A Journey Through Luke

It was finished. Jesus was crucified. His permanent sacrifice would take the place of all the temporary sacrifices people had used for centuries as payment for their sins. The separation between a perfect God and rebellious people had been removed. Jesus had made a way for people to truly, intimately, and eternally know their heavenly Father. This day of Jesus’s death is remembered each year on the Christian holiday of Good Friday.

But Jesus’s sacrificial death is only part of the story. Three days later, his return to life—his resurrection—became the defining element of our faith. It’s his resurrection that reminds us that God has the power to overcome death—his own, as well as ours. If Jesus is able to predict his own death, allow it to happen, and then return to life, God is able to do the same for us. The resurrection gives enormous credibility to all of Jesus’s talk about a heavenly life after death.

It’s easy to gloss over this more than 2,000 years later, but the death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in a new way of connecting with God. This was a new era. For thousands of years prior, God’s chosen people, the Jews, had operated under a particular covenant—a promise God made to provide them with their own permanent territory and to use them to bless the entire world—a promise to restore things to their proper order. That promise had been passed down through a series of covenants God made with people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, and the prophets.

But those covenants were all foreshadowing the next—and ultimate—part of God’s plan with Jesus.

In this new covenant, people related with God in a new and restored way. God’s love for them hadn’t changed. People’s love for God hadn’t changed. But the way people related to God and the way God related to people did change. And it changed in a way that made God much more accessible and understandable. 

This new era—this new kingdom, as Jesus called it—was not just for the Jews. It was  something everyone could participate in, no matter where they were from or what they had done.

After Jesus’s resurrection, he spent several weeks with his followers before leaving this earth to return to his heavenly Father. He instructed his followers to keep the message of the new covenant alive and make sure it was spread to the entire world. God provided a permanent way for a broken relationship to be restored, and now it needed to be shared.

As part of his church, that’s where we come in. We’re charged to follow Jesus in a way that shows the people of this world they are not forgotten. They matter. And they are invited to participate in the kingdom of God. It’s our responsibility to make sure they know that.

Over 1,400 years before Jesus was born, the people of Israel found themselves captive, serving as slaves in the mighty Egyptian Empire. After 400 years of this oppression, Moses was called by God to lead these Jews out of bondage. Through Moses, God sent ten supernatural signs—different types of plagues—to demonstrate his power and try to convince the Egyptian Pharaoh to grant the Jews freedom. Pharaoh refused—until the tenth and most devastating plague.

The tenth and final plague would kill all firstborn males in Egypt—a brutal and tough-to-handle punishment for the Egyptian nation, but one that exhibited God’s deep protection for his people. Before this final plague ensued, God instructed Moses to have the Israelites paint their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. This act would be a signal for the plague to pass over their homes and spare the Israelites. They were being commanded to sacrifice a life (in this case, a lamb). The death of that lamb would give them life and lead them into freedom.

These events are still celebrated each year by Jewish families at Passover, when God allowed death to “pass over” them. Passover is (in general) a seven-day Jewish celebration. But one meal in particular, called the Seder (SAY-der) meal, is held the first night of Passover. Each item of food and drink in the meal has a special meaning, tied to Israel’s exodus from Egyptian slavery some 3,500 years before.

This Seder meal is almost certainly the very same meal Jesus would have had with his disciples, which is commonly known as the Last Supper. As Luke writes in Chapter 22:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Many Jews around the world have come to believe that Jesus (Yeshua) is indeed the fulfillment of numerous prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, prophecies that God would one day send a Savior for their people. These Jewish Christians, or Messianic Jews, still celebrate Passover. They still enjoy the Seder meal. But the elements of that meal take on an additional meaning.

In one portion of the Seder meal, three pieces of unleavened bread (called “matzah”) are stacked together. The middle piece is taken out, broken, and one of the broken pieces is buried inside a cloth. While this simple piece of food—bread—originally may have represented the years of poverty the Jews endured during slavery, for Jewish followers of Jesus, this middle piece of bread has taken on an additional meaning. It now represents the second member of the Trinity—Jesus. His body was broken and buried.

In Luke 22:19, while Jesus was having the Seder meal with his friends, Luke tells us: He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Christians all over the world do just that, in the regular observance of Communion. We remember: Jesus’s body was broken for us. His death was a perfect sacrifice for our sin. Just as the Israelites were saved by a lamb’s blood, so we are saved by the blood of Christ. His blood restores our spiritual lives by granting us access to our heavenly Father.

That’s all for now. Just one left. Before next time, read the final two chapters, Luke 23 and 24.

When Jesus was just days away from being crucified, he wanted his message to be clear. He was the Messiah, sent from God to show Israel and the rest of the world what God was really like. The kingdom of God had arrived, and people needed to know he was the King of this kingdom. But people also needed to know he was a different kind of king. He was a king that had power, but he would use that power for the sake of others.

For instance, when a “normal” king would start his reign, it would begin with some sort of triumphal entry when the time was right… showing his power. But Jesus would make no such entry. His triumphal entry, as it were, would look different.

In Luke 19, Jesus tells his disciples to go and get a slow-walking, small, never-ridden-before donkey. His triumphal entry to make it clear he was a king would be on a donkey.

Make no mistake, a donkey is a strong animal, and a donkey was thought of in higher regard then than it is today. In those times, any animal that could transport people or things was important. So the fact that Jesus was riding a donkey didn’t come across as some sort of joke.

