Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14

And He said this parable to the ones who were convinced within themselves that they are righteous while also despising others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray – one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector.  After standing, the Pharisee was praying these things. ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, unrighteous ones, adulterers, or even as this tax-collector.  I fast twice between Sabbaths.  I tithe on everything – as much as I possess.’  And the tax-collector, having stood far off, was not even desiring to lift up an eye to heaven.  But he was beating his breast while saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’  I say to you all, this one came down into his house having been justified more than the other.  For everyone who exalts Himself will be humbled.  But the one who humbles Himself will be lifted up.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Again, let’s make sure that we note the context of this parable.  Jesus is teaching this to a specific group of people.  He is teaching this to the group of people who believe that they are righteous yet still find it within themselves to look down on others.  This is really easy to do.  In fact, I daresay that every single one of us has people in their life about whom we think we are better than them.  Maybe we’re smarter.  Maybe we dress better.  Maybe we eat better.  Maybe we drive a better car, or even drive it better.  Maybe we are older.  Maybe we are younger.  Maybe we are more wealthy.  Maybe we’re less wealthy but better at how we use money.  I can keep going.  But the reality is that each of us has categories of people that we really believe that we are better than them.  It is that very attitude that Jesus is attacking in this parable.

Who do you think you are better than?  Why do you think human beings have an easy time finding people about whom we think we are better?

Second Thought:

If we compare the two men, there are some really obvious comparisons.  The Pharisee stands before God able to list all of his great attributes.  He makes a case for his greatness.  In fact, he misses the point completely.  None of us are righteous.  Not even one of us.  If we stand before God and explain to Him why we are better than others, we miss the boat entirely.  Even on our best day, we are not worthy.  The tax collector, on the other hand, gives a short humble prayer.  He doesn’t even deign to approach the altar very closely!  He acknowledges that he is a sinner and asks for mercy.  He has it figured out.  He knows that he is a sinner.  He knows that everything depends upon God’s mercy and his grace.  If we are to be received by Him, we will be received because He forgives us, not because we deserve it.

When you relate to God, do you spend time justifying yourself?  How does humble contrition show itself in your prayer life?  How does humble contrition show itself in your life to which others have access?

Third Thought:

Which man goes home justified?  The one who was humble, that’s who.  This is why it is important not to judge other people with respect to salvation.  If we looked only at the outside, we no doubt would thin the Pharisee a more righteous person, living out God’s Law better and being in a closer relationship with God.  But Jesus tells us that reality is not how it appears.  In truth, when it comes to the matters of the heart, the tax collector had it right.  He might not have been perfect in application, but his heart knew truth.  That’s what is important.  If we seek to make ourselves exalted, we show fundamentally that we just aren’t walking as closely with the Father as we think we are because we’ve messed up this most fundamental lesson.

Do you exalt yourself?  Do you desire to be the center of attention?  Do you desire to be seen by others as being better?  How can the pursuit of these ideals actually lead us away from a truly godly understanding of our position and situation?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 18:15-17

Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8

And He was speaking a parable to them regarding that it is necessary for them to pray at all times and to not become weary, saying, “Some judge, not being a God-fearer and having no reverence for mankind, was in a certain city.  And a widow was in the same city.  And she was coming to him, saying, ‘Vindicate me from my adversary!’  And he was not desiring at that time.  But after these things he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor show reverence to mankind, it is no doubt that the labor of this woman troubles me.  I will vindicate her in order that in coming she should not beat me down to an end.’”  And the lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  And should God surely not make a vengeance of His elect who cry to Him day and night?  And is He patiently enduring them?  I say to you that He will make their vengeance quickly.  Nevertheless, after the Son of Man comes will He find faith upon the earth?”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s make sure that we understand the context of Jesus’ teaching here.  Jesus goes out of His way to make sure that people understand that the judge in this story is neither God-fearing nor one who shows respect to the people around him.  That’s quite important to this story.  The parable is about dealing with a person who doesn’t really care about the community around them.  The judge isn’t even following the Law with respect to looking out for orphans and widows!  This judge is clearly a man who is living his life the way he wants to live it without caring about the people around him.  And how does this widow act?  The widow comes and makes a pest of herself.  She puts her issue in front of him continually, wearing him down.  How do we deal with people who don’t care about our situation because they aren’t obedient to their calling from God?  We don’t have very many options besides making ourselves a pest so that they resolve our issue and we can move on with our life!

Have you ever had to deal with people who were in control of a situation but didn’t really seem to care?  How did you handle it?

Second Thought:

Understanding that portion, now we move on to the Father.  The point Jesus makes is that if we can convince people who don’t care about us to help our need, then we absolutely can count on being able to get the Father to listen!  If we know how to be a pest with respect to people who don’t care, we should know how to approach the Father.  He is patient with us as we come to Him and tell Him our needs and our concerns.  We should not neglect our ability to come to a Father who genuinely cares, especially when we can be so good about dealing with people who aren’t compassionate towards our needs.

