Day 80

Luke 17:1–4 (NIV)

¹ Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. ² It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Is Jesus saying we are bound to sin?

What does it mean to “watch yourself” in verse 3?

What does it mean to rebuke a fellow believer? What is the purpose of the rebuke?

What the point of Jesus saying forgive even if he sins against you seven times in a day?

Notes

Jesus once again addresses His comments to the disciples. This isn't to say the circumstances of the setting have changed. (There very well may still be a crowd around, including Pharisees) It just the focus of His remarks are now toward His disciples

Things that cause people to sin- that would be temptations. Note it isn't Jesus saying go ahead and sin. We clearly see that is not his intent through the rest of the section. He is saying temptations are bound to happen. Just don't be the cause of them. The woe statement again implies judgment.

vs 2 better off with milestone- used for grinding grain. Very heavy, reminds me of mafia killings. Point is you be better off dying a horrible death than to cause one of mine to sin. (think of the rich man's torment in the parable before this.

Little ones- not children, it is Jesus showing that he cares for his own. (like lost sheep)

So watch- the tense means now and keep on doing it. You do not want to lead someone into temptation.

3b- sin is serious and shouldn't be left alone. While not pronouncing final judgment (6:37) we are to tell someone when they sin. Rebuke is strong but its point is not to pretend it is okay. Point is about restoring someone. We see that with the rest of the section. Forgiveness is to be readily given even if continually hurt, If forgiveness is asked it must be granted. (11:4)

In Matt 18 Jesus is recorded in a more thorough discussion about this topic. in Matt 18:15-ff Jesus tells us what we should do when dealing with sin that another does to us. The key is always about restoring broken relationships if at all possible.

Day 79

Luke 16:19–31 (NIV)

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ³⁰ “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Why is it hard for the rich to come to God? (see Luke 18:25)

What can we tell about heaven and hell from this passage?

What is ironic about what the rich man asks Abraham to do about sending someone back from the dead?

Notes

This story appears to deal with being rich. While it is true, it is not meant to be an indictment on being rich as much as it is meant to make sure you use what God has given you well . It picks up where Jesus was talking before dealing with the sneering of the Pharisees. It really completes the thought of 16:10-15 with a parable to illustrate.

Clear rich man is well to do. Purple is a very expensive color to have. Fine undergarments. many didn't have undergarments, Luxury every day.

Lazarus (means God helps) is the only person named ina parable of Jesus so the naming must be important to the story. (the point is even though Lazarus is pitiful God will help him)

Lazarus was pathetic- had to be laid, couldn't walk, covered in sores, hungry just wanting scraps, Dogs lick wounds(these aren't dogs they way we think of them. These are wild dogs much like we would think of wolves)

Statement about the parable-- It is a story and Jesus is using thoughts that the jews had about the afterlife. Like being with Father Abraham (for us sort of like Peter at heaven's gate) It does not mean that you can take what Jesus is saying as literal. But I believe the basic ideas would be true. Hell being torture and agony, chasm fixed between etc. Jesus point isn't to describe the afterlife it is to say that everything you need to believe is available to you. And he is even going to provide through Himself what the rich man asks for. Someone coming back from the dead. But it still will do no good for most.

Angels taking the dead to heaven is a Jewish view of the day. Abraham, being the father of the Jews, shows the honor that Lazarus has in heaven. Unlike what awaits the rich man.

Notice the change that happens from earth to heaven. The rich man now suffers and Lazarus is now in luxury.

vs 24- rich man dares to call Abraham father. Abraham was looked at as the supreme example of hospitality. Clearly the rich man never practiced it. See 3:8 for Jesus telling it is not about Abraham being your father.

vs 25- Abraham says what Jesus pointed out in vs 10-11- What did you do with what you had? -- Lazarus on the other hand is now seeing the fulfillment of 4:18-19

vs 27- Warn 5 brothers. This also proves Jesus point in 14:12-14. The rich man concerned for those like him. What good is that?

vs 28- answer everything you need to know how to live has been revealed. What more do they need?

