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Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
This short little section in our reading for today is a passage that I think probably most of us haven't thought about too much.  Compared to a lot of other passages in Luke, there isn't much written on it.  There are a couple of interesting observations to be made, so in honor of this often-ignored passage, here they are.

1. Jesus Weeps - We do see this in other parts of the Gospels, but I think it's something that we don't often consider when we think about Jesus:  we might remember His righteous anger in clearing out the temple, we think of His care in dealing with sinners and the broken, but (as we've discussed before) we often just think of Jesus as a wise, emotionless sage that dispenses life principles.  That is not so in this passage.  Jesus is broken with sadness - but this isn't even the same sadness that we see when He weeps at the death of Lazarus:  this is a brokenness that stems from Israel's rejection of who He is.  He came as the Messiah, the Promised one of Israel, but the nation has rejected Him.  Jesus weeps both over the rejection of Himself, but also over the judgement that will befall the nation and city in the years to come.  Judgment will come, but God/Jesus does not delight in it.

2. Jesus Prophecies - This passage is also interesting because Jesus prophecies concerning Jerusalem.  Often when Jesus does speak of the future, it is in the context of the End Times or about His own death, but in this case He speaks of something to come soon.  Here's a quick explanation from Bock on those events.  Jesus is speaking here of history-changing events that befall Israel a few decades later:

"What Jesus predicts is the “curse” for covenant unfaithfulness (Ps. 137:9; Isa. 29:1–4; Jer. 6:6–21; 8:18–22; Nah. 3:10). The roots of his prediction go back to Deuteronomy 28–32, where God warned that such unfaithfulness would lead to his judgment through other nations. Through Assyria and Babylon Israel already experienced such judgment. They are continuing to miss the moment of truth, and they are now responsible for their decision.
    Josephus describes these judgments in great detail (Jewish Wars 5.11–12 §§ 446–572; 6.1–10 §§ 1–442). In A.D. 70, Titus of Rome overran the city. The final act was a great siege, the essence of which Jesus summarizes here. Anyone who knows how Rome took large cities can describe what Jesus does here. His prophetic insight is his understanding of what their rejection of the Messiah will cost them.
    Jesus’ reference to “the days will come” indicates a prophetic oracle (1 Sam. 2:31; 2 Kings 20:17; Isa. 36:9; Jer. 7:32–34; 32:38; 33:14; 49:2; Zech. 14:1). Here it is an oracle of doom. An embankment will be built around the city, and the people will be encircled and hemmed in. When the enemy finally enters the city, everyone will be slaughtered and there will be total destruction. This is exactly what Titus brought. So thorough was his destruction that even the great temple fell. Jesus knows what he is talking about. The decision to reject Jesus is a fundamental violation of covenant trust." [1]

Comments? Questions?

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Zacchaeus
"Zacchaeus expresses his appreciation of Jesus’ acceptance of him by declaring his intent to be a different man. Because of his new relationship with God, he will do two things: Half of his possessions will now go to the poor, and those he has wronged will receive restitution at four times the amount taken. He is aware of his sin and desires to right the wrongs he has done. Both actions stand out in light of cultural expectations. If later Judaism is any guide, it was considered generous to give away twenty percent of one’s possessions. And the restitution Zacchaeus notes is better than the highest standard set by the law (Lev. 5:16; Num. 5:7). He actually penalizes himself with the standard required of rustlers (Ex. 22:1; 2 Sam. 12:6). As Ellis notes, this is the “thank offering of a changed heart.” In Zacchaeus’s changed heart, love for God expresses itself in love for others." [1]

Jesus changes people.  There are a lot of different things going on in the book of Luke and some important themes to notice, but don't miss this one!  People who meet Jesus are changed.  Notice that  Zacchaeus understands something that quite often escapes us:  he doesn't do what he does to earn the favor of Jesus - rather he realizes that he has been changed by Jesus and therefore his actions must change as well.  He was lost, but has been found.  He is known.

Does anyone have or know a similar story?  Sometimes in suburbia it seems like we don't see many stories as drastic as that of Zacchaeus, but know this:  they do happen.  Jesus CHANGES people.  He FINDS people.  Being found by Jesus changes everything.

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Luke 18:31
“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished."

So what did the prophets write about Jesus?  There are many lists you can find that tell you prophecies that Jesus fulfills, but I like this one for it's comprehensiveness and actually putting the text of verses in the list.  The formatting isn't great, but take some time to check it out!

