Luke 20:19-44

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Day Seven of Steps to the Cross: Luke 20:19-44

 

 19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

  20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest.

 They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the wa

y of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

  23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"

   25 "Caesar's," they replied. 

He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is G

od's."

  26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.  

  27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies

 and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

 34 Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.[a] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

 39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions. 41 Then Jesus said to them, "How is it that they say the Christ [b] is the Son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: 

  " ‘The Lord said to my Lord: 

 "Sit at my right hand 

 43 until I make your enemies 

  a footstool for your feet." ’[c] 

  44 David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"

Footnotes:

Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6

Luke 20:41 Or Messiah

Luke 20:43 Psalm 110:1

Hey! Where's the commentary?

BFE writers need a break sometimes;  so, during Steps to the Cross, BFE writers are taking a short 2 ½ week sabbatical from commentary. But, they'll be back!

After Easter, 50 Days to Freedom (with commentary) will begin and run up to the day of Pentecost. This series will focus on God’s meeting the people of Israel in Egypt and leading them out of slavery into freedom; paralleling it with the freedom the gospel offers us. With bold faith and the grace of God we will learn how to be freed from the bondage of sin and to walk in the freedom of being God’s children.

Luke 20:1-18

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Day Six of Steps to the Cross: Luke 20:1-18

 ¹One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ²"Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"

 ³He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?"

 ⁵They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' ⁶But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."

 ⁷So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."

 ⁸Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

 ⁹He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. ¹⁰At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹²He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

 ¹³"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'

 ¹⁴"But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

   "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!"

 ¹⁷Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 
   " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone? ^{18 [a] [b]} everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

Footnotes:

1. Luke 20:17 Or cornerstone
2. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22

Luke 19:45-48

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Day Five in Steps to the Cross: Luke 19:45-48

 45 Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.

 46 "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be a house of prayer'[a]; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'[b]"

 47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

Footnotes:

 a. Luke 19:46 Isaiah 56:7

 b. Luke 19:46 Jer. 7:11

Luke 19:41-44

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Day Four of Steps to the Cross - Luke 19:41-44

 

⁴¹As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it⁴²and said, "If you, even you, 

had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 

⁴³The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

Luke 19:28-40

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Day Three of Steps to the Cross - Luke 19:28-40

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount 

of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

34 They replied, "The Lord needs it."

 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 

 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" [a]

      "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Footnotes:

[a] Luke 19:38 Psalm 118:26

Luke 18:31-19:27

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Day Two of Steps to the Cross - Luke 18:31-19:27

³¹Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.³³On the third day he will rise again.

³⁴The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

³⁵As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

³⁸He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 ³⁹Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 ⁴⁰Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹"What do you want me to do for you?" 

 "Lord, I want to see," he replied.

 ⁴²Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." ⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Luke 19

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

¹¹While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. ¹²He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.^[a] 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'

¹⁴But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'

¹⁵He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'

¹⁷'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'

¹⁸"The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.'

¹⁹"His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'

²⁰"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'

²²"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'

²⁴"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'

²⁵" 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'

²⁶"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me."

Footnotes:

1. Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months' wages.

Luke 9:51-62

Day One of Steps to the Cross - Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62 (via BibleGateway.com)
Samaritan Opposition
 51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus
 57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
 59He said to another man, "Follow me."   But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."   60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
 61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."  62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

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Reminder:
There are two new series to look forward to in Bible for Everyday. Steps Towards the Cross will begin tomorrow and continue through Easter, emailing pertinent scriptures that led Jesus to the cross. (Our writers will take a short 2 ½ week sabbatical from commentary.)

Devastation and Hope, 2 Samuel 24

What a horrible thing! What stabbing imagery from a true story. It demonstrates the deep distaste that the Almighty has towards sin. Counting the fighting men demonstrated before God, and all the people, that David did not trust God to defend them. Israel was to represent God, and the king was to lead the way in trusting God for defense in the face of hostility. David’s counting (with Joab’s ironic role as the voice of conscience) was a deliberate act of pride, declaring that he will defend Israel, independent of God. What do you make of how this passage says that the Lord incited David whereas the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21 says that Satan did?

