TOMS: Acts 27-28

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 30, 2007

Paul sets sail for Rome at the beginning of this chapter. Sailing the Mediterranean was tough. There were all sorts of things that could go wrong, but it was faster than walking or taking animals around through Turkey, Greece and Italy.

It is important to note that Luke writes this chapter in the first person plural- "we" and "us"- so that means he was with Paul on this trip. Luke gives a lot of details about the trip: the different places where the ships landed and so on. Luke also mentions that "the Fast was already over." (27:9) The marginal note says the Fast is a reference to the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, which takes place in October. So that means it was getting into the winter months, a bad time to be sailing.

The ship set sail from Crete, even though Paul advised them not to. A couple of days later they got into a terrible storm. It was so bad that they did not see the sun or the moon for 14 days. Even though he was a prisoner, Paul seems to become the leader of the ship: "Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, 'Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.'" (27:21-26, ESV) It happened just as Paul said it would.

This is a tough stretch to try to comment on. It's just kind of a straight story, and not much else going on. But don't worry. We will be in Romans next week.

July 1, 2007

This is the last chapter of Acts. It does not have a proper ending because Luke just described everything that happened up until the time he wrote the book. He probably wrote most of it at Rome, where Paul was. Luke was a faithful companion to Paul.

As soon as they landed on the island of Malta, Paul had an amazing experience: "The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.' He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god." (28:2-6)

Paul also healed the leader of the island's father and several other people. Here was an unreached group, (according to the marginal note, the word for "native people" in the above passage "barbaroi" from which of course we get the word "barbarian." It probably meant they did not speak Greek) and the Lord allowed him to perform miracles.

When Paul came to Rome, he spoke to the Jewish leaders there. It seems interesting, since earlier in the book of Acts we are told that the emperor kicked all the Jews out of Rome. But anyway, here is what Paul had to say: "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar--though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain."

I guess this speech from Paul confirms that he was afraid of the Jews in Judea, although I am not sure he had any reason to be. The Jews in Rome agreed to listen to Paul. The results were kind of predictable: "When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved." (28:23-24, ESV) This is the way everyone responds to the Gospel. It is not our responsibility to make everyone be saved. It is our job to proclaim the truth.

Thus ends the book of Acts. Tomorrow, we will begin in Romans. That will be fun! Let's just hope I can keep our blog segments fairly short. I may have to divide a lot of the chapters, but that will be OK too.

TOMS: Acts 24

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 27, 2007

This chapter tells of Paul's dealings with Felix, the governor at Caesarea. The high priest and some prominent Jews from Jerusalem came to state the case against Paul. They listed their accusations. Of course most of them were untrue, especially the one about Paul bringing a Gentile into the court of the Temple. 

When Paul's opportunity to speak came, he explained that he was not doing anything to stir up a riot or provoke people. He mentioned the ones really to blame for the things that went on in Jerusalem were the Jews from Asia who opposed Paul and stirred up the crowd in Jerusalem against him. Paul did admit to provoking the Sanhedrin when he said that he had been arrested for preaching the resurrection of the dead, which we talked about yesterday.

Felix had a lot of experience dealing with the Jews, and came upon his own solution: he kept Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews. Next Luke tells us an interesting story: "After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, 'Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.' At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him." (24:24-26, ESV)

Paul was not going to shy away from proclaiming the Gospel whenever he had a chance. And so he took advantage of the opportunity of a private conference with Felix and told him the truth about righteousness and the coming judgment. Earlier in the chapter Luke tells us that Felix was familiar with "the Way" and so would have known most of the facts. I have heard a lot of people say that Felix never called for Paul again, but right there it says that Felix summoned Paul quite often. It is doubtful that he ever actually believed, though. Luke would likely have mentioned it if he did.

Felix left Paul in jail for two years, until his term as governor ended. Many writers think that it was at this time that Luke, who was Paul's servant (whether he was a slave or a voluntary servant is up to debate - however it is clear to me that Paul did not keep Luke against his will), began to track down many of the people involved in Christ's life and wrote his Gospel. Caesarea was not too far away from Jerusalem and wherever else the people he interviewed would have lived. Read what I am saying carefully. I talked about this when I introduced the gospel of Luke. Yes, Luke was inspired. But inspiration does not always mean that God told them in an audible voice what to write. Clearly this did happen in a few cases, particularly John and the book of Revelation. What inspiration means is that God superintended the writing to make sure that what the author was writing was what God wanted written. Luke's gospel has details, particularly involving the birth of Christ, that he could have only got from talking with Mary personally. As far as we know, Luke was not an eyewitness to any of the events in Christ's life.

TOMS: Intro to Acts and Acts 1

For an introduction to this series, click here.

May 22, 2007

The Acts of the Apostles is a controversial book in our world today. It was not always the case, but it is now. The most important thing you need to remember is that Acts is a history book. It tells the true story of what happened in the first 30 years or so of the church. It is not intended as a theology book or as a blueprint for how the church should operate today. Lots of people look at the miracles and the other supernatural things that happened and say that God is still the same and intends for us to do those things today. While of course it is true that the Lord never changes, the way He deals with people does change.

