The Welcoming Committee
April 21, 2020 at 10:06 am | Posted in Luke | 2 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, eschatology, false Christs, false Messiahs, Luke 21, Olivet Discourse, Second Coming, Sunday School lessons on Luke
In Luke Chapter 21 Jesus gave His greatest prophetic sermon, the so-called “Olivet Discourse,” which is sometimes hotly contested and debated as to its meaning and implications. It is primarily directed toward a Jewish audience, but, because the Holy Spirit was having Luke write for a predominantly gentile audience, the sermon is also geared for more general application.
And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
Luke 21:1
Giving gifts is good, but giving for the wrong reasons, while probably better than not giving at all, is still a sin.
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
Luke 21:2
These two mites were not intended as a “tip” or a mere afterthought.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
Luke 21:3
He meant that she had given more, proportionately.
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:4
Giving reveals the heart and it changes the heart. As Christians, we need to give in obedience and joy. God is more than generous with us; we need to reflect His generosity toward others.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Luke 21:5
The Jewish leaders were in the process of refurbishing the Temple.
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Luke 21:6
This was a shocking statement. We do not have a “temple” in which to meet with God. We have something – Someone – better: the Lord Jesus.
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luke 21:8
1. Don’t be deceived.
This was going on immediately after Jesus’s death, it is still going on now, and will go on in the future.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luke 21:9
2. Don’t be afraid.
This happened in the Disciples’ lifetimes, it is still happening now, and it will continue to happen.
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luke 21:10-11
Some of these things have been happening, but others may be yet to occur.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luke 21:12-13
These things have already happened, but there is an application for us, too.
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luke 21:14-15
3. Don’t worry about your response when the time comes.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luke 21:16-19
Our destinies are in God’s hands.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 21:34-36
Watch – while working – like when you are preparing for a storm. Some people prepare their own property for safety. Some people go out and see to the needs of others. But don’t sit and watch. Don’t get obsessed with predictions and date-setting and bickering over current affairs. Don’t be deceived; don’t be afraid; and don’t worry. As God’s redeemed children, we are not on the planning committee; we are on the welcoming committee.
The Stones of Confrontation
April 9, 2020 at 1:03 pm | Posted in Luke, The Stones that Don't Cry Out | 7 CommentsTags: 1 Peter 2, Acts 4, commentary on Luke, Isaiah 53, Luke 20, Parable of the Bad Husbandmen, parable of the husbandmen, Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Sunday School lessons on Luke
The last parable of Jesus recorded in Luke is the so-called “Parable of the Bad Husbandmen.”
Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
Luke 20:9-10
The “certain man” represents God and the vineyard represents Old Testament Israel. Vineyards were very common in those days, and the idea of Israel as God’s vineyard would have been very familiar to the Pharisees. Jesus intended the husbandmen to be respresentative of the Pharisees. The owner of the vineyard wanted an accounting from the husbandmen, but they beat up the servant (a symbol of the Old Testament prophets) of the owner instead.
And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
Luke 20:11-12
This scenario kept repeating itself in Israel’s history, leading up to John the Baptist. The religious leaders of Israel had mocked and abused and tried to kill the Lord’s messengers.
Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
Luke 20:13-14
This was shockingly evil, but the vineyard owner’s beloved Son typifies Jesus Himself, and this was precisely what the Pharisees were planning on doing: kicking God out of His Own Kingdom and keeping it for themselves. Let us beware that we do not try to do the same thing in our own hearts and lives.
So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
Luke 20:15-16
God would stop trying to get the Jewish people to repent. He would destroy their vineyard and give it to gentiles.
And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Luke 20:17-18
There is a cost to rejecting Jesus, and that cost is more than loneliness, dissatisfaction, poverty, and unfulfillment. The cost is judgment and wrath. The image is of a millstone grinding God’s enemies to powder, not so familiar in our day, but very familiar in Jesus’s day, to common people and powerful people alike. Peter used this same theme, in a way, when he used the image of a building foundation/cornerstorne to preach against the Jewish authorities after Jesus’s Resurrection.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:10-12
And again:
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
I Peter 2:6-8
Jesus is the Rock that you will build the foundation of your life on, or you will stumble over Him and you, not He, will be broken.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:10
God crushed Jesus in our place, so that He does not have to crush us if we fall before Him.
