I Have the Keys of Death and Hades1
John 11:38-57
38Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb (of Lazarus). (We hear more about his sadness in this case than in all his own personal sufferings. He never sighed as much over his own trials as for the troubles of his friends.) It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” (All that we can do, we must do. The miracle begins only where natural forces end.) Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” (In that hot climate, decay would soon set in. Could not Martha, who believed Jesus to be almighty in power, believe that even out of corruption her brother could be raised? Faith has strange weaknesses and while taking leaps in one direction it will limp in another.)
40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (When Jesus calls dead sinners out of their graves of sin into newness of life they are often bound by habits that are the result of their former lives. It is our responsibility, by example and instruction, to lead them into the full liberty of the gospel.)
45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (Some people are so mean they will do anything to hurt others. Their souls have become saturated with evil!) 47So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” (For purely practical reasons, he was willing to kill Jesus. He did not care that it was wrong as long as he thought doing so might keep the Jewish nation from being destroyed by the Romans. In this case, as in Balaam’s, the high priest said far more than he actually understood. The Holy Spirit used him as spokesperson to declare the doctrine of the substitute sacrifice, by which atonement is made.)
51He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
54Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
55Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him. (What a proof we have here of the insanity of depraved nature. We see people eager to put to death one whose divine power had been so clearly proved by his raising the dead! Such madness is in us all until grace removes it.)
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1 Revelation 1:18
Year Two, June 2
Love Is Patient and Kind1
Luke 9:51-62
51When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
He looked beyond his death to his ascension,2 and “for the joy that was set before him”3 he was determined to go through with the appointed suffering. Oh, that we were just as determined to carry out all of the Lord’s will for us!
52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. (They were prejudiced against the Jewish religion. The Samaritans often attacked Galileans who passed through their country to go up to the feasts at Jerusalem.) 54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them [as Elijah did]?”4 (They thought their anger was holy and justified. Perhaps it was, but the wrath of God is not the most important thing about the gospel. Love reigns in Christ’s kingdom.) 55But he turned and rebuked them [and he said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people’s lives but to save them.”]5 56And they went on to another village.
57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
This person hoped to share the glories of the great prophet and the honors of the Messiah. Jesus honestly told him that traveling with him would be difficult. This was not acceptable to this new follower. He had chosen Christ in ignorance, but Christ had not chosen him and therefore away he went.
59To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Christ himself called this man and therefore, though he raised objections, grace overcame them. The love for family was strong in him, but grace gained the victory. We must make everything else less important than serving the Lord. Ministers should leave worldly business to others and give themselves to the preaching of the gospel.) 61Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (He who is called to the ministry should go through with it. As long as lungs6 and life hold out, no preacher may walk away from his calling. If God has called him he must not, he cannot, leave his sacred work.)
We are surprised to learn that it was James and John who thought of destroying the unfriendly Samaritans. Had it been Peter we should not have wondered, but how could the loving John act like this? Is not this another example of the fact that most good people, at some time or other, fail in the very grace for which they are most exceptional? How differently did the beloved disciple act and write in the days that followed! To show the difference let us read:
1 John 4:10-14
10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation7 for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (He was an eyewitness that Jesus did not come to destroy people’s lives. He had witnessed this firsthand and could testify to it with authority.)
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1 1 Corinthians 13:4
2 Ascension - The term given to Christ’s rising to heaven on the 40th day after his resurrection.
3 Hebrews 12:2
4 The ESV includes this portion as a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add,” etc.
5 The ESV includes this portion as a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add,” etc.
6 as long as lungs hold out - There were no public address systems in the 19th century. A strong voice was virtually a prerequisite for a preacher.
7 propitiation - The act of satisfying someone’s demands and changing that someone from an enemy into a friend. When Jesus Christ died on the cross he satisfied the demand of God the Father that a sacrifice for sin must be made to him. The wrath or anger of God was used up on Christ so that God’s justice was satisfied and we who were once the enemies of God became his friends.
Year Two, June 3
Peace Be to This House1
Luke 10:1-20
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (The twelve had succeeded so well that our Lord added to the number of his evangelists. He sent them out as traveling preachers all over the land.) 2And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The preachers themselves were instructed to pray for more preachers. In any other occupation people are afraid of competition if too many are involved in the same business. There is no fear of this in the Christian ministry. There cannot be too many soul winners.
3“Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (They must expect trouble and look to a higher power than their own for protection.) 4Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. (The king’s business required haste. The unnecessary courtesies of life were to be ignored.) 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house! 6And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.”
No blessing can be lost. If the blessing is given sincerely, the giver will eventually be blessed for their kindness.
7“And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. (They were not to be beggars or gluttons, but being provided for at one friendly home, they were to go on with their work.) 8Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.”
Matthew Henry says, “To understand the wisdom of God in giving the means of grace to those who would not take advantage of them, and denying them to those who would, we must wait for the great day of discovery.”2
16“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Christ considers himself to be treated the same way his ministers are. Therefore, it will go hard on those who reject their message and cause them pain.
17The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name! 18And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (He saw Satan fall from his power suddenly and hopelessly, like a meteor.) 19Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
To be one of God’s elect is better than to have the greatest abilities. When we are in a position where we are likely to become proud of what the Lord does through us, it will be good to remember what he has done for us. What he has done for us is far greater and a safer reason for rejoicing than what he has done by us.
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1 Luke 10:5
2 Matthew Henry (1662-1714).
Year Two, June 4
You Shall Love the Lord Your God With All Your Heart1
Luke 10:23-37
23Then turning to the disciples [Jesus] said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Gospel times are happy times. We live in an age when salvation is understood and clearly preached in our streets. Do we appreciate this privilege? We are afraid the old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt” may apply to the gospel today. Blessings can become so common that we fail to value them as we should.)
25And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Or, what is the way to heaven by my own works and worthiness?) 26He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
“The person who does the commandments shall live by them.”2 Who has ever loved the Lord his God with all his heart? Our Lord clearly states that salvation by works is an impossibility. The mighty works of Hercules are nothing compared to the work it would take to be worthy of heaven. No mere human has ever loved God and their neighbor as the Law of Moses commands and no mere human ever will.
29But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
He was expecting the Lord to tell him his fellow Jew was his neighbor. Instead, the Lord tells him that he should be a neighbor to any person and every person who is in need.