Acts was written by Luke and is addressed to Theophilus, the same person to whom Luke's gospel is addressed. Much of the second half of this book is firsthand knowledge. Luke talks a lot about "we" did this or that. We assume the first half is based on his research with those who experienced it.

Luke opens his book with the Ascension of Jesus. This means Luke is the only author who mentions the Ascension. His Gospel is the only one that mentions it, and we find it again here. The Ascension is significant only for the reason that Jesus did not disappear and leave the apostles in the dark. They knew exactly where He went.

The rest of the chapter has to deal with the choice of Matthias as the 12th apostle. The section starts with an important look at who was there for some of the first meetings of the church: "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." (1:14, ESV) While Jesus was alive, His family, or at least his siblings, did not believe Him. But at some point very soon after His resurrection, they realized who He really was. They certainly had a better insight than most into Jesus' personal life. They knew He was not a hypocrite.

Why the disciples chose to go through this exercise of drawing lots to replace Judas as an apostle is beyond me. Maybe it had to do with Jesus' promise that the Apostles would sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Interestingly enough, there are several people not on the official list in the Gospels who are mentioned as apostles. Paul, of course, spends much of his time in his epistles defending his status as an apostle. In Galatians, Paul calls Jesus' brother James an apostle. And there are others. I'm sure Matthias was a good man and there is no doubt we will see him in heaven. But like I said before, Acts is a historical record. There is no evidence that God commanded for this to happen. It does not mean that God disapproved or approved what happened, but it did happen.

TOMS: Luke 24

For an introduction to this series, click here.

April 8, 2007

No, I'm not smart enough to coincidentally write about Luke 24 on Easter, it just worked out that way.

Luke's record of the Resurrection is different in that he doesn't give us any immediate confirmation. The only indication we have that Jesus is alive is the statement by the angels to the women who came to the tomb. Luke's account builds slowly. Here's a typical selection: "Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened." (24:10-12)

Instead Luke launches immediately into a story found nowhere else: the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The only name we have is Cleopas. We know that they lived in the same house (or at least we assume so, they could have been just happening to stay at one house) so it is possible that the other disciple was Cleopas' wife or brother. 

Anyway, the resurrected Lord Jesus comes walking with these two disciples, and they don't realize who it is. They are disappointed because Jesus was dead, and they think it is all over. All their dreams, their hopes for the glorious future, were gone. Jesus didn't coddle them. He says: "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (24:25-26) Of course, Luke does tell us "their eyes were kept from recognizing him." (24:16, ESV) But still, Jesus explains to them the scriptures about Himself as they were walking. I wish Luke had recorded what Jesus said. That would make a lot of sense - bridging the gaps between the Old and New Testaments. But of course God knows what is best.

Anyway, it was getting dark, and Jesus is going to go on, but the disciples compel Him to stay with them. Of course, hospitality was an important part of the Jewish tradition. But as soon as they sat down to dinner, Jesus breaks bread and suddenly they saw - it was Jesus! Just as soon, Jesus was gone. They ran back into Jerusalem to tell the disciples there what had happened. This time they were running as fast as they could go. They made it back to Jerusalem in no time. 

Luke doesn't give us a whole lot of details beyond the first night after Jesus rose, but he is the only Gospel writer to mention the Ascencion.

TOMS: Luke 23

For an introduction to this series, click here.

April 6, 2007

This chapter tells the story of the Crucifixion. Talk about a pack of lies! Listen to the council's accusation against Jesus: "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king." (23:2) Jesus never once told people not to pay taxes to Caesar; in fact, He said the exact opposite.

Meanwhile Pilate finds out that Jesus is a Galilean and sends Him to Herod, who happens to be in town, presumably for the Passover. Herod is a pathetic figure. He was only interested in seeing Jesus put on a magic show. Jesus does nothing, and Herod is furious and sends Him back to Pilate. Pilate tries to reason with the religious leaders: "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 him and release him." (23:14-16) But of course we know that more powerful forces were at work.

I'm skipping over a lot here, but Luke is the only Gospel to mention the faith of the thief who was crucified next to Jesus. It is instructive that the man said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (23:42, ESV) This man had more faith than the disciples. They all fled (with the exception of John), figuring the kingdom was over. Here is this man looking at a man being executed, asking Him for favor when He enters His kingdom. No doubt he was the only person there who actually thought that Jesus would have a kingdom, with the possible exception of Mary His mother, who knew who He was but surely did not understand everything that was going on.

TOMS: Luke 22

For an introduction to this series, click here.

April 4, 2007

This chapter gets us into the story of the Crucifixion, the most important event in the history of the world. The most important thing to observe in the story of the Crucifixion is the sovereignty of God. One of the most important passages that brings out this truth is found in Isaiah 53:10-11: "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;" Nothing that happened during the Crucifixion caught God or Jesus off-guard. Everything happened according to the plan set in place before time began.

