Live the Word Bible Studies

Study 34: Luke 24:13-53

Dear Student of the Word,

Here it is! The final installment of my edited devotional study of Luke's gospel that I began in September, 2014. I will now be able to publish this and add it to my studies from Matthew, Mark, John and Acts that are already published and available from Amazon in Kindle or paper formats. In this final study, we look at the Jesus' last days on earth as He appeared to His disciples and gave them instructions to wait for the Holy Spirit. In part five of this seven-part study (which is available to download below), I wrote:

Study Thirty-Four, Part Five

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 

24:33 – They got up from the table and were so excited that they walked the seven miles they had just walked back to Jerusalem! You could say that they were “pumped up” and the adrenaline was flowing. They had good news that Jesus was alive and they just had to tell their fellow disciples. What do you have excitement and energy to do? Then why aren’t you doing it?  Stop telling yourself it doesn’t make sense—go do it! 

24:34&35 – It was not the two disciples who told the rest that Jesus was alive, but these two found the group saying that it was true. How often I have been excited to tell someone something I found out in the Lord, only to find out that they already knew!  That made me come across as condescending at times, for I was there to tell someone else what they needed to know, naively assuming that I knew something they didn’t.

The men were able to bring an exciting testimony nonetheless and confirm what the group already knew. Do you have an exciting testimony? Who can you share it with today? This week? By what means can you share it?

24:36 – Suddenly the topic of their conversation, Jesus, showed up in person! When He arrived, what did He bless them with? A blessing of peace! Jesus comes to bring peace, and any “upset” He brings is because things are so out of line with the will of God that putting them right will cause some discomfort. Jesus is not the source of the problem, but rather He is the Prince of Peace. In this instance, He came and blessed them with a word of peace. Do you have peace? Why or why not? What can you do to get or retrieve it?  Do you know? Are you willing to know and then do what is required? 

24:37 – Jesus’ greeting didn’t produce the desired results, for they were startled and frightened. They still didn’t believe, even though they were talking about the fact that Jesus was alive, and some thought they were seeing a ghost (they believed in ghosts, obviously). What Jesus had said to the men on the road was true – they were slow of heart to believe! I am slow of heart too, and I think you may be as well. We talk about the Lord, but then when He does what we talk about, we can think we are seeing things or that it’s too good to be true. Is there any area, as we finish this study, that you are slow of heart to believe? Jesus is standing in your midst and you are still slow to believe? If so, then repent and take God at His word.

24:38&39 – Jesus accepted them where they were and He accepts us, too. He talked to them, and allowed them to touch Him to prove that He wasn’t a ghost. He was the real deal! Even in His glorified state, Jesus had flesh and bones. We will also have a body in our post-resurrection state. It will be a body just like the one Jesus had when He appeared to these disciples in this room. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and soon I will begin sending you my edited studies from James' epistle. After that, we will only have the book of Revelation to complete before the entire New Testament is on the site where this study is posted.

Download Luke Study 34

Study 33: Luke 23:35-24:12

Dear Student of the Word,

Greetings once again as we close in on the completion of this devotional study from Luke's gospel. There is only one more installment after this one and this week, we look at the verses that discuss Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection. In part four of this seven-part study, I look at the good things that began to happen immediately after Jesus' death. Here is part four, while the entire study is available to download at the end of this entry:

Study Thirty-Three, Part Four

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

23:50-52 – Even though Jesus had died, the Father began to raise up a people that would continue to identify with their Lord. The first was Joseph, a Jewish leader. He was a good man and had not consented to the actions of his fellow leaders. While most assumed that Jesus’ death would have demoralized and disbanded His followers, His death actually energized and gave them courage.  John told us:

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away (John 19:38). 

Joseph no longer feared the Jews and showed tremendous courage in coming forward to claim Jesus body. The Holy Spirit honors this man’s courage by mentioning him in all four gospels. He asked Pilate for Jesus’ body and Pilate consented.

