I want to call in sick, use my get out of jail free card or whatever the proper etiquette is to get out of blogville this week.  Truth be told, Luke 14 makes me squirm.  A lot.  Take verse 26 for example.  A large crowd is traveling with Jesus, when suddenly Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”  What?  Hate your parents?  Despise your spouse and children?  What happened to Mark 12:36, which says that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself?

The Contemporary English Version (CEV) sheds some light on this troublesome passage: “You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.”  More than.  Jesus isn’t asking me to detest my family.  Rather, I must make sure my love for God is always greater than my love for anyone or anything else.

“Jealous” is used 28 times in the NIV.  It is God who is jealous in 18 of those verses. 

Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14

I’m sure my English teacher would have marked down for a sentence like that, with it being overly emphatic that God is both a jealous God and is named Jealous.  Perhaps it is God’s jealousy—His utmost desire that we serve Him and Him alone—that prompted Jesus to say we must love him more than anyone else.

I’m still squirming, though.  It is a very tough verse to live out, at least for me.  If I truly  laid down my life and loved God more than anyone else, would it come at the price of those I love most?  Or would I somehow discover a joy and a freedom I’ve been too fearful to fully embrace?

I (Jesus) came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.  John 10:10, CEV

  I won’t call in sick on this post, but I’ll do the next best thing and toss it back to you.  What do you think?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

After a long, hot two-mile climb up the mountain, we stood at the top to catch our breath. Behind us stood the TiBoukan school. In front of us spread Haiti’s Leogane Plain. No less than fifty men, women and children gathered around. Soon we’d go house to house delivering supplies. But for the moment we allowed ourselves a short rest and long drink from our water bottles.

Knowing we’d be gone most of the day, a few people had packed snacks, things like granola bars or dried fruit. One girl pulled out a container of applesauce, peeled back the cover and slurped it out of the cup.

A stray dog approached looking for a scrap. Seeing the dog, the girl bent over and gave her applesauce to the dog. He lapped up every last dribble of the sauce while the villagers looked on. In an instant I became painfully aware of the dozens of hungry children and mothers and fathers surrounding our group. And how insulting her gesture must feel to them. Many of them looked just as gaunt as the stray dog, ribs outlined through their skin and skin and hair showing evidence of malnutrition.

The girl didn’t realize what she’d done. An innocent mistake. She’s just a child after all. But isn’t this the epitome of our American mentality? We’re more generous with our animals than we are with our neighbors.

I wonder if that’s what Jesus wanted us to understand when he healed the woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17). She’d been a part of their “church” for a while. Each sabbath she arrived sick, crippled, in need of mercy. Each time, she went home without it. Looking to excuse themselves from serving, the religious people hid behind the Sabbath’s “no-work” rule, even though they returned home to care for their animals. Jesus called them out on it. And I believe He’s calling US out on it.

I’m an animal lover. But I need to be a people lover even more.

It was late afternoon on Tuesday as the clouds rolled in and the temperature began to drop. I refused to believe we were in for yet another snowstorm in Colorado. It had been a beautiful spring day on Monday with temperatures near 70 degrees. Now the thermometer was dropping quickly and a chill was running down my spine. It wasn’t that I was so cold, but I could feel the cloud of worry settling in over me.

We had enjoyed a wonderful spring break visit from my mom who lives in Arizona. It was hard to see such a great time come to an end. As we dropped her off at the airport I silently prayed for God to keep the storm at bay until my mom’s flight safely took off. But that was not to be.

As is so typical here in Colorado, this storm came in with a vengeance. At 5:30 it was 42 degrees and lightly snowing and by 6:30 it was 31 degrees and we had three inches on the ground. Then the phone call came. I could sense the uneasiness in my mom’s voice. Her flight was delayed an hour.

As the heavy snow piled up outside, and the crawl came across the television announcing flights were being canceled at the airport, I sent up more prayers: safety for the passengers, Godly wisdom for the pilot, and God’s favor over this situation. I gathered my family and we prayed for Mom/Grandma and recited what I like to call the “worry” scriptures.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:25 – 26

Good point.

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” Luke 12:27 – 28

Are you saying I have no faith, God?

If He had spoken audibly to me in that moment, I believe He would have said, “Yes Child, that is exactly what I’m saying.” Here I was wallowing in my own fears, doubting the very one who holds the universe in His hands.

