Afleveringen
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InLuke 20:20-26 the Jewish priests, elders, scribes, and the Herodians continueto confront Jesus seeking to find a reason to have Him killed (v.19). On thisparticular occasion, Jesus knew that the men who questioned Him were spies sentby the Pharisees and the Herodians according to Mark 12:13, but He patientlylistened and replied.
Thesetwo groups were usually fighting each other, but now they had a common enemy,and this brought them together. They wanted to discuss taxes and Romanauthority, hoping to provoke Jesus into offending either the Jews or the Romans.If Jesus said, “pay the Roman tax,” they knew that He would offend and angerthe Jews who hated the Romans ruling over them. If Jesus said, “don’t pay the Romantax,” He would be considered an insurrectionist by the Roman rulers and couldbe put to death. But Jesus lifted the discussion to a much higher level andforced the spies to think about the relationship between the kingdom of God andthe kingdoms of men.
TheBible teaches that governmental authority is instituted by God and must berespected (Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37-38; Rom. 13; 1 Peter 2:11-17). Yes, ourcitizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and we are strangers and pilgrims onearth, but that does not mean we should ignore our earthly responsibilities.Human government is essential to a safe and orderly society, for man is asinner and must be kept under control.
Whenyou read the book of Judges you find what it is like when there is no authorityover the people. Because there was no king in Israel, “every man did what wasright in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The land was filled with anarchy,violence, murder, stealing, confusion, and chaos! God knows we need human governmentfor peace and order.
Inverses 20-26, Jesus was not suggesting that we divide our loyalties between Godand government. Since "the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom.13:1), we live as good citizens when we obey the authorities for the Lord'ssake. When obedience to God conflicts with obedience to man, then we must putGod first (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29), but we must do it in a manner that is honorableand loving. Even if we cannot respect the people in office, we must respect theoffice.
Thecounsel that Jeremiah gave to the Jewish exiles in Babylon is a good one forGod's "strangers and pilgrims" to follow today. “And seek thepeace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and prayto the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7) Todaywe are instructed in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all thatsupplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for allmen, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet andpeaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptablein the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come tothe knowledge of the truth.”
Caesar'simage and name were on the coins, so it was basically his currency. To pay thepoll tax meant simply to give Caesar back that which belonged to him. God'simage is stamped on us; therefore, He has the right to command our lives ascitizens in His kingdom. We should seek to be such good citizens that God willbe glorified and the unsaved will be attracted to the Gospel and want to becomeChristians (1 Peter 2:9-12; 3:8-17).
Itis unfortunate that some Christians have the mistaken idea that the moreobnoxious they are as citizens, the more they please God and witness forChrist. We must never violate our conscience, but we should seek to bepeacemakers and not troublemakers. Daniel is an example to follow (Dan. 1).
God bless!
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Theseverses 17-19, continue the confrontation that Jesus has on Tuesday of PassionWeek with the scribes, the priests, and the elders, just days before He iscrucified. Jesus has just finished telling a parable to the people that thesereligious leaders were also carefully listening to. It was the story of the ownerof a vineyard who finally sent his beloved son to receive the fruit, but he isrejected and killed by the vinedressers. They realize Jesus is claiming to bethe son in the story who is being rejected and killed.
NowJesus turns back from the crowd to these leaders of the Jews and speaks directlyto them and quoted Psalm 118:22. The rulers knew that this was a messianicpsalm, and they had heard some verse from this same psalm shouted by the crowdwhen Jesus rode into the city (compare Luke 19:38 with Ps. 118:26). By applyingthis verse to Himself, Jesus was clearly claiming to be the Messiah. The"builders who rejected the stone”, were of course, were the Jewishreligious leaders (Acts 4:11).
Inthe Old Testament, the "stone" is a familiar symbol of God and of thepromised Messiah (see Gen. 49:24; Ex. 17:6; 33:22; Deut. 32:4, 15, 30-31; Isa.8:14; 28:16; 1 Cor. 10:4). Because the Jews did not believe, they stumbled overHim and were judged. Those who trust Jesus Christ find Him to be the foundationstone and the chief cornerstone of the church (1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20).
ButJesus is also referring to Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45. This is where Daniel is interpretingthe dream of King Nebuchadnezzar where the Messiah is pictured as a"smiting stone" that crushes all that gets in its way. He was warningthe Sanhedrin that they would only destroy themselves if they condemned Him. Weneed to realized that this same principle applies today, and unbelievers shouldcarefully heed His warning.
Youmight think about it this way. When the rulers rejected John the Baptist, theysinned against the Father who sent Him. When they crucified Jesus, they sinnedagainst the Son. Jesus had told them that they could sin against Him and stillbe forgiven, but when they sinned against the Holy Spirit, there could be noforgiveness (Matt. 12:24-37). Why? Because that was the end of God's witness tothe nation.
Thisis the so-called "unpardonable sin," and it was committed by theJewish leaders when they finally rejected the witness of the Spirit of Godthrough the Apostles. The evidence of their rejection was the stoning ofStephen (Acts 7:51-60). Then the Gospel went from the Jews to the Samaritans(Acts 8) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10). Even today the Jewish people havea double veil over their eyes that keeps them from acknowledging that Jesus istheir promised Messiah (2 Corinthians 3:7-18).
Inthis parable of the vineyard and vinedressers who rejected the servants of theowner and kill his son, Jesus illustrated the insidious nature of sin: the morewe sin, the worse it becomes. The tenants started off beating some of theservants and wounding others, but they ended up becoming murderers! The Jewishleaders permitted John the Baptist to be killed, they asked for Jesus to becrucified, and then they themselves stoned Stephen. They sinned against theFather and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that was the end of God's witnessto them.
Itis a serious thing to reject the message of God and the messengers of God (seeJohn 12:35-43) Remember the warning we read in Hebrews 2:1-4; “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and everytransgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape ifwe neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by theLord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
Today,if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you heart about salvation or some sin inyour life, respond in humility and repentance, trusting and receiving theforgiveness that only Jesus can give you!
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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The priests, scribes,and elders have been listening to this. And when you read John 11:47–54, it isobvious that Jesus knew what these religious leaders were thinking. When hetells this parable, they know he’s speaking of the vineyard, which is Israel. God,in the Old Testament, had sent prophets to call the nation to repentance. Read Jeremiah7:25–26, where Jeremiah said the Father, who has this vineyard sent prophets toask you to repent, to turn back, but because you have not repented, judgment iscoming.
Also, in Nehemiah 9:26,Nehemiah, after the captivity in Babylon, in one of the longest recordedprayers in the Bible, prays a public prayer before the remnant that returned toJerusalem. In this prayer he mentions how that God sent prophets, teachers, andpeople calling the people to repentance, but they rejected and killed them.
In John chapter 11:47-53,we read: “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council andsaid, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Himalone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come andtake away both our place and nation." And one of them, Caiaphas, beinghigh priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do youconsider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people,and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say onhis own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesuswould die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He wouldgather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then,from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”
Jesus knows what thesereligious leaders are thinking when He shares this parable. They know He issaying that He is the Son that the owner of the vineyard sent to claim His vineyardand they are rejecting him. Jesus is proclaiming that judgment will surely fallupon them, and that’s why they said, “Certainly not.”
