Luke 19:28 Jerusalem is an ancient city that existed before Israel came to the land of Canaan. Abraham meets Melchizedek who lives in Salem (Genesis 14:18). Jerusalem belonged to the Jebusites and was called Jebus (Judges 19:10-11). Joshua captured Jebus, but seems to have lost the city eventually (Judges 1:8). Jerusalem was conquered by David and made the capital of …
Luke 19:1-10 – Jesus and Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1 Why did Jesus pass through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem? The only thing that happened in Jericho during this visit was Jesus’ meeting with Zacchaeus, so most likely Jesus entered Jericho just to meet Zacchaeus. Luke 19:2 At the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were occupied by the Roman Empire, and the Romans demanded taxes from …
Luke 15:11-32 – The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-16 This amazing symbolic story is an educational illustration of God’s relationship with a rebellious man who leaves God for sin. In the story, the “father” symbolizes God, the “son” the rebellious sinner, and the “brother” the faithful parishioner. Asking his father for his share of the inheritance while he was still alive was like saying: “Father, I wish …
Luke 14:1-14 – Jesus as a Guest of a Pharisee
Luke 14:1 When God had created the earth in six days, He rested on the seventh day, the “Sabbath” (Genesis 2:1-3). The Sabbath is the day of rest that God wants man to keep holy and to rest from work (Exodus 20:8-11). Originally, Saturday is the Sabbath day, a tradition that is important to the Jewish people. When Judaism and …
Luke 10:38-42 – Martha and Mary
Luke 10:38 Jesus was good friends with the sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus also raised from the dead on another occasion (John 11). They lived just outside Jerusalem in the village of Bethany. The passage just before this text, “The Good Samaritan”, begins with a lawyer asking Jesus what one should do to have eternal …
Luke 9:51-62 – Jesus on His Way up to Jerusalem
Luke 9:51 A more literal translation of the word “taken up” is “exaltation”, which is a reference to Jesus’ exaltation on the tree of the cross, Jesus’ victory, Jesus’ resurrection, and Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Jesus is a role model in every way. In this passage we can learn to be “determined” to fulfill the mission God has given us. …
Luke 9:23-26 – Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
Luke 9:23 As if it wasn’t hard enough for the disciples to hear that their Messiah would suffer and die, now Jesus says that they will ALSO meet the same fate! When the Romans crucified slaves and criminals, they used to let these condemned people carry their own cross on the way to the place of execution. To “take up …
Luke 9:18-22 – Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
Luke 9:18 Did Jesus pray with his disciples? Or had Jesus withdrawn to pray quietly when they came to disturb him? Unfortunately, the text does not say. For a leader in the Kingdom of God, it is important to find time for quiet prayer. Exactly where, when or how you pray is very individual, but praying is very important. A …
Luke 6:43-49 – A Tree and Its Fruit
Luke 6:43-44 There are many different types of trees, all of which produce different fruit, but when a fruit tree bears bad fruit, it is of no use. For the sinner it is not strange to bear sinful fruit, but for the forgiven disciple it should be natural to be loving, to speak well of others, to be generous, to …
Luke 6:37-42 – Judging Others
Luke 6:37 What Jesus does not say in this famous statement is that we should unreservedly accept sin, error or immoral behavior. We are to show love to all people, no matter what sin they are struggling with, but we are not to accept, approve or bless sin. If someone confesses to a crime and is convicted in court, he …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2