Jan Young
www.jansbiblenotes.com
LUKELuke is the longest book in the New Testament. Each of the four Gospels is written to a different audience, so has a different slant and purpose. Matthew was written to the Jews, with many references to Old Testament passages and prophecies, presenting Jesus as King of the Jews. Mark was written to the Roman--the man of action; it is short and to the point, often using the word "immediately," presenting Jesus as the servant who came to give His life as a ransom for all. John was written years later, primarily to to believers, documenting that Jesus was God in the flesh. Luke is written to the Greeks, the intellectuals. They value the perfect man, the thinking man, so we will see Luke present Jesus as the man the Greeks were looking for. Luke himself was a Greek--the only Gentile writer of Scripture. Some consider it the most beautiful literary Greek found in any ancient writing.
Luke was not one of the twelve disciples. He was a doctor, a historian, and also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, or Acts. He uses many medical terms. He seems to write from Mary's point of view and may have got his information from her; he has the longest and most detailed account of Jesus's birth. He gives eighteen parables not found in the other three Gospels; parables appeal to the thinking man. He emphasizes forgiveness, a personal response to Jesus, personal salvation rather than God's dealing with Israel.
CHAPTER 1
1-4 What is Luke's stated purpose? Might there have been more accounts written ("many") than the four Gospels preserved in the Bible? We get the flavor of Luke's intellectual approach. Who is he addressing? Theophilus was possibly a high official ("most excellent") who may have circulated this to other Greeks. The name means "lover of God" so it also could mean it is addressed to all who truly love God. Acts is also addressed to Theophilus. 3, "investigated" is a medical term meaning to do an autopsy. "Carefully," "in consecutive order"--Luke is the careful historian; the implication is that the other Gospels may not record events in the exact order they happened. 4, what is important to Luke?
5-7 Who do we meet? What tribe were they both from? 6, how are they described? This is Old Testament language; at this point, Israel is still under the Law, and will be until Jesus pays the penalty for sin. Under the Law, those of faith in the true God were required to keep the Law of Moses and walk in righteousness, offering sacrifices when they fell short. But when the age of Law ends and the age of grace begins, this requirement will be done away with, because Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf since we could not. In all dispensations, men are saved by faith, but in each, God dispenses His grace with different conditions. The church, which comes into being in Acts 2, is given Christ's righteousness as a free gift, which Paul will explain in the Epistles, especially Romans. 7, what was the problem they had? Why was this considered a problem in their day?
8-12 One day something unusual happened. What is his reaction to seeing an angel?
13-17 What petition? 15, this filling is different than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that happened at Pentecost. 16-17, although Jesus is not mentioned by name, what does it say about Him here? (the Lord their God, Him) 17, this sheds light on Mat. 17:10-13; he is not literally Elijah himself. See II Kings 2 notes on Elijah.
18-23 Who is this angel? Only two angels are identified by name; who is the other one? Michael is mentioned in Daniel, Jude and Revelation, and is identified as the archangel. Gabriel is mentioned here and in Daniel. Might we assume these are the two most important powerful angels? 19, do angels operate on their own? 20, what happened to Zacharias? Why? 20, all prophecies will be fulfilled when? Why wasn't Gideon punished for his doubt? Jud. 6:11-23. What is the difference in the attitudes of these two men? So we see that God considers what?
24-25 What disgrace?
26-29 Now we have Marys story. Why does it matter who Joseph was descended from? The angel's statement, "Blessed art thou among women" (28, KJV) does not say she was sinless or more than human, nor is she elevated above other women, merely among women. "Blessed" simply means favored, happy. Many in the Bible are said to be blessed, such as those mentioned in the Beatitudes (Mat. 5:3-9), those who follow the teachings of Jesus (John 13:17), or those who find wisdom (Prov. 3:13). The Rosary begins, "Hail, Mary, full of grace"--what does "full of" mean? Does "full" mean "partly"? What does "full of" mean? Is this found anywhere in the Bible? The Bible does not teach that Mary was sinless--without original sin. John 1:14, Jesus, on the other hand, was what? He was fully God, Col. 1:19, and fully man, John 1:14, I Tim. 2:5, Phil. 2:7. What is grace? God's favor. Is anyone full of grace? Nowhere in the Bible is anyone else said to be full of grace--only Jesus. The Bible is the authority for correct doctrine, not tradition, church teaching, later books or supposed revelation, on this matter or any other.
30-33 The angel's message. How do you think she found favor with God? Did he make it clear that Jesus would be the Messiah? Do you suppose Mary wondered about these words over the next years, both in the thirty years before Jesus began His public ministry, and the three years recorded for us in the Gospels? Did the Old Testament say that the Messiah would be God Himself? Mic. 5:2, Mal. 3:1, Isa. 7:14, 9:6, Psa. 110:1.
34-38 What is different about her question than Zacharias's? The Jews understood the term "Son of God" to mean divine, even if that is not clear to us. Here we have the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ--that He is God AND man. Can you be a Christian if you do not believe in the virgin birth--that Jesus is God? 36, Elizabeth was a relative (NASB), perhaps cousin (KJV); family terms could be broad. What tribe was Elizabeth, 5? Jesus is of what tribe, 27? What tribe was David? So how could Elizabeth be a relative of Mary? The tribal line was passed down through the man; perhaps Mary's father (of the line of Judah) married a woman (Mary's mother) of the tribe of Levi.
Does 37 mean God will do anything we ask? How should this verse affect us? What do you think of Mary's response? What can we learn? Is it another way of saying what Jesus teaches us to pray in Mat. 6:10? What reasons might she have to react differently? She could be stoned under the Law of Moses. Joseph would know the child is not his; how would she explain, would he believe her, what will people say (John 8:41)?
39-45 Mary immediately goes to Elizabeth; I wonder why. I wonder about Joseph and her parents. Elizabeth knows. These are two godly women, who know Scripture and love and trust the Lord.
46-55 What Mary has to say about it all; compare I Sam. 2:1-10. 47, is Mary sinless, like Christ, as the Catholics believe? She, like everyone else, needs a what? Why? Because she is a what? 54-55, how does she see her Son fitting into God's plan? She knows the Abrahamic Covenant, Gen. 12:1-3.
56-64 Mary returns home, three months pregnant. John is born. Why on the eighth day? The Law's requirement, Lev. 12:3. Names ran in families. What brought an end to Z's punishment?
65-66 Word gets around. Just like in our community, so be careful how you live. Your life is a testimony whether you mean it to be or not.
67-80 He talks about two kinds of salvation. Old Testament: deliverance, victory, health, welfare. New Testament: deliver, health, save. The Jews understood salvation as saving from their nation's earthly enemies; now it means an eternal saving from sin, death, and hell, 77. 72-73, what covenant, what oath? He also knew Gen. 12:1-3. 76, he knew his child was the forerunner, the fulfillment of prophecy, and that the one his child would point others to was also the fulfillment of prophecy--the promised Messiah, God in the flesh. 80, John lived an isolated life.
CHAPTER 2
1-7 The Christmas story. Joseph's story is in Mat. 1:18-25; Luke tells Mary's story. 1-2, the historical setting. The inhabited world at that time was the Roman Empire. What month or day was Jesus born? If this was a date we were to celebrate, wouldn't God give us the date and directions how to celebrate it, as He did to the Jews regarding the special days they were to observe? Do we have a record of the early church celebrating the birthday of Jesus? This momentous historical event took place quietly, simply, in a common way.
The distance was over 70 miles. Did Mary ride a donkey? We don't know; most people walked. We see flannelgraphs and postcards of Mary looking serene and peaceful. Do you think this was how she had things planned? How do you think she reacted when she found out about the trip? Based on her responses in Luke 1, it is possible she submissively attributed everything to the Lord's good timing, or, perhaps she struggled with her own will and thoughts and desires. I wonder how Joseph as a husband-to-be and a father-to-be handled these events; we know from Mat. 1 that he believed and was obedient. We wonder if they saw the trip as fulfilling Mic. 5:2-4?
8-18 The shepherds' story. Many commentators believe this would have likely happened in the fall, not December, because shepherds would not have their flocks out in the fields in winter; in 324, the pagan solstice celebration on Dec. 25 was "Christianized" as Christmas Day by the Catholic Roman Emperor. 9, this was AN angel of the Lord, not THE angel of the Lord that the Old Testament identifies as the Lord Himself. What is often the reaction to seeing an angel? The word is "terrified." Which is why angels often start by saying what, 10? What is the city of David, 11? NIV: "Peace to men on whom His favor rests." NASB: "Peace among men with whom He is pleased." 9 and 13, were the angels up in the air, in the heavens? Heavenly host is another term for angels, the hosts (armies) of heaven. Did they sing or speak? Why do you suppose God had this take place out away from the town? 16, where did the shepherds find Jesus? Where is a manger? The stable may have been in a cave. If Joseph's family was in Bethlehem (3-4), why might they be looking to stay in the inn and not with family? Where did the wise men find Jesus, Mat. 2:11? Did the shepherds find a baby or a child? What about the wise men? What does this tell us?
19-20 What was Mary's reaction to their visit? What was the shepherd's response? God specially chose certain men, certain shepherds, to give this information to, yet they are not even identified by name (nor are the magi that come later).
21-24 What things had to be done? What do these verses tell us about Mary and Joseph? Lev. 12:6-8.
25-28 What happened when they went to the temple? Did he have the indwelling Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit was upon him, as we see throughout the Old Testament; He did not indwell believers until Acts 2. Jesus confirms this in John 14:17.
29-32 How can you see salvation? Salvation is a person! Simeon knew that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. Was salvation originally only for Israel? His quote from Isa. 49:6 is important to Luke's Greek audience. (Matthew presented Jesus as the Messiah of Israel.)
33-35 A prophecy about the child. After the amazing visit of the shepherds, how do you suppose Mary and Joseph feel now? Mat. 21:44, I Cor. 1:23. 35, it's about our what, not our what?
36-38 Anna also knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and told others. God revealed the truth to some, to ones who believed, who knew and understood Scripture.
39-40 What important doctrinal word is used here for the first time in the New Testament? Who is it used of? More is said about this in John 1:14,16,17. These four verses are the only mentions of grace in the Gospels, but we will see that grace will become an important topic in the New Testament. Are we given many details about the childhood of Jesus? Why do you suppose?
41-52 We are given one incident. What are some important things we learn from this story? About Jesus, his parents, their family life? Did Jesus do wrong by staying and not informing his parents? Obviously not, He was sinless. What does 50 tell us about his parents?
Luke leaves out some of what Matthew tells, and tells some other things. He is presenting to the Greeks an account of the Perfect Man that they are seeking.
CHAPTER 3
1-3 Luke gives accurate historical details. He is a historian besides a doctor; we see the same thing in Acts. 2, who is the subject now? The child spoken of in 1:13. Matthew describes his appearance, but Luke doesn't.
What does repent mean? A change of mind about sin. Why--wouldn't all Jews enter the kingdom? They thought so; John said no. The Old Testament often said to repent of wicked ways, but now this new message is to repent for what? Baptism was commonly done at that time to publicly identify with a particular rabbi and his teachings. John's baptism was to point to one who was coming who would offer what, 3?
4-6 Not only was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, but so was His forerunner--John. He quotes from a prophecy in Isaiah; did these things happen when Jesus came? When will they happen? At His second coming. The Old Testament did not clarify that there would be a first and second coming. At this point, John, and Israel, probably thought that the glorious events of the second coming were about to happen now, with the Messiah about to appear. 6, He would not only bring salvation, but to see Him was to see God's salvation; salvation = Jesus.
7-9 Harsh words of preaching, similar to the Old Testament prophets; John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. Is being in the line of Abraham enough to get them into the kingdom? Does God want words of repentance or fruit? Baptism was not a ritual to give salvation. Matthew says the Pharisees came; Luke doesnt identify that group--his readers, the Greeks, wouldn't be as interested in that fact. Rev. 6:16-17 speaks of the wrath to come; the Old Testament speaks of the day of wrath, the day of the Lord, the tribulation. This time period is the seven years right before the second coming and the start of the kingdom.
10-14 What do these questions reveal? Did some seem to accept John's message? He gives specific examples of what "fruits in keeping with repentance" might look like. Soldiers were surely Romans; even though John's message was to Jews looking for the Messiah, soldiers were everywhere--Luke's Gentile audience would be interested in this tidbit (Matthew, writing to the Jews, does not record it).
15-17 Does John claim importance because of his special role? What quality do we see in him? How does he introduce Jesus? "The Christ" is another term for "the Messiah." He contrasts his baptism with a different baptism when Christ comes; this prophecy is fulfilled in Acts 2. Does he speak of a gentle Messiah? Judgment is coming. Before the kingdom can begin, there must first be a separating of the wheat and the chaff, Mat. 13:40-43, 49-50. Unbelievers will be removed for judgment; not all will enter the kingdom. Winnowing, threshing, wheat, chaff are terms related to harvest; harvest speaks of judgment. Many think Jesus stressed "love each other" but much of what He says deals with harsher topics. "Unquenchable fire" obviously speaks of hellfire for those who do not repent.
18-20 Preaching the gospel meant calling out sin; like the Old Testament prophets, John confronted the sinful ruler. What resulted? Obviously this is not the gospel (good news) that Paul speaks of in I Cor. 15--what we think of when we speak of the gospel--because those things had not yet happened. Jesus had come to preach to Israel the gospel (good news) of the kingdom, of the king, of the Messiah having come.
21-23 This obviously took place before John's imprisonment. Those who repented and believed his message that the Christ was coming showed their belief by being baptized by him (hence his name John the Baptist--the Baptizer). Jesus (his cousin) also comes to be baptized; why? To publicly identify Himself with the message John has been preaching. So far we have seen Jesus' birth and childhood; now as His public ministry begins, He is how old? Jesus is identifying Himself with sinners, drawing attention to the need for righteousness, which would characterize the kingdom He was announcing. What is important about His baptism? How do we see the Trinity here? This is a key verse showing the Trinity--one God in three persons. Apparently everyone saw and heard. Apparently the Holy Spirit descending on Him at this point signals that before His public ministry, He was not yet operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. The voice is clearly the voice of God.
23-38 What important facts do we find here about Jesus? "As was supposed" makes it clear that Joseph is not the literal father of Jesus. Is this genealogy the same as Matthew gives? Why? Their lines are the same until David; Joseph (whose line gave Jesus the legal right to the throne) and Mary (the physical line) are from two different sons. The New Testament teaches that Genesis is an accurate account of creation. Adam did not evolve from anything. (Some, like Hugh Ross, claim there were pre-humans as well as long ages, and that God later breathed the breath of life into Adam and he became the first human.) If you have read the Old Testament, you should notice some familiar names in 31-38.
CHAPTER 4
1-2 The implication is that Jesus was not full of the Holy Spirit before His baptism but now is. The Bible presents Satan as a real person, with real power; many do not believe that. Some who teach that fasting is for the church today point to this and say we should fast because Jesus fasted; why did He fast? Many claim fasting is a way to get closer to God, to have prayer answered; do we see that here? Apparently He fasted in order to be in a weakened state when He was tempted. Many who fast today fast from certain foods, but fasting is eating nothing. No one today fasts 40 days, nor does the Bible teach us to do so because Jesus did. Context is important.
3-4 What word does Satan begin with? All three start this way. What does he question--if what? What had happened right before this wilderness experience that Satan was questioning? What was Satan's first question to man, Gen. 3:1? Why would this be tempting to Jesus? If He had been eating, not fasting, would this even be a temptation? This is why He had fasted, to present Himself in a weakened human state. Satan appealed to His fleshly desires; does he use that tactic with us also? He tempts Jesus to use His miraculous powers for His own benefit. How are we to respond to temptation? What is the only weapon listed in our armor, Eph. 6:10-17?
5-8 Did Jesus scorn him, saying it wasn't his to give? John 12:31, II Cor.4:4, I John 5:19. God is sovereign over everything, but has temporarily given Satan limited power. This gives us a big clue about what is really going on in this world behind the scenes. Certain people have great power because they have been given it by Satan, in exchange for what? We see that Satan desires men to worship Him; this will play out fully in the seven years tribulation when the Beast, the Antichrist, gets the world to worship the dragon, Satan. What does worship mean? Singing songs and feeling warm and fuzzy about God? What other word does Jesus use to clarify what worship means? To serve. Why would this offer have been tempting to Jesus? God had promised Him worldwide power in the prophesied kingdom, but first Jesus had to be crucified. If He accepted, He wouldn't have to go through everything that was ahead of Him to receive His kingdom. How are we to respond to temptation?
9-13 What does Satan again question? Satan now uses Scripture, out of context, leaving something out. Does he use that tactic to tempt us also? What is the point of this temptation? Jesus could easily prove in a very spectacular way that He IS God and not have to go through the crucifixion, death and resurrection. Why would Jesus choose to go with God's plan? That was the whole reason He came, to pay for sin on the cross and bring salvation to all, then rising from the dead to prove He is God. The Bible says to not to tempt God--to put Him to a test, to try to get Him to do something to prove to us that He is God. How are we to respond to temptation? 13, we should never let our guard down because Satan is always looking for an opportune time to tempt us.
14-17 Jesus proved that Satan did not have the power to make Him sin; what power DID He have? Where does this next incident take place? 16, where does this take place? This is where Jesus is from. Does 16 teach that we should go to church on the Sabbath--the seventh day of the week (Saturday)? All Scripture must be read in context--of the rest of the book, of that Testament, of the whole Bible. We will see that Jesus does not keep the Sabbath and that the early church met on the first day of the week, to honor the resurrection. Jesus does set an example of meeting with other worshippers of God, for the public reading of Scripture.
18-21 What does He claim in 21? Because of that, it seems He would have emphasized the words "me." Is that why they all stared at Him? He read from Isa. 61:1-2, where Isaiah tells how the Messiah can be recognized--He is the one who will do these things. Why did He stop reading in the middle of 2? This passage speaks of what will happen at the Messiah's coming, but not all that happens at His first coming--this is what He is about to fulfill. The next line begins speaking of what will take place at His second coming. Isaiah did not realize that there would be two comings, for two purposes, or that there would be a long time gap between them, but Jesus makes the two comings clear. Because Isaiah is speaking of the Messiah, what is Jesus claiming? In Psa. 40:7 David speaks prophetically of this moment.
22-30 What is their initial reaction? He speaks in 23-27; He knew what they were thinking. Why is 24 true? Familiarity, skepticism. Also, during the time he was growing up, He had not been performing the signs that He was now; perhaps they are wondering about the change in Him. What is He saying in 25-27 that causes rage, 28? The Jews didn't believe, so God sent the prophets to those who WOULD believe--even to GENTILES! He is saying that these people don't really believe He is God. Why the change in their attitude from 22? He held the Gentiles up as an example of having greater faith than Israel. They are so offended that they do what? How does He escape? Apparently miraculously--hey, they did want to see a miracle... But yet He let them almost do it--to show what evil unbelief was in their hearts? Mat. 4:13 tells us that He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which became His home base.
31-37 Does 31 teach that Jesus worshiped on the Sabbath and so should we? In Luke 6 we will see that Jesus does NOT keep the Sabbath; He goes to the synagogues on the Sabbath to teach the people because that is where they were assembled. The readings were given by various teachers. 32, what is their reaction? Why? What does that tell us about the teaching of the Pharisees? who was there in the synagogue? What happens while He is there, on that day of the week? It does not mention Pharisees, but surely they were they also and witnessed the healing; this incident leads to the trap the Pharisees set for Jesus in Luke 6.
