Category Archives: Bible Study
LUKE’S GOSPEL…A LINE IN THE SAND -34a
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49-53 NIV
Jesus’ statement must have shocked His disciples. What did He mean? His announcement, His explanations and parables of the kingdom were unlocking both a new understanding and a new era for them although the realities of the kingdom would only become clear after Pentecost.
However, now, He was talking about fire and division… and a division so drastic that it would tear families apart. Yes, Jesus spoke about peace, about reconciliation, about the power of unity…about life in God’s kingdom so different from anything they had ever known on earth that they could only enter and experience this life through a spiritual “new birth”, but…
Peace! Fire and division? How did these two opposing realities fit together?
Jesus was talking about a line in the sand. On one side of the line was God’s kingdom and what life under God’s rule would be like. All sin, wickedness, and evil would be eliminated, burned up by the power of Jesus’ word. Hearts and lives would be transformed by His grace to live in harmony with Him and His standards and with each other in a realm governed by Jesus Himself.
The Father appointed and anointed His Son to be the king who rules over this realm forever, a rule that encompasses the whole earth and all people…where righteousness, justice, and peace are the standards.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
However, God’s kingdom has not been established on earth without a serious challenge. On the other side of the line in the sand are the earthly kings who have rebelled against His righteous rule. To them, God declares…
“He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”
Psalms 2:5-8 NIV
With the Son firmly installed on the throne, a position earned by a life of perfect obedience even to death…
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
…Jesus has all authority, as the Word of God, to reset the universe and the earth itself to its original condition of perfection and functionality. Heaven and earth will become one, and this will be the realm where redeemed humans will live forever in the presence of God.
In the final purification of the earth, all who resist Jesus’ rule will come under His judgment. With the same power of His word through which H created the universe…
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
Psalms 33:6 NIV
…through which He upholds all of creation…
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…”
Hebrews 1:3a NIV
…and through which He will cleanse and purify creation…
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
Jeremiah 23:29 NIV
…He will destroy all evil end evil doers…
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
Luke 12:49 NIV
“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
2 Peter 3:7 NIV
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”
2 Peter 3:10 NIV
Peter uses the Greek word, “stoicheia” to tell us what will be burned up…
…the same word Paul uses to explain what the “elements” or principles are that drive the ungodly world system.
“Elements” in this context are not natural or physical but basic principles by which the ungodly world functions, essentially “ superstition”.
“The “elementary principles of the world” (ta stoicheia tou kosmou), as used in Galatians 4:3 and Colossians 2:8, refers to the basic, rudimentry, or “fleshly” principles of human philosophy, religious legalism, and worldly wisdom that existed before Christ. It signifies a state of spiritual bondage to self-justification, pagan traditions, or elemental, worldly forces.” (Source: Google AI)
“The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”
Galatians 4:2-4 NIV
Unfortunately, the principles that govern the lives of people are the ways people live by what they believe, represented by the two kingdoms…the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
So, people are separated, by what they believe and do into the two sides of the line in the sand. This line cuts through families as well as groups, causing division so serious that some kill for what they believe. This division is inevitable since it is the expression of the enmity between God and His adversary, the devil.
The question we must answer is, “On which side of the line am I?”God’s side means eternal life. The other side means…fire!
To be continued…
LUKE’S GOSPEL…BE FAITHFUL – 33
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak…You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Luke 12:35-38, 40 NIV
Jesus often taught his disciples to be ready for His return. What did He mean by “be ready”?
Some people think that to be ready means to prepare for a siege…clothes packed, provisions gathered, in a safe place somewhere in the mountains!
When we read Jesus’ story, being ready is not about being equipped to face what might happen. It’s about getting on with the job at hand. “Faithfulness” is the operative word. His coming, whenever it happens, must interrupt us while we are busy doing our duties. We are not to sit down and wait for His coming. We are to carry on with the work He has given to do, that is, taking care of His household, whatever form that may take.
Jesus honours faithfulness. He often spoke of faithfulness as being what pleases God. The Greek word “pistis” and its Hebrew counterpart, “emunah”, can mean fidelity, steadfastness, reliability, and in the context of Hebrews 11…illustrating verse 1…
“Now faith(fulness) is (evidence of the) confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
…faithfulness under pressure was what commended the ancients.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:12-13 NIV
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
Hebrews 10:36-38 NIV
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
Faith can either mean adherence to a creed or constancy in relation to the truth of the creed. When we believe what God says and live faithfully by what He says no matter what pressures our faithfulness encounters, God is pleased and rewards our faithfulness.
Consider Jesus’ parable about the talents.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey… “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
Matthew 25:14-15, 19-21 NIV
It was not the amount of money the first two servants gained that the master applauded. It was their faithfulness to use what he had entrusted to them to gain more.