30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. (He had too much to do at the temple to stop to help Official religiousness often kills common kindness.) 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35And the next day he took out two denarii (about two days wages) and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Compassion is a great gospel duty. It must be cheerful and practical. When we see someone in distress, we must not pass by like the priest and Levite did. That would show that our religion is only skin-deep and has never affected our hearts. We must pity, go near, help and become a friend. We must do everything necessary that is within our power and never leave the person in need until we have seen the matter through. The good Samaritan has earned himself everlasting honor. Let us imitate him by showing compassionate love to those who are in trouble, even if they happen to be opposed to our religion or even regard us as enemies. Such behavior will bring glory to God and go a long way toward recommending the holy faith we claim. The Lord help us to do so, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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1 Luke 10:27
2 Romans 10:5
Year Two, June 5
One Thing Is Necessary1
Luke 10:38-42
38Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” (Martha must not be blamed for serving or even for serving too much. Her fault was in allowing her concerns to distract her from listening to her Lord. Mary had wisely decided that it would please the Lord more to listen to his teaching than entertaining her guest in a grand way. What did he care about fine food and fancy dishes! He would far more prefer to have someone really listen to him than have the kindest hostess make a fuss over him.)
41But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (She was more spiritual than her sister and was wise for being so. The active Christian must one day cease from their activity, but the thoughtful spiritual believer may continue to sit at Jesus’ feet throughout their whole life, and even in death itself. To learn from Jesus and live in fellowship with him is the highest privilege of saints.)
Luke 11:1-13
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2And he said to them, “when you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
This is the model for our prayers. The more closely we copy its fullness, order, brevity, and spirituality, the better we will pray.
5And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.”
Persistence will succeed where friendship fails; how much more will it succeed with our always faithful heavenly friend!
9“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Prayer is not a useless exercise. It is heard and answered. Where prayer fails it is because there is a reason for that failure. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.”2) 11What father among you, if his son asks for [bread, will give him a stone; (There were stones near the Savior that looked like thin cakes of bread. Will a father deceive his child with these?) or if he asks for]3 a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; (Some fish may be mistaken for serpents. Will a father give his child a poisonous serpent instead of a fish?) 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
We do not make mistakes and give our children deadly things when they ask for good things. Neither will the Lord refuse us or send us counterfeit blessings. We will receive that which really benefits us, the essence of all blessings. We will receive the life of grace and holiness. We will receive the Holy Spirit. We may ask for him and we may expect to receive him in answer to our prayer.
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1 Luke 10:42
2 James 4:3
3 The ESV adds this portion in a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts insert,” etc.
Year Two, June 6
You Teach Me Wisdom in the Secret Heart1
Luke 11:37-54
37While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. (If this Pharisee actually extended a kind invitation, our Lord accepted it in kindness to him. If he did it as a way to keep an eye on him, the Lord showed that he was not afraid of the closest critical observation. Truth astonishes spies and therefore Truth is not afraid of them.) 38The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. (The Pharisees made such a big deal out of the outward ceremony of merely washing their hands before eating that our Lord intentionally did not do it. He came to teach the religion that cleanses the heart, not one that begins and ends with the body. It is the job of the followers of Jesus to discourage in every way possible the superstitious practices of the Pharisees of our day.)
39And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. (When kindness gives a portion of her wealth to the poor, she sanctifies what remains. To wash one's hands of greediness is better than a hundred washings in water.)
42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Only a hypocrite will elevate trifles above important duties. they only do it so people will see how extremely careful they are about religious things. The tithe of small herbs could not amount to much. It was only paid to make people say, “Look! See how strict and honest the Pharisees are!”) 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” (Their hearts were full of wickedness and yet they wanted to be respected and well thought of. They were like graves that are green above ground, but, underneath where the eye cannot see, they are full of rottenness.)
45One of the lawyers (or teachers of the law) answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” (The words touched the lawyer’s conscience, which was the Lord’s intention.) 46And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.”
They pretended to honor the prophets by building monuments to them. But they continued in the sins of their fathers who persecuted the prophets. Their ancestors killed and buried the saints and the children built their tombs.
49“Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. (Read the story of the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and you will read of the righteous vengeance of God on the Jews.) 52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say. (Burkitt writes in his Commentary, “When any lie in wait to catch something out of our mouth with which they can trap us, give us your wisdom and patience, oh Lord, that we may not give an opportunity to those who seek an opportunity against us.”2)
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1 Psalm 51:6
2 William Burkitt (1650-1703) from his Bible commentary.
Year Two, June 7
Nothing Is Covered up That Will Not Be Revealed1
Luke 12:1-21
1In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. (How useless is it then, to play the hypocrite? If God did not see and nothing more was known about us than what other people could detect, then hypocrisy might serve its purpose. It is foolhardy to try to deceive the Lord who sees and knows everything. In due time, he will make everything he has observed known to everyone.) 3Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Therefore it would be good to behave in our private life just as we would do if everyone were watching us. Since we cannot hide our true character, let us not be so foolish as to try to be what we are not.)
4“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes I tell you, fear him! 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (The doctrine of God’s special intervention in our lives is plainly taught here. It gives the richest comfort to believers.)
8“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
They will die unrepentant and therefore be lost. Those who can and do repent have not committed this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
11“And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (Jesus kept to his own work and did not interfere with civil law. Christian ministers should imitate their Lord in this and mind their own proper business.) 15And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ (Why not give the surplus to the poor? There were twenty good ways to use his unneeded wealth.)
18“And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ (It was all self. He talked only of “I,” and “My goods.” Sadly, this kind of language is all too common among covetous people when they think about their future.) 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (He is a fool as well as self-centered. He puts the body before the soul. He hopes to find ease on the thorny bed of wealth and plans for a long life in a dying world. Oh Lord, keep us all from being so foolish.)
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1 Luke 12:2
Year Two, June 8
Stay Dressed for Action1
Luke 12:35-48
Jesus continues speaking to his disciples.
35“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, (Eastern clothing needed to be tucked into a belt when a man began to work. The Savior is telling us to be prepared to serve God and be his witness before people. We are to get ready and stay ready.) 36and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.”
We are to live in expectation, waiting to hear the knock of our Master at the door. Are we living like this? Do we look for the coming of the Lord?
37“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. (What master waits on his servants? Yet the love of Jesus lowers him below our level and promises us this high honor. Who would not cheerfully obey such a Lord?) 38If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Watch and wait, Jesus may be here at any moment. “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God”?2
41Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” (It applies to everyone, but the Lord, in answer to Peter’s question, proceeded to show its special meaning to ministers of the gospel.) 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?”