In 33-34, who is "us" and "we"? There were more than one demon in the man. End of 34, the demons appear to change their tune about Jesus; or, does "I" indicate that this is the voice of the man, not the demons, and he believed the message he had just heard? Or just that only one demon was speaking here? Did Jesus have to shout or repeat Himself or do any theatrics to cast out the demon? Again what do the people comment on? This must have rankled the Pharisees who were present.
38-41 Where does Jesus go now? Who do we first meet here? Simon, who is sometimes referred to as Simon, sometimes as Simon Peter, and sometimes as Peter. We aren't told that Peter is already one of the twelve disciples Jesus chose; the other Gospels present events in a different order, but Luke claims to be the only account that is in chronological order. It is still what day? Jesus does what? Jesus rebukes the fever as He rebuked the demons, implying that there is something wrong, even something sinful; the Bible tells us that sickness, death, tragedy, are the result of man's original sin in the garden. Plaguing mankind with sin is the agenda of Satan and his demons.
Simon is obviously married (awkward for the Catholic claim that Peter was the first pope--which he was not--and that popes are not to marry). He has now healed two people on the Sabbath. We see instant and complete healing, even return to full strength; she had been very sick. Why does Luke mention the sun setting? The Sabbath, which begins at sundown and ends at sundown, ends; what happens? Now people are free to travel and they show up. The demons, like Satan, know He is God. Jesus has been preaching of the kingdom being imminent, and His healings validated His authority as being from God, which is why many thought He was a prophet. His focus has not yet been on His divinity; the Jews were looking for the Messiah to be a political deliverer, to deliver them from Roman domination. Many did not understand that the Old Testament prophecies said the Messiah would be divine--God in the flesh--and Jesus downplays that earlier in His ministry.
42-44 What happens the next morning? What is the focus of His ministry? Preaching the gospel (good news) of the kingdom--that if they believe in Him, the promised kingdom will begin. He did not come to heal and do miracles; He did them to prove who He was. Those who claim healing and miracles are still for today claim that it is God's will for everyone to be healed because Jesus healed all who came to Him. He never teaches that His goal is that all mankind should now never be sick. As with the Old Testament prophets and later with the apostles, miracles are for the purpose of authenticating the messenger and the message as being from God.
Many take the view that "kingdom" in the four Gospels speaks of God's reign over believers in a spiritual kingdom, that now there are two kingdoms, but the Old Testament makes it clear that a literal earthly kingdom was part of the earthly expectation of Israel, part of God's covenant that they were waiting for Him to fulfill. This is why 44 says He was preaching in Judea; He was not yet offering the gospel to the Gentiles, because His original mission was to offer the kingdom to Israel--the Jews. When they reject Him, when they do not recognize or accept Him as Messiah, the kingdom will be postponed and He will offer a message of salvation to all--Jews and Gentiles alike. We will read more about this in Acts and the Epistles--the story of the church. This is important to understanding the earthly ministry of Jesus. Some individuals believe, but the religious leaders and the nation reject Him. The postponed earthly kingdom of the Messiah is postponed; it did not become instead a spiritual kingdom. Jesus does not teach that. After the resurrection when the disciples speak with Him just before He ascends, Acts 1:6, they still understand the kingdom to be Israel's promised kingdom. When He comes again, He will complete His earthly mission.
CHAPTER 5
1-11 The setting is where? The lake of Gennesaret is also known as the Sea of Galilee. The two boats belong to Simon and his fishing partner and brother, Andrew, Mark 1:16, and their partners, the brothers James and John. We know that Jesus and Simon already had some sort of relationship, 4:38. Jesus calls them to follow Him, but in 6:13 we see Jesus choosing twelve from among His many disciples, His followers. Again, Luke has told us that his account is chronological. They were done fishing--washing the nets; Simon must have been honored that Jesus chose to use his boat to preach from.
The plot thickens: Jesus, not a fisherman, tells Simon, a professional fisherman, how to do his job. What are Simon's first words? He lets Jesus know that HE knows more about fishing that Jesus (fishing was night work, and even at night there were no fish around today), BUT what? Why do you suppose he obeys? He has seen miracles and knows Jesus speaks with God's authority. Is our first response to God often like Simon's? Like Simon, do we then reconsider our first thought? What results when He obeys? Does this mean that when we obey, we will have similar results? Possibly, but not necessarily; this is not a promise to all believers, but a miracle to authenticate the message of Jesus. We now have the complete authenticated Word of God--the Bible--and miracles are no longer needed to authenticate it. We are not told that Jesus miraculously created fish, but He has power over the creation and can cause them to miraculously assemble at this place at this time.
8, why would Simon say this? Is he saying he wanted Jesus to leave, to get out of his life? When we see Jesus for who He really is, we see ourselves for who we really are--wretched sinners, unworthy of God's love. Now that He has their attention in a big way, what does He say? (This statement, made specifically to Simon, is prophetic of the thousands who repent and believe through his preaching in Acts.) How do the four respond? This miracle was witnessed by the crowd on the shore who had just heard His teaching.
12-16 Leprosy was a disease that no one recovered from; it slowly worsened, resulting in death. So why would this man even think to ask for healing? He knew about Jesus. What can we learn from the way he words his request? He had faith, but did not know God's will in His situation; Jesus teaches us to pray this way in Mat. 6:10 and Luke 22:42. Why might Jesus not want news of the miracles spread about? Since Jesus was God (God the Son, in fleshly form), who did He pray to? God the Father. Why would He need to pray?
17-26 Jesus is apparently teaching in a large home; many were present. Here is Luke's first mention of the Pharisees, a strict, proud, hypocritical sect within Judaism that controlled the religious life of Israel, adding many teachings of men to the Old Testament; Jesus often criticizes them. Some men attempt to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus on his bed; being unable to get through the crowd, they go up the outside stairs to the roof and remove some tiles, enough to lower the bed to Jesus. What happens in 20? Who is referred to by "their"? Many commentators say Jesus is speaking of the friends, but if so, how does His statement make sense? Is anyone saved because their friends have faith? Surely "their" includes the man on the bed. We are not told if it is the friends' idea to bring him, hoping he will be healed, or if the paralyzed man has the faith and desire to be healed and insists that his friends take him to Jesus. The latter makes more sense. Two stories are taking place, side by side. One, Jesus performs a miracle and a paralyzed man is instantly healed. Two, Jesus is confronting Jewish religious leaders who are present among the multitude--the scribes and Pharisees--who are skeptical of Jesus being the Messiah. We see here the first hint of conflict with the Pharisees, which will become an important theme and will lead to the crucifixion. What do they accuse Him of, 21? How might His words be seen as blasphemous? Claiming to be God, if you are not God, is blasphemy; they do not believe He is the Messiah--God in the flesh. But if He IS God, it is not blasphemy! Their second statement is correct. 23-25, Jesus explains His statement and then proves it. No one can argue with what has happened. 26 seems to refer to the multitude, not the Pharisees, but surely a few Pharisees have open minds. Later we read of a few secret believers among the Pharisees--Nicodemas, Joseph of Arimathea.
27-32 What is Levi's occupation?
They are also known as publicans. He also is known as Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel. We might wonder if more transpired between them before Jesus called him, if he had seen or heard or heard of Jesus, just as Luke records the fish incident with Peter, Andrew, James and John before He chooses them as part of the twelve. Back in 3:12 we saw that some tax collectors had followed the teaching of John the Baptist; he might know those people. Jews who went to work for Rome to collect their taxes were despised by the other Jews; they cheated the people, charging more than Rome charged, pocketing the rest (compare the story of another tax collector, Zaccheus, 19:2).
The Gospels often refer to "tax collectors and sinners," lumping them into one category. He would have been wealthy, so had much more to leave behind when he followed Jesus than the fishermen; if he was the one who had collected their taxes, those fishermen may have hated him, surely leading to conflict among the disciples. What did Levi use his resources for after following Jesus? Why did the Pharisees have a problem with Jesus? They were legalists--not only strictly enforcing the Law of Moses but adding to its many detailed requirements, punishing or ostracizing those who they accused of wrongdoing. Is it wrong for Christians to socialize with unbelievers? Not if the purpose is to bring them to Jesus, which was obviously Levi's purpose. Jesus speaks of those who are well/whole and those who are sick; He then speaks of those two groups as the righteous and the sinners. Is He saying the Pharisees are righteous and don't need to repent? THEY thought so; in contrast, the tax collectors knew that they were sinners. Might this be sarcasm?
33-39 This passage presents several topics. What symbol does Jesus apply to Himself? Who is the bride? Eph. 5:23-32, not Israel but the church, which hasn't come into the picture yet. The Old Testament refers to Israel as the wife of God, not the brideGod the Father is the husband, not the bridegroom. Song of Solomon is the only Old Testament passage that speaks of the bridegroom and and the bride, apparently speaking symbolically and prophetically of Christ and the church. What kind of wife is Israel? Unfaithful, playing the harlot with other gods, Jer. 3:6-8. How is the bride (the church) described in Eph. 5:27? Here we see Jesus foreshadowing the church as the bride. John the Baptist, his forerunner, referred to himself as the friend of the bridegroom--the best man, John 3:29--and Jesus as the bridegroom, the one who has the bride.
Here the Pharisees point out that John's disciples are known for fasting and praying, but Jesus and His disciples are not; they are eating and drinking. They are implying that Jesus' disciples are not as spiritual. They actually can't point to any Old Testament passage that requires fasting; there is none, because God never told Israel to fast. Fasting was common to many cultures at that time as a way of expressing mourning; this is confirmed by Matthew's account of this conversation in Mat. 9:14-15. The Bible does not present fasting as a Christian discipline or as a way to pray more effectively or get direction from God, as many claim today. It was a sign of mourning and often accompanied prayer in that day; unlike the church today, they did not come confidently before the throne of grace, Heb. 4:16--why? They lived before the cross; we live after it. In our story here, is this before or after the cross? They were still operating on the Old Testament basis; John was the last of the Old Testament prophets.
But Jesus is pointing out here that things are about to change--the bridegroom is here now! He prophesies that He will be taken away from them and then they WILL mourn--why? Is He speaking to the church or to Israel? Is the church in mourning now since Jesus went back to heaven, after the cross and the resurrection? No. But Israel has been presented with her Messiah and will reject Him; Jesus will not give them the kingdom but will leave them, as God's promises to Israel are postponed and He temporarily sets them aside while He brings in a new dispensation--the church age. When the church age is over, at the rapture, and at the end of the seven years of tribulation when they finally recognize Christ as their Messiah, and the bridegroom returns to earth with His bride, God will once again deal with Israel and fulfill His promises to them.
Do the Pharisees understand any of what Jesus is speaking of here? No; they are spiritually blind, and in spite of the teachings and miracles of Jesus, all they can see is that by associating with sinners at this dinner where Levi has invited His friends to meet Jesus, He is not as spiritual as themselves.
Then Jesus uses the illustrations of old and new garments and old and new wine and wineskins to speak of the old dispensation, the old economy--the Law--which is passing away, and the new dispensation, the new economy that God is bringing in--the age of grace, the church age. What is the old garment and the old wineskin? The old dispensation. Jesus did not come to try to patch up the Law. What is the old wine? The Law. No man could keep the Law; Jesus came to live a sinless life in the flesh to fulfill the Law on our behalf, Mat. 5:17. Once Jesus has offered Himself as the Lamb of God, the final sacrifice for sin has been offered and the Law will no longer be in effect. What is the new wine, which will expand out of the rigid constraints of the Law? The gospel. What is the new wineskin? Grace, the new dispensation, the church age--no longer living under the Law. 39, will the Pharisees--those who dictate Israel's life--accept the new? They will cling to the old, to the Law, and reject grace--salvation through Jesus the Messiah. Actually many Jews who believe in Jesus will struggle with a continuing desire to try to keep the Law, which will be a frequent topic in the Epistles--the letters to the churches.
CHAPTER 6
1-5 Now we have two Sabbath incidents; where does the first one take place? The Pharisees confront Him about the Law of Moses. What two points does Jesus make? A scriptural precedent for not being legalistic; they claim to be experts in the Law so Jesus mocks them--"have you not even read"? What does He claim in 5? He again claims to be God!
6-11 Where does this Sabbath conflict take place? Does 7 imply that this might be a set-up? In 4:31-35 He healed on the Sabbath in the synagogue; now they are hoping He steps into their trap. 8, He knew what? So because of that does He make sure not to offend them, not to step into their trap? How does He turn the trap around and catch them in it? What was their reaction when Jesus performed a miracle right before their eyes, which they could not deny? What was more important to the Pharisees--keeping the Law--the Sabbath, or doing good?
Some teach that Christians are to observe the Sabbath (and all the Law). So far we have seen Jesus break the Sabbath three times. Jesus quotes and reaffirms all the ten commandments except for Sabbath-keeping, nor do He or His disciples keep it. We do not find the early church keeping the Sabbath; what day did they meet? Do we read anywhere that this was commanded? Why did they meet on the first day of the week--to commemorate what? Acts 20:7, I Cor. 16:2. Because this is not commanded or required, is it OK to meet on any day of the week? Yes. In the Old Testament, God's defining act was creation; resting on the seventh day, as He did, was to continually remind them of who He is and what He did. What is God's defining act in the New Testament? Meeting on the day Christ arose continually reminds us of who He is and what He did.
Besides the teaching and example of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews also makes it clear that for the church age believer, physical rest in the Old Testament pictures spiritual rest in the New Testament. The Sabbath is no longer a law to keep but pictures an important spiritual truth, Heb. 3:7-4:11. Our Sabbath rest is in Christ, not on the seventh day. We rest from works because we who believe are no longer required to also do the works of the Law.
12-16 What does 12 tell us about how many disciples Jesus had? Is there a difference between "disciples" and "the twelve"? Many followed Him to learn from Him; twelve were chosen to be His inner circle. In the Gospels, there are a few references to them as apostles, but that word is generally found in Acts and the Epistles; it refers to a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders. Later it is clarified that an apostle must be one who walked with the risen Christ, Acts 1:22, so after those died, there have been no more apostles and there cannot be. There were two Simons, two named James, two named Judas--confusing!
17-49 This passage parallels Mat. 5-7, which is known as the Sermon on the Mount, based on Mat. 5:1. The question is, are these two separate events of just different accounts of the same event (not that it really matters, but some do ask)? Is it possible that He gave this same sermon on more than one occasion? Comparing the description of each, Luke has Jesus going up on the mountain, then calling His many disciples to Him and choosing twelve, then going down to a level place to speak to the crowd of followers. Matthew shows us the crowd, Jesus going up on the mountain, and His disciples coming to Him (it doesn't specifiy just the twelve or that He chose the twelve at that time); Jesus could easily have gone down to a more level place to speak without Matthew having pointed that out. There is no reason Matthew and Luke can't be describing the same event, just not giving the details in the same way. But Jesus may have given a sermon on the mount and a sermon on the plain. Mat. 4:25 has the people from the city of Jerusalem, from the region of Judea (where Jerusalem is located), from the regions of Galilee (north of Judea), and the region of Decapolis, across the Jordan to the east. Luke says the people are from Jerusalem, the region of Judea, and the coastal regions of Tyre and Sidon (north of the region of Galilee). We see healing in Luke 6:18-19 and Mat. 4:23-24. Again, these could be similar separate events, but there is enough crossover that it seems the writers simply pointed out different details of the same event. We also see that Luke's account of the sermon is shorter--he leaves out much that Matthew includes but has pretty much the same order.
20-26 Like Matthew, Luke begins with the "beatitudes" (fromm a Latin word for "blessings")--blessings for certain situations; Luke gives only four, but then follows up with four parallel woes. "Blessed" means happy, fortunate, well off. What "n" word does Luke add in each that makes the meaning clearer than in Mat. 5? Jesus speaks of life now compared to life in the coming what, 20? The implication is that while those who will enter the kingdom may now experience poverty, hunger, weeping and insults, in the Messiah's kingdom, all that will change. Is Jesus saying it is bad to have plenty, to be well-fed, to laugh, to have others speak well of you? Obviously not--so what is He saying? Those who see these things as their goal in life, rather than seeking the Messiah, will not enter the kingdom but will experience the opposite of "the good life" that they think they have now.
27-36 What does it mean to "love" your enemies, or anyone else? Jesus defines this in 10:27-37; what does the good Samaritan do for a stranger of a despised race that showed God's kind of love? Did he like that man? But he did the right thing anyhow. So how do we "love" our neighbor, our enemy, our fellow Christian? Does we love someone we don't like? Is love about actions? In our world, love is about feelings, but that is not how the Bible speaks of love. Jesus gives examples of how that love might look. 29-30, is it always right or good to demand our rights? The "golden rule" is found in 31. 36, how is God merciful?
37-42 Strong's Concordance sheds light on 37 by showing these possible meanings of "judge": distinguish, decide, try, condemn, punish, avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, go to law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think. How can we know what meaning is spoken of in this verse? We compare what else the Bible has to say about judging. Does it teach that we are disstinguish right from wrong? That we are to make decisions? That we are to try, punish, condemn and sentence wrongdoers in a court of law? Are we to think, to call into question? Yes to all of these. Reading past 37 gives us context; what light do 41-42 shed on 37? Does it say not to remove the speck? What kind of judging is He saying we shouldn't do?
Compare what else the Bible tells us about judging: Mat. 7:1-5, John 7:24, Rom. 14, Rom. 16:17, I Cor. 5:11-13, II Thes. 3:6, II Tim. 5:20. We are not to be judgmental and unforgiving. The church is to judge and discipline those who openly commit certain sins, things forbidden in Scripture, to keep the church, the body of Christ, pure and functioning properly.
38 All through the Bible we find the principle of sowing and reaping, Gal. 6:7.
43-45 Can we know what is in anyone's heart? Can we see their "fruit," the outward result of what is in their heart? Can we be fruit inspectors? Drawing conclusions about good and bad fruit requires making a judgment. Should we also inspect our own?
46-49 How do 48-49 explain or illustrate 46-47? Will trouble happen in our lives? He is not promising to keep us from trouble. Does it take time and effort to dig deep in rock and lay a foundation? Is it easier to work with sand? Why do you suppose Jesus concludes His sermon with this admonition?
This sermon seems to present the foundation of the Christian life; however, in the first part of Jesus' ministry, His focus is on offering Israel the promised kingdom, if they will receive His message. But His message is not that of the Old Testament--it is not about keeping the Law or merely being a descendant of Abraham. This sermon (and more so the longer version in Mat. 5-7) informs Israel that more is required than the hair-splitting of the Law that the Pharisees taught; under the Law, having riches and being well-fed were signs that you were righteous, and being downtrodden (poor, hungry, weeping, hated of men) was a sign that you were not righteous. The Law said Israel was to wipe out her enemies--not love them, do good to them, pray for them, be merciful, or remove the log in your eye before judging them. It didn't talk about fruit or the heart attitude. The foundation of life was no longer the Law but Jesus, the Rock. The Messiah's requirements were on a deeper spiritual level than had been previously revealed. His message was new and amazing to Israel. This is what is called progressive revelation; in the past, God did not reveal all truth, but in each dispensation He reveals more.
CHAPTER 7
1-5 Apparently the last two chapters took place somewhere in the region of Galilee. Following the sermon, Jesus goes where? The centurion is a Gentile; what is he like? Does he already have knowledge of God? 3, why do the Jewish elders think highly of him, that He is worthy of Jesus' attention? Under the Law of Moses, good deeds show you are righteous. Matthew's account of this incident leaves out this information about the centurion; why might Luke include it--who is his audience? What is he showing them? As we will soon read more about, Jesus and His message aren't just for Jews.
