Category: Luke - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Luke 3:1-20 - Lectionary for Advent 2C

12/6/2018

12/6/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading from Luke 3:1-20 gives us not only insight into the work of God, not only into the identity of John the Baptizer, but also into the author Luke and the kind of critical response he expected.

Observe how carefully Luke dates this event. He doesn’t give a month and day, but he identifies the various political leaders of the time, whose terms of office overlap. He also identifies the various political leaders of the time, whose terms of office overlap. He also identifies both the person recognized by the Jews as their rightful high priest as well as the one who was a political appointee. Luke here is making sure his readers can place the event clearly in time and space. For what it’s worth, for much of the time since these events, everyone accepted the reality of the account. It was not until the late 18th century that some scholars suggested these people may not have been real, as they were not clearly identified in historical sources. Since that time, archaeology as confirmed the identity and time frame. The account seems quite reliable in its details.

Some of these details are of great importance. What does John identify as God’s priority? His people are to be recognized by repentance which leads to just and charitable actions. In short, they are to beh onest, share with others, and not seek their own profit in such a way as to harm others. That’s a very good summary of the Christian life. In light of the goodness of God, we live lives which value the same kind of charity God has given.

There’s something more to this passage, though. Is John the Messiah? He is not. The Messiah is more worthy than John by far. Notice the work of the Messiah in verses 16-17. He pours out the Holy Spirit and cleans things up, gathering wheat for good use and burning up the chaff. Metaphorically, he gathers his repentant followers for the good of the world but he will sweep the rest into a pile destined for destruction. John calls his hearers, and us, to a life as repentant followers of Jesus, trusting in him rather than ourselves. May we be found in him this way.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 21:25-36 - Lectionary for Advent 1C

11/29/2018

11/29/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

With the start of Advent, on the Sunday after St. Andrew’s Day (11/30), we begin a new liturgical year. For the next twelve moths we will walk through biblical accounts of the coming of the Christ, his revelation to this world, the world’s rejection of him, his death and resurrection, his ascension into heaven, and the life of his people in this world. Then, in a year, we start all over again. There’s a stability that we can find in such a church calendar. Not only have countless people used these resources in the past, but to this day many millions of people use the calendar as a framework for their lives. So I want to take this opportunity to welcome my readers to join with me in our walk through the life of Christ. My afternoon posts normally follow the three year ectionary as tweaked by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, but I do them early. For instance, today I have posted some notes about the Gospel for this coming Sunday, December 2, rather than last Sunday.

What’s happening in our Gospel reading? We have jumped into Luke’s Gospel at chapter 21, starting at verse 25. Jesus is speaking about the time when he will come in glory to gather his people and bring judgment on the world. Verse 28 says this is a time when his people will find redemption delivered to them. They are not to fear. For those who have not believed Jesus, it will be a time of fear. They will know they are unable to stand in God’s judgment.

How are we to know the coming of Christ is near? Jesus has spoken of signs of his coming, but most of them seem pretty commonplace. By doing this, he is establishing the idea that he can and will come for his people and we are to be on alert. Just as the person waiting to board a bus or train needs to watch for the right time, we also wait for his return. If not, if we are dulled, as in verse 34, we will not be ready for his arrival.

In our alertness, in verse 36, we are told to pray for strength. The world is a troublesome place, full of wars, diseases, disappointments, and distractions. We should not be called away from our vigilance, but sould pray the Lord would make us expect him even in this time of trouble.

When he comes, I pray all my readers will be waiting eagerly, knowing that Jesus is the one who has redeemed them from sin.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke

4/19/2018

Thursdays are for the New Testament
4/19/18
Carson, D.A., and Douglas Moo An Introduction to the New Testament - Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. "Luke" Carson & Moo pp. 198-224

CONTENTS
p. 198 "Luke's gospel is the longest book in the New Testament. Like Matthew, Luke follows the basic outline of Jesus' ministry established by Mark."
1. The Prologue (1:1-4)
2. The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus (1:5-2:52)
3. Preparation for the Ministry (3:1-4:13)
4. The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee (4:14-9:50)
5. Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:44)
6. Jesus in Jerusalem (19:45-21:38)
7. Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection (22:1-24:53)

LUKE-ACTS
Luke and Acts are recognizably written by the same individual, addressed to the same individual, and related to one another. however we do need to realize that the books seem to fit into different genres, with Luke following the pattern found in the other gospels and Acts following a pattern of a historical text.