How do you bring your concerns to the Father?  Is this a habit in your life, or do you only talk to the Father about your needs when they are pressing?

Third Thought:

I wanted to make sure that I saved some space for this very haunting question that Jesus asks at the end of this passage.  When He returns, will He find faith on Earth?  I believe what Jesus is hinting at is that is that human beings tend to fall away from God in faith.  Human society likewise tends to fall away.  We start of great.  We start off loyal and faithful.  But as time goes on, we become more focused on our own ways and our own needs.  The same is true for society as well.  As time goes on, we become more and more focused on our desires as a society and less focused on God and His ways.

Do you feel this tendency with you?  Do you see this tendency within the society around you?  Why do you think Jesus makes this comment?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 18:9-14

Luke 17:31-35

Luke 17:31-35

In that day, whoever will be on the housetop and the vessels in his house, do not let him come down and take them up.  And the one in the field, do not let him turn into the space behind him.  Remember the woman of Lot.  Whoever should seek to preserve his soul will destroy it.  And whoever will destroy it will bring it forth alive.  I say to you, two will be upon one bed this night, one will be received and the other will be forgotten.  Two will be grinding upon the same stone, one will be received and the other will be forgotten.”  Answering, they say to Him, “Where, Lord?”  And He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the vultures will gather.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As Jesus continues to speak about the kingdom in vague terms, he gives us some more warnings.  First, we hear the warning to the person on the housetop to not go and gather his things.  This warning is very simple, but it is profound within us.  We should not be focused on our material possessions.  That doesn’t mean it is wrong to have things.  What it means is that we should know our priorities when we do have things.  No material possession is worth more than our pursuit of the kingdom.  If we stop our pursuit of the kingdom because we want our stuff, we are showing our character.  The pursuit of the kingdom should be our priority.  The stuff around us should help us achieve that goal, not be the goal itself.

How do you feel about the stuff around you?  When you look at your life, what is your priorities?  How do you know?  Does your life-lived-out accurately reflect the priorities that you think you have?

Second Thought:

The second sets of warnings speak about looking back.  We have the example of Lot’s wife and we have the example of the person in the field.  It is possible to make this about possessions as I did the examples in the first thought.  However, I’m not convinced that Jesus is talking to the same point.  I think Jesus is trying to teach us about orientation.  Human beings love to live in the past.  We like to think back to the glory days, when we think we felt secure.  When Lot’s wife looked back, she was doubting her decision to go forward.  When the man in the field looks back, he is afraid of leaving his past to go forward in life.  I believe what Jesus is saying is that a mindset of pursuing the kingdom is actually all about looking ahead and determining where God is at work.  When we look into the past and try to reclaim it, we are no longer looking at where God is at work; rather, we are looking back to our own moments of glory.

Do you like to live in the past?  What is warm and comforting about the past?  Do you enjoy living for the future?  What can be scary about the future?

Third Thought:

Finally, we have the scary stories about the people in bed or the people grinding upon the same stone.  One is taken, the other is left.  What is Jesus saying here?  Jesus is reminding us that the kingdom of heaven is not something that can be attained by any means other than the internal.  We won’t see the kingdom of heaven because we married a spiritual spouse or had spiritual parents.  We won’t see the kingdom of heaven because we work beside righteous people or even copy the actions of righteous people!  We will see the kingdom of heaven when we orient ourselves to God.  We will see the kingdom of heaven when we humble ourselves, cast aside our own selfish aspirations, and adopt the will and ways of God.  The kingdom of God is about who we are inside, not where we are or with whom we associate.

When you look within, what do you see?  Do you enjoying looking within and evaluating?  Why is this an important process?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 18:1-8

Luke 17:25-30

Luke 17:25-30

But it is first necessary for Him to suffer much and to be rejection by this generation.  And just as it became in the days of Noah, in this manner it will also be in the day of the Son of Man.  They were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage until that day when Noah entered into the ark.  And the flood came and it destroyed all.  Similarly, just as it became in the days of Lot – they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building – but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone and it destroyed all.  According to this same thing, it will be in the day the Son of Man is being revealed.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

When asked about the coming of the kingdom of heaven, notice that Jesus can’t help but introduce the idea of the suffering of the Son of Man.  There is a really simple reason.  The coming of the Son of Man is rooting in the suffering of the Son of Man.  Jesus suffers so that we can be in relationship with the Father.  If the Son of Man came without suffering, it would be a lonely coming because we would still reside in judgment and not forgiveness!  The Son of Man must suffer first so that we can see His coming as a good thing in the context of relationship with the Father.

How do you feel whenever you are forced to face the suffering of Jesus?  Why is it important to have both sides of the spectrum: guilt/sorrow contrasted with relief/joy?