In ancient times, it was the job of the manager to provide appropriate meals for every member of the family. Pastors of Christ’s church are to teach all classes of people, giving to each the instruction needed for their spiritual nourishment.
43“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.”
The most terrible punishments will be richly deserved by those who have been given the responsibility of caring for the souls of others and dared to neglect them, and even use their power to dominate and oppress them. May the Lord send us faithful ministers and keep them faithful.
47“And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (God’s judgments will be exactly right. No one will have a reason to complain. The highest degree of punishment will be in store for some of us if we ignore the gospel. Those who have light and knowledge and choose to ignore it will have greater sin.)
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1 Luke 12:35
2 2 Peter 3:11-12
Year Two, June 9
You Are Freed From Your Disability1
We are now about to consider one of our Lord’s miracles worked on a woman who had been in an unhappy condition for a long time. May it bring comfort to any who are in an unhappy spiritual condition.
Luke 13:10-17
10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. (Poor creature, to be crippled for so long and suffering with every step she took! Her condition was very dreadful, but it did not keep her away from public worship. If she had stayed home, Jesus would not have found her in the synagogue.) 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. (When souls that have been afflicted for a long time are graciously made upright, they never fail to give praise to God.)
14But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
There are many people who are bowed down with hopelessness of spirit and cannot lift themselves up to enjoy a comfortable hope. Let them take heart from this event. Let them remember that the Lord does not forget the sorrowful and brokenhearted. We see this expressly stated in:
Isaiah 49:13-16
13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
for the LORD has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.”
That he might be able to sympathize with downcast souls and endure with their infirmities, Jesus himself became a human like us. Troubled hearts should think of this and be of good cheer. The Holy Spirit speaks of him most sweetly in:
Hebrews 2:14-18
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation2 for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
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1 Luke 13:12
2 propitiation - The act of satisfying someone’s demands and changing that someone from an enemy into a friend. When Jesus Christ died on the cross he satisfied the demand of God the Father that a sacrifice for sin must be made to him. The wrath or anger of God was used up on Christ so that God’s justice was satisfied and we who were once the enemies of God became his friends.
Year Two, June 10
Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Door1
Luke 13:22-35
22He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (This is a question that has been asked many times since then. If a book could be published that gave a listing of those who were saved, there would be many people who would rush to read it. It would be far more wise to ask, “Will I be saved?” We can get a clear answer to that question. However the answer to the larger question that was asked by this person remains hidden. We once heard a sensible comment from a serious seeker. “If only three people are to be saved, why should I not be one of them?”) And he said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. (“Now is the favorable time,”2 but before long the day of grace and of this mortal life will end, and then it will be too late to seek mercy.)
25“When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ (No doubt many hope to reach heaven by attending church, reading the Bible, participating in the sacraments and treating others kindly. But at the last day, their trust in these things will be shown to have completely failed.) 27But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.”
They will be pushed out in anger, because they rejected the gospel. It will be a great loss to lose the company of prophets and saints forever.
29“And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. (It will worsen the sorrows of the lost even more when they see so many saved, who they considered far less worthy of salvation than themselves.) 30And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ (He called Herod a fox because that crafty person was trying to frighten him out of his territory by using the Pharisees to scare him. As Lord over all kings, Jesus had a right to describe this scheming ruler as an artful fox, because that was exactly what he was. Jesus defied his threats and went right on with his holy mission.)
34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (What a wonderful sight! The Son of God in tears! He could not think of the ruin of people without deep sympathy and neither should we. We must not allow our hearts to become unfeeling in this matter or we shall be very unlike our Lord and Master.)
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1 Luke 13:24
2 2 Corinthians 6:2
Year Two, June 11
Everything Is Now Ready1
Luke 14:1; 7-24
1One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. (It must have greatly annoyed the open hearted Savior to always be surrounded by spies. No one except Jesus would have endured it with so much meekness. Instead of being distracted by their mean hostility, he calmly went about seeking the good of the guests around him.)
7Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (The parable is about obvious common sense. Remember this practical lesson, because it teaches an important spiritual truth.)
12He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (We give to the rich and consider it a pleasure to serve them. Who would refuse to give a gift to the queen? And yet, the rich do not need our help. At the same time, the poor are not as appreciated. Is this right?)
15When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come for everything is now ready.’ 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’”
Why not go see the land at another time? Did he buy it without seeing it?
19“And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ (Did he intend to plow at night? These bad excuses were worse than none.) 20And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ (Why not bring his wife with him? This was a made-up excuse to hide his unfriendly feeling for the one who had invited him to the banquet.) 21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ (The anger of our Lord against some has brought good to others. If those invited to the feast first will not come, then we Gentile sinners are permitted to fill the empty places.)
22“And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (If we refuse mercy now, mercy will be refused us before long. The Lord “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,” but he will not always allow his love to be despised. “The day of the Lord will come.”2 May none of us delay accepting the gospel call. Let us avoid the possibility that the Lord will become angry with us and not allow us to taste his banquet.)
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1 Luke 14:17
2 Both quotes are from 2 Peter 3:9-10.
Year Two, June 12
The World Has Been Crucified To Me, and I To the World1
Luke 14:25-35
25Now great crowds accompanied [Jesus], and he turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Jesus did not wish to win disciples who did not understand to what they were committing. He did not want followers who did not know what was expected of those he accepted as his disciples. Therefore he told them clearly that he must be everything or nothing to them. Jesus claims the first place in the heart. Even parents and children must be second to him. He must be so important that for his sake all other dear ones would be abandoned if need be; and life itself would be voluntarily given up for love of him. Less love to Jesus than this is no love at all. Do we love him with an intense, overpowering devotion? If not, we have not yet learned to be his disciples.) 27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
Our Lord continues to illustrate what it means to be his disciple. His followers will suffer loss and humiliation, and must do so willingly. Otherwise they have not learned the very basics of the faith. Jesus denied himself for the good of others and for the sake of truth. We must too or we cannot be his followers. What do we say about this?
28“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
To make a profession of religion and not think about what it will cost us is to risk failing and being mocked for it. We must give Jesus all of our heart and be willing to suffer for his sake. Can we do this with the help of the Holy Spirit? If not, it is better not to call ourselves Christians.
31“Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (We may not be called to lose everything for Jesus’ sake, but we must be quite ready to. Otherwise, we are not his true followers. We must be willing to do what martyrs have done. Otherwise, the grace of God is not in us.)