Even Satan obeys the will of God, as we see in this chapter: "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd." (22:3-6)

Try as he might, Satan's plans ultimately work out to the glory of God. I certainly have no idea of what goes on between God and Satan and how they work in the human race, but even Satan has to obey the will of God. I often wonder why God doesn't just do away with him completely, but even that is part of His plan. 

The next section deals with the Last Supper, and I think you are familiar with that, but we must remember that each Gospel records this event differently. John is the only one who mentions that Jesus washed the disciples' feet after the supper. Luke mentions that the disciples were arguing as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom after supper. I don't want to steal my own thunder from when we get to this passage in John, but no doubt Jesus' shocking action of washing their feet was in response to this argument. 

After supper, of course, they went to the garden, although Luke calls it the Mount of Olives. The two must have been very close together, or maybe the garden was on part of the mount. You are no doubt familiar with the story, but twice Jesus comes back from praying to rebuke the sleeping disciples, and He tells them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 

What kind of temptation were the disciples facing? I think maybe I have found the answer, and it is something I have never noticed before. Read verses 31-32 from the King James: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Now in normal reading, we don't notice an important difference in the pronouns in this verse, and you certainly will not notice the difference in the modern versions- that is why I specifically used the KJV. In modern English, the only second person pronoun is "you." But in the era of the KJV there were four: "thou," "thee," "ye" and "you." If you go back and read that again, you will notice that Jesus first addresses all the disciples: "you" is used twice in verse 31. But in verse 32, He addresses Simon Peter specifically: "thee," "thy" and "thou." So Jesus says Satan desired all of the disciples, but Peter specifically. All of the disciples were subject to being tempted to deny Christ. Sadly, all but Peter and John fled.

At the very end of the chapter, you notice Jesus does something He never did before: He plainly answers a point-blank demand from the religious leaders if He was the Son of God. For years, people had been asking Him that and He had brushed it off or responded back with another question. Here comes the moment of ultimate rejection. Jesus is brought before the Council: "So they all said, 'Are you the Son of God, then?' And he said to them, 'You say that I am.' Then they said, 'What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.'" (22:70-71, ESV) Jesus finally answered truthfully, and instead of worshiping Him as who He was, they condemned Him to death. 

TOMS: Luke 21

For an introduction to this series, click here.

April 3, 2007

This chapter opens with the widow's offering and goes to a summary of the Olivet Discourse. 

The story of the widow's offering of "two small copper coins" is one of the best examples of God's demands on us. God is not our servant that we toss a tip to. He demands everything. And that includes our money, which is hard a lot of the time, because I know I need what little money I have for this or that. Of course, like most things in life, what is important is our attitude, and that is of course true here too. Jesus knew that was all the lady had, and yet He did not try to stop her and tell her she did not need to give because she was so poor. I know it's hard, but too often I am guilty of being too conservative with God.

The rest of the chapter is Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus tells the story of the end of the age. The most important thing that most prophecy buffs miss is the warning Jesus gives in verses 8-9: "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once." I was young, but I remember some guy wrote a book, "88 reasons Jesus is coming in 1988." I never saw or read the book, but I saw its effects. People everywhere were convinced it was true. Christian publishing companies were printing all kinds of books and pamphlets that people were to leave for their relatives who missed the Rapture. Well, here we are almost 20 years later. It didn't happen. I don't want to de-emphasize the imminent return of Christ, but at the same time it is foolish to get caught up in every exciting thing that comes along. It is true that it is God's will that we understand everything in the Bible, but that's not going to happen. It's better to live our lives in simple service to God instead of getting caught up in eschatological fads.

Although I am certainly not a preterist (someone who believes all the prophecies about the end times has already been fulfilled) there is no doubt that part of Jesus' teaching was to warn His hearers about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in AD 70. I don't understand all of it, but I know that Jesus is coming one day to establish His eternal kingdom.

TOMS: Luke 20

For an introduction to this series, click here.

April 2, 2007

This section is quite similar to the section in Matthew in which Jesus is peppered with questions, which the religious leaders were using to try to trap him.

The first question is a point-blank challenge: "Tell us by what authority you do this things, or who is it that gave you this authority?" (20:2) Jesus does not respond to their challenge. Instead He asks them another question: "Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" (20:4) Of course they had no answer, since they reasoned that if they said from heaven, He would ask why didn't they believe him, and if they said of men, the crowd would turn against them. Jesus had no time for people who had no intention of believing on Him.

The next question is about paying taxes. They asked Him, "Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" (20:23) Of course, all of the Jews hated the fact that they were under Roman oppression. Many in the crowd doubtless thought Jesus would be the one to lead the glorious Jewish revolution against Rome. But Jesus was not going to be caught up in their political scheme. He says, "Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" Of course it had Caesar's name and picture, another fact which infuriated the Jews, since the second commandment strictly forbad graven images. "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." (20:25) 

This is a good lesson for us today. In this church era, religion and politics are best kept as separate as possible. It is true that God gave the Jews specific governmental laws in the Old Testament, but those laws were designed for a theocracy, not for a multicultural, secular society. Christians throughout the past 2,000 years have attempted to combine human government with Christianity, and every attempt has been a miserable failure. Certainly there are principles from Scripture which can be applied to politics, but if a politician claims to speak for God, he or she just lost my vote.

