Luke

Thinking about the question

"Why are there four gospels instead of just one?"


I've heard it said that the gospels are the Four Faces of Christ;
that each gospel emphasizes a different aspect of his personality.

Matthew presents Jesus as
The Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the King of the Jews

Mark presents Jesus as the perfect servant,
which is symbolized by an Ox.

Now Luke, the only Gentile writer in the bible,
will present him as the Son of Man.

The first three synoptic gospels all present Jesus as human

To complete the picture, John will present Jesus as God,
the Eagle.

Why did I mention the animals Lion, Ox and Eagle?

Maybe because I enjoy finding patterns in the bible,
and this seems like it could be one.

Two other verses mention four faces:

Eze 1:10
As for the likeness of their faces,
they had the face of a man;
and they four had the face of a lion on the right side;
and they four had the face of an ox on the left side;
they four had also the face of an eagle.

Rev 4:7
And the first creature was like a lion,
and the second creature like a calf,
and the third creature had a face as of a man,
and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.

I've read that when the Jews camped
they divided themselves into four groups,
under four different flags, or standards.
I thought these flags also had the four symbols
Lion, Ox, Man, and Eagle
but now I can't seem to verify that,
(and some of the commentaries attached to my bible
disagree that the flags would have had images on them.)

Anyway, the four-faceted view of Jesus
has a lot of merit in my own mind,
because even when I try to describe something
simple and straightforward
it is difficult to get the idea across.
How much better is it to look at a situation
from four different angles?

but is it really a pattern?
I don't know...
it probably doesn't matter.

When I DO recognize patterns
it reinforces my belief that there is a super-intelligence
behind it all.
One of my goals is to try to uncover instances of that
or maybe I should say "let them unfold"
being receptive to them,
and taking the time to pursue the clues
when they present themselves.

Maybe it is a weakness to "try too hard"
looking for buried treasure in the scripture.
So it is with a little bit of meekness
that I attach the rest of these verses.

Maybe they don't mean anything in the grand scheme,
but I might want to refer back to this four-fold concept
at a later date, so I am adding them here for reference

Anyway,
I heard something about the word behold;
that every time it is used to "behold (christ)",
it is used in one of the four same ways.

I did a search of the entire old testament for the word "behold".
It is used over a thousand times,
and I didn't go through every single instance,
but there are four (at least) that refer to Jesus,
and they are used like this:

BEHOLD

Zec 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King
cometh unto thee:
he is just, and having salvation; lowly,
and riding upon an ass,
and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Isa 42:1
Behold My Servant,
whom I uphold;
My Elect, in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit on Him;
He shall bring out judgment to the nations.

Zec 6:12
And speak to him, saying,
So speaks Jehovah of Hosts, saying,
Behold the Man
whose name is The BRANCH!
And He shall spring up out of His place,
and He shall build the temple of Jehovah.

Isa 40:9
Go up for yourself on the high mountain,
bringer of good tidings to Zion.
Lift up your voice with strength,
O you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem;
lift up, do not be afraid.
Say to the cities of Judah,
Behold your God!

-=-=-

I notice in Zechariah 6:12 above,
He is also referred to as "the branch".

So I searched the Old Testament for "branch"
and noticed that any time the word is being used
as a reference to the Christ
it was in one of those four forms;
King, Servant, Man, God.

THE BRANCH

Jer 23:5
Behold, the days come, says Jehovah,
that I will raise to David a righteous
Branch, and a King
shall reign and act wisely,
and shall do judgment and justice in the earth.

Zec 3:9
For behold! I will bring forth
My Servant the Branch.
For behold the stone that I have set before Joshua:
On one stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its engraving,
says Jehovah of Hosts,
and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

Zec 6:12
And speak to him, saying,
So speaks Jehovah of Hosts, saying,
Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH!
And He shall spring up out of His place,
and He shall build the temple of Jehovah.

Isa 4:2 In that day shall the
Branch of Jehovah
be beautiful and glorious,
and the fruit of the earth excellent and comely
for those who have escaped from Israel.

-=-=-

Ok, so maybe I am going off track,
or seeing more that is really there,

but...

As I read this next gospel,
I WILL be noticing
if Luke reinforces my belief
that Jesus was
THE PERFECT MAN

Luke 1

Down through the years,
I have held various concepts
of what it means to be a successful person.

and you know what?

All of them just got smeared away by a thought I just had.

I can't imagine a higher measure of success
than to be visited by a messenger from God.
and to be given the news
that you would be playing an active part
in his awesome plan.

In this chapter,
the angel Gabriel appears to two different people:

Luk 1:5 In the days of Herod, the king of Judea,
there was a certain priest named Zacharias,
Luk 1:11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him
as he was standing on the right of the altar of incense.
Luk 1:19 I am Gabriel, who stands before God.
And I am sent to speak to you
and to show you these glad tidings.

and

Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
And the virgin's name was Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the angel came in to her and said,
Hail, one receiving grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women.

The only other time
I can find Gabriel's name in the bible
was when he appeared to Daniel (twice).

Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice
between the banks of Ulai,
which called and said, Gabriel,
make this one understand the vision.

Dan 9:21
yes, while I was speaking in prayer,
even the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning,
touched me in my severe exhaustion,
about the time of the evening sacrifice.
Dan 9:22
And he enlightened me,
and talked with me,
and said, O Daniel, I
have now come out
to give you skill and understanding.

What kind of a person gets visits from angels?

I mean, wouldn't these people
have some of the same traits
that Jesus had?

humble?
kind?
devoted?
selfless?
gentle?
loving?

Just trying to imagine it
makes me realize
how pathetic and weak I am.

The significance of these visits was profound,
but the effect on these people was also profound:

Dan 8:27
And I Daniel fainted,
and was sick for days.

The next thing we hear from Mary
is a long poem
or song of praise
from verse 46 through 55.

The next thing we hear from Zechariah
is a long praise
or prophecy
from verse 68 through 79.

wow!

What would I say
if I was truly visited by a messenger from God?

What role would I play?

Do angels still make visits,
or is it all up to Jesus now?

Was this the last time God interfered in the affairs of men?

Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

I suspect it is.

Now that my curiosity is aroused
I have to go investigate this theory....

God is mentioned exactly 1089 more times from this point.

I just read every one of them.

As far as I can tell, except for John 3:16
(which is really the same)

Joh 3:16
For God so loved the world
that He gave His only-begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.

As far as I can tell:
According to scripture,
this is God's last act for mankind!
(on this planet at least.)

He acts once more for Jesus,

Act 10:39 They killed Him
and hanged Him on a tree;
Act 10:40 but God raised Him up the third day
and showed Him openly,

Act 13:29 they laid Him in a tomb.
Act 13:30 But God raised Him from the dead,

and that's it.

According to scripture,
the next thing he does for us
will be
to wipe our tears away
and dwell with us.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them,
and they will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.
And there will be no more death,
nor mourning, nor crying out,
nor will there be any more pain;
for the first things passed away.

cool.
..
.

Luke 2

I'm thinking of the journey Mary and Joseph made
from Nazareth to Judea for the census:

Luk 2:3
And all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city.
Luk 2:4
And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
out of the city of Nazareth,
into Judaea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
Luk 2:5
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child.

When I decided to read through the New Testament,
I wanted to record my first impression of it.

but when I read this,
a story I've heard all my life,
I find it quite impossible to start fresh.

I've always had a peaceful beautiful mental picture of this;
Joseph leading the donkey,
Mary sitting side-saddle...

but now that I think about it,
I remember what my wife was like
when she was nine months pregnant.
Even sitting in a car for an hour was no fun.
Could I imagine asking her to get on a donkey? HA!
And have her sit on it while we bump and jostle our way
on rutted dirt paths for 60 miles?

No Way!

Luk 2:8
And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9
And, lo,
the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.
[snip]
Luk 2:13
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,
Luk 2:14
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.

I've never realized how much interaction there was
between our world and the spirit world back then.
Gabriel appeared twice in the last chapter.
Now angels are appearing to shepherds!
I wonder why exactly...?
Would anything have been different if they hadn't appeared?
I mean, was this a mission or a celebration?
Was it that the angels (and a multitude of heavenly host)
just couldn't contain themselves
and gathered at the nearest semi-secluded field
to rejoice?
Maybe the shepherds were safe,
since few would believe them?
Or was there really something about the shepherds
that makes this event significant?

