Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9:51-62

Scripture

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Observation

Jesus sets His face towards Jerusalem. He sends messengers ahead to prepare the way, but one village refuses tor receive Him. His disciples ask Him if they should command fire to come down to destroy the village, but He rebukes them.

Jesus calls people to follow Him, but they have excuses. He make sit clear that following Him must come first.

Application

People have all sorts of excuses for refusing to follow Jesus. It might be family commitments or the ties of home. For some, following Jesus conflicts with their career aspirations.

Jesus is clear- He must come first.

This might seem harsh and “unloving.” Jesus gave everything for us. He laid down His life to rescue us from sin/

Should He not expect the same from us?

Everything for Jesus, all surrendered to Him. This is the only reasonable response.

Prayer

Jesus you gave up everything for me. Please help me to receive you in my heart and give myself entirely to you. Amen.

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7:36-8:3

Scripture

“She has been forgiven all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”

Observation

A Jewish religious leader invites Jesus to dinner. A local prostitute joins the party. She falls at Jesus’ feet, washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. She then takes an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and anoints His feet.

Simon thinks that Jesus cannot be a prophet to accept this worship from this woman.

Jesus tells a story of two men who could not repay their debts. The banker forgives these debts. Jesus asks Simon who would be the most thankful. Simon replies, “The one who owed the most.”

Jesus then rebukes Simon for not even doing the minimum for Jesus as a guest. In contrast the woman had poured out her heart and her tears in love for Jesus. Her extravagant worship was because she knew she had been forgiven much.

Jesus then tells her that her sins are forgiven.

Application

We all carry a huge burden of sin. Some of us are more aware of this burden than others.

Some try to cure it with religion. They try to prove to God that they really are good people and not awful sinners. Religion might make us feel better about ourselves but it doesn’t deal with the real problem.

Only the free grace and love of Jesus can set us free from our sin. We cannot pay the debt we owe God, so He forgives the debt.

When we realise that, then our hearts are overwhelmed with joy and adoration.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for forgiving me. You have taken that burden of guilt away. Amen.

 

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+7.11-17

Scripture

Fear seized all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favourably on his people!”

Observation

Jesus and His disciples go to Nain. As they approach the town, they encounter a funeral procession of a man who was the only son of a widow.

Jesus has compassion on her. He commands the young man to rise. The man sits up and begins to talk.

Everyone is moved by fear and they exclaim praise to God.

Application

The Lord has compassion on us, a far deeper compassion than we comprehend.

We may think that God is distant and too great to be moved by our suffering. This is not true! He feels for us.

God is not wanting anyone to suffer, This was not His plan for the world. Death, sickness, violence and poverty are the result of sin in the world and they deeply grieve the Lord.

God reaches out to us in our pain. If we hand it all over to Him, we will see Him act even in the midst of our hurt.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your compassion. Thank you that you are with me always even when I am not aware of it. Amen.

 

 

Reference: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+19.28-40

 

Scripture

As he was now approaching the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen.

 

Observation

Jesus heads towards Jerusalem. At the mount of Olives He sends two disciples to the village to fetch a colt. If they are challenged they are to simply say “The Lord has need of it.” They find it just as Jesus had said.

 

They bring the colt to Jesus and He sits on it. The crowd spread their cloaks on the road and the disciples start to praise God aloud.

 

The Pharisees tell Jesus to order the disciples to stop, but He says if they are silent the stones would shout out.

 

Application

The “multitude of the disciples” praise God for the “deeds of power that they had seen”

 

A multitude of disciples praising God. Not just a few of the close associates, but a multitude of disciples, a crowd.

 

In our increasingly secular and anti-christian culture, we can feel isolated at times. But we are a part of a multitude, a growing crowd of followers of Jesus who have seen His deeds of power and rejoice in Him.

 

Do not be afraid to publicly proclaim His praise.

 

Prayer

Lord I thank you for the deeds of power you have worked in my life. Help me to praise you in all that I do and to lift high the name of Jesus everywhere I go. Amen.