6-10 Why didn't the centurion himself come? What does he think about himself? In what way does he compare himself to Jesus? What does this show about his level of faith and understanding? Matthew tells an abbreviated account as though the centurion himself is speaking to Jesus; Luke shows him speaking through those he has sent, illustrating his explanation about how he gives orders and people obey. What is Jesus's response? He only says this a few times. This is a strong statement to Luke's Gentile readers, and a rebuke to the Jews, who should have responded like this. What happens because of his faith?
11-17 Who initiates this miracle? Did Jesus do this in response to anyone's faith? In that culture, why was the woman's situation so tragic? Does this miracle mean that Jesus came to keep us all from earthly death? An interesting word is used in 12; "only" means "only begotten." This word is only used here and of Jesus. What happens to this "only begotten son" that also will happen to Jesus? Might this be why Jesus initiated this miracle, to foreshadow His own resurrection? Was this man raised to his immortal body, or did he come back to his earthly body which will die again at some point? The people are not saying that Jesus is God; what are they saying?
18-23 At this time John was in prison, 3:20. We read earlier about Elizabeth and Mary; surely John knew about Jesus--why might he be having doubts? If Jesus is the Messiah, the king of Israel, about to announce His kingdom, why is John in prison? Israel was looking for a national deliverer. Does Jesus give a plain answer? Instead He tells them to look at the evidence and think, quoting from Isa. 61:1, listing the Messiah's credentials--how He could be identified. Earlier, in Luke 4:16-21, Jesus had read from this passage and said what about it? So what did Jesus's answer mean? Why would that answer have more impact than if He just said, yes I am? 23, happy is the one who does not stumble over Him, who is not tripped up.
24-30 John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, trying to bring Israel back to God, to repentance. In 27, what does Jesus claim about Himself? John was the final and the most important prophet, because now the one all the prophets spoke of--the Messiah--was here. Yet what, 28? Why? John was of the old dispensation; these people, if they believe in Him, will be part of the new dispensation, the kingdom. It sounds like Jesus is saying that in each succeeding dispensation, those in the new one have an advantage over those in the old one; in each succeeding dispensation, God reveals more of Himself. What advantage do we in the church age have over those under the Law? What advantage will those in the kingdom have over us? Christ's physical presence and rule over all the earth, not just in the hearts of believers. And for Israel, Jer. 31:31-34. Who had been baptized by John and who hadn't? They did not repent, or see their need to.
31-35 Neither John nor Jesus pleased the Pharisees, who kept changing the "rules." Nothing John or Jesus say will be acceptable to them because they have already rejected truth. What did Jesus liken them to? Petulant children. Jesus often used the phrase "this generation" to speak of the segment of Israel that was disbelieving and unrepentant. We also see here that Jesus drank wine; the Bible speaks against drunkenness but not against wine--Jesus did a miracle at a wedding, turning water into wine, which would be hypocrisy if He was against wine.
36-50 Jesus dines with a Pharisee. What is this woman like? Probably a prostitute. It was common for people to come to a house where a rabbi was visiting and teaching. What does that show about her? What do her other actions show about her? Why does this man think Jesus couldn't even be a prophet? Did Simon, a Pharisee, see himself as a sinner? But Jesus shows He DOES know things--like Simon's thoughts! Did Jesus TELL Simon the truth, or make Simon see it and say it himself? Which is more effective? This is why Jesus is always asking people questions--not because He doesn't know the answer. Jesus compares the actions of Simon and this woman; what do their actions show?
Why would Jesus forgive her without her asking? Her actions have demonstrated her repentance, and Jesus knows her heart attitude (as well as Simon's). What is Jesus claiming by saying this? Are you noticing how often Jesus claims to be the Messiah, to be God, without actually saying those words? Was this incident just for the benefit of Simon and the woman? When something happens in our lives, we learn and change, but might it also be for the benefit of those around us? They observe our actions, reactions, words, attitudes. Do you think Simon was a believer?
CHAPTER 8
1-3 Jesus begins doing what? Were women involved in Jesus's ministry? Are they among the twelve? What is one way they served?
4-10 Luke gives more parables than any other Gospel; might it be because his audience is the Greeks--the intellectuals? Parables would appeal to the thinking man. In Matthew we saw that Jesus didn't begin teaching in parables until the middle of His ministry, when it was obvious that the Jews (the Pharisees) had rejected Him; Luke 6:11 parallels Mat. 12:14. Luke, writing to Gentiles, doesn't play up the conflict with the Jews and Pharisees, but that is what is behind 9-10. Spiritual people will understand; others only hear an interesting story about seeds and dirt and birds and rocks.
Here is the only place Luke refers to mysteries; Matthew and Mark also use it once, also in connection with the parable of the sower and seed. Paul will speak much in the Epistles about the mystery of the church--the body of Christ, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, "mystery" does not refer to a who-dun-it, something we can't figure out; it refers to something in God's plan that He has previously kept secret. It is now being revealed, to some, "to you"--those who are believing in Jesus. This revelation has to do with the kingdom. Israel has rejected the Messiah and the kingdom He offered them. The kingdom will still happen as prophesied, but now it is postponed; it will happen much later. Now, since the nation has rejected the Messiah, much of Jesus' teaching will be in parables, understandable by His followers but not by the Pharisees.
The church is brought into being in Acts 2, and the church age continues until the church is caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds, I Thes. 4:16-20. Following the rapture is the seven years of tribulation during which God pours out His wrath on evil, and Israel is refined, purged, and made pure, Dan. 11:35 and 12:10. Then Jesus returns and the kingdom begins. The mystery of the kingdom, here in 10, is the revealing of God's plans for the coming time period until the kingdom begins.
11-15 Who does Jesus explain it to? His many disciples (disciples may or may not refer to the twelve, always check context), 1-4, 9. Parables use symbols; what symbols do we find here? Sower, seed, soil, birds. 12, what is something that the devil does? I wonder how he does that. 13, fall away does not imply lose salvation, but to stumble. (Actually salvation at that time was not yet being born again; that can only happen following Jesus' death and resurrection. In the Old Testament, salvation equated believing in the true God and living righteously, keeping the Law.) Perhaps it wasn't true faith to begin with, but an emotional response. Why might they not have a firm root? How can we have firm root? 14, do all who believe, mature, have the same amount of fruit? Can we tell who truly believes in Christ? What is perseverance? Steadfastness. Some think that the first three are not truly saved, only the last. The text indicates that the first one did not believe; the second and third lacked mature fruit, implying they had truly believed and had some fruit, and the fourth not only believed but bore fruit.
16-18 What might it mean to cover or hide a light? Do we ever do this? How can we put it on a lampstand? When will these secret things come to light? How should that knowledge affect us? What does 18 mean? Is this unfair? What does this say about our responsibility? So how do we get more? By doing something with what we already have? Is this similar to Mat. 25:14-28?
19-21 Did Mary remain a virgin as Catholics believe (claiming these are cousins)? Also Mat. 1:25 ("until"), 12:46, 13:56, Mark 3:31, John 7:1-10. How is Jesus comparing family and the new relationship with Him? Did He say they are not His family? Does everyone who hears, "do"--do they believe?
22-25 They start across the Sea of Galilee (about eight miles wide). Do you think Jesus knew before they started, what would happen? Did He warn them ahead of time? Does He know ahead of time what storms wait for us? Does He tell us ahead of time? Why not? Should we read this and say, He will stop our storms instantly when we ask in faith? Why not? Miracles were not done to teach that God's plan is that all--or even some-- storms, sickness and death will now be ended, but for what reason? To prove He is God. If those things were to be stopped, the rest of the New Testament would make that clear. Instead, we read John 16:33, Acts 14:22, Rom. 8:35, II Cor. 1:5, Phil. 1:29-30, I Thes. 3:3, II Tim. 3:12, I Pet. 4:12-19. He puts us in situations where we learn who He truly is.
26-33 This takes place on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Another name for Gerasenes is Gadarenes: who was Gad? One of the twelve sons of Jacob. Where did his tribe settle? They chose not to cross the Jordan and enter the land of Canaan as God commanded but to remain on the east side of the Jordan. What was forbidden by the law of Moses, Lev. 11:7? Now they are raising pigs! One sin leads to another. Do the demons/unclean spirits know Jesus is God?
The abyss = the deep, KJV. This word is used in the New Testament only here and Rom. 10:7. Strong's: abyss, deep, bottomless pit, infernal. The NASB (which I use) uses abyss in Rev. 9:11 and bottomless pit in 9:1; the KJV uses bottomless pit in both, as well as other places in Revelation (Strong's: abyss). Demons reside there, and seem to want to be in a body of some kind. Satan and his demons, unlike God, do not know the future; they did not know that the pigs would die.
34-39 37, why do they ask Him this? Do those who witness this see Jesus for who He is, and turn to Him in faith? Why not? What about the man? Why do you suppose Jesus didn't let him follow? What is he to do instead? Does he obey? Can we do this? Do we have to know a lot about the Bible to do what he does? How does Jesus claim to be God in 39?
40-56 Jesus returns to the other side of the lake--Judea. Who is Jairus? So, a Jew or Gentile? Both stories involve twelve years. Didn't Jesus know who touched Him? So why did He ask? Jesus often does this, to get people to speak. Did she get healed without His doing anything? Of course she did not "sneak" a healing--Jesus allowed this. 48, what healed her? He wants her to admit what happened so it can be known by those around. So will everyone with faith get healed today? Why not? Jesus did not come to provide universal healing; He healed to establish that He is God; that has been established and we have the complete Bible to corroborate this fact. Healing of believers did not continue after the time of the initial attesting miracles, II Cor. 12:1-10, Phil. 2:25-40, II Tim. 4:20.
Why didn't Jesus just heal from a distance when the father first came--why wait, knowing the pain that would result to the parents? Does God always fix our problems as soon as possible, to keep us from pain? Why not? What two things does He command in 50? These two things are said so many times throughout Scripture. As in this story, we will continue to see Peter, James and John as the inner circle of the twelve. 56, why didn't Jesus want His miracles publicized? They were not the main thing.
CHAPTER 9
1-6 Did the 12 have this power before? Why would they need to do miracles, not just preach? Sign gifts were obviously from God, to attest to the truth of their message. How do you think they felt about having that power? They were to preach to all Israel; they all had an opportunity to believe. How would they be taken care of? They were to rely on the hospitality of those who believed and accepted them. The Jews of Israel had the Old Testament Scripture; they would be judged as to whether they believed in the message of the kingdom, the good news (gospel) that the king--the Messiah--was here.
7-9 Herod has the same light that everyone else has; what does he do with it? Everyone knew--this was being talked about everywhere.
10-11 Here the twelve are called apostles rather than disciples; here we see them not in the learning mode, but being sent out to preach, as we will see in Acts. Why does Jesus go to Bethsaida? But how does He treat those who followed Him there?
12-17 The crowds that followed Him had not planned ahead and brought food; that's how magnetic Jesus was, and His message and miracles. Apparently these are not all locals, since the twelve mention their need for lodging as well as food. Why would Jesus say this to the twelve--was it possible? He plans to show them what? What they can't do in their own strength or ability. John's more detailed version, John 6:5-13, of this miracle point out the monetary impossibility of buying enough food, and explains how they found that meager food. Either they canvassed the crowd for food, or the boy who had this food volunteered it; we can imagine the twelve rolling their eyes at his offering, but we can imagine Jesus using this opportunity to build faith in the boy and those who witnessed his offering. He prays over the food, then what happens? How could there be twelve baskets of leftovers? And why twelve? One for each of the twelve, whose doubting was turned to faith? The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels; why is it so important? Who is the Bread? What transpires the next day, John 6:22-35? First Jesus gave them an object lesson, then He followed it up with the spiritual truth it pointed to (kind of like the parables). How do we know that many more than 5,000 were fed?
18-22 Doesn't Jesus know? Why does He ask? They list the same things Herod had heard. The issue is always, who He is. What does "the Christ" mean? It was not His last name, as in Jesus Christ. The Christ is the Anointed, the Messiah, the promised One of the Old Testament prophecies. His human given name is Jesus; He is Jesus, the Christ. Peter seems to speak for the group; we will see him becoming more prominent. Peter nails it, yet he doesn't get everything right, he sometimes blurts, sometimes puts his foot in his mouth, sometimes fails. Are we like this? Here we see that the twelve understood who He really was, even though He didn't yet want that publicly proclaimed. Why wouldn't He want them telling this part about Him? So this was not part of the message they had been preaching; what would they be preaching?
What two titles are synonymous, 20 and 22? What three things does Jesus predict in 22? We will find later that the twelve did not understand or believe this completely. This did not fit the popular notion of what was to happen to Israel's deliverer. Surely the twelve had this same hope about Jesus, that He was the one who would deliver and then rule over Israel; surely they would be right up there with Him. This prediction must have caused great consternation and confusion.
23-25 These are key verses for the Christian. What is the Christian life to be like? Health/wealth? Stress-free, pain-free? How does it feel to deny Self? How does it feel to take up the cross, to die daily? Rom. 6:11-13, II Cor. 4:10-11. Does the Bible teach the importance of developing your self-esteem? Rom. 7:18, 12:3, Gal. 6:3, II Tim. 3:2. Is there a difference between believing on Jesus and following Him daily?
26 When does Jesus come in His glory? At the second coming. His glory is the shining presence of God, as He clarifies here; we read much about it in both the Old and New Testaments, but Jesus has laid aside His glory to live for a time as a man. When He comes in His glory speaks of when He returns, as Christ the Lord, not just Jesus the man. The parallel passage in Mat. 10:33 speaks of confessing or denying before men. He is speaking of those who are alive at the end of the tribulation; those who denied Christ--did not believe---will be denied entrance to the kingdom. This is not speaking of Christians who are timid about speaking up for Christ; this will not cause Jesus to deny you!
27-36 Jesus then says that several of the twelve will see the kingdom of God in their lifetime; is the implication that the kingdom will not come in the lifetime of the others, that it is postponed? Where are they when this takes place? Which ones are with Him, 28? Again, the inner circle of the twelve. Was this a vision, or did this actually happen? Nothing about the kingdom is mentioned in the rest of this passage; how is it a glimpse of His kingdom? We see several references to glory. Some Bibles have the heading here, "The Transfiguration;" we do not see that word here, but it is used in the accounts in Matthew and Mark. Right before their eyes, Jesus is changed into how He will appear then, in glory, in His glorious appearance.
Who appears with Jesus? What was their appearance like? hey are also in their glorified bodies; apparently this is what we will also be like. What we they all discussing? The NASB says His departure; KJV, decease. He would die at Jerusalem; He had spoken about this a week earlier, in 22. Because these two appear, many commentators suggest they may be the two unnamed witnesses in Rev. 11; possible evidence is that the two witnesses do a number of things that the prophets Moses and Elijah did. Other Bible characters are also given as possibilities, but nothing in Rev. 11 suggests that these are previous Bible characters coming back to earth for three and a half years during the tribulation of the end times. The Bible does not identify them so there is really no need for us to try to identify them before their time.
This scene illustrates something important about the kingdom--something the disciples would not have known but which we can know because we now have the complete revelation of Scripture. In the kingdom will be the resurrected Christ in His glorified state. The saved who have died--both in the the church age and in the Old Testament--will be there in their resurrected glorified state; Moses, Deut. 34:1-8, pictures this. There will be believers who didn't die but were caught up alive and changed into their immortal state; Elijah, II Kings 2:11, pictures this. This will include Enoch, Gen. 5:21-24, and New Testament believers caught up in the rapture of the church, I THes. 4:16-20. In the kingdom there will also be believers still in their mortal state, like the disciples here; all unbelievers will have died or been removed for judgment, Mat. 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50, and only believers who survived the tribulation will be left on the earth at the start of the kingdom. They will reproduce and repopulate the earth; their descendants are the ones who rebel at the end of the thousand years, Rev. 20:7-9. Only the first generation in the kingdom will be all believers; their descendants will not all believe but all will be forced to give outward obedience to Christ, Isa. 45:23, repeated in Rom. 14:11. (This prophecy has never been fulfilled so is yet future.) He will rule with a rod of iron, Psa. 2:9. Believers in their immortal state will rule and reign with Christ, Mat. 24:45-47, 25:14-23, Luke 12:42-44, 16:10-11, 19:11-19, II Tim. 2:12, I Cor. 6:2, Rev. 2;26, 5;9-10, 20:4-6
We wonder why the three disciples were overcome with sleep. Peter makes suggestions to Jesus; does God need our suggestions, when we pray? Is He waiting to act until He finds out what it is we are wanting Him to do? If our will is different than what He is already doing or planning, do we want Him to change His plan to our better idea? Does God take into consideration the fact that we also don't know what we are saying sometimes? Rom. 8:26.
Whose voice is in the cloud? We often find this in the Bible, like at Mt. Sinai in Exo. 19. What does the voice say, 34-35? Three are present--who were the disciples to listen to? In other words, no longer who? Moses is identified with the Law (the Law speaks of roughly the first part of the Old Testament); Elijah is a prophet (the Prophets speak of roughly the last half of the Old Testament). In the New Testament we often see the Old Testament referred to as the Law and the Prophets, Mat. 5:17, Luke 16:16, John 1:45, Acts 24:14, 28:23, Rom. 3:21. Up until now, God had been speaking to Israel through the Law and the Prophets; now He is speaking to them through His son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Jesus is now the way to God, John 14:1. I picture God emphasizing the last word, "HIM."
This is a new dispensation, Heb. 1:1-2. The KJV uses the term "dispensation" four times, I Cor. 9:17, Eph. 1:10, 3:2, Col. 1:25. NASB = stewardship. Strong's Concordance: the management of a household or of household affairs' oversight or administration of other's property; the office of a manager or oversee, stewardship. Each of those four references speaks of the dispensation of grace, of the church age; God is no longer dealing with Israel (because the kingdom has been postponed) but with a new body made up of both Jews and Gentiles. It is now about the gospel, the mystery (something new God is revealing) of the church, the age of grace (not Law), the body of Christ. We are now in the church age; the way to God is to hear Jesus. This is our message to the world.
37-42 They spent the night on the mountain. How can the disciples, after the experience on the mountain, immediately have such failure? Is Jesus talking to or about the disciples, the father, or the crowd? Who is He chastising, disappointed in? The father believed, but the disciples were unable to do what Jesus had given them the power to do. Why not? Perverse does not speak of sexual perversion as we generally use it; rather, to distort, misinterpret, corrupt, turn away. The disciples still didn't get it, and He is not pleased with them. "How long?" This is often said by God and by the prophets when people who should know better refuse to believe Him. We see what the disciples are like. Yet we know these inept men are the ones who turn the world upside down after the resurrection, not fearing death. Perhaps this is why we are shown how weak they are, so we will understand how the indwelling Holy Spirit transforms and empowers weak men to be bold for Him.
43-48 This is at least the third time they have heard this; Jesus speaks of His betrayal this time. The closer it gets, the more He mentions it. We will see following His death that they either don't remember or don't believe. Do you ever hear words that don't sink in? Do you ever read something in the Bible and wonder how you could have missed it earlier? Why does this happen? Do we get impatient or annoyed with others who do this? Do we sometimes understand something in the Bible years after we read or heard it? Why might that be? Are there some things we read that we try to understand, but we can't fully comprehend it because it is about the future, perhaps the endtimes, and we can't know the future until it actually happens? That knowledge is hidden from us temporarily; we can only make guesses based on our limited knowledge. After His resurrection they remember what He had told them and everything came into focus.
Instead, they do what? Is their focus on Jesus or Self? Yet we need to cut them a little slack; we know that Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for the sin of the world, but what was their expectation as Jews? That He as king was surely about to deliver their nation from Rome. And that they were about to assume positions of power with Him! And which of them would have the highest position?? With that mindset, what would they think when He spoke of His upcoming death? "NO!! That can't be right!!"
