Day 109: Luke 19:28-48

“He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”' - Luke 19:40 ESV

Jesus is entering Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday as the last week of His incarnate (in flesh) life. His final path to the cross was marked with the Messianic affirmation of this crowd. This group of palm-waving people were singing a common Jewish song: Psalm 118:25-26.

The Pharisees, once again, were not enjoying this eruption of confirming praise. They call him "rabbi" and at the same time give him a direct command. They wanted the crowd to keep it down. Yet…

"In a striking saying Jesus affirms that the shouting is inevitable." - Leon Morris

Praise was going to break forth one way or another. The rock choir wasn't out of the question.

We do the same thing today when we sing. Our songs should join the chorus of creation that is constantly affirming the identity of Jesus and His love for all of humanity. Our vocal cords vibrate, and the foundations of hell shake. When Jesus is acknowledged as the Master He is, all things are set in their proper place.

Thank you, Jesus, for starting this journey toward the cross. Our gratitude is all we have, and we will offer it every day.

SIDE NOTE: I've often wondered if this Triumphal Entry gave Jesus the focus He needed as He marched toward the cross on Friday. The cries of "Hosanna!" (save us we pray) had to be still ringing in His ears.

Day 108: Luke 19:1-27

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."' - Luke 19:9-10 ESV

"This scene probably took place the evening of the Lord’s arrival at Zacchæus’s house at Jericho, after the evening meal, when the room and court of the house were filled with guests and curious spectators."  - Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1909). St Luke (Vol. 2, p. 136)

I don't have a whole lot of experience being a short man or a notorious extorting mob boss. Still, I do remember being a middle schooler that was invited to practice with the varsity basketball team. It wasn't fun.

Zaccheus was the most hated man in his city. He was not only a star employee of the Roman empire, but he was also taking extra for himself, which resulted in him being a man of the coin (wealthy). Archaeologists have discovered skeletons in Palestine that date back to the first century (the time of Jesus). The average height of a male was around 5'1". This would put our man Zaccheus somewhere around 4'4" or smaller.

If teams were being chosen for kickball, this man would have been the last to be picked in Jericho.

Jesus was and is the best at looking past appearances and seeing people for who they could be. He knew Zaccheus was ready to make a change.

Have you noticed anyone who seems ready for a change?  Maybe it’s time to extend an invitation to meet for a meal or maybe for just a cup of coffee, the ideal opportunity to talk about the One who saved your soul and wants to do the same for everyone.

Day 107: Luke 18:18-43

“And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” - Luke 18:43 ESV

This blind man was truly privileged. He had the Son of God look him in the face and ask what he wanted for Him to do. This is kind of odd since the blind beggar had been non-stop asking Jesus to have mercy on him. I believe this shows us how important it is for us to verbalize to God the change we want to take place in our lives.

Is that a part of your daily prayer time?

For me, it is easy to complain to God rather than beg him for transformation (as we covered yesterday).

What is equally impressive about this (formerly) blind beggar is his reaction after the restoration of his sight:

1) He followed Jesus, which altered his day-to-day life.

2) He glorified God, taking no credit for what happened.

3) His testimony affected others. His healing and his praise were contagious.

All of this started with his consistent cry for mercy. May God allow us to have the same kind of experience today.

"The blind man’s persistence (he shouted all the more) gets Jesus’ attention and demonstrates his faith. Jesus refuses to ignore those whom society is normally content to disregard." - Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 18:39–43)

Day 106: Luke 18:1-17

“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"' - Luke 18:13 ESV

As far as we can look back into the Christian history of organized worship, we see that Jesus-followers have always sung "Kyrie, eléison" to begin times of praise. It is Greek for "Lord, have mercy."

The Pharisees had fallen into the harmful habit of treating others as less-than and themselves as elite.

The story Jesus tells illustrates the Tax Collector's willingness to express his complete dependence upon God for pardon for what he had done. He realized his deep need for redemption. Jesus will not forgive those who refuse to see themselves as God sees them.

We come, having our sin revealed and eager for supernatural transformation.

We declare, "Lord, have mercy."

Jesus declares, "Child, your sins are forgiven."

We respond a thousand times, "Thank you."

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1 NIV

"The principle behind it all is that he who exalts himself will be humbled. No-one has anything of which he can boast before God. By contrast, he who humbles himself will be exalted (cf. 14:11). The penitent sinner who humbly looks for God’s mercy will find it." - Morris, L. (1988). Luke: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 3, pp. 282–283)

Day 105: Luke 17:11-37

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." - Luke 17:33 ESV

Much to our surprise, Jesus uses two of the most terrifying scenes from the Old Testament to illustrate how we are to be ready for His eventual return.

Scene one: The Flood. Many believe there were thousands (some believe millions) of people living on the earth during the days of Noah. They were going about business as usual, stimulating their economy, when the flood came and wiped them out.

Scene two: Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was deemed a righteous man and was allowed to be spared in the midst of a very barbaric culture. His wife (and daughters) were apparently drawn into the lifestyles of those they were living among. She became an element on the periodic table.

Why would Jesus want us to etch these scenes into our minds when it comes to His Second Coming?

The people in Noah’s and Lot's times were completely unaware of the danger that was about to come upon them. Yet it was very real. We need to know that Jesus is coming to redeem the righteous and judge the wicked. We have to be living lives that are ready for His return.

One day at a time.

"Remember Lot's wife.  That means for us that God will bring Jesus Christ again in his good time. We cannot know that time; we dare not speculate about it. We must live so that whenever he comes, at morning, at midday or at evening, he will find us ready." - Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of Luke (p. 262)

Day 104: Luke 16:19-31, 17:1-10

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."' - Luke 17:5-6 ESV

Apparently, our universities' business schools were not the first to speak of things like scale or gains. When the disciples hear of Jesus' command to forgive others unconditionally and with constancy, they are overwhelmed. Deep in their gut, they felt the insufficiency of their faith.