I can't resist quoting from a commentary I have:

The angels bring good tidings to these shepherds,
who were pretty much social outcasts.
As a class shepherds had a bad reputation.
They were considered unreliable
and were not allowed to give testimony in the law courts.

Kind of ironic
that shepherds are the ones who get to spread the word, huh?
Almost like he is spreading the news with those who are ready to receive it,
but using a method that gives others a reason not to believe
if that is their inclination.

Would I have trusted the word of social outcasts?
notorious liars?

Next, the chapter records two people (Simeon 2:24 and Anna 2:36)
who recognize Jesus as the Christ,
and I'm surprised that I've never heard these accounts!
In all the Christmas stories I've ever heard, those weren't mentioned at all.

Finally, the chapter jumps from the circumcision on the eighth day
to an account of his experience in the temple at twelve years old.
Is this included because the age of Bar-Mitzvah is important to Jews?

I dunno.
I wish there were more details of his early life, though!

Luke 3

This is the third time I have read about John the baptist,
and each time he seems to be a richer, more interesting character.

I used a harmony to compare the accounts:
http://www.jaxpage.net/Jack/JaxFaith/Harmony/c02i.html#ss01

and now I realize that quite a variety of people
are joining him in the desert, not just Jews.

Luk 3:12
And tax-collectors also came to be baptized
and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?
Luk 3:14
And the soldiers also asked of him,
saying, And what shall we do?

Tax collectors?
and soldiers?

People must have really been hungry
for something more in their lives.

Do you think it was just word-of-mouth?
I'm sure there were lots of deranged people back then
spewing all types of different messages,
what was it about John that caused so many to trust him?
To follow him to such a remote location?

And he wasn't just telling people to prepare,
he was giving actual concrete advice:

Luk 3:11
He answered and said to them,
He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none.
And he who has food, let him do likewise.
Luk 3:14 (snip)
Do not forcibly extort anyone,
nor accuse any falsely.
And be content with your wages.

Besides preparing people for the coming of Jesus,
he actually baptizes Jesus.

Then Herod throws him into prison.

I wonder what would have happened
if John hadn't been removed from the scene.
Would he have continued baptizing?
Would he have steered them towards Jesus?
Would he have become a disciple?
Would he have been Jesus' right-hand man?

I know, its silly to speculate.
What happened is what happened.
God works in mysterious ways. right?

I wonder what John is doing right now?
I wonder what God is doing right now?

-=-=-

The chapter ends with another genealogy.

Previously I made a big deal about
how Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Jew,
and traced the lineage from the father of the Jews, Abraham
and how Luke would present him as the perfect man,
so he traces him back through the first man, Adam.

What confuses me is that if you are proving his humanity,
wouldn't you start the genealogy from Mary?
since she is the only human component of his being?

Well, its not important enough to linger on,

I'm movin' on...

Luke 4

I have to confess that part of my mind
was not looking forward to reading Luke
because
I've already finished two similar gospels
and I would rather try something different
instead of reading the same story again.

but ya know,
the third time around I notice different things
and I think of different things
and I'm surprised how this story still captivates me.

I haven't written in awhile, even though I read this chapter
for the first time about a month ago.
I wanted to record my first impressions through the New Testament
so I'm reluctant to skip a chapter and move on without writing
something....
but this is what happened:
Every time I got set to write I would re-read the chapter again
and then something would come up to distract me,
and so far I've read this chapter about 7 times!

so now that I am actually writing something
I can't tell if this is a particularly powerful chapter,
or if it's the fact that I've read this over and over now,
but it seems like there is a LOT here to think about.

Luk 4:1
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
Luk 4:2
forty days, being tempted by the Devil.

My mental picture of Jesus being tempted by the devil
is almost surreal.

I don't know how well I can explain this,
but it is my personal belief that sin is:
"whatever I do that separates me from my relationship with God".

I can use my free will to follow the example of Christ,
or I can choose not to.
and the choices I make are what defines our relationship.
He is always there,
I am only sometimes there.
Being conscious of both times of joy and times of selfish isolation
leads me to the conclusion
that it is my own will that makes or breaks my life along the way.

In other words I generally assume it is He and Me and no one else!

Now that I have read this account
in the third gospel
for the seventh time,
it dawns on me that this chapter is saying
it is NOT just a question of He and Me!
There is a third entity,
and intelligent entity determined to trip me up!

This might sound silly as you read it,
after all, I've heard of evil and satan and the devil all my life.
but maybe I've just never really believed it.
Really.
I don't think I have ever REALLY believed there is an actual
somebody something someone
or even some group of entities out there
plotting against me,
trying to insinuate anything and everything between me and God

Who ordered that?

I guess I have seen the devil as a
pathetic prankster type of kid's caricature,
or as a lame cop-out excuse
that people use when they turn away.
"The devil made me do it."
Not as an adversary worthy of serious attention and caution.

My first impulse is to drop what I'm doing and go study
every reference I can find to "devil" and "satan".

But the next thing that pops into my mind is something
a teacher (Chuck Missler) once said;
"Do you know how they teach bank employees
how to spot counterfeit bills?"
By teaching them about the real thing!
They study authentic money.
When they are intimately familiar with the real thing,
they are more likely to spot a fake.

So I suppose I should remain here,
with the focus of my mind towards God,
continuing to seek the truth
instead of being lured away
in search of the great deceiver

Luk 4:13
And when the Devil had ended every temptation,
he departed from Him for a time.

now this seems like a very interesting statement!

I have other translations that say
"departed from Him until an opportune time."
"departed from him for a season. "
"he left him until another time. "
"departed from him till a convenient season."

an opportune time? a convenient season?
What could be more opportune or convenient
than 40 days of hunger and fatigue and isolation?
Maybe death?
I can't remember any stories, does he really come back again?

Don't tell me, I'll get there.

-=-=-


After his time in the desert,
Jesus began teaching in the synagogues,
and when he was given the scroll of Esaias in Nazareth
he read:

Luk 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he said to them,
"Today this scripture has been fulfilled."

Wow!
That is a major accomplishment, dontcha think?

I went and looked this up,
and I see one interesting difference...

Isa 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on Me;
because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Isa 61:2
to preach the acceptable year of Jehovah
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;

Did you notice that when he was reading in Nazareth
he skipped part of it?
He stopped before he got to the end?

That suggests two things to me
1. He was being very specific about what was being fulfilled
2. There is something else that is yet to be fulfilled.

I predict that the next time he comes around
he will be saying:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
he hath sent me to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;

Ok, so let's look at what he said he did...

proclaimed the gospel to the poor
healed the brokenhearted
proclaimed deliverence to captives
gave sight to the blind
delivered those who were crushed
proclaimed the year of the Lord.

At first I kind of let this pass by my attention because
I'm not poor or brokenhearted or a captive or blind or crushed.
But hey,
wait a minute....
let me revisit this....
maybe I should think about this a different way....

Didn't he proclaim the gospel to everyone?
Might I be one of the poor?
In fact, YES.
Before I I opened the door to Jesus I WAS poor!
I was lost and didn't even know it.
Yes, I was brokenhearted!
I had the selfish greedy proud kind of heart
that I hope is crushed so I can be delivered.
I WAS a captive to this world,
never having known freedom from it.
And yes, I was pathetically blind.

I don't really have anything else to say about that.

Thank you for coming, Jesus
Thank you
for opening my eyes
for freeing me
for the healing I didn't deserve.

and thank you for showing me
the me in this verse.

and how did the crowd react?

Well, there is a stark contrast in this chapter in that regard;
compare these:

Luk 4:28
They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue,
as they heard these things.
Luk 4:29
They rose up, threw him out of the city,
and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on,
that they might throw him off the cliff.

and

Luk 4:42
When it was day,
he departed and went into an uninhabited place,
and the multitudes looked for him,
and came to him,
and held on to him,
so that he wouldn't go away from them.

sheesh!

The division had already begun.

I hope I would be in that second group, eh?

Luke 5

In this chapter, Jesus tells the fishermen to let down their nets.

Luk 5:6
When they had done this,
they caught a great multitude of fish,
and their net was breaking.
Luk 5:7
They beckoned to their partners in the other boat,
that they should come and help them.
They came, and filled both boats,
so that they began to sink.

This had to be the best catch of their lives!

Can you imagine catching so many fish
that even TWO boats begin to sink?
And what did they do with such a magnificent catch?

Luk 5:11
When they had brought their boats to land,
they left everything, and followed him.

They left two heapin' boatloads o' fish on the shore
and walked away from ALL of it.

that's cool.