Jesus, the Messiah, isthere, presenting himself openly, and religious leaders know that if the peoplereceive Christ and accept Him as the Messiah, it is all over for their religioushypocrisy, and that’s what they fear. Already, when John the Baptist baptizedJesus, and the Spirit came upon Jesus, and people saw this. They also heard thevoice from heaven say, “This is my beloved Son.” Now, when here Jesus inthis parable said, “He sent his beloved son,” they knew He was speakingof Himself. And these scribes, lawyers, priests, and elders knew that He wasspeaking of them rejecting him as the Messiah. And that God’s judgment wouldcome upon them and the “vineyard” would be given to others.
What a powerfulparable. My friend, it is a costly mistake to reject Jesus as your only hopefor salvation. He is your only Way to avoid the judgment to come. Don’t be likethese religious Pharisees, hypocrites. Trust Jesus, focus on him, and live forhim every day.
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InLuke 20 we are looking at what happen in Passion Week, the Jewish Passover. At this point in this chapter, we're onTuesday. where Jesus is confronted by the chief priests, elders, and scribes.They ask Him the question: "By what authority are you doing thesethings?"
Whatauthority did He have to cleanse the temple, and what authority did He have tobe teaching? Who made Him a rabbi? Where did He get his credentials? Whatseminary did He go to? Of course, Jesus didn’t go to any seminary, and basicallythey are rejecting Him. They’re threatened by Him. He’s disrupting their religiousand political power. And their profits, as they have been in charge of the merchantsselling things in the temple area called the Gentiles’ Court. They should haveknown who Jesus was!
So,when Jesus is asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gaveyou this authority?” He has already told them on many occasions that Hisauthority came from the Father. But He answered and said to them, “I will alsoask you one thing, and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven orfrom men?” In other words, who gave John the Baptist the authority to bebaptizing people and calling them to repent of their sins? They got in a littlehuddle and reasoned among themselves, put their heads together, and said, “Now,how are we going to answer him?” They said amongst themselves, “If we say fromheaven, he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say from men,all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”So, they answered that they did not know where it was from. Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Amazingly,Jesus turns the tables on them. By answering them with a question, by giving aparable (vv. 9-16), and then offering a prophecy (vv. 17-18), He reveals thesins of the nation of Israel. Their main sin right now is that they arerejecting their own Messiah. Jesus takes them back to John the Baptist for tworeasons. First, John had pointed to Jesus and introduced Him to the nation, sotheir rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theyshould have recognized who Jesus was based on the message and presentation ofJohn that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Second,it is a spiritual principle that if we disobey truth we already know, Godcannot reveal new truth to us (see John 7:14-17). Why answer their questionwhen they had refused to submit to John's message?
Remembersomething else and this is so important. We go back to the Old Testament toExodus 12, where the Passover lamb had to be set aside for ten days to ensureit was without spot and without blemish. It had to be thoroughly checked beforeit was slaughtered for the sacrifice, for the blood to be applied to thedoorpost and lintel. Picture Jesus as that Lamb of God who has come to takeaway the sin of the world. Jesus is now being examined by these people duringthese three days of Passover week. He’s being questioned: “Who are you? Wheredo you get your authority?” This fits so well because Jesus is now going to berejected, slaughtered, and crucified because he is going to take away the sinof the world.
Nowit was the religious leaders who were in the dilemma! No matter what answerthey gave, they were in trouble, so they decided to "play dumb" andnot answer at all. They were deceitful in asking the question and dishonest inthe way they avoided answering it. Even if Jesus had given them an answer,their hearts were not prepared to receive it. If they had disobeyed God'smessage given by John the Baptist (Luke 7:24-30), they would disobey themessage given by God's Son.
Theyshould have already known who Jesus was and received His message! And so shouldwe!
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Aswe come to this chapter, we need to remember several things. It's Passoverweek. Jesus has finished almost three and a half years of ministry, healing thesick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry,preaching to the multitudes, teaching His disciples, confronting the Pharisees,scribes, and hypocrites. All this has taken place now for three and a halfyears.
Jesus has publiclyrevealed Himself as the Messiah. He's come into Jerusalem on Sunday of Passoverweek. He is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world. Thecrowd, the multitudes, believed and trusted that He was the Messiah to deliverthem from the Romans. When the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke them, Jesussaid, "Even these stones would cry out if they didn't recognize who Iwas." He had publicly revealed Himself. Yet, there was a group whorejected Him, and they were the spiritual and political leaders of the Jewish nation.
On Sunday, Jesus ridesinto Jerusalem. On Monday, Jesus cleanses the temple. Now on Tuesday, Jesus isconfronted by the scribes, the high priest, the lawyers, (that’s who thescribes are), and the elders. Three groups of people, representing thereligious and political leaders of the day for the Jews, confront Jesus.
Verse 1, “Now ithappened on one of those days”. We believe the day was Tuesday specificallyin this passage, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel.Jesus has come back on Tuesday of Passover week. He is teaching and preaching.He's loving the people, teaching them the gospel. “The kingdom of heaven is athand; the King is here”. He is telling them wonderful things about who God is,who the Savior is, and how salvation and peace can come through trust andbelieving in Him.
He is preaching thegospel about Himself. Isn't that amazing? Because the Gospel is all aboutJesus.
So, Jesus is preachingand teaching the Gospel, and that's when the chief priests, the scribes, andthe elders confronted Him. These people are incensed. The fact that Jesus ispreaching and teaching and the crowd has received Him, brings them to the pointthat they have to do something about Him. It says “they confronted Him”,means they came upon Him suddenly. They hope to catch Jesus with a questionthat will humiliate Him, and expose Hm to be against the leadership of theRomans politically. Then He could be crucified, stoned, or killed.
They'd already tried tostone Him on several occasions. Now they're going to use the tactic of getting Himto break one of the laws of the land so that the Romans will put Him to death.Of course, that fulfills the Old Testament scripture about how Jesus would die,not by stoning but by crucifixion. Read Psalms 22, and Isaiah 53. Theyconfronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authorityare you doing these things, or who is he who gave you this authority?"
The priests had theirauthority from the law of Moses; they got their authority because the Leviticaltribe had been set apart to be the priests of the people, and the high priestcame from that tribe also. The scribes, these were the lawyers who had beentaught by the rabbis. They understood the law, they interpreted the law. So,the lawyers had their authority from the rabbis. The elders, these were theleaders of the different clans, the different tribes. They'd been chosen fortheir wisdom, leadership, and ability to lead. Probably on Monday night, thesethree groups of leaders have gotten together determined how they would confrontJesus on Tuesday.
But Jesus is ready forthem. When they ask, "Where did you get your authority?" they'resaying, "We have authority, but who are you? Where does your authoritycome from?"
We can't wait to talkabout the answer the gave them and how He turned the table on them over thenext few days.
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Weneed to remember that this what we call Passion Week. Jesus rides intoJerusalem on Sunday morning, and the people cheer Him, celebrate Him, andbelieve that possibly He is the Messiah who has come to rescue them from theRomans. Jesus sees the city and weeps because He knows they will truly rejectHim. Then He goes into the temple according Mark 11:11, “And Jesus went intoJerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, asthe hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.”
