Luke Project

Jesus heals the Blind Man

2009-03-17T06:25:00.002-04:00

We are so used to the blind being healed in Jesus' ministry that we forget how rare such a thing really was, even in the miraculous ministries of Moses or Elijah or Elisha. There was the occasion in 2 Kings 6 where Elisha prays for his assistant and he is given supernatural vision to see that the Aramean army besieging his city is surrounded by an angelic army. In that same account Elisha blinds the eyes of the Arameans so that they are rendered harmless and then when they are captured he opens their eyes. But this is the only recorded incident in the Old Testament.
We also have the testimony in Psalm 146:8 that the Lord is the one who opens the eyes of the blind.
Then Jesus comes as Messiah and Lord. Opening blind eyes becomes habitual with him. It is a Messianic sign. Isaiah prophesied that with the coming of the Messiah, the eyes of the blind would be opened (Isaiah 35:5, 61:1). Opening blind eyes is part of his inaugural sermon in Nazareth when he quotes Isaiah 61. It is part of his testimony to John when he sends word from prison to see if Jesus really is the one. And here in Luke it becomes the capstone for Jesus' miraculous ministry, the last miracle we shall see before he goes to the cross. The other evangelists record others, but Luke chooses to close his narrative with this one (18:35-43).
Those who are spiritually blind will hand Jesus over to death. Luke continues the theme of blindness in his second volume, the Book of Acts, where that spiritually blind disciple of those who crucified the Lord, Saul, is literally blinded by the Light on the Damascus road. The result of that conversion will be that Saul/Paul is healed of both kinds of blindness and he shall be the one to bring the Light of Jesus to the Gentiles.

The Lost of Luke 15

2009-03-04T20:22:00.002-05:00

Notice how Jesus tells the three examples of losing and finding in Luke 15. In the first instance, a shepherd who loses one sheep out of one hundred goes to a lot of trouble to find that single solitary sheep.
In the second the scope is narrowed somewhat. Now it is one coin out of ten. The woman cleans the house till she finds it.
But in the third parable, the one about the Lost Son or the Waiting Father, the loss is down to one out of two or one out of one. From the Father's perspective, he loses one son out of two. From the elder brother's perspective he has lost one brother out of one, but he is insensitive and blind to the loss. From the perspective of the younger brother, he not only loses his relationship with his father and his brother, he also loses himself. And he must come to himself before he can come back to his father. Even in the far country, the younger son has already begun to find what he lost when he thinks about good and kind his father is, even to his servants and hired hands.

Jesus Calms the Storm

2009-02-21T20:01:00.002-05:00

We had a retreat today at church where we experimented with "believing into the story." We used a passage from Luke from a couple of weeks ago, where Jesus stilled the storm on the lake (Luke 8:22-25). In our last session we composed a psalm of thanksgiving based on the passage. Here it is:
Thank you, Lord, for rescuing us from great danger.
For it is you who spoke to us
And it is you who spoke to the winds and the waves.
Lord, it was you who drew us into the fierce storm,
for you said, "Let us go to the other side."
The storm came and we were so frightened, overwhelmed by fear,
"Master, Master, we're going to drown!"
And you, Lord, awoke as if from sleep and you spoke,
"Peace, be still!"
You spoke to the winds and the waves and you spoke to our souls.
And now we call on you in wonder and awe,
"Who is this who commands the winds and the waves?"
It is you, Lord Jesus, our faithful shepherd and captain.
For you have lost none of us whom the Father has given you.
We are persuaded that neither winds nor waves, neither lightning nor thunder, neither our own weariness nor the breaking down of equipment, nor the leaking of our boat
shall be able to separate us from the love of God in you, Lord Jesus!
You shall fulfill your purpose in us and bring us to the other side.

The Good Samaritan

2009-02-11T07:58:00.002-05:00

Our passage today, Luke 10:25-37, is one of the best known parables, not only in the Bible, but in the world. A Good Samaritan has become synonymous with those who have mercy on someone who has no connection or claim on them.