Upon that conviction from the Holy Spirit, my prayers changed. I confessed my sin of worry. I started praising God for who He was and thanking Him for His protection over my mom and her flight. Almost at peace about the situation, I read a little further in Luke chapter 12.

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31

You see I was laboring and spinning in my mind. I was trying to fix the situation, but all God called me to do was seek Him, rest in Him, and have faith in Him. Once I did, the worry lessened and my thoughts became clear again.

Four and one-half hours later, five de-icing attempts, and many phone calls back and forth, my mom was safely en-route to Phoenix.

Thank you God for giving our family this precious gift of protection over my mom. And thank you for giving me this much needed lesson on the foolishness of worry!

As a young child, I had to stand up each week and recite a short paragraph in front of 100 people.  Well, maybe not in front of.  With.  Everyone said it with me.  But I always felt like people were listening to me, eager to know if I’d correctly say the large words that made no sense to me.  It was a weekly exam with the strictest of teachers:  God.  I kept waiting for lightning to strike if I didn’t say the Lord’s prayer properly.  To this day, it still makes me nervous to say it out loud, pulling at the strings of this type-A personality.

Reading through Luke 11 this week made me see how far my perception of the Lord’s prayer is from what it was intended for.  It is the beautiful response to a humble question: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11: 1).  We have the privilege of leaning in and eavesdropping as the Teacher demonstrated one form of talking to the Father.

Father,

a gentle reminder that I’m not addressing a genie in a bottle or someone so far off that he has  no concern for me.  Instead, I get to place myself in my Father’s caring arms

hallowed be your name,

Your name is holy.  You are holy. 

   your kingdom come.

There is a very real battle between good and evil, God and Satan. 

³Give us each day our daily bread.

I wear myself thin, putting away for retirement, college and more, thinking I’m somehow the reason ends meet.  This one currently hits below the belt as I’m reminded it is God who provides for me.
⁴Forgive us our sins,

Plural, yes.  My many sins, the so many ways I go against your will.

      for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

I readily long for forgiveness, but to give it?  Please Lord, help me release my hurts, disappointments and pains to you.

   And lead us not into temptation.’

Be the light unto my path and keep me from the places where I shouldn’t go.

Lord, teach us to pray.

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” ~ Luke 10:29

Mark Twain once said “Familiarity breeds contempt — and children.” Funny and sobering at the same time. When I think about Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan, I can’t help but agree with Twain. How many times have I read this story? How many times have I heard a preacher preach it or a Sunday School teacher teach it? Does the heart of this story spark anything in me anymore?

I admit the story’s familiarity tapers its profundity. And it’s a shame.

When Jesus told the story of the neighborly Samaritan, I doubt anyone within its hearing displayed a ho-hum response. Both the story’s characters and plot shocked the ho-hums right out of everyone. A Samaritan coming to the rescue of a near-dead Jew?!?! Unthinkable. The Samaritan counted for less than the road dust on the traveler’s sandal. He’d be the least likely person to come to the dying man’s aid. And yet when two religious types walked right on by, only the Samaritan offered a hand.

I keep thinking about which character I am in the story. Sure, at times I’ve been the bleeding person on the road. Often it was the person I least expected who came to my rescue. More often, however, I’m one of the travelers. I’m someone who either stops or walks. But which am I? Which character do I play more often than the other?

Faces come to mind. The filthy woman leaning up against the wall of a gas station. The college girls flaunting their stuff at the mall. The difficult teenager who continues to make bad choices. The person who doesn’t like me, though we’ve seldom shared a conversation. The acquaintance who opposes my morals, faith and politics in every way. The woman whose words have left a deep wound.

They’re all bleeding and broken, scattered along my road.

Do I stop or walk?

What do you do?

Something caught me off guard this week as I was packing lunchboxes for my children one morning. I was half listening to the national news when I heard our President state in a press conference, that “he had quit smoking 95%.”

What does that even mean? What are the parameters for determining such a thing? In my mind you are either a smoker or you are not. You are either trying to quit or you’re not trying. My mind wandered even further. I would never say I’m 95% married. One is either married or not married. Right?

The same principle applies to our confession of faith in Christ. We either believe He is the Christ the Son of the Living God, or we don’t. In Luke 9, a conversation unfolds between Jesus and the 12 disciples He was teaching and training.

“Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’

They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’

‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.”

Can you picture it? There was no hesitation. Peter, speaking for the disciples, believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Peter didn’t say, “We disciples discussed it and we are about 95% sure you are the Son of God.” No, they were certain.

This leads me to another question. Does confessing our faith always mean we’ll live out our faith when we are tested? I want you to see something in Luke 22:31-32.

”Simon, Simon (which was Peter), Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus knows the battle we face in this fallen world. The Enemy wants nothing more than to destroy us and turn us from our Savior. Peter is a great example of this. He boldly denied the very one he confessed to believing (Luke 22). Christ knew this would happen. He knew that in a moment of weakness, Peter would fall into the trap of the Enemy. Did this make Peter’s confession any less? Not at all. I believe it made his faith even stronger. Jesus even told him that once he had turned back from his sin of denial he was to strengthen his brothers.

You may be in a situation where your faith is being tested from all sides. Satan may be sifting you like wheat. You know the truth and you believe it whole-heartedly, but living it out is a whole different story. I want to encourage you to NOT listen to the lies of the Enemy. He wants your faith to be non-existent, and he would probably settle for it to be a small percentage. But your faith cannot be measured by a percentage. It either is or it isn’t.

Let us one day be able to say these words of Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have KEPT THE FAITH.” 2 Timothy 4:7

13.  That was my answer to a friend’s text asking how many people I personally know who are unemployed.  Thirteen!  A baker’s dozen wondering if they will keep their house or how they’ll pay this month’s bills. 

Luke 8:14 talks about those whose faith is choked out by life’s worries.  Some of my thirteen unemployed neighbors, friends and family members fall into this category, as do others battling worries over health, relationships and so much more.  Have you felt those storms?  Have the tough economic times caused weeds to grow among the crops of your life?  Has heartache, deception or illness created a tempest around you?  Jesus can quiet it. 

He (Jesus) got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.  ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples.” Luke 8: 24,25

Jesus’ disciples feared death as a squall came down on the lake.  The problems around them were real, as were their fears.  Yet all became serene with just a word.  And then the next words?  “Where is your faith?”  I’ll show you where.

A woman bled for twelve years.  Anemic and tired. Poverty-stricken from seeking medical advice to no avail.  Her remedy?  Pure, unadulterated faith.  She reached out and touched Jesus’ hem as he walked by.  What the doctors couldn’t accomplish in twelve years changed in seconds.  Instant healing.

Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace.” Luke 8:46

Two similar situations with two different outcomes.  The disciples and the hemorrhaging woman knew their circumstances were bleak.  Twelve panicked and were chastised.  One reached out and found healing.  Which one do you most want to be like?

Luke 7 paints four different portraits, real people in real life dilemmas:

1. The Humble Outsider: A Roman Centurian pursues Jesus as his only hope for a dear and dying servant. He is the least likely person to understand Jesus’ power to save, and yet he is the one who truly believes in Jesus’ Godness. Even more than those who sit in church reading their Bible every single Sunday. This kind of bold faith is what saves his servant. And himself

2. The Broken Mourner: A widow loses her only son, and her grief reaches the heart of The Christ. He simply says two words: “Don’t cry.” So much compassion! Such understanding! Her grief runs deep, and she cannot say a word. Jesus doesn’t need her words, he needs her heart. And he sees a woman with an open, bleeding heart in need of comfort. He gives her that, and so much more.

3. The Insecure Prophet: From his birth, he knew his sole purpose: To prepare the way for the Messiah. He did that, faithfully, year after year. He lived in poverty, absorbed the ridicule of naysayers, proclaimed God’s words fearlessly. And then The One he’d been speaking of came. Jesus. But suddenly John the Baptist finds himself imprisoned, an unusual reward for a lifetime of faithful service. Hardship has a way of making us doubt our purpose, question what we believe. And so he asks Jesus, “Are you the one, or should I look for someone else?” Jesus understood his insecurity, how his imprisonment was wearing on his resolve. And simply responded by saying, “The rightness of your purpose isn’t defined by your circumstances. You’ve done well. I’m the one.”