Didyou notice that it says that after Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He went into thetemple, and when He had looked upon all these things, as the hour was alreadylate, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. Also in Mark 11:12, we are told, “Thenext day, they went out from Bethany, and He was hungry.” So, on Sunday,He’s in Jerusalem, they’re cheering Him, He weeps, makes His proclamation aboutthings to come, and then goes to Bethany, where He spends the night. The nextmorning, He goes back to Jerusalem, and that’s when He goes to the temple, asyou see here. So we conclude that the event that takes place where Jesus iscleansing the temple for the second time is on Monday of Passion Week.
WhenJesus comes to the temple on Monday morning, He must have gone first into theCourt of the Gentiles, the only place where pagan Gentiles are welcome to comeinto the temple area, which is outside the main temple area. This is the placewhere the Jews are supposed to be doing evangelism, witnessing to theseGentiles, and telling them that God is the one and true God and can only be knownby faith. But instead, the chief priests, priests, and many of the Levites haveturned it into a den of thieves. They’ve turned it into a place where they’reselling goods and sacrifices to people who have come from other lands.
Thesepilgrims didn’t bring their animals, like pigeons, goats, and sheep for theirsacrifices with them. So, they would have to buy these sacrifices. The chiefpriests and the religious leaders allowed the merchants to set up their littlestores in this area of the court of the Gentiles. This area was being used fora "religious marketplace" where Jews from other lands could exchangemoney and purchase approved sacrifices. The priests managed this business andmade a good profit from it.
Jesusgoes into this area and proclaims, “My house shall be called a house ofprayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” quoting from Isaiah 56:7. InIsaiah 1:11-20, we read the prophesy that people were bringing sacrifices, buttheir hearts are far from God. Jesus said, “This shall be called the house ofprayer,” but you’ve made it a den of thieves. A den of thieves is the placethieves run to hide from the authorities. They’ve made the house of prayer,where God wants His people to pray, into a place where they’re hiding undertheir religious cloaks to do their business of taking advantage of people.
Insteadof praying for and with the people, they’re preying on them. Doesn’t that sayso much about religion even today? We run to the place of religion, and therewe hide in our sins, try to act religious, yet at the same time, we’re doingthose things with a heart full of sin, not repenting. Our churches, where weshould be praying and seeking the face of God, has become a place where we tryto hide our sins under the cloak of religion. Said to say, our churches havebecome a “den of thieves”.
MayGod help us today to do what Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 1:16-18: "Washyourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from beforeMy eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke theoppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "Come now, and letus reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are likescarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, Theyshall be as wool.”
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Today is Memorial Day. Have you ever noticed we don’t say“Happy Memorial Day”? During Christmas time we might say, “Merry Christmas” or “happyholidays” and so forth as we celebrate the season. But we don’t celebrate MemorialDay. Memorial Day is not a day to be happy; it’s a day to remember the greatsacrifice many made so that we might live in a free country.
Itrust today that you’ll take time to remember that freedom is not free. Overone million people in our country paid the price of giving their own lives.They made the ultimate sacrifice. “Greater love has no man than this, than aman lay down his life for his friends.” These people laid down their lives fortheir friends, their family, their country, and their God.
Americais a great place to live. With all the problems, difficulties, divisions, andstrife we might have, it’s still the greatest place on planet Earth that Godhas blessed us with to be citizens in and live in. The freedom we enjoy is notfree; a great price was paid for it. We need to remember that today. Today takethe time to go to a memorial service. I’ll be going to one this morning withsome local veterans and active military guys right here in my own neighborhood.There are other services in your community that you can choose to attend. Please,in some way today, remember and take time to honor those who died for ourfreedom. If you know someone or a family that gave a son or daughter to serviceand maybe sacrificed their life, give them a call. You can let them know you’rethinking about them today. You can pray for them, and take that time toremember.
It’sinteresting to note how this ties in to what we are studying here we are inLuke chapter 19. Jesus has already told us that He has come to seek and to savethat which was lost. For Jesus to seek and to save that which was lost, He hadto die. He had to die on an old rugged cross. He had to pay the ultimatesacrifice. He had to lay down His life for His friends, and He did that for youand for me.
Oh,my friend, what a great sacrifice Jesus made. Did you ever think of thedifference between the sacrifice Jesus made, and the soldiers and those in ourmilitary made as they laid down their lives for our country. Yes they made theultimate sacrifice for our freedom. But what kind of freedom is that? Thefreedom to live in homes we want to live in, work jobs we want to work, gowhere we want to go, travel as we like to travel. We’re free to choose ourvocations. There are so many things we are free to do.
ButJesus didn’t die to set us free to do what we want to do. Jesus died to set usfree to be able to do what we ought to do! And that is to live a life that honors,glorifies, and pleases Him and to enjoy the fullness of life—eternal life, Godliving within us. Oh, my friend, Jesus paid that sacrifice so we could be freefrom the guilt, the shame, the penalty, and the power of sin over us! We areset free by His sacrifice to do what is right and good. We are free to forgive othersbecause we have been forgiven!
We’re looking at Luke 19, the very last verses of the chapter.
Thisis interesting, and we’ll talk more about this tomorrow, but I believe this istaking place on Monday morning. Remember, on Sunday morning, Jesus rode intoJerusalem on a colt, a donkey, and as He rode in, the people celebrated, cheeredand yelled, “Hosanna in the Highest.” Jesus wept over the city. And then Jesusgoes back to Bethany where He spends the night. The next morning, Mondaymorning, Jesus goes into the temple to cleanse it. Just like we have ourproblems in America today, they had their problems in Jerusalem in those days.Jesus denounced the wickedness and the evil of the religious leaders who wereusing the temple to make money. Oh, my friend, not much has changed over theyears. We will talk more about this tomorrow.
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41Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If youhad known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for yourpeace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m in Kingsland, Georgia. Iprerecorded this video for you, and I trust it’ll be a blessing. This morning,I’ll be attending a worship service with Edith at Kings Bay Submarine Base to hear my son Nathan,a Navy chaplain, speak.
Let’scontinue in Luke chapter 19:28-48, which take place on what we call Palm Sundaymorning, and in verses 35-44, Jesus is entering Jerusalem, riding a colt. Thecrowd comes out to meet Him, proclaiming, “Blessed is the King who comes in thename of the Lord.” They are singing praises, throwing palm branches and clothesin front of the colt Jesus is riding. The Pharisees criticize, saying, “Rebukethese people.” Then, in verse 41, as Jesus draws near, He sees the city andweeps over it.
Ican picture this, having been there many times. I can imagine seeing Jesus comingdown the Mount of Olives with a clear view of Jerusalem. The crowd isrejoicing, but Jesus is weeping. In verse 42, He says, “If you had known,even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! Butnow they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when yourenemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in onevery side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; andthey will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know thetime of your visitation.”
Jesusgoes from this rejoicing and celebration of the people, to weeping overJerusalem. No matter where He looks, He finds a cause to weep. Looking back, Hesees how the nation wasted its opportunities to receive Him as the Messiah,ignorant of the time of His visitation. Looking within, He sees spiritualignorance and blindness in the people’s hearts.
Theyshould have known who He was. God gave them His Word with all the prophecies concerningHis first coming and had also sent John the Baptist to prepare the way. Jesus Himselfhad been preaching for three and a half years for the nation to repent because theKingdom of Heaven was at hand. And by His miracles and healings and power overthe demons, the elements of nature, manifesting Himself to be the Son of God.