AUTHOR
Internal evidence points to an author who is not an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry (1:1-4) but who is familiar with many events. The "we" passages in Acts identify the author as someone who is frequently a companion of Paul. The statements of chapter 1 indicating an author who performed research prepares us to expect someone who would have drawn information from a variety of sources, including from those he accompanied. Early church authors identify Luke as the author, also claiming that the author was a physician. There are indications, particularly in Colossians 4:10-14, that Luke was a Gentile.

PROVENANCE
The location of the writing is unclear. Antioch, Achaia, and Rome have all been suggested. All are speculations.

DATE
Carson and Moo give a good deal of evidence that tends to point again and again to a date around 62 for the final work of Acts. Acts presupposes that the gospel has been written, but does not suggest that it has been in existence for long. Carson and Moo also list numerous suggestions for later dates, after 70, but none of those suggestions are conclusive.

ADDRESSEE(S)
The gospel is written to one "Theophilus" which means "lover of God." This could be anybody, including a noble person (see the "most excellent") using a real or assumed name, or could be an example of a person to whom Luke purports to write. The content of the gospel seems to indicate it is written with a recent convert in mind.

PURPOSE
Luke states his own purpose of writing in the prologue, to assure the reader of the certainty of what he has been taught. p. 212 "By the time Luke wrote his gospel, the early church had separated from Judaism and was, indeed, experiencing hostility from many Jews. at the same time, the new and tiny Christian movement was competing with a welter of religious and philosophical alternatives in the Greco-Roman world."

COMPOSITION
If we assume that Luke drew heavily on other written sources, it would seem that he takes about 55 percent of Mark's material (p. 212). Some suggest that Luke has borrowed a great deal, about 20 percent of the non-Markan material, from Matthew. This does leave a significant portion of the gospel without parallel. p. 213 "most scholars are persuaded that Luke and Matthew have independently used a lost source, called "Q." we think this hypothesis is likely, though the exact nature of Q must be left open." Yet we observe that Luke says he gathered information from a variety of sources. It must be allowed that some sources were written and that some were oral, gathered in the time he spent accompanying Paul and possibly other apostles.

TEXT
The text of Luke and Acts is difficult as there is a significant difference between Western and Eastern text traditions. Carson and Moo lay out a fairly detailed argument on p. 215. They tend to think that the Western text passages which are found in addition to the Eastern text are less likely to be original, while the passages which exist in the Western text but are omitted in the Eastern text are fairly likely to be original.

ADOPTION INTO THE CANON
Luke was clearly accepted as canonical by the mid-second century. There is some evidence that it was cited earlier, even in the first century. It has been universally accepted as authoritative for as long as canonicity has been articulated.

LUKE'S GOSPEL IN RECENT STUDY
In recent years text critics have suggested a variety of sources for Luke's information. They have also tended to suggest that Luke was interested in explaining eschatology to dispel the idea that Jesus' return would have been expected more or less immediately after his ascension. Narrative critics have focused on Luke-Acts as a two volume whole. pp. 218-219 "Luke is not creating a work of literature from whole cloth as a novelist might go about his or her work. He is narrating events that transpired in a particular time and place; and these "historical constraints" must be recognized."

THE CONTRIBUTION OF LUKE
Carson and Moo identify four major themes in Luke which can inform all our understanding of Scripture. First, Luke is interested in God's overall plan. Second, Luke has a focus on salvation. Third, the Gentiles are the special recipients of salvation. Finally, Jesus is the one who shows care for outcasts of all sorts.