30-31 - rich man states an ironic foreshadowing. The very thing he says will get his brothers to repent is denied by Abraham but is done by Jesus. Jesus does come back from the dead but the implication is even the act of the resurrection will not cause many to believe because they are hard hearted. (8:10)

The point is back to 16:10-13

Day 78

Luke 16:16–18 (NIV)

¹⁶ “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. ¹⁷ It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. ¹⁸ “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Helpful Information

vs 17- stroke of a pen- in Hebrew (the language of the Old testament) one stroke could make the difference between something being four different letters. Hebrew ד (d) from ר (r) or ה (h) from ח (ḥ)

Jesus is saying Everything in the Law and prophets will be fulfilled.

vs 18 Jewish law permitted men the right of divorce for almost any reason, although many rabbis disapproved of divorcing on slight grounds. Jesus’ statement, however, declares that divorce is invalid in God’s sight, so that a subsequent marriage is adulterous. Here Jesus articulates a stronger view of the marriage bond than anyone else we know of in antiquity, and his statement thus intensifies the law of Moses. Like most other statements of general principle in the ancient world (e.g., Prov 18:22 with Prov 11:22; 12:4; 21:9; or Prov 10:15; 13:8; 14:20 with 10:2, 11:4; or 14:24; 16:6 with 15:16; 16:8; 30:7–9; or 11:8; 12:13, 21 with principles such as 2 Tim 3:12), this one does not exclude exceptions (for the innocent party who had no say in the matter, cf. Mt 5:32; 19:9; 1 Cor 7:15); Jesus’ purpose is to protect an innocent party from being divorced, not to punish the party who has been so betrayed. His statement addresses especially the wife because in Jewish Palestine (in contrast to Roman custom) only the husband had full rights to divorce. Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Why would people think Jesus was against what was in the Law and prophets?

How does Jesus show he is about fulfilling the Law?

How does what Jesus says about divorce make you feel? Why is it such a tough standard?

Notes

Upon first reading it may seem that this part is totally unconnected with the section before or after. The key is to understand this as a response to the sneering of Jesus by the Pharisees (vs 14) and what Jesus said to them about justifying what they did apart from God's way.

vs 16-17 Jesus further expands on that thought by challenging the Pharisee way. They claim that Jesus is not of God, when in fact Jesus is saying I am all about the fulfilling of what God has shown in the Law and prophets. (read Matt 5:17-48) They pointed to me. But since John the Baptist things have changed. It is about what you do with me now. Jesus is the good news (Luke 4:18-19) and the kingdom of God is now coming. He is the way to God.

vs 17- forcing his way- scholars have a hard time translating this phrase. the question is whether it is a passive voice or middle voice. I think the passive makes more sense based on what is around it. The middle voice makes it seem people are forcing their way in to the kingdom. You don't get that from the context around the verse. The passive has the idea of "all are urged insistently to come in". I like the translation of the Message better "Now it’s all kingdom of God—the glad news and compelling invitation". This goes back to the parables of the lost things in Chapter 15 and to the point of seeking to enter the kingdom the right way based on God's terms not on how you think it should be. God desires us to come to Him.

vs 18- to prove Jesus' point about the keeping of the Law Jesus takes something that the Jews had watered down, divorce, and goes beyond the current interpretation of it. (see helpful information section)

Divorce is hard to deal with. We in this society have also watered it down and made it too easy. The statement here seems very clear. Though in Matt 5:32 and Matt 19:9 Jesus makes marital unfaithfulness a reason for divorce. In Jesus' day the main reason men divorced a women was to then marry another women. This clearly is wrong. Paul deals with a believer being left by an unbeliever in 1 Cor 7:15. Divorce is never desired by God.

Day 77

Luke 16:10–15 (NIV)

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³ “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Would God say you are trustworthy with what He has given you?

Is money in itself evil? What makes money evil?

How does God being your master apply to how you use your finances?

Notes

as if to make sure we don't get confused by the parable of Luke 16:1-9 Jesus quickly turns to telling what God values. And dishonesty as shown in the parable immediately before will not be rewarded no matter how clever. But that is not the main point Jesus makes in this section.