I notice that at church, when I am working late on a Friday afternoon; it's getting toward evening; I'm looking forward to going home and having a relaxing meal with my wife--that's when the plea for help comes. Of course, people call churches because they know that churches are supposed to be Good Samaritans; they're supposed to have mercy on strangers. Even if they've never read the Bible, they somehow know that.

So it was a few Fridays ago, a man and his pregnant wife were on their way back from the wife's father's funeral and happened to be running out of gas and money by the time they got to Manlius. I wonder, how do people find out that we are even here? It's the standard story in many respects: "I've checked with the other churches; they won't help or can't help--could you? Would you?" So there is this appeal to your pride--here's a chance to go one better than the other churches in town. I have turned this kind of thing over to our deacons, so that they can evaluate the need and decide whether and how much we can help. And our funds in recent years have precluded us from doing any extensive help.

But here is this poor man and his wife and they appear to have some developmental issues and they do need to get back to Illinois. And it's cold; and it's getting late; and only one deacon is available at the moment and she says to me, "I feel like this fellow is genuine. We should help him." The man gives me a reference to a pastor who can verify his story. The pastor does, but I also realize that this is not the first time this guy has been in a jam.

But the jam seems to be real, so we help him and he goes on his way, with enough for gas and meals and maybe even a night in a cheap motel. It may have been a clever scam. And many have avoided being scammed by simply refusing. But they have also avoided the blessing of having mercy. And besides we were using money that had been entrusted to us for the work of the Lord and if this wasn't it, what is?

So we take the chance sometimes, maybe this will really do some good.

After all, Jesus took a chance on us. He found many of us wounded and alone. He poured in the oil and the wine; and he has told the Innkeeper, whatever it takes to make us better, he will bear the expense.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

2009-02-10T08:49:00.002-05:00

(Luke 10:1-24) Many found excuses not to follow Jesus, but many did follow the Lord and this passage tells how Jesus sent them out to prepare the way for him. We who are serving the Lord can take comfort that if he has sent us into a situtation, we preparing the way for him. Ministry will not end with us. At some point Jesus will come along into people's lives and bring to fulfillment what he has used us to begin.

After the seventy-two come back with glowing reports of how people were helped and healed, Jesus says in v18 that he saw Satan fall like lightning. Comentators have wrestled with this statement, wondering if Jesus is speaking historically, or presently, or prophetically. In any case, we know how God's Story ends. The good wins over evil. It behooves us to link our story with Jesus' story so that he may share his happy ending with us.

The Transfiguration

2009-02-09T12:53:00.003-05:00

Luke's account of the Transfiguration is found in 9:28-36. It is a foretaste of the unexplainable nature of the kingdom of God, the kingdom where Jesus is king. Notice how Peter gets this big idea of how they could build three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. But Jesus is not on a par with these two men, as great as they are in the Hebrew Scriptures. As the old hymn, "Fairest Lord Jesus," says, "Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight and all the twinkling starry host. Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast." So the cloud of glory envelopes the disciples and Jesus and the two prophets and the Father speaks, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him!" And when the cloud lifted, they saw only Jesus.

I believe the true test of an experience from God is how well the soul is focused on the Lord Jesus. If the soul is focused on something else or someone else, we have the right, perhaps the responsibility to suspect it.

Who Do You Say Jesus Is

2009-02-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

In Luke 9:18 Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do the crowds say I am?" The disciples offer various ideas such as Elijah or one of the prophets come back to life. And then Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Peter confesses, "You are God's Messiah."

Many people today offer theories and ideas about who Jesus was or who he is. Why do we tend to remake him in our image? For the revolutionary he's a revolutionary. For the philosopher he's a philosopher. For the leader, he's a transformative leader. For the mystic, he's a mystic. For the superstar, he's a superstar. For the salesman, he's the greatest salesman. It seems like all kinds of people who have no qualification, feel qualifieid to assert who Jesus is. And the amazing thing is that the crowds would rather hear a rock star give his opinion about Jesus or hear a movie star say who he is, rather than trust the witness of the Scriptures.