34“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (If Christianity could become powerless, what good would it be? If someone who has become a new person by grace and then becomes like a non-Christian, how could they really be saved? If the Spirit of God’s renewing power could fail, then the result would be final and total destruction. Thank God, such a failure can never happen!)
The apostles and the first believers were ready to sacrifice everything for Jesus. They did not ask to walk in the truth with ease. They were willing to walk through slander and opposition with truth as their companion. Paul is an outstanding example of this. He says, in
Philippians 3:7-11
7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- 10that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (It is far better to die for Christ than to live by denying him. Gain by selling Christ would be deadly loss; while loss for him is gain. May the Lord give us the means to calmly choose Christ and his cross and to forsake sin and its temporary pleasures. Amen.)
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1 Galatians 6:14
Year Two, June 13
This Man Receives Sinners1
Luke 15:1-10
1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear [Jesus]. (They filled the inner circle, because they were eager to catch every word. The Lord Jesus was so kind and friendly, that they felt at home with him. He was not at all like the Pharisaic doctors whose pride made them keep their distance. His loving interest in open sinners was like a magnet that drew them around him.) 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them. (They formed an outer ring of grumbling spies, criticizing everything he said and did. In their zeal to find fault with him, they accused him of something that has been his highest praise ever since: “This man receives sinners.” It is a noteworthy mercy for us poor sinners. Jesus does receive the guilty and is their friend. Let us ask him right now to receive us again and be our friend, because it is still true that, “This man receives sinners.”)
This objection of the Pharisees drew from our Lord that richest of all his gospel parables, that we are now about to read. It is one large picture, painted in three panels.
3So he told them this parable: 4“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (The first panel describes the joy of the Son of God in person’s salvation. He is the Good Shepherd and cares for each one of his sheep. To rescue the lost, he left the saints and angels in heaven and traveled over this wilderness world. He finds those who are not looking for him, and, with hands of love and shoulders of power, brings them home. Finding the lost causes him and all holy beings to rejoice. If the Savior receives so much joy when we are saved, there must be hope for the very worst of sinners. Is this not true?)
8“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (The second part of this one great parable paints the work of the Holy Spirit through the church. A human is a precious thing. They are made in the image of God, but they are lost. The Holy Spirit, through the church, searches for this lost treasure. The lamp of truth is set burning and great effort is made by the preaching and searching of the word of God to find the lost. Lost souls are found and the church is glad, and God himself, before whom angels stand, is full of rejoicing. Whatever we may do, God values the coins stamped in his own mint. He takes no pleasure in their being lost. What comfort it should bring to anxious souls when they learn that their salvation will bring joy to the heart of Him who angels worship. One repenting sinner brings more joy to God than a new-made-world. Let us return to our loving Lord and stop breaking his heart.)
Those who are once found by divine grace are saved forever. The angels would not rejoice prematurely over someone who might yet be lost. Heavenly joy is never out of control. Angels cannot be accused of rejoicing too soon. Sinners whose repentance is genuine are saved and therefore heaven’s holy angels rejoice over them even before they get to heaven. Their gladness is unconditional because they expect to see them in glory before long.
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1 Luke 15:2
Year Two, June 14
Father, I Have Sinned1
We will now look at the third of the three panels of our picture that make up our Lord’s parable. It represents God the Father’s part in salvation.
Luke 15:11-32
11And [Jesus] said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12And 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. 13Not 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. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.”
This is the best the world can do for an awakened sinner. Its richest joy and its best religious teachings are only pig’s food and cannot satisfy the soul’s hunger.
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. 18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20And 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. 21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ (He was not able to finish with, “Treat me as one of your hired servants,” because his father smothered that request with a kiss.)
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. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For 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. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. (He was in a bad mood and had grown conceited, as even good people have a tendency to become.) 27And 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.’ 28But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29but 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. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ (He complained that his religion brought him very little joy and yet this newly converted sinner was made the recipient of great delights. We have often heard this from grumbling professing Christians who have sunk into a bitter condition of heart.)
31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. (All things are ours.2 If we do not rejoice, it is our own fault for living below our privileges.) 32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Joy over new converts is most proper and in good taste. It is unlovely for anyone to envy them the joys of new found grace. Let us imitate the heavenly Father and not the older brother.
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1 Luke 15.21
2 From 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, “For all things are yours…all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Year Two, June 15
How Much Do You Owe My Master?1
Luke 16:1-17
1[Jesus] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8The master (not Jesus, but the manager’s master) commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.”
It was not his dishonesty that was praised, but his cleverness. The manager’s business was to get as much as he could for his master out of the customers. When he realized he was about to be fired, he used the time he had left to earn the friendship of those customers. He did it by reducing the amounts they owed. He was intelligent and farsighted. We must never act dishonestly like he did, but we should look to the future as he did and use our worldly treasure in ways that will win the friendship of others. Money is never better spent than when we do good to others with it. Perhaps in times of persecution, the ungodly may think of us in a friendly manner. Meanwhile, the gracious will love us and we can look forward to a warm welcome in our home above. Hoarding earns poor interest; giving is true saving.
9“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (A person who does not use money wisely will not make careful use of greater gifts. To use wealth to support the well-being of others is wisdom. The person who fails in this does not know how to use “the true riches” and will therefore not be trusted with them. It takes a great amount of grace to use money correctly. Those who work at doing so are among the best of Christians.) 12And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? (If you are not faithful when you are under obligation to be so, you are far less likely to handle your own money wisely, because you think you can do with it as you please. The bad manager of another person’s possessions will make a bad manager of their own.) 13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Two principles cannot both be master in the heart. Neither God nor money will agree to a divided kingdom. We must serve one or the other. The two will never agree.
14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. (People are very likely to pretend to mock the very thing that bothers their consciences. No one is more hopeless than the person who makes fun of the Word of the Lord.) 15And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (We should always remember this. It will save us from loving the fashions of the day or trembling at the frowns of others. If God hates what people admire, then people’s opinion should not matter much to us.)
16“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.”
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1 Luke 16:5
Year Two, June 16
Fret Not Yourself Because of Evildoers1
Our present reading presents a terrible view of the condition of the ungodly in the world to come. All of their earthly riches will be taken from them and their guilty souls will be driven from the presence of the Lord.
