Reading for November 7th

 Read Luke 14.25-35. In 14.25-35: Counting the cost. This section presents three severe arguments, with illustrations, pressing to a conclusion for repentance from all who hear (v. 35b). In verses 26, 27, 33: Whoever does not ... cannot be my disciple. Ex 32.25-29 and Deut 33.8-9 provide precedents from Israel's holy war traditions. Early Christian interpreters struggled with this passage, arguing against those who sought martyrdom, but recognizing that following Jesus could cost them their families, lives, and possessions. In 35b: See also 8.8, 10, 18. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 6th

 DINNER DISCOURCES

In 14.1-35: Dinner conversations were famous teaching settings in the Greek and Jewish worlds. In Jewish and Christian tradition, the banquet becomes a symbol for who is chosen or invited to the heavenly feast. Dinner discussions recur throughout this larger section (see 15.1; 17.10) until Jesus' journey to Jerusalem explicitly resumes in 17.11. 

Read Luke 14.1-24. In verses 1.-6: The meal with a Pharisee is again a setting for dispute (7.36-50; 11.37-54) about the law. In verse 2: Dropsy is a condition of edema or retention of bodily fluids, which was perceived as defiling (see also 8.43-48). In verse 5: Even the most strict interpretations of Deut 22.4 would allow sabbath violations for the welfare of a child (see 13.16). In verses 9-10: Jesus' words reflect the traditional wisdom of Prov 25.6-7. In verse 11: Jesus places the exaltation and humbling in the context of his teaching (see 6.20-36). In verses 12-14, 21b-24: Jesus' inclusion of the crippled, the lame, and the blind challenges the purity code of Lev 21.17-23 in light of the judgment standards of the kingdom at the resurrection of the righteous (see also 6.23, 35, 37-38). In verses 23-24: Jesus' mission continues to provoke a divided response in Israel (2.34; 3.8; Acts 13.46; 18.6; 28.23-28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 5th

 Read Luke 13.31-35. In 13.31-35: Jesus' lament for Jerusalem. This prophetic word is shared with Matthew (23.37-39). In verses 31-32: Herod again, represents a threat (3.19-20; 9.7-9; 23.6-12), and a fox is an insulting name like "weasel." In verses 32-33: These verses are filled with the prophetic force of Jesus' yearning, will, and intention: I must be ... because it is impossible (see 12.50; 18.31). In verse 34: Israel's scriptures warn against killing the prophets (2 Chr 24.20-22; Jer 26.20-23; Lk 11.50-51). In verse 35: The phrase until the time comes anticipates Lk 19.38, when Ps 118.26 is recited by his disciples. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 4th

 Read Luke 13.22-30. In 13.22-17.10: Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem. In 13.22-30: He prophesies the end. In verse 22: This verse reminds the reader of the journey Jesus began in 9.51-52 (see also 17.11). In verse 2 Strive here means "be disciplined" in accord with the values of the kingdom. In verse 26: We ate and drank with you implies intimate companionship. In verse 28: Luke includes all the prophets along with Israel's patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Mt 8.11) who gather for God's promised banquet (Ex 24.9-11; Isa 25.6-8). In verse 29: Scattered Israel will be gathered from east and west ... (Isa 11.11-16; 60.1-22). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 3rd

 Read Luke 13.10-21. In 13.10-21. In verses 10-17: The bent woman. This is the third controversy about sabbath observance (6.1-5; 6.6-11, see also 14.1-6), and Jesus is again teaching in a synagogue (4.14-30, 31-38, 44). In verse 14-15: Deut 5.13 and Ex 20.9-10 prohibited work on the sabbath, but Deut 22.1-4 commanded help for a neighbor's ox or donkey. Jesus' contemporaries debated what "work' was rightly prohibited and what was required. In verse 16: Jesus' argument takes a classic rabbinic form, "So much more" should a daughter of Abraham deserve and require this special "work," healing (see 14.5). In verses 18-21 The hidden kingdom. These two parables or remarkable growth convey the living, dynamic sense of the kingdom of God fulfilling the promises (see Dan 4.10-12; Ezek 17.22-24; 31.2-9). In verse 21: Yeast is a surprising image because of its "uncleanness" (see 12.1). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 2nd