Lookingaround, Jesus sees religious activity that accomplishes little. The temple hadbecome a den of thieves, the religious leaders were out to kill Him, and thoughthe city was filled with pilgrims celebrating Passover, their hearts were heavywith sin and life’s burdens.
Lookingahead, Jesus weeps because He sees the terrible judgment coming. In AD 70,about 40 years after His death, the Romans would come, and after a 143-daysiege, they would kill over 600,000 Jews, take thousands captive, and destroythe temple and city. Why? Because the people did not know God had visited them.As Scripture says, “He came to His own, and His own received Him not.”
Thepeople are rejoicing, but Jesus is looking within, around, and ahead. I believeHe’s looking into our hearts today, too. What does He see in our lives thatwould cause Him to weep if we don’t believe, trust, and are not living for Himas we should?
Whata powerful passage. Jesus sees the crowd celebrating, calling Him King, yet Heweeps because He knows the reality of what will happen. He knows in a few daysthis same crowd will be yelling “crucify Him” and have Him nailed to a cross todie. Jesus know that will reject Him and will not trust Him to be their Messiahand Savior.
MayGod give us grace today to bring a smile to the face of Jesus as we live toglorify His name in everything that we say and do!
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Welcometo Pastor's Chat. I prerecorded the chat for today in my office in NorthCarolina, but today I’m actually in Kingsland, Georgia, celebrating mygranddaughter Kaitlyn’s high school graduation. Both this chat and Sunday’s wasdone there, but I still wanted to share this wonderful passage from Lukechapter 19.
InLuke 19, Jesus sent the disciples to find a colt to ride into Jerusalem. Wecall this Palm Sunday, marking the last week of Jesus’ ministry before Hiscrucifixion on Friday and resurrection the following Sunday. We will be goingthrough this week in the final chapters of Luke. Jesus is preparing to enterJerusalem and needs a colt. This is the only place in the New Testament whereJesus allows a celebration of Himself as the Messiah. There are several reasonsfor this.
First,He’s fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9, riding in on adonkey. To us, a donkey might not seem exciting, but in those days, it was abeast used for royalty, for a king to ride into town triumphantly as the crowdcelebrated. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds celebrate Him as the Messiah,shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!” In verse 35, it says, “And as he went, manyspread their clothes on the road.” Then, in verse 37, as He was drawing nearthe descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began torejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they hadseen.
Imagine,for three and a half years, Jesus has been healing the sick, raising the dead,giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, preachingthe kingdom, and casting out demons. The word has spread, and people arelooking for a deliverer, a king to free them from Roman rule. They’re hopingfor someone like Moses to lift the Roman oppression. So they praise God,saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!”
It’sinteresting—the Gospel of Luke begins with the angel proclaiming, “Peace onearth and goodwill toward men.” Now the people are saying, “Peace in heaven andglory in the highest,” celebrating not only peace on earth but also peace inheaven with the King of glory. Because the King was rejected, there could be nopeace on earth. Instead, there would be constant bitter conflict between thekingdom of God and the kingdom of evil (Luke 12:49-53). There would be no peaceon earth but, thanks to Christ's work on the cross, there is "peace withGod" in heaven (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20). The appeal today is, "Be yereconciled to God!" (2 Cor. 5:17-21)
SomePharisees in the crowd told Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” But Hereplied, “I tell you, if these should keep silent, the stones would immediatelycry out.” As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it—a moment we’llexplore tomorrow. For now, Jesus allows this great celebration as the peopleproclaim the King has come.
Thesecond reason for this celebration is that Jesus knew it would provoke theJewish leaders to a point where they could no longer tolerate Him. In verse 47,it says that as He was teaching daily in the temple, the chief priests,scribes, and leaders of the people sought to destroy Him. They had alreadytried to stone Him or throw Him off a cliff, but it wasn’t time yet. Now,during Passover week, Jesus, the Passover Lamb, fulfills the Old Testamentprophecies. This is why He allows this demonstration, letting the crowdproclaim Him as the Messiah, the King who has come.
God’stiming is always perfect and every prophecy concerning Jesus was fulfilled! Todaywith faith and great confidence we can believe that Jesus is indeed the Son ofGod and by believing we have life through His name!
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Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we're looking at Luke chapter 19. Yesterday, we talkedabout Jesus sending two of His disciples ahead when He was at the Mount ofOlives to go to a village and find a colt tied by a door. Mark's gospel says itwas where two ways met. Today, I want to talk about divine appointments.
Thatcolt tied by the door is a beautiful picture of a sinner tied by their sins,right outside the door of salvation, where two roads cross—one leading todestruction, the other to life. What a picture of how God wants us to go outand find people that He is working in, preparing their hearts to come to JesusChrist.
It’sa mystery to me how we have the Great Commission to share the gospel with everycreature, yet at the same time God is sovereignly working in people’s hearts,preparing them to receive it. Sometimes He uses trials, troubles, ordifficulties; sometimes it’s His providential care that brings them to a senseof needing something they don’t have, something money or family can’t provide.They feel a deep dissatisfaction with life and are searching for truth. God isworking in their lives, and He needs someone to tell them about Jesus.
Thinkof Cornelius, the centurion who was a good, godly man in a sense—he prayed andgave alms, yet he didn’t know Jesus. An angel told him to find Peter, who wouldshare what he needed to do. The angel couldn’t share the gospel, but Peter wasavailable, and the Holy Spirit sent him to deliver the message to Cornelius.
Ialso think of Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, in Genesis 24 that was sent to find abride for Isaac. Abraham told him not to take Isaac to the land he was going tobut to find a bride and bring her back. If she wouldn’t come, Eliezer would befree from his oath. We’re like that servant, sent by God to find a bride for Christ.Eliezer came to a well where Rebekah was drawing water. He prayed, asking Godto show him the right woman for his master’s son, and when Rebekah offered todraw water for him and his camels, his prayer was answered. He worshipped,saying, “I, being in the way, the Lord led me.” (Genesis 24:27).
Myfriend, there are people everywhere waiting for someone to tell them aboutJesus. God has prepared their hearts—they’re like that colt tied by the door ofsalvation, just a step away from eternal life. They need someone to loose themwith the power of the resurrection message of Jesus Christ. Paul said, “I’m notashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ; it’s the power of God unto salvation toeveryone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
Wednesday,I was out with a friend named Ben, having lunch. Our waitress kept coming toour table, and we had the opportunity to invite her to Ben’s church, and also tellher about the Lord. She promised to come with her husband. I believe everywherewe go, there’s someone waiting to hear about God’s kindness and Christ’s love,someone we can show the way to salvation.
Divineappointments—I’ve had them all my life. On planes, in hotel rooms, at restaurants,at gas stations, on my neighborhood streets, at sports events, and many otherplaces! How exciting it is to look back and see what the Lord did when we werejust in the way, and He directed our steps. The same can be true for you today.Trust the Lord—there’s someone waiting for you to untie them and bring them toJesus. When Jesus sat on that colt, that had been never ridden before,everything was fine. Jesus can change a life and still does today.
Itrust you will be looking for a divine appointment today. Someone is waitingfor you!
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Todayas we look at this passage in Luke 19, we need to remember that in the lastseveral chapters, Jesus has been on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples. Heis giving His last lessons and messages, teaching them things about the comingkingdom. Now, on this particular occasion, in verse 28, it says, "Andwhen he had said this, He went ahead, going up to Jerusalem." Webelieve this is Jesus' last trip to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. Theevents we read about here in verses 28 and following take place on what we callPalm Sunday. Over the next several dayswe will be talking about the events of this week leading up to his crucifixion.
