Gone

Luke 24:51-53 (ESV) While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Luke’s Gospel ends in a rather ironic way. Jesus ascended to Heaven, and the disciples were really excited about it. Look at these words: “They… returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”  Suppose your fiancee just left you for a yearlong deployment overseas with no possibility of seeing you for twelve months. Would you feel “great joy” if you were truly in love? Yet, here we see the Savior of the world leaving his closest friends permanently (for this life), and they had great joy? Isn't this ironic?

The apostles’ emotions were certainly much different than they were at Jesus’ previous departure that first Good Friday. Their expectations of who Jesus was and what he came to do were shaken significantly by Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. They did not expect him to die this way. Something changed when they saw the risen Christ, processed their doubts, touched him, and worshiped him. This is the first time Luke recorded the disciples worshiping Jesus. They understood who Jesus was and they understood what his real mission was. They also understood his mission was now their mission.

Notice also his physical departure did not mean a relational departure. They worshiped Jesus after he was gone. The joy came from embracing him as he was and embracing their part in his story. Luke continues that story in the Acts of the Apostles, and we can read how the once doubting and fearful disciples boldly changed the world with the message of Jesus.

Though Jesus is gone physically from the earth, he is still at work through those who worship him and accept his mission. He is not just an idea. He is alive. He alone brings great joy. I wish you that great joy for the coming year in every area of your life. 

Living Proof

Luke 24:38-40 (ESV) And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

It may seem tough to believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Yet, this is the core doctrine of Christianity. The fact that Jesus conquered death is the basis of our hope of eternal life. Yet from the very beginning, people have struggled with believing the Resurrection actually happened. Even Jesus’ closest disciples struggled with doubt that first Easter, even while looking the freshly resurrected Jesus in the eyes.

Yet Jesus was not afraid of their doubts, nor did he condemn them for their questions. Jesus encouraged his disciples, as he does all of us who struggle with doubt, to check and see that he actually had risen from the dead. In his first appearance to all the disciples that first Easter evening, he invited them to check and see for themselves by looking at and touching the nail wounds in his hands and feet.

Even after the first touch, some were still wrestling with doubt (vs 41), so Jesus ate food in front of them (vv 42-43). Then he showed how his life and resurrection fulfilled Old Testament scriptures written hundreds of years before hand (vv 44-46). There was and is no shortage of hard evidence that Jesus rose from the dead, but the greatest evidence is touching him for yourself. It only took a few minutes for the once doubting disciples to worship Jesus (vs 52). Even then, they touched him before all their doubts were resolved. You and I do not need to have every question answered before experiencing Jesus’ touch and worshiping him. Reach out to him today.

The Other Christmas Story

John 1:1; 14 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Like Matthew and Luke, John’s Gospel starts with the Christmas story. However, there are no shepherds, angels, or Magi. There is not even a manger or a star. Yet, John encapsulates the heart of the message of Christmas perhaps more clearly than any other Gospel.

Jesus is pictured as the Word, who was with God in the beginning and who was God (giving us a picture of the unique nature of the Trinity – relationship and unity). Jesus is the eternally existent agent of creation. Jesus came as light into a dark world, most of whose residents did not receive Him, but those who did (and do) become children of God (vs 12). The mystery of the Christmas incarnation is described in verse 14 as this eternally existent and divine Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us.

There has never been and never again will be a unique individual fully God and fully man. His incarnation gives us a glimpse of His glory, but also the glory of His Gospel: full of grace and truth. This and is a powerful one and demonstrates the necessity of Christmas. First, there is truth. That means there are also things false. The entire Bible communicates the consequences of choosing the false. The reality of truth also means that not all explanations of the world and our existence are equally valid. That can be a tough message to accept in a pluralistic, Postmodern world, but we can know the truth of many things, including who Jesus was and why he had to come. Because truth means consequences, we desperately need grace – forgiveness from our mistakes and access to an eternal relationship with God. This is the best news of Christmas. We needed a Savior, and Jesus (the only one who could save us) came, so that whoever believes in Him can become a child of God (vs 12). I pray you receive the greatest of all Christmas gifts today. Believe in Jesus. 

Unnamed but Not Unknown

Luke 24:13-15 (ESV) That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

In Luke’s account, of the first two people to speak with Jesus after his resurrection on the first Easter, one is named Cleopas. The other is not named. They do not appear to be part of the core Twelve Apostles (actually eleven by that point, since Judas’ suicide had just taken place). Verse 33 says explicitly, “They returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together.” Yet, these two were part of Jesus’ inner circle. They were emotionally devastated by his loss. (vv 18-21) They heard the report of the women who first witnessed the empty tomb that very morning before they started the trip to Emmaus. (vv 22-24) Although we cannot say for certain they were at the Last Supper, they recognized Jesus as he blessed and broke bread in front of them. (vv 30-31; 35)

Luke spends a surprisingly large amount of time (21 verses) describing their journey and conversation with Jesus. This provokes a lot of questions. Why did Jesus spend so much time with these two otherwise obscure characters on the first day of his Resurrection? The journey and dinner must have taken several hours. Although Jesus appeared to Peter and later to the rest of the eleven, it does not sound like he spent nearly as much time with these who had the “title” and were recognized later as the first leaders of the church. (See Acts 6) Jesus seems to have intentionally sought out one man who was named only once in the whole New Testament and another who is not named at all to bring encouragement, understanding of fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, and reveal himself on this, the most significant day in history.

Although we are not told why, we can consider that any of us can be that unnamed disciple on the Road to Emmaus. It is not our titles, names, achievements, or prestige that compel Jesus to come to us. We do not even have to have a full understanding of who He truly is. Yet, if we walk with Him, listen to Him, search the scriptures with and for Him, and receive what He offers us, He will reveal Himself to us. I pray your heart burns within you (vs 32) as Jesus walks with you today.

Women First

Luke 24:9-10 (ESV) Returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now, it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles.

First Century Jewish women had a tough lot. They had few rights in both the official and unofficial laws of the land. They had no political voice. Their testimony was not even accepted in court. Yet, Jesus, the usurper, came to not only set us all free from the spiritual and eternal consequences of our sin. He broke many traditions of temporal bondage, too.