Who do we say Jesus is? If we confess that he is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God--this is what makes us Christians.

Jesus Saves the Man of the Tombs

2009-02-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

Luke 8:26-39. This story provides great insight into the compassion of Jesus. He and his disciples had crossed over the lake and were in Gentile territory, "out of bounds" so to speak. And now Jesus ministers to a man who is "out of bounds" in this region that is already beyond the pale. He reaches the lowest of the low, someone who has forgotten that he is even human. And yet Jesus sees a human being beneath all the demonic domination that had eviscerated his psyche. My wife had a noteworthy insight about why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the herd of pigs. It would add validity and weight to the man's testimony in that region. There would not just be this single man's word for it; there would be all the witnesses who saw the herd of pigs plunge off the cliff and would know the reason why. And there would be the leaders of the community who pleaded with Jesus to leave, who would for that very reason acknowledge that the man of the tombs had been set free by the hand of the God of Israel.

Jesus Calms the Storm

2009-01-31T09:24:00.002-05:00

It is truly one of the most striking incidents in the Gospels (Luke 8:22-25). Here are the Lord Jesus and his disciples out on the water and a furious squall comes up and there is the sleepy Saviour, rocking away like a baby in a cradle. Many of these disciples are experienced watermen; they would recognize imminent danger. And here it is, crashing down on them, as the waves get higher and the howling winds are tossing their little bark about and they begin to ship water. And still Jesus sleeps! What a picture of his humanity! And moments later, after the disciples rouse him, he rebukes the winds and the waves and all is calm. What a picture of his deity!
One of the most terrifying things about a storm is that it is beyond our control. Nowadays we encounter many kinds of storms. There is the financial storm in our country. The storm of war. The storms in our relationships with others, whether at work or in our families. At times there are storms in our own souls. We still need Jesus to calm the storm, don't we?
Like the disciples, like the psalmist of old, we still cry out from time to time, "Awake, O Lord!"
May the Lord speak peace to your storm, whatever it may be."Be still my soul: the waves and winds still know, His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below" (K. von Shlegel, 1752).

The Parable of the Sower

2009-01-29T06:53:00.002-05:00

Joachim Jeremias points out that the Parable of the Sower makes more sense when we understand that in Palestine, sowing precedes ploughing (The Parables of Jesus, 11).
The parables are like doors; they can open onto new vistas, fresh insights, if we knock on them and open them. Otherwise, they remain lovely little riddles so that when we hear them, we will not understand.
How do we open the door to the parables? I think we have to do what the disciples did--ask Jesus what they mean! The parables are best as matters for prayer.

Loving Much

2009-01-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

The reading today is where the sinful woman washed Jesus feet with her tears. Luke 7:36-50. To me it is one of the most moving scenes in the Gospels. The woman knew she had been forgiven much and so she loved much. I wonder if our ardor for the Lord cools because we have forgotten or perhaps have never realized how much the Lord has forgiven us? May the Holy Spirit give us a glimpse of the extent of how much God has forgiven us! Even Paul the Apostle, who was as righteous as they come, confessed at the end of his life, "this is a faithful saying, 'Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' of whom I am chief."
Of course, nowadays, people don't believe in sin--but if that's the case, what do we call the mess we're in?