Luke 24:36-49 - Lectionary for Easter 3B

4/12/2018

4/12/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

During approximately three years of walking around with his disciples, Jesus consistently showed them that he was the Messiah. He fulfilled prophecy after prophecy. He worked miracles. He received worship. And he warned them several times that he would be killed and that he would rise from the dead again.

Despite all of this preparation, the disciples really weren’t ready for what happened at the Passover. They were terrified when Jesus was actually arrested. It made them run away. When they heard the details of the trial from Peter and John, who had followed Jesus, they didn’t know how to react. By the time Jesus was led out to be crucified, John was the only one of the apostles to be an eyewitness. After his death, it was two members of the Sanhedrin who actually took his body and entombed him.

Not one of the disciples expected Jesus to rise from the dead. They weren’t waiting for this news. The women had gone to take care of anything that was overlooked in his very hasty entombment. All their expectation was that they would find his lifeless body laid out on a slab.

The news which arrived to the disciples during the day of resurrection was also unbelievable. The body was gone, there was some sort of angelic apperance, maybe Jesus had appeared to someone, but maybe not. Peter and John had verified that the body was missing. And the disciples, disconsolate, had gathered together in a locked room, hoping that nobody would arrest them also. They were hiding.

What could change their minds? It didn’t seem likely that anything would persuade them that Jesus had risen from the dead. That wasn’t even on their radar screens. Then, without even seeming to open the door, without knocking, Jesus appeared among them. Distance, doors, locks and bars mean nothing to the risen Lord. He can come and be with his disciples. He shows that he is not a ghost by eating something and demonstrating that he is absolutely a living person.

We notice now that Jesus gives more instructions to his disciples. He tells them that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit to continue their work. Now, maybe, just maybe, they will be able to take his promises seriously. We know, of course, that in just seven weeks’ time they will receive the power they need. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to give the disciples hope and trust.

In every age, Jesus, in his resurrection, confronts our sinful unbelief. He shows that he is, in fact, the one who always keeps his promises, even if it requires him to do impossible miracles, such as rising from the dead. It’s when we find Jesus in our midst that we are able to take him at his word and believe him. May the Lord continue to come into our midst in ways that we can recognize.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 2:22-40 - Lectionary for Christmas 1B

12/29/2017

12/29/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Shortly after the birth of Jesus, the Scriptures remind us that Joseph and Mary were committed to their faith. As observant Jews they brought him to the temple on the eighth day to bring the prescribed sacrifices. This was no random action. They didn’t go whenever they felt like it. They didn’t bring some sort of gift which occurred to them. It was not a time to show individuality or to celebrate their child’s personality.

Jesus was presented in the temple according to the Law of Moses, with the sacrifices prescribed. What would set him apart? The Holy Spirit moved two people at the temple to recognize him as the one who would redeem Israel. And this was no passing comment by a senile crackpot. We normally assume both Simeon and Anna are old. The Bible says Anna is old. As to Simeon, we know tht he is in the habit of spending a lot of time in the temple and is waiting for God’s redemption. He suggests age by saying that he can die in peace now. But that is no certain indicator of his age. Rather, these two people are presented as being entirely in their right minds and certainly energetic enough to engage the family, stop them, take the baby from his mother, and make a prophecy.

What kind of child is this? He is the one who is to redeem Israel. He doesn’t appear any different from any of the other babies presented in the temple. To all appearances, he is the child of a working class family. Yet the Holy Spirit makes it clear to some who meet him that he is in fact the savior.

May the Holy Spirit speak to many hearts as they are confronted with this Jesus, brought up according to God’s Law, but who shows himself to be the consolation of all who trust in him.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 1:26-38 - Lectionary for Advent 4B

12/22/2017

12/22/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Luke 1:26-38 describes the conception of Jesus. The evangelist has already set the stage by describing the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth, a relative of Mary. Elizabeth had first conceived at an old age. Now an angel comes to Mary and tells her about the son she will bear.