Next, the Sadducees, who basically believed only Moses' writings and did not believe in the resurrection and other stuff they saw as superstition in the other OT books, asked Jesus about a woman whose husband died without fathering a child. In Moses' law, the dead man's brother was to father a child with his brother’s widow, and the child was to be viewed as the son of the dead man. And if the brother was not married, he was to take her as his wife. This woman married all seven brothers under this command. "In the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." (20:33) Jesus responded that the people in the resurrection do not marry "because they are equal to the angels (another being the Sadducees did not believe in)." (20:36) Then Jesus throws this in for good measure: "But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." (20:37-38) No wonder they "no longer dared to ask him any question." (20:40, ESV)

TOMS: Luke 19

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 29, 2007

This chapter starts out with the story of Zacchaeus. This is one of the great stories in the Bible. The story of Zacchaeus tells us that when we seek for God, we will find Him. I am assuming you know a little something about Zacchaeus already, so let's go forward to the parable that takes up a large part of this chapter.

This is the parable of the 10 minas, or as the King James calls them, pounds. The translators of the KJV took every opportunity to dumb down their Bible to make it supposedly easier for their readers to understand, and nowhere does this attempt actually make it harder to understand than when it comes to money. They kept the concept of the talent, which was a huge sum of money, but when they came to "denarius" they substituted "penny" and when they came to "mina" they used "pound." In both cases, the Greek text plainly says either "denarius" or "mina." A denarius was a standard day's wage for an unskilled laborer. In our money that is about $50. I know inflation and minimum wage laws change things, but at least that's an easy way to make comparisons. A quick perusal of the reference materials I have up here did not give me a specific answer on how much a mina was, but it was basically between $3,000 and $4,000: a significant sum, but substantially less than a talent, which works out to about a quarter of a million. Neither the denarius or the mina have any parallel to the English penny or pound.

This parable is obviously similar to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, but the differences stand out more than the similarities. In Luke's story, the king deals with not only his servants, but also rebellious subjects who do not want him to be king. The king gives each of his servants the same amount of money, one mina. This is different from the talents, where the master gives his servants different amounts of money. When the king comes back, one of his servants has made 10 minas in return. He is warmly praised, and is put over 10 cities. Another made 5 minas. He is commended, and put over 5 cities. This is different from the talents, in which the two servants who both doubled their money receive the exact same praise from the master. The third servant buried the money, and his money is taken away. But he is not cast into judgment, as the lazy servant in Matthew is. Instead, the rebellious people are judged.

This parable neatly parallels the Judgment Seat of Christ for the saved. We, the servants of King Jesus, are not punished for the bad things we did - those sins are already atoned for by Jesus. Instead, we are rewarded for the good things we did. Some will receive larger rewards than others, and some will receive absolutely nothing. I am afraid that you can count me in that sad list.

Let's go on. Next we have the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. How serendipitous! This Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks both the high point of Jesus' ministry and the beginning of the end, which would come in less than a week. As we talked about in Mark, the Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus was doing. They knew that this was a fulfillment (of course to them it was a staged act) of Zechariah's prophecy, which reads: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9, ESV) This was the last straw as far as the Jewish leaders were concerned, and they were determined to do away with Him.

Then, of course, Jesus rides into the Temple, and kicks out all the money changers and the animal salesmen. I wonder what Jesus would think of all the hucksterism we see and hear on Christian radio and TV, with the vials of holy water and handkerchiefs and all the other nonsense. Of course this has been going on for centuries. Sales of indulgences, sales of relics, etc., have been a black mark on the church throughout its history.

TOMS: Luke 18

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 28, 2007

This chapter begins with teaching about prayer. The first story in the chapter is the persistent widow. She pestered the unjust judge until he decided to hear her case just to get her off his back, not because he was interested in her case. 

This is one of the great mysteries of prayer. I'll be the first to admit I don't understand a lot about prayer. I know it's one of the basic things Christians do, but often it is difficult to understand. God is an all-loving, all-knowing Father. He knows what we need before we ask, and He knows the desires of our heart before we ask. Of course the two (what we need and what we want) don't always match up. I think that's the basis of much of the mystery of prayer. Jesus tells us here to be just like the persistent widow: bugging God until we get what we need. That seems so strange. And I'm not sure what else can be said right now.

The next story is the tax collector and the Pharisee. The Pharisee, of course, bragged about himself to God in his prayer. No doubt Jesus' audience had heard lots of prayers like this. Jesus may have been exaggerating for effect just a little, but you can bet a lot of the people recognized some of the platitudes in the prayer. Meanwhile, the tax collector went off by himself and prayed simply, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Of course, Jesus informed his audience that the tax collector was justified before God, whereas the Pharisee was not.