How does Jesus turn their world upside down in 48? Surely they are again thinking, "NO!!" What is greatness in God's eyes? He confronts their egos and tells them that instead He is looking for what? humility. They must have been staring in confusion--what does a little child have to do with the KINGDOM?? What might it mean to receive this child in Jesus' name? And how might that equate to receiving Him? And what does that equate to? What did Jesus just claim, again? In what way is the "least" great?
49-50 Apparently Jesus had not specifically endowed that man with special power as He had the twelve, but he believed; he knew and used the power of the name of Jesus. He was not one of the twelve but we know Jesus had many disciples. He wasn't of the chosen twelve, but he was with them in following Jesus. Apparently demons could be cast out by others with faith, Mat. 12:27.
51-56 What is the time frame here? Like a good author, Luke uses foreshadowing, to give us a peek at what is coming, to give perspective to the story, so we want to keep reading. We see Jesus begin the journey toward Jerusalem that will end His ministry; the rest of the book is His teachings and healings along the way. Heading south toward Jerusalem, they had to travel through Samaria. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they were a mixed breed of Jews who had earlier intermarried with Assyrians, and their religion was also half pagan. This village does not receive Him.
Peter wasn' the only one with a big mouth; what does Jesus call these hot-headed brothers in Mark 3:17? Jesus had renamed Simon as Peter, meaning a stone, a small rock. Do you think Jesus gave them derogatory nicknames, or did they point to something positive, perhaps in their future? This John is the author of the gospel of John, the three epistles, and Revelation. Peter, James and John were the inner circle; do they come across as supersaints? What plans might Jesus have for them? What do they want? But what does Jesus want? Might people in this village repent and believe later? Could they if they are instantly destroyed now? The disciples probably did not yet understand that Jesus would bring salvation to all; they probably were focused on power, on a political kingdom.
57-62 Why does Jesus answer the first man like this? He knew what issues and concerns this man had; He wanted him to consider the cost. Why did he not follow Jesus? Materialism? Security? Financial security? The second man had different issues--concerns for family obligations. His father may have just died, or perhaps he wants to postpone until after his elderly father dies. If so, what is Jesus saying? Or He could be speaking of those who are spiritually dead. He is putting Himself, the kingdom, first and family after that. The third had different ones; what might we infer from Jesus' answer? Was he struggling with what it meant to follow, or with mixed feelings? Might following Jesus require personal sacrifice?
CHAPTER 10
1-11 Shortly after sending the twelve throughout Israel to preach the kingdom message and to heal, Jesus does what? He appoints 70 others, apparently out of many more who are also disciples, to go before Him; only Luke records this. What does 3 mean? It sounds like they are to approach homes, not a public meeting place. Those who are receptive are to meet their needs, and they are given power to what? Again we see that other followers besides the twelve can heal in Jesus' name. 9, the kingdom is not an idea that is now present; it is near because the King of the kingdom is near. Those who are not receptive are to be reminded that the kingdom/King is near.
12-16 This final warning as they leave means what? Those who do not receive the King will receive judgment--several towns did not repent, meaning others did. Woe! For the first time we hear a very harsh tone; those who claim Jesus just came to preach love have not read the whole story. 14, "more tolerable"--will the severity of judgment be the same for all? 13, "if," "they would have"--God knows all possible events that COULD have happened, but didn't. We have further evidence of this in Amos 7:1-6. God actually showed Amos in a vision events that were one possibility in God's plan, but which didn't take place. How might this apply to us when God keeps us from doing something we desired, or shuts a door, or sends us in a different direction? Is He protecting us from something He knows would happen if we went ahead? If He allows someone to die "too young," is He actually protecting them and us from a greater pain that would have happened if He had not taken them safely home? 16, rejecting the message of Jesus equals what? Jesus = God.
17-20 Instead of lamenting the lack of repentance Jesus spoke of, they rejoiced over what? Were they missing the point of what they had done? Were they focused on Self, on having power? What about 18-20 suggests that Jesus is chastising them for their lack of humility? When did Satan fall from heaven? Isa. 14:12, Eze. 28:16-17, when Satan, who was the highest angel, sinned at the beginning and was cast down to the earth; He was there watching it happen. He is the enemy, 19, but the power of Jesus is greater and will protect them. What's wrong with rejoicing over that? Pride--"God is using MEEEEEE!" How instead should you feel or react if you see God using you?
21-24 We saw what the 70 rejoiced over, and what Jesus told them to rejoice over; what did Jesus rejoice over? So often we see Jesus disappointed in what is happening; what makes Him happy? Is He saying that we should NOT study or be intelligent? What is He contrasting? 22, more on what God reveals and to whom. What does it mean to see but not see, to hear but not hear? Some saw and didn't believe; some, like us, didn't see but believe.
25-37 The parable of the good Samaritan is only found in Luke. Luke has more parables than any other Gospel; considering who he is writing for--the Greeks--why might that be? 25, is this man asking sincerely? Jesus answers him with a what? Why? This way, the man will be forced to answer his own question. The man answers with a quote from Deuteronomy, from the Law of Moses, which says to do what and what? Is Jesus God? This man's condemnation has just come from his own mouth. 29, what tone of voice do you hear here?
Many Christians wonder if this parable teaches works-based salvation, since the man asked how to inherit eternal life and Jesus pointed him to the Law--what to DO. Context is always key! Even though this is New Testament, the Law--the Old Testament covenant with Israel--is still in effect, until after the cross. Being born again to eternal life through faith in Christ begins after the cross. The Jew did not think of salvation or eternal life as being in heaven; God had promised them an eternal kingdom on earth with Israel as the primary nation over all others. So his question is about how to get into the kingdom. Inherit: to receive one's allotted portion.
According to the parable, who is a neighbor? Anyone we come across. What does it means to love our neighbor? Does it mean to like? Jesus tells of two religious Jews, a priest and a Levite, who did NOT show love to their neighbor. But a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, not of the true faith, has compassion and goes beyond just simply helping him. 37, this lawyer, in giving the right answer about the story, has just condemned himself and the Pharisees, who do NOT do this! Love is about actions and motives, not feelings. The idea of the "good Samaritan" as a do-good-er is used freely by unbelievers, reinforcing their idea that Jesus just came to teach us to love others.
38-42 We learn later that Martha and Mary are close friends of Jesus; perhaps this is when they met. Was Martha more concerned about serving or about what Jesus was saying? But was serving a bad thing for a hostess to be doing? Some see Mary as the "good sister," but is it possible she was sitting with Him because she was too willing to let her sister do all the work? Were both doing good things? Do 41-42 speak to our busy lives? Is it possible to be too "busy" being a Christian to hear what Jesus is saying to you? Jesus says we need to figure out which few things are truly important and keep our priorities straight.
CHAPTER 11
1-13 In Luke 6 we saw a shorter version of the Sermon on the Mount than Matthew has in chapters 5-7. In this chapter we have more of what Matthew records. Surely Jesus spoke about the same things many times to the different crowds who came to Him. Here He teaches about prayer.
In 1-4 we have a shorter version of the Lord's prayer than in Matthew. What elements of prayer do we find, in what order? Recognizing who God is, that His plan is playing out in our lives and in the world ; then, our needs, confession of sins, dealing with our relationships with others, guidance, dealing with temptations, recognizing how easily we fall into sin. Thank Him that He IS doing all these things already! Matthew's version adds praising. Why does it matter how we begin? Praying is conversing with God, not "saying a prayer." This is not necessarily a memorized prayer to be repeated word for word, although it is not wrong to do that. It is a model for how we are to pray; we can personalize it with our details. Is there any value in repeating a memorized prayer over and over? Mat. 6:7-8.
Luke's parables, like 5-8, often teach by contrast: God is NOT like "this". Persistence in prayer, for what? Needs or wants--end of 8? Ask/seek/knock, for what? Needs or wants? Don't take 9-10 out of context; 11-12 gives context. 13, the further context is receiving what? Things? ARE there any passages that suggest we should ask for stuff, or for things to turn out the way we desire? Here Jesus foreshadows what will happen to believers in Acts 2, when the indwelling Holy Spirit is given. Having the Spirit is synonymous with salvation--God will give salvation to all who ask.
14-23 Casting out demons was not that big a deal, not that uncommon? They did it too; they wanted a more convincing sign. If they did it by God's power, then so did Jesus obviously. If not, then neither did they. What do we learn about Jesus in 17? Does He know ours? Do we always act like it? 20, if the kingdom has come, He is saying He is the Messiah. Again, we see this as part of the break with the Pharisees, their rejection of Jesus as the Christ.
Who is this strong man? Another Bible name for Satan. Who is the one in 22? What is Jesus saying to those who were testing Him? Are God and Satan are two co-equal powers in the world? I John 4:4. Do 21-22 have anything to say about today's issues of the right to bear arms and national security and disarmament?
Is there a neutral middle ground, a spiritual gray area, that many people fall into, who are not believers but not "wicked"? Does 23 contradict 9:50? There, we saw believers operating in the name of Jesus, who didn't happen to be part of the twelve. Here He is talking about being with Jesus or against Him.
24-26 What things do we learn here about demons? They want to inhabit a body; there are degrees of evil power. Eph. 6:12, 1:21, Col. 1:16, 2:15. If an unbeliever rids himself of demon possession but continues to reject Jesus, he is open to what? He may have been talking about those who had demons cast out by Jewish exorcists; their void, their empty house, was not filled by faith in the Messiah.
27-28 Womb/breasts are a reference to what/who? His mother. Does Jesus say Mary was special or blessed? Who is? Those who what AND what? Physical (family ties, being in Abraham's line, outward religious acts) was not the important thing; the inner spiritual condition was the important thing.
29-32 Sign-seeking indicates skepticism, unbelief. In what way was Jonah a sign? He was raised from dead after three days. Some claim Jonah didn't actually die and come back to life; how does this refute that? Queen = honest seeker. Nineveh = repentance. Were those people Jews or Gentiles? Jesus is greater than Solomon in what way? Greater than Jonah in what way? What was Jonah? A prophet; Jesus is greater than the Old Testament prophets. The Bible often teaches from types. These verses use "this generation" three times; what phrase defines that phrase? Jesus uses "this generation" in other places in the same way.
33-36 Jesus concludes His remarks to the skeptics, probably the Pharisees, by contrasting what and what?Light and dark. How does this relate to what He has been talking about in this chapter? People speak of the evil eye; this is a real thing, 34. It's not that something is wrong with their eyes, but rather that their eyes are revealing their soul. Looking someone in the eye can tell us a lot about them, good or bad. What two things are required for seeing? A light and an eye. Did their eyes see clearly--see the difference between good and evil? Was it because they needed glasses? Their soul was the source of how they saw and interpreted things. Their eyes saw Jesus' miracles and attributed them to who? Who is the Light that allows men to see clearly? John 1:4, 8:12, 9:5, 12:35-36, 45-46.
37-41 Jesus dines with some Pharisees and lawyers. Such washing was not the law of Moses but what, Mat. 15:2? The Pharisees had added much to the law of Moses. Jesus uses this as a springboard to talk about what? The importance of being pure on the inside. The inner man is more important than outward acts, which the Pharisees majored in.
42-44 He pronounces a woe on them (condemnation), three times--why? We jokingly say "oh woe is me!" but "woe" was a pretty severe word to them. What was important to them? Outward appearances. Jews were ceremonially defiled if they walked on a grave.
45-54 Lawyers were specialists in the Law, not representatives of people, like today. The lawyers got offended by what was said to the Pharisees. Was Jesus insulting them? Might some people feel insulted when we speak the truth? 46, Jesus doubles down on the lawyers with more woes! He accuses them of hypocrisy, particularly concerning what group of people? 50, again He uses "this generation" to refer to what? Unbelieving Israel--rejecting and killing those who God sent. 51, who was considered a prophet, even before Israel was a nation? Perhaps "this generation" includes more than just Israel--wicked mankind, those who don't believe? Who killed Abel? What does that tell us about what was going on between Cain and Abel? Enoch and Noah are called prophets--there could have been others. God always has a voice. 52, they had the knowledge of Scripture--the Old Testament; what did they do with it? Jesus makes it clear that the Pharisees have rejected Him. People like to speak of "the gentle Jesus"--does He speak gently to the Pharisees, like He did to Mary and Martha and others? Why not?
CHAPTER 12
1 What has just been going on? The Pharisees have clearly rejected Jesus, and are out to get Him, and Jesus is warning the people against them. The Pharisees think Jesus is casting out demons by Satan's power, they want a sign, He confronts them about their phony ceremonial washing while their insides are filthy, He pronounces woes on the Pharisees and lawyers; they are plotting against Him. He has been calling out the Pharisees in front of the people, not in private. Who is He speaking to? Primarily His disciples here, but with a crowd gathered around.
Now what does He accuse them of in 1? Why is it likened to leaven? How does 13:21 help explain that? Leaven is a symbol that is always used negatively in the Bible and represents sin; how is it like sin? Is He accusing the Pharisees in 2 and 3? Of what? And what will happen in the future? Or is He telling the people that what they whisper about the Pharisees (because they are afraid to speak their criticism out loud) will one day be publicly revealed and dealt with justly? Might both be true?
4-7 Do they fear for their lives? How does He give them a perspective on this fear? Might we or other Christians have to deal with this fear? If God allows us to experience pain and danger, is it because He doesn't see or care? If He sees and cares, why does He allow it? Is God concerned about animals? They are His creation too.
8-12 He speaks of those who openly identify themselves with Christ and those who don't: believers and unbelievers. Some think this means that if you hide the fact that you are a Christian, perhaps out of fear, that you will lose your salvation; compare II Tim. 2:11-13. 2:12 speaks of the unbeliever, the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. 2:13 speaks of the believer who is weak; we are not saved by our strength but by His. When we are saved, our salvation is eternally secure because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit; Jesus cannot deny Himself.
In other Gospels, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is linked with the Pharisees accusing Jesus of casting out demons by demonic power; Luke recorded this in the previous chapter.
Did the early church face persecution? Do other Christians? Can we trust God in danger? Can we know in advance how God will work out a situation, or how we will act in it? Jesus is preparing His followers for what kind of life? Easy, smooth, health, prosperity, popularity? He has been trying to show them what following God is about, in contrast to the phony religious life of the Pharisees.
13-21 Now someone in the crowd has a question--about what Jesus has been talking about? What is this guy focused on? Has he even heard what Jesus has been saying? Has any of it clicked? How many others were/are like him? Did Jesus come to settle legal disputes? What does He warn about? Not focusing on greed, abundance, possessions. Are even Christians hung up on things and money, getting what we think we deserve? He tells a parable; some learn better from stories and examples.
Does this parable teach it is wrong to succeed, to have a lot, work hard and accumulate things? What is wrong? His attitude. What does the frequent use of "I/my" tell us? What does the conclusion, 21, teach us?
22-34 Now Luke adds comments from the Sermon on the Mount. What is the main point--22, 25, 26, 29 and 32? In relation to what two needs in life? Do your best, trust God with the rest. Jesus keeps asking, WHY are you anxious? If we know God is sovereign over all, if He is in control (FACT), why would we have anxiety, worry (FEELINGS)? Might what we KNOW and what we FEEL be two different things? What should we do about those feelings? Which should rule--facts or feelings? Is 31 a blank check for all our wants? What key word in 30 answers this? Instead of worry, what ARE we to do, 31? How do we do that? Here is the Christian's prescription for worry, anxiety, stress. What does He call them/us in 32? What do we have to look forward to? 31-32 ties this sermon to what important future event? His righteous and glorious kingdom on earth.
In 22-32 He speaks to those who are poor; who is He addressing in 33-34? Those who have plenty. Does 33 mean ALL our possessions? What word in 34 gives us a clue about what kinds of possessions? 33, what advantage is there in this type of giving? This seems to tie back to the man and the parable.
35-40 They were to be ready for what? 35-38 speaks of slaves always being ready for the return of who? Along with "return" in 36, what "c" word is used many times in this section? He is returning from what? When is the wedding feast in relation to the kingdom? It would be after a wedding. Mat. 25:1-13 also speaks of the wedding feast in relation to the kingdom; 14-30 then talks about settling accounts with His slaves, for how they managed His affairs while He was gone. Rev. 19:9, the marriage of Christ and His bride is in heaven following the rapture. At the end of the seven years of tribulation is the second coming: Christ returns to rule from Jerusalem over His earthly kingdom, and Israel will be primary over all the other nations, Isa. 49:22-23. Mat. 8:11 speaks of reclining at table in the kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many others; many believe that the wedding feast is the beginning of the millenium.
So they are to be ready at what hour? 37-38, which slaves will be blessed, rewarded? Who will serve who? 39, Luke contrasts a head of house who was not watching and so a thief was able to break in. Watchfulness is being stressed. Who are these slaves? Israel. Luke, in 35-40, is talking to his audience about preparing to enter the kingdom that Jesus has been preaching about. Is Jesus likening Himself to a thief who breaks in? No; Jesus says, like the home owner who wished he had been ready, YOU be ready. Jesus says: not just the slaves in the story, but "you yourselves," "you too," 40, meaning the disciples who are listening.
We might relate this story to I Thes. 5:2 and II Pet. 3:10, which also speak of a thief, but what comes like a thief? Jesus? No, the day of the Lord, which begins AFTER the rapture--it includes the tribulation and the millenial kingdom. His bride, the church, IS expecting Him. What should we be doing in our lives while the Master is away?
Is 40 talking about the rapture? Many quote it as if it is, but Jesus did not teach of the rapture; He revealed it later to the church through Paul, and the church age does not begin until Acts 2. Who is Jesus speaking to--the church or Israel? The church is expecting Christ's imminent return, but some Christians wrongly believe that if we think He could come today, that we are wrong because of this verse. Neither do Mat. 24:36, 50, 25:13 speak of the rapture, but rather of Israel and the second coming.
Not all Scripture is TO us, but all Scripture is FOR us; even though this is written to Israel about the Messiah and the kingdom, what application can we in the church age take from this section? The rapture can come at any time; be ready.
41-48 Peter asks a question: who does this apply to? What does Jesus answer? Another story, another parable. What two words in 42 tell what kind of stewards/slaves/servants they should be while He is away? Does this apply to the church age also? 37 and 43 say those kind are what? What phrase in 42 and 44 gives us a clue about how the faithful might be rewarded during the 1000 year kingdom? Will we merely be sitting on clouds, playing harps, resting? Mat. 24:45-47, Luke 16:10-11, 19:17, II Tim. 2:12, Rev. 5:9-10.
Are those in 45-48 believers or unbelievers? In this parable, the slaves/stewards are apparently all the people on earth, and God is identified as their Master, whose will WILL be done. 47-48, will all unbelievers get the same punishment? What is the deciding factor? Knowledge/light creates responsibility. 48, given much what?
49-53 He is distressed over what is coming. Does "fire" seem to be in a positive or negative context? It often refers to judgment. What must happen before the kingdom? Is He speaking of the cross? Of the seven years tribulation when God pours out His wrath? John baptized Jesus; what does baptism mean here? Baptism was the means of a public identification with; how does that happen at the cross? Holy, sinless God must take on Himself all the sins of all men of all time.
Peace: isn't this what most people think Jesus came to bring? What kind of peace, among who, when and how? Is there more than one kind of peace referred to in the Bible? Is He speaking here of bringing God's peace to the earth, or bringing earthly peace--lack of conflict on earth? What peace did the angels speak of at His birth? Peace on earth among men of good will, i.e., peace with God through His Son Jesus to those who will believe in Him. Does that mean believers will experience earthly peace? As long as there are still people in their human bodies, there will be conflict on earth, and division over Christ, both inside and outside the church, even within families. Think especially of Jews and Muslims who turn to Christ, and their family situations. Or even Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses. Christ may divide; allegiance to Christ comes before allegiance to family.