The angelic description makes perfect sense. There will be a Messiah. His name will mean “God saves.” He will be in the lineage of David and will be the king of God’s people. All of this sounds fine and good. But, of course, Mary knows where babies come from. How is this going to happen? As Mary receives God’s word and believes it, she will have a child. Her chances of pregnancy were even more remote than Elizabeth’s. But, in accord with God’s promise, she would conceive and bear a child, who would be the Messiah.

The news of the Incarnation is entirely mind-boggling. First you have a virgin who conceives. The one born is the Messiah. We find out later that he is not broken by a sinful nature like the rest of the world. He alone will be able to rescue humanity from sin and death. This is great news indeed. What is Mary’s response? May it be according to God’s will. May that also be our response to divine intervention in this world.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 24:13-35 - Lectionary for Easter 3A

4/27/2017

4/27/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In Luke 24:13-35, Jesus appears to some disciples who have left Jerusalem. They departed after the Sabbath was over, having realized that the one they thought was the Messiah had been killed. Their hopes were crushed. time to pack it up and go home.

The discussion along the road centers on this person they had hoped would be the Messiah. Jesus explained about himself from all the Scriptures as they walked. This was encouraging to them. However, they didn’t identify this person as Jesus. He was just a person who encouraged them.

In verse 28 Jesus acted as if he would go on, but they urged him to stay. Then, in verse 30, he took the role of leadership. He blessed and broke the bread. He gave it to them, and they knew who he was. This is certainly Jesus. He has risen from the dead.

Immediately, Jesus showed them that he was not bound by time and space. He disappeared. They, however, returned to Jerusalem immediately and went to find the eleven apostles, along with others who were with them.

Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection are no hallucinations. He is see multiple times by people who are together with one another, in their right minds. He does things that defy explanation other than being done by someone with a supernaturally enabled body. But what is most important is the purpose of Jesus’ appearances. He shows that he is the Messiah, the one who would come and rescue Israel from bondage to sin. He shows that he is the one his people can believe in. He shows that the resurrection is very real and is the source of hope for the Christian.

Blessed are those who saw Jesus in his resurrection. Even more blessed are those who have believed, not seeing.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 2:21 - Lectionary for the Circumcision and Naming of Christ

12/29/2016

12/29/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The Gospel for the Circumcision and Naming of Christ is very brief - Luke 2:21. Here Jesus is circumcised and given the name commanded by the angel at the time of his conception. Why would this detail be saved for us in the New Testament? Very simply, Joseph and Mary valued God’s commands. God the Son also values the commands given through the Holy Spirit. After all, as we confess, there is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with one will. This one God has given us His word and looks for us to trust his will to be revealed in his word.

Jesus, the Savior, born under the law, come to complete the demands of the law on your behalf, submitted to those demands. He was circumcised on the eight day, according to the law and also in accord with God’s promise to lay his covenant blessings upon Jesus.

Are we willing to trust that God in his Word has given us what we need to live as partakers of his promise in Christ? This is a great blessing. May the Lord use us as we seek to live in accord with his will.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 23:27-43 - Lectionary for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, Cycle C

11/17/2016

11/17/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In Luke 23:27-43 Jesus is mocked all the way to his death. As he goes to the place of execution, however, he has encouraging words for those who are lamenting his sentence. The time is coming when Jesus’ followers will also be mocked, scorned, beaten, and executed, for his sake. This is a sorrowful time indeed.

Why is Jesus treated this way? It is because of sin in the world. From the first sin to the last one described in the Bible we are bent on rejecting and abusing Jesus. All sin is, in one way or another, a rejection of the person and work of God to create, sustain, and redeem his people.

Even as he is dying on the cross, see Jesus’ compassion. The criminal who confesses he is guilty and deserves to die but that Jesus is innocent receives a great promise. “You will be with me this day in paradise.” What hope do we find then? Whatever the sin, Jesus’ forgiveness is present for us. We can trust in his mercy. He has indeed done all that is necessary for our redemption.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 20:27-40 - Lectionary for Pentecost 25 C

11/3/2016

11/3/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In this week’s Gospel passage from Luke 20, Jesus has an encounter with the Sadducees. They denied the idea of the resurrection, as well as other supernatural events. We often see this passage used to discuss the idea of the miraculous, or to show the way Jesus can overturn arguments which would distract from the main thrust of ministry. Yet Jesus himself seems to have a different agenda in mind. He points out that the Sadducees do not know the nature of God as God of the living. To the eternal God, all the living remain living.