Thisevent takes place on the east side of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. Jesussends two of His disciples to a nearby village to loose a colt that is tied by “adoor outside, where two ways met.” Of course this event is about what takesplace on Palm Sunday, but I think the great lesson here is, especially as wewere looking at the previous parable Jesus just gave about the ten minas thatwas given to the ten servants by their master (vv. 11-27), He was talking abouthow we, as the servants of Jesus, have been entrusted with the Word of God,with the seed of God's Word, and we are to take this seed to the world. We areto invest it in the lives of others, showing them the way to Jesus.
Thenwe have Luke recount this event that takes place. You also read this event indetail in the Gospel of Mark chapter 11. In Mark chapter 11, it talks about howJesus sends two of His disciples. You have a great illustration and applicationof how Jesus sends out His disciples two by two. The Bible teaches us that weshould have a companion to go with us as we share the gospel with others. Thereare many reasons for that.
Aswe go out two by two, we are to find a colt that's tied by the door. I love howMark's Gospel says it: “They went their way and found a colt tied by thedoor, outside in a place where two ways met, and they loosed him.” Thiscolt represents a lost sinner. It was a colt that had never been ridden, agreat picture of a sinner who is lost in his sins. He is tied by the door, andisn't it interesting that Jesus says, "I am the door"? He's tied by adoor that's outside. The people who are lost are tied to sin, outside the doorof salvation, Jesus Christ.
Theyare also in a place where “two ways met”. This is a place of decision. Youeither go to heaven from here, or you go to hell. When you meet Jesus Christ,you have to make a choice: Is He indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Son ofGod, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, or is He justsomeone else you don't care to know? If you decide that He is Jesus the Christ,the Son of God, my friend, you want to be loosed from the bondage of your sin.And you need someone to bring you the power of the Gospel Word to loose you.
So,what should we be doing as servants and disciples of Jesus Christ? We should beobeying Him, going to the place where two roads meet, a crossroads for a lostsinner tied to his sin. Our job is to share the good news of Jesus Christ,loose him, and bring him to Jesus. Jesus said, "I have need ofhim."
Oh,my friend, Jesus has need of every lost sinner, who is someone who will bring Himglory, praise, and honor like no one else can. And serve Him to bring others toChrist also. Today, let's apply these scriptures to our lives and be like thesedisciples who went and did as the Lord told them. We have been given the GreatCommission also. We are sent by Jesus to loose a tied colt today! He or she isat the crossroad of decision! Be looking for him or her as you go!
Yesterday,my friend Ben and I had the opportunity to begin “loosing” a tied colt (awaitress), as we were eating lunch at a local restaurant. How exciting!!!!
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John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."
Hetells the parable of the nobleman and the 10 servants to whom he gives a minaeach. The one servant who kept the one mina says, "Oh,I knew you were a stern master, so I hid it in the ground, and here it is; Igive it back to you." The master says, "I'm judging you out ofyour own mouth. You should have at least put it in the bank, and then when Icame, I could have had it with some interest." This servant did notget rewarded; in fact, what he had was taken from him and given to the man whohad 10 minas.
Ibelieve what the Lord is clearly teaching us here is that one day He is comingagain. He is a Master who will come and reward his faithful servants one day. InRomans 14 Paul teaches that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. “…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:"As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongueshall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself toGod.” (Romans 14:10-12) Don't waste your time judging one another, tryingto figure out who's right and who's wrong. Serve the Lord; he is Lord of all.Whether we live or die, we live unto the Lord, and one day we will stand beforehis judgment seat, and each one of us will give an account of himself to theLord.
1Corinthians 3:5-15 teach basically the same thing, telling us we will give anaccount for each work we've done. There are works that abide and those thatdon't in the fire of judgment at the judgment seat of Christ. I believe thisjudgment takes place at the end of the tribulation period, just before themillennial reign of Christ. There the rewards will be passed out to thosewho've been faithful to serve the Lord and reign with Him. If we suffer with Him,we will reign with Him in His millennial 1,000-year reign, as He sits upon thethrone of David in Jerusalem and rules over the earth. We come back with Him torule and reign, and the reward will be determined by our performance now. (2 Timothy2:12; Revelation 19:11-16).
Butnot just by what we do, though, because the scripture teaches every work willbe judged, whether it's good or bad, whether it's gold, silver, or preciousstones, or whether it's wood, hay, and stubble. In other words, what we do ordon't do for Christ and through Christ alone. Remember in John 15 Jesus said, "Withoutme, you can do nothing." Our motives for our service will be judged atthat time, and we'll be rewarded accordingly. We all have been given the onemina, the Word of God, and we can determine, by the grace of God through thepower of the Holy Spirit abiding in us, to serve faithfully. I love what 1 John2:28 says: "Abide in me, little children." It says, "Ifyou abide in Him, you will be confident and not be ashamed at His coming."We're to “study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need notbe ashamed” (2 Timothy 3:15).
Manyof us will stand at the judgment seat of Christ and be ashamed! I believe manyChristians think that if they're saved, they will go to heaven, and everyonewill be happy all the time. But my friend, there will be a time of accountingwhen we stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and every work will be judged.Read 2 Corinthians 5:7-11. It says we will all stand before the judgment seatof Christ, and there it also says, “…knowing the terror of the Lord, wepersuade men”. Paul knew and talked about that judgment seat.
So,we need to understand what Jesus is teaching here in Luke 19. He says, "Listen,you need to make sure you serve me faithfully now, and serve me with the rightmotive, and your reward will be great in heaven."
Andmy friend, in the Millennial reign of Christ on earth, you will also rule andreign with him. Please take time to lookthe above verses up.
Godbless!
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Inthe first 10 verses of Luke 19, we meet Jesus as the Savior who seeks the lostand we have the story of Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector who comes to faithand salvation through Jesus Christ. Then, in verse 11, we meet the master whorewards faithful servants. My friend, that's who Jesus is. He is the Savior,but he's also the master who expects us to be faithful servants.
Itsays in verse 11, "Now as they heard these things, he spoke anotherparable because he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdomof God would appear immediately." Jesus is at the end of His three anda half years of earthly ministry. He's on his way to Jerusalem with hisdisciples, preaching, sharing, doing miracles, and healing people. He knowsthat He's going to be crucified, but the disciples and many others believe He isgoing to Jerusalem to set up his kingdom.
Atthat time in the Jewish world, there were subversive groups like the Zealotswho used commando tactics against Rome. There were also the Herodians, Jewishpoliticians who compromised their faith to rule with the Romans over the Jewishpeople in the land of Israel. Then, you had the common people, the majority,who were looking for the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies for theMessiah, the King to come and set up His kingdom.
That'swhy this verse says that as Jesus neared Jerusalem, He told this parablebecause they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. They werethinking Jesus is this possible king, the Prophet prophesied in the OldTestament, the Messiah who's come to give us a deliverer. This was at the timeof Passover, and people were flooding into Jerusalem by the thousands. Theywere looking for a deliverer, just like the Passover represented beingdelivered out of Egypt when God gave them a deliverer, Moses. Now they believedthat one like Moses would come and deliver them from the Roman rule. Theythought Jesus was that deliverer.
