THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:1-11 “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil?” (Luke 6:9) Often the focus of a law is on what you cannot do. There are laws against being bad, but what about laws for being good? The religious leaders of Jesus’ day only saw what God’s laws…
Author: Norm
Are you enjoying the better wine?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 5:33-39 “No one after drinking old wine wants the new for ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:38) The issue in this section is the matter of fasting. To fast is a religious act, an act of devotion or piety. ‘Religion’ is how people act out their relationship to God. Ever since the…
The shock of grace
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 5:27-32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) The problem in this passage is that tax collectors were bad people. They were Jews who collected taxes from their own people for the Romans. So long as they paid Rome, they could collect as much as…
Authority on earth for God?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 5:21-26 “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Luke 5:24) God authorized Adam and Eve to represent Him on earth (Genesis 1:26-28). This is God’s kingdom: God-like humans ruling for God on earth. But they forfeited that authority, surrendered it to Satan. As a result, this world has become…
When all else fails, I still got Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 73 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure.” (Psalm 73:13) How do we feel when non-believers or bad people seem to do OK. Or even worse, they seem to prosper and be happy?!? In this psalm Asaph shares his honest struggle with following God. He still struggles, so is following…
Abandoned and ignored?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Job 29-31 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer.” (Job 30:20) This is one of the hardest parts of life in this sin-messed world. When we turned from God, we lost our connection to God. We cannot see God, or walk with God in the garden (Genesis 3:8) And when…
God’s Grandeur
By Gerard Manley Hopkins The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade;…
If I want to be wise…
THE STORY OF JESUS: Job 28 “The fear of the Lord — that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28) Job is trying to figure out how God and suffering (evil) relate. For many people, the fact of suffering and evil prove there is no God. But Job knows that without God, there is…
Praying in faith for others!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 5:17-20 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20) Did you notice whose faith Jesus responded to – “their faith”? We find no mention of the paralyzed man’s faith. Here the Lord responds to the faith of others on someone else’s behalf. What an encoruagement to…
A divine rhythm of activity!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 5:12-16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) There is a quote by Martin Luther that reminds me of Jesus here. “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” The busier He was, the more He prayed – He knew…