Acts 6-8: Someone's Got To Do It

Public ministry, such as the ministry of the priests, has always been more attractive than serving.  This was true in the early church even after all of Jesus' teachings on being servants.  The early disciples were zealous in spreading the gospel, but not so zealous in taking care of the widows.  'We need someone to do this,' they said, 'so that we can concentrate on prayer and ministry.'  So they looked for men full of wisdom and the Spirit and chose seven to carry out the duties and responsibilities of caring for the widows.  This left the rest of the disciples free for ministry.  So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.- Acts 6:7 NIV

One of those chosen to care for the widows was Stephen.  Like many of the patriarchs, such as Joseph and Moses, or prophets, such as Daniel,  Stephen was thrust into service which became a platform for witness.  And like many of his predecessors, great wonders and miraculous signs followed his service.  Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. - Acts 6:9-10 NIV

The guy serving the widows could not be stopped.  He was not afraid of those who considered themselves righteous.  He was sure of the gospel and recounted the history of Joseph and Moses and how the people reacted to those who presented God's truth.  “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”  - Acts 7:51-53 NIV

Surrounded by their fury, Stephen saw heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  This made them even more furious and they rushed Stephen and stoned him to death.  Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, was one of the wise, religious, Jews standing there, watching this man who took care of widows meet his death because of his beliefs.

As a result of Stephen's death, the church scattered and the gospel was spread even further because they preached the gospel wherever they went.

Acts 1-5: What is this Power?

For forty days after he was crucified and rose again, Jesus appeared to the disciples in various places. “Do not leave Jerusalem," he told them, "but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit - Acts 1:4-6(NIV)  All they wanted was to see the kingdom of Israel restored.  Instead, He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  - Acts 1:7-3

What is this power that the disciples and early church experienced after Jesus ascended into heaven, power that appeared at Pentecost that sounded like a blowing wind and filled the room with what looked like tongues of fire?  What was this power that gave Peter, the one who had denied Jesus three times, the boldness to stand up and address the crowd that gathered in Jerusalem with such boldness that three thousand accepted the message and were baptized that very day..  What was this power that enabled Peter to heal the crippled beggar?  What gave Peter and John boldness before the Sanhedrin, the ones responsible for Jesus' death?  What was the power that caused Ananias and Sapphira to fall down dead for lying to the apostles about how much money they received for the sale of some land.  What was the power that opened the prison gates for the apostles. 

It was the same power that caused men to face death boldly when thrown to the lions.  The power that enabled all the martyrs down through the centuries to go to their deaths willingly.  The power that has caused thousands of missionaries to sacrifice their lives that the gospel would be heard.  The power that has healed the deaf, blind, and lame down through the centuries.  The same power that gave Handel the "Messiah". The power that changed the slave trader who eventually wrote "Amazing Grace". 

It is the Holy Spirit, Peter told the crowd.  The Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come  God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. - Acts 2:32-33 NIV

The power of Jesus and the resurrection was now available for all that believed.

John 18--21: What is Truth?

'What is truth?,' Pilate asks Jesus in the course of trying to determine why the Jews so badly want Jesus to die.  Try as he could, Pilate could not get Jesus to confess to anything other than the fact that he was sent from God.
   Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
  “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
   Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
  “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. - John 18:36-38 NIV

Pilate was like many of those who observed Jesus and knew there was something different about him, but who did not completely understand who he really was or who were afraid to publicly confess that they believed in him for fear of the Jews.  Pilate may not have saved Jesus from crucifixion, but he had a notice prepared and nailed above his head on the cross which read, Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.  'What I have written, I have written.' he told the Jews when they confronted him. 

Both Joseph of Arimathea, who followed Jesus only at a distance, and Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, cared about Jesus the man enough to ask Pilate for Jesus' body in order to give him a proper Jewish burial. 

Even Thomas, one of the twelve, was slow to believe the words that Jesus had been saying all along:  that he was sent from God, that he was one with the Father, that he was sent to die, and that he would rise from the dead.   “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”, (John 20:25 NIV) he told the disciples when they said they had seen Jesus. 

