Luke 22 - Esther

"The most important among you should be like the youngest. The one who rules should be like the one who serves." -Luke 22:26

Luke 21 and 22 - Jason

Luke 21 is about the prophecies of Jesus concerning the end times and the destruction of Jerusalem, which was fulfilled in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple by the Romans. Verse 36 is a good one to remember: stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Luke 22 is an intense chapter about the betrayal and arrest and questioning of Jesus. Before he was betrayed he enjoyed the last Passover meal with his disciples, and he distributed wine and bread to them saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Jesus made a new covenant with his people through his death and resurrection, and the new covenant is better than the old because we can all have a close relationship with God through Jesus Christ the Son. And he poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh.

Luke 22 - Nathanael

Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles Lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.  But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.  

Luke 22:25‭-‬26

Jesus calls us to servant leadership. This is very countercultural. In society the leader is always served by others and others give up their lives in service of the master. But Jesus did the opposite Ann's calls us to do likewise. 

He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.  It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'  ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."  

Luke 22:36-37

An interesting passage. Some may take it to be Jesus advocating swords or in modern times guns. While I don't believe Jesus was opposed to them, I think something else is in view here: namely that while at one point they were popular and had favor with those around them, soon was coming a time when they would be called sinners and be outcasts who are hunted down. In God's kingdom, his people God through times of favor and times of disfavor with those around them. 

 "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
Luke 22:46 NIV

This is a key to avoiding temptation: get up and pray! 

http://bible.com/111/luk.22.25-46.NIV

Luke 15 - Esther

"There is joy in heaven over one sinner who turns away from sin." -Luke 15:10

Luke 21 - Esther

"I will give you words of wisdom." -Luke 21:15

"Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away." -Luke 21:33

Luke 21 - Nathanael

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.  For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 

Luke 21:14‭-‬15

Two interesting points here: 1) a secret to proper behavior in difficult times is to make up your mind beforehand how you will behave 2) Jesus's instructions about this are unexpected and challenging: don't worry about how to defend yourself. I've found this top be quite helpful in various ways. Generally I have determined not to defend myself but key God take care of that - especially when it comes to my reputation. I have found it best to simply trust and obey God and let him defend my reputation. This allows me not to worry and I have found that God takes care of me! 

  "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
Luke 21:34 NIV

In these days, it us easy for our hearts to be weighed down with anxieties and for us to be distracted by the pleasures and comforts of this world and its entertainments. 

Lord Jesus, keep us from the love of the world! And help us to trust completely in you! 

http://bible.com/111/luk.21.14-34.NIV

Luke 18, 19, and 20 - Esther

"He wanted to show them that they should always pray and not give up." -Luke 18:1

Luke 19 and 20 - Jason

I liked how Zacchaeus, after he was saved by Jesus, chose to give away half of his possessions and restore anything that he had defrauded from others up to four times! Even if it is costly, it is important to make restitution wherever possible for the things that we have done wrong. I need God's help to see if there is anything that I can give back to people.

Jesus gives such wise answers to the scribes and Pharisees who question him at the temple in Jerusalem. He is so wise as to not fall into their traps or incite a rebellion against the Roman authorities there. I don't want to question Jesus the way that the religious leaders asked questions to try to trap him. But I do ask Jesus for help and wisdom, and I may ask questions about things that are confusing me from the Scripture. God is not afraid of our questions, and he will answer gently and with great wisdom.

Luke 19 - Nathanael

They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. 

Luke 19:44

This is one of those many times that Jesus makes the claim of being God.

Luke 18 - Jason

I like the part in verse 38 when the blind man begins to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" This is a verse that has stuck out to me and it is a great response to Jesus. The Lord wants us to cry out to him for help, and sometimes we are in situations where we feel our need more and we cry out for help. We need the Lord to have mercy and us, and I want to belong to Him. I want to have my spiritual eyes opened to see what God is doing around me and what I can do to join Him.

Luke 17 - Jason

I was curious about what is meant in verses 28-32. What is the relationship between Sodom and Lot and the world and us in the last days? Is it saying that we will leave the earth first and the Lord will destroy it with fire? Why would we turn back as Lot's wife turned to look on the destruction of the city? Should we be totally free from cares in this world so that we do not look back when it is being destroyed? This passage is a bit confusing to me.