54-59 They had worldly wisdom but not spiritual. They/we should be doing what, 56? Notice what's going on, connect dots, be getting ready, have discernment. We can't know the year or day of the rapture, but because we know the tribulation, Antichrist and Gog/Magog war happens right after, we can notice things lining up, the stage being set, that indicate the rapture is imminent. Get right with God before it is too late, before the day of judgment. Might 58-59 relate all this back to the man in 13?
What seems to be the purpose or focus of this chapter, of this sermon? Be ready for persecution; don't get caught up in the materialism, the "wants," of this world; don't worry, fear or be anxious because God knows our needs; be living as though the Lord could return at any time, doing what He would want.
CHAPTER 13
1-5 In the Old Testament, under the Law, God promised health, prosperity and long life to those who lived righteously and obeyed the Law. The opposite would result for those who didn't. Jesus says now things are different, things are changing. According to this passage, is trouble, sickness, tragedy, or death mean they are being punished for some sin? What does Jesus say to expect in John 16:33? Does being a Christian protect you from those kinds of things? Does NOT experiencing them mean you are doing better than others who have troubles? But Jesus says death WILL come to all, so it is important to do what?
6-9 The fig tree and the vineyard or vine are sometimes used symbolically of Israel. This echoes the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, Mat. 21:19, which spoke of Israel's lack of fruit and God's judgment of them. What is this man looking for? For how many years did he look? What might this be a reference to? What do 8-9 tell us about God? What special care had been given to Israel? Rom. 11:17-24. If you fail to see Israel as the fig tree, what wrong idea might you get from this parable? That if we don't bear fruit--show good works--we will lose our salvation. Because Israel did not bear the fruit of faith in their Messiah, the kingdom will be postponed and Israel will be temporarily set aside while God saves Gentiles in the church age.
10-17 Where did this take place? On what day? Who initiated this healing? Did she ask? What was her response? What was the official's response to this miraculous healing? "It's WORK!" 15-16, how does Jesus point out their hypocrisy? They allow work on the Sabbath to release their animal from its bond but not for a person. The Sabbath observance was the biggest thing to them. Illness is whose doing? How and when did that happen? Gen. 3. Did Jesus come to heal everyone? What was His purpose? The conflict heightens, 17. Can you imagine the crowds reaction to 15?
18-21 Jesus gives several parables about what, 18, 20, 28, 29? Now, instead of Israel reigning under her Messiah, the world is going to look a bit different. Does a mustard seed (very tiny) ever become a tree? This is unnatural. What did the seed represent in the parable in 8:11? What do we see happening in the church age that could be represented by the large tree that grew unnaturally from it? The birds in the tree give us a clue; birds symbolically often speak of evil. In the age between then and the kingdom, the Word will go out and the church will grow into a large unnatural form with evil lodged in it; the church becomes an institution.
What does leaven symbolize in the Bible? 12:1, evil, false teaching. Might it also speak of the organizational church in the this age? A peck of flour was a gallon or two. Christ's righteous kingdom is future, but the present age will be heavily contaminated with unrighteousness.
22-30 All this teaching is happening in what context, 22? What will happen in Jerusalem? All the Gospels focus heavily on the final days and that final week of His life. They understood "saved," 23, as referring to Israel's national salvation, to Israel entering the kingdom, 28. Are some beginning to understand what Jesus is talking about, that not all who are descendants of Abraham will enter the kingdom? Jesus confirms this in 24-27. Why were the disciples worrying about this? Jesus and His message was not being well received.
Does Jesus answer the question directly? No--with a parable. The narrow door is similar to Mat. 7:13-14 (from the Sermon on the Mount) where Jesus talks about the wide gate and small gate, the broad way and the narrow way. Mat. 7:21-23, "I NEVER knew you" speaks of unbelieving Israel and religious fakers. This pictures the beginning of the earthly kingdom. The parable of the ten virgins, Mat. 25:1-13, pictures the righteous and unrighteous, the saved and unsaved, of Israel; the righteous will enter the kingdom, and the unrighteous will be removed for judgment, Mat. 13:41-43. There will also be a judgment of the Gentiles, the "nations," to see who will enter and who will be removed for judgment, Mat. 25:30, 37-43, 47-50.
In Luke 13:28, who will they be able to see at the beginning of the kingdom? Aren't they dead? The Old Testament saints will be there in their resurrected bodies; those believers remaining alive at the end of the tribulation enter the kingdom in their earthly bodies. The church will be in our resurrected bodies also, having been changed at the rapture. In 28 we have what nationality in the kingdom? In 29, what nationality? Believers of all the other nations--the Gentiles. 29, why are they seen at a table eating? Rev. 19:9, what meal is this? 30, the Jews thought Gentiles were "last" and they were "first." Jews who did not believe will be in for a big surprise.
31-35 Did some Pharisees believe, or at least care about saving His life? Or might this have been a trick to get rid of Jesus, to scare Him? Is He concerned? Herod was indeed a scoundrel; Jesus does not hesitate to say it. He will continue doing the work He was sent to do. What happens the third day? Not three days from then, but a prophecy of His death and resurrection. Reach His goal, accomplish, fulfill, make perfect. He will continue on toward Jerusalem, and in a few days, the "triumphal entry" on Palm Sunday.
Jesus mentions twice, 33 and 34, that Jerusalem is known for what? 33 sounds sad if not ironic. What feeling do we see in Jesus in 34? Sadness, longing, compassion. In 35? A sense of finality, of doom, yet looking past that to what? House could be the temple, but "the house of Israel" often refers to the nation. Some claim the Bible does not teach free will, that God's will cannot be resisted; how does 34 counter that? End of 35, when will they say this about Him? Believing Israel at the end of the tribulation, at the second coming. So we see a few prophetic statements here.
CHAPTER 14
1-6 What is the setting, from 1-24? Is it a pleasant social event? Might this man be planted? Were they using him or did they care about him and his problems? Who brings up the subject of healing? He knew their thoughts. Why do you think Jesus was invited?
7-11 Who is Jesus chastising? What is Jesus speaking to them about? Pride and humility--with men or with God? In 12:36 Jesus spoke about the wedding feast; when is that event? So we know that Jesus is really talking to them about what? Who will enter the kingdom, not to be presumptuous about their importance in the kingdom. Will all Israel enter? No, this is what He has been telling them.
12-14 Now who is Jesus chastising? What are some of the motives for inviting or associating with certain people? How important is it for someone to pay back a favor, for us to get what we "deserve"--do we keep track? What does 14 teach about blessings? What do we learn about the resurrection? Is He speaking of the great white throne judgment of Rev. 20? Is there just one big resurrection, where the just go to heaven and the wicked go to hell? What resurrections do we know of?
15-24 One responds with a pious platitude, perhaps playing off Jesus' stories about dinners, and assuming all Israel will enter the kingdom? But all along Jesus has been teaching what? When Jesus speaks in parables, unbelievers like the Pharisees simply hear stories, and miss the point. Jesus responds with another dinner story. The man giving the dinner represents who? Who did God originally invite? Did they accept or refuse His invitation? We wonder why Jesus gives the three excuses that mirror three Old Testament acceptable excuses for not going to war, Deut. 20:5-7. In Deuteronomy the excuses are presented in a positive light but here they are not--they made the master angry. The second group invited represents who? Those who the Jews consider outcasts and unclean: Gentiles, outcasts--foreshadowing the church. Once Israel rejects the Messiah, His plan now includes all mankind--even the lowest may accept His invitation. How does this story apply today? Does everyone accept God's offer of salvation through Jesus?
Can you imagine the tense looks exchanged in that home that day, the tension in the air? They hoped to trap him, but instead probably wished they had never invited Him! They were probably furious at Him. So what do we learn in this chapter about what the Pharisees were like? What did Jesus say a godly person should be like? Here as in many other places, we see Jesus using whatever is going on around Him to give examples that His listeners can relate to; how can we make use of this concept?
25-27 The setting changes. Jesus and His disciples are walking, accompanied by large crowds, and He teaches as they go along. Is Jesus saying we should hate our family, ourselves? No--prioritize what is important. If you put Jesus before your family, might they THINK you hate them? What clues in these verses tell us about the meaning of "carrying his own cross"? What does a cross speak of? Death. What four-letter word that starts with "s" might we use in place of "his own life"? Compare Rom. 6:6, 11, 8:13. Is your interfering mother-in-law the cross you must carry? Not really. Luke places this statement right after the dinner affair, where Jesus was talking to them about what? What does that have to do with a cross? Accepting the greatest possible humility, even to death if necessary. Physical death, or death to self? Is there a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple?
28-32 What three scenarios does Jesus use that His listeners can relate to? When setting out on the path of discipleship, what should we do, 28? 29, what is the foundation? Do some go on to build, and others fail to build or don't finish the building? How does this relate to the seeds in 8:11-15? More evidence that there are many believers (having the foundation) that don't become disciples (go on to build). Not all seeds bear the same amount of fruit; some don't bear much at all. What might be the cause of failing to build, or not building well, or not finishing what you start to build? Lack of teaching or Bible study? False expectations?
33-35 Does He say to sell our possessions? Strong's: renounce, bid farewell, take leave, send away. What is He comparing to salt? Some people think this is talking about salvation, that it can be lost--is He? Saltiness is the nature of salt; what is our nature to be?
Our salvation will cost Him His life, and the agony of bearing the sins of the world, yet they are hung up on miracles and who is greatest and being entertained by His arguments with the Pharisees. It's always tempting to downplay, to soften what the Bible says. It DOES challenge people; we need to tell people what Jesus/the Bible says, not give them a watered-down version, so people don't come with false ideas, lacking the desire for discipleship.
CHAPTER 15
1-10 What two groups of people are contrasted in 1-2? What is the difference in them? Do the Pharisees think they are sinners? Did they really desire "sinners" to be saved? Jesus addresses their attitude with three parables. As we look at them, the question is, are they speaking of a believer who goes astray, or an unbeliever who comes to believe? Because Jesus uses these parables to address the attitude the Pharisees had toward Jesus speaking with "sinners," it seems the primary point of the parables would be about unbelievers who then come to believe, although surely there is application to be made for believers. One reason to think they may speak of a believer is that the lost sheep already belonged to the shepherd, the lost coin already belonged to the woman, and the lost son was already a son before he got wandered away. But that is easily resolved because all mankind belong to God and are accountable to Him; through man's sin, men turned away from God, and through Jesus, many will return to God.
Because 3-7 begins with "so," we know that this parable addresses the criticism in 2; likewise, 8-10 begins with "or." So whatever these parables are saying is in response to 2. In both cases, we have a story with an obvious point, illustrating something not obvious to the Pharisees. When studying parables, it is often unclear how much we are to make of each detail; there may be meaning there, but we are safer sticking with the main point which the story illustrates. Parables are more to illustrate a point rather than establish doctrine.
In 3-7, what does this shepherd do? 7, what goes on in heaven? Is He reminding them of Eze. 34? Read it all--is this Jesus telling the Pharisees again that He is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament? So who are the sheep? Those who are saved and those who are still lost. Because this parable addresses 2, we wonder if here the Gentiles are the lost one that God is also interested in? Who in heaven is rejoicing with Him?
This parable speaks of repentance. Is it talking about a wayward believer in need of repentance, or an unbeliever? 7, are the righteous those who have believed, or might they here be those who THINK they are righteous and not in need of repentance, like the Pharisees, with Jesus perhaps using a bit of sarcasm? According to 7, is repentance what an unbeliever does or what the righteous do? Jesus is using repentance to speak of believing unto salvation. Often Christians speak of the need to repent if our Christian life is slipping, if we are walking in the flesh, if we sin. We wonder here if that is an accurate reflection of repentance. Paul in the Epistles, the directions for the church, never tells us to repent, even though he often speaks of wrong behavior in the church; he also speaks of repentance as believing unto salvation. The parable in 8-10 echoes the same point; note the repeated phrase in 7 and 10. In both cases, the person does something to find the lost one; what has God done to bring people to Himself? Both stories conclude with rejoicing over the lost one that is found; is this meant to contrast with the Pharisees being grumpy about Jesus speaking with "sinners"?
11-32 A long parable that takes up the rest of the chapter begins in 11. What do we call the first son in 11-24? Is that word found here? It is not found in the Bible but describes someone who is wastefully extravagant. The word came into use in about 1500, and was used by Bible editors to label this section; now people seldom use that word, and many Bibles with headings speak of the lost son. Again, a question to consider is who this son represents. What happens to this son? How does the father respond? What is the main point of this parable? This is how the world lives, but some come to their senses, turn from their ways, come to the Father confessing their sins, where they are freely received and forgiven. There are many other points that can be taken from this story. Could this be picturing unbelievers? Believers? Pigs were unclean to the Jews and not to be touched, so to the Jews, this pictured the lowest possible point in life. Do we see many that must get to the end of their rope before turning, or returning, to Christ? Yet not all...
What attitudes do we see in 18-19, 21? We see a change in actions, confession, humility, recognition of unworthiness, he has sinned against both God and man. Does God forgive us before we repent? 20, what is the father's response? 22, what does the father put on him? What does God put on the sinner who repents? Christ's righteousness. Is 24 parallel to the closing point of the two previous parables, in 7 and 10?
J. Vernon McGee applies the idea of sons and pigs to believers and unbelievers. Are all sons living in the father's house? Are some still in the pigpen, or on the way there or back? Can a son ever be truly at home in a pigpen? Might prodigal pigs leave the pigpen try life in the father's house? Can pigs be truly at home in the father's house? Do they stay? Might some who look like sons, actually be pigs? Might some in the world who look like pigs actually be sons? We can't tell by outward appearances as we observe those on the road of life.
25-32 is about the other son. 28, why is he angry? Will he attend the banquet? What does 29-30 reveal about his attitude? 30, "this son of yours" implies what kind of attitude? Is he justified? He thinks it is about what? His work--things he expects should happen to him because of what he has done. Looking at the story of both sons, and relating it back to its context, 1-2, who are the two sons? Israel and the Gentiles, the "sinners." (But might there be broader application to be found in the story?) Jesus is always talking about who will enter the coming kingdom. How do the Pharisees see themselves? As righteous and deserving. Are they rejoicing with God about the unrighteous Gentiles turning to God, to the gospel, to Jesus, being included in God's plan, in the kingdom? Jesus often uses a banquet to symbolize the kingdom. Contrast the two sons' conversations with the father. This topic will come up often in the early church--in Acts and the Epistles--as some believing Jews see believing Gentiles as lesser than themselves. All who believe have been forgiven of sin; is a nice unbeliever's sin just as offensive to God as a bad person's sin?
CHAPTER 16
1-9 This may be a parable, although it is not identified as one, so it may be a story about real people they know. What words in 1 parallel 15:12-13 and seem to tie this story to that one? We see a wasteful son and a wasteful manager. In both stories, do we see Jesus commending the wasteful one? Do both make a change after their unrighteous deeds catch up with them? Are both trying to secure their future, which otherwise looks bleak? Why does it look bleak? In both cases Jesus was making a point about the Pharisees and to the Pharisees. This parable or story is a good example of not trying to make every detail of a parable mean something; it is a story that people could relate to that illustrated a point. We too have a wealthy father and serve a very rich Man. We are to be good stewards of whatever responsibilities God has brought our way. How does the use of one's spiritual resources or wisdom determine your future, even your eternal dwelling place? Be faithful in managing what resources God has given you.
10-13 Apparently our use of the world's things is a test to see how God will reward us in the next life, in helping administer the earthly kingdom. This is supported by Mat. 25:14-23, Luke 11:44, 19:17, II Tim. 2:12, Rev. 5:9-10. Apparently each of us will have responsibilities then, based on what we have shown that we are capable of. Perhaps "unrighteous wealth" is a reference to the wealth that is had and used by those in the world, who are not necessarily "the righteous." God gives us possessions and responsibilities in this world; based on how faithful we are with them, He will determine how much responsibility we will be given in the kingdom. What application can be drawn for employees or other business relationships we are in? Why does it not work to serve two masters--God and wealth?
14-18 Jesus was addressing the disciples, 1, but who was also present, listening? He tells 1-13 for their benefit. This was given right after what story? So Jesus had been speaking about who will enter the kingdom. What key word back in 2 tells what this story is about? Being a Jew does not guarantee entry into the kingdom; all must give an accounting to God. Why would they scoff at Him? What were they like? Greedy, materialistic, wrapped up in power and privilege, appearances. Can this be a problem for Christians, even leaders in the church? What is detestable in God's sight?
The Law and the Prophets is a reference to the Old Testament. John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, 16. That era was coming to an end. Now the message was the good news of the kingdom--preparing people for the kingdom which was finally at hand, for the Messiah in their midst. The Law spoke clearly of the Messiah but they were not accepting that part of it. Jesus gives one example, accusing the Pharisees of doing what? Divorce was easy--over any little thing.
19-31 Is this identified as a parable? People in parables are not given real names. Jesus has been speaking about money; who are the two people in the story? What happens to them? Where is Lazarus? Where is the rich man? What was it like there? Before the cross and the resurrection there were two compartments of Hades; the place of the unrighteous dead, and the place of the righteous dead, also called Paradise, Luke 23:43. What can we conclude about these two places? Can they see each other? So are people recognizable after death?
What does the rich man mistakenly think? What does Abraham mean by Moses and the Prophets? If they have already rejected the Scriptures (at that time speaking of the Old Testament), how will they respond to Jesus? Jesus has been speaking to and about the Pharisees; what is He saying about them here?
Abraham's Bosom is not where believers go now; it was emptied when Christ ascended to heaven, Eph. 4:8-10. Are the unsaved dead now in the lake of fire? Rev. 20, that happens at the end of the thousand-year earthly reign of Christ (the kingdom spoken of throughout the Gospels). Hades/Sheol/Hell is where the unsaved go when they die, to a temporary place of punishment until the great white throne judgment.
CHAPTER 17
1-2 Who would "these little ones" be? Compare Mat. 18:6. What are stumbling blocks? (margin, "temptations to sin"; Strong's Concordance includes, a trap or snare) So "stumble" here equals "sin." Could we be a stumbling block without meaning to? But here, "woe to him" implies knowingly.
3-4 Why be on our guard about these things? Is it because our tendency is not to rebuke, not to forgive? So what comes first? Then what? Then what? This is the biblical order. Does God forgive us before we repent? Looking up the definition of the word "rebuke" may clear up some problems. In Webster, it means "to sharply criticize," but in Strong's, alternate meanings are "admonish, convict, convince, reprove." Perhaps we read into the Bible a flavor that is not there; this is why it is helpful to look up words in Strong's, to make sure we are understanding what the Bible is saying.
Can we choose not to harbor anger, bitterness or resentment against someone who has sinned against us? Will holding onto those feelings punish that person? Or will it merely allow them to continually control our emotions? Compare how much YOU have been offended to how much God has been offended, and yet He forgives when a person repents. Does the Bible say to "forgive and forget"? Is this humanly possible? Does God forget our sins, or choose not to remember them? What if we doubt the sincerity of the person's repentance?
5-6 If this passage follows the previous verse in time, the apostles apparently think this is so beyond them that they need more faith to be able to act like this. Or perhaps these are unrelated. Jesus responds with several thoughts. Did He tell them to actually do this? Obviously not. Is the real issue the amount of faith, or the object of that faith? The mustard seed is tiny, so what is Jesus saying? The point is to exercise what faith you have.