A group of women had followed Jesus and the twelve apostles closely throughout their ministry. They cared for their needs, both financially and physically (Matthew 27:55, Mark 15:40, Luke 8:2-3). They were at the cross when Jesus died and stayed long after the other disciples left. They followed Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb. They were the first to show up at that tomb after the Sabbath was over. Perhaps most surprisingly, they were the first to see that tomb empty. John tells us Mary Magdalene was the first to see and speak with the risen Jesus (John 20:15).

This was radical of Jesus to make his first appearance to women in a culture that gave them so little respect. It would have made more sense if Jesus had appeared to his disciples first. As it was, they did not believe what the women told them until the saw it for themselves (Luke 24:11).  If Jesus had appeared alive to the Jewish leaders who forced his execution, might they have changed their attitude towards him, brought the entire nation to faith, and spared themselves the grief of the horrible wars and destruction that came in the following decades?

Imagine if Jesus had appeared first to Pilate. He was next in line to Caesar. The entire Roman Empire might have responded. Yet, Jesus did not appear to any of them first. He appeared to women. What might be seen as evidence against the truth of his Resurrection is actually strong evidence for it. He did appear to the apostles several times afterward, but the fact he appeared to these women first and the apostles did not initially accept their report shows they did not make up this story. Self-deprecation was not in vogue in the first century. No one undermined their own credibility.

In the truest sense, women were the first evangelists (evangellion is Greek for Gospel or good news) of the Resurrection.  Women have had a vital place in God’s work ever since. Women were first on purpose.

Courageous and Generous

Luke 23:50-53 (ESV) Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.

It is unfortunately rare to find someone courageous enough to take his or her own position in opposition to the most elite and powerful group in the country, one that demands compliance from all its members. Joseph of Arimathea was one such person. He was a member of the Sanhedrin – the highest decision making body of the Jewish nation. Part of this council was responsible for handing Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified. Joseph had nothing to do with that. He was probably not invited to the meeting.

Joseph saw in Jesus something his colleagues were not willing to see. He saw the risk of losing their credibility by supporting Jesus was worth it in the long run. The Kingdom of God is far more valuable than the approval of people. Because he understood and believed, Joseph went out of his way in generous support of Jesus. He took a huge risk of public shame by asking Pilate for Jesus’ body. He had paid the huge expense to have a tomb cut out of rock then allowed Jesus to be the first set in it (ensuring he would be “unclean” by contact with another dead body). He even donated the linen shroud for Jesus to be wrapped in. This was no Walmart special.

Luke describes Joseph as a man “good and righteous.” Being courageously generous is a true demonstration of that. What might hold you back from giving Jesus your all? Is it a fear of what others might think or is it a fear of giving up something valuable?

Save Yourself

Luke 23:35-39 (ESV) And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

Just after Jesus was nailed to the cross, three different groups of people called on him to save himself. The first was the Jewish leaders. They were more responsible for Jesus’ execution than any others. They took him to Pilate on trumped up charges. When Pilate sought to release him, they prevailed and persuaded him to crucify Jesus instead. They gloatingly taunted Jesus to save himself because they had won their victory (or so they thought).

The second group was the Roman soldiers who had just crucified him. These men were likely far from home in a land and among people they neither loved nor understood. To them Jesus may have been just another criminal to be executed until their leader, at least, recognized there was something more to this Jesus (See Luke 23:27 and Matthew 27:54).

The third was a criminal on the cross next to Jesus. This bitter taunt was the last in a bitter life. Each of these called on Jesus to save himself if he were the King of the Jews, as the sign over his head read, or if he were the Christ – the promised anointed one of the Jews: prophet, priest, and king.

The irony is Jesus was and is Christ and King, but saving himself would have eliminated those titles. The only one who got it right that day was the thief on the other cross, who asked Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) He alone understood that if Jesus had saved himself, he could not have saved anyone else. Because he did not save himself, he can and will save anyone who calls to him, no matter how guilty (as that guilty and convicted murder and thief proves). The only way you can save yourself is to go to the one who did not save himself so he could save you.

Exchanging Loads

Luke 23:26 (ESV) And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

Simon had no idea what would happen to him that day as he walked into the city. Originally from the area we now know as Libya, he may have trekked the thousand miles from there to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, or he may have been part of a community of Cyrenian Jews who lived near Jerusalem. Mark’s account tells us he was the father of Rufus and Alexander. Archaeologists have a discovered a first century tomb near Jerusalem of an “Alexander, son of Simon” in a Cyrenian cemetery. In Romans 16:13, Paul greeted a man named Rufus “and his mother, who has been a mother to me also.” This Rufus could well have been Simon’s son. Why else would a random stranger be named in all three Gospels and his sons named in one that likely originated in Rome? It sounds like that trip into the city changed Simon’s life and the lives of all in his family.

The biggest life changes often happened unexpectedly. They are rarely comfortable. Jesus had been carrying his cross after being flogged. Jesus probably stumbled from weakness and pain from the abuse, so a soldier picked Simon, a helpless bystander, and forced him to carry that cross. Simon’s routine trip to the city turned out much differently than he expected. The blood from Jesus’ whippings would have been streaming down the more than one hundred pound cross beam, making it very difficult to handle. He likely faced rough handling by the Roman soldiers who forced him to carry it. Whatever he was originally trying to do in the city got sidetracked by a major interruption far against his will.

Yet, it seems Simon was able to see beyond the pain and unfairness of that day’s interruption. Somehow he contemplated the one whose cross he bore. Perhaps he was able to gain a fresh perspective and realize that the one whose burden he carried that morning would carry his much greater burden on that same cross that afternoon. Simon responded that day by willingly exchanging his burden with Christ, and he, his wife, and his children were never the same again.

Much like Simon, we each need to look past our own pain and discomfort in those unpleasant interruptions of life. We need to see the opportunities they bring. Yet, even more like Simon, we need to take Jesus’ burden upon ourselves (Matthew 11:29), so that he can take the burden of our wrongdoings and their consequences onto that cross. That is the burden we can never bear on our own. 

