Read Luke 15

When William Penn designed Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love,” he envisioned a more humane setting than the overcrowded streets of London. Penn wanted every family to have room for a garden, and he widened city thoroughfares and promoted religious freedom. No doubt he would be disappointed by the homicide rate, which is hardly evidence of “brotherly love”; in 2014, Philadelphia counted 248 murders.

The parable of the prodigal son depicts little brotherly love between the two sons, despite the gifts of a loving father and stable home. The younger brother demands a share in the family estate before his father’s death. The older brother labors for his father and yet resents that his hard work isn’t sufficiently repaid. The younger brother leaves the family estate for a “distant country,” where he squanders his inheritance (v. 13).

The older brother remains dutifully at home—although he is no less estranged from his father than his younger brother. He may not be corrupted by parties and prostitutes, but his sins of bitterness and self-righteousness are no less scandalous. He resents that his father would generously forgive his younger brother, whom he has regarded as unworthy (vv. 28–30).

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JESUS, THE VINE

Whenever a tragedy causes the deaths of many people—a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, a building or bridge collapse—some people speculate about the deeper causes. Is it God’s punishment? Did sin cause this suffering?

When we try to determine the meaning of historical calamity, at best we can usually offer only guesses. In today’s reading, Jesus rebukes those in His day who would blame all suffering on sin (vv. 2–4). We can’t assume a mechanistic connection between sin and tragedy, although it’s true that without repentance, everyone will die. But those who are victims of tragic events are not inherently more sinful. Indeed, as Jesus reminds us, every human life, like a fig tree, will be uprooted when it fails to produce the fruit of repentance (v. 7).

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Read Luke 7

Before his death, Steve Jobs was known both inside and outside of Apple for his exacting standards. He involved himself in the design details of Apple products and frequently lambasted employees when their vision and execution fell short of his genius. Jobs may have been a brilliant CEO, but he was also a difficult boss.

As a boss himself, the Roman centurion in today’s story understood the dynamics of power. When he told his servants to come or to go, they obeyed him immediately for fear of reprisal. Strangely, however, though the centurion noted that he had the ability to give orders to his servants, he described himself as “under authority” (v. 8). He seemed to understand his authority less as self-derived power and more as delegated power. Others with greater authority (namely, the emperor) had invested him with his authority to command others.

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Read Luke 6:20-49

In 1949, one of the leading scholars of Christian liturgy, Gregory Dix, quipped to a colleague, “Our understanding of our forms of worship underwent a radical transformation when it finally occurred to someone that Jesus was a Jew.” Until the middle of the twentieth century, the Jewish context for early Christianity’s faith and practice went largely understudied and underemphasized.

Luke uses his Gospel to situate the biographical details of Jesus’ life and ministry in their Jewish context. In this record of Jesus’ famous sermon, Luke intentionally recalls the Jewish Exodus from Egypt and Moses’ famous final sermon in the book of Deuteronomy. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses stood before the ancient Israelites and renewed the covenant. He announced blessings and curses, assuring them that if God’s people obeyed His laws they would inherit and live long in the Promised Land. If they did not, God would exile them from the land and scatter them among the nations (Deuteronomy 6–8).

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Read Luke 5

General George Washington was not keen on becoming the first American president. Just as he served his new country militarily in the Revolutionary War, however, he also chose to serve politically. Nevertheless, after two presidential terms, Washington humbly retired to his country estate, refusing what could have easily become unilateral power.

Jesus was a humble man, living among common people. In a single chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we see the variety of settings for His ministry and the diversity of people with whom He interacted. From a boat, He taught a gathered crowd on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. He helped a group of fishermen make a surprise catch. He attended a banquet hosted by an unseemly group of tax collectors. Jesus’ good-news campaign wasn’t launched from afar. He walked among people and touched even the most untouchable.

The crowds continued to flock to hear Jesus’ authoritative teaching and be healed, and Jesus, eager to perform physical and spiritual miracles, did both—albeit in unexpected ways. For example, when a paralyzed man was lowered from the roof by faithful friends, Jesus first pronounced the forgiveness of his sins. Then, when the Pharisees accused Him of blasphemy, He demonstrated His authority to forgive sin by exercising His power to heal.

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Read Luke 4:31-44

In her mid-thirties, author Theresa Brown left her career as a writing professor at Tufts University and became a trained nurse, first in oncology then in palliative care. She has written several books describing the difficult—though at times, blessed—task of preparing patients (and patients’ families) for death.

The good news of God’s kingdom is a proclamation of healing and deliverance from death—both physical and spiritual. Today’s reading marks the end of Luke’s long introduction to Jesus’ ministry: the angelic visits, birth narratives, ministry

of John the Baptist, and wilderness temptation. Now we begin to study Jesus’ life of ministry, and we see Jesus traveling throughout Galilee with crowds flocking to the Miracle Worker. The news was spreading quickly that Jesus of Nazareth was doing extraordinary things.

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Read Luke 3

Many readers skim over the word famine in the Bible. Few of us have any real experience of hunger. We might complain of “starving” when our blood sugar crashes, but this is not the desperate condition of mothers and fathers around the world before whose eyes children languish and die.

The Bible describes two kinds of famine: one is physical, and the other is spiritual. We can be famished for lack of food, and we can also be hungry for a word from God, especially when He seems to have long been silent.

