Jesus knew this issue of trust was a struggle for His disciples, so He pressed on with His healing words, Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25) They knew He was right. No one can do that! Why was worry such a perpetual torment? Why was trusting […]
Jesus could tell that certain topics were unsettling to His disciples … likely His unwillingness to get into another person’s inheritance dispute or His teachings about rejecting dependence upon possessions. For many people, inheritance of property and fields for farming were a source of economic security, and people depended on this kind of income. Jesus […]
The crowds were more than happy to acknowledge the Pharisees were hypocrites. But it made people wonder, if they’re hypocrites, could they effectively sit in the seat of Moses to judge matters regarding the Law? What about to settle disputes? To teach what the Law says about things? One thing was unmistakable, even to the […]
Jesus’ disciples were shocked. Jesus’ boldness in confronting the hypocritical leaders is something they’d only dreamed of doing. They just never felt like they could. Jesus, however, knew that He was different. He knew where He’d come from and He knew what people thought of Him. He knew that when people who are doing wrong […]
How great is God– beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from […]
Luke 11:37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. “That’s just one of the problems with sin,” Jesus thought as He reflected […]
How truly tragic that the crowds were so blind! Jesus was grieved by it all. He’d understood from the assignment in being sent by the Father that He’d be sent to people who wouldn’t welcome Him. He’d be sent to people who would reject Him as the Son of God, reject His message of repentance […]
All in a day’s work, Jesus thought as Luke 11:14 “He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.” Crowds can be easily amazed, but their hearts are not so easily changed, Jesus noted. This isn’t just a bunch […]
From Martha’s home, Jesus went off by Himself. He needed to remove the distractions and spend some time praying to His Father. It wasn’t just prayer and it wasn’t just worship. It wasn’t just an unburdening or even telling His Father something He didn’t already know. No, it was something more for Jesus to pray: […]
Jerusalem was still days ahead even if less than 2 miles as the crow flies when Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany. Jesus valued friends and Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha had been foremost among them. Martha’s house was a special place, kind of a home away from home. A resting place […]