Luke 16:19-31
19“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. (He was a worldling in a first-class situation. The world does not always provide such comforts and enjoyments to its servants. Even the ungodly are often poor and sick. This man thought he was favored with good luck and he did not care about being favored by God. He was rich, and showed it by what he wore and how he ate. Every day, he worshiped the gods of self-indulgence and earthly honor. Many people envied him, but if they could have known his end, they would have pitied him instead.) 20And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”
The rich man’s dogs showed more pity than their master. He refused to help Lazarus while the dogs gave the moisture of their tongues to comfort him. Here was a saint at his worst and yet it went will with him.
22“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, (Perhaps he was laid in an expensive coffin, taken to the graveyard in a beautiful new hearse and buried with an elaborate marble monument to mark the spot; but what good did that do him?) 23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. (The lost can view the joy of the blessed. This makes hell even more unbearable.) 24And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’”
His fancy lifestyle was over. His rare wines were no longer in reach and even a drop of water was prayed for as a luxury. How sad to be rich here and to be lost hereafter!
25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’”
The division is eternal. Once saved, forever saved: once lost forever lost. The separation at the judgment is final. Once their destinies are confirmed, saint and sinner will never meet again.
27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ (Their coming to hell would increase his misery. Their rebukes would whip his conscience and increase his sorrow. It was not because he had any spiritual love for the souls of his brothers. It was because he loved himself and did not wish to listen to them tell him how ashamed they were of him.) 29But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
If the Word of God and the ministry of the gospel is not enough to convert people, there is no hope for them. Even a preacher sent from heaven would have no power over them. They would sneer at his message. Are any of us unsaved? Let us understand our situation and surrender to the call of the gospel. However happy our life may be in this world, it would be better for us if we had never been born than that we should live and die unsaved. Oh Eternity, Eternity! How terrible to lose your heavenly joys! How awful to sink into your infinite sadness!
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1 Psalm 37:1
Year Two, June 17
Forget Not All His Benefits1
Luke 17:3-19
3[Jesus said to his disciples], “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (We are not to pretend to forgive someone, but to really do so from our hearts. Though the sin against us is cruel and repeated many times, we are to continue to respond with love, and “overcome evil with good.”2 Is this not a hard thing to do? The apostles evidently thought it was so difficult that it was impossible. They regarded it as a marvel that only great faith could accomplish.)
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (They felt that to forgive as their Lord instructed them needed mighty faith. Jesus was pleased with their prayer and explained to them that faith would enable them to work both this and other spiritual wonders.) 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (To remove a tree from the earth and plant it in the rough ocean would not be as great a marvel as to transplant the forgiving nature of the Lord Jesus and make it thrive in our hearts. However, faith can achieve the miracle. Lord, work this in each of us.)
7“Will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? (This is the time to serve the Lord. If grace enables us to be zealous and diligent we are only behaving as we should. To wish for the Lord to give us honor and ease in this life, is as unreasonable as if a servant would expect his master to wait on him.) 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’” (There is no room for boasting. If we have reached the highest degree of holiness, we are no better than we should be.)
11On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
It is a good rule to never expect a Thank You from anyone. It is a rare thing in the earth. And when we do receive it, it generally comes from those whom we least expected. Let us not forget to show our thankfulness to God for mercies we have received. Although gratitude to the Lord may not be in itself an adequate sign of grace, yet its absence is a sure sign of an unregenerate heart. In the case before us the thankful Samaritan was the only one of the ten who had true faith. Therefore he was the only one who received the Savior’s blessing.
19And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
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1 Psalm 103:2
2 Romans 12:21
Year Two, June 18
The Kingdom of God Is Within You1
Matthew 19:1-2
1Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. (This is an encouraging fact. If Jesus cures multitudes why should he not save each one of us? Why should we not cry to him for help and expect to receive it? The healing goodness in Jesus has not decreased. Seek it and it will be freely given.)
Luke 17:20-37
20Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is [within you].”2 (They looked for an outward kingdom, as many still do, and so they missed the glory of the inward spiritual kingdom. Outward ceremony and appearance are still more important things for many people. They forget the words before us; “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”)
22And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. (No doubt there were many times the apostles wished the Lord would return immediately, especially in those dark days when the Romans surrounded the city of Jerusalem.) 23And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. (There will be no need to investigate then. His second coming will be plain to everyone. Yet this caution was necessary, because deceivers have risen up in all ages and have misled many by their prophecies about the Lord’s return. Conceited dreamers often go insane researching a future that is not for them to know.) 25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.”
The most valued property must be sacrificed to save life. Wasting time on the things of this world has cost many a people their soul.
32“Remember Lot’s wife. (She looked, she longed, she lingered, and she died. Yet she was Lot’s wife and was on the way to escape. Sadly, many come close to salvation and yet perish. We should remind ourselves of this little verse often.) 33Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. (Those who die for Christ’s sake have saved their lives. Those who are cowards and deny their Lord to escape from death have, in the highest sense, lost their lives.) 34I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left. [36Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left.]3”
When the Romans came only a few escaped. Death continues to find many unprepared. Families will not be saved as families. True religion is a personal matter. By faith, one will live and in unbelief, another will perish. Who among us will escape from hell when the Lord summons us to judgment?
37And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the [eagles]4 will gather. (The first fulfillment of this prophecy was at the siege of Jerusalem, when the Roman eagles gathered around the dead body of the Jewish nation. This is when the Lord went forth to punish unrepentant Israel. The Lord had warned his disciples and they had quickly fled the condemned city. However, let us never forget that his great coming is still in the future. We should always be prepared for this event.)
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1 Luke 17:21 (alternate reading)
2 I have followed Spurgeon and used “within you” from the ESV translators’ footnote. The text reads, “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” The footnote reads, “Or within you, or within your grasp.” —ed
3 Verse 36 appears as a footnote in the ESV beginning, “Some manuscripts add verse 26” etc.
4 The ESV has vultures with eagles in a footnote as an alternate reading. The eagle was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard in Roman armies.
Year Two, June 19
Let the Children Come to Me1
One of the most beautiful events in the life of the Redeemer is recorded in
Mark 10:13-16
13And they were bringing children to [Jesus] that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.
No doubt, the mothers of these children believed that the Savior’s blessing would enrich their children in the best way. They felt it would lead to their future happiness and so they brought their boys and girls to him. The disciples thought that he would be annoyed with the little ones. They had not yet learned what a kind heart he had. No fathers or mothers should think their children are too young to be converted. Jesus can bless them while they are still boys and girls.
