Jesus Alone Saves the Lost Sinners

Luke 19:1-10

Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus' House

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Jesus saves the lost sinners, not the ones found in their own righteousness.  When our Lord came through Jericho He encountered Zacchaeus who strived in some way to see Jesus, eventually climbing up a tree because he was a bit too wee to see over the crowd.  Jesus of course looked up because He knew the short man was there up high to see and be seen.  The Lord instructed him to make room for Him to come and dine at Zacchaeus' place.  The man was overjoyed to have the honor of Jesus coming to his house, especially since his fellow Jews looked down on him with contempt as a tax collector.  Not only was the man a servant of the occupying Romans but he was a chief tax collector, meaning he was higher up the food chain of those taking tribute tax for Israel’s enemies.  These tax collectors were usually swindlers as well, taking some of the inflated taxes for themselves to get rich as Zacchaeus was, so all assumed that he did the same on this lucrative trade route and all his wealth.  When accused as being such a sinner, however, the wee man showed righteous actions much like the examples of the rich ruler and blind man in the previous chapter of their faith and repentance.  In his defense, Zacchaeus recounted his honesty by telling how he restored money even when falsely accused and how he was generous toward the needy as well in loving his neighbor.  Jesus delivered salvation to save this outcast and made it clearly known that He came to save such sinners who were lost and needed to be found by Him in forgiveness of grace and restoration with the Father through Him.  The Pharisees and other religious people still murmured and complained among the crowd to stir them up against such a sinful traitorous man and did not grasp that they were sinners as well and likewise needed the same forgiveness as they repented of their own dishonesty and unloving behavior towards their neighbors which they falsely accused this man of.  The lesson here is to realize we all are sinners (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:21-23, Galatians 3:22) in need of the Lord seeking us out to rescue and restore us as undeserving offenders in need of unmerited favor of forgiveness despite our sins.  Nonetheless, this example also demonstrates how those seeking to do right (John 3:19-21) like the tax collector are invited as sons of believing Abraham (Galatians 3:9) in that grace.  He prepares those He has come for and is drawing to Himself (John 6:44, 65) because He alone saves us by His choice and never our own decision or work to earn salvation from sin’s penalty.  Jesus alone saves the lost sinners like Zacchaeus and like you and I.  May all climb the highest tree in the lowest humility to see and be invited in to dine eternally with Him! 

Things Hidden and Revealed

Luke 18:31-43

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection

31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

A Blind Man Receives His Sight

35 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."

42 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Jesus spoke of things that were hidden and revealed.  The hidden was clearly stated but required ears of the hearers to be opened by Him to be seen.  He spoke about the rejection, humiliation, degradation, torture, and murder to come to Him as told before by the prophets (Acts 26:22-23) by those unwilling and unable to hear the clear declaration of His suffering and death to atone for their sins in a way no mere yearly animal sacrifice in the temple could ever achieve (Hebrews 9:24-25, 28, 10:3, 10).  But He also talked of the fact of His resurrection when He rose again from death to life as a pattern and forerunner (1 Corinthians 15: 20-22, of we who will hear and believe His words of these things which He has done for us to reconcile us to God the Father through His Son (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Colossians 1:20, Romans 6:6-7) as we are given spiritual understanding (Luke 24:45, Ephesians 1:18, 1 John 5:20) by the Spirit of God Himself.  These truths from old and new were not understood even by the apostles near to Jesus until He later revealed them when He rose from death to life and promised them the same (John 5:24) with His Spirit place inside them to grasp these with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10, 12, 16).  This comprehension comes with our new birth of regeneration as we gain a new mind and heart to observe God’s word since we have it engraved on our very being with such understanding of all its significance!  The hidden is now revealed to the children of God in Jesus Christ.  Another example of hidden things is the man who was blind and heard the Lord pass by close to him.  He cried out for mercy and to see what he always unable to himself.  By the faith that trusted the word of the Lord to him to be able to see he then saw clearly with eyes wide open by the finger of God in a figurative sense.  Once able to see, the once blind man followed Jesus and gave glory to God which caused others to praise Him in response.  Such it is with us who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear with them ringing in our ears and hearts in this new life now and into eternity with Him before His face one day.  Things hidden have been revealed and we give joyful glory to God in following Him! 