In My Place

Luke 23:25 (ESV) He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

Barabbas was a terrorist and a murderer. There was no question of his guilt and responsibility with so many witnesses. He was held in prison by the Romans for leading an insurrection. In all likelihood, he was scheduled to be executed without any hope until some surprising events occurred one day. A homely teacher from the redneck land of Galilee had been dragged to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate by the chief priests who were jealous of his growing influence among the people.

Pilate tried this Jesus to placate the Jewish leaders, but he found no guilt in him. The charges the Jewish leaders put on Jesus were obviously trumped up and of no real consequence. Time and again, Pilate tried to let Jesus go, but the leaders kept calling for his crucifixion. Then Pilate thought of another way out. It was the Passover Feast. He had established a tradition of releasing a prisoner to the people. He thought the people would surely ask for Jesus. Instead, the priests had paid off the loudest to call for that man named Barabbas – the murder and terrorist – to be released. After one last failed attempt to persuade the crowd, Pilate gave in.

Imagine you were Barabbas: obviously guilty, expecting to be executed any day. In one moment, your life is changed. Another carries the cross you were supposed to carry. Another is executed on that same cross. That other dies were you were supposed to die. The biggest difference is he was completely innocent while you are completely guilty.

In a real sense, what happened to Barabbas happens to all of us who believe in Jesus. He took my place. He suffered the punishment I deserve. Although I may not have committed murder or led an insurrection, I have been guilty of doing bad and wrong things from my childhood on. (I could tell stories of my sin all day.) I do not deserve eternal life or a relationship with God in this one. Yet, this perfect savior died in my place on that cross so that by believing in him I can have new life – eternal life. (See Romans 5:8) I, the guilty criminal, am free.

Jesus died in your place, too. There is no sense in both of you suffering for your wrongs. Receive his forgiveness today.

To Whom Do You Listen?

Luke 23:22-24 (ESV) A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.

Have you ever thought you knew the right thing to do but someone else’s loud voice led you to do something different? That seems to be the case with Pontius Pilate. He was the governor of the most rebellious province in the whole Roman Empire. Becoming a governor was a great honor for him and an opportunity to prove himself possibly worthy of the highest seat in the world of his time, but he had to show he could lead effectively.

Pilate exercised a strong hand early in his term, but this caused an uproar and a rebuke from Caesar. At the time of Jesus’ trial, his situation was tenuous. He had to keep order and prove himself an effective leader.

He had no doubt heard about this Jesus, whose case he was to try. It sounds like he gave him a fair hearing. John 18 & 19 go into even more detail on their conversation. Pilate was convinced that Jesus had not done anything deserving of death. Yet, as we see above, the voices of the Jewish leaders prevailed, and Pilate made the decision they wanted, not the one his conscience directed him to give.

Although we may not be deciding life or death court cases, we still face the choice every day. Will we do the right thing or give into the loudest voices? Sometimes that is the same decision, but let us be careful to choose well when it is not. Just because their voices are loud does not make them right.

Healing Those Who Hurt Us

Luke 22:50-51 (ESV) And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.

Malchus came out to capture Jesus that night. He was no doubt armed and part of a detachment of soldiers and officers from the high priest sent to put an end to this vagabond preacher from Galilee who was stirring up trouble among the people. He had no good intent toward Jesus. He wanted to see him destroyed. He wanted to see Jesus hurt.

Once Malchus (we know his name from John 18:10) arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane with the rest of the armed squad, Judas gave the pre-planned signed of the kiss, so they would know for certain which of the men in that dark garden was Jesus. As he stepped forward to grab Jesus, the Apostle Peter stepped forward with a sword to prevent him. Not being an expert swordsman, Peter missed the vital organs but cut off Malchus’ ear. I am certain that was painful. To any of us it would have been justified. Malchus had maliciously come to cause Jesus pain. One of Jesus’ closest followers got to him first to prevent it. Turnabout is fair play, right?

Yet, once again, Jesus turned turnabout around. He healed Malchus’ ear. Rather than congratulating Peter on a good attempt or finishing the task he started, Jesus healed the one who came to hurt him. Note that he did not simply “let it go.” He reached out to his enemy and took away his pain.

What pain in your life have you sought to revenge? Perhaps you have congratulated yourself by forgiving and letting it go but cutting off the relationship, too? It is too often true that “hurt people hurt people.” Maybe it is time to take the next step and be like Jesus. Let’s seek the healing of those who hurt us. 

When Times Get Tough

Luke 22:31-32 (ESV) “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

So much of the advancement in technology in the last two centuries has been to increase our comfort and decrease our pain. Medicine, transportation, entertainment, recreation, and even furniture has been improved over and over to give us the illusion that life should be pain free. So, we tend to be surprised when tough times come. Yet come, they still do. Each of us, often at regular intervals, faces challenges, whether physical, economic, relational, or emotional. These seasons can overwhelm us with no seeming hope of overcoming them.

Although each of us might feel alone at these times, we are in good company. In the midst of the Last Supper, Jesus warned Peter he was facing a tough night and season ahead. Like Job long before him, Satan was given permission to test him, to “sift him like wheat” – that process of pulling the hard husk off of the sweet edible grain inside. The season was to be very painful, and, aside from Jesus’ prayers, there was no guarantee it would go well. In the midst of the hardest, most painful, times, Peter’s temptation would have been to give up and quit. So, Jesus told him he prayed specifically that “his faith would not fail.”

As painful and seemingly pointless at the time that season of sifting would be to Peter, it was to end. “When you have returned…” indicates he would make it through to a better time. That better time brought with it a new mission for Peter: “Strengthen your brothers.” Jesus implied that Peter would not have been in a position to help his friends in their challenging circumstances had he not made it through his own.

Few of us seek difficult times, and many of us are tempted to quit when it gets tough. Yet, tough times do not last. Jesus’ prayers and the help of our friends can get us through those seasons that make us stronger so we can help others. If you are in such a season right now, don’t quit. You are getting stronger than you realize.

The Recipe to Win

Luke 22:29-30 (ESV) “I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Every one of the 32 teams in the National Football League wants to win the Super Bowl, but each year only one will. Coaches and staffs spend millions trying to determine the winning formula. Every NFL team spends between $119 million and $150 million dollars on players’ salaries alone. They seek the winning strategies, the best equipment, and the most effective training, hoping that the right combination will produce a winning team.