All of these had seen Jesus' ministry, had witnessed his miracles, had listened to his words, but still harbored a lingering doubt that everything was true.  But then there was John, the writer of this gospel and the one who would see visions on the Isle of Pathmos years later.  John witnessed all of these things first hand, including Peter's denial and Jesus' reinstatement of Peter after the resurrection.  This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. - John 21:24 NIV

What is truth?  All the stories, all the denials, all the confessions, all the words.  They are all the truth.

John 13-17: Abiding

'Don't let your hearts be troubled,' Jesus tells his disciples.  'You believe in God, believe also in me.'  With these words, Jesus tries to explain the relationship between himself and the Father.  He tries to explain that his life has been one of abiding in the Father, that his life has not been his own, the words he has spoken, the deeds he has done, have all been orchestrated by God the father.  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? - John 14:9-10 NIV

And then he tells them a truly marvelous thing.  The same relationship that he has with the Father will be theirs.  Another Counselor will come to be with them forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you - John 14:16-17 NIV

 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:19-20

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. - John 15:10-12 NIV

The King James Version uses the word 'abide' instead of 'live' or 'remain'. 

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. - John 15:7 KJV
 
 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:10 KJV
 

According to Webster's dictionary, Abide is an intransitive verb that means to remain stable or fixed in a state or to continue in a place, to sojourn. There is no separation in abiding.  Just as there was no separation between Jesus and his Father, their words and deeds were one and the same, there should be no separation between those who call themselves disciples of Jesus, their words and deeds should be one and the same as well.  Abiding is more than believing, abiding is walking together as one.

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. - John 17:23 NIV

John 10-12: Ordained and Spoken by God

Jesus did nothing and said nothing that was not ordained by God the Father.  This was true when he said that he was the good shepherd, that he cared for his sheep.  And it was true also when he did not rush to Lazarus' side when he lay dying, but waited until he had been dead and buried for four days. Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ( John 11:4 NIV)  God ordained it that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead so he could proclaim “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. (John 11:25-26 NIV).

But after all of the miracles, most of them still did not believe.  That was ordained by God as well, as spoken by the prophet, Isaiah:
 Who has believed our message
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
   and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
 Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
   stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53-1-6 NIV

The iniquity of us all was laid on the good shepherd, the one who cares for his sheep.  Jesus knew that all he was to suffer was ordained by his Father.  As he told them, For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.  For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”  - John 12:47-50 NIV

Jesus had the power to raise people from the dead, but nothing would deter Jesus from speaking the words of the Father and seeing the Father's plans carried out to completion.

John 8-9: The Blind will See

Although Jesus told the Pharisee's over and over again that the Father had sent him, they still did not understand.  Your testimony is not valid, they told him.  Even when he healed the man who was blind from birth, they did not understand or believe him.  They kept interrogating the blind man trying to get him to denounce Jesus, but he would not.  They they tried to trap his parents.  'We know he is out son, they told them, but how he can see or who opened his eyes, we don't know.  You'll have to ask him.'  So they asked the man who had been blind the second time to give the glory to God instead of Jesus because they knew that Jesus was a sinner, but the blind man would not take the bait.  He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25 NIV)

This angered the Pharisees so that they threw the blind man out of the temple.  Jesus found him and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man..
  “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
   Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
   Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
   Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
   Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
   Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. - John 9:36-41 NIV

'It s not a sin to be blind,' Jesus says.  Those who know they are blind are willing to ask for their sight.  The sin is to claim you can see when you cannot.  Jesus came to give sight to the blind.  There is nothing he can offer those who think they can see.

John 5-7: The Bread of Life

The people followed Jesus.  The crowds grew, first because of the healing miracles that he performed and later, after he fed the five thousand with only five loaves and two small fish, because of food.  After the five thousand were fed, Jesus disciples got into a boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum.  Without the people knowing it, Jesus joined his disciples in the boat by walking to it on the water.  The people, knowing that Jesus had not left in a boat were still waiting for him where they had been fed.

  Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
  When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
  Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
  Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
  Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
  So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
    Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
   “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
    Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.- John 6:24-35 NIV

Jesus saw through the crowds that were following him.  They were not looking for him.  They were looking for miracles and manna.  They did not understand that Jesus was the bread, the bread of life.  Further more, they did not understand that it was Jesus' flesh, his life that was to be offered up so that they might have life.  Not just earthly life, fed by a few loaves and fishes, but eternal life.   As he told them in the temple, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink." - John 6:54-55 NIV

This was a hard thing for many of them to swallow.  The scripture says that many turned back after that and no longer followed him.  To follow someone for real food was one thing, but to follow for the 'bread of life' what was that?

John 3-4: A Prophet Without Honor

Jesus' Ministry was lost on most of the religious leaders of his day.  There is no mention of whether or not Nicodemus received Jesus' message even though his response to Nicodemus' question of  'How can a man be born again when he is old?' (John 3:4 NIV) contains some of the most well know verses in the Bible:
‘You must be born again.’The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." - John 3:7-8 NIV

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. - John 3:14-15 NIV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. - John 3:16-18 KJV

In contrast, the Samaritan woman was not one of the religious leaders, nor would she have been accepted by them because of her life style, yet, when she encountered Jesus, she was convinced.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” - John 4:28-29 NIV

Jesus knew that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  As John said, He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  - John 1:11-12 KJB

John 1-2: As Many As Received

Two of the gospels, Matthew and Luke include Jesus' genealogy in the story of his birth.  The Gospel of John begins with Jesus' genealogy as well, but with hints of the prophet he will become, John tells Jesus' genealogy from a different perspective.  He has listened to Jesus' descriptions of the kingdom of heaven and realizes that there is another more significant reality than the one limited by our earthly world view.
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 The same was in the beginning with God.
 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. - John 1:1-4 KJV

There you have it, the story of Jesus' genealogy and the story of the known world from creation to today.  Jesus was there all along.  He was at the creation.  He is the source of life.  He came to tell us of that life and the world could not accept it.  He came, he appeared as light in the darkness for a brief moment, but the world would not accept him.  The world always has and always will love darkness better than life. 
 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. - John 1:11-14 KJV

John, the disciple, received Jesus as the Son.  He was witness first hand to the miracles, beginning with turning the water into wine.  John, the Baptist, received Jesus as the Son.  He saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Many others who witnessed his miracles received him as well.  Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.  But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. - John 2:23-25 NIV

Jesus knew who he was, and he knew what people were.  He did not need any testimony.  The ones who received him became the sons of God.  The ones who did not receive him did not.

Luke 22-24: What Things?

What a time for the disciples.  Things they could not have imagined were happening faster than they could keep up with.  By now it has become obvious that the chief priests and teachers of the law are trying to find a way to get rid of Jesus.  The Passover is approaching, and they all gathered for the passover meal when Jesus told them that one of the twelve would betray him.  And in addition, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him before it is all over.  Things are going to change, Jesus tells them.

Then Jesus asked them, When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything? Nothing, they answered.
    He said to them, But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
    It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment.
    The disciples said, See, Lord, here are two swords. That is enough, he replied. - Luke 22:36-38 NIV

What?  Two swords will be enough?  What kind of fight is that going to be?  And so, fortified with only two swords to prevent Jesus from being taken, they go about as usual, following Jesus to the Mount of Olives where he like to pray.  Were the disciples so confident of Jesus' power that they immediately fell asleep, or were they just tired of all the drama?  It was only the beginning.  When Judas approached with the crowd who would take Jesus away, things began to move rapidly.  One of the two swords cuts off the servant of the high priest's ear which Jesus immediately heals.  'Am I leading a rebellion,' Jesus asks.  'With only two swords?'  But this is your hour— when darkness reigns.(Luke 22:53 NIV)

And the darkness reigned with a furious force through the trials, through the crowds yelling for his crucifixion, through the mocking of the soldiers as he hung on the cross and up until the time that Jesus cried, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46 NIV) and breathed his last breath.  What has just happened?

Then the strangest things start to happen.  His body disappears from the tomb.  The women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them say they have seen an angel who says Jesus has risen.  'What things?' Jesus asks the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  ' You seem so surprised.'  This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. - Luke 24:46-48 NIV

What things?  It is all as it was supposed to be and now the disciples are to be witnesses of all they have seen.


. 