23:53 – Many feel that Joseph was wealthy because he owned a hand-hewn tomb, which would have been quite expensive. Of course Joseph would receive his tomb back shortly, but he didn’t know that would happen. He was willing to give his own tomb to Jesus, but Jesus had something different in mind. Instead of Jesus taking Joseph’s place of death, Jesus gave Joseph a place of life that would render his tomb less important. While Jesus showed us how to die, He more importantly showed us all how we would live and that we would live forever if we put our trust in Him. Thank You, Jesus! 

23:54&55 – The Sabbath began on Friday evening at sundown, and Joseph did not wish to profane the Sabbath. What Joseph did had many witnesses, for the women followed the funeral procession to the tomb and saw Jesus placed in that tomb.

23:56 – The women went home to keep the Sabbath, but it would be the last normal Sabbath they would ever observe. The women had no hope or idea that Jesus would come back to life, for they were preparing the embalming ointments. They, like Joseph, were prepared to publicly declare that they were disciples of Jesus, and were ready to risk their lives to identify with Him in death. The good news is that there would be no need to do so. After this begins the most exciting chapter in the Bible, for it tells of the unthinkable—that God would raise a dead man back to life. 

As we read on, let us summon our own courage to identify with Jesus, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Because I travel extensively and sometimes go to dangerous areas, people ask me if I am scared. I respond that at times I am, but I surrendered my life to Jesus on May 18, 1973. I didn’t loan Him my life on that day—I gave it to Him. Therefore, I will not take it back, and I will not shrink from wherever it is He wants me to go and do. I hope I am following in the courageous footsteps of Joseph and the women when I do that. Are you prepared to join me and do the same?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 33

Study 32: Luke 23:1-34

Dear Student of the Word,

Greetings in the name of our Lord! I know I sent an update only 10 days ago, but I only have two more installments of our Luke study before we can move on, and I am eager to finish. After this, I will publish my study of James, then Revelation, and I will have the entire New Testament on this blog site. In the meantime, I just published my John study and I am editing Paul's prison epistles, which will be published in book form before the end of the year. In this week's Luke study, we look at Jesus as He stood before Pilate and Herod before His crucifixion. This is what I wrote in part six of this week's seven-part study, which can be downloaded below:

Study Thirty-Two, Part Six

26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30 Then "'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" 

23:26 – No one can be seized to carry their cross. It must be a voluntary decision. When Jesus talked about bearing your cross daily, this is what He was referring to. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34-38). 

My “cross” is working with the Church. I would much prefer to work with corporations, but Jesus has always wanted me to pick up my cross and work where He wants me to work. My cross, however, never involves denying my purpose, and my cross won’t involve doing something that isn’t according to who God made me to be. I have chosen to fulfill my purpose in the sphere that Jesus has chosen and I will do it daily and follow Him, but I follow Him according to who I am – who He created me to be. The cross seldom involves denying who you are, but always involves expressing who you are in a way and in the place God chooses. What is your cross, do you know? Are you trying to deny who you are, thinking that is your cross?

23:27 – Word must have spread when it became light and a number of sympathizers now identified with Jesus on His road of suffering. When you decide to follow Jesus, it is for times of suffering as well as blessing. Are you suffering for Him? I’m not talking about suffering for your stupid decisions, but for following Him?  Are you following Jesus as He leads you on the road to personal crucifixion? If you are, don’t be ashamed or discouraged! You are doing the will of God.

23:28 – Jesus never attracted attention to Himself, nor did He require that He be the center of attention. Jesus was suffering an agonizing death, and many are wailing for Him, identifying with His pain and suffering. Yet He deflects their attention and sympathy and focuses them on what is yet to come as a result of what they were doing to Him. Leaders must constantly work to keep themselves from being the center of attention, even when their ministry requires that they be in the spotlight. 

23:29&30 – Jesus was referring to the fall of Jerusalem that would take place about 35 years later, and the fall of Jerusalem was a terrible time for everyone who didn’t know or follow Jesus. Rome would come and surround Jerusalem and starve its inhabitants. It would be so bad that the people would wish for death, but it would not come soon enough.

23:31 – The Jews were treating Jesus as they were, and times were relatively good, but He asked what they would do when things were bad. Desperate times would bring out the worst in anyone, but Jesus brought out the worst in some. That is how wicked they were. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 32

P.S. I have published my entire study of John that can now be purchased in paper or Kindle format on Amazon.

