trying to find His way
“If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.” (Luke 19:31) The prophet Zechariah promised Messiah would arrive on the colt of a donkey.“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of…
“I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given…” (Luke 19:26) This story Jesus tells is based on a true story.When King Herod died in 4 BC, his sons went to Rome to be appointed king.Caesar ended up dividing the region between three: Archelaus, Antipas and Philip.Each one went back and rewarded their…
“The people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.” (Luke 19:11) We also know this parable as the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14ff). Luke tells us why Jesus told this parable, to explain how the kingdom appears. The meaning seems to be that Jesus is already king, but is not currently…
“This man, too, is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:9) The people saw Zacchaeus as a traitor, the worst kind of enemy.He worked with the Romans to get rich, at the expense of his own family.The worst of the worse is how they saw him… but not how Jesus saw him.Yes, he was deceived and unloving,…
“When all the people saw it, they also praised God.” (Luke 18:43) This blind man wasn’t the only one whose eyes were opened.The same group that tried to silence the blind man now see his healing.They did not understand – could not see – that this was what Jesus was about.Even after all this time with…
“They did not know what he was talking about.” (Luke 18:34) Sometimes I wonder, do we really know what Jesus is talking about?I grew up being told exactly what everything in the bible meant.I was told that true faith was ‘absolute certainty’ this was true.Over time I’ve started to question whether we really understand.Not that we’re…
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27) In the context, Jesus is talking about the impossibility of our condition.We cannot be saved by “what must I do” (Luke 18:18).We have lost our original creation ability to love as God intended.No amount of memorizing or obeying the laws can change this.No amount of sacrifice…
“You still lack one thing.” (Luke 18:22) This man wanted to enter and experience life in God’s kingdom.He understood that you had to be ‘good’ to enter it.He kept the rules of the Moses Law, since this was ‘good’.But Jesus calls into question his whole idea of goodness.He kept the rules, but he still lacked something…
“Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17). The kingdom of God is the goodness of this world entrusted to humans.Adam and Eve were entrusted this kingdom like newborn children.They did not need to work for it or earn it.They received it humbly and passively,…
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else…” (Luke 18:9) To be righteous is to be right before God in all ways.Jesus sees religious people who were convinced they were right.They viewed themselves as right and others as wrong, as evildoers.They maintained lists of their rightness, and lists of…