4. The Penitent Sinner: She had no business being in a righteous man’s house. But her need for a Savior trumped her certain humiliation in showing her sinful self. Without a word, she finds Jesus reclining at Simon’s table. She can do nothing but cry, and wash the feet of the man she hopes will forgive her. He does, even as the more “perfect” onlookers whisper and mock. So he teaches the host and his guests a lesson at the same time: It isn’t your righteousness that saves you; it’s your ability to kneel at the feet of The Righteous One.

Which one are you? Are you an outsider whose new faith makes you feel less significant? Or are you grieving and wondering if Heaven hears? Maybe you’re a long-time Christian, with a resume full of faithful service. But lately one thing after another has made you question whether or not you’ve been on the right track. Or perhaps your steeped in sin–or even steeped in your own sense of righteousness–and you need to fall at the feet of the Savior.

Regardless of the portrait most resembling your own, the same Jesus stands ready to save.

It was the Sabbath, a very sacred day for us Jews. You see, our law explains quite clearly that we are not to do any form of work on the Sabbath. So, you can imagine my shock this one particular Sabbath. I was walking near the synagogue when I heard a commotion. A man with a shriveled hand was talking to a teacher.

“He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.” Luke 6:10

Thankfully some Pharisees were nearby and witnessed the same thing. I moved closer to hear what they were saying. They were furious at this teacher, Jesus, and began to discuss what they might to do him. I even heard one of them say that this wasn’t the first time Jesus had broken the law of the Sabbath. In fact he was so bold as to tell the Pharisees that, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” What does that mean, I thought to myself?

Put your feet in the sandals of these Jewish people for a moment. Throughout the New Testament, the Pharisees (teachers of the law) were constantly stirring up trouble for Jesus. They questioned Him on every word He spoke. They accused Him of breaking many laws. They were, as scripture says, furious with Jesus on many occasions, and ultimately convinced Roman authorities to crucify Him. But how would you feel if everything you believed from the time you were young was being put into question by this radical man named Jesus?

In Deuteronomy 6, we see a glimpse of just how serious Jewish law was. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Now I love these particular Old Testament scriptures. In fact, I have them posted on the front door of our home. I guess what’s different for me than the Jewish people of that day is I see grace woven through these words. I see truth declared in a loving way. I find a Loving Father who wants me to hold His Words close at all times.

The Pharisees hated being challenged in their thinking. This was a radical shift to what they had always believed and in turn taught. The sad part is they could only see the law, not the Savior who was offering truth, grace, forgiveness and eternal life to all people. It’s as if it was too simple to accept.

If truth be told though, we all get caught up in legalism sometimes. We shout out truth, but we lack love. We cast judgment on others, but ignore the sin in our own life. We refuse forgiveness when He declared, “forgive them for they no not what they do.”

Thank you Jesus for loving us despite our Pharisaical behavior sometimes.

Some of my friends had tuberculosis a few years ago.  In order to prevent spreading this highly contagious disease, they had to stay in their apartment all day, every day.  They ordered groceries online with instructions for the food to be placed outside their door.  Only at night were they allowed to leave their enclosure, and then only with masks on.  The few people on the streets stared at them, then quickly dispersed.  The once social couple lost touch with humanity—real touch that it is.  They talked to friends on the phone and kept up on the news.  But to be hugged by their grandson or embraced by anyone other than another infectious person?  Well, those days were over until they completed their long round of medications.

We find a leper in Luke 5:12-15 who no doubt felt the same amount of social chastisement.  More actually.  He could no longer live with his family, but had to move outside the city to the leper colony.  He had to shout “unclean” wherever he went, watching passerby’s scurry away like mice.  Touch was a distant memory—both the ability of being able to feel anything, as well as the presence of another human’s hand on his.

And then. . .

He saw Jesus.  Throwing all shame and embarrassment aside, “he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Luke 5:12)

Savor the next few words with me:

“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  ‘I am willing,’ he said.  ‘Be clean!’  And immediately the leprosy left him.” Luke 5:13, emphasis added

The man got so much more than he longed for.  His health returned and the Son of God touched him.  The Son of God!!  Maybe if I’m willing to cast my fears and shame aside, throwing myself with faith and adoration at the feet of my Maker, I’ll also receive not just what my body needs, but what my heart longs for.

May 27, 2002, Boulder, Colorado. The day of my first 10K running race. Sixty-two minutes later, as I crossed the finish line in front of 40,000 fans, I looked only for the faces of my husband and three little boys in the crowd, cheering me to the very end. They’d driven over an hour and waited for another two just for those few seconds of reassuring affirmation at the finish line.