Ya know, I always try to rationalize some kind of
explanation that makes miracles more believable.
This is an example of that, because I could choose to
interpret this miracle in at least two different ways.

One way would be that Jesus wanted to make a point
so he used his power to personally create those fish
in that spot. He just made them or at least made them
be there when he wanted them to be there.

Another way is to believe that those fish were there on
their own anyway, that the whole natural unfolding
of the universe just happened to cause that school of
fish to be there at that time, and that Jesus was so in
tune with life that the event presented itself at the
precise moment that it would be useful to glorify God.

For some reason, that second possibility is way more
awesome to me!

In my own life I have been aware of some
pretty interesting coincidences, and I think if one is
truly in the word or on the path or in tune or whatever,
those kinds of things will happen.

on the other hand....

Jesus goes on to heal a leper and a paralyzed man
(who immediately gets up and walks, even though
my scientific mind tells me his muscles would be
atrophied)
and I must admit I CANNOT think of a rational
scenario that makes these things possible.

I guess my little paradigm is too restrictive, eh?

Luke 6

Luk 6:2
And certain of the Pharisees said to them,
Why do you do that which is not lawful to do
on the sabbath days?

I always get a perverse thrill when someone challenges
The System.

What is it about me that enjoys rebellion?
That resists authority without hesitation?
It almost feels like a reflex sometimes.

I know it is not always a good thing
to stir the pot
but I'm warped that way.
I tend towards the radical,
and I'm not sure why.

Maybe it's not such a bad thing.
Maybe free thinkers is what made this country great.
My heroes are those who rise above the herd
and make their own decisions.

But then again, maybe it IS a character flaw in me,
because the feeling is too extreme to be healthy.

Right now I think I am a well-balanced kinda guy,
but I can look back only a few years
and see a very self-centered
"can't tell me nothin I don't already know"
stubborn
"don't tell me what to do"
and if you try I'm gonna ask
"why?"
kinda guy.

...and I know I still have some of that in me.
(maybe alot)

Luk 6:11
And they were filled with madness,
and talked with one another
as to what they might do to Jesus.

yeah.

I can see the good part of that trait in Jesus.
(my hero)

-=-=-

Well I was gonna skip right to the cool part where
He gives us the Sermon on the Mount,
but I got stuck right here:

Luk 6:13
And when it was day,
He called His disciples.
And He chose twelve of them,
whom He also named apostles:

why?

Is it not sufficient to have hordes of disciples?
Is he showing us that some are more favored than others?
That there are ranks?
I wonder what he said to them.
"I choose you!"
For what?

Maybe He knew that his time on earth was limited,
and he was preparing others to carry the torch.
But that's too easy to see in hindsight.

I'm trying to put myself in the moment
of what was happening right then and there.

Its not like he needed help,
because right after that it says:

Luk 6:19
And all the crowd sought to touch Him,
for power went out of Him and healed them all.

If he healed them ALL,
what did he need helpers for?

hmmm...
I know he did this immediately after
spending the night in prayer to God (Luk 6:12).
That gives it more weight in my mind.
That it wasn't done "on a whim",
or a spur of the moment kind of decision.

I think there is something I should be seeing here,
but I'm not seeing it.

I can't imagine Jesus needing a support group.
or a buffer zone between himself and "regular" people.
or even rewarding the best "wanna-be's"
or "freeing himself" to do more important work.

Of course, I'm trying to make him wear human weaknesses
because that's the kind of motives I would have
for naming my followers.

No, there has to be something more.

I'll let that brew for awhile...

-=-=-

OK, I'll restrain myself to two short notes about
the rest of this chapter (The Sermon on the Mount)

woe!

Luk 6:24
But woe to you who are rich!
For you have received your consolation.
Luk 6:25
Woe to you who are full!
For you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now!
For you shall mourn and weep.
Luk 6:26
Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you!
For so their fathers did to the false prophets.

This is so discouraging to me....
I am rich,
I eat well,
I love to laugh,
men speak well of me.

Can't I enjoy my blessings in this world
without being punished for it later?
Can't I just have a simple life with no wants or needs?
Do I have to be miserable to make it?

Well, that's one note.

Here's the other:

I was at lunch with some guys that I work with,
who were also in a weekly bible study group with me,
and I casually mentioned that I had a hard time deciding
whether to lock my car doors when attending church services
(or any other time for that matter)

They looked at me like I was crazy.

I wonder how most christians interpret this verse:

Luk 6:30
Give to everyone who asks you,
and don't ask him who takes away your goods
to give them back again.

I wonder what our judicial system would be like if
we really lived that way.

Luke 7

Luk 7:1
After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people,
he entered into Capernaum.
Luk 7:11
It happened soon afterwards,
that he went to a city called Nain.
Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude,
went with him.

As I am reading through Luke,
the thought occurs to me
that Jesus doesn't seem to have a plan.
He has no real agenda.
It seems like he just walks around,
wherever life leads him,
teaching and doing good works.

Even if I don't announce my intentions
or publish my schedule,
I always have some kind of "to do" list
in the back of my mind.
Could I imagine actually living in the moment,
not taking any responsibility for doing
whatever, whenever?
Just letting life unfold around me, however?

NOPE!

-=-=-

Changing the subject,
another thing in this chapter is making me think too hard.

Luk 7:14
He came near and touched the coffin,
and the bearers stood still.
He said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"
Luk 7:15
He who was dead sat up, and began to speak.
And he gave him to his mother.
Luk 7:16
Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God,
saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!"
and, "God has visited his people!"

I can't remember if I wrote about this
back when I was reading about the same events
in Matthew and Mark,
but the raising of the dead seems so out of place to me.

If Jesus walked the earth fully human,
why was he given power over the dead?
I would have an easy time understanding this ability
AFTER he was resurrected,
but not as a human.
I know, you are saying to yourself
"Well, he was both human AND divine".

But WHY did he raise people from the dead?
I wasn't like those were special people
that needed to be alive
to fulfill some piece of the puzzle.
Was it just to gain the attention of the people
that he was really sent from God?
So they would listen to the message?

If other people could have this power
I'm sure we would have heard about it, right?
I mean, there have been a LOT of very devout
people down through history,
and you would think SOME of them
had their hearts in the right place,
and would pray in the proper way,
and would be able to do these types of things
if the conditions warranted.

But we don't find that to be the case.

In our entire history
was it only Jesus who had this ability?

So I'm guessing it was a sure sign to announce
or illuminate
that
HE IS THE ONE
to anyone and everyone around.

That's the only reason I can think of
for using such power.

Luke 8

Luk 8:9
And His disciples asked Him, saying,
What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10 And He said,
To you it is given to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
But to others I speak in parables,
so that seeing they might not see
and hearing they might not understand.
Luk 8:11
And the parable is this:
The seed is the Word of God.

I have wondered about the phrase
"to you it is given to know, but to others..."
because at first glance it seems like favoritism.
He is telling a secret to some and not to all?
My understanding is that Christ is available to anyone,
so I have been struggling with this meaning.

Last time I read this I remember thinking
that perhaps he couldn't just blab out the naked truth to everyone,
that maybe he had to leave some "wiggle room"
for those that weren't ready yet or something.
Maybe the rules of the game forbid God
from suddenly appearing in front of a man,
proven and leaving no room for doubt.
I mean, if God is proven or disproven,
it takes away a person's choice to follow or not.

I believe God and the Bible
will NEVER be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt
because that would ruin it,
man's free will would be taken away for good.

So maybe he avoided the "in your face" teaching
by speaking in parables.

Anyway, it is a moot point now that I think about it!
The fact is, he explained the mystery,
and it has now been published everywhere
in every language.
So if he withheld it from anyone, it was only those people
he was preaching to at that moment.

What I mean is:
He says "To you it is given to know..."
and I am reading it,
so to ME it is given to know....
Whatever mystery there was, is now revealed to ALL.

So whatever my speculation was
about "maybe this" or "maybe that" is meaningless,
it would only apply to that small group of people.
that he was speaking to at the time.

moving on....

What happens when the word of god reaches us,
and those seeds start to sprout?
Is the recipient forced to make a life-altering choice
right then and there?
for once and for all?
Or are we allowed to let it brew and stew for awhile?