What Jesus was trying to get them to realize is that the issue was not found in the size of their faith.

When it comes to measurement and power, Jesus is the ultimate. He is both our creator and our sustainer (see Hebrews 1:3). Our minds can't even begin to comprehend just how far God's capability reaches.

When we place any amount of faith (trust) in Him, there is no limit to what can happen next.

We would do well not to worry about the amount of our faith, but instead to concern ourselves with the consistent placement of it in Jesus to do what we cannot.

"Genuine faith can accomplish what experience, reason, and probability would deny, if it is exercised within God’s will." - D.G. Miller

Day 103: Luke 16:1-18

“And he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."' - Luke 16:15 ESV

One of my favorite John Wooden quotes goes like this: "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

When Jesus uses the word abomination, He isn't playing around. It means something that is detestable or repulsive to God. It is a word that was used in the Old Testament (LXX) to describe idols or cultic objects.

The Pharisees were not unlike how we can be at times. We can get caught in a trap of trying to justify our actions, especially when it comes to money. The Pharisees' love of money caused them to use whatever means necessary to obtain more and more. They had not just been unfaithful in a little. Their misuse of the Law of Moses was their indictment.

What does God see when He looks at your heart? Does He see a deep desire to help others, or does He see an all-consuming want for more?

Becoming popular with crowds is overdone and overrated.

Being justified in the sight of God can only come as a result of our trust in the blood of Jesus Christ.

"The Pharisees thought that because they had power, wealth and authority in the community, they could use their success to justify their sinful lifestyle. People were willing to be blinded to the evils of the Pharisees, but Jesus reminded them that God knows the heart. He reminds them that we live in a topsy-turvy world, where those things that are highly esteemed among men, are detestable in the sight of God. Power and success, if achieved at the expense of human beings, by the exploitation of the weak and poor, are despicable to God." - Sproul, R. C. (1999). A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (pp. 313–314)

Day 102: Luke 15:1-32

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."' - Luke 15:31-32 ESV

In our reading for today, Jesus gives us three examples of losing and finding.

1 Sheep

1 Coin

1 Son

"When criticized by the Pharisees for eating with sinners, Jesus tells three carefully constructed parables which teach the love of God for sinners and the rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents."  - Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 15:1–7)

One of the biggest fears most of us have in this life is that we will come to our end and be forgotten. We ask questions like: Would anyone care if I became lost? Would anyone care if I died? This is when hopelessness and depression can hit the hardest.

But we serve a God who delights in finding lost things. We worship a Savior who specializes in resurrecting the dead.

You need to know that, with Jesus, you will never get lost in the vastness of the crowd. Though you may think that your movements are going unnoticed, you need to be reminded that God is watching and hoping for you to come running toward His outstretched arms.

Jesus is hoping for you (and others) to give occasion for a ruckus of praise in heaven. When we return, heaven rejoices. The lost are found; the dead are raised.

Day 101: Luke 14:7-35

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:27 ESV

Following Jesus (becoming a Christian) doesn't mean that we add our faith to the repertoire of an already established and successful life. When we trust Jesus for salvation, it is a complete deconstruction of our current lives in exchange for a brand new one. The things that we used to value most are now irrelevant because of this new life into which God has ushered us.

A lot of the language in our reading for today is disturbing to us. Are we really to hate our families and our own lives? Are we really to expect that following Jesus will require us to be ready to die for Him? Are we really supposed to be generous to those who can't return the favor? Is choosing humility over pride that big of a deal?

We have all candidates for baptism recite a first-century Christian confession. It is sometimes called the "Good Confession" (see 1 Timothy 6:12). It goes something like this: "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior."

By becoming a Christian, we declare to everyone that Jesus is superior in our lives and that He is the only one who can save us. It isn't that we have a death wish or that we neglect our responsibilities to our family. What we find is that entrusting our lives to Jesus makes us become difference-makers.

We are now enabled and ready to love and serve like never before. We don't require credit or acclaim or the spotlight. Our only desire is to worship the One who saved our souls.

"Cross-bearing is of the essence of discipleship." - Leon Morris

Day 100: Luke 13:22-35, 14:1-16

“And he said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course."' - Luke 13:32

What did Jesus mean by calling Herod Antipas a fox? It definitely wasn't a term of endearment.

Many believe Jesus was calling him sly, worthless, or inconsequential. This was a bold thing for Jesus to say about the most powerful man in the region of Galilee (where Jesus grew up).

Herod was also the one who was responsible for John the Baptist's imprisonment and death (see Luke 3:1, 9:9). And we all know how we feel about people who mistreat our family members (John was Jesus' cousin).

Check out the following quote:  “Antipas also had family issues that proved to be his undoing. He divorced his first wife, Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, and then married his niece Herodias, who had previously been married to two of Antipas’s half-brothers. This incurred the criticism of the popular Galilean prophet John the Baptist and drew a military reprisal from Aretas, whose victory over Antipas was regarded by many as God’s punishment for Antipas’s execution of John the Baptist.”  - The New Testament in Its World, N. T. Wright & Michael F. Bird, Page 270

It seems what Jesus is really trying to say is that what Herod said, thought, or did had no consequence on His mission. Not even the most powerful man in his home area would be able to deter Jesus from His journey toward death and resurrection. Everything that happened during Jesus' final weeks was to happen on His terms.

Today you may feel pinned down by those around you or those in authority over you. Always keep in mind that Jesus is the ruler of all, and what our Savior thinks of us is of the highest consequence both now and for all eternity.