Second Thought:

Jesus compares His day to the time of Noah.  Notice His main point.  The people were clueless.  They were wrapped up in their own lives and not paying attention to what God was doing around them.  The same was largely true of Jesus’ day.  Most people did not take notice of Him when He was alive.  People are more interested in food, drink, and even starting their family than Jesus!  I can’t help but wonder if there has ever been a time in human history where this isn’t true.  Of course, we should also remember that they all perished when the flood came.  Not prioritizing God at the top of our life does have consequences.

What is your priority in life?  Where does God fit into your life?  How do you live it out?

Third Thought:

We also have the example of Sodom.  Interestingly enough, what is it that Jesus says about Sodom?  We see that they are interested in eating and drinking as well.  It’s hard to imagine life when eating and drinking aren’t a large part of life.  However, do you notice the economic part of what Jesus was saying?  They are interested in acquiring possessions and selling things to make money more than they are interested in God.  They are also interested in growing the human culture: planting and building.  They are interesting in exerting their human dominance over the world around them.  They want their city to sprawl more than they want to spread the ways of God.  Again, remember that Sodom was also destroyed.  Again, there are consequences.

Do you see any correlation between the things that Jesus lifts up about Sodom and the human world around you?  How do you make sure that you are focused on God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:31-35

Luke 17:20-24

Luke 17:20-24

And after being asked by the Pharisee when the kingdom of God comes, He answered him and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation.  Neither will they say, ‘Behold!  Here it is!’ or ‘There!  Behold!’  For the kingdom of God is within you all.”  And He said to the disciples, “Days will come when you will desire to see one day of the Son of Man.  And you will not see it.  And they will say to you, ‘Behold, there it is!  Behold, here it is!’  You should neither depart nor follow after them.  But as lightning that lights, shining out of that which is under heaven into that which is also under heaven, in the same manner the Son of Man will be in His day.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus gives us a really formidable teaching as this passage opens.  The kingdom of God does not come with observation.  What Jesus is saying is that the kingdom of God is not something that we will be able to see.  It’s not like Rome advancing upon Jerusalem.  Or to give a more modern context, it’s not like American westward expansion bringing western culture to the country.  However, if we think about it, this is often what people believe!  We wait for the kingdom of God to come.  We wait for God to overthrow our surroundings and create something new.  But that isn’t what Jesus is saying here!  In fact, if we go back to Jesus’ first message, we see that we have a consistent message.  What is it that Jesus says after His own baptism?  He says, “The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”  In other words, the kingdom of heaven is already come!  We don’t need to wait for God to do more, He’s already at work!

When you think about the kingdom of heaven, what do you think?  Do you think of the kingdom of heaven as already being in your midst?

Second Thought:

What, then, is the kingdom of God?  Jesus answers this Himself.  The kingdom of God is within us.  When we are looking for the kingdom of God, we should look within.  What does God do within us?  We can love.  We can be in genuine relationship.  We can be gracious when the world around us is self-centered.  We can be kind when the world is self-serving.  We can be humble when the world is arrogant.  We can be generous when the world is greedy.  We can be forgiving when the world holds onto anger and grudges.  In other words, when we act in a godly way that is contrary to how the world would act, we are showing that the kingdom of heaven is already in our midst.

Where have you witnessed the kingdom of heaven in your life?  Where have you been able to reveal the kingdom of heaven within you?

Third Thought:

Jesus continues.  He warns us against following people who make predictions about seeing the kingdom of heaven coming.  Naturally, if the kingdom of heaven is something that is within each of us, we should immediately know that anyone who says that they see a tangible kingdom of God coming isn’t seeing things from a godly perspective.  In fact, Jesus says that in actuality we won’t see anything.  Who among us can see lightning coming?  No, we see lightning after it has already arced from one side of the sky into another side of the sky.  We see it after the fact.  The kingdom is something we see after it happens.  Again, this should really make sense.  If the kingdom of heaven is within us, we will see it in action, no be able to predict how we will put it into action.  However, this message also applies with respect to Jesus’ return.  Again, how will we predict His coming?  Do any of us know the mind of God?  No!  We will see it when it happens.  We might know it is drawing close, but just as we can never say where lightning will appear we’ll never guess exactly when He will return.

Have you ever heard people make predictions about the coming of Christ?  How does this passage speak to their refutation?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:25-30

Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

And He went out in His departure into Jerusalem and He was passing through in the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  And entering some town, ten leprous men met Him.  They stood from afar.  And they took up a voice, saying, “Master Jesus, have mercy upon us.”  And after looking, He said to them, “After departing, show yourselves to the priests.  And it became – in their departure – they were being cleansed.  And one out of them, seeing that he was being healed, returned with a great voice glorifying God.  And he fell upon his face near His feet while giving thanks to Him.  And he was a Samaritan.  Answering, Jesus said, “Were not ten being cleansed?  Where are the nine?  Were they not being found after returning to give glory to God except for this foreigner?”  And He said to Him, “After getting up, leave.  Your faith has saved you.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s look at this passage through a very social angle.  Ten lepers are there, and they call to Jesus from afar.  They don’t want to contaminate Him or His disciples.  They know the rules.  Lepers were commanded to stay in colonies apart from the rest of the world.  However, I think that this lifestyle infected them in more ways than the leprosy.  After they are healed, they still don’t seek community from Jesus.  They kept their distance from Jesus when they were sick, why wouldn’t they keep their distance when they were healed?  There is a lesson in here.  When we intentionally keep our distance, we may find ourselves hurting our ability to make meaningful relationship as well.  Relationship is made through contact and shared life together.