He says:

Luk 8:12
Those by the roadside are the ones who hear;
then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts,
lest they should believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13
Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear,
receive the Word with joy.
And these have no root, who for a while believe,
and in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14
And those which fell among thorns are the ones who,
when they have heard,
go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear to maturity.
Luk 8:15
But those on the good ground are the ones who,
in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word,
keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

Here's where I start to get a little bit uncomfortable.
nervous. agitated. unsure.
How often does the sower sow?
Is he casting his seeds out continously?

Because at different times I can see myself in ANY of those conditions.
Or maybe I should say I feel like I have been ALL of those
at one time or another.
Some days I really do feel like that last example,
having heard the word with an honest and good heart.
But I also admit that I have fallen away many times to temptation.
And often I am choked with cares and riches and pleasures.
I am definitely one of those "eat drink and be merry" kinda guys.
So is it valid to say I am versions 2, 3 & 4?

Or knowing that I am usually somewhere between 2&3,
maybe I have NEVER been at the fruitful 4th.
and I'm just fooling myself thinking I have been there
because I don't REALLY know what it is yet.

Well, this could get really discouraging
so I am going to slither out of here
and not think about how fruitful or unfruitful I have been.

but here's the clincher....

The text sort of implies that the seeds are sown
and you either get it or you don't.
Maybe this is wishful thinking,
but I'm hoping that the seeds are arriving all the time,
and some make it and some don't,
and maybe every day I can ask for more seeds,
and the sower will never run out of them.

If that is the case, then there is hope for me yet!

Luke 9

Luk 9:14
For they were about five thousand men.
He said to his disciples,
"Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
Luk 9:15
They did so, and made them all sit down.
Luk 9:16
He took the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to the sky,
he blessed them, and broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Luk 9:17
They ate, and were all filled.
They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces
that were left over.

Reading these verses reminded me
of a bible teacher I used to listen to,
who often reminded us of his belief that
absolutely everything in the bible was there for a reason.
That every little fact and comment had some meaning
if we could only discern it.

The reason I am reminded of this
was his comment that he was unable to find any meaning
in these numbers;
5000 men, 5 loaves, 2 fish and 12 baskets,
and in his attempt to correlate these numbers
with the other account of feeding in Mark8 and Matthew15
with 4000 men, 7 loaves, a few fish and 7 baskets.

It suddenly occured to me what the most probable significance is!

It is that this account is to be taken at face value,
an honest account of what happened on those days.
If there is anything designed into the specific numbers,
maybe they are expressed in this way
so we would NEVER find a pattern in them.

Maybe the reason for having numbers like these
is so they "don't add up" to anything logical!
Maybe its so we WON'T be distracted
from the true meaning,
to PREVENT us from finding anything
that will cause us to lose our focus.

-=-=-

Something else in this chapter
got me thinking in a strange way,
and will sound kind of crazy in a bible study.
So here is a warning to just skip the rest of this
and move on over to Luke 10!

ok, I warned ya...

I've just finished a college course on particle physics,
and my concept of this physical world has been forever altered.
One of the "most proven" concepts in all of science
is the atomic theory,
that everything is composed of atoms.
Atoms are always in motion, they jiggle
(except maybe at the extreme coldest end of
the temperature scale, absolute zero?)
and as more energy is added they jiggle more.
And if you add even MORE energy they try to "balance out"
by emitting photons,
which are little clumps of light.

That's how a flashlight works,
the battery pushes energy through a little filament of atoms
inside the bulb,
and they deal with it by emitting streams of photons
and a lot of heat.

so what?

Well,
I think its interesting that scientists are trying to calculate
what the universe was like at the very beginning of creation.
The most current theory says that at a certain point in time,
EVERY atom had so much energy
that ALL of them were emitting photons!

Can you imagine what that would be like?

no.

We are used to seeing light as "coming from somewhere",
as having a source.
What if every atom
of everything in the universe
were its own little light source?
What if even the air itself,
the oxygen that you breathe
was full of light?

We really can't imagine such a brilliant display,
but doesn't it fit nicely with this bible verse:

Gen 1:3
God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

And when these atoms had "balanced out"
this extra energy
and things started stabilizing,
doesn't that fit nicely with this bible verse:

Gen 1:4
God saw the light, and saw that it was good.
God divided the light from the darkness.
Gen 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.

cool. (literally)

Ok, so why so I seem to be getting so far off track here?

It is because of this verse right here:

Luk 9:29
While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes turned dazzling white.

His face changed?
and his clothes turned dazzling white?

Could it be that the power of God
is more than just a spiritual thing?
Could it have physical properties and consequences?
My first reaction was "No, you're reaching too far".
get real.

But hey, isn't healing and raising dead kind of physical?
I'm sure many would consider this dazzling white scene
as kind of a visionary thing,
but I'm seriously considering the possibility
that energy from God could actually excite your little atoms,
at least SOME of them.

And taking this just one little step furthur (and then I'll stop!)

What would it be like if just SOME of your atoms
were under the influence of real and great power?
Our eyes can only detect huge clumps of photons
hitting our retinas at about the same time,
but what if it was only a few?
Wouldn't it be a barely detectable glow?
Some change in a person's face
that we can hardly perceive
but we know it on some level?

Could that be what the halos in the old paintings are all about?

Haven't you heard about people just glowing in the spirit?

Maybe there is some truth to that.

Luke 10

The whole entire scope of religion boiled down to this:
"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Luk 10:27
And answering, he said,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.

boy o boy...
Its almost embarrassing now that I think about it.

Looking over my life just since I have been a christian,
lining up my general thought and attitude
to the standard set forth in this one verse,
I suddenly realize my report card doesn't look so good.

Do I love the Lord with all that?

(For anyone that wants to do an interesting study,
look up the greek words for mind and heart and soul
and then go through the bible searching for each one.
You will get an interesting picture
of the difference between these three.
I got turned on to this by a lady named Nancy Missler,
http://www.kingshighway.org/articles/19970801-21.html )
well heck, I might as well post an excerpt
in case that link disappears or something:
OK, this is from Nancy:

When I began studying the First Commandment years ago ("Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul and with all thy mind"), I ran to many of the pastors that I knew and I asked them what the difference was between our heart, soul and mind. Many of them simply told me, there is no difference - all these words essentially mean the very same thing. Many books today concur and we see sentences like this one, "If a person listens to his soul (which is his heart and mind), he will have...." And, like this one, "Sanctification is the process of changing the heart (that is, the mind, emotions, and will or actions)." With explanations like these, it's really no wonder so many of us are confused about these terms.
My question to the pastors twenty years ago and to these authors of today is: "Why did God use three different Hebrew words and three different Greek words in the First Commandment to express the very same thing?" It doesn't make any sense. God is very precise and He doesn't use different words unless there is something unique and special meant by each.
Since that time 20 years ago, I've learned a wonderful way to determine the real Scriptural definition of any word in the Bible. You take all the places that that Hebrew or that Greek word appears, write them out and come up with a composite definition. In other words, you let the Scripture define itself. This is evidently how the old theologians and scholars used to do it.
So, this is exactly what I did. I took the over 800 words rendered "heart" (leb in the Old Testament and kardia in the New) and found that our heart is consistently said to be: evil, deceitful, hardened, impenetrable, prideful and non-circumcised. This is why the Bible tells us that we desperately need to be born again and receive a new heart - a clean heart - a heart to know (yada) Him. A heart filled with His Agape Love and upon which His Word is inscribed.
Then, I took the over 400 words rendered "soul" (nephesh in the Old Testament and psyche in the New) and found that our soul is consistently said to be: troubled, trodden down and weary. The Bible says that our soul lusts, sins, and that the enemy persecutes it. It can be cut off, destroyed and left in hell. But, if we ask God, He will rescue it, deliver it, save it and redeem it. He is the One who heals our soul and then fills it with intimate knowledge of God (oida).
What fascinated me about this study was the consistency of the Scriptures. Whether we are talking Old Testament or New Testament, God never delivers, saves and redeems our heart, He always gives us a totally new clean one-a heart to know Him. In like manner, He never gives us a new soul, He delivers, saves and redeems our old one.
So, there are some major difference between our heart and our soul. They are not the same thing at all! And it's critical for us to understand these differences, first of all, so we can love Him properly, with all our heart and soul. And secondly, so we can understand ourselves. Do we have a heart that knows (yada) God? Is our soul filled with intimate knowledge (oida) of God? Scripture warns us that a people who do not understand, will fall. (Hosea 4:14)

-=-=-

anyway, back to the question...

Do I love the Lord with ALL?
I can't answer.
because I want to say YES,
but the evidence in my life says NO.

