November 2: Luke 18:15 - 19:48

November 2, Luke 18:15 - 19:48

Luke continued…

Luke 18:15-43 Jesus wants the little children to come to Him. There were people bringing kids to Jesus that He might bless them and the disciples thought they were a hindrance. Jesus did not agree and called them out. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” It is the faith of a child that Jesus is after with His people. We need not complicate everything… We are to have faith like a child and live in His arms.

The rich young ruler & Jesus and the disciples learning moment. There was a devout young ruler that came to Jesus and inquired as to what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep all the commandments and he confessed that he had done that since he was a boy. Jesus knew his heart and how he found his identity in his wealth (IDOLATRY) so Jesus told him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” This was too much for the rich young man and he left. Jesus then explained to His disciples that “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” When we find our identity in money, it is quite easy to see yourself as your own savior. It isn't so. Your money does not buy you forgiveness of sins. It is impossible actually. This disciples understood the impossibility of this and seemed hopeless. Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” ” Salvation only comes through Jesus with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit through God the Father! What we must do, is to serve everybody else - not ourselves. Sum it up here - there can be nothing more important to you than Jesus. Nothing. Put Him first and everything else second. Or you are an idolater and will not inherit eternal life - He is God. 

Jesus tells his disciples he must die. Then Jesus talks to his disciples while they are walking down the road and prophecies what is going to happen (this is the 3rd time He has told them). “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” The disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying because it was hidden from them and they couldn't get it. However, this happened just as Jesus, the Prophet, said it would. How hard it must have been to know what was coming to yourself and still have to walk that road…

Jesus Heals a blind beggar. There was a blind beggar with faith crying out to Jesus and people were rebuking him for it - Jesus healed him! He wanted Jesus’ mercy and he received it… Jesus changes lives in many ways… Note, when he was healed, he followed Jesus. 

Luke 19 Jesus and Zacchaeus. Jesus was entering Jericho and passing through. There we meet a man of small stature, Zacchaeus. We also know that he was a chief tax collector and very wealthy. Because he was shorter, he couldn't see Jesus - which is what he wanted, so he ran down the road a climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view (and put some effort it). As Christ was walking he looked up and called him by name! “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” That must have been epic for Zacchaeus, Jesus knew him and his name. This is where the story gets real! He just met Jesus… The people nearby were ticked because Jesus was going to go have dinner with another sinner. “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” Zacchaeus - a true picture of a man who meets Christ. Out of that he has conviction which led to repentance and faith - and therefore he was restored! When you meet Christ, your life is to be changed. Not the same as before. “And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This is Jesus. Not a dignitary or politician. But a Savior. Didn't come to heal the well but the sick and bring them to health and eternity with Him!

The parable of the Ten Minas. Luke gives us the point of this parable before he records it, “because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” They were expecting a political Messiah that would establish and earthly kingdom - that was not Jesus’ purpose… Back to the minas… I know we don't use the monetary term minas anymore… Back in the day, a mina was the equivalent of about 3 months wages. Let’s go with the median income of $5,000 a month. So, in this parable, the noblemen gave each of the 3 about  $50,000 to invest in business. The nobleman goes away and comes back some time later and has all the men he gave money to to come to him and report what they had done with it. The 1st had doubled the money, and made another $50,000 more. He was made ruler over 10 kingdoms. The 2nd made another $25,000 - so he was given charge over 5 kingdoms. The 3rd… “Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” The nobleman was furious and said, “I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant…Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?” The story goes on to explain that the nobleman took his mina and gave it to the one who doubled his investment and here is the spiritual connection, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” The man was sent to destruction. We are to serve here on earth for Christ and proclaim what He has done - not hide it. The Nobleman was strict in his expectations and those who’s hearts were for him worked for him. It is clear here that if your heart is not for Christ, your life will reflect that. 

Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This is also referred to as the start of Passion Week and is also recorded in Matthew 21. When Jesus and His disciples were drawing near to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped and sent 2 of His disciples ahead of them. He told them, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.” Seems like a strange request, until we realize that Jesus is again fulfilling prophecy. This event was prophesied many years before by Isaiah and Zechariah. And lets be honest, only God could orchestrate things to work out exactly like they happen. Just as Jesus said, it happened. They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw some jackets on the donkey for Jesus to ride into town. Many people there threw their jackets on the ground for Jesus to walk on. Many Jews thought that Jesus would be making a literal earthly kingdom in power. This is why they were so excited! Finally somebody could stand up to Rome. From Bakers commentary, and well worth the read, “However, he also shows the crowds what kind of Messiah he is, namely, not the earthly Messiah of Israel’s dreams, the One who wages war against an earthly oppressor, but the One who came to promote and establish “the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:42), lasting peace: reconciliation between God and man, and between a man and his fellow man. Accordingly, Jesus enters Jerusalem mounted on a colt, the foal of an ass, an animal associated not with the rigors of war but with the pursuits of peace, for he is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). But the people in general, their minds filled with earthly ideas concerning the Coming One, did not understand or appreciate this. In hailing him as the Messiah, the people were right; the Pharisees, chief priests, and scribes (Matt. 21:15, 16; Luke 19:39, 40) were wrong. But in expecting this Messiah to reveal himself as a political, earthly Messiah the Hosanna shouters were as wrong as were their leaders. Those who in every way rejected Jesus were committing a crime, but those who outwardly “accepted” and cheered him were also doing him a gross injustice, for they did not accept him for what he really was. Their tragic mistake was committed with dire results for themselves. It is not surprising therefore that Luke pictures a weeping King in the midst of a shouting multitude (19:39–44), nor is it strange that, a little later, when the crowds begin to understand that Jesus is not the kind of Messiah they had expected, they, at the urging of their leaders, were shouting, “Crucify (him)!” Then the Pharisees come to Jesus and tell him to rebuke His disciples for following and praising Him. Jesus responded to them,”I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” The point of that is that all creation was made to worship God!

Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. This is recorded only in Luke. “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…” Destruction was coming to Jerusalem in about 40 years and He knew it. The people had rejected God for so long. Jesus wept bitterly over their rejection.

Jesus cleanses the Temple. “And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”  Look at what the world had become! It was opposite of what God intended it and Jesus came to make it right. Jesus taught daily in the Temple and the Pharisees were indignant again with Jesus and were seeking to destroy Him. They couldn't do anything because the people were hanging on Jesus’ very words!

To sum it all up: 

• Zacchaeus - a true picture of a man who meets Christ. Out of that he has conviction which led to repentance and faith - and therefore he was restored! When you meet Christ, your life is to be changed. Not the same as before. 
• We cannot hide or squander Christ. If Jesus is in you, you cannot hide it in a handkerchief or anything of the like - you will go out and ‘invest’ it into others.
• Do you hang on Jesus’ words? Or have you heard them so many times they do not even resonate with you? The Words of Jesus are life changing and real. Do not allow yourself to just read them and continue on as if they are of little or no merit.