Luke 20-21: Guard Your Heart

Jesus made it very clear that neither he nor his followers would ever be accepted by the mainstream.  The gospel would never trump the world of public opinion.  He illustrates this by the parable of the tenants where they beat all of the owner's servants and eventually killed the owners son when they were sent to reclaim what belonged to the master. Jesus summed the story up with a verse from Psalms 118 “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
   Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” - Luke 20:17-18 NIV

'It is never going to get any better on this earth,' he told his disciples.  “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
   “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life. - Luke 21:10-19 NIV

'Watch and pray', Jesus told them.  Not for the signs of the end of the age, the signs are going to be obvious in the last day.  Instead, he told them,  “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” - Luke 21:34-36 NIV

Be on the watch for your heart, he told them, Guard it.  Don't let it become preoccupied with the things of this world.  As Solomon said, Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.- (Prov. 4:23)  Guard your heart, so you will be able to stand.

Luke 17-19: Will He Find Faith?

Jesus knew the people, he knew their history, he knew their repeated unfaithfulness.  Jesus also had seen how the religious leaders puffed themselves up because of their righteous living.  Over and over again, Jesus was willing to heal anyone who knew their limitations, their sin, their blindness.

The faith Jesus was seeking was not the highly visible worship of the Scribes, Pharisees and religious leaders of his day.  It was not the faith of the rich, young ruler, who was not willing to give up his riches for the kingdom of God.  “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”.  - Luke 18: 24 NIV

Jesus was seeking those who would have faith like Zacchaeus, who the minute he encountered Jesus, realized that his life so far had been a sham, that all the material goods he had amassed, at the expense of the poor were worthless, and who vowed to repay all he had cheated.  Jesus did not come to save those who could save themselves.  As he told Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:9-10 NIV

As the persistent widow cried out to the judge for mercy, God will reward those who cry out to him.   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? 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?” - Luke 18:7-8 NIV

Jesus was looking for a simple faith, like that of a child.  He was looking for faith that ask for nothing but forgiveness, for a faith born out of need, not out of religious studies and tradition.  Will he find faith on the earth?

Luke 13-15: A Great Chasm

The same question has plagued mankind from creation on.  Should resources be spent on life's luxuries and feasting, knowing that there will be famine if times get tough, or should resources be stored up in in anticipation of a great banquet feast some day. Just as the prophets warned Israel that a day of reckoning was coming, Jesus warns his disciples that thinking that this earth is the 'be all and end all' will end in disastrous results.  He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
   “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
    “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
    “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
    “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” - Luke 13: 23-30:  NIV

Jesus makes it clear that anyone who fails to see this present life with the heavenly realm of God in view, is doomed. Jesus illustrates this with the parable of the Great Banquet, the lost coin, and is an underlying theme even in the story of the Prodigal son, where the youngest son squandered all of his inheritance in wild living while all of the father's wealth went to the one who had remained faithful.

In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man received his just reward, torment in hell, where he looked into heaven and saw the beggar Lazarus sitting at Abraham's side.  When he cried out to Abraham for mercy the response was ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’  - Luke 16:25-26 NIV

There is a great chasm between heaven and hell, and it is bridged by our decisions here on earth.  Where do we want to be first?  For some, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, while others will take their place at the feast in the kingdom of God.  The last will be first and the first will be last.

Luke 10-12: Hold on Lightly

When Jesus sent out the seventy-two he cautioned them to hold onto the things of this world lightly.
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.  - Luke 10:2-4 NIV

'You will not necessarily be well received,' he told them, but that was not to affect their actions. "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."  (Luke 10:16)  Jesus was asking his followers to be him in the world, to be the light, to let the Holy Spirit guild them.  They could face their accusers with boldness because they did not have to defend themselves on their own. "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." - Luke 12:11 NIV 

But none of this would be possible if they held on tightly to the things of the world.  The possessions and concerns of the world would rob them of what was most important.  "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  - Luke 12:15 NIV

And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. - Luke 12:29-31 NIV

There is only one way to go out into a dark and uncaring world.  It is to go, seeking the real kingdom, the kingdom of God.  To seek the healing and restoration that it provides.  The healed becoming the healers, the redeemed becoming the proclaimers of redemption.  In order to grasp the kingdom of God, you must hold on lightly to the things of this earth.