Where do you have relationship?  Where are you more like the lepers, standing from afar and unwilling to join in community?

Second Thought:

Now, let’s look at this from a legal perspective.  Notice that Jesus supports the Law.  He commands them to go to the priests and give evidence of their healing.  That is what the Hebrew Law indicated them to do.  The lepers go away and presumably do so.  But that’s part of the problem.  When we are so focused on the Law that we can’t see past it, we consider the task done and move on.  These lepers were healed.  They went to the priest.  They obeyed the letter of the Law.  Feeling that they had done what was required of them, they went home and back to the lives they had abandoned.  In their obedience to the letter of the Law, they lost obedience to the spirit of the Law.  They didn’t come and give glory to God.  They didn’t praise His name.  They obeyed for obedience sake and missed out on meaningful relationship with Jesus.

When do you obey for the right reasons?  When do you obey just for the sake of having to be obedient?  What’s really the difference between genuine obedience and obedience for the sake of obedience?

Third Thought:

Finally, let’s look at this story from a heritage angle.  The Jews, who should be in relationship with God, obediently went to the priest and left it at that.  The Samaritan, whose relationship with God is in doubt from a lineage perspective, comes back and praises God while falling at the feet of Jesus.  What does this prove?  Heritage doesn’t mean much when compared to the spirit.  Lineage doesn’t mean much when compared to the spirit.  We can be from a good and blessed line, but if we aren’t interested in a relationship with the Father our blessed line really doesn’t count.  God desires relationship with us, not a genealogy.  Anyone who desires relationship with God can find.  Foreigners and strangers and people that we might judge to be outside God’s circle have every right –probably more, even - to relationship with God as those who think to justify themselves with their lineage, heritage, and upbringing.  As Jesus tells us elsewhere, it is not our appearance, our outward evidence, that makes us righteous.  What makes us righteous is Christ, and the internal influence He brings to our life.

Are you surprised to find that it is the foreigner who acts righteously in this passage?  Why do you think the Jews who were healed were able to so easily slip back into their life without even a hint at glorifying God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:20-24

Luke 17:7-10

Luke 17:7-10

“And who out of you all, having a slave plowing or feeding the animals, after coming out of the field, will say to him, ‘Immediately come recline at the table after coming in?’  Rather, will he not say to him, ‘Make dinner ready, and after dressing yourself serve me until I should eat and drink.  And after this you will eat and drink?’  Does he have grace for the slave because he did the things that he was being commanded to do?  In this manner also yourselves, whenever you should do all that was being commanded to you, say that ‘We are useless slaves.  We have done that which we ought to do.’”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus uses a story to drive home his point.  If you are paying someone to do a job for you, do you invite them to spent their time in luxury with you instead of work?  Of course not!  If I hire a contractor to work on my house, I don’t want him sitting down with me for coffee while I’m paying him!  If I hire a teenager to mow my lawn over the summer, I don’t want to pay him for sitting in the shade getting nothing done!  When we have people in our employ, we expect a reasonable outcome of work in exchange.

Do you agree with this principle?  Do you think it is reasonable to expect a fair amount of work in exchange for a fair amount of pay?

Second Thought:

Next, Jesus brings in the concept of grace.  When we do what we are told, do we deserve grace?  My wife and I share a common idea with this respect when it comes to teaching.  We have students all the time come in and say, “We did our homework last night, you should be proud!”  No.  A student who does their homework is just doing what is expected of them.  If you want me as a teacher to be proud, do your homework with care, showing pride in your work, and be ready to demonstrate mastery over the topic.  Merely accomplishing the task doesn’t qualify for grace!  To put this in terms of business, imagine arriving to your work and declaring to your boss, “I showed up today, aren’t you proud?”  Of course you wouldn’t do that.  Your boss expects you to show up and do your job.  Merely showing up isn’t worthy of extra grace.

Do you ever expect grace for merely doing what is expected?  Why do we always seek grace, even when we truly haven’t done anything but meet expectations?

Third Thought:

What is Jesus getting at here?  We need to have perspective.  We are called to follow Him.  We are called to obey His Law.  We are called to help other people find Him.  Those are the expectations!  That’s the standard.  When I do those things, I am not earning the grace of God’s salvation.  No, salvation is a free gift.  We get grace because He loves us, not because we earn it.  Had God not been gracious first, we would never be able to earn all that we have at His hand.  Our perspective should not be that we are getting our reward for obedience.  Our perspective should be gratitude for receiving more than is truly our due.