This is great comfort to the Christian, especially in a time of bereavement. Jesus boldy claims that God never loses anybody. He remains the living God and savior of all his people, for all eternity, regardless of the condition of their bodies. He is able to raise the dead and will do so. Just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive, so are all who trust in Jesus. We may not recognize them as living, but that makes no difference to God. God is the God of the living.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 19:1-10 - Lectionary for Pentecost 24 C

10/27/2016

10/27/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading from Luke 19 tells of Zacchaeus. He, so often featured in children’s Bible story books and songs, catches our attention, but for all the wrong reasons. What’s the situation? Zacchaeus is short. He can’t see over the crowds of people. He humbles himself, climbing a tree to see Jesus. This is not a very dignified thing to do. And he’s an important man! A tax agent. He is the kind of person who could order some servants or bodyguards to clear a space so he could see Jesus. For some reason, he prefers to be incognito. From the back of the crowd he climbs a tree to get a view of Jesus.

Jesus recognizes him. This is the big event. Jesus picks him out of a crowd. Jesus’ acknowledgement of Zacchaeus, his self-invitation to dinner, his voluntary plan to sit at peace with Zacchaeus and his associates moves the tax collector.

Zacchaeus doesn’t need anyone to tell him his wrongdoing. He doesn’t need anyone to confront his sin. He has seen it himself, day by day. He does, however, need someone to give him the good news of God’s forgiveness. Here it comes. God himself, God the Son, will sit down to dine with Zacchaeus, the sinful tax collector. The man who was lost has been found.

We also, when we see we are lost, realize that Jesus is the one who has come to seek and save us. He has not left us trying to get a glimpse of his mercy. He has come to dine with us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 18:9-17 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23 C

10/20/2016

10/20/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In our Gospel passage for this week, Luke 18:9-17, we find the famous little passage, just three verses, speaking of Jesus blessing little children. Verse 15 really just says that the people are bringing infants “so he could touch them.” The laying on of hands in the Bible is normally seen as the way someone would impart a blessing. The term used for children here is the one typical for infants, not older children. These are people who could not bring themselves.

Jesus’ response to his disciples is that the kingdom of heaven consists of people just like children. By saying this he points out very clearly that we are not able to bring ourselves to God. God has come to his people, just as he continues to come, through Word and Sacrament. We are remarkably passive in the matter. We are washed by the Word and by the waters of baptism. This is not something we do ourselves. It is God’s blessing poured out upon us. We are fed in communion and through the ongoing proclamation of God’s Word. Again, while we do take some responsibility to read and to hear the Word, it is God’s activity, feeding us. We are the sheep of God’s pasture. We receive. We don’t give.

Often in the Church children are treated as second class people. We give them special children’s sermons which are often inferior in quality and sometimes presented by people who don’t have the skills working with Scripture that we expect of “the real pastor.” We take them away from the preaching of God’s Word and present them instead with things to glue together. In recent years I have increasingly seen children go through entire church services playing with an electronic device instead of being taught to watch, listen, and receive from God. Within baptistic congregations we doubt their faith and test them, often including an age test, before allowing them the washing of baptism. Within congregations that practice infant baptism we prevent them from coming for communion until they have reached a certain age and passed some substantial tests of knowledge, rather than seeing if they are trusting in Jesus and welcoming them into the communion of saints. This is a sad state of affairs.

Jesus tells us to welcome the little children. He calls them to himself. May we have the wisdom and grace to do the same.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 18:1-8 - Lectionary for Pentecost 22 C

10/13/2016

10/13/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In our Gospel reading for this week Jesus tells a parable encouraging his people to keep praying. The widow in Luke 18:1-8 comes to an unjust judge, pushing him for a favorable decision, persisting. Finally he relents and gives her a judgment. This judgment is not because he believes God. It is not because he thinks she is right. It is merely to get rid of her.