Luke 8-9: The Transfiguration

The disciples had been following Jesus for some time.  They had seen the mighty miracles that he performed and they were commissioned by Jesus. When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. - Luke 9:1 NIV

They had been given the power and authority to preach the kingdom of God, but they didn't realize exactly what that meant.  In Jesus' response to Peter's confession, that he was the Christ, Jesus promised that they would see the kingdom of God. ' I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:27 NIV

And sure enough, about eight days later, according to Luke, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up onto a mountain to pray.  While the three disciples were sleeping, Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:30-32)  When the disciples woke up, they saw the three men with Jesus and Peter's immediate response was to blurt out, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) (Luke 9:33)

He didn't know what he was saying.  His view of the kingdom of God was very limited.  He didn't yet see that the kingdom of God was Jesus and Jesus alone.  It was not Moses or Elijah or any of the other patriarchs, kings, judges, or prophets that preceded him.  Only Jesus could usher in the kingdom of God.  As Peter was speaking, something similar to what happened when Jesus was baptized occurred:  While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. - Luke 9:34-36 NIV

They may have missed Jesus' baptism, but they didn't miss this.  Now they have seen, they have heard.  They have glimpsed the kingdom of God.

Luke 6-7: Radical Response to a Fractured Society

Jerusalem in Jesus' time was a fractured society.  They were under Roman rule with a two tiered system of Roman rulers and Jewish governors.  Herod was king, his son Herod Antipas, the one who had John the Baptist beheaded, was a governor.  Not only was the ruling system fractured, but society was as well.  There were the wealthy aristocrats, nobles and priests called the Sadducees.  There were the idealist Pharisees, who would not compromise with the Romans and thought if they followed the letter of the law they would be pure.  There were the Zealots who advocated violence and rebellion to rid Israel of Roman oppression.  Finally, there were the Essenes who wanted nothing to do with any of it and withdrew into a monastic existence.  Add to this mix the other nationalities who had settled in Israel since the time of the kings, such as the Greeks, and you have a melting pot much like ours today.  And like today, there was much animosity between the various groups. 

That is why Jesus' message to them was so radical.  There was something in it to offend almost anyone in polite society.

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
 
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  - Luke 6:27-37 NIV
 
For the wealthy, he said they must give to everyone who asks; not only their cloak, but their tunic as well.  For the Pharisee's, the message was that they should not judge or condemn.  For the Zealots, the word was love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you.  And for those who would withdraw from the world, they were to love others, not just the ones that loved them.  With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Today, we would say, "What goes around, comes around."   Easy to say, but extremely difficult to put into practice.  That's why the gospel is just as radical today as it was in Jesus' time.

Luke 3-5: Ministry Begins with Temptation

Jesus began his ministry as the voice from heaven announced, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  (Luke 3:22 NIV)   If Joseph was his biological father, Jesus would have been able to trace his genealogy back to Adam and as Luke noted, he would have been a descendant of God's as we all are through Adam.  But Joseph was not his biological father, Jesus was the only son of God the Father. 

How does the son react on hearing that his Father, the creator of the universe, is pleased with him. God's only son chose to begin his ministry by confronting his very enemy, the devil, face-to-face.  When he became hungry, Satan tempted him with the idea of turning the desert stones into bread, to which Jesus replied, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone. (Luke 4:4).  As he was standing on a high place from which he could view all of the kingdoms of the world, he was offered authority over all of them.  Jesus rejected that authority.  "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only (Luke 4:8)  There is no other authority.  And finally, as Jesus stood in the highest point in the Temple in Jerusalem, Satan challenged him to throw himself down, to show that he would not be hurt, to which he replied,  "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test. (Luke 4:12)

After all of these tests, Jesus' ministry could begin.  He would not disappoint the Father.  He would not consider the daily cares of life that important:  what he should eat, what he should wear.  He knew God would provide. He would not yield authority to any other living person.  He would only serve God.  He would not consider himself invincible.  He knew the limits that had been placed on him when he came to earth as the Son of Man.  With that framework, with the right relationship to God established, he could begin his ministry. 