10-13 The main point deals with understanding money. Money from the Old Testament perspective is looked as not something you own but something that God gives you. It was and is never meant to be a end of its own. When you treat money as a and end then you are treating it like a god. The two do not mix. Money is meant to be used in honoring God. Hoarding it, excessive consumption of it, abusing others for it are all wrong. 12:33 states Jesus' views of money well. We attach TOO much importance to it and not to the things that last. Sort of like being caught up in playing Monopoly (fake wealth) when real wealth cannot come from playing with fake money. It has no value! Money has no value for God apart from what you do with it. If you use it faithfully from God's perspective then He can trust you with more important things (not necessarily money or things of this world) that have lasting eternal value.

But if you do not use your earthly wealth well how can God trust you with things that matter?

vs 14-15 We see one of the reasons that the Pharisees cannot see that Jesus is God. They have done what he said in vs 13.

We today can play the same game with money that the Pharisees did. We too can justify how we use it. It doesn't mean we use it in a way that honors God! This to me is one of the biggest things that Christians today struggle with. We need to develop God's perspective on money! The world blasts out as loud as it can that it is all about money. The truth is we are playing monopoly when we should be investing and working for treasures that last!

Am I living for fake wealth or real wealth? How does that show in my life?

vs 15 - detestable to God - Very strong statement. It is as strong of a rejection that can be expressed. Earthly wealth should be used to point to God's true wealth by helping others in need. To do anything else with wealth is without merit.

The Question becomes for us - How much is too much? When do we cross the line of using money as good stewards vs. treating it as a god ? How much savings is too much, how much house is too much, how many things are too much?

The argument about whether tithe still applies in the New testament to me is mute. The standard goes beyond 10% . If you love God more then it is not about what can I get away with giving and still be a good Christian. It is realizing that if God has blessed you with wealth then it needs to be used for his Glory, for showing the world that there is another world to prepare for. (See Luke 11:42, Matt 23:23-24)

Day 76

Luke 16:1–9 (NIV)

¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ ⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ “ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ ⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Why does Jesus use an example of a dishonest person? What is the point he is trying to make?

Do you plan for your future in heaven more than your future on earth?

Why do we have a hard time thinking the way Jesus wants us to in this parable?

Notes

This parable actually starts a conversation about using your earthly treasures in the right way. Invest in things that last!

This parable can be confusing at first light. It can seem Jesus is praising a man for a dishonest action. That is not Jesus' intent. Rather it is to make the point of vs 8b. People of this age (world) care more about their future than people of the light (believers) . They focus on something that brings temporary benefit and work hard at it. Believers ought to realize what they can do to bring eternal relationships and rewards and work hard at it.

vs 1-2 the rich man would have been well off based on the two examples of debt owed to him we see in the parable. The manager was hired to watch over the business. The rich man hears (he doesn't know for himself) that the manger is at least not doing his job well. He asks him to put all the accounts in order and he will be let go. (pretty dumb for the rich man to let the manager straighten things out)

vs3-4 Manager figures he can't do manual labor and he can't beg so what will he do? He comes up with a scheme to make him accepted by those who owe money to the rich man. He reduces what they owe so that they will be indebted to him and be willing to take care of him because of the favoritism his shows them.

5-7- The manager does just that. The two examples show that this was a big operation. One was an olive grove that would have been 25 times the normal size. The manager would have done the resettling of debt for all the accounts and would have been enforceable because the manager was still acting on the behalf of the rich man.

8 The rich man would be ticked off but also makes the comment of how shrewd the man was in preparing for his future. The manager had been dishonest but had taken care of his future needs.

Again Jesus' point isn't about being dishonest. It is about preparing for your future.

vs 9- Jesus further illustrates his point about believers (note that is who he is addressing (vs 1- disciples) ) when he tells them and us to use your worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself that make a difference in eternity. (think back to what Jesus told people to do in 12:33, and 14:13.) What is being implied is if a worldly manger cares about his future that is here today and gone tomorrow; shouldn’t believers care for a future that last for an eternity? Shouldn't your resources be used to build something that last?

