Reading for November 27th

 Read Luke 21.29-38. In Luke, these words mark the end of Jesus' teaching in the temple which began in 19.28. Only Luke uses the parable to emphasize that the kingdom of God is near (see 17.20-21). In verses 34-36: That day is the judgment day for all on ... the  whole earth., with the Son of Man as judge (Dan 7). In verse 38: Note again the loyalty of all people (see 19.47-48). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 26th

 Read Luke 21.5-28. In 21.5-28: Dire warnings at the Temple. In verse 5: The temple is a crucial place for teaching (2.46; 19.47; 20.1; 22.53; Acts 21.27-22.29). Jesus' words throughout this chapter, closely paralleled in Mk 13and Mt 24, recall Jeremiah's fire oracles about the first Temple prior to its destruction (Jer 7.1-15; 23.11). In verse 8: The Jewish historian Josephus tells of prophets, including one named Jesus who used Jeremiah's words during the Roman siege (War 6.271-275; 285-315; 442). In verse 9: The destruction must take place first before the end because God's will for the whole world (see 21.24). In verse 11: The destruction is depicted on a cosmic scale in the tradition of Jewish apocalyptic (Isa 24-27; Rev 6). In verses 12-19: As in 12.11-12, Jesus predicts what later happens in Acts to the apostles on trial before kings and governors (see also acts 9.15-16; to suffer for the sake of my name). In verse 13: The opportunity to testify (Gk., "marturion") many be a faithful "witness" unto death (22.15; 26.16). In verse 19: Endurance is a mark of faithfulness (8.15; 22.8-30). In verses 20-24: Jesus' words are filled with scriptural phrases from the first destruction, now direct toward the impending Roman siege (see also 13.34-35; 19.41-44). In verse 22: The days of vengeance is a scriptural phrase for God's wrath (Hos 9.7; Deut 32.35; Jer 46.10; 50.31). In verse 24: The Gentiles or non Jewish nations are God's instruments of judgment, as in the Greek version of Zech 12.3: "I will make Jerusalem to be a to be trodden down by all the Gentiles" (see Rev 11.2), but they will not dominate forever (Deut 32.26-27; Isa 45-47). In verses 25-28: The cosmic signs of the end of the world reflect the vision of the Son of Man in Daniel 7. In verse 28: The faithful continue to hope to see the redemption of Jerusalem (2.38). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 25th

Read Luke 20.27-21.4: These disputes with the Sadducees with support from the scribes (v. 39) anticipate divisions between the Sadducees and the Pharisees concerning the resurrection in Acts 23.6-10; 24.15-21; 26.4-8. In verses 27-33: The case is clearly intended to ridicule belief in the resurrection. In verse 28: The obligation to marry a brother's widow is called levirate marriage (Deut 25.5-10; Gen 38.8; Ruth 3-4). In verses 34-36 This is one of the more complete New Testament statements about the altered bodily state of resurrection (see 1 Cor 15.35-57). In verses 37-38: Jesus is making an interpretive argument for the resurrection on the basis of God's word from the burning bush in Ex 3.6. In verses 41-44: Jesus pursues another interpretive argument, now on Ps 110, The appeal to Ps 110 will be taken further as testimony to the resurrection in Acts 2.29-36. "Son of David" is a crucial royal title in Luke ( 1.27, 32, 69; 2.4, 11; 6.3; 18.38-39) and in Acts (2.25-36). In verses 35-47: Jesus responds to several attempts (19.47-20.40) to entrap him in the presence of the people with a prophetic oracle denouncing the scribes (see Mt 23). In 21.1-4: The widow example is again an example of faith (2.36-38; Acts 6.1-2), displaying a generosity from her poverty that warns the rich against false security (see 16.1-31). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 24th

 Read Luke 20.20-26. This is the first mention of the Roman governor (see 23.1-25, especially 23.2 on "taxes to the emperor"). In verse 21: To show deference would mean to allow political influence to prevail over truth. In verse 22: Lawful means in accord with God's law as interpreted by Israel's teachers. In verse 25: Jesus' answer still leaves them with the question of whether all things belong to God (Ps 24.1; see Acts 4.19; 5.29). In verse 26: The presence of the people is again the context for this attempted trap. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 23rd

 Read Luke 20.1-19. In 20.1-21.4: Conflicts while teaching in the Temple. In verses 1-2: This story follows the standard debate among Jewish interpreters, and the question of authority calls for the scriptural answers Luke has provided all along. In verses 3-4: In Luke's account (3.21-22), Jesus' baptism by John was emphatically from heaven. In verses 5-8: Their refusal to reply displays fear of the people and relieves Jesus from continuing debate. In verses 9-19: The vineyard and the tenants. This harsh parable has been misused by gentile Christians to justify violence against Jews. In verse 9: Isa 5.1-7 depicts Jerusalem as God's vineyard, under threat. In verses 13-15; To kill a beloved son is to provoke wrath (see Acts 2.37). In verse 17: This is another reference to Ps 118 (see 19.38). In verse 19: Jesus' parable against them is no more severe than many prophetic judgments against God's people, but they are alarming to any group tempted to think they are entitled or self-righteous (Rom 11.13-36). Note again their fear of the people (20.6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 22nd

 Read Luke 19.41-48. In verses 41-44: These verses offer a graphic description of siege warfare in a prophetic declaration filled with Jeremiah's words predicting Jerusalem's first destruction by the neo-Babylonian empire (Jer 6.6-21; 8.18-21; 15.5; 23.38-40). In verse 44: The time of your visitation from God occurred when God's king Jesus arrived (1.68; 7.16). In verses 45-46: The elimination from the temple of those who were selling was a prophetic hope (Zech 14.21), so that it could be restored as a house of prayer (Isa 56.7). In verses 47-48: Luke emphasizes the increasing official hostility to Jesus and the loyalty of all the people throughout chs. 20-22. These chapters parallel Mk 12-14 closely. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 21st

 JESUS' VISITATION IN JERUSALEM

In 19.28-21.38; Jesus' entry into Jerusalem marks a major new phase in the story (see 9.51).

Read 19.28-40. In 19.28-40: The royal procession. Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is recounted in all four gospels as an enactment of the royal entry of Zech 9.9. In verse 29: These towns are close to Jerusalem. In verses 31-34: "The Lord needs it" is language of military or royal requisition. In verse 37: The whole multitude of the disciples is no mere crowd, those who have seen (10.23). Their praise of God resounds with the angels, shepherds, and faithful in Israel (2.13, 20; 18.43). In verse 38; The citation of Ps 118: was anticipated in 13.35, and Luke specifically identifies "the one who comes" as the king. In verse 39: Luke is careful to emphasize that some Pharisees, not all, sought to deter Jesus (see Acts 15.5). In verse 40: This verse can be translated as the stones will shout, a prophetic warning about stones in a destruction (41-44; 21.6). Comments or Questions..