Tag: Luke

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God Deserves Our Thanks: A Thanksgiving Post

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional2 Comments

Over this past year I’ve been considering something that I have not considered as I should.  My Papa went home to be with the Lord last month, and some details about his life really have struck me.  He was married to my Granny for 68 years. He was born on the property that he lived on until just months before his death.  He lived in the same town his whole life.

      He saved a man’s life when he was drowning in Lake Brownwood.  A pilot had crash landed in the lake.  My papa saw it and swam out and then dove to save him.  What an incredible thing.

            He was faithful to God, to his wife, and to our family his whole life.  He and my granny were very generous people.

      He was with my mom the night she went to be with the Lord, and endured that difficulty with honor and grace. He doted on my Granny her whole life, finding ways to serve her well.  

      He worked really hard.  He was a leader full time until he retired at the 3M plant in town.  He and my uncle also ran cattle on their land for as long as I can remember.  Next to the old barn there was a feed shed.  In central Texas where you have feed there are mice, and where you have mice there are rattlesnakes.  Every time you walked into the shed, I’m told, you would hear a chorus of rattles under the shed.  He and my Uncle Don decided it was time to get all of those snakes, so one day they did.  They fashioned some kind of long pipe with a lasso and caught those snakes and put them in a big barrel.  They sold them.  Yes, there are people that buy rattlesnakes in Central Texas.There’s a picture somewhere of one of the two of them holding up a big rattlesnake over their heads and the body of it touching the ground.

I’m named after him.  What an honor.

      We do not pick what family we are born into before we are born.  This is up to the Lord.  In our country there is an epidemic of fatherlessness.  Everyone who does have a father active in their life doesn’t have a believing father- a father that honors the Lord in his beliefs and actions.

      I was sitting at the funeral about a month ago, and thought, “I am so blessed.  I have been given three good examples of godly grandfathers.  I have been given grandfathers that have a testimony that they know Christ. I have a dad that raised me to know Christ and follow him.”  And the impact of that fact compared to my expressed gratitude to God for all that it means in my life leaves a deficit.  

What do I mean?

            So much of God’s grace in my life has come through the faithfulness of those men, and I have not always recognized it, and thanked the Lord for it.  I have been given so much, and there is a tendency for me to go about my life and not express that thanksgiving back to God.

            Is there something like that in your life?  Is there something that if someone else was looking at your life they would notice how blessed you are in some way- maybe even they would be struck by your blessing- and it is something you have not been grateful for in a long time?

There is often a gap between how blessed we are and the thankfulness we express.

            Jesus talked about how we ought to view our lives in Luke 17.  I want to walk through this passage as a reminder to us about being grateful.  This passage includes a parable and an account of Jesus ministering to and healing some people who were in desperate need.  Both of these stories apply to us, and I hope that as we leave tonight we will be motivated towards gratefulness.  We should give God our thanks out of grateful hearts.  Here are three perspectives that lead us to thanksgiving.

We have a solemn duty. (Luke 17:7-10)

            The first perspective that Jesus gives us in Luke 17 that I want to point out is this.  We should understand that we have a solemn duty.

            We live in a culture that is obsessed with identity and rights.  We do not talk much about responsibilities. There is a sense in which marketing and commercialism has made us prone to put ourselves in the center of our own lives, where we think that we deserve things that we do not deserve.  In contrast to this thinking, Jesus gives us some teaching on who we are in comparison to him. Look at what he says in verse 7.

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

Luke 17:7

            Is this what happens?  You’ve been working all day, and you come in and the boss is the one that feeds you first.

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Luke 17:8

Who eats first?  The master or the servant?  Of course, in this context, and even still today, the boss gets first dibs.

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

Luke 17:9

Does the master thank the servant for doing what he was supposed to do?  Of course not. Why?  He did what he was responsible for doing.

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Luke 17:10

            What is the point of the parable? The servant should expect no special reward for doing what was his duty to do in the first place.  God does not owe us anything good.  We owe God because everything that we have that is good comes from him.

What He owes us is the wages of sin.

            He has obligated Himself to us in that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  He has offered that to us.  What God really owed us is death.Yet that isn’t all you’ve gotten from God.  God has given you and I so much!  We owe Him our obedience.

            Even though He didn’t owe us anything, the next passage helps us to see what God has done for us.

We were given incredible mercy. (Luke 17:11-14)

Right after Jesus’ parable about being unprofitable servants, we are told a story about his interaction with some people who we have something in common with.

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:  13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

Luke 17:11-13

            Leprosy is a brutal thing.  They were physically diseased and contagious. They were socially ostracized because of this disease.  Their destiny was to rot and die, homeless, penniless, and without hope.

            What did they ask for from Jesus?  “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”  So what did Jesus do?  He told them to go. 