Do you ever think about God and assume His grace rather than be grateful for it?  Why do we tend to focus on our actions and our reward rather than see life as God’s grace?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:1-6

Luke 17:1-6

And He said to His disciples, “It is impossible for places of stumbling to not come, and woe through whom they do come!  It is better for him if a millstone is hung about his neck and he has been cast down into the sea lest he should make one of these little ones to stumble!  Watch yourselves!  If your brother should sin, rebuke him.  And if he should repent, forgive him.  And if he should sin into you seven times in a day, and seven times he should turn to you while saying, ‘I repent,’ you will forgive him.”  And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  And the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you were saying to the mulberry tree, ‘Uproot and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it obeyed you.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus tells his disciples a very deep truth.  It is impossible for stumbling to not come.  In other words, sin will cross our threshold.  We can try to not sin.  We can aspire to live according to God’s Law.  We can seek after God’s own heart.  But sin and temptation will come across our path.  We are fallen human beings living in a fallen world.  If we think that we can avoid sin by building walls and shutting out the world, we lie and deceive ourselves.  What we should do is prepare ourselves to resist the sin and come up for a recovery plan should we succumb.  That will be far more fruitful than building walls in a foolish attempt to keep sin at bay – as if we could even do that.

Why can we not build enough walls to keep sin out?  Why does sin and temptation always come calling?

Second Thought:

Since sin and temptation is so close at hand, it is important that we learn how to forgive.  Since sin is so prevalent in all that we do, we need to learn to be masters at forgiveness.  Jesus tells us that if someone – even a brother in the faith – sins against us seven times and asks to be forgiven each time, we will forgive them!  This is unthinkable, really, but it should be our identity.  Usually we get tired of forgiving people and we learn to not trust people who sin against us repeatedly.  But those who continue to ask for forgiveness – those who acknowledge their sinfulness before others and ask to be forgiven – are to be forgiven unquestionably.

Do you forgive easily?  Do you forgive the repeated failings of others easily?  What makes it easier to forgive repeated offense?  What can make it hard to forgive?

Third Thought:

In response to this, the disciples say an incredible thing.  They ask to have their faith increased.  Stop for a second and make sure that you let this sink in.  The disciples haven’t asked for more faith when Jesus healed someone.  They didn’t ask for more faith when he created food for thousands of people.  What compels them to ask for more faith?  The idea that they have to be forgiving!  This should tell us something about the human condition compared to the divine condition.  Human beings need help forgiving.  We need a lot of help if we are forgiving a lot.  If we really want to be like god in His ability to forgive, we need to rely upon God to grant us more faith.  Nothing is as difficult as being a person who forgives and forgives again.

Would you say that the biggest stress on faith is having to forgive?  Are you surprised that the disciples pick this moment in Jesus’ ministry to ask for faith?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:7-10

Luke 16:27-31

Luke 16:27-31

“And he said, ‘Therefore I beseech you, father, that you should send him into my father’s house.  For I have five brothers – oh, how he should witness to them – in order that they should not also come into this place of torment.’  But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.  Let them listen to them.’  But he said to them, ‘No, Father Abraham!  Rather, if someone from the dead should go to them, they will repent!’  And he said to them, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be faithful if someone out of the dead should rise up.’”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Now, after the rich man is told the complete and utter truth, do we get a glimpse of selflessness.  The rich man now cares about His brothers.  He cares that they don’t end up with the same fate as he has received.  But here is an interesting point.  We shouldn’t give the rich man too much credit.  Notice that he only cares about his family?  He isn’t caring for the poor.  He isn’t caring for the orphaned.  He just cares about his brothers.  He still looks at Lazarus as a servant.  He sees Lazarus as someone deserving of labor.  Do you notice that he doesn’t ask to seek out his brothers himself?  Yes, the rich man does show us that he can care about the fate of others.  However, we might ask why.

Why do you think that the rich man asks for Lazarus to go to his brothers?  What’s really motivating him to not have his brothers share his fate?  Are you surprised to realize that the rich man still sees Lazarus as a servant and someone to do his bidding, even given their lot after death?

Second Thought:

Abraham responds with a really neat thought here.  He won’t send Lazarus back.  We’ll get to the effects of this thought in the paragraph below.  For this paragraph, let’s stay focused on what Abraham does say.  People have the Law (Moses) and the prophets.  We all have access to that which should point us to Christ.  We can read about our human sinfulness.  We can read about our fallen nature.  We can read about how a sacrifice for our sinfulness is necessary.  We can read about the contrast between God’s righteousness and our own.  But while we can read all of these things, we don’t necessarily have to believe them.  We don’t have to listen to the lessons.  We don’t have to reflect on what God’s Word says.  Furthermore, if we don’t listen and reflect, why on earth would we ever believe anything that anyone says about them?

How do you use God’s Word to understand yourself and Christ?  How does God’s Word influence your life?  Are there places in your life where you are hesitant to let God’s Word speak to you?