 

 

Reference: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+15%3A11-32

Scripture

“But we had to celebrate and rejoice because this brother of your was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

Observation

The parable of the Prodigal Son is so familiar to us that even people who don’t know the Bible at all well know the story.

The younger of two sons goes away with his share of the father’s property. He spends it all on indulgent living and eventually returns home thinking to hire himself as a servant.

The father runs to meet him, overwhelmed with joy at his return. He orders a feast to be prepared to celebrate.

The older brother is angry at this celebration. He is slighted by the fact that he has, in his opinion, slaved away and never been rewarded.

Application

God’s love is immense, unmeasurable and unfathomable. Anyone who wants to can come to Him, be forgiven and welcomed back to the family. No sin is so big that it cannot be forgiven when we repent.

If God’s love is so big and unlimited, we, his children, need to be people of big hearts. Too often christians can be like the older brother- too focussed on working for God to be able to rejoice at the salvation of a sinner. We need to remember always that we are sinners saved by grace.

Prayer

Lord help me to be as gracious to prodigals as you are. Amen.

Scripture

“No, I tell you: unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”

Observation

Some people tell Jesus about some Galileans whom Pilate has had killed. Jesus asks them, “Do you think that they were worse sinners than anyone else? Unless you repent you will all perish as they did.”

Jesus tells a parable of a man who had a fig tree that refused to bear fruit. He tells the gardener to cut it down. The gardener asks him to give the tree another year in which he will fertilise it. If it doesn’t bear fruit then he will cut it down.

Application

Part of our sinful nature is that we try to minimise our sin by comparing ourselves favourably with other people. I might sin, but at least I don’t do that terrible thing. When others suffer it must be because they did something awful to deserve it.

We can assume that just because we aren’t judged or punished now, then we can’t be too bad. The fig tree got another chance, but its fate was not guaranteed. The time of reckoning will come.

While offering us another chance, God makes it clear that there is not an infinite number of chances.

The only remedy for sin is to take it seriously and trust in the forgiveness that God offers us in Christ. We are then in a position to be able to receive His ongoing work of sanctification which makes us more like Him.

Prayer

Father forgive me for judging others as more sinful than me. Help me to be honest with you about the state of my soul. Thank you that Jesus died for my sin. Amen.

Scripture

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Observation

Some Pharisees come to Jesus with a warning that Herod wants to kill Him. Jesus tells them to tell “that fox” that He is curing people and working miracles until the third day when His work is done. He must go to Jerusalem because it is there that prophets are killed.

Jesus laments over Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets sent to it. He longs to gather her children together, but they will not see Him until the time is right.

Application

Jesus was very aware that His mission was to die in order to be the sacrifice for our redemption.

He resolutely walked onwards to Jerusalem, not flinching from His purpose.

As christians, we need to be certain of God’s purpose for our lives. He tells us that we must die to ourselves, allowing Him to live in us and through us.

Prayer

Lord I confess my selfish ambition to you. It is not easy to die to my own desires. Please help me to live for you and you alone. Amen.

Scripture

“Truly no prophet is accepted in his home town.”

Observation

In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah and then announces that this Scripture has been fulfilled. The people are amazed at His words.

Jesus then goes on to say that they will want to see a sign like the miracles He performed in Capernaum. He says that no prophet is accepted in his home town and gives examples from scripture where it was Gentiles who were healed not Israelites.

This infuriates the people, and they drive Him to the top of a hill to throw Him over the cliff. But Jesus just passes though them and continues on His way.

Application

The reaction of the people in Jesus’ home town seems extreme. From approval they move quickly to deadly rage. I believe that this must have had some kind of demonic origin in order to stir up such rage.

Part of the problem is that Jesus did not fit into the box of their expectations of the Messiah. They wanted miracles on demand, but He refused to play their game.

God never fits into our expectations. We want Him safely locked into a box to be pulled out when required. But God is bigger than our boxes, and His plans are more comprehensive than we can imagine.

Prayer

Lord please help me to pull back from putting demands and limitations on you. Amen.