Next, I always wonder: why did the disciples always send the little kids away? Surely by this point (This section of Luke is generally agreed to be within a couple of months of the Crucifixion) they would have seen that Jesus enjoyed being around children. I don't understand people that don't like kids. When I was a kid, there were people that I knew didn't like me or kids in general, just because they were kids. Kids live in a simpler world, and just the chance to be a part of that world is enough of a reason to be interested in them and help them.

Next we have the story of the rich young ruler. This pitiful man was so tied up in his money that he was unable to commit himself to God. I think the lesson we need to learn here is that Jesus was willing to let people walk away. So much of the evangelism techniques we see in our day borrow heavily from sales techniques. The most important rule of sales is to not let the customer get away before they make a final decision. Jesus does the opposite of that here. We assume that the rich young ruler never came back, but we don't know. God works in ways we don't understand. Certainly not all of us came to faith in Christ the first time we heard the Gospel. I'm certainly thankful for the people who were patient with me and did not strongarm me into making a shallow commitment to Christ. I know there's more to it than that, but sometimes we as Christians get so excited about witnessing to others that we cut corners to make Christianity more palatable. And when they do commit to that, are they really committing to Christ? We can't see people's hearts, but I've seen too many people walk away from their profession to say that they all committed to Christ.

TOMS: Luke 17

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 25, 2007

It's good to be back. I love going home, but that means being totally unplugged: no computer, no internet, no cell service, at least not at my folks' house. It's nice not to have to mess with them for a few days, but then you begin to miss them.

Jesus has a very different message in this chapter from the previous. After the encouragement we got in chapter 16, this chapter has one of the most depressing (I know that's not exactly the right word, but it's all I can come up with) statements ever made by Jesus: "Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" (17:7-10)

Too many times we aim too low. We think God is satisfied when we do some little thing at church or give God a little bit of our money in the offering. I am not sure what to think of all this. Jesus Himself said that if we give a cup of water in His name, we will be rewarded. Where is the line where duty stops and sacrifice (I guess that is the right word) begins? I don't know, but this is an encouragement to be like Paul and be always pressing toward the mark, something I don't think most of us understand and wouldn't do if we did.

Next we have the story of the 10 lepers cleansed. I'm sure you know the story. I have heard some people say they think the nine who were unthankful got their leprosy back. I'm sorry, but that doesn't make sense to me, and neither is it stated in the scripture. More importantly, this is an example of general grace. This is the goodness that God gives to all men, both saved and lost. Another example would be Jesus' statement that God sends rain on the just and the unjust. God provides good things for everyone, but only a few turn to God for salvation. These nine men got their leprosy cleansed, but their souls were still desperately sick. Only one man recognized that God was at work in his life, and he came back. The ESV in 17:19 quotes Jesus as saying, "Your faith has made you well," but notes in the margin that another reading could be "Your faith has saved you." This sheds more light on the subject. Jesus was telling him that not only was his physical sickness cleansed, but he was now a new spiritual man, too.

Jesus next gives us a warning about the immediacy of the Day of the Lord: "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Look, there!' or 'Look, here!' Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day." (17:22-24)

The coming of the Lord will not be hidden. No one has a mystical monopoly on God's truth. When the Lord comes, all the true believers will be aware of it immediately. Lots of people in our day claim to be the only church that's doing it right or to have a secret key of knowledge, whether it is about the Lord's return or some other sort of teaching. Don't believe it. God doesn't keep secrets from His children.

Jesus continues with the warning about the coming judgment: "On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." (17:31-33)

This warning tells us to hold the things of this material world very loosely. Lot's wife, of course, looked back to Sodom as they were fleeing the destruction of the city. This was not just a passing glance, or at least it was not done out of a heart that was merely acting as an observer. If merely looking at the burning city was enough to turn someone into a pillar of salt then Abraham would be the same, because the Bible tells us that Abraham watched from afar off as Sodom burned. Lot's wife's look back was a look of longing to be back and a regret that she had to be leaving with her hypocritical husband. Lot was a believer, and no doubt at some points Lot got tired of all the wickedness in Sodom. His wife would maybe (I know this is not exactly in the Bible) then scold him for being stuck in his cranky uncle Abraham's ways. Lot would give in and come to terms with whatever it was, but he was still saved, and he knew what was right.

TOMS: Luke 16

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 22, 2007

Well, this has been a crazy week, and it's probably going to get crazier, since I'm planning on going home this weekend, but I am so far behind at work I'm not sure if I can or not.

Anyway, to me this is one of the most interesting chapters in the Bible. It starts out with a parable that hardly anyone ever preaches from (at least it seems like) but it has an amazing message. The story begins with a man who works as a manager at a rich man's estate. The rich man accuses him of stealing from him. The manager figures he is done for, so he calls his boss's creditors and makes deals with them, writing off part of their debts in exchange for favors. Then Jesus presents an interesting twist: "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. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings." (16:8-9)

Here we have a man who used something that wasn't his to gain something in the future. Actually, the King James is clearer on this point: "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." (16:9) Jesus explains His parable in the verses that follow: "If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" (16:11-12)

Here is the lesson: God gives us the opportunity to invest our material goods on earth to gain eternal rewards in heaven. What a deal we have as servants of God! He gives us the power, the will and the means to do His will on earth, and then He rewards us for doing what we were supposed to do! The people of this world are wiser because they invest all their resources for advancement in this world, and that is the best they can do. How many times are we guilty of the same thing the lost world does, spending all of our lives and resources working out the best for ourselves in this life, and never concerned about our eternal home?