Third Thought:

Jesus does a really cool thing at the very end of this passage.  Jesus flat out says that if you don’t believe the Word of God, you won’t believe someone coming back from the dead.  Do you hear what He is doing here?  He is setting up His own future!  Jesus will come back from the dead.  He will rise up as a witness.  But will people believe?  No, of course not.  All those who believe believed before He died.  All those who rejected Him before He died will find a way to reject His resurrection, too.  We’d like to think that we can be changed by huge dramatic supernatural events.  The reality is that it is not the huge supernatural events that change us.  We find ways to justify our thoughts about the huge supernatural moments.  What changes us are the small daily efforts of faith and belief.

Do you believe?  Is God’s Word enough for you?  That being said, if God’s Word is enough for you, what does Jesus’ resurrection really add?  How have you come into your faith?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 17:1-4

Luke 16:24-26

Luke 16:24-26

“And calling to him, he said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me and send Lazarus in order that he should dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am being tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, ‘Little child, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise received the bad things.  But now in this place he is being comforted and you are being tormented.  Even more, in all this place a great chasm has been established between us and you – that the ones who desire to pass over from here to you should not be powerful enough to do so.  Neither should the ones there pass over to us.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

If we look at the rich man’s words at the beginning of this passage, we truly find out why he is where he is.  He only thinks about himself and his own needs.  There is no thought of sacrificial giving.  There is no thought of generosity.  All he can do is to think about his torment and the flames that have put him in torment.  God doesn’t call us to consider only our own needs.  He has called us to imitate His Son, who came and put the needs of the Father and others before His own.

Do you live sacrificially?  Where are you giving of yourself?  Where do you hesitate to give because you are too focused on your own needs?

Second Thought:

In the story, Abraham gives the rich man a haunting lesson.  The rich man is being tormented because he got all of his blessing in this life.  Just to prove his point, Abraham tells him that Lazarus is being blessed because he didn’t receive much blessing in life.  Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that we should seek to live a cursed life now as proof of our salvation.  If I make myself miserable, why would God honor that?  However, what this is saying is that we need to be careful where we put our treasure.  We need to consider treasure extended to us in the life to come of far greater worth than treasure in this life.  In this life, we simply need to receive God’s provision to sustain our life.  Our reward will come in a far greater time, when it can no longer be wrestled out of our hands by this world or even by death.

Where is your treasure?  Do you long to live an easy life now?  Do you long to live a life of luxury now?  If so, what does your heart say to you about how much you might be like the rich man in this story?  How do you learn to depend upon God’s provision while looking forward to His reward in the life to come?

Third Thought:

Finally, look at Abraham’s description of the chasm.  A great chasm has been established so that the people on either side are not powerful enough to get to the other side.  We will be unable to go and comfort those who chose worldly treasure.  People who chose worldly treasure will not be able to cross over from torment into eternal peace.  It is a simple teaching, but it is an important one to remember.  Our time to decide is now.  Our place for choosing eternal or temporary peace in life is now.  Once we die, Jesus is telling us that our decision will be made.

How do you live in demonstration of your choice in this regard?  Can the people around you see your choice to choose eternal treasure over worldly treasure?  Why do you think God has placed a chasm so that we cannot alter our choice after our death?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 16:27-31

Luke 16:19-23

Luke 16:19-23

“And some man was rich.  And he was wearing purple cloth and was wearing fine linen while rejoicing according to his days of magnificent living.  And some poor man named Lazarus had been cast out near his gate, having been found full of sores and desiring to be full of that which fell down from the tables of the rich.  But instead, after dogs came near they were licking his sores.  And it became that the poor man died and he was being carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham.  And the rich man died and was buried.  And after lifting up his eyes in Hades, after beginning in torment, he saw Abraham from far off and Lazarus in his bosom.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

There are some clear contrasts in this parable that we should make sure to notice before we get into the parable proper.  First of all, we have a rich man and a poor man.  Why is this important?  Think about it.  If you see a wealthy man who can invite you into His opulent lifestyle or a poor man covered with sores who is only going to have food if he begs, with whom are you likely to want to hang around?  Jesus is intentionally setting up a contrast between these two extremes knowing that the average human, if they are honest with themselves, are going to feel more drawn to the rich man than to Lazarus.

Is this true about you?  Why would most people choose to hang out with the rich man than Lazarus?

Second Thought:

The next thing that we can contrast is their states in the world.  The rich man was full and satisfied in life.  He had all that he needed.  The rich man had nothing but what he could see others enjoying.  He didn’t even have people to help him stay clean.  Dogs came and licked his sores.  Not only is Jesus focusing on the man, he’s focusing us on the circumstances of the man.  Most of us, again, if we are truly honest with ourselves, would prefer to pick the circumstances of the rich man than Lazarus.

Is this true about you?  Why would most of us prefer to live in opulence than poverty and misery?