Jesusthen tells them this story, beginning in verse 12, about “a certain noblemanwho went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. Hecalled 10 of his servants, delivered to them 10 minas, and said to them,"Do business till I come." But his citizens hated him and sent adelegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign overus." When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded theseservants to whom he had given the money to be called to him that he might knowhow much every man had gained by trading.”
Jesusis presenting a picture here. It's interesting that there were 10 servants towhom he gave 10 minas, money. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable ofthe talents, and the master giving different amounts,5 to one, two to another,and one to one, to three servants. That was a picture of the gifts God giveseach of us to serve Him, and how we use those gifts will be held accountable.But here, he gave the same amount of money to ten servants and then tells howat least three of them were held accountable. We believe the application isthat Jesus gave the Word of God to all His followers today to share witheveryone we can, and we're going to be held accountable for it.
Thelesson here is that God expects us to be faithful with whatever He gives us,and He will hold us accountable for our faithfulness and obedience with thegifts and the Word of God that we're to share with those around us. May theLord help us to learn this lesson well.
Itrust you will use the Spiritual gifts that God's blessed you with and also sharethe Word of God with whoever crosses your path today.
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Here in Luke 19, Jesusis giving us this story of a rich man getting saved and making sure weunderstand what's impossible with men is possible with God. If you go back to Luke18, you might remember the rich young ruler who came running to Jesus and leftvery sorrowful. Jesus then made the statement, "How hard it is forthose who have riches to enter the kingdom of God."
The rich man in Luke 18came running to Jesus, but this man, Zacchaeus, ran ahead of Jesus because hesought to see Him. He was small of stature and had to climb up into a sycamoretree. We go by a sycamore tree whenever we go to Jericho, visiting the HolyLand, and we always get out and take a picture right there in the middle of thecity of Jericho. They believe it's possible that this very tree is from theroots of the tree that Zacchaeus might have climbed up. I don't know, but it'salways great to see that tree and think of the story about Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus ran ahead,and my friend, I think about how it says Jesus came to the place where he was. Zacchaeusset himself in the place where God's grace would come by. My friend, I'm goingto tell you, you're more apt to find Jesus at church than you are in a bar orout doing some wicked, evil deed. When you put yourself in the place of God'sgrace, that's when God's grace will pass by you. This place is called humility.Zacchaeus humbled himself. Jesus said, "If you're going to become rich andenter the kingdom of God, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is thekingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). You want to inherit heaven, you must humbleyourself and become like a beggar.
So here's a rich manrunning ahead, putting himself in the place of God's grace. Jesus is going topass that way. How do you put yourself in the place of God's grace? I wouldencourage you, if you're struggling to find salvation, read the Gospel of John,study the Gospel of John, hang out with some believers who love Jesus Christ,talk to people who want to talk about the Lord, put yourself in the place ofGod's grace, get away from those who are leading you into sin and continuing toencourage you to sin. This man ran away, he humbles himself, he climbs in thetree, and I love it. It says, "When Jesus came to the place, he looked upand saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down."
Interestingly, Jesuslooked up. When we read the scriptures, God is looking down from heaven. Jesuswas in heaven, but one day, and he leftthe splendors of glory. “He who was rich became poor”. He became poor,and now he looks up to where Zacchaeus is. My friend, it is because Jesushumbled himself and became a man, became a servant, and became obedient even tothe death of the cross, that we can experience His grace of salvation (Philippians2:5-11).
Then Jesus makes thestatement, "Salvation has come to this man's house today because he isa son of Abraham." There was evidence of Zacchaeus' salvation. Hegives half his goods to the poor. He didn't have to give that much back to thepoor, but he did. Why? Because when a man meets Jesus Christ and the grace ofGod comes into his life, everything changes. We become new creatures in ChristJesus. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians5:17). A son of Abraham means he is a “son of faith” (Romans 4:12; Galatians3:7).
Today, will you putyourself in the way of God’s grace? “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Callupon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).
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Todaywe are looking at one of the most exciting stories in the New Testament. I liketo call it the story of a little big sinner. That's the story of Zacchaeus, aman who comes seeking Jesus as Jesus is seeking him. What a wonderful story.This is probably one of the favorite stories of little children in Sundayschool growing up, with the great song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man,and a wee little man was he. And one day, Jesus passed his way.”
InLuke 19:1, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now remember, Jericho wasthe Las Vegas of Christ's day. It was the place where gambling, prostitutes,and where the mafia had their headquarters, so to speak. It was a bad place,and Jesus entered and passed through. Jesus is ready to pass through yourplace, no matter who you are or where you are. Jesus is seeking sinners, aswe’ll see in the first 10 verses of this chapter.
Behold,there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and he was rich.Zacchaeus was Jewish, and his name means "righteous one," but he wasanything but righteous. He was not only a tax collector but the chief taxcollector, maybe even Matthew’s boss at one time. Perhaps after Matthew becamea follower of Christ, he was burdened for Zacchaeus and prayed for him. NowZacchaeus has a prepared heart. He was rich, from collecting taxes for theRoman government while cheating people and taking more than he was supposed to.But his wealth did not bring him satisfaction or peace.
Hesought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd, for he was ofshort stature. He was a little guy, not very tall. Because of the crowd, hecouldn’t get to Jesus. That’s true today—many people are kept from Jesusbecause of the crowd leading them the wrong way, telling them the lies of theworld. My friend don’t let the crowd keep you from Jesus. Don’t follow amultitude to do evil. Zacchaeus couldn’t see over the crowd or well enough tosee who Jesus was and what He was doing. He was curious, so he ran ahead andclimbed into a sycamore tree to see Him, knowing Jesus would pass that way. Ilike to say that Zacchaeus put himself “in the way of Grace”.
Jesuswould like to pass your way if you’re looking for Him. Zacchaeus, a man,becomes like a child. In the days of Christ, and even today, rich men don’trun—they walk with dignity and pride. But this man humbles himself. Not onlywas he small in stature, but he humbled his heart and became small in his ownsight. Remember in Luke 18, Jesus said, “Unless you become like a child, youcan’t enter the kingdom of God,”
WhenJesus came to the place, He looked up, saw him, and said, “Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste,came down, and received Him joyfully. This chapter illustrates Ephesians 2:8-9as well as anywhere in the Bible: “For by grace are you saved through faith,and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any manshould boast.”
Theone thing that keeps people from coming to Jesus is pride. A seeking sinnerwill always find a seeking Savior. I don’t fully understand how Jesus seeks uswhile something happens to humble our hearts, and we begin to seek Him. But Iknow that it is the work of God’s marvelous grace, which only takes place whenwe humble ourselves. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James4:6). Only by grace can you be saved and begin to have a heart that seeksJesus.
Here’sa rich man who has need of nothing, but he’s lonely inside, has no friends, andpeople don’t like him. He’s a sinner, but Jesus loves sinners. What a greatstory. Today, I don’t know who you are, where you’re at, or what’s going on inyour life, but Jesus, by His grace, is ready to pass your way.
Areyou looking for Him? If you’re looking, you will find Him, and He’ll find you.