At his last supper with his disciples, Jesus gave them the real recipe of a winning team, and it did not involve multi-million dollar salaries and huge stadiums. In fact, it was the opposite of what they, or any of us, would expect. Yet, the promise of victory was clear in Luke 22:30.

The first ingredient is humility. In Luke 22:25-27, Jesus contrasted secular political leaders who gloried in their power and lorded it over their charges. “Not so with you,” Jesus said. We must serve those in our care for their benefit, not for our own glory.

The second ingredient is staying with Jesus through suffering (Luke 22:28). Many leave when times get tough. Too often our sanitized version of American Christianity seems to promise a trouble free life. Jesus never said following him would remove trouble from our lives. He said the opposite. “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The third is returning after failure. Jesus followed this promise with his warning to Peter about his imminent denial. The testing came at Satan’s hands. Jesus knew that Peter would succumb, but that did not mean the end of his effectiveness or hope of ultimately winning. Jesus charged him, “When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22: 32) Only once in the history of the NFL has a team with a perfect record won the Super Bowl. Likewise, our goal should be the ultimate victory of finishing with Jesus, even if we have lost a few games on the way. We have to get back on the field, though. Jesus’ grace welcomes us back.

The day will come when the trophies that really matter will be handed out. They will not have a football or a figure on them, but unlike these temporary accolades, they will last forever. There is one with your name on it. Stay humble, hang on to Jesus through the trials, and get back into the game when you stumble so you can claim it.

Predestination or Free Will?

Luke 22:21-22 (ESV) “Behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

One of the biggest debates throughout Christian history is: has God planned everything that will happen or do human beings have free will to shape their own destinies? There have been a lot of words from both sides. Denominations have spilt over the issue. Each perspective can wield many Bible verses that seem to speak in its favor. Yet, our passage today is one of those unique ones that speaks to both perspectives.

At the Last Supper, Jesus knew his time to die was imminent. He knew his crucifixion had been prophesied nearly 1,000 years earlier (See Psalm 22, especially verses 16-17). He knew that God’s plan included him being betrayed by a close friend (Psalm 41:9) who ate bread with him. Jesus reiterated the fact that God’s plan would be fulfilled. One man’s efforts cannot stop what God has planned. Yet, notice Jesus’ next words: “Woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

That statement could make Judas an unfortunate, helpless victim of an unfair God who placed on him the most wicked responsibility of all human history and then punished him for it. However, it could mean something else. The alternative is the key to understanding the mysterious “AND” and “not OR” of God’s will and man’s will. Mordechai’s words to Esther in the book with her name echo this sentiment. When her brave action was the key to saving the lives of thousands of Jews, he said to her, “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)  Esther had a choice to do or not do God’s will, yet God’s plan would be fulfilled no matter what she chose. She chose for good. Similarly, Judas had a choice. I believe he could have said no and another would have betrayed Jesus, but he did not. Yes, Jesus knew what Judas would do before he did it, but that does not mean Judas could have chosen another path.

You, too, have a choice, and you will be accountable for it. Actually, you have many free choices every day: where to go, what to eat, how to treat the people you meet, and so on. Yet, one choice matters above all others. Have you believed in Jesus and received the eternal life only he can bring?

So, which is it? Predestination or free will? In this case, at least, the answer is, “Yes.”

Jesus’ Friends

Luke 22:15 (ESV) And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

It was the hardest night of Jesus’ life. He knew what was coming the next day. He knew he would be falsely accused, abandoned by those he loved, and suffer the most painful death imaginable. Yet, he had one intense desire before that happened: to have dinner with his friends.

Both the Aramaic that Jesus likely spoke and the Greek that recorded his words use a special method to show how intensely Jesus wanted to be with his disciples. They put a noun and verb with the same root immediately next to each other. In a literal translation it would be: “I desired a desire.” That sounds weird to us, but the message was: “I intensely desired…” Jesus pushed language as hard as he could to communicate how much this last supper with his disciple meant to him.

In verse 16 and beyond Jesus talks about how the Passover would be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God at a future time. In many ways, Passover was a great picture of what Jesus’ work on the cross was: The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt when God brought freedom and deliverance. Each family killed a lamb for one last meal before leaving Egypt and put its blood on their doorpost so the Angel of Death would pass over that house. The connections between Passover and Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection are many, but we can miss something else about Jesus if we pass by verse 15 too quickly: He wanted to be with his disciples.

Jesus loves his friends. As such, he loves to be with his friends. Although a guarantee of eternal life is the greatest benefit of being a Christian, let’s never forget the King of Kings wants an intimate friendship with us.

Divine Guidance

Luke 22:10, 13 (ESV) He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters… And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Twice in the last week before his crucifixion, Jesus gave specific instructions to his disciples that were confirmed by miraculous coincidences. The first was a donkey’s foal on Palm Sunday. The second was a man with a water jar on Maundy Thursday. The situations Jesus prophesied were normal for that day, yet were so specific in their details that they could not have “just happened.” We know these were unusual occurrences because they are recorded as such in each of the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The fact that Jesus was able to describe the circumstances in such detail before they happened showed his omniscience as the Son of God and gave his disciples specific instructions of what to do on those occasions.

A lot of us would like to have that kind of divine guidance on a daily basis, wouldn’t we? I know I would like to know for sure I am doing exactly what God wants me to in every decision I make. Early in my spiritual journey I met some more mature believers for whom, “The Lord told me…,” was a regular part of their vocabulary. I longed to have that kind of miraculous direction.

Yet, part of the reason Luke and the other Gospel writers go to such detail on Jesus’ description of these events is that they were unusual – even for the disciples. If specific, supernatural direction was unusual for the Twelve who walked with Jesus every day, should we expect it for every one of our decisions? Yet, the same Jesus who gave such direction when it was needed can and does still give it today. I can think of dozens of occasions in my own life that my Lord has unmistakably helped me make a decision. So, although I do not get specific supernatural direction for every decision, the wisdom I have gained from God, education, and experience can help me decide well in its absence. Let’s be open to divine guidance, obey it when it comes, but not be paralyzed or ridden with guilt when it does not.

Used by Satan

Luke 22:3 (ESV) Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.