7-10 Again, we don't know if this is related to what was just said, or if Luke is simply recording things said at various times. Who is the slave and the master? What are this slave's jobs? Are they optional? He has many, and he is to do them with what kind of attitude? How is he to feel about and act toward his master? What is he not to expect from his master? It's not about feeling good, getting pats on the back, feeling like we deserve anything or have earned anything. If this is Jesus's answer to their question about having more faith, did it take great faith for this slave to do his master's will? What DID it take? Obedience; is Jesus saying that's what their REAL problem is? He said they are to rebuke and forgive; they are to obey, it's that simple. You don't need more faith to obey. And this slave is to have humility, not self-esteem. Today people have trouble with verse 10. Are we to then feel worthless? No--somewhere inbetween.
11-19 Jesus, the disciples and the crowds are walking toward what destination? What did the Law say about having leprosy? Lev. 13:45-46. Why did Jesus send them to the priests? Lev. 13:1-3, 14:1-2. What was the difference in the attitude of the one vs. the nine? What does this show us about people and their different attitudes toward God's blessings? Do God's blessings always turn people's hearts toward Him? We know this man was saved as well as healed; perhaps the others were not? Perhaps not all the multitudes who were healed were saved? Because he is identified as a Samaritan, we wonder if that implies the rest were Jews. If so, we see another example of the Gentiles believing Christ while the Jews don't recognize Him.
20-21 The kingdom was present in the person of Jesus Himself--the King. If they would have acknowledged Him as Messiah, it could have happened right then. The kingdom is future, following the second coming, Luke 11:2, 23:42,51, Acts 1:6, II Tim. 4:1, Rev. 11:15, 12:10, 20:1-10. The KJV, the NKJV and the NIV say "within you" which has led to two errors. New Agers falsely say 21 means that God--the divine spark, the "christ consciousness"--is in us ALL. And many Christians think 21 means that currently the kingdom is a mystical spiritual kingdom, an internal state within believers, but that is not what is said. He, the King, is in their midst, is among them, if they would only recognize Him. They don't have to look around and observe signs to know when the kingdom begins; people claiming to have special knowledge of this event don't. When He returns, it will be as obvious as a flash of lighting. It is not going to happen now, He says, because unbelieving Israel will reject their Messiah and will put Him to death.
What were the people doing in the days of Noah and of Lot? Is there anything wrong with eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building, getting married? The implication is carrying on life with no thought of God; no one had a heart for God, no one was seeking Him, following Him, obeying Him. Both examples stress "on the day" the righteous were removed. Jesus said that in Noah's day, the flood destroyed ALL mankind; many Christians who compromise with the theory of evolution don't believe that but claim it was only a local flood. Jesus did not believe that; either the flood destroyed ALL mankind or else Jesus is lying or confused and the Bible is not without error as it claims.
"Just as it happened" implies that also at His return, the righteous will be removed first before judgment falls on the wicked; Jesus did not teach of the rapture but revealed it later to the church through Paul, yet here we see foreshadowing. "The day" and "that day," in 29, 30 and 31, usually are references to the day of the Lord--that time period following the rapture that Dan. 9 speaks of as the 70th week of years--the last seven years of the prophecy in Dan. 9. The Old Testament speaks of it as the day of wrath; following the tribulation, the day of the Lord goes on to include the second coming and Christ's kingdom. It is the tribulation that Jesus speaks of in Mat. 24, and that John speaks of in Rev. 7:14. Unlike Lot's wife and all who drowned in Noah's day, all who turn from Self, from the world, he who "loses his life" by giving it up to Jesus, will be saved.
34-36 Those who are taken in 34-35 would be the wicked who are still alive at the end of the tribulation and are removed for judgment (compare the greater detail in Mat. 13:24-50), at Christ's return and before the kingdom begins. One on side of the world it will happen at night, for others it will be daytime; it will happen in a moment of time. 37, they ask where these people will be taken to? Many see the rapture here, but Jesus does not teach of the rapture; He reveals the rapture later through Paul. At this time He is dealing with Israel, and the rapture is only for the church, which doesn't come into being until Acts 2. "Vultures" is "eagles" in KJV and in Strong's. Vultures sound negative; eagles don't, but birds are often used as a symbol of evil, compare Mat. 13:4, 19, 31. It could be that He is saying, where the dead are (spiritually dead), judgment will take place. William Barclay says this was a common proverb meaning that a thing would happen when the necessary conditions were fulfilled.
CHAPTER 18
1-8 Here is another example of Luke using parables by contrast; if even an ungodly judge eventually, while complaining about it, brings justice to those who seek his help, will not God, the righteous Judge, bring justice to the righteous, and do it more quickly? What is the point of the parable, 1? Is our timetable often different than God's idea of speedily, not delaying? What is the last half of chapter 17 about? If this parable follows that, the context is the endtimes, the tribulation--believing Israel in danger from their opponents, for their very lives; He will speedily bring justice, judgment, at the end of the tribulation. Is He saying that when He returns, faith will be almost nonexistent on the earth? Maybe, in the light of chapter 17. Or is He speaking of the lack of faith in Israel right then, as He--the unrecognized Son of Man--found when He came? Or both? Many will be saved during the tribulation, Rev. 7:9-14, but few will be left alive by the time Christ returns at the end. Few will persist in their faith like this woman did.
9-14 Who is 9 talking about? Pharisees. As Jesus speaks in 10, can't you see them immediately identifying themselves as the Pharisee, and immediately feeling judgmental about the tax-gatherer who had the nerve to go pray in the temple? As Jesus speaks in 11-12, can't you see them puffing up inside, saying proudly, "Yep! That's me alright!" Can't you hear the tone of voice and see the facial expression in this prayer? As Jesus spoke in 13-14, you wonder if any of them felt convicted, if a little light came on? If not, what would they probably feel? Fury, rage, against Jesus? Why? The Jewish tax-collector was hated by the other Jews because he collected taxes for Rome; apparently this man feels guilty about what he does for a living. He comes to God on what basis? His mercy, His grace, not his own merit.
How we view ourselves, how we pray, the lyrics of the songs we sing--is it all about ME? Again Jesus emphasizes humility. Do some Christians, especially life-long church-raised Christians, feel self-righteousness, looking down the nose at others? Is self-righteousness (spiritually patting yourself on the back) any less offensive to God than lying, losing your temper, having a foul mouth, drunkenness, or immorality? This man's prayer pretended to be thankful, but was really what? What S-word do you see twice in 14? Self is a big problem. Why are we so easily deceived by Self?
15-17 Is this saying that children will go to heaven when they die? Or is Jesus using these children as an object lesson to the disciples, the parents, and the onlookers, to exercise simple faith? Or both? Are both meanings supported by Scripture? We often find more than one layer of meaning in Scripture, all of which are true. This is an evidence of divine authorship. What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God? To believe that Jesus is the Messiah--God in the flesh. Does "such as these" mean young humans, or those with simple faith? Isn't this the reason for Sunday School, VBS, and Bible clubs?
18-27 The rich young ruler. (Matthew tells us he was young but not a ruler; Mark tells he is rich but doesn't mention young or ruler; Luke tells that he is rich and a ruler.) 18-19, Jesus answers his question with a question, getting right to the main issue: who is Jesus? What is Jesus saying about Himself to this man, and the crowd? We wonder if this man was sincerely a seeker, or like the Pharisees, a proud self-justifier.
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, this is the only mention of "eternal life." However, John quotes Jesus as talking about eternal life nine times. On the other hand, John only mentions the kingdom five times (two in his talk with Nicodemas, and three in his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane), yet Matthew, Mark and Luke have numerous references. This helps us see the different emphasis in the various Gospels; John, more than the others, addresses believers rather than the Jew/Gentile situation. John was written much later and was written to help Christians (the church) understand more about Jesus and who He is.
Why would Jesus point him to the Law? Is that the way to eternal life? What can we learn about this man's concern based on a repeated word in 19? What did this man think would get him eternal life? Did he respond to Jesus's claim to be God? If you don't believe Jesus is God as He claims, what is the only way to get eternal life? 21, again we see this man's concern with being good. So we wonder if he is sincerely trying to please God, and intuitively realizes something is missing, or if he is self-righteously justifying himself to Jesus? Again we see a religious person being deceived by Self because he thinks he is pretty "good." What does Mark 10:21 add that Luke doesn't mention?
Compare 22-23 to 12:33. Where was this man's treasure? Hadn't Jesus offered him more treasure? Did he want that? He is confronted with Self but chooses not to repent. So he chose what over what? Jesus only quoted a few commandments, but what does Gal. 3:10 say? Can anyone keep them all? If you don't commit adultery but entertain adulterous thoughts, are you keeping the commandments? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that thoughts and motives, not just acts, were considered by God. Had he really been keeping the first commandment? But didn't he think he had been? The Pharisees had redefined the Law so much that they actually thought they could keep it and WERE keeping it. Why would he think he had been keeping the first commandment? Probably because he didn't worship idols. One of Self's deceptions is that idols are only those images; what else can idols be? Col. 3:5, Eph. 5:5. This is probably the most common form of idolatry for the Christian; what else can be an idol? Worship is not about singing praise songs or the Sunday morning service; the Bible defines it as obeying and serving; see Dan 3:28 which adds some words that tell us what worship is about. For the New Testament believer, an idol is anything that takes first place in your life, anything you worship/serve/yield yourself to. 22, did Jesus just say to sell his stuff? What do the last three words mean?
24-30 Why is it hard? The Old Testament taught that, under the Law, riches was proof of God's blessing, so they must be wondering what Jesus means. But a new dispensation is coming; the age of the Law is giving way to the age of grace. We see that they use what word, 26, to mean the same as what words, 24 and 25? So can rich people be saved, 27? We wonder what tone he uses in 28: expectant? worried? proud? Who is 29 about? What might 30 mean? Literally or figuratively? Physically or spiritually? It says "at this time" and "in the age to come." Does He mean we will get more wives or mothers? 30, receive what?
31-34 Again He tells them. Not only is HE predicting, He says who else predicted this? For example, Psa. 22, Isa. 53. 32, who are these Gentiles? The Romans that killed Him. Israel's Messiah, ironically, will be delivered over to the Gentiles. Who delivers Him up? The Jews. Who is responsible? God, Satan, Jews, Romans, us? 34, remember that this was written later, as Luke is telling the story that he was told by the disciples, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight. They admit they didn't get it; it was hidden from them.
35-43 As they are traveling toward Jerusalem, who did Jesus encounter? Was this man a Jew? Did he think Jesus was the Messiah? Son of David = Messiah, according to the Old Testament, II Sam. 7:12-16. Mat. 12:23, Mark 12:35. What does he call Jesus in 41? What does that word mean? What did he think his greatest need was? But what was it really? Are we like that? Don't we think our physical needs are the important concern, when it is really our spiritual needs? Jesus asked him to specify what he wanted; does Jesus always approach healing that way? Be careful about making generalizations about how God "always" works in people's lives based on how He worked in your life; many sermons and books make this mistake and promise us things that aren't biblical. Read the whole Bible, not just one story.
CHAPTER 19
1-10 They are now at Jericho, fifteen miles from their destination. What was Zaccheus like? Short, rich, head-taxman, crooked, athletic. Why would Jesus invite Himself to this man's house? Had he perhaps already believed? What did the crowd think of Z? And of Jesus, at that point? Why would someone like Z turn to Jesus? Do we know anyone like him? Someone you think MOST unlikely to ever turn to the Lord? Why did he turn to the Lord when most Pharisees didn't? Was his faith superficial, based on only miracles? How do we know? We see evidence of repentance; he recognized his sin, admitted his sin, and his behavior showed it. Compare the story of this rich man to 18:22-25. Obviously more was said between Jesus and Zaccheus that day than is recorded--why do you suppose this is the part that is recorded for us? (Repentance leads to evidence of a changed life.) Did he appear to say this privately or was this a public statement? What difference does it make? What is the meaning of his "if" in 8? Is he saying, I don't really think I have done this. His "if" is followed by admission of a specific sin and what he intends to do. 10 takes us back to what stories in chapter 15? So is God waiting to be found, or what is He doing? Here we have election and free will together.
11-19 This is Luke's version of the parable we just discussed from Mat. 25 in relation to Luke 16:10-12. We talked about how this is what we will be doing in the millenial kingdom. There are a couple of new things here to note though. 13, "do business with this until I return" is "occupy until I return" in the KJV. Elements of the Christian Right (a book by Frankie Schaeffer, son of Francis Schaeffer) take this verse to mean the church is to occupy in the sense of an occupying army. They believe the church is to take over society, bringing in righteousness and eventually the kingdom, and then Christ will return to receive the kingdom that has been prepared for Him. Once you are aware of this view, it's not hard to read between the lines and find many references to it in the talk of many popular Christian leaders today. It explains many of their political positions and their attempts to motivate the church to get more involved socially and politically. They don't identify themselves as such but this belief goes by the names dominionism, kingdom now, reconstructionism, the Christian Right.
The NASB says instead, "do business with this." "Occupy" in this sense is to be occupied with the things that God has given you in your life. Stay busy, be faithful, look at your life as if it is all from God's hand.
Another difference in Luke is 12, pointing out that He didn't just go on a journey; why did He go away? The events of this parable take place when He returns; when is that? Backing up to 11, why did Jesus tell this parable? The timetable for the kingdom has changed, and Jesus is telling them so in this parable. 15, He returns when? So Jesus is telling of the gap between the 69th and 70th week of Dan. 9. Does He say here how long that time will be? Does Mat. 25:19 tell how long? Look at Mat. 25:5, Hos. 3:4-5. None of these give clues, except to imply that it is a longer time rather than a shorter time. We do learn that the kingdom begins at His return.
16-19 What is the key concept, 17? Where Matthew says he will be put in charge of many things, Luke is more specific. In charge of what? Again, we see what we will be doing in the millenial kingdom, helping administer Christ's earthly rule. In Matthew each is given a different amount of something, "according to his ability," and judged by what he did with it. Here each is given the same amount of something and judged by what he did with it.
20-27 Does this servant appear to be a believer? Compare Mat. 25:30. Unbelievers do nothing with what God gave them; what has God given them that they do not use if they reject Him? All MAY believe (whosoever will may come, we are told over and over to believe), and those who don't are held responsible (it's not God's fault they don't believe--they have made choices). 27, what will happen to living unbelievers before the kingdom begins? Removed for judgment, Mat. 13. I wonder if this closing remark sent a chill through everyone listening; God is like THAT?
28-35 They are almost to Jerusalem. Bethany is two miles away, Bethphage is one. Does God know the future? Does He know everything that is about to happen to us? Does He tell us? Why do you suppose He told the disciples (and us) these things? Does He just know the main events, or even the smallest details? How should this knowledge affect us? We can trust that nothing is out of control, even if it looks or feels like it. There is a reason for everything that happens, even if we can't see it. What about Jesus riding a colt that hadn't been rode? Animals recognize and respond to their Creator.
36-40 Matthew identifies these people as the multitudes; what does Luke call them? Again we see that "disciples" can refer to many more than the twelve; Jesus had many disciples. So this crowd appears to be believers; what do they believe about Jesus, 38? In Mat. 21:9 they call Him the Son of David, a Jewish term for the promised Messiah. This scene takes place just before He reaches the city gate. This is what we call Palm Sunday, so the first day of the week--in a few days He will be arrested and crucified. 39, why would the Pharisees want Jesus to rebuke them? What does Jesus' answer mean?
41-44 Finally He is at Jerusalem--what willl happen there? What made Jesus weep? What one city on this earth is more important to God than any other city? Why? 42, "in this day" is an interesting comment. Dan. 9:25-26 says the Messiah will be cut off when? When does this timetable begin, 25? The end of the 69 weeks is the exact day of the "triumphal entry" to Jerusalem. Dan. 9:26 speaks of other events after that, then 9:27 tells the events of the final "week" of years--the final seven years of the prophecy. Daniel prophesied of an indefinite period of time between the 69th week and the 70th week. We saw Jesus refer to this timetable earlier in this chapter. Luke 19:43-44, what is one major event that will happen following the 69th week, the cutting off--the rejection--of the Messiah? Why will this happen to Jerusalem?
45-48 What had been going on in the temple? If you couldn't bring an animal for sacrifice, you could buy one to sacrifice, but they were cheating the people. What is Jesus claiming in 46? A sideways claim that it is HIS house? What is Jesus doing now in His final week, in the last several days before His arrest? The next two chapter record His last teachings. Why couldn't the religious leaders do anything to Him? Even His enemies couldn't accuse Him; if He wasn't God, wouldn't they be able to find something? What is the public reaction? Don't you suppose the disciples might have thought that things weren't looking too bad? Except for those strange statements Jesus kept making about what would happen.
CHAPTER 20
1-8 Remember the time frame, that "gospel" here does not mean the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus--why?It is the gospel of the kingdom--proclaiming that the kingdom and the King are at hand. What two groups of people do we see in 1? We have seen that Jesus handles those two groups differently; He patiently teaches and explains to the crowds--those who are looking for the Messiah and wondering if it is Jesus--but challenges and even condemns the hypocritical religious leaders--those who fear losing their power and influence and so want to get rid of Him, Mat. 12:1-14. In the Gospel of John, we see the religious leaders referred to as the Jews; the others are referred to as the people or the crowd, even though they are also Jewish. Understanding this distinction helps us to follow the plot better.
Do the religious leaders really want truth? Or do they want to catch Him in blasphemy so they can take Him, get rid of Him? Do we see Jesus always patiently explaining and re-explaining to these trouble-makers as they play their word games? We see Him also clever in His use of words, yet never lying or losing His cool or twisting words, never falling into their traps, often answering a question with a question. Does His question in 4 reveal that this is the question they were trying to pin on Him? Does 6 mean they didn't believe John was a prophet, or might it just mean that they didn't want the people to think he was?
9-16 Now who does He address? Who is the owner of the vineyard? Who are the vinegrowers? Who were the slaves sent to get fruit? Who is the beloved son? What is Jesus predicting about Himself? What will happen to those growers? What will happen to the vineyard? Who would the others be? Mat. 21:43 has Jesus making this parable even clearer. How did His listeners react to this?
17-18 Jesus ends with a "clincher" statement. Who are the builders? Who is the stone? The chief cornerstone of what? Everyone will be affected by this stone, how? Would "fall" mean trip or stumble? Same as in Mat. 4:9. The Bible often uses "fall down" and "worship" interchangeably, and they are often found together in a phrase. This is the true meaning of worship--not singing praise songs. So those who fall down and worship Him will what? Repentance equals brokenness. Do we want to be broken, or strong? Why is brokenness important? Might it be related to humility? Might it be related to the idea of dying to Self? Doesn't it sound like the opposite of pride/arrogance? II Cor. 4:7-12, death to Self? Like Gideon's army with torches in their pitchers, Jud. 7:15-20, the light can't shine out until the clay pots are broken. Dan. 2:34-35,44, Psa. 2:9.
19-22 Both groups of people were listening. What do we learn here about what the Jewish religious leaders were like? Religious game-playing of the worst sort. So is one of Satan's tricks to use religious people and religious ideas? What was their plan? Did they think Jesus was sinful, or taught wrong doctrine? They know, but they choose not to believe. God will hold them responsible for their knowledge and what they did with it.
23-26 So are people to pay taxes? Why? Rom. 13. What else does He say we are to do? What does that mean? We can learn from Jesus' strategy in dealing with these people; He usually doesn't answer the question they ask Him, but He determines what it is they are really saying, and He addresses that. If we are in tricky situations, we can try to do that too. The words people SAY aren't always the things they MEAN; we are not to be naive.
