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.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%s=Luke+18:9-14

Scripture

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Observation

Jesus tells a parable to confront some people who who are confident in their own righteousness.

In the parable, a Pharisee and a tax collector go to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee stands up to pray about himself. He thanks God that he is better than others, including the tax collector.

The tax collector stands at a distance and prays, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.”

It is the tax collector and not the Pharisee, Jesus concludes, who is justified before God. Everyone who boasts will be pulled down, but those who humble themselves will be lifted up.

Application

Pride is an insidious, creeping disease that poisons the spirit, creeping in at every unguarded weak point.

Even christians can become self-righteous and proud. It is ironic that our walk with Christ starts with a recognition that we are not good until God calls us good; that we are so lost in sin that we need a Saviour.

It is so easy, as we gain confidence in God’s grace, to think that we are somehow better than the people who have yet to find salvation.

Like the Pharisee in the parable, we look down on evil-doers and forget that is what we once were.

Prayer

Lord, who am I in this story? Please identify pride or self-righteousness in my heart, and grant me grace to truly repent. Amen.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17.5-10

Scripture

The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and thrown into the sea” and it would obey you.

Observation

The apostles ask Jesus to show them how to increase in faith. Jesus answered that just a mustard seed- sized faith would allow them to command a tree to be uprooted and it would be.

Jesus goes on to say that if a servant comes in from ploughing, the master doesn’t say, “Come in and have some dinner with me.” No, the master tells the servant to prepare a meal for him and the servant eats later. Likewise we should not feel proud when we obey God. We should tell ourselves, “We are just servants.”

Application

At first sight it seems that Jesus is offering some kind of super power called faith. Just a sprinkle of faith and you can perform miracles.

But He then puts faith into the context of obedience. Faith isn’t the ability to uproot trees at will or to leap tall buildings for that matter. It is about trusting in the power of God so that when He directs we speak or act in expectation of His miraculous power.

Spiritual gifts and miraculous power may be given for the service of God. They are never given for us to boost our self-esteem or to garner the praise of people.

Our focus must always be on serving the Lord, not on the gifts He chooses to grace us with.

Prayer

Lord you promise great gifts to all who use them humbly. Help me Lord to look to you so that I serve you in all things. Amen.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16.9-31

Scripture

“He said to them, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone returns from the dead.’”

Observation

Jesus tells a story of a rich man who lived in luxury every day. A beggar named Lazarus lived in misery at his gate.

Both the beggar and the rich man die. Lazarus is taken to heaven but the rich man goes to Hades to be tormented. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to him to cool his tongue with a drop of water. Abraham says that no one can cross from heaven to Hades.

The rich man then asks for Lazarus to be sent to warn his brothers. Abraham tells him that hey have the Law and the Prophets, and not even the testimony of a resurrected man will convince them.

Application

We often think that if only God would do something spectacular then people would have to believe. There have been testimonies from around the world of people being raised from the dead. These experiences affect the person who has been raised and their immediate family, but seem to make little difference to the wider circle of people around them.

The rich man in the story remained unconverted even after death. He still thought that he was in control and that Lazarus was no better than a slave who was there to meet his demands. It seems that even judgement and hell will leave some people unchanged.

If spectacular death experiences leave people unchanged, what will change them? What does it take to persuade people? The key to changing hearts is prayer together with the story of God’s Good News. Only this will soften hearts that are closed to God.

Prayer

Lord please show me who I should pray for and talk to about Jesus. Amen.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16.1-13

Scripture

“If you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”

Observation

Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest manager who is caught out misappropriating his master’s money. When confronted and required to give an account of himself, he makes his own provision. He calls in the master’s debtors and gets them to mark down the amount they owe.

The manager uses his position to gain favour with other potential employers. Jesus says that we are to act shrewdly for the kingdom, using all our physical resources to the purposes of the kingdom.

We need to be faithful with the little we have in order to be trusted with more.

Application

This passage trips up many christians because Jesus seems to be commending fraud and dishonesty. Jesus is pointing out that the people of the world use their cunning and creativity to advance their own interests. How much more should the children of God use their possessions to advance the kingdom.

People who do not know God- and many who do- allow money to become a false god which they look to for security or identity or as a goal in itself.

We have a choice between acquiring money for its own sake or serving God’s kingdom. If we are to live for the kingdom, even our possessions must be surrendered to God’s purposes.

Prayer

Father please help me to let go of my attachment to things and to trust you or all that I need. Amen.