Judas has to be one of the most despised people in history. It is hard not to hate him. He was the one who handed Jesus over to the Jewish leaders in an out of the way place so there was no risk of the crowds revolting. He traded the Savior for money. After getting what he wanted, he hung himself. On a quick glance it can seem that he must have been evil from the beginning. He must have been an especially bad person. There is no way any of us could be like him. Yet, in one short verse, Luke gives a scary warning: any of us could become like Judas.

Luke starts the verse by saying, “Then Satan entered into Judas.” Judas did not start out possessed. The bible does not give us any reason to believe that Judas’ initial motives for following Jesus were not good. To be clear, there are several references to Judas’ mission to betray Jesus being prophesied in advance (See John 6:70, 13:18 & 17:12 referring to Psalm 41:9). Yet, that does not mean Judas understood his role that way. In all likelihood, he started out with a sincere, earnest desire to usher in the Kingdom of God, because he was “of the number of the twelve.” Twelve was a very significant to the Jews. There will twelve tribes of Israel and twelve sons of Jacob. Twelve represented completion. Being in the twelve meant one was in the inner circle.

Something happened from the time Judas first became one of the twelve until the time Satan entered him. We get a hint that greed was an issue for Judas in John 12:6. Perhaps he was one of those Jesus warned about a few verses earlier in Luke 21:34, whose hearts get so weighed down by the cares of this life that they get trapped and unable to see how God is at work. Trading Jesus for money could have helped his financial situation. Jesus may also have not met Judas’ expectation of what the Messiah was to be. Perhaps Judas believed Jesus was too much of a risk to the nation of Israel and that Jesus’ death would spare a devastating backlash by the Roman Army.

Whatever the change, it opened the door for Satan to enter Judas. Demonization is not fully understood, but it is very real. Although this is not seen as often in the Western World as in the Majority World, Satan and his demons can take over a person’s life. I have witnessed it first-hand. A demonized person is no longer fully in control. I will not say that a Christian can become demon possessed, but this passage is a clear warning that those who start well do not necessarily end that way.

Being “of the number of the twelve” – a full recognized member of the Good Club – does not protect you against evil influences. Starting your adult life with good motives does not guarantee they will not stray. Horrible things have been done by those who started well but finished badly. Let’s pray we all stay the course and “not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph 4:27) 

Warned

Luke 21:20-22 (ESV) “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.”

If you ever go to Jerusalem, you will undoubtedly get to visit the Mount of Olives. There are many spots on its west face that give incomparable views of the city of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount – the large built up flat area that used to house the Jewish Temple but now is home to two mosques. During the last week before his crucifixion, Jesus had a memorable conversation with his disciples looking over this same view. They were captivated by the beauty of the temple, but Jesus warned them, “The days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luke 21:6)

This prompted the disciples to ask, “When will these things be?” (Luke 21:7) Matthew’s account adds another question: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) The disciples must have thought they were asking the same question. However, Jesus gave answers for two distinct events: His return is still yet to happen, but the destruction of the Jerusalem temple took place less than forty years after his words.

With amazing prophetic detail, Jesus described the advance of the Roman army against the rebellious Jews in 67 AD. This lead to a three year siege with a horrible amount of starvation and loss of life. Read Josephus’ Jewish Wars for a graphic, firsthand account. On June 30, 70, the Romans finally destroyed the city and ultimately the Temple, fulfilling Jesus' words. No temple has been built there since.

One of the earliest church historians, Eusebius of Caesarea, records that the early Christians who were living in Jerusalem remembered Jesus’ words when the Roman army advanced. They escaped across the Jordan River to a city called Pella, where they established one of the earliest known dedicated church buildings. (Historia Ecclesiastica, 3.5.3) Jesus warned his followers in Luke 21:20-22, written above, to flee Jerusalem when they saw it surrounded by armies. Jesus’ words of warning were recorded in three of the four Gospels, and his message was no doubt passed on orally, as well. So, when the Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem in 67 saw the Roman army come, they left. Unlike the Jewish Zealots and other residents of Jerusalem who were caught in the disaster, the Christian Jews survived because they took Jesus’ warning seriously. They stayed alert. When the time came, they took action, and they were saved.

If Jesus’ words were fulfilled so exactly in answer to the first question, we would be wise to follow the example of the early Christian and be ready for what he describes has yet to happen. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 21:44) Are you ready?

Measurement

Luke 21:1-4 (ESV) Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Some of the most popular quick clicks on the Internet today are rankings and numbered collections of the elite. A fast jump to buzzfeed.com just now showed the following top trending articles: “The 12 Types Of Boys You'll Crush On This School Year,” “8 Animals Whose Numbers Are Plummeting Thanks To Humans,” “The 25 Most Kimye Things That Have Ever Happened,” and, of course, “18 Kids Who Are Way Too Sassy For Their Own Good.” Travel magazines promote “The Top 50 Vacation Destinations.” I have become a regular user of Yelp to help me find the best local eateries when traveling. We have a burning desire to know the best and to know where we stand, so we measure things… and we measure people. Yet, are we really measuring the right things?

Jesus attacks the measurement fixation in this famous passage in Luke 21. A poor widow gave two small coins, yet Jesus said she gave more than all the wealthy people who dumped huge sums into the treasury. That would have shocked his hearers, but his point was she gave far more in proportion to what she had. The raw numbers were not the ultimate measure of the gift.

This principle goes beyond finances. In our desire to measure, we can never grasp the whole story. When we feel superior to those next to us because we won this round of the game, we cannot know everything that affected their performance – or ours. Perhaps we won this time because they put in a halfhearted effort. Jesus wants us to stop ranking people on external measurements that hide the whole story. Every person is valuable. Total commitment is the real measure.

The Heart of a Leader

Luke 20:46-47 (ESV) “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

It only takes a quick glance to recognize how much impact a leader can have. Whether good or bad, every movement, every nation, every human organization can trace its roots to a leader who was able to get others to work together to achieve something. It is tempting to evaluate leaders based on their outward achievements: the size or growth of their organization, their fame, or their lasting impact on others. Organizations usually create structures that give roles and titles for other leaders to rise to the surface. The Bible rightly calls on followers to show honor and respect to those who hold such positions (see I Corinthians 16:16, I Thessalonians 5:12, I Timothy 5:17, I Peter 5:5). Yet, those positions and the honor they engender come with a huge risk: the temptation to pursue positions of leadership for the honor they bring.