Study 31: Luke 22:35-71

Dear Student of the Word,

There are only three more installments of the Luke study after the one that is attached. This week, we look  at Jesus' time in the Garden leading up to His arrest, as told by Luke. We see our Lord at His best when everyone else around Him was at their worst, which is what He requires us to do as well. In this week's study, I wrote in part two of this seven-part study (which you can download below):

Study Thirty-One, Part Two

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."  41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.  

22:39 – The Mount of Olives was a regular prayer and retreat venue for Jesus. The disciples followed Him there as was their custom. Are you willing to follow Jesus where He is going, even if it is to a place of solitude and prayer? Am I? The disciples were about to learn a lot about themselves. They weren’t following Jesus to any ordinary prayer meeting. You never know when you make a decision to stick close to Jesus where He will take you or what you will learn when you get there.

22:40 – Jesus was warning the disciples concerning what was to come, but they did not or could not heed His warning. What was about to take place was inconceivable, for their Messiah and Teacher was about to be killed. This was inconsistent with their theology and expectations. Has anything ever happened to you that went against your theology? There were times when I thought I had God all figured out, but then God did something to remind me that He is God and not some system to be analyzed so I can know how He operates at all times.

I have often said that if you have a system that can control or predict God, then your system is God. God is sovereign, however, and follows the counsel of His own will.

22:41 – Notice that Jesus didn’t ask them to go with Him to prayer, and they did not attempt to do so. I would imagine this was His custom to go talk to His Father alone.  Why is this? Perhaps we find out in Hebrews: “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7). 

Perhaps Jesus withdrew when He prayed because He made so much noise when He prayed with his “loud cries and tears.” Jesus was transparent when He prayed, being honest with the Father. What’s more, Jesus didn’t end His prayers by saying “in Jesus’ name.” Jesus did not pray formula or rote prayers. He spoke what was on His heart and poured out His anguish and grief to the Father. How do you pray? Do you cry out with a loud voice? Do you weep? Don’t try to impress God when you pray. He already knows where you are, so go ahead and tell Him. It’s not for His benefit that you do so; it’s for yours.

22:42 – Jesus didn’t pray to change God’s mind or get God to do something that Jesus wanted Him to do. Jesus prayed honestly that He preferred not to go through His impending suffering and death, but He also reiterated that He would endure God’s will, whatever that was. That’s a good prayer model to follow, don’t you think?

22:43 – An angel appeared from heaven to minister to Jesus! In His humanity, Jesus needed help and the Father sent an angel to perform the task. I would imagine the disciples saw this if they weren’t already asleep. I wonder how the angel strengthened Him? All I know that as I have traveled and ministered, I have encountered supernatural energy and strength from time to time. How this happens, I have no idea. I don’t understand how an angel can come and minister to my body, but I am glad that it does happen!

22:44 – It seems that Jesus’ earnest prayer produced a level of anguish that caused Him to sweat blood. I have never heard of anyone doing this, have you? Jesus must have been in a state of being that few humans have ever encountered. There is one other theory here, and that is that somehow the angel’s involvement caused this blood to flow. I have no idea how that could happen, so we will leave this verse and say that Jesus must have agonized over His coming separation from the Father and was traumatized by the very thought.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 31

P.S. I have published my entire study of John that can now be purchased in paper or Kindle format on Amazon.

Study 30: Luke 22:7-34

Dear Student of the Word,

We are almost finished with the study of Luke's gospel. This week we look at the account of the Last Supper, which contains important information about the Lord's Table or communion, as well as a lesson on leadership. Let's look at the entry that includes that leadership lesson, which is part five of the seven-part study that can be downloaded below:

Study Thirty, Part Five

24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

22:24 – The disciples quickly transitioned from an interrogation of who may betray Jesus to a discussion of who was the greatest. What a topic at a time like that! What’s more, they had this discussion before and Jesus had answered their question:

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all-he is the greatest” (Luke 9:46-48). 

