Category Archives: Bible Study

LUKE’S GOSPEL…REAL OR FAKE? -31

Bible Study, ,

“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭37‬-‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Heart attitude was everything to Jesus. What irked Him most about the Pharisees? Their “outer man” and their “inner man” didn’t match. They were fake! They looked genuine on the outside but rotten inside, like a rosy red apple on the outside with a worm at the core! 

Jesus used some explicit words to diagnose the heart “disease” of these religious men, words like “greed, wickedness, neglect”. They were schizophrenic…split between  a righteous exterior and a rotten interior. What was the real problem? They wanted the applause of people for their “righteousness” as well as fulfilling the evil desires of their hearts for money at the same time, without anyone knowing.  

Jesus called them “hypocrites”. 

“Appearing outwardly righteous to others, while actually being full of uncleanness and self-indulgence—that’s the definition of hypocrisy (Matt. 23:25-28).” (Source: Google – Jesus’ definition of a hypocrite)

Jesus narrowed down the source of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy to “greed and wickedness” and the solution to “be generous to the poor”.  Why did He make their attitude to money and the poor  the focal point of His  condemnation, and generosity to the poor the evidence of a clean heart? 

Time and again, Jesus exposed our attitude to money as the real object of our love…What or whom  do we serve?

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The entire ungodly world system is driven by money. Paul accurately diagnosed the root of wickedness…

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭10‬

Just as people are fake when they blame others for their sin, so also they are phoney when they claim to love God but really serve money. Why, then, according to Jesus, is being generous to the poor a sign of a “clean” heart?

Loving money and being generous are opposite and conflicting attitudes. Generosity is an attribute of God. Only when His grace intervenes to change our hearts from greed to generosity can we be real by showing whom we really serve. 

The Pharisees were fake because they developed a facade of righteousness by their actions that disguised their greedy and wicked hearts. Their fastidiousness about obeying the law covered up the wicked thoughts and attitudes of their hearts. Inside, they loved money and used it to serve themselves. 

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Believers are just as vulnerable to this trap as are unbelievers. We can only be genuine, not fake, if what we think and what we do match.   

Again, let’s pray, like David…

“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To b continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WINDOW OF THE SOUL – 30b

Bible Study, ,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!…”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭23 NIV‬‬

Jesus said, according to Luke, that people are full of darkness when they judge others for their sin but fail to see how sinful they are. Just like Jonah…who hated the Ninevites for their wickedness but forgot about God’s mercy…

However, in Matthew’s gospel, he included Jesus’ teaching about the eye of light in His “Sermon on the Mount” discourse. 

According to Matthew, Jesus said that the way we view our money will reveal whom we really love. If we see our money as a servant, we will love God and use money to serve Him. If we love money, we will use God to serve money. 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, Matthew’s version of Jesus’ judgment on the Pharisees’ attitude to money was…they used their “generosity” to parade their righteousness. 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus said, ”Use your money to show that you love God.” 

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Both of these examples help us understand how vital it is to evaluate what is important to us in life through the lens of truth.  Luke says that we can judge others by our own standard of righteousness, seeing ourselves as not guilty and better than others. Matthew says that we can see our money as our master and serve it by being hoarding it or we can serve God by using money to serve others. 

There is a way to keep our wealth safe by storing it in the “bank of heaven” where it cannot erode or be corrupted…that is, by using it to serve others. This may seem foolish and contradictory. How can we grow our wealth giving it away? 

As always, life in God’s kingdom involves a partnership with God in faith and obedience. We need faith, to accept that what God says is true and obedience to act on it even if it seems foolish. God’s ways are not our ways. His economic system is based on His own character of generosity… “righteousness” in Hebrew…doing the right thing in every situation. 

So, even King David could say…

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously…I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭21‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

With a perspective that sees need rather than greed, the eyes of the heart can see farther, wider, and deeper…and can share God’s heart for those who suffer regardless of who they are. The system of God’s kingdom is simple…if you meet a need when you have a need, God’s provision flows to you to fill the gap. It’s called “currency”. 

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭

To b continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WINDOW OF THE SOUL – 30a

Bible Study, ,

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭33‬-‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In essence, the phrase teaches that your perspective and what you cherish profoundly shape your inner reality and actions, influencing whether you live in clarity and goodness or in spiritual blindness and negativity.”

(Source: Google AI)

Why did Jesus inject this life lesson, in this context, between His rebuke of the people’s insistence on a sign and His rebuke of the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy? 

It seems that both the ordinary people and their religious leaders were so prejudiced against Jesus that they had developed a warped perspective of who He was. Their interpretation of what He said and did was based on their own expectations instead of the real evidence of who He was. They demanded signs instead of recognising and believing truth. The Pharisees even attributed Jesus’ power to drive out demons to the devil! 

Why were they demanding a sign when Jesus’ “works” confirmed who He was and that what He taught them was the truth from the Father?

What were they “seeing” that so badly warped their perspective? Why were they so suspicious of Him that they would rather silence Him forever than heed what He said? Perhaps the way we understand or misunderstand ourselves and other people might give us a clue. 

Here is what the Bible teaches….

The sin of the first pair and their response to God’s questions in the Garden of Eden shows us one of the real human problems. They played “the blame game”. Adam refused to take responsibility for his disobedience so he blamed Eve for giving him the forbidden fruit. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. 

The way we see things is the beginning of the great deception. When we are caught in our sin, we play the victim instead of the perpetrator. Our vision of our responsibility becomes so out of focus that we view all our wrongdoing as someone else’s fault. 

Jesus was never afraid to speak the truth, however much He offended people, not because He enjoyed offending but because He knew that people would never be free until they faced up to their own guilt. To quote Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Redding, USA, “Jesus offended the mind to expose the heart.”