Often we hear preaching about this parable, in which the message given is that we need to keep hounding God for an answer so he will grudgingly give in and do what we want just to get rid of us.

This cannot be a right interpretation of the passage. What works better? The whole of Scripture presents the triune God as desiring the good of his people. He urges, begs, and pleads us to repentance. It is we who give in reluctantly.

God is not this way. In fact, God is precisely the way the unjust judge isn’t. He delights to hear the prayers and needs of his people. He shows us our needs and urges us to prayer so he can show his mercy and grace. He wants us to find out how kind and gracious he is.

Why should we pray? We pray because God delights in being asked to do good for his people.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 17:11-19 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21 C, 10/9/16

10/6/2016

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus has an encounter with ten lepers. These men were desperate. They had no meaningful medical treatment. They had a communicable disease which required their separation from healthy people due to the dangers it posed to the community. They were isolated, poverty-stricken, and apparently beyond help. Yet they called out to Jesus for help.

Jesus’ answer seems odd at first. He tells them to show themselves to the priests. This was a typical step in the cleansing process. If a person thought his disease had run its course, he could show himself to the priest for certification of cleansing. These men had no evidence that they were healed. It was as they went to be examined by the priests that they received their healing. There was no earthly reason for them to expect a healing. But they went ahead and accepted Jesus’ word.

We would expect the story to be over there. Jesus brings healing for people who accept his words. But there is more. One of the ten returned to thank Jesus. Just one of the people. And he was a foreigner, a Samaritan. This was one of the people who would not be accepted in polite Jewish society whether he was healthy or not.

It seems that often the people who have less experience with healing and forgiveness are those who are quick to express their thanks. Here in the fairly affluent and healthy Western world we take medical care and treatment almost for granted. We rarely consider the fact that a condition could kill us. We often consider the fact that our recovery takes too long, the treatment costs too much, or there was some annoying condition in the waiting room. Likewise within the Church. Those who are too accustomed to God’s outpoured grace are prone to take it for granted.Those who, like the Samaritan in our Bible passage, have long been separated from grace, will return thanks again and again.

May the Lord give us a spirit of thanksgiving.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 17:1-10 - Lectionary for Pentecost 20 C, 10/2/16

9/29/2016

9/29/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading from Luke chapter 17 speaks to forgiveness and obedience. The two ideas are very closely related. When Jesus calls the disciples to forgive sin freely, we do well to note that this forgiveness is expressed for those who have sinned against us and approach us in sorrow. How has God dealt with his people? We come to him as repentant sinners, we ask his forgiveness, and he forgives us. How, then, will we deal with other sinners such as ourselves? In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask the Lord to forgive our transgressions as we forgive others. Do we value God’s forgiveness? Do we despise it? Do we expect that we can hold other people to a higher standard of judgment that God does? Compared to God we have no moral qualifications to hold others accountable for their sin.

But that hurt me! When we are sinned against we don’t like it! No, God does not like being sinned against either. So what are we going to do about it? Jesus goes right on after talking about forgiveness to speak of obedience and knowing our place in the world. As we have been called servants of God, we act as his obedient servants and humble ourselves, forgiving as we have been forgiven.

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Luke 16:19-31 - Lectionary for Pentecost 19 C

9/22/2016

9/22/16
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

As is often the case, so this week, the appointed Gospel reading from Luke 16:19-31 ties together the other readings. All have had an element of not depending upon ourselves. Most recently, the Epistle reading showed us two types of leaders who will work to strengthen God’s people and direct them to Jesus. Now, Jesus tells of a rich man and a poor man. Socially and economically they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet they are both the same in a very important way. Both have died. Both have faced judgment. Both are in the place of their destiny. Both are judged based on whether they were believing in God’s mercy in life.