Don’t judge the disciples too harshly, however, for we still have these arguments and debates. I am always trying to justify why people should treat me better. My feelings get hurt when I am slighted. Why? It’s because I think I deserve better. Why? It’s because I think I am greater than the person who is mistreating me. In a sense, therefore, I am continuing the debate that the disciples conducted about who is the greatest. 

Jesus is our model for behavior, not the apostles or any other person. How did Jesus deal with the greatness issue? Read what Paul wrote:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:1-8). 

Your attitude should be the same as the one Christ had – that is our goal. So are your feelings hurt right now? What would Jesus do? Have you been slighted and overlooked?  What would Jesus do? Don’t try to avoid answering by saying, “I’m not Jesus.”  You’re right – you’re not, but you are commanded to have the same attitude that He had. Therefore, it must be within the scope of our free will to choose to react like Jesus when we are wronged.

22:25 – The word benefactor catches my attention in this verse. A benefactor means “doer of good” in Latin. Jesus did not allow His leaders to take authority over another person even when it was in that person’s best interests to do so. We are to be servant leaders, pure and simple. That means we must influence people and not exercise authority over them. We have a lot to learn as leaders today. In many instances, all you hear about is authority and submission, but without the balance of servant leadership, the power can easily corrupt God’s leaders.

22:26 – Leadership is service; it isn’t about power, money, vision, or position. If anyone is a leader in God’s church, they should keep in mind Paul’s instructions to leaders:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). 

That requires that leaders get close to their people, listen to them, hear what God is doing in their lives, and then use their power and gifts to equip the people for ministry.  We seem to have that reversed today. The people are using their gifts to equip the men and women of God for ministry. 

Before you judge any leader that you know, be careful. Where you are leading, are you a servant leader? If you aren’t leading, now is the time to decide what kind of leader you will be. I urge you to be a servant leader, but be warned: It isn’t easy.

22:27 – Once again we see that Jesus is to be our model – not any other leader. We cannot justify what we do by saying that we aren’t as bad as others or better than most. Jesus is our standard. How do you measure up to His leadership model?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 30

Study 29: Luke 21:5-22:6

Dear Student of the Word,

Thank you for your help in preparing this study of Luke's gospel for publication. How are you doing that, you may ask? I am editing these studies to get them ready for book format, and sending them to you gives me the incentive to get each one edited. This week, we look at Jesus' often misunderstood teaching about the coming destruction of the Temple, which many people believe to be a teaching about the end times of Jesus' return. It is not. This week, I wrote in part three of this seven-part study, which can be downloaded at the end of this entry:

Study Twenty-Nine, Part Three

12 "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.

21:12&13 – Jesus isn’t describing the end of the age in this verse, but the end of Jerusalem and consequently, Old Testament Judaism. He warned the disciples that they would be hunted, persecuted, and brought before leaders for trial and judgment. Of course we know that God used this persecution to send His servants to declare His word even to Caesar. Persecution is a way of life for Christians, as Jesus said earlier in Luke: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets”(Luke 6:26).

This fact should not surprise us, and does not mean we should do stupid or rude things that draw the anger of men. If we are standing for truth and God, however, we will inevitably upset those with money and power. What’s more, we should rejoice when it happens:

They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:40-42). 

21:14&15 – We should be at peace even when we are persecuted and forced to defend ourselves and God. God will always give you what you need when you need it, including the words to refute your enemies. What an important promise that is! Jesus was saying, “When they arrest you and bring you to trial, relax. The Spirit will work with you and speak through you.” We see this happening in the case of Stephen, the first martyr, as described in Acts 7. He did such a good job defending his faith that they stoned him to death, but God used his death to spread His word and many came to faith in Jesus. We must take seriously the warning that was written in Revelation:

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!” (Revelation 12:11-12). 

21:16&17 – At this point, the disciples were probably sorry they had raised this issue and asked these questions. Jesus went on to tell them that their families would turn against them and that some of them would be killed. Jesus waited until near the end of His time on earth before He shared this truth with them.  I am sure that there are things that Jesus has yet to show me because He knew I couldn’t handle them until now. 

Family betrayal may be one of the hardest issues to endure. My wife and I went through this years ago when we first became Christians. Our families weren’t happy with us at all, and at one point, we didn’t see my wife’s folks for six years. We endured and rejoiced, however, and eventually our relationships were restored. Before that, however, it was a difficult time, but it definitely taught us to look to Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on Him.

