Day 301: Luke 13-15

(The previous post covered the Pharisees' frustration with Jesus to the point they began to actively look for a way to destroy Him.)

Luke 13
¹ Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
² And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things?
³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.
⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem?
⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

(All men are sinners. Unless you repent, you will perish.)

(Verses 6-9: the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.)

⁶ And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none.
⁷ And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground?

("Why doth it also cumber the ground?" was like saying, "why does it use up the ground?")

⁸ And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
⁹ and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.

(The vinedresser represented Christ, our intercessor in verse 8. When we are made aware of our sin, our response to our sin determines our eternity.)

¹⁰ And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath day.

(As custom, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. Synagogues were used specifically for teachings.)

¹¹ And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up.
¹² And when Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
¹³ And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

(Jesus healed the woman with the infirmity.)

¹⁴ And the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the day of the sabbath.

(It was not the healing that bothered the ruler of the synagogue, it was that Jesus healed on the Sabbath.)

¹⁵ But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
¹⁶ And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath?
¹⁷ And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

(Jesus was focused on the causes. During the Dispensation of the Law, for six days, people were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as it did not violate the Law. On the seventh day (Sabbath), people could only do what the Law told them to do. Jesus gave an example of something even the rulers of the synagogue would do on the Sabbath, and then contrasted it with how these representatives of God valued an animal over a person. Jesus' answer put them to shame.)

(Verses 18-19: the Parable of the Mustard Seed.)

¹⁸ He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it?
¹⁹ It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof.

(The Kingdom of God will be eternally mighty.)

(Verses 20-21: the Parable of the Leaven.)

²⁰ And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
²¹ It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

(Normally, leaven represented sin. In this parable, the lesson (like the mustard seed) was that the Kingdom of God was something that would begin small and then grow until it was all that existed. Did this mean that everyone would be in the Kingdom of God or just a few?)

²² And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem.
²³ And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them,
²⁴ Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
²⁵ When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are;
²⁶ then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets;
²⁷ and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
²⁸ There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without.
²⁹ And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
³⁰ And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.

(Luke showed the contrastive side to the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven: the Kingdom of God would contain all the righteous, which would be a minority of the people that ever lived. Narrow is the path that leads to Righteousness meant it had to be found and followed intentionally.)

³¹ In that very hour there came certain Pharisees, saying to him, Get thee out, and go hence: for Herod would fain kill thee.
³² And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected.

(The Pharisees did not like Jesus' conclusion that few made it to the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees threatened/warned Jesus. Jesus called Herod a fox.)

³³ Nevertheless I must go on my way to-day and to-morrow and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not!
³⁵ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

(The word brood in verse 34 meant "to watch over and protect." There were many passages throughout the Old Testament that Jesus could have been referencing, even the first verses of the Bible where the Spirit of God "moved" upon the face of the earth. In that verse, moved meant "to brood over like a bird.")




Luke 14
¹ And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.
² And behold, there was before him a certain man that had the dropsy.
³ And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?

(We have seen that Jesus had healed a couple of times on the Sabbath, so everyone knew Jesus believed it was lawful. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day.)

⁴ But they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.

(The lawyers and Pharisees did not respond, and Jesus healed him. However, this allowed Jesus to teach.)

⁵ And he said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a well, and will not straightway draw him up on a sabbath day?
⁶ And they could not answer again unto these things.

(Jesus reiterated a point documented in the last chapter: why do you think it is right (which it is) to help an animal on the Sabbath but it is not right to help a person?)

(The rest of this chapter documented consecutive parables not recorded in the other Gospels. Not only was each individual parable important, but the order was also important. Pay close attention to the amount of Doctrine in this single chapter.)

⁷ And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them,
⁸ When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,

(Doctrine: A wedding is a marriage feast. Nowhere in the Bible was there a record of a wedding ceremony as we have in our culture today. According to the Bible, the wedding was a feast for all while the bride and groom consummated their Marriage Covenant. The best man stood outside the huppah preventing others from interrupting the completion of the Marriage Covenant. When the groom called to the best man that the covenant was complete, the bedsheet was presented to the gathering to prove the bride had not been married to anyone else. The crowd then celebrated this blood-stained sheet because it meant the bride was excellent and the community and culture of the gathered guests would be able to continue.)

⁹ and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place.
¹⁰ But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee.
¹¹ For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

(Doctrine: Justice. Everything will be equaled out at Final Judgment, not while we are here on earth. In fact, since it will not be equaled out here, we ought to humble ourselves so that we will get a Reward at Final Judgment. Humility is the ability to consider any perspective, including that you could be wrong.)

¹² And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
¹³ But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
¹⁴ and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

(Doctrine: Reward. If we give to those who are able to give back, nothing is gained eternally. However, if we give to those who cannot pay us back, we will gain Reward "at the resurrection of the just." The resurrection of the Just is the Final Judgment.)

¹⁵ And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

(In response to Jesus' teaching, a man agreed with Jesus by stating those who will be at the wedding feast in the Kingdom of God will be blessed. Jesus' response was documented in Verses 16-24 which covered the Parable of the Great Supper.)

¹⁶ But he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper; and he bade many:
¹⁷ and he sent forth his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

(Doctrine: God the Father is the one who will make a great supper for Jesus' Marriage to the Bride after Final Judgment.)

¹⁸ And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out and see it; I pray thee have me excused.
¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused.
²⁰ And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

(Doctrine: God invited the Jews throughout the Old Testament, but they (as a community) rejected this invitation.)

²¹ And the servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and lame.

(Doctrine: God invited people outside of the Jewish Community.)

²² And the servant said, Lord, what thou didst command is done, and yet there is room.
²³ And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled.