14But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. (We do not often find Jesus displeased about something. Therefore, we should learn from this that, beyond all other things, discouraging a child from coming to Jesus is displeasing to him.) 15Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (We must possess the simplicity, teachability, and trust of children, or else grace is not in us. Like them, we must also be free from greediness and ambition.) 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
David, in his day, was well aware that the grace of God makes adults childlike. This will be clearly seen, if we read
Psalm 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
The tenderness of Jesus to the little ones proved that he was like the expected Messiah. We read in
Isaiah 40:10-11
10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Now that we have read this excellent act of Jesus’ love in receiving children, let us pray that everyone in this home may be blessed by him, and that the children may be saved while they are still young. Do we not have the promise that they can be? Is the promise not to us and to our children? For our encouragement let us read and pray over
Psalm 128
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!
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1 Mark 10:14
Year Two, June 20
Take up the Cross1
Mark 10:17-31
17And as [Jesus] was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (The Lord had been asked this question before, but this time the person thought he had already done everything necessary to gain eternal happiness. The question was not, “What is the way of salvation?” but, “How can I deserve heaven?”) 18And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (The person asking did not know that Jesus was God and therefore he should not have called him good.) 19You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (If someone wishes to win heaven by works they must keep these commands and more.)
20And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
If he loved God above all, then here was a test for him. Not everyone is called to give up their property. However, if Jesus calls us to do so and we refuse, it would prove that we love the world better than God, and that we are very far from keeping his commandments.
22Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
He could not pass the test. He thought that he loved God best, but he soon discovered that he did not.
23And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were amazed at his words. (The rabbis taught that the rich were favored by God and that the poor’s chance of salvation was almost hopeless.) But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who trust in riches]2 to enter the kingdom of God! (Trusting in riches is the great evil, not the having of them. However, the two often go together.) 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
26And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”
But Peter’s “everything” was not much, just an old boat and a few worn out fishing nets. Peter’s tendency to speak before thinking things through led him to mention the sacrifice he and his friends had made. In later years, he was far more humble.
29Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Even here the Lord Jesus is a hundredfold more than houses or relatives could be to us. When he is near we rejoice to suffer for his sake.3) 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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1 From Mark 8:34
2 The ESV translators include this portion of verse 24 as a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add” etc.
3 See Acts 5:17-42. The Sadducees “arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.” “They beat them.” The apostles “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”
Year Two, June 21
Why Do You Stand Here Idle All Day?1
Matthew 20:1-16
1[Jesus said to his disciples], “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day (a day’s wage for a laborer), he sent them into his vineyard. (Each person is called on to work for the Lord and will be richly rewarded for doing so. The pay agreed to was regarded as a fair wage. No one will ever have a reason to complain that they served God for nothing. Those who enter his service early in the morning of their lives are the happiest.) 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5So they went. (We are good-for-nothing until we serve God. We may be very busy, but until we live for God we have accomplished nothing.)
“Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. (The day was half gone, and then three-fourths of it, and yet this patient master continued hiring laborers. If half our life is gone, or even three-fourths of it, the Lord will still receive us. He does not hire people the way the world does. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.”2) 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ (This showed that the laborers were not hired because the master needed them, but because he was a generous person. Otherwise, why would the master employ them just as the sun was setting? In the Lord’s vineyard, it is grace alone that chooses, calls, hires, and pays the workers.)
8“And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. (However late in life a person may be converted, they will enjoy the same privileges and promises as others. Free grace gives freely and does not find fault.) 10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ (This ungenerous spirit will creep in even among the servants of God, but it deserves to be cast out with intense dislike. We should rejoice in the richness of divine love to elderly converts. It is very improper for a child of God to envy the spiritual privileges of someone else.)
13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? (The sovereignty of God is justified as much in the enjoyments and privileges of saints as in their election to eternal life. In making all of his people equally dear to his heart, equally safe in Christ, and equal in justification and adoption, the Lord shows his undoubted right to do as he wills with his own, as much as when he chooses a certain number of sinners, and allows others to continue in their sins.) 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Many who begin in the Christian religion and show great promise often disappoint us, while others who seem hopeless produce good fruit. Many are called by the gospel, but few are really elect of God. And from those who truly obey the call, only a very few become distinguished for the grace in their hearts. Holy, dedicated people are rare even among the chosen.
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1 Matthew 20:6
2 Isaiah 55:8
Year Two, June 22
The Cup That I Drink You Will Drink1
Mark 10:32-45
32And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. (Like a brave captain the Lord led the way, and like brave followers his disciples, despite their fears, kept close to their leader. When we are troubled, all is well if we have enough faith to follow wherever the Lord leads us.) And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, 33saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
The Lord was very clear, and gave more of the details of his sufferings and death than he had ever mentioned before. He was very personal with his friends and told them all things. He was very honest with them and plainly warned them of the evils that would happen to him. He did not want them to follow him under false expectations. He explained the details about his death to his disciples before it happened. Now that the bitterness of his death is past, and since we now have a clearer understanding of how precious it is, we should think about and reflect on his sacrifice often.
35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” (He would not grant them a request before they explained what it was. He wisely allowed them to continue, so that, after they gave it more thought, they might become ashamed of it.) 37And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” (They wanted to be in positions of authority when Christ took his rightful place as king. Perhaps it was not because they wanted to be in higher places than the other disciples, but because they loved the Lord so much that they wanted to be very close and dear to him, and continue to enjoy the same distinguished privileges they had already been given when they and Peter witnessed the Lord’s glory on the mount of transfiguration.) 38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Our ignorance often shows itself in our prayers. We ask for a crown when we should be praying for grace to bear our cross.
41And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.
This was very natural, but it did not last long. This was due, in part, to the influence of our Lord’s words to James and John and, in part, through the humble and loving behavior of these two gracious brothers. This jealousy disappeared and we do not find even a trace of it in the later history of the apostles.
42And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. (In the church of God, the greatest person is the person who provides the most service, and is willing to take the lowest place for the good of the rest. Those who are truly great work harder and endure far more disapproval than their less honored brothers and sisters in Christ. And so it should be, since this is the way it was with our Lord.)
45“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (He gave up everything and took the lowest place for our sakes. This teaches his followers not to look for honor or service from their fellow Christians, but to stand ready to be the servants of all. Lord, teach us to serve, and save us from the pride that would expect others to give us honor.)
