The wonderful thing about the book of Psalms is that it meets us where we live. It tells about good times and mountaintop experiences, but it also speaks to trials and disappointments, times that don’t make sense, times where God seems silent or absent. In a word, the Psalms talk about life – real life […]
“You can’t go home again” is an old saying that means if you try to return to a place you remember from the past it won’t be the same as you remember it. The expression comes from a book title, but it just as easily could’ve originated from the text we study today. Jesus comes […]
Jesus begins His public ministry. He is gloriously baptized, anointed with the Spirit, and then ruthlessly tempted. In all cases, He proves Himself worthy of His inheritance and mission. This story shows that spiritual highs are often followed by temptations to selfishness and pride. It also shows that there is nothing in our life experience […]
The ministry of John the Baptist begins. John – the most important prophet in the Bible (per Jesus) and one of the oddest – preaches repentance in no uncertain terms. He’s not beholden to tradition, power, prestige, precedent, wealth, or comfort. He’s here to tell the truth and pave the way for the Messiah. John […]
Luke continues his exclusive account of Jesus’ birth and early childhood. This part of the story shows ordinary humans in contact with supernatural events and also shows that young Jesus does not take long to understand His nature and mission. Ultimately Luke takes pains to make his readers understand that normal people are involved in […]
Luke 2 is really the quintessential Christmas passage. It’s the most complete account of the birth of the Messiah and the text most people associate with Christmas. It’s not, however, simply a story. In Luke’s telling he gives us a picture of how God sovereignly works; of how God is the God of power and […]
As the scene opens on Luke’s birth narratives, God has been silent for 400 years. His last words were to the prophet Malachi saying that Elijah would come again and proclaim the day of the Lord (Mal 4:5) and that God would send a messenger to clear the way before the coming Messiah (Mal 3:1). […]
Almighty God, who calledst Luke the Physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist and Physician of the soul: May it please thee that, by the wholesome medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our […]
1-13 Instead of recounting the Sermon on the Mount in one place like Matthew, Luke spreads the teaching throughout his book. In these verses he records Jesus’ teaching about prayer from the Sermon and adds a parable that is unique to this account. The model prayer shows the importance of making God the priority of […]
9:1-6 This is somewhat of an odd event. No way to know where all the disciples go, how long they’re gone or what Jesus does during their absence. It could be that this is a rehearsal for what they’ll be called to do after the ascension. Jesus gives them a mini-great commission and sends them […]
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