Luke 17 - Esther

"Anyone who tries to keep his life will lose it. Anyone who loses his life will keep it." -Luke 17:33

Luke 16 - Esther

"You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God knows your hearts. What is worth a great deal among people is hated by God." - Luke 16:15

Luke 16 - Jason

The story about the rich man and Lazarus is truly amazing because Jesus gave the people a picture of what happens when we die. I think this is particularly interesting because there is evidence in the Scripture that after Jesus rose from the dead, He brought people from paradise into Heaven with Him. But Jesus shows that there are two places where the souls of people go before the resurrection of the dead: paradise (Abraham's bosom) or Hades with torment. It is unclear why Lazarus went to paradise besides the fact that he was in suffering during his life--he must have had faith in God like Abraham. The rich man however was uncaring and wealthy. Apparently he did not have faith in God. Jesus said that we will not believe even if someone came back from the dead. But we have the law and the prophets and what God has revealed to us, we need to pay attention to that. And most of all, we need to pay attention to Jesus who is the source of our faith and relationship with God.

Luke 16 - Nathanael

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.    

Luke 16:9

This parable of the shrewd manager is always intriguing and challenging. This verse is the bottom line of it: use worldly wealth to gain friends - friends that we can introduce to the kingdom if God. 

This means that we have to live generously and give money to others and not just hoard it for ourselves. 

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."   

Luke 16:13

Money does become a god very easily. If we love and hold on tightly to money, it becomes our god in place of the true God. 

 "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.' "
Luke 16:‬31 NIV

We/ I often think like the rich man. We want God to perform some miracle to make people believe. But the truth is that people won't believe in God just because of a miracle. God had already given sufficient evidence in scripture and history. If someone doesn't believe from those, the miracle won't convince them. 

http://bible.com/111/luk.16.9-31.NIV

Luke 15 - Jason

I love reading Luke 15 because there are three parables side by side that show the amazing love of God for sinner and wayward children. The shepherd looking for the sheep is interesting, because the sheep goes off in perhaps a silly manner, but the shepherd is concerned for the lost sheep and looks for it even leaving the 99 behind to find the lost one. I love how God is merciful and does so much to pursue me when I need his help. Thank you Lord God for all the amazing ways that you love me, and help me to love others in the way that you do.

Luke 15 - Nathanael

Two parts of the parable of the lady son really stand out to me: 1) the father's love 2) the 2nd son's response. 

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.  

Luke 15:20

The love of the father is dramatically shown here. First, the father sees the son from a long way off. He doesn't hide, run away, get angry or tap his foot, but he is filled with compassion. Then he RUNS to his son. That would be undignified and is a public display that all around could see. He then throws his arms around his son and kisses him. This is a very dramatic description of love!

  "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  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.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'    " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
Luke 15:28‭-‬31 NIV

The son's response is unfortunately very much the way that we often respond to others when they get helped or blessed in a way that we would like to be ourselves. 

First there is the comparison. Then comes anger, jealousy and resentment towards the other brother.  This of course leads to anger towards the father. 

Two things to help keep free from these bad attitudes: 

1) don't compare. Focus on the good things God has done for you, the promises of God for you, and the work that God has called you to do. 

2) recognize that all God has is yours! God has made us his children and given us his kingdom. We often have a slave mentality that God is a harsh task master. But in reality, God is a loving father who has given us everything! 

http://bible.com/111/luk.15.20-31.NIV

Luke 14 - Jason

Jesus said that there is a cost to follow him. I think that the cost does not seem as high when compared with the joy of knowing God and belonging to Him. What does Jesus mean in the parable, that the "man began to build but was not able to finish?" (verse 30). I want to be prepared to run the race that God has for me for my entire life and not give up in the middle. Or if it gets harder to turn back and try to go my own way. I do not want this to happen. Thank you God for your incomparable riches and power! Even if I never see all that you have to offer, I want to know you and belong to you more than anything else.

Luke 14 - Esther

"Anyone who doesn't carry his cross and follow me can't be my disciple." -Luke 14:27

Luke 13 - Jason

This passage when Jesus speaks about people who died in unusual circumstances reminds me of my need to repent and not feel too secure each day in myself. I need God's help and I need his mercy. I do not know when or how my life will end and I will meet the Lord. Jesus is also merciful to heal people at any time and he is not concerned with whether people want him to do it on the Sabbath or not. Jesus taught them that we need to do good on the Sabbath, not just do nothing. Jesus said in verse 24, "strive to enter through the narrow door." It is not necessarily easy to enter the kingdom of God, although anyone can do it if they trust in the Lord and believe in Jesus to save them as they repent.