“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Jesus has just clearly announced his departure—the exodus that he came to accomplish. He is going to be delivered into the hands of men, suffer, die, and rise again. This was the fixed path of the promised Messiah; he […]
Chapter 9 in Luke’s gospel is profound. After Peter makes the monumental confession that Jesus is “the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20), Jesus responds by saying: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). Yet […]
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. This sign not only shows us Jesus’ compassion towards the crowds and his divine power to multiply the food, but—like every other miracle Jesus performed—points us to why he was sent into the world. In John’s gospel, speaking to the crowds […]
“Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:25). Having just witnessed Jesus rebuke the wind and the waves, the disciples posed this question among themselves. They knew that controlling the forces of nature and calming the raging seas are activities that only God himself could do (see Psalm 107:28-29). But […]
“A sower went out to sow his seed”—so begins one of the most familiar parables of Jesus, a profound teaching found in all three Synoptic gospels (Matt. 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15). Jesus frequently would illustrate kingdom truths and spiritual realities with images, stories, and experiences from everyday life that would relate to his hearers. Yet the purpose […]
In preparing the way for the Messiah, John the Baptist made known that God’s judgment on the unrepentant was imminent. He had proclaimed: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17). Yet when Jesus finally came, he came […]
The healing of the centurion’s servant—like the many other miracle accounts in the Gospels—is often understood to be highlighting the faith or belief of the centurion. Indeed, he is an admirable character, one to whom Jesus marvels and says, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Luke 7:9). However, while his posture […]
The story of the wise and foolish builders, found at the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, is a familiar one to most. Having taught on living the life of the kingdom and what it means to be an authentic disciple, Jesus warns those who would presume to call him ‘Lord’ yet fail to do what […]
Continuing his teaching on how we are to treat our enemies, Jesus unfolds further what it looks like to truly love others. Those who expect others to not be judgmental, condemning, or unforgiving, yet fail to extend grace and forgiveness themselves are hypocrites. Only those who have come to know the gospel of the kingdom—of the King who […]
As Jesus continues preaching to the crowds about kingdom living, he now moves into one of the most difficult, yet most distinctly Christian, teachings in his sermon: love for enemies. Jesus here commands his disciples that they must not only love them, but do good to them, pray for them, and even lend to them expecting […]
In the Old Testament we read of how God graciously called Israel to his be his chosen people. They were to teach all the surrounding nations about their holy and loving God by their covenant faithfulness to his word (Ex. 19:4-6). However in the New Testament, Jesus appears as the true and better Israel who came to redeem a […]
The Sabbath was the seventh day of the Jewish week and was set apart by religious observances and cessation from work. The scribes and Pharisees, however, had turned the observance of the Sabbath from a delight into a heavy burden. Jesus had already proven to the scribes and Pharisees that he had divine authority to […]
Following Jesus’ declaration of coming not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, the Pharisees and scribes immediately defend their religiosity. Rather than hear, understand, and recognize their sinful condition before a holy God, they continue to boast in their self-righteousness and cling to their faithful law-keeping. But Jesus explains that the old covenant system of approaching […]
In this passage, we not only see Jesus compassionately healing a leper and a paralytic, but claiming and proving himself to be the forgiver of sins. Though lepers were alienated from the life of the community, as a result of their uncleanness, Jesus willingly stretches out his hand to touch him. Why? To beautifully illustrate that God’s grace is greater than […]
Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, summarizes the gospel of our salvation: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Though the spotless Lamb of God was slain to take away the sins of the world, three […]
