Onward with Luke!

Hi, friends!  Before I start the bible reading for day 21, here is my update on the blog... The last post I posted on 1/19 was considered "offensive" by facebook.  It would not take the post.  I replied to fb with why I thought they were wrong.  They did post my blog the next day.  I think it was probably a "friend" who did not particularly want to see my updates and went to "hide" my posts and wound up accidentally marking it as "spam", so I don't believe I have a Debbi or a Christ hater person on my hands... I believe we have a Christ-hater evil being that is not human, but we do not see his face, only his deeds... but he's there stalking all the time!  Wow!  Over something as simple as my bible musing daily!  I feel complimented!  :-)

So... on we go!  When last we left off we were in the middle of Luke 19... The Triumphal Entry... Jesus continued on His way from Jericho toward Jerusalem.  On the Mount of Olives Jesus sent two of His disciples to a small village just ahead of Him to find a colt (donkey) that had never been ridden for Him to ride.  He knew God would provide it, all He had to do was ask something in God's will... and there was no question to that!" This would fulfill the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9.  "Don't be afraid, people of Israel.  Look, your King is coming sitting on a donkey's colt." So, as the NLT says, "sure enough" they found the colt.  Do you think they were from southern Galilee?  :-)  As they descended from the Mount of Olives His followers started to shout and sing and praise God for all the miracles they had seen... Hmmm... that wording is a bit telling... for all the wonders they had seen?  I know there probably aren't many "Southern Gospel Music" followers out there, but there is a song that I love and it says "He'd have still been God even if..."  Take a listen...   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a8DeyFQJMU
Nice!  :-)  Anyway, this was the event which we remember as we celebrate "Palm Sunday". I got into a nice little rabbit trail trying to find ONE gospel writer to say "palm branches were laid on the ground in front of Him" though.  One says palm branches waving at Him, one says branches from nearby trees, etc... Doesn't change the facts.  Just an interesting tidbit.  The followers threw down their coats and branches (Matthew 21:8) in praise for what they hoped would be their King.  Funny what a few hours changes.  People are sure fickle!  And then came the Pharisees.  But even they could not change the joyful spirit!  "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" Luke 19:40 (NLT)  Makes you want to shout "hallelujah" don't it?  :-)
I was in a Beth Moore study and we studied this next passage.  I don't remember which one, so I'll try to sum it up, finding the exact word for "cry" for you. The Greek word used is "eklausen" the Greek dictionary describes it this way... a) weeping as the sign of pain and grief for the thing signified b) to weep for, mourn for, bewail.  As I understand it this type of crying was loud and it showed grief... such as tearing of one's clothing, wailing, throwing oneself down, etc... Jesus doesn't just drop a tear or two over Jerusalem.  He is hurting for those who reject Him and what they will suffer.  He is so tender.
And yet He is fierce.  Let's read the next verses!  You know the story... the money changers came in to the temple.  They were selling lesser animals at marked up prices filling the need for Passover and lining their pockets thickly.  Jesus again fulfills scripture...Psalm 69:9  "Passion for God's house burns within me..."  At that time the leaders began planning how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the followers because His followers hung on to every word Jesus said.  I wanna be like that... hanging on to every word!

Chapter 20
Continually Jesus was challenged and it really stumped the leaders as to how they could trip Jesus up. What a parable Jesus shared about the evil farmers.  A Vineyard Owner (God) sent his servants (Prophets) to collect his share of the crop, but the evil farmers kept killing them. So the vineyard owner sent His Cherished Son (Jesus). They murdered Him too. What will the owner of the vineyard do then? So the people protested... (No, God forbid that such a thing should ever happen!)... I recall a story from Mark Lowry about how when he was a child at the movies to see the movie "Jesus" they got to the part about Jesus being crucified and he started yelling "NO!  DON'T HURT HIM!!!!", but his brother hushed him up... "Mark, he said, they HAVE TO or we won't be able to get into heaven!" ... The stone rejected by the builder has now become the cornerstone!  Hallelujah!  Guess what?  The leaders "got" what Jesus said!  That parable was directed at the leaders "farmers" themselves and they wanted to take Jesus right then, but they feared a riot, so they waited. Again they tried to trick Jesus into getting Himself in trouble with Caesar, but it backfired again.  And don't let the discussion about resurrection trip you up... it was another shot in the dark to try and trap Jesus.  I liked the way the New Living Translation translates Jesus' answer.  It broke it down more clearly to me.  We will not be married in heaven and we will never die again.  In that way we are like angels. Then Jesus asks them a question about how the Messiah could be the Son of David when David himself said that God was his Lord?  Then Jesus went on to warn  everyone about the teachers of the law and how they liked the attention that they got, but  they shamelessly cheat and cover up their sinfulness and that their punishment will be the greatest.  Wow!  Not a way to win friends and influence enemies! 