I could go on, but let's finish this chapter. This chapter concludes with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I have heard lots of preachers teach that this is a true story, but that can hardly be the case. The point of this story is not the torments of hell, which is what most preachers use this passage to say. Not that hell isn't real, but to put so much stock in the details of this story is unfair to the context, and there are plenty of other scriptures which speak of the horrors of hell.

Others say this is not a parable because Luke doesn't call it a parable. Well, none of the parables in this section, including the Prodigal Son and the parable we just discussed above, are introduced by name as parables. I have yet to hear anyone claim that the Prodigal Son is a true story, even though it seems way more plausible than this one.

The point of this parable is riches: temporal vs. eternal. The previous parable was about riches, and in between Jesus criticizes the Pharisees: "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (16:15) The Pharisees equated riches and popularity among men with God's blessing. Jesus tells this parable to show them they are wrong.

Why else would Jesus quote Abraham as saying, "Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish."? (16:25) You don't get to heaven by being poor, nor do you go to hell because you are rich. The message of this parable is not how to avoid hell and go to heaven. Instead, Jesus is telling them there is more to receiving God's blessings, especially eternal blessings, than just being rich. You have to believe.

Some folks try to build up an entire body of belief about the eternal state of Old Testament saints from this parable. That is very dangerous way to handle Scripture. I don't have a specific chapter and verse I can point to, other than "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" in Psalm 23, that says that the OT saints were in heaven, but I believe it until proven otherwise. There is no other passage that indicates that there may have been in a "holding place" in hell.

As far as the phrase "Abraham's bosom" is concerned, the ESV is more explanatory. It says "Abraham's side." This is the same word picture as when John is described at the Last Supper as being in Jesus' bosom. It just means Lazarus was reclining next to Abraham in the place of honor at the heavenly banquet, which reinforces the whole point of the story anyway: that poor Lazarus, afflicted with a terrible disease, which the Jews looked on as a sure sign of God's judgment, was the guest of honor at the banquet in heaven.

TOMS: Luke 15

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 19, 2007

If you've been in church for any length of time, you know that practically everything that can be said has been said about this chapter. There are few more popular chapters in the Bible. This one ranks right up there with Psalm 23, John 3 and the Sermon on the Mount. There are three parables from Jesus here, and four things that are lost. Read on if you are not sure what I'm talking about.

First of all, let's set the scene. Most people skip the first three verses of this chapter, so let's look at those: "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.' So he told them this parable:" (15:1-3, ESV) 

Now we see the context. The scribes and Pharisees, who apparently had people following Jesus all the time, trying to catch Him in something He said or did, were griping about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. I wrote last week about how the Jews took seriously the people that they ate with. 

Jesus responds with the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons. The point of the lost sheep is missed on most people (at least my view of it, maybe I'm the one who is missing the point). The point is no shepherd in his right mind would risk 99 sheep to get one back. And certainly if he found the one lost sheep, he would not call his neighbors to celebrate. That's like celebrating successfully adding one and one and coming up with two. But that is how God feels about when a lost person comes home to Him. He is thrilled to welcome them home, certainly more thrilled than the Pharisees who could only look at their neighbors' state in life and not see their hearts.

The lost coin, of course is another example. I may be reading this wrong, but once again you don't call your friends together because you found a piece of money you lost, even if it is worth quite a bit. Most people would be embarrassed by the fact they lost it in the first place and would not want to draw attention to it. But not this woman, and not God.

And then at last we have the parable of the lost sons. I know, this parable has been known for centuries as the prodigal son, but which son is really lost by the time the parable is over? The prodigal who repents and comes home, or the one who is spiteful toward his father for the way he shamelessly celebrates his wayward son's return? It's a shame that most people focus on the prodigal, because Jesus, and you can bet the Pharisees, were focused on the older brother. This was a direct shot at the Pharisees for their attitude they were displaying in the first three verses. I guess we can identify more with the prodigal, but that's only because we don't want to look at the older son, because I think if we look too close, we might find ourselves looking right in the mirror at ourselves if we aren't careful. 

TOMS: Luke 14

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 16, 2007

This chapter opens with the healing of a man on the Sabbath, something Jesus seemed to take delight in. Jesus seems to do most of His healing on Saturday, I guess because the stories are more compelling. As a journalist, I know a little bit about that. It's not that you're ignoring the other things that go on, but the events that are controversial or have more drama are the ones you gravitate to. I guess I read the Gospels with a little bit different view than most people, but that's OK.