Sadly, the chief priests and scribes did not respond correctly to this parable.
And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
Luke 20:19
From this point on they were continually trying to gather some pretense for arresting Jesus, for they had already made the decision to kill Him.
From Investing to Interceding
March 30, 2020 at 1:48 pm | Posted in Luke | 3 CommentsTags: chasing out the money changers, commentary on Luke, Jesus's triumphal entry, Luke 19, Palm Sunday, Parable of the Pounds, Sunday School lessons on Luke
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
Luke 19:11
People were expecting a political and military revolution, but instead Jesus taught a parable. It is a parable about a nobleman or a king who had to leave his kingdom for a while, but is going to come back.
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luke 19:13
He leaves some of his funds with these servants and tells them to “occupy” – to put the funds to use – to get busy investing or using the funds to advance the kingdom to show their loyalty or faithfulness. “Pounds” is translated from the Greek word mna, which was about three months’ wages or the rough equivalent of $5000 today. When the nobleman gets back, he asks three of them for an accounting.
Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
Luke 19:16
That’s a pretty good return, like investing $5000 and receiving another $150,000 in return!
And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luke 19:7
The nobleman tells him he has done a good job, and that his reward is… more work! But it’s honorable work.
And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
Luke 19:18
This is not as much, but still really good.
And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Luke 19:19-20
I’m no investment expert, but I’m thinking “hide the money in the napkin” is not the wisest investment plan – and certainly not the most proactive. Here’s his excuse:
For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
Luke 19:21-22
The nobleman basically tells him that he’s dug his own hole. The servant knew “about” his master, but he didn’t “know” his master. We need to be aggressively investing our lives, our talents, our funds, and especially the Gospel, because our Master is kind, but He is also going to demand an accounting.
And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
Luke 19:35
In the record of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem we see four attitudes about Him:
1. The Roman soldiers saw Jesus as innocuous.
This parade would have looked pretty silly to them. Do you have trouble taking Jesus seriously? You shouldn’t. He is eternally serious and significant.
2. The Jewish people saw Jesus as insurrectionary.
And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Luke 19:37-38
They wanted to see salvation in a visible way, and to see it right at that moment. They sang a Psalm of deliverance. They hoped Jesus would deliver them from Roman rule and re-establish the kingdom of Israel on earth the way King David had done. Do you see Jesus as only the answer to your financial or health or marriage or parenting problems? I hope not. He is much more than that.
3. The religious leaders saw Him as inconvenient.
And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:39-40
He was a threat to their religious profiteering. Do you see Jesus as inconvenient, as though He is in the way of your “fun” or your career or your social climbing? I hope not. Jesus is more important than all of those things combined.
4. Jesus saw Himself as intervening and interceding.
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luke 19:41-42
Jesus loved the people He came to live and die for, and He loves you today. Jesus got involved and He prayed and He did something about the problem. We must do these things also. The love of Jesus is real love.
The Gospel of Luke emphasizes Jesus’s humanity: He is shown joking, crying, compassionate, concerned, and even angry:
And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Luke 19:45-46
Matthew 21 and Mark 11 talk about Him turning over tables and casting out the religious profiteers who were desecrating the Court of the Gentiles. Jesus was not a faker. We should not be either. Be passionate rather than fake.
A Blind Beggar and a Short Order Crook
March 19, 2020 at 11:02 am | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, Luke | 2 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, eyesight, following Jesus, Friend of Sinners, Luke 18, Luke 19, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the blind beggar, Zacchaeus
The Bible tells of two men who at first could not see Jesus – for different reasons. Was there a time when you wanted to see Jesus but could not? Do you remember what your reaction was the first time you did see Him?
And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
Luke 18:35
Jericho was on the way to Jerusalem, which is where Jesus and His followers were going for Passover. This blind beggar had probably strategically placed himself in the path of religious people.