April 21, 2007, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Another day, another 10K race, but this time in my home town. Without a single familiar face in the crowd, I ran every agonizing step, climbed hills and covered rocky terrain, with the thought of quitting never far from my mind … and received my worst race time in five years of running. Due to other responsibilities, my cheering section couldn’t make it. How I needed them that day!

When Jesus returned to his hometown in Luke 4, it was as if he stood at the starting line of the launch of his ministry. I wonder if he hoped for a send-off, a crowd of familiar friends and family cheering him on as He embarked to finish the race the Father called him to run. It wasn’t to be, however. Instead of support and encouragement, those who once cheered from front row seats now hurled accusations and rage.

It’s hard to run a race alone. I have to be honest with you: When it comes to rejection, I’m a quitter. All it takes is the evaporation of my fan base and I hardly have the strength to keep going on. I need the support of those closest to me like I need air. But I’m not sure that’s a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with having people who encourage you, but absolute dependence on it? Well, that’s a fickle foundation if I’ve ever heard of one.

As Jesus left his hometown behind, I think He knew He was on His own. With a God who loved Him, yes. But without those people who should have understood him, believed in him, and cheered for him. He would face more opposition than praise, more rejection than acceptance. And still He ran determined and face-forward anyway. Because the God who called Him was worth it.

Father God, strengthen me to do the same!

“I gave my back to those who strike me,
And my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting.
For the Lord GOD helps me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set my face like flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.”
~ Isaiah 50:6-7

Almost every week my eight-year-old daughter comes to me on two different occasions—once on Tuesday and once on Thursday. Sometimes she doesn’t even have to speak. I just know by her facial expression what she’s thinking. On Tuesdays she asks me if she has to go to dance class that day. Each time I give the same answer, “Yes, you made a commitment and you need to stick with it.”

Then on Thursdays we repeat the same scenario; this time with the book club she is involved in after school. And once I again I remind her how she needs to back up her verbal commitment with action. She needs to go and support her group.

You are probably wondering why she is in these activities if she never wants to go. The truth is I know she loves dancing and she loves her book club, but sometimes getting there is a challenge. Her week becomes overwhelming, and she just wants to relax.

In the throws of a very busy and challenging week last week, it happened again. At first, the suggestion sounded nice. This proposal would definitely eliminate some running around for me, but wait a second, I thought, we pay monthly fees for these activities. Finally realizing the pattern here, my answer was a firm “NO!”

I probably don’t have to explain that this sent my precious daughter into a downward spiral. Tears, shouting, and the slamming of doors could be heard across the city I’m sure. But after some calming down time for both of us, I talked to her about the importance of living out her commitment. I knew deep down she understood the right thing to do, but in an overwhelming moment of tiredness and frustration, she wanted to make a different choice.

In Luke, chapter 3, we are introduced to John the Baptist who had a similar message for the people of his day. His ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. He taught about repentance of sins and baptism by emersion. Many came to him to repent and be baptized, but he had a warning for them.

“John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. “ Luke 3:7-8

Some harsh words for this crowd, right? He was telling them that repenting for their sins were just words, and baptism was just an outward sign of repentance, unless they truly changed the way they lived their lives. He went so far as to call them a “brood of vipers.” Do you know what that means? It means they were a poisoned people, and continuing in their sinful ways made them poisonous to others. But by changing their way of life they would show their commitment to a new way of living. They would “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Slowly but surely my daughter is learning the importance of backing up her words with actions. She is learning that when she makes a commitment she needs to follow through. It’s a hard lesson to learn, as I’m sure it was for the crowd John that Baptist spoke to generations ago. The same holds true for us today when we accept Christ as our Savior, repent of our sins, and are baptized. By those acts we are saying that we are committed to a new way of life. We are committed to walking our talk. Difficult? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Jerusalem  A twelve year old boy has been missing the past three days.  His parents, Mary and Joseph, were returning to Nazareth after celebrating the Passover and mistakenly believed Jesus was in their company.  It wasn’t until they traveled a day that they realized the child was not with any of their relatives.  They immediately returned to Jerusalem and have been searching for the boy, but he is no where to be found.