I have seen many people start into ministry and other areas of leadership with a sincere, humble heart focused on nothing more than serving Jesus and his people. In my role as professor and dean, I have the incredible joy of spending time with dozens of young leaders with passion to lead with pure hearts nearly every day. I also have the privilege of partnering with many later in life who have maintained the proper heart, even sacrificing wealth and fame to fulfill their calling. Yet, I have also seen far too many start with the right motives and character gradually get seduced by the pursuit of honor. (The Greek word timao includes financial honor as well as public and verbal recognition.) The challenge is to keep the right motivation even when the honor that comes is deserved.

The leaders’ primary role is to serve those in their care, not to seek their own glory (see Matt 23:11-12). When we stop passionately pursuing serving God and others and instead start seeking our own honor – whether titles, wealth, or accolades – instead of the honor we seek we ultimately, and justly, get the greater condemnation. Let’s lead well for the right reasons.

More Than Expected

Luke 20:41-44 (ESV) But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

Throughout Luke 20, the Jewish religious leaders were at war with Jesus, trying to trap him with his own words in a way that would give them grounds to have him executed. Yet, every time Jesus countered their attacks victoriously. Here at the end of the chapter, Jesus turned to take the offensive. He did so by taking a well know Psalm and using it to prove that the Jewish people’s expectation of who the Messiah would be was too small.

David was the greatest king in Israel’s history. He began to rule a split nation that had just lost a war with their primary opposition: the Philistines. Yet, he was able to reunite the nation, conquer the Philistines and nearly all other surrounding nations, and establish peace and prosperity. God promised David a descendant whose throne God would establish forever (II Samuel 7:15). So, the first century Jews expected a Messiah who would be a descendant of David and reestablish his earthly kingdom.

Jesus’ counterattack began by starting with their assumption that the Messiah would be David’s son. He then quoted David’s own words in Psalm 110, which show him, the writer, speaking to God about another who was his “lord.” Although our English translation (and even the Greek) show the same word used for Lord in both cases, the Hebrew text of Psalm 110 makes a distinction: “The Lord (YHWH – Yahweh/Jehovah – The personal name of the one true God) says to my lord (Adonai – master).” There is someone else here greater than David. This someone else is a king (Psalm 110:2) as well as an eternal priest (Psalm 110:4).

Jesus’ point is clear. They were looking for an earthly Messiah who was David’s descendant, but Jesus came as the eternal priest and king who was and is David’s master. He was more than they expected. He is likely more than we expect, too.

A Glimpse into Eternity

Luke 20:35-36 (ESV) Those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Do you even wonder what your afterlife will be like? Death functions like a curtain that hides eternity from our eyes. Hollywood has given us some memorable images of what their scriptwriters imagine Heaven will be like. The church through the centuries has also given us some interesting thoughts. The best place to go with a question like this is the Bible, of course. Yet, even the Bible does not tell us everything about our coming eternal life. As I Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Yet, every so often the Bible gives us a glimpse into what our eternity will be like. This passage from Luke 20 is one of those opportunities.

The Sadduccees tried to trap Jesus with a story about seven brothers who shared the same wife, each after the older passed away. Their question, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?” was ironic, since they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus escaped the trap by answering their question and overturning their mistaken beliefs. Along the way, he gives us some interesting insights. The first is that there will be no marriage in what we typically call heaven. Although there is something romantic about the notion of being married to our earthly partner “forever,” our eternal marriage will be with Jesus. He is our ultimate true love. That does not mean we will not enjoy a new level of intimacy with our life partners. Our relationships there will not be tainted with the selfishness and sin that damages earthly marriages. We will be together in true fellowship.

The second insight may be a bit more obvious: we will not die anymore. Since death is the root of most fear, that panic and dread that drives so much bad behavior and depression will be gone forever. As Revelation 21:3-1 describes it, “The dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Third, we see we will be like angels. Decades ago, Hollywood began corrupting some church traditions that removed the like (or equal to) from this verse and gave us the idea that we would become angels and that all angels are former human beings. (“Heaven Can Wait,” Spencer Tracy’s “A Guy Named Joe,” and Richard Dreyfuss’ “Always” are a few examples). The Greek word makes a clear that resurrected humans share some traits with angels that pre-resurrection humans do not while remaining distinct beings. Yet, both the Old and New Testaments clearly show angels as distinct beings with a distinct mission even now.

Finally, we see that eternity is for the “living.” (Luke 20:38) Jesus turns the Sadducees’ argument against them by quoting God’s words to Moses at the burning bush using the present tense: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The wording stresses the fact they are alive. Eternal life is truly eternal life. Yet, Jesus’ words clarify that eternal life is not automatic. His repeated warnings throughout the Gospels show there is a real judgment to come. Those who receive him have life. These wonderful promises of the afterlife apply to those who believe in Jesus. 

What to Do About Bad Government

Luke 20:25 (ESV) He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Bashing the government and its leaders is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Of course, we are not alone in this. People all over the world and throughout history have done the same. Political leaders, sometimes well-meaning but often self-interested, make decisions that affect everyone in the nation. It is nearly impossible to make a decision that benefits everyone. It is truly impossible to do it all of the time. So, our leaders get the brunt of our frustration. Sometimes that frustration will move to the level of public verbal opposition, then to outright disobedience. Many of those who oppose the government feel justified for their disrespect and violation of law.

If we think we have grounds for such insolence in America today, it is nothing compared to the first century Jews. They were a nation occupied and forced to pay taxes to the Roman government. That government was invited in by cruel King Herod the Great who pretended to be “one of them” but was not in any respect. The taxes were heavy and the people received virtually no benefit from them (or so they thought). Though there many reasons for the Jewish people to oppose the Roman occupation, the taxes garnered the most emotion.