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Luke 18:36-38
He used the Messianic title, pleading for mercy. He understood what the Disciples did not: that the One Who can “save” (sozo) – who could fulfill all the prophecies of the Messiah and truly deliver and heal blind people and cast out demons and make the lame to walk – was here, fulfilling the Scriptures. What an advertising campaign! Is this how you would choose to market your new business? Get some homeless blind guy to shout it out on the side of the highway? Or cause a disturbance somewhere, and when everybody gets mad at you, tell them all about it?
And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Luke 18:39-42
The man got his sight because of his faith. Faith comes by hearing, not by seeing. We walk by faith and not by sight, although a desire to see is a very good thing.
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
Luke 19:1-2
Zacchaeus was not only a crook, but a chief crook and a rich crook. We might also call him a “short” order crook.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
Luke 19:3-4
Climbing up in a tree was not very dignified behavior for a rich publican.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
Luke 19:5
How would you feel about Jesus inviting Himself to your house?
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
Luke 19:6
When you see Jesus, follow Him, talk about Him, and praise Him with others.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
Luke 19:7
These people were talking about Zacchaeus, referring to Him as a sinner. Nobody ever really accused Jesus of being a sinner; they accused Him of being the friend of sinners.
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Luke 19:8
Zacchaeus’s reaction was the opposite of the rich young ruler’s reaction.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
Luke 19:9
The true sons of Abraham are those who are truly saved.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10
Even the Rich Need to be Saved
February 26, 2020 at 2:09 pm | Posted in Biblical treasure, Luke | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, deity of Christ, Luke 18, Sunday School lessons on Luke, Ten Commandments, the rich young ruler, wealthy
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18
Matthew’s Gospel tells us that this ruler was also young and rich. Jesus is more than just a “good teacher.” In fact, a “good teacher” who claimed to be God, if He really wasn’t, couldn’t honestly be called a good teacher.
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luke 18:19
Jesus was not denying His own Deity, but was establishing that this man had a low view of “good.”
Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luke 18:20
Jesus listed Commandments 5 – 9 in the Decalogue, omitting Number 10, against coveting, which turned out to be the real deal-breaker for the rich young man.
And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
Luke 18:21-27
The answer to the question, “Who can be saved?” is really, “No one can be saved – unless God does a miracle.” Why were the Disciples so surprised that it would be difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God? It was not because they themselves were rich. The word for “saved” in Verse 26 is the Greek word sozo, and it describes more than being rescued; it describes being made whole, “healed” or “delivered” in the fullest medical, spiritual, military, Messianic sense.
Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Luke 18:28-30
Overlooking the Kingdom
January 27, 2020 at 1:44 pm | Posted in Luke | 1 CommentTags: commentary on Luke, end times prophecy, eschatology, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Luke 17, Pharisees, Sunday School lessons on Luke
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:20-21
Jesus answered the Pharisees’ question, but He reserved the details for the Disciples. People were especially expectant for a deliverer around the time of Passover. Moses was the deliverer at the first Passover. John the Baptist showed some promise but he had ultimately not panned out as the deliverer. Jesus seemed like a strong possibility, and He was headed to Jerusalem! The Pharisees had been listening to Jesus for about three years and they wanted to know when the Kingdom of God would appear! How sad that they were so opposed or obtuse concerning Who Jesus was. They were like patrons walking into a serve-yourself buffet restaurant, hungry, but just sitting down and waiting for a waiter to bring food.
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luke 17:20 (emphasis added)
The Pharisees’ “observation” amounted to hiding and looking, following secretly, and faithless testing. They acted like James Bond, when any run-of-the-mill investigator could have told them Who Jesus was in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:21
The Kingdom was “within” their midst, but it did not penetrate the hearts of the Pharisees. The Deliverer was not some obscure person hiding in a monastery somewhere. He was the one Who had been healing blind people, raising the dead, curing lepers, saying, “I’m the One.”
Christians should study future prophecy, but do not let the study of prophecy overshadow ACTIVITY. Expect the coming of the Lord Jesus not by waiting and watching idly, but by staying busy until He comes back.
Foresight
January 13, 2020 at 4:25 pm | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, Luke | 2 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, Luke 17, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the future, the past
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Luke 17:22-33
It is easy to get caught up in the affairs of everyday life – as in the days of Noah. We pass our time in a series of events, parties, weddings, celebrations, work, school, church activities… which are all good – but which tend to distract us from thinking about the future, when we know a day of judgment is coming. Foresight doesn’t ignore the present, and it doesn’t only look AHEAD to the future. Mainly, it looks UP to the God who will bring to pass His Word in the future.
