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Luke 20:20-26; 21:1-4
All posts by Greg Ellis
Jesus Goes Postal
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Text: Luke 19:37-45
Praise
“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118:26
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” Luke 2:14
Allowed
Some of the Pharisees said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers.”
Jesus replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
Tears & Prophecy
Jesus wept not just over Lazarus’s death
Jesus loved Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.
He saw the rebellion against Rome forming in their spirits, and he knew it would result in a military retaliation that would crush them.
Jesus At The Temple
Drives Out
It Is Written
Stays to Teach
Focus: Jesus in Temple
Included in all four Gospels
• Matthew 21:23-27
• Mark 11:15-18
• overturned the tables of the money changers
• John 2:13-16
• made a whip out of cords
• Ephesians 4:26 ESV “Be angry and do not sin; ”
Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke)
• “My house will be a house of prayer”
• [for all nations] not in Luke quoting Isaiah 56:7
• You have made it a den of robbers
• Jeremiah 7:11
________________________________________
Questions:
• Do you think it’s possible to “Be angry and do not sin”?
• Reflect on Luke 19:45-46. When is it justifiable to use force to rebuke sin?
Your Mission
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should you choose to accept it
Luke 19:28-40
Before the “Triumphal Entry”
The Mission:
How it went down
Questions for discussion
- What are the implications for us today?
- Do you have any examples from your own life?
Possible with God
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Luke 19:1-10
“What is impossible with men is possible with God” – Luke 18:18-30
Zacchaeus
Chief Tax Collector
and he was rich
Jesus sees Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus’s response
Salvation & Restitution
Memory Verse:
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10
Questions:
- Zacchaeus wanted to catch a glimpse of the Lord. What form did your curiosity about Christ take before you trusted in him?
- What do you think about Zacchaeus’s desire to make restitution?
Only Cleansed – Or Made Well
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Luke 17:11-19
Lukan themes in the passage:
- Jerusalem is the goal of the journey
- Jesus has mercy on social outcasts
- Jesus conforms to Jewish norms
- The grace of God extends beyond Judaism
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
ἐκαθαρίσθησαν from καθαρίζω (katharizō)
1 of 10
σέσωκέν from σῴζω (sōzō)
Questions:
- Do you think the different word choice between “cleansed” and “made well / saved” is intentional and specific – or just a synonym? Is this important?
- What is an appropriate response for healing or rescuing from a trial today?
Boy Jesus
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Luke 2:41-52
The only account of Jesus’ boyhood we possess apart from apocryphal legends. Here: the story of a visit by the holy family to a festival in Jerusalem.
The Boy Jesus Stayed Behind
“Filial Consciousness”
Three Sayings:
A: What the angels said
The baby’s name was given privately before his birth, and publicly afterwards, as ‘Jesus’ (1:31; 2:21): ‘The Lord is salvation’,
First: Savior
Second: Christ
Third: Lord
B: What the prophet said
Simeon’s thanksgiving to God tells us that the salvation to be found in Jesus is for all humanity. It is a universal offer.
C: What the Child himself said
Jews: ‘You, O Lord, are our Father’
So the first recorded words of Jesus are a statement about himself, and a claim to a relationship between himself and God different from, and deeper than, anything that had ever been known before.
Questions:
- Do we underestimate the spiritual insight of young people?
- Mary and Joseph were not always able to understand what they were told. Why are we so slow to believe and grasp the word of God? (Note the difficulty our Lord’s disciples had—Luke 9:45 and 18:34.)
- What stands out to you as most important in the stories of Luke 1 & 2?
Waiting for God
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Luke 2:25-40
Intro
Promise :: Fulfillment :: Praise
The testimony of Simeon (Lk 2:25–35)
- His reassurance (Lk 2:25–26):
“consolation of Israel”
“comfort : paraklēsis - His recognition (Lk 2:27–32):
- His revelation (Lk 2:33–35)
(1) Concerning the Messiah (Lk 2:33–34):
(2) Concerning the mother (Lk 2:35):
The testimony of Anna (Lk 2:36–38):
Questions:
What are you expecting (waiting for) God to do? In this life? In the life-to-come?
Have you ever seen the order of promise :: fulfillment :: praise?
Reversal of Roles
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Luke 16:19-31
Context: Escalating conflict with Pharisees:
14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
Only parable with a named character
Reversals: Luke 1:51-52
a) Fixed Position (contrast) 19-20 Rich Man (inside) Lazarus (outside)
b) Unfulfilled Longing (hunger) 21a Lazarus (outside)
c) Torment (sores; dogs licking) 21b Lazarus (outside)
22 Lazarus: Angelic Transport
d) Deaths—Reversal
Rich Man: Burial
ɔ) Torment (flames) 23 Rich Man (outside)
q) Unfulfilled Longing (thirst) 24 Rich Man (outside)
ɐ) Fixed Position (contrast) 25-26 Rich Man (outside)
Lazarus (inside)
Note that this parable doesn’t portray Lazarus as notably virtuous in any way. It is his poor and neglected condition that is the object of God’s action. Nor is the rich man wicked in other respects. It is simply that his luxury so absorbed him that he did not notice – and not noticing sealed his fate.
Ultimately, then, the parable is about failure in conversion, which explains why it has a sequel (vv.27-31) prolonging the dialogue between the rich man and Abraham
Questions for Reflection
In Luke 16:20-21, the rich man at least allowed the unsightly beggar Lazarus to remain at his gate and receive food from his table. How would you react if such a man lay at your front door, or by your church gates, every day? Are we even more hard-hearted than the rich man?
Read Luke 16:31 again. Do we really believe in the sufficiency of Scripture to save and warn today?
Lost : Found :: Searching : Rejoicing
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Luke 15:1-32
Three parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, The Lost Son
Sermon audio has been edited to remove question and response time that was too quiet on the recording.
Repetition
Lost
Searching
Found
Rejoicing
Response to the Pharisees and the Teachers of Religious Law
Do Not Worry
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Sermon has been edited – there was a lot of discussion and participation that didn’t record well.
Do Not Worry
Luke 12:22-34
Worry: A sense of uneasiness and anxiety about the future. [1]
“You cannot reason people out of positions they didn’t reason themselves into.”
-Ben Goldacre, MD (Paraphrased from Jonathan Swift)
What causes you to worry?
What helps you to stop worrying or to worry less?
More images for Bible verse memorization here
Remedies for worry
- Being God-centred Isa 26:3; Mt 6:33 (Lk 12:31); See also Jer 17:7-8; Ro 8:6
- Prayer Ps 55:22; Php 4:6-7; See also Ps 94:18-19; 139:23; 1Pe 5:7
[1] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.