The poor man had nothing to trust in but God’s mercy. Or so we think. Actually, he could have been embittered by his bad situation. He could have trusted in the dogs who befriended him. He could have trusted in the rich man or the rich man’s servants who provided him with what he needed. He could have trusted in his street smarts, or at least those he used to have. But he didn’t. He trusted in God’s mercy. When we find him after his death he is in paradise.

The rich man had many things to trust in aside from God’s mercy. He could have trusted in his authority, his riches, his earthly power. It appears from the passage that maybe he trusted the message his family had given him, as he asks for someone to go tell his family the truth. Yet none of these things should have made it impossible for him to have trusted God’s mercy, just like the poor man. However, he was rewarded with eternal torment, rather than eternal bliss.

How quick are we to discount the means which God has provided and revealed in Scripture? There are many people in our surrounding culture who will trust anything other than the biblical words which can give them life. Jesus describes God, not Lazarus or the rich man, as being on the throne, deciding their eternal disposition. What does God require? Trust in him. Nothing more, nothing less. Think about the implications. What proof do we need? What proof are we going to be given in this life? May the Lord increase our faith.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 16:1-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 18 C

9/15/2016

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The Gospel for this week is Luke 16:1-15. This is probably one of the most difficult of the parables of Jesus to explain. It is so challenging primarily because the main character, the “unjust steward,” is, in fact, called “unjust” in Jesus’ story. If it were simply a matter of a master being pleased with a steward who is shrewd enough to provoke debtors to some sort of payment we would be able to understand it easily. But Jesus distinctly calls this steward “unjust.”

Does he then want Christians to be unjust? Not at all. However, when push comes to shove, it is within the master’s desire for the debts to be collected, even partially. The steward did not have authority to reduce the debts, but it was, in fact, the master’s will that the debts be collected. Though the steward was acting out of a self-interest which was not godly, his self-interested actions actually were in agreement with the master’s desire.

How many of our actions are self-interested? If we consider it fairly, we are very likely to find that none of our actions are genuinely done with no self interest. Even in our good deeds, we desire people to think well of us, to repay us, or we want to assuage guilt for something that we have failed to do in the past or will surely fail in the future. We act in our own interest, even if we have someone else’s interest in mind. How does God respond to our poorly motivated, partially accomplished good deeds? He commends us. It is not as if we accomplished something completely good. We didn’t. But we did do something which was pleasing to God.

May we have grace to care for our neighbors in this world, even our work is incomplete and our motivation is not perfect.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 15:1-10 - Lectionary for Pentecost 17 C

9/8/2016

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Gospel passage for this week is from Luke 15:1-10. In it, Jesus tells two parables about lost things. First, there is a parable about a lost sheep. The shepherd seeks out the lost sheep. It was completely normal for a shepherd to be with other shepherds or assistants. The bulk of the flock would stay together. Yet the dedicated shepherd would go away from his place of safety, away from the company of his other workers, and away from his shelter and provisions in order to find a lost sheep. Even if that sheep were injured or dead, the shepherd’s work would not be complete until he found it. Jesus pictures the shepherd as being a little eccentric. Have you ever seen a full grown sheep? More than that, have you ever put a full grown sheep on your shoulders to carry it, possibly several miles, over rough terrain, back to the flock? That may well be a large and heavy burden.

What about the woman who has lost a silver coin, representing a significant part of her life savings? Of course, she searches until she finds it. She also opens herself to the accusations of her neighbors, who would wonder how she managed to lose such a valuable item in the first place.

The overarching theme in this passage is God’s love for his lost creation. He will do what normal people will not. He will go to even greater lengths to recover what is lost than the most diligent person in the world.

Do we care about our career? Do we care about our investments? Do we care about our reputation in the community? Those are good and right. Yet Jesus here says that God cares even more about people who are entrapped in sin and who turn from it, repenting (being sorry), and asking for God’s forgiveness. He will go to any length needed to call us to his side, where we belong. This is the enormous love of God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 14:25-35 - Pentecost 16 C

9/1/2016

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

This week’s Gospel reading, from Luke 14:25-35, portrays Jesus urging his followers to consider the cost of discipleship. Following Jesus may be a costly matter. Within this passage, Jesus lays out the practical details first and then follows them with an illustration of the principles.

