Category Archives: Luke

Anne Bradstreet, Meditation XXVIII

21 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Anne Bradstreet, Luke, Uncategorized

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Wisdom with an inheritance is good

but wisdom without an inheritance is better

than an inheritance without wisdom.

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Luke 12:13–21 (AV)

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

What Happened on Easter Morning?

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Apologetics, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew

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The Resurrection by Titian

A harmony of the fear and great joy found in the Resurrection Accounts. As a trained lawyer (who practice for 18 years), I show how the evidence both fits together coherently and thus presents compelling proof for the resurrection as a historical — albeit remarkably strange — event:

The Church Today: The Road to Emmaus

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Bibliology, Luke, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching

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(From Setting Our Affections Upon Glory)

In this sermon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones works through the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, as recounted in Luke 24. The two men, dejected over the death of Jesus, set out on Sunday morning toward a town so small and insignificant that no one is quite sure where it was. Along the way, they are joined by a traveler unknown to them. Miraculously, their eyes were closed to the fact that they were with Jesus. He asks about their dejection. They ask if he is the only one who has not heard about “the things”.

Luke 24:19–21 (ESV)
19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Jesus hears out their story and then responds:

Luke 24:25–27 (ESV)
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

When they come to their resting place, they sit to eat. Jesus blesses the meal and gives them bread. As he hands them the bread, he vanishes from their sight. The story then takes this peculiar turn. They do not speak of their amazement that Jesus vanished. Something else takes their attention:

Luke 24:32 (ESV)
32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

MLJ uses this story to explicate the trouble of the church. Now his sermons was given in 1969, but the trouble and the solution are every bit as applicable today. First, concerning the trouble: he sees the dejection of the men to be like the dejection of the church:

And the more we commune and reason and talk, the more depressed we become, like these men on the road to Emmaus. But I think the ultimate explanation of these men is that they’re so certain of the death of our Lord they have forgotten all about the resurrection, They’re looking so much at the fact that he was put to death and buried that they have become absolutely blind to everything else. Now this is a very extraordinary psychological condition, and I suggest you that it is the condition of the church today. We are all looking so much at our problems and our difficulties that we have become blind to solution. We are experts in our problems. Never has the church been so skilled in analyzing its difficulties. The books that come off the presses almost daily give expert analysis and diagnosis. But there is never any solution. We spend the whole time reasoning and communing and talking together concerning our difficulties and this has a paralyzing effect. (73)

Someone might quibble here and say that our many books of analysis do provide solutions. Yet, I must say that very few books give precisely the solution which MLJ takes from this passage.

When reading through the sermon I thought to myself: Yes, the solution is that they did not know that Jesus had risen from the dead; and, too often, I live and forget that Jesus has not only suffered but has entered into his glory. That is quite true, and that is what Jesus did teach them.

But that still leads the more immediate question: How is this known? I know it, but how is it known? Jesus did not just say to these men, I am alive! He did do that on other occasions, but he did not do that here with these men. Is that not peculiar? And isn’t it strange that the first words out of their mouth were not “Jesus is alive! And he just disappeared!” (And yes, resurrection and vanishes are, to use an antiquated phrase “passing strange”; but that is precisely the point of the epiphany in this story).

The men spoke of their burning heart as the Lord opened the Scripture to them:

That is the significant and wonderful fact. It was not after they recognized him, after their eyes were open, that their hearts began to burn. The hearts were burning when they still regarded him as a stranger. It was as he open the Scriptures when they were walking together on the way. Thank God for this.

It was not seeing the Lord that made their hearts burn; it was as the Lord opened the Scriptures. That is a great encouragement to us, now. If it were merely a matter of seeing the Lord, then what hope could there be for us now? We will not see the Lord with our eyes until he returns. But the Lord has given us the Scripture; and the Lord has sent us the Spirit to open the Scriptures to our hearts.

Thus, when we look at the troubles in the Church we must first think, How am I living as I believe the Lord has died and left all this trouble to us, alone, to resolve? Yes, we must have the latest management tools, and studies and all. (That is not to say that there are better and worse ways to manage and lead — anymore than it is to say that pressure systems and temperature have nothing to do with rain. Yes, signage and parking and all matter; but none of those are the real point).

The Church is a divine creation, the work of the Word and Spirit. If we have trouble, our chief trouble is that the life of the church is drying up. The greatest trellis in the world will not bear the vine aloft if the soil is poison and dry. The trellis matters only for a healthy vine, to give direction. Yet when our troubles arise, we are too quick to study the trellis and to build the trellis and to forget the source of life: Spirit & Word. (And yes, pick up The Trellis & The Vine).

(Now is always the case with the Doctor, the sermon is littered with asides and observations, turns of phrase which are a marvel and worth your time. Do yourself good and read this volume from front to back yourself.)