Day 75

Luke 15:11–32 (NIV)

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

How is this parable different than the other two before it?

Why would the Father accept the son back as part of the family? What does this parable teach for about how to repent?

Why is the oldest brother wrong in his attitude? Which attitude do you have when an enemy comes to know God?

Notes

This parable continues Jesus’ answer to the Pharisee grumblings about "sinners" (vs 1-2) But now Jesus ups the ante. We are not dealing with animals or objects; we are dealing with humans, more than that family! Jesus tries to once again get the Pharisees to see their error and understand grace. Not just grace for others but also grace for them.

vs 11-13 The younger brother humiliates the father. First by asking before the father is dead for his portion (1/3 of everything the father owns, eldest gets 2/3). Secondly the insult is furthered by selling it all, meaning the land and possessions goes outside the family. Then the insult continues by leaving to go far away, (very disrespectful in this day, suppose to stay and care for needs of family) and finally by spending it all on the things his father would disapprove of the younger son rejects all values of the father. It is as abusive as the son could be without outright killing the father.

vs 13 squandered- word means thrown to the wind

vs 14-16 now life gets complicated- the son begins to learn life lessons. Famine causes crisis to the point that the son gets a job feeding pigs for a Gentile farmer (pigs are unclean animals and not allowed in Jewish lifestyle) and the son wishes he could eat the pig’s food. Jesus' point, the younger son can go no lower. He has nothing! (vs 19 - no one gave him anything)

vs 17-20a- redemption begins with waking up to what you have done. The son doesn't even entertain the thought of going back as a son. How could he after what he did! He thinks, the father will be kind enough to have me as the lowest of servants. (the day laborer is what he means, he would have been paid the least of anyone on the farm. ) Then at least I will have food to eat thinks the young son. The key is he realizes his sin not just the father but also against God! At that moment he opens his life up to be redeemed. He had to swallow pride and meet the father face to face. Proving the father was right and the son was wrong.

vs 20b-24 The sons plans of how things would go are obliterated by the father! Look at what the father does

· Filled with Compassion - why? Why not filled with contempt for this son who had been so disrespectful to him?

· The father is seeing the son takes off running (running was not socially expected of a father. One was to be deliberate and calm showing you were in control)

· Bear hugged him and kissed him! (again highly unusual display for a father)

Son probably dumfounded by the father's love shares his heart. (How much easier it must have been to do so based on what the father did. The father was not going to make him suffer, do penitence, the father accepted him!) Son ask forgiveness.

Father continues his graceful actions

· Doesn't allow the son to finish his rehearsed statement, Quick- no doubts in what to do

· Best robe, ring, sandals - all indicate restoration as a son

· Fatted calf- best cow out there, usually reserved for religious observance

· Feast celebration

· Biggest point of restoration - the father says MY SON- what the son had done in disowning the family is now reversed

vs 25-30- Oldest son- been faithful to the father- how does he take it?

· anger verse compassion of the father

· refusal to enter his father's house to celebrate

· Misunderstanding what family is- slaving, never disobeyed orders- family isn't about slaving or orders, it is about relationship! It is about love! Being glad that a brother who was lost both physically and spiritually is now back!

· Refusing to accept the brother back into the family- says this son of yours not this brother of mine (vs30)

Father's response to the elder son-

· seeks him out, pleads with him vs 28 (hasn't Jesus been doing this with the Pharisees) He wants the son to come in to the celebration but just just the younger son choose to leave the house now the elder son also has the choice not to come to the house.

· explains what family is- It's not about possessions (you have it all), it's about love, delight in a lost son finding the need to ask forgiveness and coming home. That is what we celebrate; not things, not position but restoration!

Jesus leaves the story unfinished- what will the older son do? How will he respond? - leads to the question of how the Pharisees will respond to what God's family is all about. Will they continue to look down on the "sinners" or will they come into the great banquet?