The Jewish leaders saw this issue as an opportunity to either: 1) win the people’s support away from Jesus or 2) get legal grounds for Jesus’ execution by having him oppose the payment of taxes. So, to try to tap Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” (vs 22) If Jesus said, “Yes,” the people would hate him because he endorsed the Roman taxation. If he said, “No,” the Jewish leaders would have hundreds of witnesses of Jesus telling people to violate Roman law. His response was brilliant: “Whose image is on the coin?” As the Jewish leaders had to confess it was Caesar’s, Jesus gave the response above: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” The trap was defeated. They got more benefit from that government than they realized. Jesus did not endorse the Roman government or its policies, but showed that people had to pay taxes to Caesar because it was his coins they used for legal tender.

The obvious application for us is to pay our taxes no matter how we feel about our government. Yet, it goes beyond that. Of course, there are many aspects of all of our leaders and their decisions that have been less than ideal for us. They are easy targets for criticism. However, we have received much from our government that we take for granted: security, highways, parks, economic protection and facilitation, support for millions of worthy causes, and the list goes on. Elsewhere in the New Testament we are commanded to obey and pray for our leaders (Romans 13:1-7, I Tim 2:1-4, I Peter 2:2-13-17). We can and should exercise our voice in shaping our government’s policies and futures, but ultimately, let’s be sure we honor our leaders… and, yes, pay our taxes, too.

The Peril of Fame

Luke 20:3-7 (ESV) He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

Do you want to be popular? Would you like to be famous? A lot of us would. Many of us are driven to be known and recognized as great, talented, beautiful, smart, or powerful. Do a YouTube search for rock bands seeking a recording contract or show up at an American Idol audition, and you will see proof that people want to be famous. Yet, fame comes with a huge price tag. The fickle attention of others that gets one to fame can destroy that position in a heartbeat. Think of all the movie stars who have fallen from grace. Their beautiful pictures once emblazoned the cover of People but now their arrest photos fill the National Enquirer.

The Jewish chief priests of Jesus’ day did not get their positions from media coverage. They were born into them. Yet, even they realized how precarious their power was. Several times in Luke 19-20, they were put in a tough position with Jesus, and each time they were driven to do what they did, not because it was the right thing, but because they “feared the people.” Here, Jesus asks them a simple question in response to their own test. They knew the right answer, but that did not matter when their status in the eyes of the people was at risk. In the end, they looked foolish anyway. The supposedly smartest people in town said, “We don’t know.”

Becoming a slave to public opinion and living for your own fame will often put you in a position of compromise. Instead, do what’s right. Seek to be a person of character rather than a celebrity.

It’s all in the Timing

Luke 19:42-44 (ESV) “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

A lot of you know that my wife Keira and I enjoy riding bicycles. We did some racing before moving from Seattle, but my actual race performance was sorely lacking any wins or outstanding performances. I trained hard. I read books. I sought advice and coaching from experts. I counted not just calories but grams of protein and carbohydrates. Yet, all that effort never translated to a measurable achievement when it really counted. Certainly part of any athletic performance is natural talent, but, in my case, more of it had to do with timing. On a hard bike ride, the person riding in the front of the pack is usually doing 30% more work blocking the wind for those behind. In my races, I was often in that position, using my energy reserves at times it did not help me or my teammates. As the now stronger peloton passed me by, there was usually a few seconds in which, if I was willing to suffer a little more pain to go a little harder for just a short time, I could have jumped onto the back of the group and possibly recovered to finish with a high placing. Yet, in those few seconds of hesitation, my opportunity was gone. I was alone in the wind with almost no hope of finishing well. It was just a few seconds, and I missed my chance.

Timing really matters in many other areas of life. Days can go by with no seeming or opportunity. Then a chance comes to make a difference, and, if you do not act quickly, you miss it. With the rate of change in the world today, recognizing and seizing opportunities is one of the greatest skills any of us can have.

Jesus’ words to the people of Jerusalem were a severe warning and a prophecy of their coming destruction because they did not recognize their opportunity to receive Jesus as their eternal king. Israel had their scriptures for over a thousand years, but the window of their Messiah’s visit was just three short years of public ministry. Some welcomed him. Most did not. The outcome of history is decided by those who respond when they have a chance. You may be in a season when you are open to considering your eternal destiny. You may sense God drawing you. Your decision to act now could chance the course of your future, your family’s future, and countless of other lives you will impact. Do not let the opportunity pass.

Peace

Luke 19:37-38 (ESV) As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

The huge Palm Sunday crowd knew that something special was happening when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. They showed up in tens of thousands to welcome the One they believed to be their Messiah – their Savior. In honor of his coming, they quoted from Psalm 118, written hundreds of years before prophesying the coming Savior. (Hosanna is a derivative of the Hebrew Hoshia Na! – “Please, save us!” – found in Psalm 118:25) Luke has them quoting Psalm 118:26: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” They understood Jesus’ coming as that which was predicted hundreds of years before. They got that part right. They believed he was coming to save. They got that part right, too.

Then, interestingly, their quotations shifted forward hundreds of years to the words of the angels to some Bethlehem shepherds: “Glory in the highest!” (See Luke 2:14) Once again, they got something right. That babe in a manger was born to be the King of Israel. Yet, they made a surprising change to the angel’s words that was more right than they could imagine. Although the angels pronounced peace on earth, the people of Jerusalem shouted, “Peace in Heaven.”

In the very next scene of Luke 19, we see Jesus weeping over the city, foretelling its coming destruction (which happened at the hands of the Romans in AD 70, less than 40 years later). The reason he gave for the destruction was, “You did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:44) For all of their outward celebration, the First Century Jews were seeking an earthly savior to grant them a more comfortable life in this world rather than a heavenly Savior who would grant them full eternal life. Had they embraced Jesus for who he truly was, Jesus implied the nation would not have had to suffer the destructions of AD 67-70 and 127-130. They could have had both the earthly and heavenly peace had they welcomed Jesus on his terms rather than their own.

There is much that is good about life on earth. Yet, it will never be perfect. When we pursue earthly peace and prosperity as our top priority and fail to recognize Jesus and accept him as the true King he is, we miss out. When we welcome Him on his terms, we are assured of eternal peace with him in Heaven and good things here, as well.

Whose is it?