Are you facing any persecution? Is it because of sin or because of your stand for Jesus? If it’s sin, then you need to repent. If it’s because you are a Christian, then you need to rejoice.

21:18&19 – We may lose our earthly lives, but God will preserve us for all eternity. That should give us confidence and the ability to stand firm.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 29

Study 28: Luke 20:9-21:4

Dear Student of the Word,

Welcome back to this online devotional study of Luke's gospel. In this week's installment, we focus on the Jewish leaders' attempts to catch Jesus in some mis-statement or mis-deed. It is ironic that these men continually tried to discredit Jesus to no avail, engaging Him in discussions about the Law and Bible, hoping to win the debate. This week's study ends on a positive note, however, for Jesus was watching people bringing their offerings to the Temple and had this to say about one woman's giving. Here is what I wrote in the seventh part of this seven-part study that you can download below:

Study Twenty-Eight: Part Seven

21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ²He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³“Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

21:1 – Jesus was quite attentive. He seldom missed a thing that was happening around him. He once felt power go out of him when a woman touched Him for healing, even though the crowd was pressing Him (see Luke 8:45). Then Jesus always knew what was in the hearts of those who were around Him, even those who were smiling outwardly but had evil thoughts toward Him in their hearts. Now Jesus observed the people giving their gifts in the Temple.  God is still observing His people, looking for those who are committed to Him and His will, as we read in the Old Testament: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles16:9).

21:2 – All the people gave these small copper coins to the Temple treasury, even the very rich. The rich probably poured large amounts of copper into the container, so it was easy to notice (if one was paying attention) this widow putting in only what she had in her hand. It would have been easy to miss this simple act, for it was almost beyond notice and wouldn’t have made any noise as the two coins joined the large quantify already given. Jesus saw it, however, and Jesus sees what you give as well. 

21:3 – Jesus said, “I tell you the truth.” How often Jesus said that (nine times in Luke alone)! What else could He say, for He was the truth? Yet what He said seemed so out of the ordinary that He had to convince people He was really telling the truth. Why is that? It is because men believe so many lies that when they hear the truth it seems bizarre! 

Jesus went on to say that this widow had given more than all before her. That must have sounded strange, for others were pouring in large amounts while she put in two small coins. Someone once said that God doesn’t evaluate the size of what you gave, but rather what you have left after you give. The rich still had plenty after they had given, while this woman had nothing. Thus, her offering was given special attention by God Himself.

God knows what you have, as well as what you’ve given. If you have nothing, God is aware and will take care of you. At the same time, it is difficult to give all that you have. Just having a dollar in your pocket can make you feel like you have something. To give it all and trust God is an act of supreme trust and this woman did just that.

21:4 – I wish I knew the rest of this story. I would like to think that God supernaturally provided for this woman who gave everything she had.   would love to know how God blessed her and what He gave her in return for her generosity and faith. In a sense, she received a greater reward than just money in return. Jesus pointed out what she did for all the Church to read down through the centuries. While we don’t know this woman, she is famous! Her legacy of generosity has impacted many people through the centuries. 

That day when she came to the Temple, she thought she was giving two coins—all that she had to live on. Instead, she received honor from the Lord. I would like to imagine that she came to know Jesus and she will be pointed out to us when we get to heaven.

What you do today may seem insignificant to you, but if it is done in faith and a generous spirit, be sure that God notices. If you do wrong, even if it is a small thing, rest assured that God is watching that as well. Take to heart today what the writer of Hebrews wrote: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 28

Study 27: Luke 19:11 - 20:8

Dear Student of the Word,

As I am editing my study of John for publication, I want to continue editing my study of Luke and presenting it to you in this format free of charge. In this week's study, we look at Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we now refer to as Palm Sunday. As always, Jesus used this event as a teaching moment to impart truth to the people. In this seven-part study that you can download below, here is what I wrote in part six:

_{Study Twenty-Seven, Part Six}

45 Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 46 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"  47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

19:45 – The Temple in Jesus’ day had become a mall, a central business district for God’s work. There were money-changers to exchange currency for the many travelers who came to Jerusalem. So that people would not have to bring their sacrifices with them, merchants sold sheep and other animals for worship. What’s more, the high priest’s family got a percentage of all this commerce, which is why the High Priest wanted Jesus out of the way—He was bad for business.