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

Luke 17:14

            There was an Old Testament command that when people were healed of Leprosy, they went to the priest so that they could be examined and approved for being out of quarantine.  When Jesus told them to go, they would have understood that he was saying that they would be healed.  He demanded some faith from them.  They didn’t get healed and then sent to the priest.  It says that they were healed on their way to the priest.

            And that is exactly what happened.  “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.”  How cool is that?  They asked for mercy, and the certainly received it.

            Did Jesus owe them healing?  No, he did not.  Yet he healed them just the same.  

            Are we any different?  We were dead in our trespasses and sins it says in Ephesians 2.

We were worse than these lepers in that there leprosy brought them physical death.  Our sin brought us spiritual death- separation from God forever.  We did not deserve healing from Jesus, and yet He offered it to us.  For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been healed!  We have been given incredible mercy.

But look what happens next.  This brings us our third perspective.

We glorify God by giving Him thanks. (Luke 17:15-19)

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,  16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

Luke 17:15-16

            How many are referred to here?  1 out of 10. “One” of “them”.  Who were the “them”?  The lepers.  One, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God.  What an incredible moment!  Could you imagine being healed like this?  How did he glorify God?  He glorified God with a loud voice, fell on his face at his feet, giving him thanks

We can glorify God through worship.  We can glorify God through praise. We can glorify God through obedience.  We can never glorify God and be unthankful at the same time.

            We learn also that this man was a Samaritan.  Jews and Samaritans hated each other.  Lepers were not lepers from birth.  Certainly, there may have been a point in this man’s life where he would have never imagined seeing himself face down at the feet of a Jew.  He was certainly an “unprofitable servant” who now had a duty.  He was certainly given incredible mercy.  So, what did he do?  He glorified God by giving thankful worship.

Look at Jesus’ reaction.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:17-19

            Jesus was clearly struck by the fact that though there were several who had been given mercy, and who had a duty to give thanks, only one did.  I believe that this narrative is here where it is among the other parable for a reason.  We ought to be grateful.

            Here is my question for us:  If you were to be on trial for being grateful to God, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  Are you grateful?

We should give God our thanks out of grateful hearts.  

We do have a solemn duty to our God.  He has given us incredible mercy.  We glorify God by giving Him thanks.  We cannot glorify him by being ungrateful.

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Luke- Week 22- Day 1

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional, Luke SeriesLeave a comment

(39) And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.  (40)  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 

Luke 22:39-40

Explanation:

In this pivotal moment Jesus goes to the mount of olives.  This is a place that he had been to many times before.  There is a clue to this truth in verse 39 where it says he went “as he was wont”.  This is an old english way of saying that this was a familiar pattern with Jesus.  Jesus had often gone to the mount of olives.  He is referred to as being in the mount of olives in every Gospel, and is placed there multiple times.

Matthew and Mark contain what is called the Olivet discourse where His disciples ask Him about the end of the age:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Also in Mark:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

Mark 13:3

We have already seen him in the area in Luke at the beginning of the triumphal entry.

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Luke 19:37

In the Gospel of John you’ll find this verse:

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

John 8:1

It’s at the end of a discussion that the people were having about the identity of Jesus.  Right after he goes to the mount of olives in John 8:1, he comes back to the temple. 

He had gone there for a reason, and I conjecture it would be to get alone with God.

The specific place on the Mount of Olives that Jesus went to was a gareden called Gethsamene.  We know this from parallel passages in Matthew and Mark.

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Matthew 26:36

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

Mark 14:32

Jesus often would get alone to pray.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Matthew 14:23

And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

Mark 6:46

And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

Luke 9:28 

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

When Jesus taught about prayer, He said this about having a place to pray:

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:5-6

Application:

Prayer was so pivotal to Jesus.  He had a place to pray.  He made time to pray.  My question for us is quite obvious.  Do we have a place to pray?  Do you have a place?  Do you have a time?  Do you have somewhere you go to pray?  Is it part of your schedule?  How can we expect the rewards of God apart from the presence of God?  Why should we expect the blessing of God when we do not spend time with God?

Response

Pick a place and a time and get to praying!

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Don’t miss the point! Luke- Week 14- Day 5

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(36)  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  (37)  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Luke 10:36-37

Explanation:

Here comes the question for which the whole story was told.  Which now of these three…was the neighbor to the man?  The three here was the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan.  This what Jesus called them in the story.  Notice then how the lawyer, from the same class as the priest and Levite, answered the question.  He does not call him the Samaritan.  He calls him “he that shewed mercy on him.”  It may be reading between the lines, but it is almost as if he does not want to say the word “Samaritan”.  Yet, he cannot deny the facts of the story.  The one who was the neighbor to him was the Samaritan.  This is his answer and then Jesus tells him to go and do likewise.