Luke 1-2: The Light Has Come

When God steps into human history, it is not an ordinary, every day event.  There is no way God's power and majesty can be masked.  It was manifest over and over again:  to Moses, with the burning bush and the parting of the Red Sea, to Joshua and the walls of Jericho, to the shepherd boy, David, to Elijah, to Ezekiel. And so it was with the events leading up to the birth of Christ.

The angel Gabriel was sent to Zechariah.  'Don't be afraid,' he told him.  You are going to have a son.  Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." - Luke 1:16-17 NIV  At this, Zechariah was incredulous and he was immediately unable to speak.  When he came out of the temple, everyone knew something life-changing had happened to him. 

A short time later, Gabriel appears to Mary with the same words.  'Don't be afraid.'  You are going to have a son.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." - Luke 1:32-33 NIV

As soon as Jesus was born, another angel appeared to shepherds tending their flocks in a nearby field.  'Don't be afraid,' the angel said.  'A child has been born.'  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." - Mark 2:11-12 NIV

Everything that had been told by the angels was confirmed when Jesus was presented at the temple when he was eight days old.  Simeon, who had been waiting all of his life for the consolation of Israel, and who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Christ took the baby Jesus in his arm and proclaimed:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel." - Luke 2:29-32 NIV

God has broken into history.  For those afraid of the dark, 'don't be afraid.'  The light has come.  Nothing will ever be the same.  The light has come.

Mark 15-16: Crucified, Rejected and Alone

There is not much more that can be said.  Jesus died a terrible death, not just because of the torturous nature of his crucifixion, but because of the burden of our sins that he took with him to the grave.  At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  - Mark 15:33-34 NIV

Most disciples and other followers, except for a few women, had forsaken him, and it looked as if God, his own Father had rejected him as well.

'Let this cup pass from me', he asked the Father. But that was not to be. There was no other way.  In John 14:6 Jesus told Thomas, the one who always doubted,  'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Even today, he is still being rejected, but the truth remains that the only means of access to the Father is through his death. 

Mark 13-14: Preparing for the End

When did Jesus' disciples realize that this was the end of life as they have known it for the past few years?  There were many signs, but they were either too blind to see or just didn't want to believe that it was happening.  Jesus told them first, that one day, there would be an end to all things, and at that time, men will see the Son of Man, coming in clouds with great power and glory.(Matt 13:36)

It will come suddenly, he told them,
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' " - Mark 13:35-37 NIV

Watch, he told his disciples.  They watched as the woman poured the alabaster jar of perfume on his head.  They watched as he broke bread and told them it was his body.  They watched as he offered them the cup and told them that it was his blood, which is poured out for many.  They watched as he told them that they would run away from what was going to take place.  They watched as he told Peter that he would deny him. 

By the time they got to the garden the disciples didn't have the stamina to watch any longer. So Jesus went further into the garden by himself, where he cried out to his father.  Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."  - Mark 14:37-38 NIV

In the end, they were all gone.  If they watched at all, it was from a distance.  It was only the beginning, but the disciples thought it was the end.

Mark 11-12: The Widow's Mite

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were always trying to trip Jesus up.  They thought they were smarter, more learned, than him, but over and over again, he proved them wrong.  Many times, his response was a single sentence.  'Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.'  'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'  But he always cut to the heart of the matter, as in the response he gave when one of the teachers asked him which of the commandments was the most important.
 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12: 19-31 NIV

He was not afraid to go face to face with those who wielded their religious power like a badge of honor and he was not afraid to cast dispersion on their thoughts and motives.  As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." - Mark 12:38-40 NIV

Then Jesus sat down to watch the crowds putting their offerings in the temple treasury.  He watched as the wealthy, with much show, gave their large amounts.  But the most heartfelt offering, the one unnoticed by everyone but Jesus, was the offering of the  poor widow who had nothing more than two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,  "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."  Mark 12:43-44 NIV

It's not difficult to give when one still has enough left over to make sure all of their needs are met.  It's another thing to give out of one's poverty, to give the last thing you have, to give out of true trust and faith.

Mark 9-10: Who is the Greatest?