There is nothing wrong with all this business, except that it was overshadowing the more important work that the Temple was to represent. The Temple was to be a house of worship and prayer, not commerce and trade. 

The same is true today. The Church should not primarily be a place of business, although business is part of what the Church has to do. It can’t be all about selling books, collecting money, building structures, and promoting ministry “stars.”  I was convicted in my own ministry of how often I talked about me instead of Jesus, how often I talked about prayer instead of praying.

19:46 – Jesus quoted from Isaiah to justify what He was doing:

"And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant — these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:6-7). 

Jesus wasn’t simply condemning the business practices of the Temple; He was also condemning the fact that the Temple had become a closed area instead of any open one. The Temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations—all nations were to have access and all nations were to be lifted up in prayer. Instead the Temple had become an exclusive club, open only to “pure” or “purified” Jews. That was never the Lord’s intent.  I wonder if the den of robbers didn’t pertain more to the fact that the Jews had stolen the mission of the Temple, which was spiritual and evangelistic, and turned it into something that was commercial and parochial. 

19:47&48 – Jesus never did anything in secret. He taught in public, but the leaders were plotting in secret to kill Him. The leaders were unsuccessful because the people hung on Jesus’ words. It is amazing to me that the people had more spiritual sense than their spiritual leaders. Being a spiritual leader is no guarantee of spiritual correctness, yet many leaders today portray themselves as “little popes.” They act as though they are always correct and automatically know better than “the people” because they are leaders. This attitude is flawed, and thus the leaders and people who subscribe to that belief are flawed as well.

Can you imagine? The leaders who represented God and maintained God’s system were plotting to kill God in order to preserve what God had given them. What is wrong with this picture?

If God has showed you something or given you something to do and leadership doesn’t agree, don’t assume they are automatically correct. They may be, but then again they may be wrong. No one can hear from God for you. That is your job.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 27

Study 26: Luke 18:21-19:10

Dear Student of the Word,

It's been four months since I last updated this study in Luke. Why so long between updates? I began to edit and publish these studies from Matthew, Mark, and Acts late last year, and took a break from this study to focus on that project. I am glad to say that I have published those three studies, but now it's time to get back to editing this study so that I can publish my work in Luke some time later this year. It helps keep me on track to edit these studies by sending them to you, and I thank you for your help in staying on track. I trust I will be able to publish all my New Testament studies before I go home to be with the Lord. I am counting on His help.

In this Study 26, we finish up our look at Jesus discourse with the rich young ruler and move into the story of Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus. For those of you just joining this study, I am adding the full seven-part document at the end of this post. I include a copy of one part of the study here for you to read without having to download the document below. Here is what I wrote in Part One of this particular study:

Study Twenty-Six, Part One

21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." 

18:21 – This man had kept the commandments Jesus listed all his life. The question is:  Was he deceived or exaggerating, or did he indeed keep those commandments? Had he ever lied? Stolen? My thinking here is that he had indeed kept the commandments perfectly, at least what we know to be the Ten Commandments. I think he gave Jesus a truthful answer, but there was something bothering the young man. He didn’t feel like he had done enough to gain eternal life and he was correct. That is why he came to Jesus. It isn’t enough to keep the rules; the man must have sensed that it is necessary to be renewed in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

18:22 – Jesus invited this man to an exciting life of discipleship. Jesus was not endorsing poverty and lack of possessions in this case. This was a specific directive to this particular ruler in response to the man’s questions to Jesus. Jesus knew that his possessions owned him—he did not own his possessions. Jesus was telling this man that discipleship isn’t something to be fit into one’s life schedule, sort of  like exercise.  Instead, it required a total life commitment. Jesus can direct you to sell some or all of what you have, or to give it away. What would your response be if He did?