I love all kinds of other stuff, too.
Some not-so-good stuff.
Pleasure over joy kinda stuff.

...and that's the EASY part of the question to answer.

Do I love my neighbor as myself?

wha-ho! NO, I don't think so!

I love myself a lot!
oh sure, if I saw someone in trouble I would try to help,
but what about my day-to day?
At work I get very protective at the first hint of criticism.
I judge people when they don't live up to my standards.
Even at bible studies I feel arrogant
about my knowledge and understanding
and am willing argue the most insignificant point
to show my feathers and stroke my ego.
I pity people when I realize they are lost,
which wouldn't be so bad
if I didn't feel such a sense of superiority.
And didn't I just say I would help the lost?
Ha, what a pathetic person I am.
No, chances are, I don't try to nudge people onto the path.
I'm too afriad.
I'm afraid of strangers.
I'm afraid of strange places.
Sure I put on a thick skin
and put on my game face
and I deal okay.
but deep down I know I'm afraid.
I'm hoping nothing happens.

I don't think Jesus was like that.

At an introspective time like this,
I look at myself,
and I don't see the love coming from me.
I love myself.

In a way I love others,
but in another way I don't.

and I'm ashamed of it.

Luke 11

boy... is this the "reddest" chapter yet?
like 95% direct quotes from Jesus?

It almost seems like too much to talk about in just a page or so.
Even though I started out this project as a "weekly" thing
with multiple chapters each week,
I have kind of settled into a pattern
of reading just one chapter at a time
and recording my first impression of it.
(Of course I have heard some of these things before
so I am familiar with some of it,
but I am enjoying going straight through
from beginning to end
and writing whatever comes to mind)
That's funny, I just had the overwhelming notion
that I am talking only to myself
and NO ONE will EVER read this stuff
ever.
yeah, ok....
this is my big-ego little-world

So what will I be yammering on about today?

Well, the Lord's Prayer is pretty familiar,
but I probably don't understand what the next verses are about,
where

Luk 11:5
He said to them, "Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight,
and tell him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
Luk 11:6
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey,
and I have nothing to set before him,'
Luk 11:7 and he from within will answer and say,
'Don't bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.
I can't get up and give it to you'?
Luk 11:8
I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend,
yet because of his persistence,
he will get up and give him as many as he needs.

gee, great friend!
so a friend won't be a friend to his friend because he is his friend,
but rather because he is persistent?

I confess I don't get it, but the next verse makes all that go away,
and is one of the most encouraging verses I've ever read.

Luk 11:10
For everyone who asks receives.
He who seeks finds.
To him who knocks it will be opened.

yeah, I definitely consider myself to be part of "everyone",
so there is hope for me.

Then there is a section about kingdoms divided
and demons bring seven more demons,
and evil generations,
and the "rather than" blessing the womb and breasts of the Mother Mary

Luk 11:28
But He said,
rather, blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.

and a sign of Jonah that I don't understand
and a queen of the south that will rise up
and woe to pharisees and lawyers
(that I'm sure how pertains to me here in my big-ego little-world)
and spilling blood
and a key of knowledge

You know, this is kind of a weird chapter!

To be true to my attempt to record my first impression of a chapter,
I gotta say the one thing that jumps out at me in here is this:

Luk 11:30
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites,
so also shall the Son of Man be to this generation.
Luk 11:31
The queen of the south shall rise up in the Judgment
with the men of this generation and condemn them.
For she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
And behold, One greater than Solomon is here.
Luk 11:32
The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the Judgment
with this generation and shall condemn it.
For they repented at the preaching of Jonah.
And behold, One greater than Jonah is here.

Is this a direct quote prophecy?
If I were to believe any prophecies more than others
they would be the ones from Jesus himself.
Do I need to read some Old Testament
to know what these things mean?
I'm curious.

but I'm too fatigued to do it tonight.
All this mystery has me agitated,
and I'm not the ONLY one...

here are the last two verses of chapter 11::

Luk 11:53
And as He said these things to them,
the scribes and Pharisees began to be terribly angry,
and to draw Him out concerning many things,
Luk 11:54
lying in ambush for Him,
and seeking to catch something out of His mouth,
so that they might accuse Him.

cliffhanger...!

Luke 12

I think I actually understand this chapter.

Pretty much the whole thing is teachings by Jesus,
and on my first pass through it all seems pretty clear.
Usually I am left wondering
or digging deeper
or at least thought-provoked.
but not this time.
I read the text and okay, I get it.

1. There are no secrets in the long run. All will be revealed.
2. Don't be afraid (except of being cast into hell)
3. Don't be afraid to proclaim Jesus before men.
(I guess that still fits in the "don't be afraid section, huh?)
4. Don't covet and store up treasures on earth.
5. Don't worry about being provided for.
6. Be ready for His return at any time.
7. He doesn't bring peace, but division

that's it.

Am I being too simple minded?
Do I really have to look for more?
I believe Jesus can be understood by the most innocent
and simple-minded.
So tonight I am one of those.

kinda feels good.

Luk 12:29
Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink;
neither be anxious.
Luk 12:30
For the nations of the world seek after all of these things,
but your Father knows that you need these things.
Luk 12:31
But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.
Luk 12:32
Don't be afraid, little flock,
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

.

Luke 13

Humanity Observed as a Culture (in a petri dish?)

Imagine you were floating above the earth in the space shuttle...
...and that your speed allowed your lifespan to last much longer than everyone else's
...and that something went wrong with your communication and you lost all contact.

except visually.

and round and round the earth you would go,
gazing down at life thriving on the surface
like a thin film.

and sooner or later everyone you ever knew
or had ever heard of
would be dead
replaced by others who had no emotional attachment.
except in a vague kinda way.

and people would lose character.
you would start to see each little person as only a cell
in a vast organism
and eventually your awareness
of each little cell's individual personailty would fade,
because you would be too far removed.

you would be watching the organism as a whole
noticing that some areas thrive as others wither
endless cycles of growth and progress
interspersed with wars and plagues and natural disaster

groups shifting and clumping and recombining infinitely

but all your observations would be purely physical.
everything you could conclude about the health of the organism
would be based only on this remote exterior view.

(ok, switching vewpoints)

Now imagine God looking down on the same scene,
but with one HUGE difference,
instead of noticing the physical condition,
he was tuned into the spiritual condition.

In the same way,
he too would see areas thriving while others wither.
He could make the same kind of map,
but His would look far different than yours.

Where you see an group suffering through a natural disaster
marking it with a dreary color on your "health" map,
He may be coloring the same area brilliant
with caring and sharing, kindness and compassion on his.

A clump flourishing in luxury on your map
may be a blotch of self-absorption on his.

So what does this thought experiment have to do with Luke 13?

Well, the chapter begins with Jesus being asked
whether victims who suffer are greater sinners than others,
and he says
"I tell you, No."

That tells me that the physical events on our map
have little to do with the map that counts.
and that people who ask
"why do bad things happen to good people?",
well, they just don't get it.
I think what counts is how you get through the obstacle course
not that there is anything to gain by comparing obstacles.

In fact, that leads right into the next part of the chapter:

Luk 13:6
He also spoke this parable:
A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard.
And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.
Luk 13:7
And he said to the dresser of his vineyard,
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree,
and find none.
Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?
Luk 13:8
And answering, he said to him,
Lord, let it alone this year also,
until I dig around it and throw manure.
Luk 13:9
And if it bears fruit, well;
and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.

So if we are the vineyard and God is the owner,
it seems that God is ready to chop out the bad areas on his map
but Jesus is the vinedresser,
and is ready to give us a little extra attention
to turn it around and become part of the harvest.

fruit bearers.

so if Jesus is buying us time
giving us the opportunity
does that mean we are in?
What kind of area is your part of the map right now?

Luk 13:11
And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,
and she was bowed together
and was not able to be completely erect.
Luk 13:12
And when Jesus saw her,
He called and said to her,
Woman, you are delivered from your infirmity.

So does this mean she is "in"?
automatically?
Just because Jesus straightened her back?

no, I don't think so.

I think he will be a good gardener.

We can ask Jesus to water us,
and prune us,
and fertilize,
and keep the weeds away,
but what if there is still no fruit?

Luk 13:23
And one said to Him,
Lord, are the ones being saved few?
And He said to them,
Luk 13:24
Strive to enter in at the narrow gate.
For I say to you,
many will seek to enter in and shall not be able.
Luk 13:25
And once the Master of the house
has risen up and has shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside
and to knock at the door,
saying, Lord, Lord, open to us,
and He shall answer and say to you,
I do not know you

Luke 14

The Dinner Guest

I'm trying to imagine what it would have been like
if I were a Pharisee...