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1 Mark 10:39
Year Two, June 23
I Must Stay at Your House Today1
Luke 19:1-10
1[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Here was sovereign, free, effectual2 grace. Here we see Jesus looking for the person who would never have looked for him. Before the world was formed God had decided that Zacchaeus must be saved. It was a divine “must” and therefore called and saved he was, even though he seemed like one of the most unlikely people to be converted.) 6So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
Jesus is calling us to himself. Oh that each one of us would receive Jesus with the same willingness as Zacchaeus. May the mighty word of everlasting love make us willing in the day of its power.3
7And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” (Not only the Pharisees, but others were also astonished at the Savior’s visit to this tax collector’s home, because tax collectors were despised and hated by all their countrymen. Free grace delights in astonishing people by choosing and calling those whom the world rejects.) 8And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (He showed his heart had been changed by changing his ways. Restoring what was obtained unfairly to its proper owners comes first and then our duty is to help the poor with what remains. Zacchaeus took care of both obligations. He was fair as well as generous. Jesus was accused of involving himself in sin by associating with this tax collector, but the righteous and liberal actions of Zacchaeus cleared our Lord of all such charges. Jesus had not winked at his behavior. He caused him to repent of it, to turn away from it forever, and become an honorable person.)
9And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (In those times, the Jews looked on a tax collector as a lost man, as someone who had forfeited his privileges as a son of Abraham. But Jesus restored this lost one and gave him a higher position than the one he had been born with. Sin takes away, but Jesus restores our losses and gives us more.)
Mark 10:46-52
46And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Though he could not see, he could hear and speak. He eagerly used what power he had. Some who are unsaved refuse to do what is within their power. They do not ask for salvation.
48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When a soul is really anxious it cannot stop praying. It must and will cry for mercy.
49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. (He did not care about his old cloak; he expected to receive his sight. The hope of mercy makes all other things seem unimportant.) 51And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
How quick the cure is. The man believed and prayed, and Jesus spoke the healing word. Anyone who uses faith like Bartimaeus will be healed of their spiritual blindness.
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1 Luke 19:5
2 effectual calling - The Holy Spirit’s working in God’s elect to convict them of their sin, change their wills and persuade them to trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation.
3 Psalm 110:3, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power.”
Year Two, June 24
Engage in Business Until I Come1
Luke 19:11-27
11As they heard these things, [Jesus] proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. (Instead of their thinking about the thrones and honor they were expecting, Jesus would turn their thoughts to the work and faithfulness that lay ahead of them, .) 12He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’’’
A mina was about three months wages for a laborer. They were to use the money to buy and sell at a profit until their master returned.
14“But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ (Great grace is humble. He did not say I have made ten minas, but your minas have made it. Good people say as Paul did, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”2) 17And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
18“And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ (Those who are equally faithful may not all be equally successful. God’s sovereignty is shown in the results of service as well as his gifts of grace. However, all faithful servants are accepted by their Master.)
20“Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’’’
He used his servant’s own logic and condemned him out of his own mouth. Whether his master was harsh or gentle was not the point. The servant was required to do his lord’s will. If he knew that his master was a severe man, that should have made him all the more motivated to do a good job.
24“And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’”
It is always the case. The gracious and faithful person obtains more grace and more ways of being useful, while the unfaithful person sinks lower and lower, and grows worse and worse. We must either make progress or else lose what we have gained. There is no such thing as standing still in true religion.
27“‘But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’” (Will there be any of this dear family who will be found among those unhappy enemies who will perish in such a terrible way? Oh Lord, forbid it!)
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1 Luke 19:13
2 1 Corinthians 15:10
Year Two, June 25
She Loved Much1
John 12:1-11
1Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. (Our Lord never seems more caring than when relaxing in the delightful family circle of Bethany. This is where we see his gentle heart revealed in the midst of family joys and sorrows. This is where we recognize how close he is to us, how much he is at home with us, and how ready he is to bless us. Jesus in the heart and Jesus in the home make up heaven below.) 2So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. (Christ had once reproved Martha for being “distracted with much serving,” but we find her still serving. She had not taken the rebuke incorrectly and she had not become oversensitive and quit serving altogether, as some would have done. She loved her Lord too much for that. This time she served within hearing of the Lord’s gracious words. She served without complaining or being upset. It is good when good people grow better. Lazarus was highly favored and yet his situation was only the same as all whom the Lord gives new life. Those who are made alive by him are those who sit together with him.)
3Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
This was Mary’s grand statement of love. She considered nothing too good for her Lord. The expense was nothing in her opinion. She brought him the best she had, because her love was generous. She poured out the precious ointment with her own hands, because she wanted to serve him personally. She did not pour it on his head, but on his feet, to show her own deep unworthiness and her Lord’s excellent worth. There was also intelligent love in her act of faith. She recognized his office as Priest and King, and as the Lord’s anointed One. By wiping his feet with her hair, she showed her loving humility and her complete devotion to serving him. Everything about her grand act suggests an informed love. We will do well to imitate her by giving our best treasure and our most intense personal service, without holding back, to him who has redeemed us with his blood.
4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. (Here was a devil condemning a saint. Judas argued that helping the poor was more important than an act of worship. In these days, many argue in the same way if a liberal heart gives a lot to the cause of Christ. To their question, “Why was this money not given to the poor?” we reply, “Because it was even better to give it to Jesus.”)
7Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. (Her act went beyond her own good intention. Christ puts the actions of his people in the best possible light.) 8The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (We can always give to the poor, because as long as the church lasts there will always be the poor. But Jesus in his flesh was only on the earth once and it was proper that those who loved him should give him honor.)
9When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. (This was concentrated wickedness. Did they hope to defeat Omnipotence itself? Were they so enraged at the Lord’s success that they were willing to defy the life-giving God? There is no limit to the sin people will attempt!)
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1 Luke 7:47
Year Two, June 26
Who Is This?1
Matthew 21:1-16
1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
Jesus Christ has the hearts of everyone under his control. The owner immediately lent his donkey. The colt came along with its mother. Jesus would not cause even the lowest creature needless pain by separating it from its young.
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
In the days of the judges, the judges or rulers rode donkeys as a sign of their official position. Therefore, it was quite appropriate for a true ruler in Israel to enter Jerusalem in this way. He did not ride on a horse like the proud Egyptian rulers, but on a humble donkey that ancient lawgivers had been content with.