 Read Luke 13.1-9. In 13.1-9: The time to repent. In verse 1: The phrase at that very time links this section with a warning unless you repent ... (vv. 3, 5) or if not, you can cut it down (v. 9). Pilate was famous for his violence against pilgrims in Jerusalem and disdain for Galileans (23.1-12). In verse 4: The fall or the tower of Siloam is otherwise unknown. Judgment also causes the innocent to suffer (see 19.41-44; 21.5-24). In verse 6: The fig tree and the vineyard were common images for Israel ( Jer 8.13; Hos 9.10; Mic 7.1). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 1st

 Read Luke 12.35--59. In 12.35-59: Be ready! This is a collection of traditional saying on watchfulness (see also Mt 24.42-51; 10.34-36; 16.2-3; 25.1-13; Mk 13.33-37; 14.38). In the context of Luke's story, they anticipate Jesus' "visitation" of Jerusalem (19.41-44) as well as the last judgment. In verse 49: To bring fire to the earth is literally "to hurl" fire as in the judgment Elijah invoked (1 Kings18.36-40), but not yet (9.54). On Jesus' unfulfilled wish, see also 13.34; 22.42. In verse 50: For Jesus to be under stress is literally to be "constrained" in obedience until God inaugurates the baptism of fire (see 3.16; 24.49; Acts 1.5-8; 2.1-13). In verses 51-53 This division is the opposite of Gabriel's promise (1.17, but see also 2.34). In verses 54-47: People are able to  predict the weather and to judge what is right, but miss the chance to repent in the present time. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 31st

 Read Luke 12.13-34. In 12.13-34. In verses 13-21: The peril of wealth. This is one of several Lukan parables using examples of immoral behavior (16.1-9; 18.1-8), pointing beyond concern for possessions. In verse 19: The fool talks to himself ("Soul,  ..."), advising the life of pleasure ( Ecc 8.15) as if as if there were not God or judgment (Ps 14.1). In verses 22-34: The security and treasure of the kingdom. These sayings are largely shared with MT 6.19-21, 25-34, reflecting a positive view of the world, even the need of food and clothing. The wealth of Solomon was legendary. He was credited with not seeking it (1 Kings 3). Worry and striving are better focused on God's kingdom, which then proves to be a gift of the Father's good pleasure (see 11.13). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 30th

 Read Luke 12.1-12. In 12.1-13.21: Jesus calls for readiness and repentance. In 12.1-12: Hidden and revealed. In verse 1:  Jesus' warning against the east of the Pharisees implies hidden impurity, in visible as hypocrisy (see Ex 12.14-20; see "unmarked graves" in Lk 11.11). In verse 5: Hell is literally ("Gehenna"), the valley outside Jerusalem where refuse was burned, including unclean bodies. In verses 8-12: Jewish visions of the last judgment (Dan7) confront those who fail in their confession under trial with a more fearsome court (1 Jn 2.22-23). In verses 10-12: Believers often fear the "unforgivable sin" against the Holy Spirit. The contrast here is between active blasphemy (see 5.21), probably under threat or torture, and trust in the Holy Spirit to teach me in a time of trial (Mk 13.11; Mt 10.20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 29th

 Read Luke 11.37--54. In 11.37-54: Woe to the Pharisees. The passage includes six woes, three to the Pharisees for their concerns about externals and three to the lawyers (see 10.25), accusing them of misusing their authority. This prophetic speech from a teacher of Israel to his people. It has often been misused by gentile Christians to justify themselves. In verse 38: Washing was required for ritual cleanliness, not mere hygiene. In verse 42; Jesus accuses them of being scrupulous in tithing (giving one tenth, see Deut 14.22-29; 26.12-15; Lev 27.30-33) little things like seasonings. In verse 44: Even touching unmarked graves would make a person unclean (see 7.14; 8.54). In verse 46: The charge of loading burdens hard to bear is repeated in Acts 15.10. In verse 49: The Wisdom of God speaks in Prov 1.20-33; 8; and Wis 7 (see also Lk 7.35). In verse 52: The key of knowledge is probably the scriptures, made inaccessible by professionals. In verse 54: This fierce encounter concludes with an anticipation of the plot against Jesus (see 19.47; 20.19-20; 22.1-2). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 28th