It is also easy to get caught up in the past – like Lot’s wife. When things are not going all that great you may remember your pre-Christian days in a false light. You may remember them as days of carefree partying when you were not burdened with concern about weighty, eternal matters like the judgment of God – but that is a false memory. Your life wasn’t given to you to keep. It was given to you to be GIVEN BACK to God. The way – the ONLY REAL WAY – to control your life is to keep giving it to God. The second my life displeases God, He is well within His rights to take it from me. Enjoy life now, but live with the future and eternity in mind.
Finality, Forgiveness, Faithfulness, and Forgetfulness
January 2, 2020 at 11:36 am | Posted in Luke | 9 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, hell, Jesus healing the lepers, John 12, Lazarus and the rich man, lepers, Luke 16, Luke 17, Sunday School lessons on Luke
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luke 16:20
The account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, is often described as a parable, although it is entirely possible – and even likely, given the details – that it is a true story.
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:21
These were two very diffent people: one on top of the world, and one at the bottom.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luke 16:22
Lazarus, upon his death, went to be in the joyful presence of the Lord.
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:23
The rich man was not yet in the lake of fire, but was still in a terrible hopeless place reserved for those who die without trusting Christ.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luke 16:24
This shows the reality of eternal conscious torment.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:25
Hell is a place of remembering.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 16:26
This is no purgatory. Once a person is sent to hell, there is no escape.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Luke 16:27-31
The fact that the physical resurrection from the dead of a fellow human being will not convince those who have rejected the Biblical truth about Jesus would be demonstrated when another Lazaurus was in fact raised from the dead.
Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
John 12:9-11
There seems to be a lot of yelling going on in Luke 17 (vv. 1, 13, 15, 21), but this is the point when Jesus began teaching the Disciples privately, rather than the multitudes openly, and He stressed the importance of communicating His message accurately.
Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
Luke 17:1-2
Forgiving those who who have offended us can be difficult, but we need to remember to be like Jesus.
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Luke 17:3-4
Gullibility is not the goal, but restoration is.
But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Luke 17:7-10
We do not impress God with works. That is one reason that faith is so important in our relationship with God. Even if we did everything “right,” we would still be unprofitable because we would not be adding anything TO God. We would not be making Him better. This does not mean that we should not attempt anything great for God. It means to, by faith, attempt all sorts of great things in the name of God and have faith that He will accomplish them Himself.
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:11-14
By law the lepers were required to present themselves to the priests. Their acting upon faith is when Jesus chose to heal them.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:15-19
Do not forget to be thankful. Do not forget to glorify God.
The Deep End 
The Most Memorable Meal
May 1, 2020 at 11:25 am | Posted in Luke | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, communion, communion devotionals, Kingdom of God, Lessons on the Lord's Supper, Lord's supper, Lord's Supper devotionals, Luke 22, Sunday School lessons on Luke
Luke 22:1-2
Note the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They plotted the worst atrocity in the history of mankind during what was supposed to be a time of spiritual cleansing. Don’t cleanse your home and fail to cleanse your heart.
Luke 22:3-6
Judas solved the problem of a potential riot by conspiring to betray Jesus secretly, at night, but Jesus was not taken by surprise.
Luke 22:14-15
The Passover meal they shared was transformed into what we call the Lord’s Supper.
Luke 22:17-20 (emphasis added)
We are supposed to observe the Lord’s Supper today: (1) in communion (“divide it among yourselves”); (2) in expectation (“until the Kingdom of God shall come”); (3) in identification (“This is my body”); and (4) in remembrance.
Luke 22:21-24
This is how things work in the Kingdom of God, as compared to the kingdom of this world. “Greatness” has a different definition. In the world’s kingdom you are “great” if the next generations talk about you, but in the Kingdom of God you are “great” if the next generations talk about Jesus because of you.
Luke 22:31-34
Even the strongest men fail Jesus, but Jesus never fails anyone.