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Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, specifically verses 35-43, the last verses ofthe chapter. Jesus began this chapter by teaching about prayer, that men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. He gave us several stories about prayer. Inthese last verses Jesus teaches us that the prayer that always turns the ear ofGod to see our need, and give us the miracle that we need, is the “desperate prayer”.Now, as Luke ends this chapter, he points out a certain man who was a beggarand blind, who came to Jesus.
Inthis chapter, we've seen contrasts between different people and situations.Here, we see the contrast between this beggar who was blind and the rich manwho came to Jesus. Matthew's and Mark's gospels tell us there were two beggars,but in the Gospel of Luke, it appears Luke loves to point out how Jesus isinterested in the individual. It didn't matter if there were a hundred sheep;he's interested in one. If there are ten pieces of silver, there's one. Ifthere are two sons, there's one. If there are two beggars, here in Luke's Gospel,there's one. God is interested in you. He knows your need. He wants you to cryout to him.
Ifthere's anything we learn about prayer in this chapter, it's that men oughtalways to pray. We're not to pray like the Pharisee, but we come desperately toJesus. The rich young ruler came, thought well of himself, and bragged abouthis goodness. This beggar wouldn't be quiet when he heard Jesus was passing by.He was desperate for his need to be healed and would cry out, even when peopletold him to be quiet. That's another thing you learn from this chapter: thewidow in the first verses of the chapter kept crying out, even though the judgewouldn't listen. The beggar, even though people told him to be quiet, cried outanyway.
Ilove the contrast here, and we're encouraged to cry out in desperation. TheScripture says, "You shall seek me and find me when you have searchedfor me with all your heart." That's how you come to Jesus; that's howyou come in faith, believing. This man was blind and acknowledged it. He had nospecial merits to cry out and say, "Oh, I've been good; I've donethis." He had nothing. He came empty and went away rich. The rich man camevery rich and left eternally poor.
Myfriend, there's so much we learn from this. I encourage you today: you mightfeel like you have nothing, no merits to come to Christ, or that you've lived alife that merits none of his grace. But you can come in your desperation. If Iknow and have learned one thing from my years of ministry it is that God hearsthe prayers of desperate people. Honestly, I don't know if we really pray untilwe get desperate. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much because wemeet Jesus where He is, and we cry out to Him.
The"human stories” we have "read" in this chapter should also encourageus to put our faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what others may say or do. Thewidow was not discouraged by the indifferent attitude of the judge, nor thepublican by the hypocritical attitude of the Pharisee. The parents broughttheir little ones to Jesus in spite of the selfish attitude of the Apostles,and the blind men came to Jesus even though the crowd told them to keep quietand stay put. Jesus always responds to faith and rewards those who believe.
Whata wonderful story to end this chapter. This poor blind beggar left rejoicing,and the people were praising God. Remember, the rich man left very sad andsorrowful. Don't leave that way, my friend. Come to Jesus, meet Him, have yourlife changed, and let Hm give you your sight.
Jesusasked this blind man, "What do you want Me to do for you?"? Theman said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." God made himpoint out his need, and Jesus met that need right where he was. I trust thatyou'll trust the Lord today to meet your need. Jesus is always ready to answerthe prayer of a desperate person!
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Today,we will continue looking at the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesuslooking for salvation. He came running, knelt before Jesus, asked the rightquestion, and came to the right person—all the right things. Matthew’s gospelcalls him “young” twice, emphasizing he also came at the right time of life.That’s a good time to give your heart to Christ, but it’s never too late. Aslong as you have breath in your lungs, a beating heart, and a thinking mind,it’s time to come to Jesus.
Jesustold him to give everything he had, because he was rich, and give to the poor.The Bible says when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was veryrich. Jesus saw he was sorrowful and said, “How hard it is for those whohave riches to enter the kingdom of God. It’s easier for a camel to go throughthe eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those whoheard it said, “Who then can be saved?” But He said, “The things which areimpossible with men are possible with God.”
Petersaid, “We have left all and followed you.” Jesus replied, “Assuredly I say toyou, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife orchildren for the sake of the kingdom of God who shall not receive many timesmore in this present time and in the age to come eternal life.”
WhenJesus saw the man was sorrowful, He said it’s easier for a camel to go throughthe eye of a needle. I’ve heard, from my many visits to Jerusalem andBethlehem, that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has a small door youcan barely get through. They made these doors small so raiders on animalscouldn’t invade the church where everyone might be taking shelter. A camelcouldn’t get through the door with a person with any burden of wealth on it.The door was like the eye of a needle, very small making it hard for anythingto get through it. I’m not sure all thatit meant, but Jesus was saying that for a rich person, the problem is theybelieve that their wealth gives them their security.
Iread years ago, and never forgot it, that whatever becomes our source ofsecurity becomes our idol, our God that we worship. It might be a person, ajob, or money. And most often it is our money—our job, savings account, orretirement plan. If that becomes our source of security, it becomes our God,our idol. Jesus said it’s hard for a person to give up that source of security.Jesus made it clear elsewhere you can’t serve God and mammon.
Youeither serve the Lord God, finding your security in Him and your relationshipwith Jesus Christ, or you trust in your wealth. Money can go away, people die,everything can change, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, andforever (Hebrews 13:8). The real source of security for eternity is Jesus andyour relationship with Him.
Jesusfinishes this passage by taking the twelve aside, saying, “We’re going up toJerusalem. All the things written by the prophets concerning the Son of Manwill be accomplished. He’ll be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, insulted,spit upon, scourged, and killed, and the third day He will rise again.”Jesus pointed them to the cross. My friend, that’s how you come to Christ—youcome to the cross, to the suffering of the cross.
What’simpossible with men is possible with God. Salvation can take place when youcome to the cross, and your life can be totally changed. No matter how wealthy,poor, sinful, wicked, evil, or good you are. You can come to the cross and besaved.
Today,come to the cross of Jesus.
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22 So when Jesus heard thesethings, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you haveand distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,follow Me." 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for hewas very rich.
Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, verses 18-30, the story of the rich youngruler who comes to Jesus looking for salvation. In verse 17, Jesus had justmade the statement, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as alittle child will by no means enter it." You have to come to Jesuslike a child, totally dependent upon Him, hungry for Him and Him alone. In thevery first “Beatitude” Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, Fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This young ruler comes toJesus is an illustration of someone who will not enter the kingdom of heavenbecause of their pride, possessions, and their wrong views of Jesus, self, sin,and also basic dishonesty.
Jesussays to this rich young ruler, "Keep the commandments", and Helists five of them: "Don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal,don't bear false witness, honor your father and mother." The manresponds, "I've done all these things since I was a youth." Hecalled Jesus "good Master," honoring the Lord with his lips, but hisheart was far from Him. He didn’t truly believe Jesus is the Son of God,despite implying it by calling Him "good Master." He also had a wrongview of his own sin, claiming he’d kept all the commandments.
Noticethat Jesus didn’t quote the last commandment, "Thou shalt not covet."He tells the man, "Go sell everything you have, give to the poor, andfollow me." The man went away very sorrowful because he had greatriches. We see that this man had a problem with covetousness, and Jesus knowinghis heart deal with that by telling him to give his wealth away.
What’simportant is that unless we come to Jesus with a heart like a child, willing inhumility to repent of our sin, our selfishness and our pride, we will notreceive the grace of God to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9; James 4:6). This manthought he could get saved by what he did, asking, "What shall I do toinherit eternal life?" He wasn’t looking at his heart or the need torepent of his sins. He felt he was a pretty good guy, keeping all thecommandments.