Disillusionment

2009-01-27T06:11:00.003-05:00

When John sends to Jesus and asks him if he is the one who was to come (Luke 7:18), he strikes a chord with many of us. We all have experienced doubts about people, movements, groups, trends, etc. Many of us have had to back away from this, that, or the other--because we decided it was not all that it was cracked up to be. My friend, Steve Wilber, said to me that if it is real disillusionment, it is a good thing, because we were believing an illusion. By the time we reach mid-life we have shed some things, let go of some things. Those of us who are younger, often reject some of the ways and mores with which we were raised. I have known young folks in Bulgaria who rejected the communist ideology in which they were raised. I have known young people in the West who have rejected their church upbringing. I know folks in mid-life who have been bitterly disappointed by a church leader they looked up to. It happens in our national life. Many who voted for Bush were disappointed by his policies. I'm sure some will be disappointed by Obama. No man can live up to all these expectations.
Most of us have wrestled with or have been haunted by the notion, "Is the thing that I am involved with really the purpose for my life or do I look for another?" We need to re-evaluate at times.
But in all our re-evaluating, in all our re-examining of things, there is this irreducible beatitude and warning--Jesus saying to any and all, "Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me" (Luke 7:23).
We can let go of a lot of things, let go of groups, let go of ways of thinking. But we cannot--we dare not--let go of Jesus.

Life meets Death

2009-01-26T20:13:00.003-05:00

The story of Jesus raising the widow's son at Nain is full of drama (Luke 7:11-17). Two crowds approach each other. One coming to Nain is surrounding Jesus and there is life and hope in the air. The other crowd coming out of Nain surrounds the dead son and there is grief, sorrow and death in the air. It was the custom in Galilee for the surviving women to precede the funeral procession, so Jesus would see the widow in her suffering first of all. He would take in the scene; size up the situation; and say to the woman first of all, "Don't cry." Then he penetrates further into the heart of the crowd of death and touches the bier of the dead man and raises him up and gives him to his mother. Life swallows up death.
To me it is an emblem of the Coming of the Lord. On that day when he comes back, Jesus will be at the heart of a multitude of the Redeemed, living and alive, with voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and he will say to sorrowing humanity one last time, "Don't cry." And death shall have no dominion.

Building Our House on the Rock

2009-01-26T20:00:00.002-05:00

Jesus does not promise that life will be easy for us. The storms came to both houses in his parable (Luke 6:46-49). But the house with a foundation fastened to the bedrock survived the storm and the flood. In this Sermon on the Plain, Jesus adapts his parable to the building conditions there. The one who hears his words and does them is the one who digs deep and keeps digging until he finds bedrock. Only when we make the attempt to follow Jesus' way of life seriously, (i.e. loving enemies, forgiving, giving generously, having mercy on people) do we discover how much we need the grace of Jesus to walk in his ways. Life is designed to teach us our need for Jesus. It makes get past the insubstantial sand and soil--down to the bedrock of his mercy and grace.

Jesus Practiced His Preaching

2009-01-21T09:57:00.003-05:00

Clearly the most outstanding example of Jesus practicing what he preached and perhaps the most daunting one where our own behavior is concerned is this business of loving your enemies. Jesus died for us while we were still his enemies. And it is his very death that brings reconciliation--turns enmity into friendship. "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:10) May the Lord give us more of his life so that we will be enabled to love!

Old or New Wine?

2009-01-17T10:09:00.003-05:00

Jesus' parable about the Wine and the Wineskins (Luke 5:33-39) has various interpretations. The standard one is that the new wine is the gospel and the new wineskin is the church. The old wineskin is Second Temple Judaism and the old wine is the faith that went along with it. But Joel Green (NICNT, Luke, 250) proposes that it was Pharasaic Judaism that was the inovation, the new wine that would spoil everything, and burst the wineskin. That what Jesus was teaching was really a recovery of the ancient ideals of the Old Testament. That what he had to share was the old wine, which those who have tasted of it say, is better. Interesting!
Oh well, in any case, however we want to characterize it--we're following the grace that comes from believing into the Good Story of Jesus and his love.

Joyous Discipleship

2009-01-16T09:43:00.002-05:00

In our passage today (Luke 5:27-31) where Jesus calls Levi from his tax booth to become his disciple, I am struck by Levi's joyful response. Notice how happy he is to be able to follow Jesus. No doubt, a work was already taking place in his heart, to where he was longing to follow the Lord and when Jesus called him that day, he was so ready.
Would to God that he would do such a work of preparation in our hearts that when we are challenged to follow Jesus in a fresh way, we would jump at the chance, and be filled with joy and gratitude for the privilege.