Third Thought:

However, in the parting verses of this section we get a true glance of the priorities of the kingdom of heaven.  Notice that Jesus is very clear.  The poor man dies and is carried into the bosom of Abraham.  In other words, this poor man who had nothing in this life is carried into the nearest proximity of the founder of the faith.  On the other hand, the rich man dies and is cast into Hades.  He gets to see Abraham, but only from a great distance.  This sets us up for the lessons of tomorrow, but we’ll look at them today.  Given these results, how many of our earlier decisions would we now regret?

Are you willing to trade luxury in the present for reward in the eternal?  If so, how do you live that out today?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 16:24-31

Luke 16:14-18

Luke 16:14-18

And all of these Pharisees were listening, being lovers of money, and they were ridiculing Him.  And He said to them, “You are the ones who exhibit righteousness yourselves in the presence of men.  But God knows your hearts.  The exalted things among men are an abomination in the presence of God. The Law are the prophets are until John (The Baptizer).  From that time on the kingdom of God is being proclaimed and everyone inflicts violence into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one little law to fall.  Everyone who released his wife and who marries another commits adultery.  And the man who marries the one being released from the husband commits adultery.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus makes enemies.  Shocker, right?  Not really, especially when we see that these enemies are the religious elite.  In teaching, Jesus upsets the religious leaders around Him.  Look at how they respond.  They ridicule Him.  They mock Him.  They poke fun at Him.  This is often what happens when we care more about the Father than the ways of the world around us.  If they mocked Jesus, they will ridicule us, too.

Have you ever been ridiculed in the faith?  What does ridicule actually say about you?  What does it say about the people who ridicule you?

Second Thought:

God knows our hearts.  He knows our desires.  He knows if we are trying to impress Him or the people around us.  He knows.  The scary thing is that Jesus is up front and tells us what it looks like when we are trying to impress others and not Him.  We insert violence into the kingdom!  When we proclaim to be God’s follower yet are trying to impress the hearts of the people around us rather than trying to impress God, we end up misrepresenting God instead.

Have you ever misrepresented God?  When are you most likely to be guilty of trying to impress the people around you rather than being obedient to the will of the Father?

Third Thought:

Jesus gives us a very direct and concise teaching about adultery and divorce.  The teaching is simple.  If a man releases his wife – in other words, divorces – and remarries he commits adultery.  If a person marries a divorced woman, it is also adultery.  Now, of course, this doesn’t count widows.  The teaching is clear.  Marriage is in the presence of God.  If God joins two people together, who are we to break it up?  And if we do break it up, who are we to ask God to bind us to another?  Of course, we also need to remember that we are to be a people of grace.  While it may be wrong according to the Law, just like everything else wrong according to the Law it can be forgiven in repentance.  We need to take Jesus’ teaching very seriously here.  But at the same time, we do not want to set it up as something that irrevocably prohibits relationship with God, either.

Why is this an important teaching to learn?  Why is it equally important in our culture to remember that we are a people about grace?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:10-13

Luke 16:10-13

“The one faithful in the least thing is also faithful in the greatest thing.  The one unrighteous in the least thing is also unrighteous in the greatest thing.  Therefore, if you should not become faithful in the unrighteous treasure of this world, who will believe the truth from you?  And if you do not become faithful with another person’s thing, who will give you your own thing?  No servant is powerful enough to serve two lords.  For either he will hate the one and love the other or he will hold fast to the one and he will despise the other.  You are not powerful enough to serve both God and the treasure of this world.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus begins with a classic, well-known quote.  If we are faithful in the small things, we’ll get the big things right, too.  But if we don’t get the small things, then the big things will evade us.  I get this all the time when assigning homework to students.  In math, students who are able to do the homework, show all of their work, take very few mental shortcuts, and check their answers with the back of the book to make sure that they are correct – these students are the ones who typically don’t struggle getting an A on the chapter test.  The more trouble a student has putting in the time to do it right – or even do it at all – the more likely the student is to struggle with even passing the test much less getting an A on it!  I know that this is true in sports as well.  If you do the drills well, then in the actual game time the activity will be much more fluid and productive.  But if you don’t do the drill well, you won’t have refined the motion so that when the pressure is on it will not come off as productive.  If we want to get the big decisions right in our life, we must pay attention to the small decisions first.

Are you good at getting the details right so that the big stuff can work itself out into the right path?  What makes it easy for you to be able to pay attention to the small details?