When we are faithfully doing whatever Jesus has given us to do in taking care of His household, it does not matter what time of the day or night He returns. We will be ready to receive Him and joyfully to hand over to Him what we have done.
Serving God’s people takes many forms. Jesus assigns us tasks in keeping with the gifts and talents He has given us. No task is greater or more important than another because, together, we form the team that fulfils the task. If one person fails, some needs remain unmet. How important, then, that each member of the family does and sticks faithfully to his/her own task.
“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.”
Luke 12:42-43 NIV
When Jesus returns, will He find you, me, ready to give an account because we have been hard at work to ensure that our part of the task He has assigned us is done faithfully?
To be continued…
LUKE’S GOSPEL…TYE WAY OF THE KINGDOM – 32a
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.”
Luke 11:1-3 NIV
We have been examining the purpose of our needs in the context of prayer and God’s way of doing things. God’s economic system is to create a current by giving to those in need so that God, in turn, meets our needs.
This leads me to another important consideration. If this is God’s way of meeting our needs, why did Jesus teach His disciples to pray…
“Give us each day our daily bread.”
Was He contradicting Himself? Not if we understand a little bit about the Hebrew mind.
At the mention of “daily bread”, a Hebrew-thinking person would have associated daily bread with the manna God provided daily in the wilderness. All the details of their ancestors’ deliverance from Egypt would have been a part of their thinking and remembering.
Let’s go, for a moment, to the aftermath of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand recorded in John’s gospel.
“The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
John 6:22, 24-31 NIV
As usual, the people bypassed faith in Jesus by demanding a sign. The sign Jesus gave them was exactly what had happened and what they had seen the previous day. He had given them bread to eat by the miracle of multiplying five small barley buns.
“Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:32-35 NIV
Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ prayer…”give us today our daily bread.” Just as the Father provided daily manna in the wilderness, so Jesus is the bread from heaven whom we must “eat” daily to nourish our souls. Jesus went on to make this shocking statement…
“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
John 6:49-51 NIV
What was Jesus saying? Using the symbolism of eating bread, He said that we must “eat” His flesh, that is, take in the reality and meaning of His body given for us so that, through His death, we may have eternal life.
So, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was not contradicting Himself. He was pointing to our need to feed daily on what He has done for us through His death. We must ask the Father to feed us on His Word…Jesus, who is the Bread of Life…so that we can live and grow in this eternal life He has given us through His Son and in the life of the kingdom over which He is King and Lord.
If it not necessary for us to ask God to meet our needs, for what must we ask when we have needs?
“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 12:31 NIV
Why not ask the Father to give us a generous heart like the heart of Jesus? When we give freely to another in need, we create a space for God’s generosity to flow to us.
To be continued…
LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE WAY OF THE KINGDOM – 32a
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? …But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 12:22-26, 31 NIV
I have skipped over much of Jesus’ teaching about money because, first, He summed up our attitude by explaining that we will serve what we love…God or money. Second, our use or misuse of money shows us where our priorities lie. We store our wealth in banks to serve ourselves in place of storing it in heaven to serve others.
Our attitude to money also influences our prayers. We so often lose track of real issues in our praying because our lack, that is, our needs, preoccupy us. Jesus commented that when we do this, we think like pagans. They are bent on chasing money to satisfy both need and greed. However, as God’s children, He has pledged to take care of our needs. If God cares about birds and flowers, what about us?
So, how do we factor our daily needs in our real world into our lives as citizens of God’s unseen realm?
Our first consideration is…how seriously do we take Jesus’ words? Did He really mean that God is concerned about what we eat, drink, and wear?
Second, if we mustn’t focus our prayers on our needs, how do we get our everyday needs met? Jesus’ prescription is simple…change your focus. If God is always about His kingdom…His rule in the hearts of His people, this includes His economic system, the way to use our money…then so must we.
“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 12:29-31 NIV
God’s economic system is so radically different from the world’s that we struggle to believe that it’s true. The world’s way is to gather and hoard. God’s way is to give and receive so that the resources keep circulating according to need. This way of handling our money demands radical confidence in the faithfulness of God.
God’s way of doing things is based on generosity. Jesus said…
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 NIV
So, in God’s realm, when we do money His way, He takes care of our needs when we take care of the needs of others. When we follow Jesus’ instructions, He catapults us into a way of life…freedom from worry…that we could never dream possible.
Our needs, therefore, are not intended as a roadblock, to sidetrack us in our prayer lives, but as a stepping stone to trigger a greater understanding and experience of how God’s kingdom works. When we take care of the needs of others, and God, in response, takes care of ours, what better way to love the Lord Jesus than by loving His people!
To be continued…