27-28 Who are the Sadducees? They were the modern religious liberals of their day. Just as liberals deny the supernatural, what do they deny? What is their strategy? Quote Scripture and cast doubt on it.
29-33 Now what strategy do they use? A hypothetical situation. Beware of those! They try to create a trap, a contradiction of Scripture, as many do who don't really know or believe the Bible. They ridicule Scripture.
34-36 What is "this age" and "that age," 33? This present time, and the kingdom age. Those who don't like the term "dispensations" can just as easily use the Bible's term, "age," same idea--different periods of time in which God administers things, dispenses His grace, in different way, yet always with salvation by faith. Who is "considered worthy" to attain to that age? This phrase is used two other times in the New Testament, Acts 5:41 and II Thes. 1:5. Considered = reckoned. Worthy = righteous. It speaks of those who are deemed deserving, and the only way we deserve anything is through Christ's righteousness given to us. So is this teaching that some believers are worthy to enter the kingdom and some are not? No. Believers will enter, unbelievers will not.
What does this passage teach about marriage and the marriage relationship after death? Does this say people become angels, as some believe? Does it say angels are sexless or cannot engage in sexual relations? Some believe this; the reason this is important is the controversy over Gen. 6:4 and whether the "sons of God" who came in to the daughters of men were angels or human. The parallel passage in Mat. 22:30 is clearer; the angels in heaven, who serve and obey God, do not engage in sexual or marital activity, but Gen. 6:4 speaks of the wicked angels, not the angels in heaven. In the Bible angels appear in men's bodies; they engage in the physical activity of eating so they have functioning human bodies. Gen. 18:1-8, these are angels, 19:1.
This passage also clarifies our view of the endtimes. When the kingdom begins, following the second coming, it will initially be populated only by believers. The church, which was raptured just before the seven-year tribulation, is in their resurrected bodies, in their sinless eternal state. We will rule and reign with Christ over His earthly kingdom for a thousand years. Those few mortals who are still alive at the end of the tribulation will be divided: the righteous will enter the kingdom in their mortal bodies, and will repopulate the earth. The unrighteous will be removed to judgment. Mat. 13:36-43, 47-50, 25:31-46. As in all ages, some of the offspring of those righteous will believe, but many will not, and at the end of the thousand years, the wicked will stage a final rebellion against Christ when Satan is released from the pit, Rev. 20:1-10. Following that is the final judgment of the unsaved dead, the great white throne judgment; all who rejected Christ and chose to trust in themselves will be judged by their own works, as they chose. None can be saved by their own works; all of them will be thrown into the lake of fire, Rev. 20:11-15. Following that is the eternal state.
35-36 speaks specifically of those believers who have died and attained the resurrection, not the mortal believers of that age. We wonder if we will be with our spouses in heaven, and if not, how can that be? We learn here that, even if we are in some way still in a relationship with them, it will not be sexual; our state will be like that of the angels. If we had more than one spouse, it will not be a problem. Some wonder how not being sexual can be a better state, but consider that our greatest pleasures on earth can only be shadows of what He has in store for us. Psa. 16:11, I Cor. 2:9.
37-40 How does 37-38 answer the main problem with the Sadducees? In Moses' day, were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob living or dead? What does Jesus say about them in 38? Don't many question whether there is life after death?
41-44 Now Jesus asks them a question from Scripture, that they are supposed to be experts in. What does the word "Christ" mean? (some versions say "the Christ"} It is not Jesus' name but His title: the Messiah, the Anointed One. Jesus the Christ. What does the term "David's son" refer to? The Davidic covenant, found in II Sam. 7. God promised David a line of kings would descend from him and be established forever; David's son Solomon was in view, but "forever" speaks of the Messiah who would come in David's line--the Son of David. Mat. 1:1, 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30, 21:9,15, 22:42. The Jews understood this title to refer to the Messiah, so we see many were believing, or at least hoping, that He was the one. In 42, who is "the Lord" and who is "my Lord"? The Father and the Son. 44 is a riddle; what is the explanation? David was speaking prophetically of Christ, of the Messiah, and what would happen in the future. Since Jesus claims to be the Messiah, what is He saying about Himself? He is God; He sits at the Father's right hand. Do they have any answer?
45-47 Other than "devouring widow's houses," what is so awful about the things listed here? We are to beware of this type of behavior, especially among Christians, Christian leaders, or those who claim to be Christians. What does that last statement teach? He is speaking of those who are NOT believers!
CHAPTER 21
1-4 Where was Jesus? Remember we are in the week following the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, 19:37-38. We saw Jesus cleansing the temple in 19:45-46. In 20:1 He is in the temple. It appears that in the final week, He is spending His time at the temple teaching. He has been talking to and about the Pharisees, who are big on appearances and impressing others with their religious show. What is He saying to them? Does this mean we are all to give all the money we have to live on? What is the point here?
5-7 Where does Jesus appear to be? This is His Olivet Discourse (at the Mount of Olives), also found in Mat. 24-25. What did He predict? Was this fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the temple? Yes and no; that event would be a partial fulfillment of what Jesus says here, because when He answers the question the disciples ask in 7, we see that His answer takes us to the tribulation. So, as in much Bible prophecy, we see a near fulfillment, a partial fulfillment, but then a distant and complete fulfillment. They have two questions: when, and what signs to look for. Somehow they knew that signs would precede these significant events. Could they be thinking of events prophesied in Deut. 28:49-52 and Dan. 9:26-27?
8-11 See to it/take heed, 8, that what? Matthew stresses "mislead" even more. What misleading ideas will people believe, 8? 9-11, it's not clear whether these things come before or after the beginning of the tribulation, or both. Wars and disturbances (KJV: commotions; Strongs: disorder, instability, confusion, tumult) sound like the average world events, but because He is speaking of signs and says not to be terrified, what might we conclude? He is speaking of events much more serious and frightening than usual. Such events are spoken of in Revelation.
When He speaks of many coming in His name, He may be speaking of those over the years who have claimed to be Jesus. Another possibility is that so-called "aliens" are actually demons in disguise, and that after the rapture, after the Restrainer (the indwelling Holy Spirit) is removed, Satan, who is no longer restrained, will send hordes of his demons as "aliens" and they will claim to be divine. Websites that feature channeled messages often have messages from someone identifying themself as Jesus; we know this is not Jesus, and the messages are definitely not of the real Jesus, but unbelievers will accept these beings and their messages, especially if accompanied by supernatural signs, as warned in Mat. 24:24.
12-15 What does 12 warn of? Luke says "before all these things." Matthew says "then" as if these things will happen AFTER the things mentioned in 9-11, but "then" means "at that time" (see Strong's Concordance). This seems to indicate Jesus is speaking not of these signs preceding the beginning of the tribulation (when the Antichrist signs the covenant, Dan. 9:27, but during the tribulation, which is when they will see natural disasters "on steroids"and great anti-Semitism (which is increasing already today), and the great persecution of the Jews (and those who become Christians following the rapture of the church--the tribulation saints). Does 14-15 mean we should not be prepared to give our testimony to others? Some claim that a pastor ought not to study and prepare a message but just trust the Holy Spirit to speak through him; that is obviously not what this is teaching, II Tim. 2:15.
16-19 This will be the state of affairs during the tribulation. There will be strong pressure to turn in Jews and Christians; there will be bounty hunters, and no one will know who they can trust. Does Christ sometimes divide families, friends, churches? If this happens, who are we to be loyal to? 18, the Bible indicates that one-third of Israel will come through the tribulation, that two-thirds will die; I believe the Bible teaches, here and elsewhere, that unbelieving Jews die and that God protects the believing remnant. Does this contradict 18? In John 3:16 does "perish" refer to physical or spiritual death? 19, "lives" is "souls" in NASB margin, again the idea of eternal life. Endurance to the end will be required of believers in the tribulation, Rev. 14:12; eternal security is a blessing only given to the church, and the church age ends at the rapture.
20-22 Mat. 24 gives more details that make it clear that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was only a partial fulfillment; a greater complete fulfillment must be yet in the future. In the Old Testament we often see prophecies having a near and far fulfillment, a short-term and long-term. Why was this so? What was the test of a true prophet? Deut. 18:21-22. Some (preterists, who follow the allegorical interpretation, not the literal interpretation of Scripture) claim this was fulfilled in 70 AD and Christ has returned, but compare Mat. 24:29. The second coming is not Jesus returning invisibly in our hearts as some claim. It sounds like an immediate evacuation is required. Luke says to do this when what, 20? Mat. 24:15-21 says to do this when what? The abomination of desolation happens at the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation, so the last three and a half years, Dan. 7:25, 8:11-12, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11, Rev. 13:1-6. Mat. 24:21 tells that this event signals the beginning of the worst time in all history. Matthew and Luke both refer to the same event. "The days of vengeance" would be the day of wrath, the day of the Lord--another Bible terms for the seven years of tribulation when the Antichrist appears. During the first three-and-a-half years, Israel will believe the Antichrist is their long-expected Messiah, as he will make a covenant with them (Dan. 9:27) that will apparently allow them to finally build their temple. But at the mid-point, the abomination of desolation will occur, and he will desecrate the temple, declaring himself to be God, in the Holy of Holies. This is when he turns on Israel and they must flee as they realize he is actually their arch-enemy.
23-24 What people in particular will experience God's wrath--who are "this people"? Jesus is speaking to Israel and speaking of Israel. Why will there be great wrath to this people at that time? The Old Testament warned of this day. This is one of the major themes of the Bible, God's plan for Israel--His promises, their disobedience, the day of the Lord, their chastisement, finally their acceptance of Christ as their Messiah, and then the promised kingdom. Has the first half of 24 been fulfilled, or is that future, or both? Again we see a near partial fulfillment and a future complete fulfillment.
What key phrase at the end of 24 helps us interpret end time prophecy? What does "until" mean? It continues up to a particular time. Compare Rom. 11:25. Rev. 11:2, the Gentiles are still overrunning Jerusalem at this point in the seven years of tribulation. When did the times of the Gentiles begin for Jerusalem? II Kings 25:1-12. Is Jerusalem entirely in Jewish hands today? When will the Gentiles no longer have any control of Jerusalem? The Dome of the Rock (temple mount, site of Solomon's temple, Mt. Moriah) is also the site from which Islam's prophet Mohammed is supposedly ascended into heaven, making it a holy site for their religion. Will there be peace in Jerusalem before the tribulation ends?
25-26 What else will be happening during the seven years of tribulation? We know from Revelation that a large percentage of mankind will die, Rev. 6:8, 8:7-11, 9:15.
27-28 Some in the Reformed theology (Calvinists) believe Christ has returned and is ruling His spiritual kingdom now. The kingdom is not spiritual but a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on earth following His second coming. This verse makes it clear His return is NOT just in our hearts, but will be an event that all will see, Mat. 24:27, Rev. 1:7. This is not the rapture of the church; Christ does not come on a cloud but catches us up to meet Him in the clouds, I Thes. 4:17. Jesus did not teach of the rapture but revealed it to the church later through Paul. The second coming happens just before the kingdom. Is 28 to the church or to the tribulation saints? Is there any application for the church today? If we see the stage being set for the tribulation, what does that tell us about the timing of the rapture?
29-31 Is this just using fig trees as an example of how we can observe and make assumptions about the future? Or do fig trees have symbolic meaning? They are spoken of often in the Bible--what do they represent? Israel, Mat. 21:18-19 comparing 33-41 (God desires fruit from Israel), Hosea 9:10. Trees are sometimes used to speak symbolically of nations, Jud. 9:7-15. Observing the fig tree growing, they would know when it is almost time for fruit to appear. That's why many believers think these events are right around the corner (plus, just watch the news). Another interesting clue about the fig tree and the end times is SOS 2:10-13. (For some strange reason, the KJV has "singing of birds" instead of "pruning the vines" as the NASB says, and as is the meaning of the Hebrew, shown in Strong's Concordance.)
32 What generation? Obviously not the people Jesus is speaking to because they all died; some think this was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. but ALL the events just mentioned did not happen in their lifetimes. Some think it refers to the Jewish race or the human race. Might it be the generation that experiences the tribulation? The generation that sees all the events Jesus just described? Is this the generation that will see Jesus return? Jesus also uses "this generation" to refer to hard-hearted unbelieving Jews, so unbelieving Israel; this is also found elsewhere in the Bible. Scripture passages often contain several levels of meaning, all of which are true and do not contradict each other.
All these events will happen rapidly; these are not events that are spread out over many decades or centuries. Many believe this also contains a reference to the fact that in our day, 1948, Israel has once again become a nation, as prophesied. Compare Eze. 37. How long is a generation? Some have used these verses to set dates for Christ's return, figuring from 1948. Could it mean the average length of a generation, or the length of a generation in Jesus's day, or our day? Some Christians said it was 40 years so Jesus would return in 1988. A more biblically supported number is found in Psa. 90:10, but more than that has passed since 1948, if those are to witness all the events of the seven year tribulation.
33 What two facts do we learn here? Is it significant that He says My "WORDS" and not My "WORD"? Both could be true; His "Word" could mean the Bible in general, but "words" tell us that each word in the Bible is significant. This tells us that the literal interpretation of Scripture is correct, rather than the more general allegorical view. When do heaven and earth pass away?
34-35 The church and the rapture are not in view here. Not only does Jesus not teach of the rapture, but it does not come like a trap, like something to guard against. Throughout much of Scripture, "that day," 34, speaks of the day of the Lord. Jesus warns those in that day to guard their hearts, so that they will not be numbered with "those" in 35. Yes, He is speaking to His listeners, but the context makes it clear He is also speaking to future Jews in the tribulation. That day WILL come upon who like a trap? This phrase possibly sheds more light on 32.
Jesus uses the phrase "this generation" a number of times, Mat. 11:16, 12:41-42, 23:36, Mark 8:12, Luke 7:31, 11:29-32 where it is repeated four times, then two more times a few verses later in 50-51, and Heb. 3:10. From these passages, especially Luke 11, it appears to speak of disobedient, disbelieving Israel. So Jesus references the fig tree--Israel--and could be saying here that until all these things take place--up through the second coming--the nation of Israel will continue to be disobedient and disbelieving. This lines up with all the rest of Scripture.
Luke 21:29-32 speaks of "the fig tree and all the trees," so all the nations; this is confirmed in 34-35, which says these things, "the day of the Lord," will come upon "all those who dwell on the face of the earth." This phrase is used a number of times in Revelation, speaking not of every person alive at that time, but specifically, the hardcore wicked, those who never repent, who end up taking the mark of the beast. Rev. 3:10, 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8,12,14, 17:2,8, with 17:8 being the clearest. This group is also spoken of in II Thes. 2:10-12. Evil unbelieving men from all nations will be around until the second coming; in the kingdom, things will be different, with Christ on the throne in Jerusalem, ruling with a rod of iron. Not all will believe in Him or love Him, but all WILL obey.
We see similar language in the Old Testament: Isa. 18:3, 24:17, 26:21, Jer. 25:26-30, 51:7, Eze. 7:7,21,27 (context, the day of the Lord), Nah. 1:5. In Zeph. 1:18 it says "all the inhabitants of the earth" will be devoured (context, the day of the Lord), yet we know that some believers make it alive to the end to begin populating the kingdom, so it must mean all the "earth-dwellers." These earth-dwellers--the unrepentant wicked--are distinguished from believers, or those during the tribulation who will become believers, who are citizens of heaven not earth, Phil. 3:20, Rev. 13:6. Both Matthew's version and Luke's version are true. Remember that Matthew was writing to the nation of Israel, and Luke was writing to the Greeks--Gentiles.
36 Jews (and non-Jews) who believe during the tribulation--the tribulation saints--will not be part of the church. The church age ends at the rapture. Believers before and after the church age do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers us to live for Christ and who seals us with eternal security--those blessings are only for the church. Once again, believers will have to be strong enough to stand for God and to remain faithful, but some may lose their faith due to persecution. Those who remain faithful will stand before Christ at His return--they will survive to enter the kingdom in their mortal bodies to procreate and repopulate the earth, while the church will be in our immortal bodies, ruling and reigning with Christ. At the start of the kingdom, there will be no unbelievers, but during the repopulating, many will not believe, as has always been the case. These unbelievers make up the final rebellion spoken of in Rev. 20:7-10 after Satan is released from the pit.
For some reason the KJV says "accounted worthy" but according to Strong's, the translation should be: have strength, prevail, overcome. The NASB says "have strength." Some use the misleading KJV wording to support the belief that not all the church will be taken in the rapture--only those believers who are living worthy of Christ. Such thinking is based on pride, and trusting in our own works to please God. But the church has already been raptured before the tribulation; this is not speaking to or of the church. This is speaking of those who believe during the tribulation. Surely it is speaking of both physical and spiritual strength and endurance; surely only the strongest will be able to survive the hardships.
37-38 Where is Jesus spending His time in this final week? How did the people respond? We wonder how many of these believed--how many believed after the resurrection. Jesus is giving instructions to Israel, to Jews who will believe, some during that future time; Matthew at this point gives much more detail about who will enter Israel's promised kingdom, but Luke is writing to Greeks, who are not concerned about that. The church is NOT warned to get ready for this tribulation or told how to get through it. Compare what is said to the church about anticipating this time, Rom. 8:23, I Cor. 1:7, Phil. 3:20, I Thes. 5:9-11, II Pet. 3:11-14.
CHAPTER 22
1-6 What event is now about to happen? So the teachings of CH21 are the last teachings Jesus gave His followers before His betrayal and arrest. We find this same time frame in Matthew and Mark. John presents it a little differently. Do we find this endtime teaching in John? What instead does he tell of Jesus teaching, chapters 14-17, right before the betrayal, 18? What group of people are the focus of Jesus's remarks in M/M/L? Israel. What new group of people are the focus of John 14-17? The church. This helps us see the different slant of John's Gospel, written to believers, rather than to the Jews, the Romans, or the Greeks. John wrote his Gospel years later, to help believers who may not have been eyewitnesses to understand who Christ is.
Questions: Was Judas used by Satan? Did he have no choice in the matter of Satan entering and using him? Even if Satan moves someone to do something wrong, they are still held responsible for their choices and actions, I Chron. 21:1,8. Did Satan realize that his plan to kill Jesus, to have Him crucified, would cause his own defeat? Is Satan all-knowing like God? Does he know any more of the future than is revealed in the Bible, and does he understand and believe that revelation? Since he is the great deceiver, can he be self-deceived like we are? Can Satan enter a believer? Can we be demon-possessed? Were any of the demon-possessed people Jesus healed identified as already being believers? Is demon-possession mentioned in the Epistles as a problem in the church? Is the church given any instructions for dealing with demon-possession? Do we read about demon-possession in the Old Testament?
Why would Jesus choose Judas? Didn't He know he was not a true believer and never would be? In the parable of Luke 19, remember the fellow in 20-26 who was an unbeliever, who was given the same opportunities as the ones who believed and obeyed? Did the other disciples suspect that surely it must be Judas? He was a clever actor/deceiver. Because they do not suspect him, we can assume that when the disciples were sent out earlier to preach and heal, Judas did these things just as the others did, or else they would have suspected him.
7 What was the purpose of the yearly sacrifice of a Passover lamb? Exo. 12. Why do the events of this chapter take place on that day? Here it says it was the first day of Unleavened Bread; in John it says Jesus died on the day the Passover lambs were killed, John 19:14. But John 13:1 says the Last Supper was before the Feast of the Passover. Possible explanations: there were two calendars that were followed; sometimes a supper was observed the day before the Passover supper; because the Jewish day began at sundown, this event could have happened the evening of the same date the Jews observed the next day. The combined feasts of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were often just referred to by one name or the other.
