue reading →

No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, “The old is good enough.” Luke 5:36-39 (read Luke 5:33-6:11)

INTRO: Have you ever had an encounter with another Christian that made you feel like you did not want to be a Christian any more?

Some problems with religion are so messed up, they can’t be fixed
– in Isaiah, it was the whole ritual of sacrifice and feast days
– in Luke, it was religion’s external, formal, and rigid character
Trends in religion had reached their limit and it was time to close shop Continue reading →

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken . . . Luke 5:8-9 (read verses 1-32)

INTRO: There’s a little problem we have to fix before jumping into this chapter

Like Luke, both Matthew and Mark also report the stories about Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law and his invitation to Peter, James and John to follow him and become disciples
– but Luke reverses the order in which these two stories occur
– we need to ask why Luke would change the sequence of events
– why does Luke want the story of Peter’s encounter with Jesus to go here? We will have to look at the whole chapter to find the answer Continue reading →