The Mystery of Substitution

2009-01-15T06:55:00.002-05:00

Luke 5:20 tells us that when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." This man had friends who were so desparate to bring him to Jesus, that when the crowds would not let them through, they broke up the roof and made a hole in it so that they could get him close enough for Jesus to pay attention to him and heal him. And Jesus sees their faith.
I wonder if we have realized the potential that each of us has to believe for others? I think we are touching on a mystery at the heart of our salvation. When we were too weak to trust God for ourselves--God commends his love toward us that when were without strength, when we were powerless, Christ died for us. He became our substitute.
It would be a small thing in comparison, for you or me to believe God for another, become a substitute as it were, and Jesus would see our faith.

The Contagious Holiness of Jesus

2009-01-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

In Hebrew law all kinds of things could defile a person such as contact with a dead body or contact with a leper. In order to remain holy or clean you had to keep yourself clean and stay away from certain people and situations. I notice that the holiness of Jesus is different. It is active. The holiness that Jesus carried could not be defiled. Rather he had power to cleanse and sanctify whoever he touched. When he touches the leper in Luke 5:12-16, he is not defiled; the leper is cleansed. Even the weight of the whole sin of world could not defile Jesus. Rather--by his work on the cross--we are cleansed and sanctified. Jesus offers us an active contagious holiness that cleanses us and makes us holy. Hallelujah!

Jesus Calls Peter

2009-01-13T19:12:00.002-05:00

This account in Luke 5:1-11 tells of the miraculous draft of fishes that Peter caught after following Jesus' instructions. He had fished all night and had caught nothing. That failure to catch anything meant that he and his partners would be there on the shore cleaning and mending their nets when Jesus came to teach. If they had caught something, they might have been busy at the market, trying to sell their catch and might have missed Jesus. So often, our falling short sets the stage for God to work, to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or think.

Jesus' Inaugural

2009-01-10T09:30:00.003-05:00

We in America are awaiting the inauguration of our newly elected President and there are high expectations attached to his coming into office. I wonder if some Americans are putting the kind of hope in him that only the Messiah could truly fulfill?
Notice how pleased Jesus' neighbors were when they first heard him. That God would fulfill prophecy in their own time was something they longed for. But notice the racial divide that Jesus transcended. He implies that God's favors are for those who normally would not qualify in their estimation. A Gentile leper. A Gentile woman. As Luke has John preaching from Isaiah, "All humankind will see God's salvation." And this inclusivity enrages them. How did Jesus pass through their midst? When they looked him in the face, intent on seizing him, did they recognize a neighbor and a friend and think better of what they intended to do? I would like to think so--but who knows?
And when Jesus presents his agenda to us--will we run him out of town or will we receive the One whom so many down through the ages have rejected?

Organic Righteousness

2009-01-09T09:06:00.003-05:00

The last verse from the text that begins, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me..." promises that just as a garden causes seeds to grow, just as the soil causes sprouts to come up, so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations. The kind of righteousness that the Lord will accomplish will not be like the Law, imposed from the top down. It will be organic. It will grow naturally from within us! May the Lord cause the seeds of his righteousness to grow within each of us and within our fellowship!

Praise in the Wilderness

2009-01-08T17:13:00.002-05:00

Dear Jesus,
We thank you that you triumphed in all the trials and tests where we fell short or gave in.
You did not turn the stones into bread, but waited for your Father's word.
You did not make any secret deals with the Enemy in order to gain power and influence, but you choose the way of the cross.
You did not force God's hand in order to gain recognition and popularity for yourself, but you depended on him to vindicate you and raise you up.
Help us and grant us grace in all those places where you won--won not just for yourself--but won for us as well.
We thank you for giving us the fruit of your victory so that we will not succumb to the easy and plausible arguments of the Tempter.
Thank you for grace to stand true to you.
Amen!