18:23 – This man’s response was sadness for he had a lot of stuff—he was wealthy. I was in Cuba once and was impressed by the commitment of the believers there in spite of their lack and poverty. I had a favorite shirt with me there that I had obtained in Malaysia. We were all leaving our clothes behind for our brothers and sisters who had nothing, but I struggled for days to give that shirt away. I didn’t own that shirt; that shirt owned a piece of me. I finally left it there, determined that one shirt wasn’t going to own me. Do you have anything that owns you instead of the other way around? What are you going to do about it?

18:24 – Jesus looked at the young ruler and declared that it is hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. He didn’t say it was impossible, just difficult. When you are rich, you have to spend a lot of time and energy maintaining, protecting, or working to increasing your wealth. That doesn’t always leave a lot of room or time for God. 

18:25 – During one of my trips to Israel, I learned that a low doorway into a house was called the eye of the needle. This doorway was easy for a man to pass through, but impossible for someone to ride through. In some ways, this was a means of security not to have a high doorway so that someone could not carry out your goods on horseback or with a camel. So this isn’t referring to a camel passing through the eye of a sewing needle, but rather a camel passing through a low door. 

18:26 – The disciples were flabbergasted, because they thought that the rich had done something right before God, and therefore were closer to the kingdom of God. Jesus was telling them that the rich were actually farther away from the Kingdom. This shocked them into a question about who could actually be saved! Jesus can certainly ruin your theology and your interpretations of how God operates, that’s for sure.

18:27 – Let’s remember who first asked this question about being saved: It was a man who was hoping that he could do it with a minimum of effort while maintaining his lifestyle. No one, especially a rich person, could be saved like that. But God could save those rich men if they would abandon their desire to be saved through their own efforts and do it through Jesus. The hardest individual case for salvation can be reached through God’s power—it is possible for Him to do. So do you have any “tough cases” in your family or immediate associates? Don’t give up—they can be saved through God’s power, but never through their own (or your) efforts. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke Study 26

Study 25 - Luke 17:20-18:20

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time to revisit our ongoing devotional study of Luke's gospel, this time looking at Jesus' responses concerning the "day of the Lord" and then a few parables. We finish up with the man coming to ask Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life. In today''s seven-part installment, this is what I wrote in part four (the entire study can be downloaded below - all questions are in bold letters to help you apply what you read):

Study Twenty-Five, Part Four

2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"  6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" 

18:2-6 – The lesson of this parable is to pray and not give up. It is not a story about God’s love for widows of the hard hearts of judges. It is a story about prayer. 

It seems that the picture painted here is of someone who is shameless in their constant appeals to a superior authority who can help them. This woman pestered the judge and he finally gave in. Of course, that is not how God is. He doesn’t finally give in because He is tired of hearing from you. As you seek Him, He builds something in you that enables you to face future trials. He teaches you about faith, perseverance, and trust, and you appreciate the answer to your prayers more when you have worked and waited. 

At times, God delays so that you don’t easily slip into an attitude that He is there to serve you quickly and at all times. Have you ever prayed for something fervently, only to look back and realize how selfish the request was? Weren’t you happy then that God didn’t answer, or He answered by saying “no?” But then there are other things that truly matter, vital spiritual issues and true spiritual riches that are worth pursuing and giving your life for. For those things, you must persevere in faith and prayer.

18:7&8 – There is one word in these two verses that I struggle with, and that word is “quickly.” I have learned that God’s definition of quickly and mine are entirely different. I may think that quickly involves two weeks; God may be thinking two years. I may be thinking two years; God may be thinking 10 years. The key here is to align my definition with God’s and then to keep on praying.

Jesus asked a good question at the end of the parable: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Let’s personalize this question: If the Son of Man came today, would He find faith in your home?  In your church?  In the area of the church in which you serve?  In your business?  In you?

How would He determine whether there was faith? One way would be whether or not you are praying for something without giving up, because that is the lesson of this parable. 

Earlier we talked about increasing your time in prayer. Now, why not take a look at your prayer list (I assume you have one—if not, why not compose one now?)? What items need to be reinstated that were there previously? Have you given up about something that needs to find its way back into your prayer life today? If so, write it down and keep on praying. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled The Leadership Walk. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Luke's gospel from God's word.

Download Luke 25