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Self-Righteousness
Today is another very familiar passage for a lot of people, but a powerful reminder.  Some thoughts on this passage:
"Pride preaches merit; humility pleads for compassion. Pride negotiates as an equal; humility approaches in need. Pride separates by putting down others; humility identifies with others, recognizing we all have the same need. Pride destroys through its alienating self-service; humility opens doors with its power to sympathize with the struggle we share. Pride turns up its nose; humility offers an open and lifted-up hand." [1]

And:
"Humility is harder to discuss because it does not discuss itself. It simply gets out there and serves, often with sacrifice. It does not claim rights; it tries to do what is right. It does not brag about integrity; it displays it. Sometimes it is easy to miss what does not point to itself. But God sees the humble heart and lifts it up in honor. That is Jesus’ challenge." [2]

As I said before, I think a lot of us are familiar with this parable.  I think that there is a subtle danger in that familiarity.  It's easy to see the tax collector and the pharisee in this parable for what they are.  Their attitudes are worn on their sleeves, and Jesus even gives us commentary on their attitudes.  Few of us would be as brazen in our addresses to God as the Pharisee is here.  The danger is this, and it is a very, very subtle danger:  that we read this passage and we go away thinking, "Thank God I'm not like that Pharisee!"  If we've thought that, then we've missed the entire point. 

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Ten Lepers -or- How We Are Ungrateful Wretches
A simple story with a lot of power today.  Ten lepers see Jesus and ask for his mercy.  Jesus heals all of them.  Of course they were full of joy - they had just been healed!  Not only healed, but healed by the very Son of God!  I picture a great celebration with giddy dancing and emotional reunions with family members.  But.....only one of them in the midst of joy goes to thank Jesus.

"The miracle contains a double level of cultural tension, since the main figure is both a leper and a Samaritan. Lepers were culturally isolated (see 5:12–16), and Samaritans were disliked by Jews for their religious defection and for being racial half-breeds (see 9:51–56). The idea of a Samaritan leper receiving God’s help was undoubtedly shocking to many, since they had written off people in either category as being beyond help...
    ...Jesus then issues a final encouraging commendation. He tells the man that his “faith has made [him] well.” Jesus is probably saying that although ten have experienced the blessing of healing, only one has faith and has turned to establish ties with Jesus that indicate the presence of salvation (cf. 7:50; 8:48; 18:42). The deliverance Jesus affirms here is greater than the healing the man has experienced. He had learned everything the miracle can teach him." [1]

I think a lot of us are in danger of be the "other" lepers.  As a whole we take God's mercy and gracious actions for granted.  It can become assumed for us, and we forget to bask in the goodness of what Jesus has done in our own lives.   Life becomes about comfort, not the radical grace of Jesus that leads us into worship.  We know the works of God and familiar with things, but somehow we have forgotten to actually know and thank God Himself. 

One more quick thought on the fact that the thankful leper was a Samaritan, a fact that Luke goes out of his way to point out in his writing of the account:

"The fact that the Samaritan is the example warns us against unduly limiting our ministry and whom God might bless through it. Some methods of evangelism today assert that a homogeneous ministry makes for a better community. I am not sure. It makes community easier, but there is something to be said for forging a community out of disparate elements to show just how far and wide God’s reconciliation can go (Eph. 3:2–13). We must be careful to model ministry in such a way that the suggestion never exists that God blesses some but not others. Sometimes faith shows up in surprising cross-cultural places; sometimes God crosses social or racial lines to remind us his grace is for all. Our ministries may have a natural audience, but in the midst of such ministries, we must communicate values and attitudes that make it clear that the gospel is for all who trust in Jesus." [2] (bolding mine)

Martin Luther King Jr. is credited with saying "the most segregated hour in America is 11 o'clock Sunday morning."  I'd have to agree.  Our churches are not a bastion of diversity.  In fact, usually church are much LESS diverse than the communities that they are located in.  Why?  There are a lot of issues at play, but I think that a lot of it comes down to what I mentioned above:  comfort.  For many people, church exists for them.  A place to go to.  To recharge.  To "be fed".  Unfortunately (for them), the purpose of the church is NOT that, but to bring glory to God and "to make disciples of every nation".  I'm not trying to minimize challenges - there are definitely a lot of them.  As a large, very white man in an Asian church, I'm very aware of those challenges.  The question here is willingness:  are we even seeking to make disciples of every nation?  It is, after all, not traditionally called "The Great Suggestion", but "The Great Commission".  I would love to see (as Bock said in the quote above) a church community that is so diverse that the grace of God is the only plausible explanation for why it could exist.  Yet what usually happens is a homogenous church that can barely hold together because of all the fighting.  Is my dream impossible?  I don't think so.  But in order for it to happen, church can no longer be about us.  It MUST be about glorifying God and thanking Him for His great grace.  It can only happen when we stop seeing only our own fortune and blessing and see and worship the Source:  Jesus.

