October 21, 2014
Luke 13-15
Luke 13 opens with something unique: the only time Jesus is recorded to have commented on the current events of his day. He mentions two: Pilate’s brutal slaughter of Galileans and the tragic collapse of a tower in Siloam. Jesus says, in essence, that tragedy does not necessarily mean that victims are guilty!
Luke goes on to describe Jesus’ healing of a crippled woman on the Sabbath. Jesus named the synagogue leaders who complained about it, “Hypocrites!” After telling two short parables, Jesus encourages his listeners to “make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” The life of a disciple may not be easy. The chapter concludes with Jesus’ first lament over Jerusalem. (Luke records another in Luke 19:41f)
The setting of Luke 14 is a dinner at a Pharisee’s house. Jesus uses a teachable moment to talk about humility and tell one of his most famous stories: the Parable of the Great Banquet. Those invited to it (the Jews) refuse to come, and offer any number of excuses. The Master of the Feast then sends the servants out to bring anyone and everyone into the feast, “so that his house may be full!” (14:23) The door is opened to Gentiles! At the end of Luke 14, Jesus encourages potential followers to “count the cost.”
Luke 15 is one of the most beloved chapters in Scripture; it contains the three “lost” parables:” the stories of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Ah, but which of the sons is truly lost? At the end of the story, it’s the elder, not the prodigal! It doesn’t take much for us to see both the Pharisees and our judgmental selves in that older brother, does it?
Your fellow pilgrim through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
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