What is the principle? In verse 28 it is that of obtaining and considering a construction estimate. The result of not getting an estimate, in verses 29-31, is that the building project will not be completed and the man will be mocked.

In verses 30-32 the principle is that of a king considering the amount of military force he has before attacking an enemy who may well be more powerful than he is. If he does not think he can raise an adequate force to overcome the enemy he will seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Verse 33 ties us back to verses 26 and 27. Being a disciple of Jesus requires us to lay down all that we have, all our earthly security, all our hopes, all our dreams. It requires us to follow him regardless of the outcome. Verse 27 says that the disciple is to “bear his cross” (NKJV). This, we realize is no decoration but rather a device to inflict a slow and painful death.

Are Jesus’ disciples willing to follow him even if it costs their life? It is a large cost to consider. Yet this is the demand Jesus makes. He came and gave his life. If we receive his life in place of ours, we must also be willing to lay down our lives.

How do verses 34-35 relate? Jesus suddenly talks about salt which could lose its flavor and be worthless. If the Christian is not distinctly Christian, he has chosen to take up his own life again rather than Jesus’ life on his behalf. Jesus’ call is certainly to a radical type of discipleship which will be reflective of his priorities and his resurrection.

If this passage seems to leave us without hope, realizing that our commitment is imperfect and worthy of being thrown out, the worthless salt, we should consider again the way Jesus comes for those who are imperfect. He himself perishes for us outside the camp, bringing us forgiveness, as we read in Hebrews chapter 13. The same Lord who calls us to unflinching discipleship also calls us to trust in his forgiveness.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Luke 14:1-14, Pentecost 15 C

8/26/2016

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

This week’s Gospel passage is from Luke 14:1-14. The scene is set in verses 1-2 as Jesus has apparently been invited by some Pharisees to dine on the Sabbath. In this setting he is presented with a man who is ill. In verse 3 Jesus asks the “elephant in the room” question. This shows that Jesus will not shy away from a difficult question or a hard situation.

The question is not whether it is appropriate for Jesus to heal the man. That is clear. The question is whether the healing work is appropriate for the Sabbath, as it is a day of rest. Healing someone will constitute work. The Pharisees have placed Jesus in a situation which they think will show him as unmerciful or as a violator of God’s Law.

In verse 3 Jesus asks the question to make sure it is clear to the Pharisees that he understands exactly what they are doing. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He receives no answer from the Pharisees.

Jesus then takes up two important tasks. First, he cares for the man by healing him. Then, Jesus explains his actions. He uses Scripture from Exodus 23, reminding the Pharisees that God values doing right and showing mercy. Exodus 23 does not mention a day of the week on which it is inappropriate to show mercy.

The lack of response to Jesus’ mercy tells a great deal. How do scoffers react when Christians are merciful and kind? It is much more difficult to find fault with someone engaging in kindness than with someone failing to do good or, in fact, doing evil.

Jesus’ move to tell a parable starting in verse 7 seems, in Luke’s mind, tied to the lack of an answer. This is a parable with two sides to it. First, it discusses how to act when invited to a festive occasion. Second, it discusses how to handle inviting people. Both scenarios are tied to our attitude of self-interest. This is presumably what Luke sees as the connection.

First, when you are invited to an occasion, assume that you are of little importance. This is related to Proverbs 25:6-7, also in this week’s readings. As an example, we see that Jesus, the creator and ruler of all creation, came to dine with someone and healed a person who is not even named in the passage. Jesus, Lord of all, cares for nameless, faceless individuals, such as you and me. We can also make little of ourselves so as to care for others.

Second, when we are arranging a festive time, we do not arrange it for our own self interest. We invite those who are not able to pay us back. We welcome those who need our care and welcome.

The entirety of this passage is tied to Jesus’ genuine humility. It serves to illustrate the way that, no matter the situation, Jesus has come to care for those who cannot care for themselves. He gives his people rest from their troubles, the true meaning of a Sabbath.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.