I've spent my life studying the law,
finding out what is required to stay in the good grace of God,
doing my best to adopt the rules as my own
and obey them.
and encourage others to obey them.

I've now become a leader,
a pinnacle of society
trusted as a pillar
holding up the structure.
People depend on me,
look up to me.
They need me.

Now we are under Roman rule.
We are able to keep our religion
as long as no one makes trouble.
The Romans have agreed to leave us alone,
as long as we keep our own under control.

So I have a great responsibility,
not only to my God
but to my people.
It is my job to identify anyone
who threatens the peace of our society,
When anyone breaks the law we have agreed to.
I deal with them.

So....

I've heard about this wandering teacher.
There is such a buzz about town!
an excitement.
This man Jesus is shaking things up,
and I'm starting to get worried.
People are depending on me to maintain
I must investigate.

Of course it won't do to pass judgement
before I have even met the man,
So I invite him to dinner.

Today is the sabbath day...

I must say, nothing about the man impresses me,
but as long as he is harmless,
what is that to us?

Suddenly I am confronted with a willful act of rebellion
that I simply cannot ignore!

A man in our midst is sick, and

Luk 14:3
Jesus spoke, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

and I was silent.

Luk 14:4
And taking him, He healed him

Oh, no.
This is not going well.

On one hand he has just healed a man like it was effortless,
(a miracle I have never witnessed before)
and yet he purposely broke the law right before my eyes.
so defiant.
challenging my authority to do something about it.

You can imagine how stunned I was,
not sure how to react.
but before I could even collect my thoughts
he began to speak to my other guests about my dinner table!

Luk 14:7
And He put forth a parable to those who were invited,
when He noted how they chose out the chief places,
saying to them,
Luk 14:8
When you are invited by anyone to a wedding,
do not recline in the chief seat,
lest a more honorable man than you may be invited by him.
Luk 14:9
And he who invited you and him shall come and say to you,
Give place to this man;
and then you begin with shame to take the last place.
Luk 14:10
But when you are invited,
go and recline in the lowest place,
so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you,
Friend, go up higher.
Then glory shall be to you before those reclining with you.
Luk 14:11
For whoever exalts himself shall be abased,
and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.

Oh, great... just GREAT!
Now everyone is feeling uncomfortable.

My whole life, everyone chooses their seats
using a perfectly acceptable and mutually understood ranking,
and now no one knows where to sit,
leaving all the burden on ME as the host to sort them out.
Why couldn't he leave well enough alone?

Yes, radicals sure enjoy throwing wrenches into the gears, don't they?
Well, that's the last invitation he is getting from ME,
that's for sure.

During dinner he tells me who I should be inviting to my dinners,
in place of my friends and relatives
that I should be inviting... Well, don't take it from ME,
Here is a direct quote:

Luk 14:12
And He also said to him who invited Him,
When you make a dinner or a supper,
do not call your friends or your brothers,
or your kinsmen, or your rich neighbors;
lest they also invite you again,
and a recompense be made to you.
Luk 14:13
But when you make a feast,
call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
Luk 14:14
and you shall be blessed, for they cannot repay you;
for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.

The way he says it makes me stop and think.

I can tell he has a good point,
and he certainly seems sincere,
but how can I respond to that?

People are looking at me,
and I don't like being in the spotlight.
I really wasn't prepared for this.

What do they expect?

-

After dinner...

He tells a story about another man
who was preparing a great supper,
but his chosen people declined the invitation.

Luk 14:21
And coming up that servant reported these things to his lord.
And the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant,
Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city
and bring in here
the poor and the maimed, and the lame and the blind.
Luk 14:22
And the servant said, Lord, it is done as you have commanded,
and still there is room.
Luk 14:23
And the lord said to the servant,
Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in,
so that my house may be filled.

Now, what in the WORLD can THAT mean?
I know I'm one of the chosen people!
Is he saying that we might not make it?
and the doors are being opened to others?

Well, I can't prove that's what he meant,
but I smell trouble.

This has certainly been a disquieting evening.
I've never been more relieved than when it was finally over,
and I could shut my door and lie down awhile.

Somehow, I don't think I've heard the end of it.

This could get ugly.

.

Luke 15

When I read this chapter almost two weeks ago I had no reaction.

nothing.

I mean, I've heard the story of the prodigal son
like a thousand times.

A son leaves home, realizes how good he had it, and comes back.

It doesn't even seem that applicable when I paraphrase it that way,
because most people leave home and never come back.
This guy was just an exceptional loser, no?

ok, I'm not trying to be flippant...
I know there is more to the story.

Let's look at a quick outline of the chapter,

It describes three situations, all similar:

A lost sheep -

Luk 15:4
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness
and go after that which is lost until he finds it?

A lost coin -

Luk 15:8
Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one,
does she not light a lamp and sweep the house,
and seek carefully until she finds it?

A lost son -

Luk 15:11
And He said, A certain man had two sons.
Luk 15:12
And the younger of them said to his father,
Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me.
And he divided his living to them.
Luk 15:13
And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together
and went away into a far country.
And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely.

My first impression is being a little bothered.
annoyed.
Jesus is using three parables to tell the same story?
Isn't this concept simple enough to be understood
without having to tell it three different ways?

So this is a red flag to me.

I don't think Jesus would repeat himself pointlessly.

So what is different?
What am I not seeing?

Well... one obvious difference is that no one went looking for the son.

It has been my personal philosophy is that sin is selfishness.
What separates us from God is selfishness.
Joy is giving, pleasure is taking.
God lets us choose pleasure over joy.
But suddenly we find ourselves alone.
or I should say hopefully eventually we will realize we are alone.
And come back.

But what about those first two stories?
My philosophy doesn't fit.
The lost sheep wasn't being selfish.
It just wandered off.
It wasn't being rebellious, running away from the shepherd.
It just got lost.

And the coin didn't do anything at all, on its own.
Even safe at home
no struggling with self, joy, pleasure or sin.
It still slipped through a crack somehow.

But what happened in those cases?

The owner actively pursued the lost.
What a comfort, to know that when one slips away,
the loss is noticed.
and the owner cares enough to come looking.

This is a revelation to me.
I have always had the opinion
that it was the lost who had to "do something" to "get found".
That "God helps those who help themselves".

Don't these parables clearly imply
that the master seeks us out?
And rejoices when we are found?
Rejoicing.
That's a good thing...

And if my interpretation is in question,
this concise summary by Jesus himself seems to clarify:

Luk 15:10
Likewise I say to you,
there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

-=-=-=-

Now I gotta look at that last part a little bit more.

The prodigal son goes off, realizes truth, comes back.

but I'm thinking about the other son,
the one who stayed behind
and did his father's wishes
(the one we usually think of as the GOOD son)

He heard the music and rejoicing over his brother's return,
and learned about the fattened calf...

Luk 15:28
And he was angry and would not go in.
Therefore his father came out and entreated him.
Luk 15:29
And answering he said to his father,
Lo, these many years I have served you,
neither did I transgress your commandment at any time.
And yet you never gave me a kid so that I might make merry with my friends.
Luk 15:30
But when this son of yours came,
who has devoured your living with harlots,
you have killed for him the fattened calf.
Luk 15:31
And he said to him,
Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Luk 15:32
It was right that we should make merry and be glad,
for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again;
and was lost, and is found.

I heard a pastor say this son was more lost than all the others,
and I can't quite get that out of my mind.

I don't know if I agree with that,
but this is a point worth making:
Whoever could be angry at something that God is rejoicing over
(so much that you won't "go in" as stated in 15:28)
means that person's heart is not aligned with God's

If we are truly living in the spirit,
part of the body of Christ
a member of the true church,
then when one celebrates, we all celebrate, right?

I DID notice that the father went out to THIS son,
was he looking for a lost sheep?
I have never thought of the elder son as one of the lost,
so it makes me wonder if this son ever "went in".
The text doesn't really say, does it?

So looking at it this way,
its easy for me to see the problem with the Pharisees.
And by the same token I can translate this to my own life.
I know I make instant jugments about how "worthy" people are,
and how much better my life is.
How much of a better person I am than so many others.
(ouch)
I admit it.

Have people really lost their place in the kingdom
all the while thinking they were secure in the arms of the Lord?
What a horrible thought.

