Archive for August 2021

Nehemiah 9, Proverbs 12:15-28, Luke 18:1-8, 2 Timothy 3:10-17    Luke 18:1-8: There are motivations for prayer, but here in this parable Jesus pulls upon two less commonly considered motivations. The aim of Jesus teaching in these eight verses is, as Luke says, to teach us to “always pray and not give up.” Both those lessons need to…

Nehemiah 8, Proverbs 12:1-14, Luke 17:20-37, 2 Timothy 3:1-9  Luke 17:20-37: The Pharisees ask the question that many people still ask: “When will the kingdom of God come?” Or, to put it another way, if everything you are saying is true, Jesus, when will we see this “kingdom of God” that you spend so much time talking about?…

Nehemiah 7, Proverbs 11:16-31, Luke 17:11-19, 2 Timothy 2:14-26      Luke 17:11-19: Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. As he enters a village, he is met by ten lepers. Leprosy, a skin disease, led not only to physical pain, sickness, and mortality—it also meant the sufferers were social outcasts. They are in a desperate situation. So…

Nehemiah 6, Proverbs 11:1-15, Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 2:1-13  Luke 17:1-10: (17:1-4) Jesus’ series of very practical instruction begins with a warning that while temptations to sin are bound to come, it would be by all means better if such temptations did not come through you. When we cause someone else to stumble or sin, we are putting…

Nehemiah 4-5, Proverbs 10:17-32, Luke 16:19-31, 2 Timothy 1  Luke 16:19-31: Perhaps one of the scariest, and most brilliant, stories ever told. In it we are introduced to a rich man who has everything this world can possibly give him. And then to a poor man who has nothing but pain and suffering. Such is the way of…

Nehemiah 3, Proverbs 10:1-16, Luke 16:10-18, 1 Timothy 6:11-21 Luke 16:10-18: Following Jesus takes effort and commitment. Jesus explains that in three subsections of this passage. (16:10-13) Continuing Jesus’ thought about money, he now addresses the way to gain true riches—eternal riches of relationship with Jesus now and forever. Our attitude towards money, whether we faithfully invest in…

Nehemiah 1-2, Proverbs 9, Luke 16:1-9, 1 Timothy 6:1-10    Luke 16:1-9: Many people have wrestled with the meaning of this parable, but the important point to remember is that it is a parable. That is, as most parables (though not all), it has one main point which the story is used to illustrate. It is not an allegory, where…

Ezra 10, Proverbs 8, Luke 15:11-32, 1 Timothy 5:16-25  Luke 15:11-32: In this famous story, there are three characters: a father and two sons. Let us examine the story from the perspective of each of them to see what we can learn about the nature of God and his love for us. First, the younger son. He treats…

Ezra 9, Proverbs 7, Luke 15:1-10, 1 Timothy 5:1-15 Luke 15:1-10: Jesus is criticized for eating with “sinners.” There are always people ready to criticize those who go out of their way to reach out to people who are on the margins of society, but there is more going on here than simply that. First, the Pharisees are…

Ezra 8, Proverbs 6, Luke 14:25-35, 1 Timothy 4 Luke 14:25-35: Jesus is surrounded by all the markings of great success because “great crowds” accompanied him. With such popularity, you would have thought that he would do all that he could to keep in the good favor of the people. He would lace his words with carefully designed…