The Essence of Self-Righteousness

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Horatius Bonar, Luke

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Suppose when the father, in receiving back the prodigal, had said, “Go into the house, and get the best robe and put it on and come to me,” there might have been some meaning in the son’s saying, “I can’t!” But when the father says to the servants, “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him,” such an excuse would have been absurd, and would only have betrayed the son’s unwillingness to receive the robe at all. For the father leaves nothing for the son to do; all he desires is that he should receive: and it is as if he had said, “Allow me to clothe you; allow me to put the best robe upon you.” He undertakes for everything; for the putting on the robe as well as for the robe itself.
That which many call the difficulty of believing is the essence of self-righteousness. Yes; it is this that lies at the root of, or rather is the root of, this difficulty. Men cling to self as the lad clung to the rope; they will not let it go; and they cry all the while that they can’t.

“I Can’t Let Go”, Hoartius Bonar in How Shall I Go to God

Bonar alludes to the parable of the Prodigal Son. It appears in Luke 15 and reads as follows:

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’
28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”

Jesus was laid in the manger because there was no room in the guest room

07 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Luke, New Testament Background

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Luke 2:7 reads: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Modern English translations keep the word “inn” at the end of the word, apparently due to the fame of the KJV translation at this point. However, the word is not “inn” as in a public accommodation. As the article cited below from Biblical Archaeology makes plain, the idea that Mary and Joseph would desire a “private” place to have a baby may just be a western cultural prejudice.

Dr. William Varner (Professor The Masters College) posted on facebook:

“How Greek can mess up our Christmas plays.”

Where did Joseph and Mary stay in Bethlehem? Luke tells us that after the birth, Mary put the baby in a “manger,” or feeding trough, because there was “no room for them in the καταλυμα – kataluma” (Luke 2:7). While this term was translated as “inn” by the KJV, Luke elsewhere uses it to mean a “guest room” (Luke 22:11, the site of the Last Supper). When Luke does wants to speak about an “inn,” he uses the Greek word πανδοχειον – pandocheion (Luke 10:34, in the parable of the Good Samaritan).

Thus there was no mean innkeeper denying them access at the door of a non-existent inn. The passage doesn’t mention him anyway!

The comments helpfully posted links to two articles:

Bible Archaeology gives an extended examination of the text and explains how the baby was laid in a manger — a feeding trough — kept inside the house where the animals were kept at night (a very different world from most people today). The “inn” was the guest room, apparently already occupied by another guest:

The article provides a wealth of information, weighs through the evidence and ancient traditions, and interacts with the cultural understanding of middle eastern peasants and European professors. If you want to understand the matter fully, it is a good place to start:

https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/11/08/The-Manger-and-the-Inn.aspx#Article

The second link was to a review of Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes:

Part 1 is “The Birth of Jesus”, and the first chapter incorporates material that had previously been accessible only in a journal article, expanding and supplementing it not only with additional text but also with more sketches of what typical rural homes in Palestine are like. Among scholars, Bailey’s argument about the cultural background of these stories, and in particular the likelihood that Jesus was born in a rural peasant home rather than an “inn”, has been found persuasive not only because of the points Bailey makes about the cultural setting (including the nature of hospitality and travel in this part of the world in the first century and even today, and the fact that feeding troughs (or mangers) were and are typically found in homes rather than separate barns or stables), but also because the term for a commercial “inn” is not found in the story. The presentation of the evidence and the likely meaning of the relevant details in Luke’s story are here made available to a wider audience. This material alone would be worth the price of the book.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2008/06/review-of-kenneth-e-bailey-jesus-through-middle-eastern-eyes.html

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Denial, by George Herbert

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in George Herbert, Luke, Prayer, Psalms

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DENIAL

By George Herbert

When my devotions could not pierce
Thy silent ears,
Then was my heart broken, as was my verse;
My breast was full of fears
And disorder.

My bent thoughts, like a brittle bow,
Did fly asunder:
Each took his way; some would to pleasures go,
Some to the wars and thunder
Of alarms.

“As good go anywhere,” they say,
“As to benumb
Both knees and heart, in crying night and day,
Come, come, my God, O come!
But no hearing.”

O that thou shouldst give dust a tongue
To cry to thee,
And then not hear it crying! All day long
My heart was in my knee,
But no hearing.

Therefore my soul lay out of sight,
Untuned, unstrung:
My feeble spirit, unable to look right,
Like a nipped blossom, hung
Discontented.

O cheer and tune my heartless breast,
Defer no time;
That so thy favors granting my request,
They and my mind may chime,
And mend my rhyme.

Parallels from the Psalms:

Psalm 13

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 22:
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

Psalm 69:
1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.

Luke 18:
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'”
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”