(Doctrine: There is a necessary number to fill God's Supper. God will not have the supper until He knows that His House is filled. His House is the new Jerusalem.)

²⁴ For I say unto you, that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

(Doctrine: God's call reaches everyone. It is our responsibility to answer. It is possible to reject God's drawing on the individual.)

²⁵ Now there went with him great multitudes: and he turned, and said unto them,
²⁶ If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

(Doctrine: The word hate meant "to love less." This meant we must love Christ more than our father, mother, wife, children, etc. in order to be His disciple. This was one of the few verses that included wife in the list.)

²⁷ Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to complete it?

(Doctrine: God does not move until He knows all of the resources are in place. When we do not hear direction from God, it can be due to the necessary resources/circumstances not being in place, either because of ourselves or others. Also, in conjunction with the previous comments from Jesus: God is not going to have His "supper" until His "house is full." Finally, we ought to look long term and not begin an objective until we know that the objective is in our control and we have the means to finish it.)

²⁹ Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him,
³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
³¹ Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace.
³³ So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

(Doctrine: We ought to make new converts aware that following Christ means they have to be willing to give up everything. In order to be a disciple of Christ, we have to forsake all that we have.)

³⁴ Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
³⁵ It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill: men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.




Luke 15
¹ Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.

(Jesus' fame had grown to the point all the publicans and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him. Jesus had a tremendous following from the sinners instead of the religious leaders.)

² And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

(The Pharisees and Torah teachers thought they were speaking against Jesus by saying to each other in private (murmured) that Jesus ate with sinners.)

³ And he spake unto them this parable, saying,
⁴ What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
⁵ And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
⁶ And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
⁷ I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.

(Jesus told these religious leaders they did not understand what truly caused joy in heaven. There is joy in heaven when a lost soul is found.)

(Verses 8-10: the Parable of the Lost Coin.)

⁸ Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?
⁹ And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.
¹⁰ Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

(Jesus continued to use natural examples for God's spiritual perspective.)

(Verses 11-32: the Parable of the Prodigal Son.)

¹¹ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
¹² and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

(The younger son took his inheritance.)

¹³ And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.

(He wasted his inheritance "with riotous living"...focusing on the physical.)

¹⁴ And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
¹⁵ And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
¹⁶ And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

(Remember, the Jews considered swine to be an unclean animal. This was as low as a person could get: wanting the food intended for an unclean animal, and not being able to have it.)

¹⁷ But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!

(The younger son realized he would be better off as one of his father's servants than to die with hunger. He believed he deserved this role because he was his father's son, a spiritual reason.)

¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:
¹⁹ I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

(He realized he had to deal with a spiritual issue in order to obtain this role as servant. Verse 18 was his confession. Verse 19 was his repentance, what he would do to make up for his sin.)

²⁰ And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

(The younger son went to his father but when he was still far away, his father saw him. His father must have been watching for him. Also, the father must have been able to see the youngest son's humble attitude from a distance because the father had compassion before the son spoke. Notice, the youngest son was not coming back proud as if he was better off. The youngest son was so humble it showed in how he came back.)

²¹ And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son.

(The father first showed compassion. The younger son could have acted like everything was fine. However, the younger son chose to continue to humble himself, confess his sin, and repent. The younger son truly had a change of heart.)

²² But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
²³ and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:
²⁴ for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

(The father had a feast because his younger son was lost (physical focus with a hard heart) and now was found (spiritual focus with a humble heart). The father restored the youngest son to the status of being a son and not a servant. Notice, at the beginning of this story, the younger son proved he was not a believer and the father confirmed this was his belief because he said the son was lost but was now found, now a believer.

Doctrine: Forgive unbelievers immediately; do not argue with them. At the beginning of the story, the father did not argue with the younger son; he immediately let him go, he let the son be more destructive so the son would realize the error of his ways more quickly. He didn't go out to find him.)

²⁵ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
²⁶ And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.
²⁷ And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

(The elder son wanted to know what was going on while he was working in the field. He heard the feast and was unaware of why the festivities were taking place.)

²⁸ But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him.

(The elder son became angry to the point that he would not receive his repentant brother. The father had to go out to the eldest son. Notice, the father did initiate reaching out the "believer.")

²⁹ But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
³⁰ but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.

(The eldest son's response to his father coming out to him was to accuse his father! Notice, the youngest son was not accusing his brother, the subject of his statements of judgment were the father and himself. The elder son is in danger of becoming an "unbeliever.")

³¹ And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.

(The father's response to being accused was to state an encouraging fact: it is all yours. He also was teaching the eldest son a point that he missed: you could have this feast anytime you want if you had pursued me, if you had asked.

Doctrine: The father confronted the older son because the older son was a believer. In the next set of chapters, we will see Jesus said in Luke 17:3 we must confront the believer with their sin and if they repent we must forgive. The younger son repented and the older son was now sinning because he did not forgive. Notice, this also means God through the Holy Spirit will confront believers about their sin.)

³² But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

(Then the father taught the eldest son the point he had overlooked: your brother has improved from his former condition. The father was aware that the younger son had sinned. However, he was a forgiving father when his sons made progress. So how much more would this father give to the eldest son if he continued to make progress? This story was a lot like Cain and Abel. We ought to focus on our individual fellowship with God rather than focus on others and their fellowship with God. However, notice this parable finished with the elder son becoming an unbeliever because he didn't rejoice over the repentance of his unbelieving brother. Just like the Pharisees had become unbelievers because they weren't rejoicing over the sinners that were repenting to God because of Jesus.)

(This post covered several parables from Jesus as His fame increased while He continued to heal people on the Sabbath. This post began with Pharisees wondering why Jesus healed sinners on the Sabbath and ended with Jesus telling a parable that proved the Pharisees were unbelievers because they didn't rejoice over sinners repenting.)

Day 302