I really have to keep myself open to the true meaning
and gaurd against that smug feeling.
I don't want to become one of the "good" christians
who seem so hardened and bitter and unloving.

-=-=-=-

I'm wondering about one more thing.
When Jesus told of the lost sheep,
he was responding to a comment by the Pharisees:

Luk 15:2
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying,
This man receives sinners and eats with them.

So I naturally assume that
when Jesus is talking about finding a lost sheep and rejoicing,
what he REALLY means is
that HE is finding a lost SINNER and rejoicing, right?

But then he talks about the woman losing a coin,
and for some reason I wonder if he is still referring to himself.
Could he mean that WE are to light a lamp and do the sweeping?
Well, I suppose He is the light, but...

Okay, let's say I have ten beautiful children,
and I see that one has slipped away.
would he expect ME to light and sweep and search?
Or is that the point of the third parable?
We let them go,
and trust God to do the work?

I really don't understand it now, in that context.
my own child.
lost.

Hmmm... Well, this chapter seemed boring at first
because I thought he was telling the same tired old story
three different ways,
and I was thinking "OK, I GET IT."

Now I dig a little deeper, and suddenly its too deep for me.

Well, I pray for understanding
He promised a good counselor would be available to teach me all things,
and I am grateful for that promise.
Thank you, Jesus.
Teach me, Spirit.

Luke 16

My first impression of this chapter is...

"WHAT"?

This has gotta be the strangest chapter I have read so far.

Just when I'm thinkin' I got this stuff down,
along comes something like this.
Keepin' me off-center.
unbalanced.
I mean, I can't even imagine Jesus preaching this stuff.

-=-=-=-
PART ONE

The first part of this chapter is a story about a manager,
who gets busted for squandering this rich guy's stuff.
So this manager knows he's about to be "let go",
and fiigures he better make some connections fast,
so he goes to the people that owe the rich guy money,
and makes secret deals with them to reduce their debt,
so when he hits the streets lookin' for a new gig,
he'll have some cred.

So the rich guy
he finds out what the manager has been doin' behind his back.

And can you guess what he does?
kills him?
calls the cops?
ruins his rep?

nope.

He praises him !
how clever!
how shrewd!
how wise...!

I don't get it.

This is a selfish man.
an opportunist,
a user taking advantage of someone else.
A hired hand cheating his employer
for his own personal advantage.
a scumbag.
And we are to praise this self-serving behavior?

What can this mean?

Here is what Jesus said after he told that story:

Luk 16:8
And the unjust steward's lord commended him
because he had done wisely.
For the children of this world are in their generation
wiser than the children of light.
Luk 16:9
And I say to you,
Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves,
so that when you fail,
they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.
Luk 16:10
He who is faithful in the least is also faithful in much.
And he who is unjust in the least is also unjust in much.
Luk 16:11
Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will entrust the true riches to you?
Luk 16:12
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's,
who shall give you that which is your own?
Luk 16:13
No servant can serve two masters.
For either he will hate the one and love the other,
or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

That doesn't help too much.
I still don't know what this is supposed to teach me.

I'm goin' to the commentaries....

(a few minutes later)

Hmmm, I guess this is a great opportunity for some to bring
up the sticky subject of Christian finances.
Just a brief scan has presented all kinds of advice
Even lines like "you can't buy your friends"
(even though verse 9 clearly implies that you should)
and "Don't worship money"
wow.
Something doesn't feel right about this.

(a few weeks later)

Ok I've been thinkin' about this for quite awhile now,
and even though I don't have it down, I gotta move on.

So here's where I stand on "the meaning of the parable"

I don't think the parable is really about money or finance.
The manager was just using it as a tool
to get himself into a better situation.
Its almost as if he is being praised for his attempt
to furthur his own personal security

Maybe that's a clue.

Some worldy people (like me) appreciate money for
the temporary pleasures it brings,
better food.
better stuff.
better life.

So the resources we are blessed with here on this planet,
are merely consumables in my normal mode of existence.
Like the pharisees in 16:14,
I love money for the luxury it brings me.

Luk 16:14
And being money-lovers,
all the Pharisees also heard all these things.
And they derided Him.

by contrast....
The manager,
or "steward" as he is referred to in most versions,
(I was just using the "street-wise" paraphrase for effect)
The steward
wasn't loving the money for its own sake,
he was using it as a TOOL to insure a better place in his next life.

(hey, I think I'm on track to the intended meaning)

Even a worldy guy could rise above his
eat drink and be merry,
one day at a time,
let tomorrow take care of itself,
carefree existence.

He could rise above it
at least enough to wonder what life would be like
without that rich guy umbrella.

And he didn't sit around dreading it.

He jumped up and did what he could,
with the resources he had,
to make a better future.

Its not too much a stretch of the imagination
to see the rich guy as God
(who provides the world)
and
to see the steward as ourselves
(managing the world).

and in that light,
I think it is a good lesson
to realize that we don't actually own anything in the world,
we just use it until we die
And whatever we have accumulated
will pass into someone else's stewardship,
the moment we are gone.

If you have not been faithful with worldy stuff,
who will trust you with true riches?

I think he was saying that even though the steward was
as "worldly" as the money-loving pharisees,
at least he was using it for a a purpose
instead of just coveting and consuming.

That's what I'm going with for now, anyway.

-=-=-=-
PART TWO

Part two of this chapter is a man in the NEXT life,
who realizes he screwed up
and has a conversation with Abraham
hoping to warn others.

I don't know if you can call this a parable.

A parable is usually a simple story
hiding a greater truth.
In this case I can't imagine this story having any other meaning,
than what he says it is:

Luk 16:22
And it happened that the beggar died
and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
The rich one also died and was buried.
Luk 16:23
And in hell he lifted up his eyes,
being in torments,
and saw Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24
And he cried and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus
so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue,
for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:25
But Abraham said,
Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things,
and likewise Lazarus evil things.
But now he is comforted and you are tormented.

Wasn't Abraham just a man?
Even if he was "the father of the Jewish people"
he was still a man. Right?

And aren't we all equal in the sight of God?
The state of my soul is between me and God, is it not?

So why is Lazarus in Abraham's bosom?

Why is the rich man appealing to Abraham instead of God?

Do different people have different "status" levels in the next life?

Now I am drawn back to verse 9 above....

Luk 16:9
And I say to you,
Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves,
so that when you fail,
they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.

Who exactly ARE these friends,
who will receive me into everlasting dwellings?

.

Luke 17

I've had this one on hold for quite awhile now.

I don't know if I've been waiting for something profound to say about it,
or if I've moved a little too far away from God
to where I'm not "in the mood" as often,
or what.
But even after a month I've nothing to write about.
(and I'm not gonna go find something someone else said to "fill in the blank".)
so,
nice weather?

Luk 17:5
And the apostles said to the Lord,
Give us more faith.
Luk 17:6
And the Lord said,
If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you might say to this sycamine tree,
Be rooted up and be planted in the sea!
And it would obey you.

hmmm...
Have there been a lot of sycamine trees planted in the sea since then?
Has anyone heard of ANY tree-moving going on since then?

I was tempted to say something about how we still got sycamine trees,
so maybe we just didn't get the message.
but now that I think about it,
I don't know where any sycamine trees are.
I've never heard of sycamine trees.

So maybe they all got re-planted by the faithful.

I don't think he was literally talking about trees or seas,
but
I don't think I've caught on to what he DID mean, either.

Could normal everyday people
have the same influence over the physical world that Jesus did?

-=-=-

The pope just died.

-=-=-

The world has a new one now.
(Benedict, is it?)

Anyway,
I can't help but think back to the time right before he died.
Weren't people praying all over the world?
Faithful people?

Even if only one out of a hundred Catholics was really praying,
And even if only one in a hundred of those
was really good at it.
and one out of those hundred
were in spiritual alignment,

That's still over a thousand super-prayers.

Did it make any difference?
What was the effect
of all that praying?

I don't really understand prayer.

Luk 17:27
They ate, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered into the ark;
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28
So also as it was in the days of Lot:
they ate, they drank,
they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
Luk 17:29
but the day Lot went out of Sodom,
it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven
and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30
Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

I eat,
I drink,
I'm married.
I buy, sell, plant, build.

If I'm understanding these verses;
straight-up from Jesus:
Just like the wipe-out in Noah's day,
and the wipe-out that Lot escaped,
we are gonna go through it again.

wipe-out.