 Read Luke 11.27-36. In 11.27-36: The word of God. In verse 29: The sign of Jonah is Jesus, "a sign that will be opposed" (2.34). In verses 31-32: The queen of the south is the Queen of Sheba who like the people of Nineveh came to bless God and even repent (1 Kings 10.1-11; Jon 3.6-10). In verse 32: The faith of foreigners is again a judgment on this generation (see 4.24-27). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 27th

 Read Luke 11.14-26. In 11.14-54: Jesus meets opposition. In 11.14-26: Satan's kingdom. In verse 15: Beelzebul is a variant of "Baalzebub," the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1.2-6), whom Elijah defeated as a false god. In verse 20: In Ex 8.19, even the Egyptian magicians could tell that Moses accomplished the plagues by the finger of God. Jesus' words are a warning against "opposing God" ( Acts 39; 11.17). In verses 21-23: The royal imagery expresses God's strength in the realm of a mighty foe (Isa 49.2425). In verse 24: On waterless regions, see 8.33. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 26th

 Read Luke 11.1-13. In 11.1-13: On prayer. Luke's version of the kingdom prayer is briefer and less well known (see Mt 6.9-13). In verse 2: Father is a remarkably intimate word, expressing trust more than authority (see 11.13; Gal 4.6; Rom 8.15, compare Lk 22.24-30; Acts 24-26). In verse 4: The prayer to be protected from the time of trial points to the power of evil (see 8.13; 22.3, 28, 31, 40, 46). In verse 8: Persistence is unashamed (see 18.1-8), not necessarily polite. In verses 9-10: These verses are compact sayings in which God's activity is indirectly promised. In verses 11-12: Snakes and scorpions are evil scourges (19.19), not given by good fathers (11.2). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 25th

 Read Luke 10.25-42. In 10.25-11.13: Jesus teaches the way of the kingdom. In 10.25-42: On practicing God's law of love. In verse 25: The lawyer is an interpreter of the scriptures (see also the ruler in 18.18). In verse 27: Jesus and the lawyer agree on combining Israel's great "Shema" on the love of God ("hear O Israel": Deut 6.4-9) with Lev 19.18b on the love of the neighbor. In verse 29: Luke often notes the tendency of the "righteous" to justify themselves rather than God (16.15; 18.9-14, 18-30). In verses 33-37: The Samaritan is not called "good" in Luke (see 9.52; Acts 8). He observed the law by showing mercy. In verses 38-39: In Jn 11.1-12.8: Martha and Mary both engage in discussion of the resurrection. Mary listened (Gk., heard his word) as a disciple 10.24). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 24th

 Read Luke 10.1-24. In 10.1-24: He sends out seventy. In verse 1: The seventy (or seventy two) probably correspond to the seventy elders chosen by Moses from the twelve tribes (see 9.1-12), plus Eldad and Medad (Ex 24.1, 9; Num 11.16, 24-30). Early Christian missionaries regularly traveled in pairs (Acts 8.14; 15.32, 40). In verse 2: The harvest is the long promised gathering of Israel (Isa 27.12). In verse 5: Peace to this house is an official greeting, traditional from the time of King David (1 Sam 25.6) In verses 8-12: Unlike many approaching rulers, the coming of this kingdom is not coercive, but its consequences will be profound on that day, at the divine judgment (v. 14), as in God's destruction of Sodom (Gen 19.15-28). In verse 15: The prophetic woe on Capernaum echoes Isa 14.11, 13-15. In verses 16-20: The divine authority of those who are sent derives from Jesus' identity (see also 10.22). The fall of Satan is a hope of the end time (Rev 12.7-9; 20.2-3). In 21-23: The presence of the Holy Spirit is the mark of the Father's reign. These verses became central to later Christian teaching of the Holy Trinity. In verses 23-24: This saying presents the promise of the prophetic warning of Isa 6 (see 8.10). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 23rd

 THE WAY OF THE DETERMINED MESSIAH

In 9.51-19.27: This section is an extended journey narrative of the departure or "exodus" Jesus fulfilled by going to Jerusalem (9.31). Luke's repeated reminders that Jesus is on this journey reveal the literary significance of following him on the "way." This larger section is organized into three-phase journey (9.51-13.21; 13,.22-17.10; 17.1-19.27). 