Spiritual famine was the context for the nation of Israel when John the Baptist and Jesus arrived on the scene. It had been 400 years since a prophet of God had spoken words of hope, and hope was exactly what God’s people needed in their political wilderness. No Son of David ruled on the throne. Instead Caesar, Pilate, Herod, and Philip had consolidated political power, ruling the Jewish land and people to further their own interests. Had Israel, because of sin, been forgotten by God?

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Read Luke 2:1-21

In a twist on the traditional baby shower, gender-reveal parties are the newest trend in gathering friends and family before the birth of the baby. Portable ultrasound machines can be wheeled into the room. Cakes (with blue or pink inside) deliver the awaited news.

Mary had one of the most amazing gender-reveal moments of all time when the angel Gabriel told her that she would have a son (1:31)! That news was delivered to an audience of one; the birth announcement for Jesus, however, was delivered with celestial pageantry by the angelic hosts of heaven to the shepherds. The angels proclaimed the jubilant news of the Son of God’s arrival in Bethlehem, the royal city of David. This news was not a private celebration; the birth of Jesus was good news for the entire world.

In his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey says Mary and Joseph most probably had family connections in Bethlehem, since that was where they were going to register for the census. Bailey describes the construction of a typical village home at that time, which sometimes included a guest room. With the guest room already occupied, the homeowners likely welcomed Mary and Joseph into the area of their home designated for sheltering animals at night. Under that roof, the newborn Son of God was laid in a manger.

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Read Luke 1:1-45

Biographers often approach their subject from a particular angle. For instance, the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume has been the subject of several recent biographies: one focused on his intellectual history, another focused on his work as a historian, and a third devoted more attention to his childhood and early life.

Historians and biographers try to be objective in their presentation of the material, even when they have chosen a particular focus. This is no less true in the four biographical accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But like other biographers, the Gospel writers do arrange their material in a purposeful way, each striving to emphasize certain elements in the story of Jesus. Luke, writing to Theophilus, determined that he would write an “orderly account” to encourage faith in the truth about Jesus (vv. 3–4). Luke would bring his own (Gentile) perspective and research to bear on the history of Jesus’ life.

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Read Revelation 14:1-13

Many funeral homes are decorated to look like a living room in a home, probably a remnant of the days when those who died were laid out at home. The typical modern coffin resembles a bed with cushions and a pillow. The result gives onlookers the impression that the deceased is merely sleeping. Sleep is also the euphemism that the Bible frequently uses to refer to death (see 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20; 1 Thess. 4:13–14; 5:6, 10).

Sleep is an apt metaphor for death for someone who has trusted in Christ. For those who die in Christ, death is a gateway to eternal rest (v. 13). New Testament scholar John Walvoord notes that this chapter is pivotal in the book of Revelation: it is the culmination of the two preceding chapters and sets the stage for the climax in chapter 15. It provides us with a series of statements about the future and the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ. Among these statements is the promise that those who die in the Lord “rest from their labor” (v. 13).

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Read Acts 12:1-11

We last saw Peter sleeping in the garden. In today’s reading, he is asleep again—but this time the circumstances are vastly different. Peter had been arrested by Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great. The apostle James, the brother of John, had already been put to death. Peter was arrested when Herod saw that the execution of James increased his political popularity.

Peter was not executed immediately, probably because of the approaching Passover holiday. The fate of James and the situation’s similarity to the event surrounding Jesus’ death could not have been lost on Peter. Death must have seemed virtually certain. The church thought so, and they called for an urgent prayer meeting at the home of John Mark’s mother.

Scripture includes a note of humor in this account. Peter was sleeping so soundly that the angel had to poke him in the side to wake him. Even then, Peter thought he was having a vision of some kind. The angel had to talk him through putting on his sandals and his cloak step by step.

Once Peter realized the angel had set him free, he went to where the church was earnestly praying—only to be left standing at the door! The believers refused to believe Rhoda, the servant who reported that Peter had returned. While he continued to knock, they debated about what she might have seen. Finally they opened the door and rejoiced to see Peter himself standing there, living proof that their prayers were answered.

Peter’s sleep in prison was used by God to highlight His miraculous power in rescuing His servant. Peter did nothing to instigate his own escape; it was entirely the work of God. His deep sleep also revealed his peace in the face of death. Such a rest is ultimately a gift from God.

APPLY THE WORD

Are you facing an impossible situation today? Faith in God can enable you to be at rest even in the most unlikely circumstances. The same God who sent His angel to rescue Peter is aware of your situation. He still works miracles, He still provides peace that passes understanding, and He still keeps His promises. Commit your situation to Him today.

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Read Matthew 26:36-46

Many churches observe an Easter vigil. This service is usually held at night after sunset on Holy Saturday and before sunrise on Easter Sunday. In some, the mood is somber as believers reflect on Christ’s death and burial. In others, the mood is celebratory as they serve communion and practice baptism.

In today’s text the disciples observed a different kind of vigil. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus asked the disciples to “keep watch” with Him as He prayed in Gethsemane (v. 38). The mood just prior to this was unsettling, as Jesus celebrated His last Passover with them. The disciples bickered amongst themselves about which of them was the greatest (see Luke 22:24). Peter argued with Jesus when He washed his feet (John 13:8). They were deeply disturbed when Jesus told them that one of them would betray Him (Matt. 26:22). It must also have unnerved them when Jesus changed the traditional Passover liturgy and instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:26–29).

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