Love the Lord

2009-01-07T06:23:00.002-05:00

Deuteronomy figured largely in Jewish life at the time of Christ. The teachers and scribes received it as the last words of Moses. It contains the sum of the Law after many years of reflection. The name literally means "second law." Moses thought Israel needed reminding. In chapter 6 Moses reminds us that it is easy to forget--easy to forget what the Lord has done in our lives. Time moves on, and the world we live in has tremendous influence to water down our faith, weaken our commitment, cause us to grow cold towards God. So how are you doing? Is your love for God ardent and earnest? Or have you become lukewarm? Or cool toward God and his people? I encourage you to participate in this project of Believing Into the Story. It could cause you to remember why you are called to love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength.

Jesus is Baptized

2009-01-05T11:56:00.002-05:00

Luke 3:21-22. Monday, Jan. 5. [19] Standing among all the other penitents is the one person in all of human history who never had sins to repent of--and yet he is there! Jesus chooses to identify himself with our condition. Notice how at the very place where the people were preparing for the coming of the Messiah, at the waters of baptism, the witness comes from heaven addressed to Jesus personally, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." As Jesus humbled himself and committed himself to the way of the cross, the Father speaks and honors his Son. When Jesus chose to be immersed in the waters of baptism, as he went down into the water, he demonstrated prophetically, his own death and burial and resurrection. In so doing, he invests water baptism with its Christian significance--death, burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6). It is at this juncture, in this token of redemption, that the heavens open and God identifies himself with Jesus, "You are my Son!"

Mary visits Elizabeth

2008-12-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

The Galatian heresy amounted to do-it-yourself religion. And Paul countered it with the image and metaphor of maternity. The Jerusalem which is above is free and she is the mother of us all. And each of us, as citizens of that city, bear her image--each of us is like a mother--Christ is to be formed within us. "My little children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth, until Christ is formed within you..." Gal. 4:19 So we are like Mary and Elizabeth. Like Mary because we are called to the formation of Christ within. Like Elizabeth because we are called to encourage the formation of Christ in our brother or sister in the Lord, and honor him/her, who like Mary, has been highly favored.

Agur's Riddle

2008-12-13T20:53:00.000-05:00

What do you think of Agur's Riddle? I think it is delightful that in the process of using the kind parallelism common in wisdom literature, Agur stumbles into the mysteries of the Trinity!

Heaven and Nature Sing

2008-12-09T06:43:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, Dec. 9. Psalm 96. I was impressed by Isaac Watt's "Joy to the World" which we sang on Sunday. He drew his inspiration from Psalm 98, a kingdom psalm with a very similar emphasis to our Psalm 96. Heaven and Nature sing at the coming of the Lord. We see the beginnings of this rejoicing not only at Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, but in the praises of Elizabeth and Mary while they are still just expectant mothers, bearers of an impossible knowledge, knowledge of what is in the works, knowers of what God is up to, knowing more than anyone else in the world, knowing it with their heads and hearts and bodies, knowing it with the new life stirring in their wombs. Heaven and nature are singing within them. I think as heaven and nature awake within us, we become more adept at hearing from afar, amidst the present groan of creation, the rejoicing that took place when Christ came the first time and this tunes our hearts so that we may hear from however near or far away it is, the rejoicing at his Second Coming.

2008-12-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Believers into the Story,
I am stumbling around in this blog and cannot read anything else anyone has written so far. Carol says she has, but I don't know where it is. I hope that in time we will get the hang of it.
Tom

Conversations in Luke

2008-12-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

This web log will be a venue where those of us participating in the Luke Project will be able to share with one another. I suggest some guidelines.
Please list the chapter and verse in Luke to which you are referring or the page number in your Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go edition.
Feel free to make a comment, observation or ask a question.
Feel free to share a prayer or a meditation.
The rest of those participating will respond to these.
Let's see what happens.