Read 9.51-62. In 9.51-13.21: Jesus faces toward Jerusalem. In 9.51-62: He sets his face. In verse 51: The prophet Isaiah also set his face "like flint" (Isa 50.7), and Ezekiel was called to "set your face toward Jerusalem" in order to prophesy against the sanctuaries (Ezek 21.1-2). In verse 52: The Samaritans did not recognize the Temple in Jerusalem (Jn 4.19-20). In verse 54: Elijah brought fire down from heaven to consume those who rejected his message. In verse 58: Here the Son of Man speaks of the human, suffering Jesus (9.22, 44), not judge of the end (9.26), In verse 59: The burial of father is a profound Jewish obligation (Gen 50.5; Tob 4.3). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 22nd

 Read Luke 9.37-50. In 9.37-50. In verses 37-43: He heals a possessed boy. On the only son, see 7.12. In 9.43b-50: He speaks firmly to his disciples. In verse 45: This verse emphasizes the disciples' inability to understand Jesus' predictions of suffering as due to God (its meaning was concealed from them, see Isa 6 cited in LK8.10). In verse 46: The argument about who was greatest is even more negatively recounted in Mark 9.33-37. In verse 50: Mk 9.38-41 has a fuller account of the strange exorcist. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 21st

 Read Luke 9.28-36. In 9.28-36: He is revealed as the chosen Son of God. The mountain, the dazzling white clothes, Moses and Elijah, his glory, the cloud, and the voice from heaven are all biblical dimensions of a divine appearance (epiphany). In verse 30 Moses and Elijah has miraculous endings of their lives. In verse 31: Jesus' departure in Greek is his "exodus," which is something he will accomplish at Jerusalem (see his "baptism" in 12.50). In verse 33: The dwellings are "tents" of the Jewish feast of booth (Deut 16.13). 

Reading for October 20th

 Read Luke 9.18-27. In 9.18-27: He is revealed as the messiah and predicts his death. In verse 20: The repeated question of who Jesus is (9.9, 18) receives the decisive answer of Messiah of God (see the demons in 4.41), and this royal title will be the charge for his execution (22.67; 23.35-37). In verses 21-22: This is the first of several predictions Jesus makes of his death (9.43-45; 12.50; 13.33; 18.31-34). In verse 26: The son of Man is the judge at the end time (Dan 7.13). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 19th

 Read Luke 9.10-17. In 9.7-10: He feeds the 5,000. This section agrees closely with Mark's sequence (see Mk 6.32-44). The feeding story is filled with reminders of God feeding Israel in the wilderness and Elijah feeding 100 men (2 Kings 4.42-44). It also anticipates the Passover supper in Lk 22 (taking the loaves, he blessed, broke, and gave). Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 18th

 Read Luke 9.1-9. In 9.1-50: Jesus, the Christ and chosen of God. In verses 1-6: He authorizes the twelve. The power and authority of the twelve is directly tied to their commission as agents of the kingdom of God within Israel (see 6.13; 22.30). In verse 3: They are sent without staff and bag of provisions for wandering philosophers (see 10.4-5). In verse 5: To shake the dust off is an act to declare freedom from responsibility (10.11; Acts 13.51). In verses 7-9: He provokes Herod. Herod's appearance is ominous (3.1), anticipating his threatening return in 13.31. The link with Elijah again is strong (7.26-27; 9.19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 17th

 Read Luke 8.40--56. In 8.40-56: Jesus heals the afflicted and raises the dead. These two stories have already been woven together in Mark (Mk 5.21-43). The delay in healing Jairus' daughter means she is already dead when he arrived. In verses 43-45: Her chronic bleeding exceeded normal monthly flow and rendered her continually unclean to touch anyone (Lev 15.19-30). In verse 46: The power to heal was the presence of the Spirit (4.14; 5.15). In verse 48: To call her daughter is to mark her restoration in the family of Israel (see 13.16) and connects with the child (8.49). In verse 55: To say her spirit returned is to emphasize that she had died (23.46).  Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 16th