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! (or, “Oh save now, we plead with you.”) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
Bishop Hall has well said: “‘Who is this?’ His disciples had no reason to be at a loss for an answer. Which of the prophets has not told them who he is? Ask Moses, and he will tell you, The offspring of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head. Ask your father Jacob, and he will tell you, The ruler from the tribe of Judah. Ask David, and he will tell you, The King of glory. Ask Isaiah, and he will tell you, Immanuel, Wonderful, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. Ask Jeremiah, and he will tell you, The righteous Branch. Ask Daniel, and he will tell you, The Anointed One. Ask John the Baptist, and he will tell you, The Lamb of God. The God of the prophets has told you, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Yes, the very devils themselves have been forced to confess, I know who you are, the Holy One of God. On no side has Christ left himself without a full and plain testimony.”2
11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
This was his second cleansing of the temple. He had cleansed it once before in his earlier ministry. Sadly, when good things begin to be corrupt they need to be cleansed many times before they are made right again.
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
Let children learn from this that Jesus values their praises. Let them give him their hearts while they are still young.
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1 Matthew 21:10
2 Bishop Joseph Hall (1574-1656).
Year Two, June 27
We Wish to See Jesus1
John 12:20-36
20Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
These Greeks did well in wanting to see the great teacher. We will do even better if in all our gatherings for public worship our main desire is to see Jesus. We should desire to know him better, trust him more eagerly, and become more like him. We miss the goal of public worship if we fail to see Jesus.
23And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (Our Lord showed that only through his death would he achieve his full glory as the mediator between God and man. He then went on to teach the Greeks, and us, that in the same way, only by self-denial can any of us reach the glory that is heaven.) 25Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.”
This was the third time the heavenly voice had given witness to Jesus. The first, when as our Priest, he began his lifework at his baptism. A second time was on the mount of transfiguration, when his Father said, “Listen to him,” and identified him as the Prophet that had been long predicted. And now a third time when he had just entered Jerusalem as King. In each of his three offices—Priest, Prophet and King—the Father affirmed him.
31“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (By Christ’s death Satan is conquered and cast down from the seat of power, and souls are saved by countless millions.) 34So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
Matthew 21:17
17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
He loved the quiet of the village and the family love of the home of Lazarus. Those of us who are wise will find strength for public service in quiet seclusion.
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1 John 12:21
Year Two, June 28
Forgive, If You Have Anything Against Anyone1
Mark 11:12-26
12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, [Jesus] was hungry. 13And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. (Fig trees put forth their fruit before their leaves. It was not yet time for figs and yet this misleading tree was covered with leaves. It promised far more than other trees and then deceived those who came to it for fruit. The tree represents boastful lying. It was right for trouble to visit this type of hypocrisy. Proud professors of religion, whose actions are not right in the sight of God, should tremble, because this curse may land on them.)
15And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
Jesus had cleansed the temple only a short time before this and yet the money-changers and sellers had returned. Nothing is so difficult to make clean and keep clean as an impure church. It should be the daily prayer of all who love the pure gospel that in these corrupt times the Lord Jesus would, by his Holy Spirit and power of divine truth, cleanse our churches of all false teachings, worldly trends and superstitious rituals. May the Lord cleanse the temple of our hearts, and make our innermost nature a house of prayer and the palace of the living God.
19And when evening came they went out of the city.
20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”
When the Lord grants faith about anything, it is the shadow of the coming event. The prayer of faith is always heard, but faith is not given in all cases. We cannot always pray in full assurance and in such cases it would be sinful presumption to pretend to have unlimited power in prayer. Our prayers are limited to the will of God. Our guidelines to that limitation are the promises of God and the faith he gives us in the matter.
24“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
This does, of course, take for granted that we pray for right things. Otherwise, we ask and do not receive, because we ask wrongly, to spend it on our passions.2 What freedom in prayer is given us here! How slow we are to use the power that we have been entrusted with!
25“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26[But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.]3” (Remember this when anger tries to hold you in its evil power. Flee from it as you would your most deadly enemy.)
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1 Mark 11:25
2 James 4:3
3 The ESV translators include verse 26 as a footnote beginning, “Some manuscripts add verse 26.”
Year Two, June 29
I Have Counsel and Sound Wisdom1
Matthew 21:23-46
23And when [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
They were caught in their own clever trap and completely silenced.
28“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Our Lord’s words were direct and to the point, and these Jewish leaders deserved his rebuke. His words also serve as a lesson to us if we see great sinners converted while we remain undecided. Is any one of us in this condition?)
33“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (If we oppose the Savior we will only hurt ourselves. If we provoke him to punish us we will be crushed as completely as if a huge boulder had rolled over on us. Who will dare to be hostile toward Jesus?)
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
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1 Proverbs 8:14
Year Two, June 30
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ1
Matthew 22:1-14
1And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. (It was their king who invited them. To refuse his invitation was an act of rebellion. Their presence was intended to give honor to the marriage of their prince. Their decision to be absent was a deliberate insult to both the king and his son. God, in his infinite love, has proclaimed that his Son should be glorified because he has given his rich grace to undeserving people. When people reject this grace, they are guilty of insulting the Lord of love. Will any of us live and die in this sin?)
4“Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ (This king was very patient and lowered himself to reason with his misbehaving subjects. He hoped that perhaps they might correct their hasty words after they had time to think it over. He even pleaded with them, even though he could have immediately sent his armies to destroy them. How truly this represents the great Father of mercy!) 5But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”
Many despised the king while only a few actually persecuted his servants. But they all perished, because they had all despised their prince.
7“The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
Some who hear the gospel regularly reject it every time they hear it. Yet the Lord’s purpose of grace will not fail. Jesus will see the anguish of his soul and be satisfied.2 Heaven will be the home of rejoicing millions. Sovereign grace will select its favored ones. Most will come from the poorest and lowest of mankind, and they will enjoy God’s riches together.
11“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.”
His conduct was just as much an insult as those who had refused to come. A wedding garment was provided for each guest, but he would not put it on. He despised the royal outfit and defied the royal law of the palace. Those who unite with the church, and yet are not holy, nor obedient to Jesus, are like this man who refused to wear the official wedding garment. They insult the Redeemer to his face and defy him in his own house. Are any of us guilty of this? Do we profess to be Christians, and go to the communion table, even though we do not wear the garments of sanctification? If so, let us tremble at the doom that awaits us.
13“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Even in the visible church not everyone is the Lord’s elect. There is a great need for careful self-examination! Lord, make us to be truly your own.
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1 Romans 13:14
2 From Isaiah 53:11
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