The hand of the Angel of the Lord is eventually stayed at the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite (Jebusites were ancient dwellers of Jerusalem). The hand was stayed at the word of David’s confession. Note that his confession owned full responsibility and was directed fully upward first. He knew he needed to own his stuff before God and with the strength he found there, could then go and deal with the outward consequences. That led him to a special hill where Araunah threshed his grain. It is there that David comes to worship and purchase land to build an alter to God which later becomes the site of the temple in Jerusalem (click on the photo).

This hill became a place where a purchase was made to redeem David’s shameless pride and heal the senseless pain his sin caused. It became a place where God’s presence would dwell and offer hope and salvation for all who looked up to it. A thousand years later, just a few hundred yards away, on a different mount, Jesus would die to purchase redemption for the sin of our shameless pride and heal our senseless pain. May we never forget the cost of our salvation and the horror of our sin which requires such a payment.

What’s Next?

There are two new series to look forward to in Bible for Everyday. Steps Towards the Cross will begin tomorrow and continue through Easter, emailing pertinent scriptures that led Jesus to the cross. (Our writers will take a short 2 ½ week sabbatical from commentary.)

After Easter, 50 Days to Freedom will begin and run up to the day of Pentecost. This series will focus on God’s meeting the people of Israel in Egypt and leading them out of slavery into freedom; paralleling it with the freedom the gospel offers us. With bold faith and the grace of God we will learn how to be freed from the bondage of sin and to walk in the freedom of being God’s children.

2 Samuel 23: Mighty Men

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the saints who have gone before me, from generation to generation laying the foundations for my faith. Thank you for my fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who have taught me about the faith. Thank you for the friends who sharpen me as iron sharpens iron. May I be the kind of friend, like the mighty men of David who protect and inspire those around them.

Reflection:

It is an interesting side note to look at what may have been a major secret of David's success. He had great warriors and leaders around him. Our parents taught us this--the people we associate with will deeply shape the way we go in life and how far we go. Part of why Jesus spent so much time in his ministry, is because he wanted to teach the disciples how to become a new kind of family that would eventually be the church.

Questions:

• Who are those who are mighty in their faith around you in your life?
• Who spurs you on to follow Christ more intently?
• How can you build your relational network more tightly to have strong, inspiring people in your life to help you grow
• How can you be the kind of friend that enable others to succeed?

2 Samuel 21-22: Wrapping up Samuel

Prayer:
God, you are the one who delivers me from all that oppose you. You protect me. You strenghten me. You are a shield for my battles. I can hope in you in the time of trial because you have delivered me before. Hear my praise. Hear my grateful heart. Grant me courage and strengthen to do all that you call me to.

Reflection:
These last four chapeters of 2 Samuel form an epilogue with events that are added in out of sequence. Here the author includes what later became Psalm 22. David recalls ho God had enabled him to win battles and how God delivered him from defeat. The language is extraordinary for victory and deliverance.

Hearing how God has delivered David helps us. We may or may not have years of confidence built up because we have seen God do great things. Either way, we can look at David and see that not only has God done great things, but he can protect us as well.

Questions:

• Where do you strength for battle?
• Where do you need protection?
• How are you seeing God provide both?

2 Samuel 20: Wisdom and the Warrior

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Prayer:

God of all wisdom, protect us from the wisdom of our own talents. Give us ears to hear your wisdom in surprising places and give us the humility to seek it from you

Reflection:

The saying goes, "if you are a hammer, every problem becomes a nail." That is the wisdom of Joab. He is a warrior and he solves all of his problems like a warrior. When he loses David's trust, he kills the one to whom David turns. The person he seeks hides in a city, 'well destroy the city!' Thankfully for Israel, he slowed down and listend to that wise woman whose skill and thoughtfulness saved the entire town. Wisdom has the power to save like that. We must seek it.