The truth is that the lawyer has not loved like that.  He has not loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.  He has not loved His neighbors as he loves himself.  He cannot go and do likewise in such a way that he could earn eternal life. 

“Go and do thou likewise” hangs out there like an unresolved chord needing resolution.  The man must plead “I can’t!  I have not!  Help me!  Forgive me!  I need mercy.  I need eternal life.  I need God’s help to love like that.”  If the lawyer’s attitude did not change from seeking to justify himself (vs. 29), he walked away rejecting Jesus and thinking that he was ok. 

Application:

Certainly, there is an application to us regarding who our neighbor is.  Our neighbor is everyone that we can help.  We are responsible for the wellbeing of those around us at some level.  There is no person which we should not love when we have the chance.

But to say that this is the main point is to miss the point.  The main point is that we cannot do this on our own.  We cannot love God and love others more than ourselves on our own.  We have broken God’s law, and we need God’s mercy to forgive us, as well as God’s power to help us to do this.

This is why Jesus came.  He loved God perfectly and loved others perfectly.  He kept the law we could not keep, and then paid the price we could not pay so that we can be forgiven, and then indwelt by the Holy Spirit who then empowers us to love God and others from the heart.

Response:

  • Confess, repent and trust in Christ.
  • Ask God to help you love like He loves!
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Luke- Week 12- Day 1

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional2 Comments

(36)  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. (37)  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, (38)  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. (39)  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. (40)  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

Luke 7:36-50

Explanation:

(36)  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.

The pharisees were dealt with quite a lot by Jesus, but often you will see them say “certain of the Pharisees”.  Not every pharisee had equal disdain for Jesus.  You see people like Nicodemus come to Jesus admitting that what they saw Him doing caused them to pause, and even to acknowledge that God was with Him.

Here Jesus comes to the house of a pharisee to eat with him.  Hospitality in the ancient near east was a big deal.  This would have been a significant thing to have Jesus over for a meal as a pharisee.

(37)  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

What an incredible scene we see unfold!  Luke describes this woman as one “in the city, which was a sinner”.  Her sin was evident to many in the room by reputation.  She had heard that Jesus was in the house of this pharisee and came, not with a need for healing, but with a desire to be forgiven and to honor Jesus. This is evident by her bringing an alabaster box of ointment and by her behavior following.  This alabaster box of ointment would have been very costly.

Some have made the claim that this woman was a prostitute because of her being known as someone with a sinful reputation, by her subsequent actions, and the pharisee’s response to her as almost an infection to the dinner party. The word “pharisee” literally translated means “one who is separated’, or “a separatist”.  Their view of themselves was to be separated from sin and from sinners.  So, to have “a sinner” who up in his house would have been socially awkward.

(38)  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

We would not see what this woman is doing as normal for sure, but we certainly would not have seen it as something sinfully sexual.  Yet, in that culture, for a woman to have her hair down was seen as improper.  To touch a man in public would have been highly inappropriate. To kiss a man, and to pour ointment on him would have been seen this way as well.

The contrast between the pharisee and the woman is stark.  He is ceremonially pure, and at least acknowledges Jesus as the same by asking Him into His house.  This woman is clearly seen as impure and would normally not been asked to dinner.  This would have been something that forwarded what many thoughts about Jesus that was expressed earlier in the chapter:

(34)  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

Luke 7:34

She will be further contrasted by Jesus Himself.  For now, let us notice her actions contrasted with the response of this Pharisee.

(39)  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

This Pharisee’s reaction is not surprising knowing the normal position of the Pharisees.  This woman was not seen as someone who could be redeemed or reformed.  She was seen as someone to be separated from and avoided.  She was seen as a problem, an infection, irredeemable and deplorable.

Jesus accepting adoration from this woman made the Pharisee doubt Jesus’ position as a prophet.  The Pharisee must have seen him as at least potentially being a prophet up until this point because he would have taken some grief from those who clearly denied Jesus claim to being the Messiah.  But at this point He doubts Jesus’ status because Jesus accepts this woman’s costly expression of worship.

Application:

Jesus saw the woman as someone who needed forgiveness and who was rightly offering Him worship.   The Pharisees view of the woman was of someone more sinful and unacceptable to God than himself.  His view of Jesus’ acceptance of this lady was that it made Jesus less than what He ought to be, maybe even a sinner Himself.

We must be careful in our evaluation of other people.  We may see some people as beyond the forgiveness and reach of God.  We may see ourselves as better than others. 

Jesus had clearly communicated His position to come to reach the lost, poor, broken, blind and captive. The truth is that this described everyone in the room but could only be received by those who acknowledged their own need, who acknowledged their own spiritual poverty.

We must view ourselves and others rightly, as those who need Jesus and His offer of forgiveness.

Response:

Do you understand your own need for Jesus?  Do you see others the way Jesus does?