I hope I'm already gone.
.

Luke 18

This chapter starts out with the widow
who hassles a judge day after day
until he finally relents just to get rid of her.

Luk 18:7
And shall not God avenge His own elect
who cry day and night to Him,
though He has been long-suffering over them?

I don't really understand this parable,
because to me if you are right with God
and your prayer fits the will and the way,
it should be granted upon first thought.

If not, it won't.

So I am uncomfortable about those who pray for the same thing
over
and over
and over again
and again
and again.

but I'm moving on...
to something that happened in my life:

Luk 18:17
Truly I say to you,
Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child
shall in no way enter into it.

At lunch one day, a co-worker said,
"I hope in the next life, you're not in it!"

He might have been teasing,
but the thought stuck with me...
In the next life we probably won't be together.

He believes that this life is all there is.
when you die your body becomes worm food,
and that's the end of it.

I believe that like a mother is a womb for an emerging body,
this physical body is a womb for an emerging spirit,
and that the end result might not be viable.

WHO IS RIGHT?

If he is right,
I will have lived my life trying to choose love over selfishness,
and I don't think there is a higher goal to strive for.
but we wont be together in the end.

If I am right,
God allows us to choose whether or not we will turn away,
and he honors the choice made by those who turned away.
For those, there will be no afterlife with God.
no viable spirit.
In that case (unless my co-worker changes),
we won't be together.

Either way,
won't be seein' ya...

Doesn't that sound harsh?

I guess it never really sunk in
until I heard that comment,
that the people around me
are part of a temporary arrangement.

kinda makes ya think, huh?

Luke 19

This has to be one of the most action-packed chapters so far;
There is a little bit of EVERYTHING in here!

Jesus did the unexpected in 1-10:
Zaccheus, a man despised by all, climbed a tree to see,

Luk 19:5
And when Jesus came to the place,
He looked up and saw him.
And He said to him,
Zaccheus! Hurry and come down,
for today I must stay at your house.

He told a parable in 11-27:
Luk 19:12

Therefore He said,
A certain nobleman went into a far country
to receive a kingdom for himself,
and to return.

He arranged to fulfill a prophecy in 28-34:

Luk 19:30
saying, Go into the village across from you,
and having entered, you will find a colt tied up,
on which no one of men has yet sat.
Untie it and bring it.

He entered Jerusalem in 35-38:

Luk 19:37
And when He had come near,
even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives,
all the multitude of the disciples began to rejoice
and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works which they had seen,

He gives us a New prophecy in 41-44:

Luk 19:43
For the days will come on you
that your enemies will raise up a rampart to you,
and will surround you,
and will keep you in on every side.

He reclaimed the temple in 45-48

Luk 19:45
And entering into the temple,
He began to cast out those selling and buying in it,

Ok, so its no real deal to make a list of verses
and call it a bible study...

It just seems like the ball has started rolling and things are happening fast now.
no more miracles,
no more healing,
but boy there sure is a lot of action.

What he seems to be showing me here
is that at the moment he is entering Jerusalem
he is at the peak of popularity.
He is being thrust into more and more situations
that he can't just fade back into the crowd
to reappear another day.

Seeing how he handles the attention
highlights in my mind,
one of the differences between us.
I would have tried to hold on to it.
I would have tried to maintain the popularity
so I could "reach more people"
and "do the most good"
But he seems unconcerned with that.
He's choosing to be with the most despised
and
announcing horribly depressing prophecies
and using phrases like

Luk 19:27
But those who are my enemies,
who did not desire that I should reign over them,
bring them here and slay them before me.

I guess what strikes me the most, though,
is the decision to go with Zaccheus.
Surely he town was filled with good people,
people who were following the right path.
Can't we assume that many of these worthy followers
would have loved to meet him?
spend a few minutes with him?
and yet
the second he rides into town,
he goes off with the guy who is "despised by all"?

Naw, I probably wouldn't have done that.
I probably would have chosen to stay with people centrally located
and had some reach into the community
people in a position to support my platform
for my all-important ministry work.

Yeah, Jesus surprises me the most
when I try to put myself in his circumstance
and imagine what I would have done.
.

Luke 20

OK, Jesus tells one more parable,
and it turns out to be the last straw
for the chief priest and scribes.

Luk 20:13
And the lord of the vineyard said,
What shall I do?
I will send my beloved son.
It may be that they will respect him
when they see him.
Luk 20:14
But when the vinedressers saw him,
they reasoned
among themselves,
saying, This is the heir!
Come, let us kill him so
that the inheritance may be ours.
Luk 20:15
So they threw him out of the
vineyard and killed him.
What then shall the lord of the vineyard
do to them?
Luk 20:16
He shall come and destroy these vinedressers
and shall give the vineyard to others.
And when they heard this, they said,
Let it not be!

and according to verse 19,
they sought to lay hands upon him that same hour.

Ya know, the obvious meaning to this story
is that the man who planted the vineyard is God,
and the vineyard is life on this earth.
and the vinedressers are the Jewish people.

And in a way I think He is saying that the Jews had it all;
They were on to the truth of one God
when almost everyone else was polytheistic,
and they had a long relationship with God,
a written history,
and covenants handed down.
The Jews were noticed by God,
and beheld truth.
they had it.

...but here it says they blew it!

What Happened?

Well, the same old thing!
The same thing I see happening in America today.
Not just losing sight of the founding principles.
Not just fading ideals.
Not just lack of education, not knowing any better.

No.
What I see
is choices being made.
Choosing Selfishness over Love.
Choosing Greed over Charity
Choosing Pride over Compassion
CHOOSING SHORT-TERM GAIN
OVER LONG-TERM HEALTH

And when we make those choices,
The spirit of it all evaporates.
And the inheritance passes to others
more deserving.

So what I first thought as
"Gee, I'm glad I'm not a Jew,
I'd hate to be lumped in with those losers"
has quickly turned into a big nasty arrow
pointed right back at me,
because I know I haven't been taking care of the vineyard either.
I don't see much fruit around here.

Now I'm slayed by the next verse I notice:

Luk 20:18
Whoever shall fall on that Stone shall be broken,
but on whomever it shall fall,
it will grind him to powder."

I KNOW I fall into the category of "Whoever",
so I guess I better go for broke.
(better than the grind)
.

Luke 21

Luk 21:1
And looking up, He saw the rich men
casting their gifts into the treasury.
Luk 21:2
And He also saw a certain poor widow
casting two lepta in there.
Luk 21:3
And He said, Truly I say to you
that this poor widow has cast in more than all of them

.

I don't know why this bothers me so much.
(probably because I don't give to the church)
but if I ignore that convicting fact for a moment
I can still spew my philosophical idealistic thoughts on the subject.
and that's really why I'm here, isn't it? (grin)

Why is it important
to point out that the widow gave more?
After all, the amount of good that can be done
by the larger contributions of the rich
is greater overall, isn't it?

If God has given a world that is abundant enough
to provide for each and every one of us,
then we can assume
that if some are in poverty
it is because others have taken too much.

In other words,
If people are suffering
The resources haven't been distributed properly
to meet everyone's basic needs.

I have the basic foundational belief
that the greed and selfishness of some,
causes the misery of others.

So I would applaud the willingness of the rich
when seeing them voluntarily giving their excess
so the church can help the widows and orphans
as I believe it should.

But by focusing on the amount,
by pointing out that she gave ALL
and others only gave SOME,
it seems to change the goodness of the gifts.

Was he saying ALL should give ALL?
That can't be it...

And why do we focus on the money so much anyway?
If the widows need blankets
and the orphans need clothes,
and I have an abundance of both,
Why can't I give the blankets and clothes directly?

These days it almost seeems to be a business,
to give cash to a "higher authority"
and let them decide how to use it.

If God allowed this abundance
to fall into my lap in the first place,
why wouldn't he also allow me to decide
where I can help someone with it?

and not just allow it,
but be pleased by it?
Isn't sharing and community what its all about?

So,
I guess I'm just a little sensitive
about being made to feel
like I gotta give cash
to some organization or another.

I want to be giving and generous
but I can barely keep up with my own debts.
Even though I have more "stuff" than I need,
when it comes to cold hard cash
I'm living in slavery to banks.

anyway,
I don't think collecting cash
is what the gospel is all about.

Of course I MUST admit,
that I don't do much of ANYTHING
to help ANYBODY.
I don't give blankets to widows.
I don't give clothes to orphans.

So Yeah, I feel guilty about that.
.