Luke 19:33-34 (ESV) And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

As Jesus neared Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he sent two of his disciples into a village on the Mount of Olives to get a colt donkey on which no one had yet ridden. This beast is mentioned in all four gospels, so he is pretty significant. Interestingly, Jesus told the disciples what to say if anyone asked what they were doing. In Luke’s account, it is the colt’s owners who stop them and ask them. I would ask, too, wouldn’t you? An animal was a major possession in those days, on the order of a new car in our world. A normal person would not just stand by and let a stranger drive away in their new car without trying to find out what was happening.

Interestingly, the Greek word Luke uses for owner is kurious. This is also the word for Lord in the very next sentence. One could translate the verses: “Its owners said to them ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘Its owner needs it.’” That is like a thief starting off with your car. You beat on the window and say, “What are you doing? This is my car?” The thief replies, “Not anymore!” You or I would be on the phone to the police in a heartbeat in the situation, but we hear no complaint from this colt’s owners. Although that little donkey was a significant source of wealth for its former owners, they understood someone else truly owned everything they had.

Our society has developed an illusion that we can own land. In reality, all a property owner has is a piece of paper that legally claims she possesses the land. Yet, war, natural disaster, or death can make that paper meaningless. Ultimately everything we think we own is like that. It has all been entrusted to us by God. One of the greatest tests of our character is our attitude toward our possessions. Do we view ourselves as the ultimate owners of our possessions or do we acknowledge the one who owns us? If the real owner – our Lord – needs anything we have, are we willing to give it back to him?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Luke 19:26-27 (ESV)  “‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Jesus told a story of a “nobleman” (who represented himself) and his interactions with three distinct groups. In reality, there were only two groups in the beginning of the story: his servants and the people of the kingdom he was to receive. To the each of his servants he gave a large amount of money to invest while he was gone. Unlike a similar sounding parable in Matthew, each of these servants received the same amount of money.

When the nobleman returned, he found some of his servants had invested wisely, and at least one had not invested at all. Each servant received a proportionate share of the new kingdom based on the fruitfulness of his investment. The servant who did not invest his mina had it taken away and given to the one who had the most. The bystanders noted how unfair this was, but Jesus made a clear point: “To everyone who has, more will be given.” This may seem unfair from one perspective, but a good investor will quickly see this as wisdom. Isn’t a portfolio stronger if it has more invested in higher yielding companies?

Jesus’ point is clear. At the outset, there are two types of people: those who are his servants and those who are not. Yet, as the story rolls, we see that first group split into those who faithfully use what their Master has given them to make a difference and those who do nothing. Note that the nobleman does not kill or disown the hoarder. Even though he did nothing with his master’s money, he remained a servant. He simply lost his reward.

In the end, there are three types of people (with all due credit to Sergio Leone): 1) The Good – Jesus’ servants who faithfully use the talents and opportunities he has entrusted to them to make an impact on the world; 2) The Bad – Those who reject Jesus as King as face eternity apart from him (see verse 27); and 3) The Ugly – Jesus’ servants who could and should be part of The Good but waste their gifts and opportunities on selfishness and indifference. Which are you?

Rich and Lost

Luke 19:10 -    ^“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

As Jesus passed through Jericho the last time before his crucifixion, Luke records two specific people whose lives were changed by him. They could not have been more different. Bartimaeus was a blind, poor beggar. Zacchaeus was one of the richest men in town. Yet, both were lost without Jesus. His words in verse 10 identify Zacchaeus explicitly as being lost.

It is easy to see the poor, the oppressed, and the enslaved as lost and hopeless. In our capitalistic society, the pursuit of wealth is almost a religion in itself. Those who have it are the envy of those who do not. Wealth promises to provide everything, but it does not save. Those who are rich and lost are just as lost as those who are poor and blind.

Like many, but certainly not all, wealthy people today, Zacchaeus’ life had been about himself. He betrayed his own people to work for the occupying Roman government to collect taxes and keep some extra for himself (See Luke 3:12-13). As chief tax collector, he got in on Rome’s multi-level marketing scheme and hired others like himself to collect the taxes while skimming some of their proceeds along the way. He got rich, very rich. He seemed to have it all, yet something was missing.

When Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town, “he wanted to see who Jesus was.” (Luke 19:3) He must have been aware that, in spite of all his wealth, he still had an enormous lack.  That need could never be filled by more money or status. He needed a changed life.

Because Zacchaeus was short, he had to climb a tree to see Jesus, and, as with Bartimaeus, in an enormous crowd of people seeking Jesus’ attention, Jesus stopped and gave his complete focus to this rich man. He even said, “I must stay at your house today.” (vs 5) Rather than seeing Jesus as an uninvited guest, Zacchaeus took this opportunity to repent: he did not just say he wanted Jesus’ attention, he was committed to change the way he lived. Zacchaeus’ change of heart, commitment to act on that change, and reception of Jesus led Jesus to say, “Salvation has entered this house.” (vs 9)

Whether any of us is rich or poor, blind or healthy, we are lost without Jesus. Invite him to your home and life today.

What Do You Want?

Luke 18:41 -   “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.”

The Jericho native had no way to provide for himself except to beg. He had no hope for a change in his circumstances or situation until Jesus came to town. He heard the growing crowd and asked them what was happening. They told him, “Jesus is passing by.” He must have heard something of Jesus’ reputation. Perhaps some of his teaching had been relayed to him. We do know he believed Jesus was the special descendant of King David promised a thousand years before. We also know this blind man had faith, persistence, the audacity to ask Jesus to have his life changed, and the willingness to accept the responsibility that came with it.

When he heard Jesus was coming, he started to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He was willing to ask Jesus to help him because he believed he could. When the crowd tried to shut him up, he only cried louder. Because he did, Jesus stopped in the midst of thousands who would have loved his personal attention. The man who kept asking got it. Then Jesus asked him that question, “What do you want?” Because he asked, because he kept asking, because he believed Jesus would help him, he got what he wanted.

The thing we often miss in a story like this is that this man’s life change not only brought physical healing and even spiritual healing (as Jesus told him, “Your faith has saved you”). It also forced new responsibility on him. He could no longer be a beggar. He could no longer blame his circumstances on things out of his control. His deliverance meant it was up to him to live out the changed life Jesus’ touch had brought him. Unfortunately, too many people are not willing to ask for Jesus’ help and deliverance because their excuses will be gone. Let’s be sure to ask persistently and responsibly live the changed lives Jesus enables us to live.