Youdon’t get to heaven by keeping the commandments. I’ve asked people over theyears, "Are you going to heaven? How do you know?" They’ll say,"I do the best I can and try to keep the commandments." But myfriend, that doesn’t take away our sin. Our problem is a sin problem, acovetous, selfish, prideful heart problem. “All have sinned and come shortof the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We must come like a child, admit inhumility that we have sinned, turn from our sin, and trust Jesus.
Scripturedoesn’t teach that it’s wrong to be wealthy. You can possess great wealth andbe a wonderful, loving Christian, making a major difference in the kingdom ofGod. But you can’t let wealth possess you. Keep your focus on kingdom work, notpersonal gain. I’ll never forget a wealthy friend who said, "I take careof God’s business, and God takes care of my business." He was one of themost giving people I’d ever met.
Keepyour focus on eternity, knowing we are sinners. The only way to heaven is torepent, turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Go to the cross, wheresin was taken care of. Jesus died in our place, gave us the only parachute lefton the plane, and went down with it. But thank God, He rose again the thirdday. He’s alive, and today He can save you if you come by faith to Him.
Don’tbe like this rich young ruler who goes away “very sorrowful”. No, youcan live a happy, joyful, wonderful life in Christ when you give your heart toHim.
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18Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do toinherit eternal life?" 19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Megood? No one is good but One, that is, God. 2
Lukenow tells us what we call the story of the “Rich Young Ruler” in verses 18-30.This incident takes place as Jesus is traveling with His disciples to Jerusalem.What is interesting to me is that this exact story is repeated in almost the samedetails in the first three Gospels. We find it first in Matthew 19:16-30. Nextin Mark 10:17-31 and then lastly here in Luke 18:18-30.
Mark’sGospel begins this story by telling us: “Now as He was going out on theroad, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher,what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Notice that this man came “running”,he “knelt”, he “asked” the most important question a person could ask.
Therich young ruler may be the only man in the Gospels who came to the feet ofJesus and went away in worse condition than when he came. And yet he had somuch in his favor! He was moral and religious, earnest and sincere, andprobably would have qualified for membership in the average church. Yet herefused to follow Jesus Christ and instead went his own way in great sorrow.
Whatwas wrong with him? In a word: dishonesty. In spite of the fact that came theright way, “he came running”, he knew his need was urgent. That he camewith the right attitude of humility, “he knelt”. That he came to theright Person, he came to Jesus, the Teacher of teachers. And that he asked theright question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” and he receivedthe right answer, he still made the wrong decision.
Why?Because he was not honest with God or with himself. Therefore, he would not dowhat he was commanded to do. He was a superficial young man who said one thingbut did another. We will consider the areas in which he was dishonest.
Firstwould be his view of Christ (vv. 18-19). Notice that he called Jesus, “Goodteacher”. I always wondered why Jesus responded by asking him, “Why doyou call me good?” The rabbis in the days of Jesus were called "Teacher”,(Master), but it was most unusual for a rabbi to be called "Good."The Jews reserved the word good for God alone (Psalms 25:8; 34:8; 86:5; 106:1).This explains why our Lord asked the young man what he meant, for if he reallybelieved that Jesus was "good," then he had to confess that Jesus wasGod.
Byasking this question, our Lord was not denying His deity but affirming it. Hewas testing the young man to see if he really understood what he had just said.His subsequent behavior proved that the young ruler did not believe that JesusChrist was God. If he really thought he was in the presence of Almighty God,why did he argue politely about the Law, brag about his character, and thenrefuse to obey the Word? Surely he knew that God sees the heart and knows allthings!
Today,the real question that should settle all the questions about Jesus andsalvation is, “Do you really believe that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh?” Thatis what the entire Gospel of John is about (John 20:30-31)! We might say thesewords in our heads and with our lips, but there if there is no change in ourlives and in our hearts, we really are being dishonest with ourselves and withGod.
Today,is a good day to ask what do you really believe about Jesus in your heart!
Godbless!
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InLuke chapter 18, Jesus begins this chapter talking about prayer, teaching aboutprayer. He's preparing His disciples for the time when they will have theresponsibility and the command to take the gospel to the far ends of the earth,and he knows a major part of accomplishing this great task will be knowing howto pray. You'll see in the first chapters of Acts how the disciples must havelistened to that lesson and learned it.
Herein Luke 18, Jesus tells us first that we're to be praying always withoutceasing, to pray and not to faint. He tells the parable about the widow whodidn't have anything, and how she goes to the unjust judge and begs, cries, andscreams for help to avenge her of her adversary. He won't listen, but finallyshe wears him down, and he says, "I'm tired of this woman doing this, andI'll finally avenge her." But God says, "Listen, I'm not like thatunjust judge, and you're not really like that widow either. I'm your heavenlyfather who cares for you. You can come running to me, and I'm ready to avengemy own that cry unto me day and night."
Thenhe goes to the story of the Pharisee who comes to the temple to pray with aproud, arrogant, self-righteous heart. He's better than everybody else, he praysto be seen by men. The Lord is teaching us not to pray like that. Then hefinishes this story by telling about the publican, the tax collector, who getson his face before God, beats his breast, and cries out, "Oh God, bemerciful to me, a sinner."
I'llnever forget the time a man came to my office and told me his wife had lefthim. He had two little children. He told me that he couldn't read or write, buthe had a good job, but now he was at the end of his rope. I said, "Well,you need to pray." He said, "I've never prayed before. I don't knowwhat to pray." I said, "Just call out to God." We bowed ourheads, and I'll never forget as it got silent for a moment, then all of asudden this man with tears cried out, "Oh God, help me." I thoughtmaybe for the first time in my life I really heard someone pray. By the nextSunday, I saw him at church, and something had happened. He came in with thiswoman by his side, introduced me his wife, and said, "It didn't take God24 hours to answer that prayer."
Jesus is now teaching us that we should pray like a child.A child has faith. We have a great grandson, his name is Keanu, almost 8 months old, and Edith and I have the responsibility anddelight to babysit him every day. I can tell you he has faith in us to holdhim, take care of him, and meet his needs. I can see his faith in his eyes, ashe trust us to hold him, feed him, watch out for him. Children are totallydependent. You're not only dependent as a child, you have faith to believeyou're going to be taken care of every day with what you need to sustain you.
Itwas customary for the Jews to bring little children to the rabbis to receivetheir special blessing, so it is strange that the disciples would stand in theway. Perhaps they thought Jesus was weary and needed rest, or they may havedecided that He was not really interested in children. How wrong they were! However,this was not the first time the disciples had attempted to get rid of people.They wanted to send the crowd away hungry, but Jesus fed them (Matt. 14:15);and they tried to stop the Canaanite woman from asking Jesus to heal herdaughter (Matt. 15:21), but Jesus answered her prayer. The Twelve did not yethave the compassion of their Master, but it would come in due time.
Jesuswants us to be childlike but not childish. An unspoiled child illustrateshumility, faith, and dependence. A child has a sense of wonder that makes lifeexciting. The only way to enter God's kingdom is to become like a child and beborn again (John 3). If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he toowould have gone home justified.
Myfriend, we need to learn to pray to our Heavenly Father with the humility, faith,and dependence of a child!
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