Chapter 21
Next we see the wealthy walking up to the offering box and giving their gifts, (probably with quite the big dramatic ta-da!), and a lowly widow offering all that she had in embarrassment.   In context this was probably very sad for Jesus.  He had just finished talking about how people should beware of the teachers of the law and that they would rob the poor widows.  Makes you wonder if Jesus was not just remarking on the love of the widow but of the theft of the teachers of the law.  Just a thought! When the disciples started talking about all the fine stonework of the temple, Jesus tells them that the time is coming when not one stone will be left on top of another.  Still sounds to me like Jesus was disgusted with the teachers of the law enough to demolish what they thought was holy and replace it with His version of a holy temple!  Let’s read on…

Of  course the disciples wanted to know when.  Wouldn’t you?  Don’t you?  By the way… this could be a full year long bible study in these few verses!  We are going through this W-A-Y to fast!  Let’s get started!  

·        Don’t let anyone mislead you (referring to anti-Christ and they are in every generation!  Satan doesn’t know any more than we do about “when” so he has to have someone prepared at all times!  Hitler, Mussolini, etc…)

·        Wars, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, terrifying things, miraculous signs in the heavens, and GREAT PERSECUTION.  You will be arrested, accused, etc…

·        Give your accusers the “Gospel”… For GOD so loved the world that He gave His ONLY begotten SON that whosoever believeth in Him should not PERISH but have EVERLASTING LIFE!   Don’t worry about what you will say; God will give you the right words!

·        Family will betray you.  Some will be killed. Everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to God.

·        By standing firm you will win your souls!

·        Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies.  Then you will know the time has arrived. 

 Let me stop for a moment.  Whew!  We are leading up to talking about the Second Coming again.  People distressed, Jerusalem conquered and trampled down by the Gentiles, strange events in the sky, and signs in then sun, moon, and stars.  Nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the seas and strange tides.  The very stability of the heavens breaks up.  Sounds like scary stuff?  Look up, then, for your salvation is near! 

 … Note that all who are Gentiles means the non-Jewish with (let me add) the non-believers (because the bible says that believers are grafted into the Jewish family).     
…Note the words… UNTIL THE AGE OF THE GENTILES COMES TO AN END. Do you know when that is?  It is the Second Coming.  No more chances.  Done.  Finished.  No mas!
In verse 31 we see Jesus mention that if you see the events He has described you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near.  Then he says that THIS generation will not pass from the scene until all these events have taken place.  I always took it that He was talking about the generation He was speaking to… which of course has passed.  Only now do I see that He is talking about the generation who sees the events described.  Funny how things pop out at you that you never noticed before.  He goes on to say that Heaven and earth will disappear, but His words will remain forever.  Amen!
So now to verses 34 through verse 36.  It ends with “and pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”  Rapture perhaps?

And every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening He returned to the Mount of Olives.  The crowds gathered each morning to hear Him.  What is my practice?  Do I have a pattern of being with Jesus each day?  Could someone count on me like clockwork to be with the Lord each day?  Something to think about!

Well, Luke is caught up.  I’ve left Jacob and Joseph… for another sitting.  Just a note to my friends… I did get the job I applied for!  I will be a church secretary at a nearby church.  I am excited, but I know I won’t be able to spend as much time with my rabbit trails in the Word.  I will still be reading daily as I hope you will be too.  I will try to write something on my day off… Fridays.  May you be blessed! d