The rest of this chapter has a lot of practical teaching in it. Of course Jesus always taught with some sort of lesson in mind, and most of the time He did teach to try to stir people up, or at least get them thinking. It is worthwhile to point out that the first set of lessons Jesus gives were at a meal, since they involve meals.

Jesus gives instruction about going to a feast. Instead of taking the best seat, and being embarrassed when we are asked to move down, we should take the lowest seat, and then when we are invited up, we will be honored. I guess the opposite of that would be that if we are not invited up, we won't be embarrassed. I think Jesus probably lived this out in His life to a great extent. I can't see Jesus demanding to be the center of attention (even though He was most of the time) and making a fool of himself.

Next Jesus says: "When you give a dinner or a 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. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (14:12-14) The Jews were very particular about whom they ate with. That is why they were so angry with Jesus that He ate with publicans and sinners. Jews saw themselves as being on the level of the people they ate with: therefore, the higher class people you ate with, the better you were. Of course there is something about eating with someone that is almost spiritual, but that is no excuse to look down on people, which is exactly what most respectable Jews did.

After Jesus said this, some (presumably) self-righteous person said, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" (14:15) This man was trying to make himself look good by making a pious comment. Jesus sees through his hypocrisy, and tells the parable of the great feast, where the man's guests all refused to come, citing some sort of excuse. Jesus ends the parable by putting this statement in the mouth of the host: "For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet." (14:24, ESV) Now of course, you know who the "invited" were, don't you? They were the very Jews Jesus was talking to. The Jews got their invitation years ago: we call it the Old Testament. But they were refusing to accept the invitation, and so God was about to turn to the rejects: us Gentiles.

TOMS: Luke 13

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 15, 2007

Here we go with Luke 13. It seems like Jesus doesn't spend much time coddling His audience, telling them what they want to hear. He is always challenging something. In this case, He challenges the idea that bad things happen to bad people: "There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'" (13:1-5)

The boys in my Sunday School class think like the Jews did here. Our lesson was about how Peter raised Dorcas from the dead. I asked them why God chooses to heal some people and allows others to die or get worse. They didn't really have any answers, other than they deserved it. Of course they are just 7-9 year olds, but still lots adults think that way today. Jesus disabuses the Jews of that notion here. He brings up two instances which are not recorded elsewhere in the Bible but were apparently big news at the time. Pilate, who was governor of Judea and not Galilee, apparently executed some Galileans as they were making sacrifices in Jerusalem. Also, the tower at the pool of Siloam, one of the water sources for Jerusalem, fell and killed 18 people. Everybody thought these people died because of God's punishment. But Jesus tells them punishment had nothing to do with it. The circumstances of a person's death do not indicate whether or not they were a good or bad person. These people did not die because they were especially wicked, and God did not have an extra special punishment waiting for them. The real question is whether they repented, and that is the real question for everyone.

Next we have a couple of parables that are often misinterpreted: "He said therefore, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.' And again he said, 'To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.'" (13:18-21)

This parables teach basically the same thing. A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, or at least one of the smallest, and yet if it is allowed to grow, it will become a large plant. The kingdom of God, whether Jesus is talking about the kingdom in general or the church in particular I don't know and it doesn't really matter because it's all the same thing, starts out small but will one day become a large, glorious thing. A little yeast is nothing compared to a lump of dough, but it is the key factor in making the small lump into a large loaf of bread. A lot of people think the yeast here refers to sin, but Jesus would never say the kingdom of God is like sin. Yeast is compared to sin in other places, but context is important to determine if a comparison is to be applied uniformly. There's no hard and fast rule that requires that metaphors always be used the same way in Scripture.

In the next section, Luke records a similar teaching to what is found in the Sermon on the Mount, but Luke adds more: "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God." (13:24-29, ESV)

The Jews were confident that they were going to heaven because they were Abraham's children. But Jesus tells them it takes more than bloodlines to be part of the kingdom of God. It takes repentance, a renewal of your heart.

TOMS: Luke 12

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 11, 2007

Jesus begins this chapter with a warning about the Pharisees. Then He adds this: "I tell you my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (12:4-5) Then Jesus warns about not being ashamed of Him before men. This is a rare reference in which Luke sounds more like Matthew, with its specific references to the Jewish opposition to Christianity.

Next we have the parable of the rich fool. But the story is introduced with a very interesting situation which I had never realized went along with this story: "Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'" This makes the parable of the rich fool, the man who said he would tear down his barns and build bigger ones and then he would eat, drink and be merry, in a different light. When we hear warnings about rich people, we never include ourselves. Very few of us consider ourselves rich, not even millionaires. But the fact is that greed is not exclusively a sin of the rich. A person can barely have two pennies to rub together and be greedy, and a billionaire doesn't have to be greedy. Greed is a sinful attitude of the heart, not a measure of wealth.
After telling the parable, Jesus goes into the teaching against worry which Matthew records in the Sermon on the Mount, which includes the "Consider the ravens," and "Consider the lilies." Jesus then warns about being ready for judgment. Whether Jesus is specifically referring to the Rapture, the Second Coming, or simply to the fact of death, the reality is that we all will one day stand in judgment for our actions, and it will likely not come at a time when we are ready for it.