“I am wrought with guilt,” Mary reports.  “The angel told me this was the Son of God, and I’ve lost him.”

Family and authorities plan on continuing the search until Jesus is found.

I can’t imagine the anxiety, guilt and fear that plagued Mary and Joseph as they searched for Jesus.  Two full days passed looking high and low throughout Jerusalem to no avail.  Two days!   I lost my son in Kohl’s once for less than five minutes.  It took at least four hours for my heart to stop racing.

The hunt ended as Mary and Joseph entered the temple.  Jesus sat among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

“Son, why have you treated us like this?  Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he (Jesus) asked.  “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”  Luke 2:48, 49

Jesus wasn’t lost or absent.  People just looked for him in the wrong places.

Isn’t the same still true today?

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” ~ Jeremiah 32:17

Luke 1 reveals two impossible scenarios (as if one isn’t enough!):

A elderly couple, too old to reasonably think about child-rearing, but praying for it with hoarse voices just the same. And a teenage virgin, with dreams of a one-day family but no clue that the dream was about to be a reality, without the help of a husband.

When the angel appeared to Zechariah, bursting the good news that he and Elizabeth would finally receive the child they’d been praying for, Zechariah could hardly believe it. In fact, he DIDN’T. “How can I be sure of this?” he asked, wanting definitive proof that what the angel said would actually come to be (Luke 1:18).

Mary was equally as surprised by an angelic visit, overwhelmed by the favorable greeting and no doubt terrified of this glimpse of the divine right in front of her. And when he told this mere child that her virgin womb would be with child, she replied, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34)

Do you see the difference? Both asked a question, but one did so with a thread of doubt, while the other with an unmistakable assurance of belief.

CAN? Or WILL? The first makes the impossibility the center of attention. The second declares a sovereign God to be precisely what He is: ABLE.

How will you respond to the impossible scenarios in your life? It’s the four-letter word that makes all the difference.

I realize studying history is not for everyone. Twenty some years ago I could have cared less about it. I was only interested in receiving a good grade in my history classes. I didn’t try to retain any information; I just did what I needed to get by. Well, that has changed. In a day and age where the written word leaves room for personal interpretation, I find historical facts to be extremely important.

It’s those thoughts that now carry over to how I study scripture. I want to know the meaning behind each word, whether Greek or Hebrew. I want to know the author’s background of the books I read in the Bible. Basically, I want to know the historical significance of what I’m reading. So, you can imagine my excitement as we begin this year delving into the Gospel of Luke, where we will have the opportunity to meet many biblical/historical figures. We will see the life of Christ played out by eyewitness account. And we will hear parables and stories told in a fresh way. I hope you will tune in weekly to follow us on this journey of Luke.

So, for you history buffs, here are some facts about our author. Luke was the only Gentile who wrote scripture. He wrote the book of Luke and the book of Acts. The Apostle Paul, called him the “beloved physician,” which have left many Bible scholars to believe he was a doctor. However, in those times the position of a physician was not as prestigious as today. In those days physicians were usually slaves.

As Luke, chapter one opens, Luke addresses Theophilus. Some scholars believe Theophilus may have been Luke’s master. Others believe he was saying Theophilao, which is a Greek word meaning “lovers of God.” Thus he is addressing all those who Iove God. I tend to believe Theophilus was actually a person and “most excellent” was stated because he held some ruling position in the Roman government. But, that is my interpretation. I encourage you to study for yourself and see what you come up with.

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4

Luke states with some authority in these opening verses that he has carefully investigated all the stories he is recording. One picture that comes to mind for me in Luke, chapter one, is Luke and Mary (the mother of Jesus), sitting down and visiting. I picture Luke asking pointed and probing questions and Mary sharing her heart. Commentaries have stated that the detail in which Luke records chapters one and two could only have come from a direct interview with Mary. You will also notice that the other three gospels do not cover this story in as much detail as Luke does. Given his medical background he was probably very interested in Mary’s account of the birth of Christ. It is with this accuracy, I believe, Luke writes this account of biblical history.

Now don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that other authors of scripture didn’t approach their writing with the same accuracy. Luke just brings a different background to the table. I am certain, as with all other authors of scripture, Luke followed the direct promptings of our Heavenly Father to record this beautiful, life-changing , relevant message. Thank you Luke, for your obedience to our Lord!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17