 Read Luke 8.22-39. In 8.22-56: The commanding word of Jesus. In verse 24: Master is the title of a person in authority (5.5; 8.45; 9.33, 49; 17.13). In verse 25: "who then is this?" recalls the power of God over the forces of the deep (Ps 107.28-29). In verses 26-39: The Gerasene demoniac. In verses 27-28: The lore about demons included anti-social behavior (he wore no clothes) and ritual impurity (in the tombs). His shouting is a power confrontation where the demoniac knows Jesus name (Son of the Most High God, (see 4.34, 41) and must reveal his, or at least the size of the horde (a Roman Legion was a troop of several thousand soldiers). In verses 31-33: The abyss is the bottomless pit reserved for God's enemies (Rev. 1-11). The swine are unclean and suitable for demons, but water was their destruction (see 11.24, "waterless regions"). In verse 37: The people, seized with great fear, have seen but not believed (8.10). Comments or questions..

Reading for October 15th

 Read Luke 8.1-21. In 8.1-21: Jesus, proclaimer of the word of God. In verses 1-3: These verses are Lukan summary, concluding the section that began in 6.20 without parallels in Mark's gospel. Mary Magdalene and Joanna are mentioned later among the first witnesses to the resurrection (24.10), see also 23.49, 55). In verses 4-8: see also Mk 4.1-9; Mt13.1-9. In verses 9-10: In accord with Isa 6, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God is both revealed and hidden because of divine judgment (see 19.42; Acts 13.40-41; 28.26-28). In verses 11-15: Luke identifies the seed as the word of God, revealing the will of God and emphasizing growth as active obedience (8.21). Endurance is not merely waiting, but withstanding persecution and rejections (21.12-19). In verses 16-18: The secret things Jesus taught are quickly public, never mere private pieties. In verses 19-21: Jesus' true kindred, like Abraham's children (3.7-9), are identified by fidelity, not bloodlines. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 14th

 Read Luke 17.36-50. In 7.36-50: The prophet who forgives sins. In verse 36: The setting at Simon the Pharisee's table again raises the question of who is included with the righteous (see ch. 14). In verses 37-39: This woman in the city may have been one of the "people of the land" whom the Pharisees regarded as a sinner (see also v. 39) for not properly observing the law (5.30-32; compare 7.29-30). The true prophet knows who is in God's favor or disfavor. In verses 44-46: Footwashing, ointments and kissing are lavish displays of near eastern hospitality. In verses 48-50. Jesus' declarations display Jewish aversion to speaking directly of God, your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, but the scandal remains for the Pharisees. Only God can forgive sins (5.21-22). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 13th

 Read Luke 7.24-35. In 7.24-35: The greatest prophet is surpassed.  In verses 26-28: John marks the end of the era of the great prophets, fulfilling Malachi's (3.1) prophecy (see Mt 11.14), and anticipating the kingdom of God inaugurated by Jesus (see also 16.16). In verse 31: The people of this generation (see 11.29-32, 50-51; 17.25) are under judgment, including those who thought they were protecting the law of God. In verse 35: God's wisdom is seen to prove who (her children, compare mat 11.19; "her deed") are truly faithful (see 11.49). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 12th

 IDENTINGFYING THE MESSIAH OF GOD

In 7.1-9.50: Jesus mission moves beyond speaking to his disciples. His role is publicly tested.

