Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23:33-43

Scripture

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Observation

Jesus is nailed to the cross, between two criminals. He calls out “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

The crowd watches; the leaders mock. The leaders say that if Jesus is the Messiah He should save Himself. The Romans scoff at His claim to be King of the Jews. Even one of the crucified criminals mocks Jesus.

But there is faith in the picture. The other crucified man calls out to Jesus, “Remember me,” and Jesus replies, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Application

So many mockers and scoffers! Next Sunday many churches around the world will read this passage to celebrate “Christ the King.”

What a declaration this makes. Christ rejected by many of his own people, deserted by His closest friends, and now mocked by all except one wretched man nailed to a cross; this is the King!

What sort of Kingdom is this? What King is this?

Jesus is lifted high for the world to see, on a cross not a throne. God declares “This is my beloved Son! This is your King!”

And the whole world mocks Him.

Just one man has the eyes of faith to see reality.

Where am I In this story?

Am I a “disciple” huddling fearfully in a house somewhere?

Am I the religious leader looking for personal power and prestige, rejecting God in the process?

Am I part of the ruling elite, so focussed on maintaining the status quo that I could crucify the Son of God?

Am I the mocking criminal?

Or am I that other man, the one man of faith?

Jesus is the King rejected by every layer of society. He is the King who comes to power by laying everything down- even His own life.

This is our God.

Prayer

“Jesus remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Lord please open my eyes to see the reality rather than illusion; to see the world as you see it; to see myself as you see me.

Today I identify with the man of no repute, a condemned and dying criminal, worshipping a King who made Himself a man of no repute. But I see through the veil to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, laying down His life for the world and for me.

Thank you for the promise, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Amen

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+20:27-38

Scripture

“And the fact that the dead are raised, Moses himself showed in the story about the bush where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is the God not of the dead but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.”

Observation

Some Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection, come to Him with a far-fetched story about a man who dies, leaving his wife to his brother who also dies and passes her on to the next brother. The question then is whose wife is she in eternity?

Jesus responds that they do not have any idea about the resurrection. People in this age marry, but in the resurrection they will not because they have eternal life in the presence of God. Jesus then goes on to show that the resurrection is a scriptural idea as the living God described himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Application

Those who are sceptical of the gospel make fun of our hope of eternal life. Like the Sadducees, they extrapolate the present temporal world into the eternal realm, and make fun of their own assumptions.

The kingdom of God is not limited in time nor is it restricted by sickness and death. We shall be transformed, raised and equipped to live for ever in the presence of God.

There are many things we do not know about eternal life but we do know it is real. We know that there will be no more sadness and no more loss.

Whatever God has in store for us it will be good!

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your promise of eternal life. Amen.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+19.1-10

Scripture

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.”

Observation

Jesus enters Jericho, where a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of the Messiah. Jesus comes to the tree, looks up and calls Zacchaeus down, inviting himself to Zacchaues’ house.

Zacchaeus joyfully takes Jesus to his house, but the self-righteous people grumble at Jesus going to the house of a sinner. At the meal, Zacchaeus tells Jesus that he is going to give half his wealth to the poor and repay those whom he has cheated.

Jesus replies, “Salvation has come to this house today. The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Application

The issue of salvation confounds those who are religious. They cannot grasp the power of grace to transform sinners. As they don’t consider themselves to be sinners, they have no concept of grace.

Jesus wakes us up to His grace. Every sin, MY sins, even the darkest ones, are capable of being forgiven, repented and removed.

As we see His never ending grace to us, our hearts are changed, and those things that once gave us security, pleasure or power seem so undesirable in the light of His love. Sin stops being fun.

The tricky part is maintaining our awe of God’s grace and remembering where we came from so that we avoid that other awful sin- self-righteousness.

Prayer

Lord your grace is beyond my words. You continue to rescue sinners like me and to forgive sins like mine. Help me Lord to stay on the highway of humility, and free from all forms of self-righteousness that would blind me to grace. Amen.