Second Thought:

Let’s notice a very easily overlooked change in vocabulary in this opening sentence.  Notice that Jesus changes from “faithful” in the complementary section to “unrighteous” in the uncomplimentary section.  What Jesus is doing is trying to point us to the idea that this is not a goal oriented statement.  When He talks about getting the small and big stuff right, he’s not talking just about the outcomes.  He’s actually talking about our attitude.  Remember that the word “faithful” in the Greek encompasses both the idea of belief and obedience.  Therefore, when Jesus says that we are faithful in the small things, He really means that we are to do more than just get the outcome correct.  We are to adopt an attitude within us that compels and enables us to truly get the outcome right.  The same is true with the negative side.  When Jesus uses the word unrighteous, he’s talking more about the condition of one’s heart than the outcome off the event.  If your heart isn’t into getting the small stuff right, you’ll never get the big stuff right!  So often we make this opening expression from Jesus all about the outcomes.  It is about the outcomes.  But Jesus’ vocabulary reminds us that if we even want to get the outcomes right then we absolutely need to get the motivation in our heart correct as well.

What is the condition of your heart in the small things?  Do you ever do the right thing grudgingly?  How helpful is it to establishing good patterns in life when you are only setting up those patterns grudgingly?  What does this show about the condition of our heart?  What does it say about our heart when we do the right and we have a faithful motivation?

Third Thought:

Jesus comes right out at the end and tells us the cold, hard truth.  We are not powerful enough to serve two masters.  It isn’t in us.  We cannot do two things both to our best ability.  At some point, we will always have to choose which goal we are pursuing with all of our heart.  That doesn’t mean we can’t – and don’t – try.  In the beginning, we can try it and feel successful.  But as life gets more complicated and we become more skilled and the treasure we seek becomes more deep we always have to make a choice which goal is the one that we are pursuing with our whole heart.  We have to prioritize.  Jesus is telling us this up front so that we realize that it is important to make a conscious choice to put God first in our life, ahead of the mundane treasure of this world.

Where is your life is God clearly your top priority?  Do you ever have situations that challenge that decision to put God first?  What are the things that are most likely to tempt you away from putting God first?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 16:14-18

Luke 16:1-9

Luke 16:1-9

And He was also saying to the disciples, “Some man was rich, and he was having a steward.  And this one was being accused to him as one who scatters that which he possessed.  And after calling him, he said, ‘What is this I hear regarding you?  Hand over the word of your management, for you are not powerful enough to still be a steward.’  And the steward said to himself, ‘What should I do, because my lord took away the stewardship from me?  I am not strong enough to dig.  I am too ashamed to beg.  I know what I should do, in order that when I should be removed out of the stewardship others will receive me into their houses.’  And after calling each one of the lord’s debtors to himself he was saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’  And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’  And he said to him, ‘Take your writing.  And after sitting down, quickly write fifty.’  After that, he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’  And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’  And he says, ‘Take your writing and write eighty.’  And the lord approved of the unrighteous steward, because he did prudently, since the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of light into their own generation.  And I say to you all, Make friends for yourselves out of the common treasure of the unrighteous.  When it should fail, they should receive you into eternal dwelling places.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Okay, we’ll talk about the elephant in the room first.  Most people who read this passage often ask, “Does Jesus really commend the steward for disregarding the wealth of the master for his own gain?”  Yes, he does.  If we look towards the end of the passage, we can hear His justification.  Jesus tells us to make friends using the “common treasure of the unrighteous.”  In other words, recognize that you can’t take wealth with you.  Wealth is fleeting.  You have it one minute, it’s gone the next.  This doesn’t mean that we should use wealth poorly.  We shouldn’t use this to justify financing sinful pursuits.  But, if we can trade the temporary wealth of this world in for relationships that last eternally then we are ahead of the game.  That’s what Jesus is commending.  Jesus isn’t saying that the steward was a morally righteous person in his act.  In fact, Jesus calls him an unrighteous steward.  But Jesus does credit him for knowing how to convert a temporary resource into an eternal one.  That’s to be commended.

What temporary resources are you trying to hold onto?  Can you turn any of those temporary resources into eternal ones?

Second Thought:

Having dealt with the elephant in the passage, let’s turn to two other points that are easily lost.  The first of those points is that we once more see how important it is to make a plan in order to get out of our sinfulness.  We saw this a few days ago with the younger son when he had spent his way through the father’s inheritance.  Now we see it in the unrighteous steward.  He’s fallen.  His sinfulness has lost him his job.  But he recognizes his mistakes.  He sets up a plan to get out of this situation.  He lives out the plan and is commended for it.

When your sinfulness wreaks havoc on your life, are you a planner?  How many times has grasping at straws actually caused more damage than if you would have just sat down and made a plan to stop the sinfulness in your life?

Third Thought:

Let’s look at the master for a second.  He often gets overlooked as we focus on the unrighteous steward.  However, he is an incredible agent of grace.  He could have fired the steward on the spot.  He could have cast him out of the house right at the beginning.  But he doesn’t.  The master – at significant expense to his own wealth – allows the steward to make plans for the future.  This is unwarranted grace.  It is something that we should look at and honor.  It is the kind of grace that comes from God, who is willing to sacrifice Himself for the benefit of us.

Have you ever received the kind of grace that comes at the sacrifice of another?  How does that feel?  Have you ever sacrificed yourself so others could have time to put themselves in a better position?  How does that feel?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 16:10-13