8-13 Carrying a pitcher was woman's work, so this fellow would be easy to spot. Does Jesus also know the events that will happen in my life today, and tomorrow? So why doesn't He tell us things in advance?
14-16 He tells them what is about to happen to Him? He will suffer; He has told them He will die. When will the Passover be completely fulfilled? So will Passover be celebrated in the kingdom? It was not completely fulfilled when Christ was sacrificed. Perhaps it will be fulfilled at the marriage supper of the Lamb when Christ returns with His bride. Passover is a feast for Israel, not the church; here is proof that Israel has a place in future prophecy, in the kingdom. Calvinists do not believe this; they teach that Israel has been absorbed into the church and there is no future fulfillment of any promises, that God's plan is now all about the church. When He mentions the kingdom, 16; there is no spiritual kingdom--He always speaks of His literal future kingdom. What timeline do you supposed they imagined? The kingdom is about to happen?
17-20 We see a cup that is passed around that everyone drinks out of. Then He breaks a loaf of bread--this would be unleavened bread. Exo. 12:15, what does leaven signify in the Bible? 12:1, sin. The Passover meal usually included a lamb; do we see a lamb here? Why not? Or it because Jesus is the Lamb of God, or maybe because He is doing a new thing, maybe both? The Passover supper now becomes what new thing for believers? Does Jesus say that eating and drinking these things will impart God's grace to them? Calvinists/Reformed teach this, that the Lord's supper is a "means of grace." Why are they, and we, to observe the Lord's Supper, end of 19? What else does it symbolize, end of 20? These are both repeated in Paul's directions to the church, I Cor. 11:23-26. What was the first covenant? The Law. We are no longer under the covenant of Law--the Mosaic covenant--but the covenant of Grace; the new covenant comes through Jesus' shed blood. The New Covenant is promised to Israel in Jer. 31 and applied to the church in Heb. 9. He is showing them that something new is coming--a new dispensation. Again He speaks of the future earthly kingdom.
21-23 He tells them something shocking. 23, can you imagine how this discussion went? We know from the other Gospels that Judas was present during that discussion, but Luke does not mention Judas, or that he leaves at this point.
24-27 Now an argument arises about what? What did Jesus just speak of that would bring this up? In a few hours, Christ will be arrested, but they are focused on what? Instead of getting angry with them, how does He address their argument? He tells them a story. Should a servant get his feelings hurt because he isn't getting what HE wants? What is a good servant's job? To be totally concerned with who? And not concerned with who? They have argued about this before. Do we sometimes totally lose track of what He is trying to teach us in a situation, and get off on Self? What is His concluding point, 27? In John we read that Jesus was also doing what for them at this meal, to make His point? Washing feet.
28-30 We have two more mentions of what key word? The kingdom is future, not present now, as many teach. They would be thinking that this event is in their lifetime, in the immediate future. Trick question: Will the disciples be alive when the kingdom begins? So 30 teaches that in the kingdom, the church will be in their resurrected immortal bodies, I Thes. 4:14-18, I Cor. 15:50-53. There will also be mortals--those who believed following the rapture and survived the tribulation, who will begin reproducing and repopulating the earth. Again He speaks of eating and drinking in the kingdom; apparently it will begin with a feast.
31-34 Satan is at work in both Judas and Peter; what is different though? Satan didn't just tempt Peter; he what? What similar account do we have in the Old Testament? Job. Does this mean that this is always the way Satan's temptations operate--he must ask first? Perhaps. Sift like wheat--why not just say tempt? Is this something worse, or is this what temptation is? Amos 9:9. Sift/shake the sieve. What might that tell us about temptation? "You" is plural, all the disciples. But what is to be Peter's role among them afterwards? Why does Peter come through this test eventually? Is Jesus praying for each of us (interceding)? Peter's faith did not ultimately fail; does that mean that he didn't stumble in the test? This word for "turned" is different than the word for "repent." Peter had already repented, but sometimes the believer gets temporarily turned around. According to this verse, what is one purpose of testing in our lives? How well does Peter know his true Self? But he THINKS he knows himself better than Jesus does, and that Jesus is wrong; he bragged on himself to God! Does he understand the unseen spiritual battle that is taking place? We don't read that Satan had to ask God for permission to tempt Judas, but was he a believer?
35-38 This is only in Luke. When Jesus was on earth, did His followers need a sword? But now that He is going away, things will be different. Self-protection is permissible for a Christian. "It is enough" may refer to two swords, or to end this conversation. Isa. 53:12, numbered with = considered to be one, treated like one. Because He was considered to be a criminal, His disciples would also be in danger now. Again the need for a sword might make them think the kingdom was around the corner--taking the kingdom by force. We will see that in the garden scene, coming up, Peter uses the sword.
39-42 Where did man's original sin take place? And to what kind of place did Jesus go to deliver man from sin? John 18:1. 40, where else have we seen Jesus say this? Mat. 6:13. Does that mean God tempts us, leads us into temptation? Jam. 1:13-14. We are to pray for God's leading in our lives--another way of praying for His will in our lives--so that we will NOT getting into a tempting situation. When temptation hits us, is that the time to start praying about it? What is the time? 42, where else have we seen Jesus say this? Mat. 6:10. What does the cup refer to? One's lot. How should WE pray about painful, unpleasant situations? Why might God not be willing to remove a "cup," a certain trial, from our lives? Why would Jesus pray this, if He was God? He was also what? The Bible says that worship is bowing Self before God, like this (not singing). Worship is not a group activity; there is no such thing as a worship leader or worship team. Humility--recognizing that we don't know best.
43-46 Manuscript evidence is divided on whether 43 actually belongs in the text. But might this be one of the ministries of angels? Does this say He sweated blood? That blood actually dropped from Him? This is sometimes the way this is presented. Again He tells them to pray; because they didn't, perhaps Peter was vulnerable to his temptation? Are we sometimes spiritually asleep and fail to pray when we should? 45 says they slept from sorrow; have you ever been so sad or depressed that surrendering to sleep seemed the easiest way out, perhaps because you actually had no energy left to deal with anything, or even as an escape from life? Those who teach demon-possession say that an irresistible heavy sleepiness accompanies the attack or presence of demonic activity. It doesn't say here that Satan was present (although he may have been); it says their sleep was from sorrow. Interestingly, we don't see sleepiness earlier in the chapter, when we are specifically told that Satan was present, active, and filling Judas, or demanding that he have Peter. Nowhere does Scripture teach this. Couldn't Jesus have solved the problem for Judas and Peter by simply casting out Satan? But Jesus didn't do this. The Bible does not teach that believers can have demons.
47-53 Who struck out with the sword (found elsewhere)? Peter was the only disciple mentioned specifically back in the upper room. He alone is mentioned here. Why the high priest's slave? Why the ear? What can we surmise about how this injury happened? He must have tilted his head to avoid the swing of the sword that was perhaps meant to cut off his head; if his head was upright, the sword cutting off his ear would chop his shoulder. We wonder if the slave was the actual target or if the high priests was, and if Peter did not see clearly in the dark. What last miracle did Jesus do? Do you think this slave may have become a believer, or anyone else present? Because Malchus is named for us, John 18:10, we might consider that a clue that he went on to become a believer and was known to those John was writing to. Why didn't they arrest Jesus in the temple? What does Jesus mention at the end of 53? The New Testament talks about those who are of the light and those who are of the darkness. He tells them they are of the darkness. Did Jesus resist arrest? He went willingly.
54-62 Again Peter is the only disciple mentioned. He has his weaknesses, but of all the disciples, he is the main actor in every situation. Only he was brave enough to act in these situations. Mat. 10:33 and II Tim. 2:12-13 use a different word for "deny" than Jesus used of Peter; it is the word used in Luke 9:23. Peter did not utterly reject Christ; he was a true believer, who, out of fear for his life, said words that did not reflect his true heart. This is different than to never believe in Him. Might God allow us fall on our faces in total failure so we realize what Self really is like? Peter was so wrapped up in his fear that he seemed unaware of what he had done until Jesus looked at him.
63-65 Could He have told them, 64? Why didn't He? Mocking, beating, blaspheming: how hard it must have been humanly to say nothing, because, being God, that was not His purpose. How badly did they beat Him? Isa. 52:14, 53:1-7. When we are mistreated by others, can a sinless holy God really understand what we are going through?
66-71 What two names are they asking Him about? Both these terms would imply deity to the Jews, and we see they are used synonymously. What other name of God does Jesus use in 70? 67, they were not looking for an answer so they could what, but 71, so they could accuse Him of blasphemy and be justified in killing Him. But at the same time, since they have now heard it, they are guilty for hearing the truth in no uncertain terms and rejecting it. The Jews don't believe God is a trinity. 69, sitting at the right hand of God, is from Psa. 110:1. The title "Son of Man" is used in Dan. 7:13, where He stands before the Father--the Ancient of Days--to receive His eternal kingdom; this is following the destruction of the beast, 7:11, so it is a prophecy that now the kingdom is postponed and is future.
CHAPTER 23
1-7 Luke gives a shorter version of Pilate's examination of Jesus. 2, what about this charge of not paying taxes? Compare Luke 20:22-25. 2, "misleading," "saying." What are they getting at? 4, what do we learn about Pilate? Is he a man of his principles?
8-12 What do we learn about Herod in 8? Was he a truth-seeker or only curious? 9-10, compare Isa. 53:7. Why didn't Jesus defend Himself? 11, why did they do these things? 12, why would this happen? What does this tell us about human nature, about politics and government?
13-19 Pilate and Herod agree on what? So does the Roman death penalty apply? What did Pilate want to do? 18, who does "they" refer to, 13? Who is instigating this? What happens in a mob mentality? What kind of entertainment were people in the Roman Empire accustomed to? So this probably didn't offend their sensibilities.
20-25 He was the governor; why didn't he do what he wanted to do? 25, what do you supposed became of Barabbas? How do you think he might have felt? Jesus truly died for him, for his sins. He experienced grace--God's unmerited favor. He hadn't even asked for it.
26 Simon, compare Mark 15:21. What can we infer from Rom. 16:13? Why was this man from another area (Cyrene) coming into Jerusalem at this time? So what can we assume about him?
27-31 I wonder why these two groups are distinguished, 27. 28-30, might this be a reference to 19:43-44? If this is how bad things are when Jesus is in their midst, how much worse things will get when He is no longer there. Might this be a prophetic reference to the Tribulation?
32-34 So are the Pharisees now forgiven? Is everyone involved in this situation now forgiven? Are Pilate and Herod? Is Jesus asking God to forgive everyone? Does God do that? How does God forgive? So could we pray that an unbeliever be forgiven, and then God would do it and he would be saved? Would the "they" in the first half of the verse refer to the "they" in the second half and in the previous verse? What "they" would that be? We wonder if Jesus is asking forgiveness for this one sin, or that they would actually be completely forgiven and therefore saved? Jesus only asks on behalf of those who don't realize what they have done. Do we see anyone in this scene repenting? So what do we learn here about God's forgiveness? That it is based on either the person's repentance or his ignorance.
Who is "them" in 34? The same "they" in 33 and the end of 35? Apparently, from the context, this is directed to the Roman soldiers; 33 says "they" crucified Him, "they" obviously being the soldiers. Then the words on forgiveness in 34 are followed by more on "they," again, obviously the soldiers.
If you don't read this carefully, you could mistakenly think Jesus was asking God to forgive everyone there, or that everyone is saved. We are told over and over that the Pharisees had rejected Jesus--they didn't accept Him as the Messiah (God Himself). Have they now repented of their unbelief? The Pharisees, as students of the Law, had more light than anyone else, but rejected it. If Jesus was saying the Pharisees didn't know what they were doing (rejecting Jesus as God), then we must conclude that NO one will be held accountable for rejecting Jesus. Is this what the Bible teaches? Nowhere does the Bible teach that God forgives and saves those who do not repent. Over and over the Bible says repentance PRECEDES forgiveness. So Jesus must be asking God to be merciful to the soldiers, to not charge this sin to their account; they were merely following their orders, as good soldiers should. The soldiers were not crucifying Jesus because of unbelief but because of duty and ignorance. As far as they were concerned, He was just another criminal to put on another cross. The Bible DOES teach that God will judge fairly, holding each responsible for the amount of light they had, Gen. 20:4-6, Luke 12:47-48, Rom. 2:12.
Are we commanded to forgive those who do not repent? We wonder if Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13 are speaking of not being the kind of person to hold a grudge, or are they speaking of our response to someone who has sinned against us and is unrepentant? We may choose to, but are we required to do what God Himself cannot and will not do? Jer. 36:3, I Kings 8:35-36,46-50. Is the answer that the forgiveness we offer and the forgiveness God offers are two different things? What is that difference? Should we also, as Jesus says here, not hold a sin against someone who truly did not understand the significance of what they were doing, that hurt us? Can you think of an example? Keep in mind that Jesus is God, and deserves to be treated like God. We are sinners, and don't DESERVE anything.
Compare Psa. 22:18; fulfilled prophecy. What other significant event happened on this mount? Gen. 22. Isaac was a type of Christ.
35-38 If Jesus had miraculously saved Himself at this point, would they believe? They had rejected the signs Jesus had given; they now made up their own test, not of God. Don't unbelievers still do this? They say to God, "If you are really there, do this and I'll believe." Yet that thing is not God's will; it's like trying to make God magic, or a genie that does your bidding. The Bible calls that "putting God to the test," and forbids that, Mat. 4:7. 36, compare Psa. 69:21. There are about 300 prophecies of Christ, all of which were fulfilled. Humanly speaking, this is mathematically impossible. If one event is predicted, what are the chances of it happening? 50-50. What are the chances of 2 both happening? By the time you are to 6 events, it is already mathematically tiny. Many other prophecies have been literally fulfilled. Fulfilled prophecy is the best proof that the Bible is not only true but is God's Word; no man or men could write a book that doesn't contradict itself, and contains so many fulfilled prophecies.
39-43 Luke's colorful language in 39 is interesting. Do you think that criminal believed? Maybe he did but, like everyone else, didn't understand Christ's mission. Was it likely these criminals were both Jews? 42, didn't the second criminal see that Jesus was dying? What did he call Him? So what did his request signify about his understanding? Some say "in," some say "into." Perhaps different meanings? Do you think Jesus' promise affected the way that criminal felt throughout the rest of his dying hours? 43 is important in several ways to our beliefs; what does it teach? Salvation by faith alone (no works--although his public testimony of faith was a kind of "works," no baptism); a believer who dies goes immediately to Paradise then, directly to heaven now, to be with the Lord in a conscious state.
44-49 Several unusual events. What in 44? What in 45? What does Mat. 27:51 add? Read Exo. 26:31-34. What was inside the veil? Who could go in--just anyone? Only the high priest. What was his role? So what did the tearing of the veil signify? Heb. 9:11-12. 46, was Jesus' life taken from Him by men? It normally could take several hours to several days to die of crucifixion. 47, what was the centurian's reaction? Do you think he believed? 48, does this mean that the crowds who had been influenced and manipulated by the Pharisees were now convicted of what they had done? 49, another group, His followers and true believers.
50-56 What was Joseph like? Matthew adds that he had become a disciple; John adds that he was a secret one, for fear of the Jews; Mark said he gathered up courage to ask Pilate for the body. If even a member of the Sanhedrin feared the Jewish leaders, how much more must the rest of the people fear them. Now he lays it on the line; he comes out of the closet and lets the chips fall where they may. 54, why is the time element important? It was almost Friday sundown. 55-56, why did the women need to know where He was laid?
We've already read parts of Psa. 22, Isa. 53, and Hebrews, to get a picture of how these important events fit into the whole Bible, the prophecies, and God's plan for the ages. Let's also read Heb. 1:1-3, 2:14, 6:19-20, 7:26-28, 8:1. Where was the first prophecy of Christ? Gen. 3:15. So we see how Christ is the theme of the whole Bible: first, the prophecies; second, the events; and third, the explanation of them. What religions still use priests--human mediators between God and man? Mormons claim that God appeared to Joseph Smith to tell him to reinstitute the priesthood; he either didn't read or understand the Bible or didn't believe it.
CHAPTER 24
We learn about the resurrection through the experiences of several different people. The Bible does not tell us what actually happened to Jesus, only what His followers experienced.
1-9 Why did the women come on that day and at that time? What were they planning to do? 4, what two men were these? Did the women know this? (23) How do angels appear in the Bible? Ever as women? With wings? Only cherubim and seraphim. How did they feel/respond to seeing angels? What is their message? What do they say twice? What was Jesus doing on that Sabbath? What did God do on the first Sabbath? This is a different dispensation.
10-12 So what is going on with Jesus' followers now? "Doubting Thomas" gets a bad rap; is he any worse than the rest of them?
13-18 Who are these two? Apparently some of the others referenced in 9. Again, there were more disciples than the twelve. Was Jesus in a different, unrecognizable form now? 19-24 Did the whole city know? Acts 26:26. Who were they thinking Jesus was? Now they are starting to think what might have really happened?
25-27 Compare a few verses from the Old Testament. Gen. 3:15, 12:3, Num. 21:9 (John 3:14), Deut. 18:15 (John 1:45, 5:46), II Sam. 7:12-16, Job 19:25, Psa. 16:10, Isa. 7:14, 9:1,6, 42:1-4, 53 all, Dan. 7:13-14, 9:26, Micah 5:2, Zech. 9:9, 12:10. Jesus could have shown them the nailprints; instead He proved it how? From which part of the Bible? The part many people don't even read. 25, what did He say is necessary to understand God's Word? Believe/faith.
28-35 Why did He serve them the bread? So they could see His hands? Why did He choose to let them recognize Him as He gave them bread? John 6:35, 41, 48, 51, 53-58. Don't people sometimes read about Jesus but not recognize Him? Then comes a moment when the light comes on and they actually SEE. They read the Bible or go to church but don't hear; then one day they HEAR. How many have seen Him now? Has your heart ever burned like this when God is revealing His Word to you in a powerful way? They had just walked the seven miles from Jerusalem; now they turn around and go back!
36-43 When Jesus appears, do they now believe? Is Thomas any worse than the rest? Why did He eat in front of them? Some believe Jesus was only raised spiritually, not physically. Can a spirit eat?
44-49 What percentage of prophecies will be fulfilled? What does 45 tell us about them, and us? I Cor. 2:12-16. Can everyone who reads it understand the Bible? Where do we read that the Messiah would suffer? Isa. 53. That He would rise the third day? Gen. 22:1-4, Heb. 11:17-19, Jonah 1:17, Hosea 6:2. Where do we read that salvation would also be to the Gentiles (the nations)? Isa. 19:19-21, 24:15-16, 42:1-4, 51:5, 66:23. Apostles are unique in what way, 48? Acts 1:21-23. They were witnesses; the idea that they saw things, AND that they will witness about them to others. 47, this was new; Israel was not commanded to go to other nations with the truth. What new thing does He promise them, 49? Do you think they knew what He meant by that? When did this happen? Acts 2:1-6. Could they have had this power in their lives if Jesus had stayed? Why not? John 16:7. This is apparently the same scene that is described in Acts 1. Compare what Luke says in 49 to how he says it in Acts 1:4-5; what detail does He add in Acts? None of the Gospels specifically mention the Holy Spirit here, although John 14-16 records Jesus telling about His coming.
50-53 What did they do after He ascended? What does that word mean? Sang praise songs together? Or recognized that He is God and committed themselves to obey Him? .Can you imagine how these events impacted their lives? Acts 2:22-24, 32, 3:12-16, 4:8-12, 4:19-20, 33, 5:29-32, 10:39-43,13:29-32, 17:31.
Copyright 2025 Jan Young