Thoughts?

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Rich Man and Lazarus
Interesting "story" today.  I phrase it like that because one of the big debates about this passage is whether it should be classified as a parable or as a true story.  This is the only parable in which the characters are actually named, leading some to believe that it is a true story rather than a parable.

"An important feature often discussed about this passage is whether it truly is a parable. Some avoid identifying it as a parable for fear that it removes the precision about the teaching on the afterlife, since a parable is more pictorial and representative than a real story. However, the fundamental theological affirmations about the afterlife—for example, that once one receives his or her judgment, one cannot alter that position for eternity—are true regardless of the genre classification.
    The story does differ from other parables in not being about a repeatable everyday situation, but rather is a specific story. In this sense it is like the parable of the good Samaritan. Still, the account does not recount a historical interchange between a specific rich man and a specific Lazarus, but pictures it. The details of the discussion in the afterlife, including the rich man’s ability to engage Abraham in discussion, are apocalyptic-like features in the account that show its rhetorical, parabolic, and symbolic character. Yet realities about accountability before God are portrayed." [1]

I know that's kind of a dense quote, but basically what he's saying is that there are some good reasons to think that this is a parable and other good reasons to think that it's a true story.  Bock definitely leans toward "parable".  I myself lean toward "true story".  The fact that this is the only "parable" that the characters have names is a pretty big factor, as well as the fact that the interactions and way the story is told is very different from most of the parables.  That's definitely not an opinion I would die over, but that's how I see it. Admittedly the conversation with Abraham is really unusual and brings up a lot of questions, but we just don't have enough data to really understand what's going on in that interaction clearly.  Above all I think it would be VERY unwise to build our entire theology of the afterlife on this passage because a lot of things are unclear.

This story is really a testament to how hard the human heart can become.  Though this story is mixed in with a lot of other content, I think it's pretty reasonable to think that it's directed at the Pharisees that don't believe in Jesus.  There are many today who are just like them:  their hearts have become so hard that no matter what is revealed to them they will reject it.  They ask for signs from God of His existence and reject every sign they receive.  It breaks my heart.

"Even if one rises from the dead, they will still not be convinced! Those reading the parable in the Gospel, knowing the story of Jesus, are aware just how true this remark is. Jesus’ resurrection convinced only some that God was working through him. A hard heart produces eyes that do not see the activity of God and ears that do not heed his warnings, much less the revelation he graciously reveals. The parable closes with a dark and tragic note about how humanity often misses the opportunities God makes available to them." [2]

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Dishonest Manager
I've always considered today's parable to be a very interesting one.  Compared to a lot of them, I think the point is a lot harder to understand, mostly because it appears that Jesus is telling us to follow the manager's dishonest ways!  So what's going on here?  What's the point?

In a nutshell:
"Traditionally Luke 16:1–13 has been understood as portraying a steward who cheats his master but who is commended for his wisdom, a quality to be imitated by Christ’s disciples in their use of material possessions in light of the coming...kingdom." [1]

There has definitely been a lot of discussion about the meaning(s) of this parable, but this is still the best understanding by far.  It's more difficult than a lot of parables, but I think we can be reasonably certain that this is the point, even if it does seem unusual for Jesus to use a negative action to illustrate a positive quality we should emulate.

Let's dig a little deeper on this:
"His master got to know of his action and called him a clever rascal. No more than this need be understood of Jesus’ remark that 'the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly' (Lk 16:8). The master may well have recognized some analogy between the steward’s conduct and the methods by which his own wealth had been amassed. 'You see,' said Jesus, 'worldly people, with no thoughts beyond this present life, will sometimes behave more sensibly and providently than other-worldly people, ‘the children of light.’ They will use material wealth to prepare for their earthly future; why cannot the children of light use it to prepare for their eternal future?" [2]

A couple of thoughts now about what Jesus is and is NOT saying here about "material possessions".  The temptation for most people in reading something like this is to take it to the furthest extreme.  "I should be rich and have a huge house so I can use it for God and host lots of people in my big house."  There is nothing wrong with money or with a big house, but the subtle deception that often happens is that we can use the "for God" phrase to justify almost any material possession that we would like to have.  This is a difficult issue.  A VERY difficult one.  Jesus cautions about money in other places because He knows that it can ensnare very easily.  It is not about how much or how little money you have, but in how you use those material possessions.  Are enjoying them now, or are you utilizing those resources you have to store up treasures in heaven?  Often the problem with earthly riches is that we enjoy them so much now that we are blinded to eternal treasures.  This is when these "blessings" become curses to us.  Jesus illustrates this very shortly after this parable.  There is a short interlude where Jesus speaks to the Pharisees, but then He begins with the story of "The Rich Man and Lazarus" (in tomorrow's reading) to illustrate some of the issues relating to wealth and eternity.