Just because the disciples followed Jesus, it didn't mean that their hearts had been changed completely.  They have seen Jesus on the mountain with Moses and Elijah and heard God call out from a cloud that Jesus was His son. ' Listen to him,' God said, and Moses and Elijah were gone.  That should have told the disciples what the hierarchy was in God's kingdom, but the next thing you know, they find themselves arguing over who is going to be the greatest.  'If you want to be first', Jesus told them, 'you will have be be last.' 

'We've left everything to follow you,' Peter said to him.  "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." - Mark 10:29-30 NIV

Then Jesus started on his journey up to Jerusalem, leaving the disciples astonished and the people who were following afraid.  They were all apprehensive about what awaited Jesus there because of the anger he had aroused in the Pharisees and teachers of the law, so Jesus took the disciples aside to prepare them.  "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." - Mark 10:33-34 NIV

Even then, the disciples didn't get it.  The next thing you know, James and John are asking Jesus to sit at his right and left side in glory.  What did they think glory entailed?  Did they realize the price that Jesus was going to pay and the price they would be asked to pay as well?  Finally, so there is no confusion, Jesus spells it out for all of the disciples.  "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45 NIV

The greatest is the least.  The greatest is the servant.  The greatest is the one who will give his life.  Hold that up as a measuring line of fame and fortune.  The greatest is the one who gives his life.

Mark 7-8: Who do you say I am?

'Who do people say I am?' Jesus asked the disciples.  'Even more importantly, who do you say I am?  Do you say I am a magician, able to conjure up nourishment for the thousand?   Do you say I'm an exorcist able to cast out demon?  Do you say I am a faith healer, able to heal people with just a touch?  Do you say I'm John the Baptist reincarnated?  Or Elijah, or another of the prophets?   Who do you say I am?

It wasn't just, 'Who do you think I am?' but 'Who do you say I am?'  It is the question that has echoed down through the centuries.  'Who do you say I am?'  In this generation, with all of the competing forces, it becomes more critical that we confess like Peter, that Jesus is the Christ.

As Jesus said in how own words, "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 8:38

So, even today, the question remains.  'Who do you say I am?  As the Apostle Paul said, it isn't just a matter of believing, it's a matter of confession.   That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9 KJV

Mark 4-6: A Prophet Without Honor

Jesus kept telling his disciples, 'any one who has ears, let him hear.'  Not everyone is going to understand the message, he told them.  Not everyone wants to hear.  But for those who do hear, there is an obligation. 
 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." - Mark 4:24-25 NIV

After demonstrating to his disciples the power he received from God by healing the sick and demon possessed and by raising the dead, he went with the disciples to his home town where all of the townspeople looked down on him with derision because they knew his family and where he came from.  After all, he was just the carpenters son. Only in his own town is a prophet without honor, he told his disciples, then he sent them out.  These were his instructions: Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
 They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. - Mark 6:8-13 NIV

The disciples had the same power that Jesus did.  They had taken his word to heart and they knew that they had to give what had been given to them.  But they would also be like Jesus in that their lives would not be the comfortable status quo.  They would be the sowers of seed. They would go from town to town and often be ill received.  They too would be prophets without honor. 
 

Mark 1-3: The Lord of the Sabbath

There was never any doubt in Jesus' mind about what he was sent to do, and he would let nothing deter him from his mission, especially not recognition.  The religious leaders of that time may not have recognized him, but the common ordinary people did and the evil spirits did. 
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" - Mark 1:21-24 NIV

Jesus drove out many demons and wouldn't allow them to speak because they knew who he was. He healed many of the sick, but he always admonished them to not to tell anyone.  But, something miraculous had happened,  the people could not keep quiet, like the man who was healed of leprosy.  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. - Mark 1:45

All of this grated on the religious leaders.  They were constantly searching for a way to get rid of him, because he challenged their interpretation of the law with justice and mercy.  They were especially alert to any infraction of their Sabbath laws.  They watched in him the synagogue to see if he would heal on the Sabbath and they accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking the law when they picked some grain as they walked through a field on the Sabbath.  As usual, the Pharisees had it all wrong, as Jesus told them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27  NIV

Jesus did not let any of these stumbling blocks stand in his way:  not recognition, not adulation, not criticism.  He knew the authority he was given , he knew what he came to do, and he knew who he was.  He was Lord even of the Sabbath.