Finally Jesus makes a statement that many have misinterpreted down through the ages: "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three." (12:51-52, ESV) This statement by Jesus is not an excuse for war, nor is it an excuse for obnoxiousness and selfishness. It is basically a statement of fact. The Gospel by its very nature divides people. The lost world does not understand believers, and many are repulsed by the mention of the name Jesus Christ. But at the same time, don't point to this verse if you find yourself opposed by everyone you know and figure you're in the right. There's a difference between standing for the truth and simple stubbornness and pride. If everyone thinks you're wrong, they might be right.

TOMS: Luke 11

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 6, 2007

This chapter starts off with  the Lord's Prayer and a parable about prayer. I'm sure you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, so let's go on to the parable. A man has a friend come to visit at midnight, and he has nothing to feed him with. So he goes next door to his neighbor's house and starts asking him for food. The conclusion of the story is this: "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." (11:8-10)

Luke then records a similar statement that Matthew gives us in the Sermon on the Mount about the son who asks his father for food. I have a problem asking God for things. I often feel like it's insulting to God to ask for something that I can do for myself. Now certainly the Lord does not reward laziness, but He does command us to pray about everything.

Next, some of the Jews accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan. This is the ultimate insult to God, to attribute His obvious good work to the power of the devil. Jesus replies: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" (11:17-18) This accusation proves the stubbornness of the people. They could see the mighty hand of God at work in their midst, but instead of praising God for His goodness, they were trying to prove that it wasn't really God doing the work.

Then Jesus tells a very interesting story: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first." (11:24-26) 

This parable teaches us the principle of replacement. It is not enough to just get rid of a besetting sin or bad habit. You need to have something to put back in its place. I have seen, and I'm sure you have seen, lots of people who make a positive step in their life, and they don't follow through, they just kind of stay in place. Unfortunately they don't stay there for long; they soon end up in a worse place than they were before.

Jesus then confronts the Pharisees directly, pronouncing a series of woes on them similar to Matthew 23. Luke adds a new one though that is very interesting: "Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it." (11:44, ESV) Walking into or over a grave was a minor offense in Moses' law. It was one of those that if you did it you were "unclean until the evening." The P's professed to be the spiritual leaders, the paragons of virtue. Jesus points out that they were actually unknowingly trapping people in their false teaching. There are lots of teachers out there that we need to be wary of. I usually don't like to look at the next chapter, but in 12:2, the same context as all the woes, Jesus tells the disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." There are some seemingly good teachers out there who are really setting a trap for your mind and your soul.

TOMS: Luke 9

For an introduction to this series, click here.

March 1, 2007

This is a very long chapter, and it has a lot of stuff in it. This chapter starts out with the sending out of the disciples. Luke does not go into the detail that Matthew does, he just tells us that Jesus sent them out to teach and heal among the people.

Next we have a very interesting parenthetical statement that somehow Luke found out. Remember that in the previous chapter Luke mentions that the wife of Herod's steward contributed to Jesus' ministry. Perhaps Luke learned about this from her: “Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he sought to see him.” (9:7-9) Herod was perplexed by Jesus; he didn't know what to think. Eventually Herod did meet Jesus, but he showed his unbelief and did not save Him from death. Lots of people are intrigued by Jesus, but they don't want to commit their lives to Him.

Next we have the feeding of the 5,000, followed by Peter's confession of Jesus as "The Christ of God." This is followed by the transfiguration. Then we have the demonstration by Jesus that the one who believes as a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (I am really moving fast, but I feel like I have already covered these stories.)

That is followed by a couple of storied unique to Luke's Gospel that involve John the Apostle. Remember that John was likely a teenager when he followed Jesus. John, ever the zealot, comes up to Jesus and says that they found a man casting out demons in Jesus' name, and they tried to stop him. Jesus tells them, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you." (9:50, ESV) This is an important lesson for everyone to learn. It's easy to get distracted into thinking of people we disagree with as our enemies, but the reality is that our ultimate enemy is Satan. He will use anything to keep us from following Jesus, including controversies over minor points with fellow believers.

Next we have a Samaritan village. This could have been the same trip through Samaria that Jesus made when He visited with the Samaritan woman in John 4, but then again maybe not. Jesus was certainly not the type to bypass Samaria when traveling from Judea to Galilee as were most Jews of the time. Anyway, there was a Samaritan town that would not receive Jesus. The disciples, particularly James and John, were furious with them, and asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven and burn them up. Jesus "rebuked them" and they went on. Now I don't know how much of John and James' statements were based on racism, but it's a pretty safe bet there were lots of Jewish towns that rejected Jesus, and , as far as we know, they never wanted to rain down fire on them. I'm not wanting to be too hard on them, I just want to point out that the Gospels do paint a frank picture of everyone involved, including the Apostles who would become the foundation of the church. I am glad Luke mentions this story. It gives us some neat insight into the disciples.