The heart’s condition is revealed when it is closed to truth. When we blame others for our sinful behaviour and responses, when we refuse to accept guilt and take responsibility for our own sin, we deceive ourselves. Our view of ourselves and others becomes warped and out of focus. Our minds are darkened. We cannot receive and believe the truth. We would rather cancel the truth-teller that respond to what they say. 

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth…If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬, ‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus loved to associate with “cancelled” people because they at least knew their real condition. For example, when a “sinful” woman gatecrashed a dinner party at a Pharisee’s house to seek forgiveness from Jesus for her sordid life….

“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them…”

…Jesus’ response showed both His compassion for the woman and His disdain for His host. He affirmed the woman’s honest and repentant heart in contrast to Simon, both His host’s arrogant and hypocritical attitude towards the woman and his lack of common courtesy towards Jesus. 

“When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Simon condemned the woman for her sinful life without a thought for his own hypocrisy. He revealed his arrogance by withholding from Jesus the common courtesies of a host. Jesus commended the woman for her repentance and her love and rebuked Simon for his neglect. 

…”Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭36‬-‭38‬, ‭47‬-‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I submit to you, dear reader, that we “see” everything around us and evaluate everything that happens to us through the lens of self-evaluation. If we see ourselves as God sees us, guilty but forgiven, we will view others with understanding and compassion because we stand on level ground with them before God. If we view ourselves as above others, as did this Pharisee, our hearts will be deluded and dark. 

It’s not about how good or bad we are as compared with others. It’s about how guilty we are before God and how much we need His mercy as others do. When we get this right, we will have clear vision to perceive who we and others really are before God. 

When we think about it, blaming others often leads to something worse…retaliation! This leads to an ever-increasing cycle of one-upmanship…and this cycle of sin never ceases. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE SIGN OF JONAH – 29c

Bible Study, ,

“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation…The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬-‭30‬, ‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We cannot leave Jonah without examining some of the lessons he might have learned through this harrowing experience. What did he reflect on when he was back home in his safe space? Had he known what he had learned from his encounter with God, would he have thought and done things differently? 

One thing is clear. Despite being a prophet of God, Jonah did not share God’s attitude towards ungodly unbelievers. Whatever God thought about the Assyrians, the Jews hated them because they were vicious, cruel, ruthless, and powerful. However, the fact that he, Jonah, was to preach judgment against them was no comfort to him because he also knew that God was merciful. What if they repented and God forgave them?

With this thought in the back of his mind, Jonah had tried to escape God’s command but failed. His worst fears were confirmed when, after preaching judgment, the whole city of Nineveh repented even when he thundered against them. 

“Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

‭‭Jonah‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jonah was angry and rebellious. Why did he not share God’s compassion for a city under judgment? Jonah viewed the Assyrians, not as people to be pitied because they had no idea what judgment meant, but as a threat to his own people’s existence. In other words, his view of the Assyrians was “enemy” to be exterminated, not sinners under judgment to be pitied. 

God’s view, by contrast, was “people”, created in His image, who needed to be rescued because they were precious to Him. God’s plan was, from the beginning, to have a human family, created in His image, with whom He could have fellowship and share His love. The fact that humans changed sides and rebelled against God did not change His plan. He revealed the extent of His love by sending His own Son to take the judgment intended for humans. He judged them, not by what they had done but by what they had done because they had refused to believe and obey Him. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God does not love to judge. He yearns to save.  Through Ezekiel, He spoke to His own people…

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s mercy overrides judgment when people repent and turn to Him, but He also comes down hard on those who, having received His mercy, refuse to treat others with mercy. 

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The end of Jonah’s story is telling. God used an object lesson to confront Jonah with his terrible attitude…Jonah was angry because a worm destroyed his shelter and because caged forgave the Ninevites.  He judged people by what they did, not by who they were, people created in God’s image regardless of what they did. 

“But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?””

‭‭Jonah‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did Jonah learn the lesson? We don’t know. 

So, God reached out to the worst of sinners then, and He still does…He wants us, His children, to do the same.  We are to treat others as He has treated us. This is the crux of real faith in Jesus…hearts so full of gratitude for God’s mercy that we, in turn, reach out in mercy towards others. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE SIGN OF JONAH – 29b

Bible Study, ,

“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah…

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭29, 32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why did Jesus classify His hearers as a “wicked generation”? What had they done to deserve this judgment? 

Represented by their religious leaders, they were wicked, not because of sin but because they refused to believe what Jesus taught them. Instead, they kept demanding a sign. Despite His obvious authority to interpret Torah as it was meant to be understood, despite the miracles He did to confirm what He taught, that is, the nature and presence God’s reign among them, they still kept refusing to believe Him without signs. 

What was the real issue? When we stand back and examine the clash between the religious leaders and their followers, and Jesus, what was it all about? 

Jesus came from heaven for several reasons, among which was to reveal the true nature of the Father, that is, the greatness of His love. He did this by what He taught and by what He did, and especially by His attitude and treatment of the people the Pharisees despised…the outcasts.  

The religious leaders were sticklers for the letter of the Law, but their “ holiness” was fake. They came down hard on those who didn’t believe and do what they did. They were an exclusive club that rejected everyone who was not on their side. Their “holiness” was for show. 

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach…Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was ruthless in His condemnation of the ones who should have been examples to the people. 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The religious leaders clashed with Jesus because they refused to  believe Him because they refused to accept His authority. They kept demanding a sign instead of believing His word. Hence, the sign of Jonah…the story of a man who came back from inside “a great fish” to preach to sinners. The sinners believed his message, repented, and received God’s mercy… but the Pharisees and their followers did not! How much greater will be the judgment on those who refuse to believe the preaching of the Son of God than on those who believed words of the prophet. 

“The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…