This particular donkey, though, a young colt, had not yet been trained to have someone ride it. So in that regard, it was impressive that Jesus was able to ride it. But still, it was no stallion. It was an animal meant for carrying things. It was meant for service. It was a peaceful animal. For Jesus to ride on a donkey was a demonstration of humility. It was perfect—it represented power to be used for service.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophet Zechariah predicted to the people of Israel:

See, your king comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

In that prophecy, we see a remarkable contrast that describes Jesus: righteous and victorious, but also lowly and humble.

As Jesus followers, we should look to model in the same way. Whenever we’re given a position of influence—as a parent, a friend, a job title—our calling is to take that position and use it to elevate others.

Near the same time Luke was writing his Gospel, the apostle Paul said this in his letter to the Philippians:

In your relationships with one another, have 

the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something 

to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant

(Philippians 2:5–7)

Before next time, read Luke Chapters 21 and 22.

There are times when we all need (and sometimes get) a slice of humble pie—a reality check. We need the people closest to us to remind us: When the way we present ourselves shows that we think we’re better than other people, we’re getting off track.

We all know people who come across as elitist or arrogant, but when it’s us, it can be a tough pill to swallow. It’s hard when someone says something to us like:

• “It seems like you shared your opinion as if it were a fact, and I think it rubbed some people the wrong way.”
• “Did you notice that you didn’t make eye contact with our server or say thank you?”
• “When you were talking to the group, it came across more as demanding than requesting.”

It’s hard to hear things like that, but we all need it every once in a while.

In Luke 18, Jesus shares a parable about two people: one was a religious leader—a Pharisee, who knew and tried to live by all of God’s laws; The other was a tax collector, an occupation notorious for stealing from people.

The Pharisee seems to go out of his way to not only publicly declare how awesome he is but to put the tax collector in his place. He says, God, I want to publicly thank you that I’m not like that guy! Contrast that with the tax collector, who says, God help me! I’m a sinner! Jesus tells us which one had the better perspective, and it’s pretty obvious who that was.

But the gut punch came when Jesus gave the meaning of the parable to his listeners… and these were listeners who needed to hear it. They were people who thought they were better than everyone else. They thought their opinions, their way of doing life, was the only way to please God. Here’s what Jesus said: “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Here’s the good news: When we think too highly of ourselves, most of the time it’s only temporary. It won’t be long before we’re humbled—when we’re brought back down to earth. The question is… are we wise enough to stay there?

Before next time, read Chapters 19 and 20.

Sometimes you want someone in your life to understand something so badly that you think of several different ways to tell them. Marketing experts say a message has to be repeated a number of times (and in different ways) before a potential customer becomes an actual customer.

In Luke 15, we see this principle play out. Luke has grouped three of Jesus’s parables, and all of them have a similar message. It’s Luke’s way of saying, “Hey, I’ve carefully investigated and documented what I think people need to know about Jesus. And there’s one topic in particular I need to camp on because it’s so important.”

The three parables are about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. At the end of each parable, Jesus gives the bottom line. Listen to how similar the main points are:

• At the end of the lost sheep parable, Jesus said, “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
• At the end of the lost coin parable: “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
• And, finally, at the end of the lost son parable: “We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

All three parables are about something that was gone—lost. But then it was found. A relationship was restored.

A couple of things stand out. The main takeaway regarding these parables is that God is in the restoration business. He longs for people to come to him.

But notice something else. In all three parables, there’s a celebration. It’s one thing for people to come to God, or come back to God… but when that happens, it’s cause for pause. When someone who was far from God is brought near to him because of the work of Jesus, it calls for celebration! 

May we never get tired of God’s work of restoration. Anytime someone begins (or resumes) their walk with God, it’s nothing short of miraculous, and it’s a sign to us that God is still very much at work.

That’s it for this time. Read Chapters 17 and 18 to get ready for the next one.

Sometimes Jesus would say something that was hard to hear—something that would upset some people or at the very least cause them to rethink something they had originally thought. And a lot of times, Jesus would save those heart-piercing statements for his closest friends, his disciples.

But in Chapter 14, we read where Jesus said something to a large crowd of people that surely caused everyone to get quiet and maybe ask, Did I hear him correctly? Here’s what he said in verses 26 and 27. And remember, he’s speaking to a lot of people—people who had made the choice to give up part of their day to be around him.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”

Wait, what? I’ve got to hate my family to be a Jesus follower? Well, no. Of course not. It would be counter to the entire ethic of the New Testament to hate your enemies, much less your family members. So if Jesus wasn’t being literal here, what’s he talking about? And why did he use such strong words to get his point across?

It’s worth remembering the original setting where Jesus first said this. He knew that following him, showing loyalty to him, could come at a great cost for people. In the not-too-distant future, he would be seen as a criminal to some. If you were a known Jesus follower, your reputation and perhaps even your life might be in danger.

So this was Jesus’s way of asking, Are you absolutely sure you want to follow me? Because the amount of resolve it will take, the commitment it will take, the sacrifice it will take to be an all-in follower of me makes the loyalty you have to your family pale in comparison. Are you really in?

It can be hard to follow Jesus. It takes praying for strength and wisdom to follow Jesus. It’s hard to forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it, but we’re better at life when we do. It’s hard to love someone who isn’t very lovable, but it makes our lives better when we do. It’s hard to put the needs and well-being of others before our own.

Following Jesus can be hard and it comes at a cost, but we become better at life and those around us benefit when we do.

Before the next session, read Luke Chapters 15 and 16.