One important thing to remember in all of this:  I know it's a little cliche, but everyone who is reading this is wealthy by the world's standards.  As people living in the USA, our wealth far exceeds that of most of the world.  So how will we use it?  Will we "who have been given much" use it well, or will we be unfaithful, selfish stewards of what God has given us?  Here are some closing thoughts/questions from Darrell Bock about how to best use our resources:

"The variety of options is almost overwhelming, but a text like this calls us to use our resources in ways that contribute to effective ministry. We must say to a needy world, “We care for you, and so does our God.” The question also presses at the level of values. Do I work to obtain a certain salary? Or do I serve because of the call and merits of the ministry God gives to me, whether they be in professional ministry or in a secular pursuit? Is the key issue in my work how much I make or how I can serve and do so faithfully? Subtly even those who do not make megamillions can be distracted from serving because of preoccupation with how much they bring in. We must be responsible with how much we make in order to care for those we are responsible for, but how often are our choices dictated by wants rather than by needs? The treasures we most need to pursue are those that cause God to be pleased." [3] (bolding mine)

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Prodigal Son
A few thoughts on a familiar story.  First, about the true main idea of the parable:

"This parable is often called 'The Prodigal Son,' but it is really about different reactions to the prodigal. The key reaction is that of the father, who is excited to receive his son back. Thus a better name for the parable is 'The Forgiving Father.' A subtheme is the reaction of the older brother, so that one can subtitle the parable with the addendum: 'and the Begrudging Brother.'" [1]

Second, about the implications for us and our lives:

"The attitude of God is at the center of the parable. We can be assured that God approaches sinners who turn to him with open arms. Even more, God goes on the active search for sinners, taking the initiative with them, for he came “to seek and to save what was lost” (19:10). He rejoices to bring us into his family, and he celebrates our turning to him.
    Those with especially sensitive consciences about whether they are saved should be careful not to doubt God and his gracious desire to welcome us. I remember a believing friend of mine who always doubted his salvation. I always told him that the fact his conscience was so sensitive was itself a sign that he loved God and that God loved him. Yet there was always the struggle of whether God had really embraced him. Finally, I raised the issue of the nature of faith. Faith is trusting in the presence and care of God, that he is the rewarder of those who seek him (Heb. 11:6). This is the central issue of the parable. Do we believe that God embraces those who turn to him? This text calls us to see that he does and then to rest in the encouragement that such love and grace generates." [2] (bolding mine)

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Take some time today bask in God's grace and the fact that He sought you out and found you.

Click play to listen.  Lyrics below:

Leaving 99 by Audio Adrenaline
 
I'm lost and broken all alone on this road
The wheels keep turning but the feeling is gone
When I fear I'm on my own
You remind me I am not alone

You say..
I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you

It's dark and lonely and the path is unclear
Can't move my feet because I'm frozen with fear
And you say, my child, my child
I am always here, I'm at your side

I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you

You're never too far down
I promise you'll be found,
I'll reach into the mud,
Miry clay
Pursue you to the end,
Like a faithful friend,
Nothing in this world,
Will keep me away,

I'd leave ninety-nine
Leave them all behind
To find you....

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Humility
"Jesus then pursues other related issues (vv. 7–14). This passage, also unique to Luke, highlights the importance of genuine humility. The imagery recalls Proverbs 25:6–7, where the author writes that it is better for the host to call someone up than to assert oneself to try to get his attention. Humility means not reflecting social snobbery, not exalting oneself, and not thinking only of one’s own gain. God honors those who have friends on both ends of the social ladder.
    This parable is a poignant story of genuinely relating in a needy world. Jesus tells it because the guests at the Pharisee’s table are trying to find places of honor. At an ancient meal, the table was usually in the shape of a U, and the host sat at the base. The seats of honor were located next to him. Often the most honored guests arrived the latest." [1]

Humility is an interesting topic, because I think that there is a lot of false humility that goes on in the church.  Humility is not denying your talents and skills, but using them for the glory of God and the service of others.  It is putting who you are in perspective.  C.S. Lewis has a short, pithy quote on this:

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." [1] (paraphrased)