Questions:

• What talents of yours do you tend to trust in difficult situations? If used thoughtlessly, could your confidence in them make you vulnerable to folly?
• Who are "the wise women" in your life to whom you should listen?

2 samuel 19: The Return of the King

Prayer:

Jesus, we trust that you will return to establish the full reign of your Kingdom. Please give us patience, perseverance to live hopefully and courageously for you and for this world. Help us to steward our gifts and talents so that we when you return you find this world better than how we found it.

Reflection:

The return of David to Jerusalem is full of beautiful detail that reveals the character and wisdom of David. We see him once again reflecting the man after God's own heart. His return is a picture of Jesus return. Would we be like Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth, whose conflict with Ziba lost the right to a relationship with David set everything aside so that when David returned, David would find that Mephibosheth was waiting for him. Mephibosheth showed his grief by not shaving. He showed his commitment to David by relinquishing any claim to what would be his. It wasn't the stuff of the king that he wanted, for he wanted to once again be with the king. Would that also be our heart.

Questions:

• What tangible evidence is there in your life that you are waiting for Jesus and his blessings?
• What do you think of how David responded to Shimei who cursed him before?
• Was Joab right in rebuking David?

2 Samuel 18: A father who failed

Prayer:

Father, it is clear that your purpose is for us to be in this confusing and broken world until you bring us home. Until that day, may our values be your values; our affections, your affections and our actions led by your Spirit.

Reflection:

There is a sadness in reading about David's fatherly affection for Absalom for the sadness seems not driven so much by fondness, but by regret. The nation of Israel is paying a dear price for David's failure as a father. Amnon and Tamar are just symptoms of a lack of involvement by David in the life of his kids. He wished it would get better with Absalom, but David the warrior wouldn't even fight the good fight for his kids. Now, his nation fights for him, and yet his heart betrays his leadership, or should we say his fatherly guilt betrays his leadership.

Questions:

• Are there situations in your life that you know of that are messy and grievious whatever decision is made? What do you think of how David handled this situation in chapter 18?
• How do you think David's conflicting concerns effected his leadership?
• The seeds of this war were laid in David's family life. How have you paid the price of poor leadership in your family of origin? What opportunities do you have today to offer the kind of leadership that your most immediate family needs?

2 Samuel 17: Our God He works

Prayer

Father God, your word is so valuable. May we always rely on what you have to say, the advice you have to give so that we can live according to your plan and purpose; so that we can live knowing we are following you. Give us a deeper desire to know you that we might come into a better understanding of who you are. Father, teach us to know you through your Holy Scriptures.

Reflection

David’s life is being threatened but God protects him with the advice given by Hushai. The men seeking David’s life have a choice to follow as they seek the advice of different men (Ahithophel or Hushai) concerning the best approach to capturing and killing David. We find in 2 Samuel 17:14 that the Lord was frustrating the advice of Ahithophel in order to eventually bring disaster on Absalom. David is informed of this next approaching attack and narrowly escapes with his life. Have you noticed that not everyone has our best interest in mind? That others don’t want what’s best for us but what they perceive is in their best interest? It’s important for us to remember, God is always working in the midst of all the chaos. While others don’t necessarily care about our well being, God always does. He’s working and planning to keep us near Him. Wherever you find yourself, whatever is going on please remember our God He works. He works to bring about His work in our lives.

Questions:

• What’s the best advice you’ve ever given? Received?
• Read Acts 4:12. This passage tells us where our hope and help can be found. Think about the importance of the salvation God provides and reflect on how this truth assists us during times when we are under attack.
• David was under constant attack. Imagine living during this time with David, constantly on the run. Or maybe during the time of the apostles, right after Jesus appeared and then ascended into heaven. Can you imagine the strength we’d experience during our trials today having witnessed like David the power of God working in His life? Or the ability to press on after witnessing the power of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? How might your life be different living with this powerful understanding that our God still works like this today?

Posted by Joe Stecz