Read Luke 7.1-23. In 7.1-50: Jesus the prophet of God. In verses 1-10: Jesus' encounter with a trusting foreigner has prophetic precedent in Elisha (2 Kings 5.1-14; Lk 4.27). In verses 2-5: The centurion is a "friend of Israel" (see also Acts 10.2). In verses 11-17: The great prophet and God's visitation. In verse 14: Touching the bier would have made Jesus ritually unclean. In verse 15; Like Elijah (see 4.26) Jesus raised the widow's son and gave him to his mother (1 Kings 17.17-24; see also 2 Kings 4.18-37). In verse 16: God has looked favorably on his people is literally "God has visited his people," picking up the promising and fearsome theme of divine "visitation" (1.68; 19.44). In verses 18-23: John's question. In verses 19-20: The one who is to come was announced by John (Isa 29.18; 35.5-6; 61.1). In verse 22 Jesus has done what he announced at Nazareth (4.18). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 11th

 Read Luke 6.39-49. In verses 39-49: Jesus directs these traditional warnings against hypocrisy to his own disciples (6.17, 40), emphasizing the obedience of action (v. 47). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 10th

Read Luke 6.20-38. In 6.20-49: The address on the plain. These verses begin a section (6.20-8.3) that is without parallels in Mark. This section contains many sayings of Jesus that are largely shared with Matthew. Many scholars suggest Matthew and Luke may have drawn from a "Sayings Source," which is commonly called "Q" for the German word "Quelle." No copy of such a source has ever been found apart from the verses shared and close agreements of Matthew and Luke, along with some parallels in the noncanonical Gospel of Thomas. Luke's account does not glorify poverty, but stresses the contrast between the present need of the poor and their future abundance, while the rich who have plenty now will be deprived in the future. In verse 20: Blessed means favored by God, in this case because of God's particular care for the poor (4.18; 7.22-23). The kingdom of God is God's heavenly rule come to earth as announced in the reign of the messiah, Jesus (see 4.18; 7.22; 17.20-21). In verse 24: Prophetic announcements of woe indicate divine judgment (10.13; 11.42-52; 17.1; 21.23; 22.22). In verse 26: False prophets are popular for telling people what they want t hear (Isa 30.10). In verses 27-31: This section ends with the "golden rule," but now radically applied to enemies, abusers, thieves, and beggars. These verses have often been misused to discourage oppressed people from seeking justice. In verses 32-38: The credit that sinners receive fits with usual standards of fair exchange with gentiles and nonbelievers practice. The children of the most high operate with the economy of mercy rather than fairness, relying on the reward system of God's reign. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 9th

 Read Luke 6.12-19. In 6.12-19: Preparing for Jesus' sayings. In verse 12: Jesus often prays at significant points in the story (3.21; 5.16; 6.12; 9.18, 28-29; 11.1; 22.41, 44-45; 23.46). In verses 13-16: The twelve are significant as apostles who are sent as ambassadors of the mission and judges of the twelve tribes of Israel, which is why Judas Iscariot had to be replaced later (22.3-6, 30, 47-53; Acts 1.15-26). In verse 17: Jesus standing to teach from a level place compares with Matthew's description that he "went up the mountain" and "sat down." The gathering crowds from many regions anticipate a momentous event (5.17). In verse 19: The power to heal is again a sign of the presence of God's spirit (4.1, 14; 5.17). Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 8th

 Read Luke 5.27--6.11. In 5.27-6.11: Conflicts about authority. In verses 27-32: Tax collectors and sinners were Jews who were not regarded as righteous because they did not observe the law but often collaborated with the Roman order. They were considered ineligible to be disciples at the fellowship table with a teacher, drawing near the law. Mk 2.13-17 and Mt 9.9-13 also emphasize Jesus' dramatic interpretation of who is invited to return to God (repentance). In verses 33-39: Jesus claims the freedom of the messiah, or ruler of the end time. The wedding feast was a symbol of heaven. In verse 35: This verse has encouraged Christians to fast to prepare for the return of Christ when feasting will again replace fasting. In 6.1-5: The royal privileges that David exercised (1 Sam 21.1-6) are claimed by the messiah, Jesus. The bread of the Presence was holy or set apart for God. Jesus again uses the title Son of Man to declare his role and authority concerning God's law (5.24; Dan 7.13). In verses 6-11: The conflict about sabbath law escalates as the other teachers seek an accusation. Jesus' question, is it lawful ... on the sabbath, is a classic question posed by Jewish teachers of the law: What kind of emergencies take precedence over sabbath practice? Comments or Questions..