Pursuing Lasting Riches

Luke 18:18-30 

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"

21 And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."

22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible

24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

26 And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"

27 But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

28 Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You."

29 So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

Jesus made it clear that to follow Him means letting go of everything we hold dear in this life as we turn from our sin to Him.  Repentance must lead to the willingness to count the cost and follow the Lord on His terms and not our own negotiated agreements.  We like to imagine that He only expects a few token areas of our obedience and that all others are legalistic obligations which undo grace.  What we say then is that He is not worthy of all our lives as we forget that He gave all of His in the suffering and rejection of us all which led to the tortuous cross in our place to deliver that grace of forgiveness and reconciliation to holiness.  The rich man Jesus spoke to who came to ask what he had to do to inherit eternal life expected a legalistic answer to follow the key commandments as Jesus reminded him.  But He first reminded the man who was good, and that was God alone (who Jesus was) as a clue that following the commandments was not enough (James 2:10); we have to follow Him who alone can keep those laws of God fully, God Himself among us (Immanuel).  We do this work of God to earn salvation as He told us in John 6:29 which is believing and receiving Him and His perfect work to earn our salvation.  One sign of this commitment to follow was for the rich man who clung to his possessions as much as the imperfect keeping of the moral commands of God was the sign of letting loose his grip on the wealth he had accumulated (Matthew 6:19-21) and relied on for his significance and security.  These had to be handed over to the Lord to truly follow Him with an unadulterated heart of reciprocal commitment.  Therefore when Jesus told the rich man to sell everything, give to the needy, and then follow, the man refused to do that.  He was sad to have to lose his earthly possessions to gain heavenly ones because he did not value the essentials.  Certainly we do not all have to give away all we have to follow Christ, but if we are not willing to do so if He requires from us, then our heart is divided and we also will be sorrowful as we count the cost of discipleship and choose ourselves and the passing possessions which we leave behind in the end anyway.  Our hearts are where our treasures lie, either here or beyond the sky in heaven above.  Jesus told us how difficult it is for those who have so much in this life to trust Him and follow by letting go of all from the heart.  He used the literal picture of the extreme impossibility of a large camel going through the eye of a tiny needle as an illustration of the difficulty of letting go of our money and possessions (Matthew 6:24) to serve one master completely.  Those around Jesus asked the question we all put to Him, “Who then can be saved?” and heard the answer.  It is only possible by God’s working in the human heart which is spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:5, Romans 5:8) by opening our eyes and ears to hear and turn wholeheartedly to Him and to receive Him and His work as He calls and draws us to Himself (John 6:44) to change our hearts and minds to leave all and follow Him willingly and without reservation as the disciples (Matthew 4:19-20, 19:27, 29) did.  We who value Him more will inherit more in eternity than anyone could ever even dream about in this life, so let us pursue the things (Matthew 6:19, Romans 14:19, 1 Timothy 6:11) which last and do not rot or rust as they all turn to dust.  We are to be pursuing lasting riches with a heavenly view of eternity.

Persistence, Pride, and Humble Trust

Luke 18:1-17

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"

6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus Blesses Little Children

(15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Here Jesus taught us through two parables and a life example about persistence, pride, and humble trust in Him and His word.  The parable about persistence in prayer was how a widow pressed a judge for justice until he gave in and granted the ruling.  This story was given to teach us all to pray and not give up by losing heart in thinking we will never see an answer to our prayers for relief.  We often do give up praying if we do not see immediate results, imagining we do not have enough faith or did not pray with enough effort.  Jesus told us to keep praying and not allow these feelings to stop our trust in God’s work according to His will (John 14:14, 1 John 5:14) until we see an answer.  We might pray for just one day or for many years, but if we trust Him and know what we ask is just and right in God’s eyes we will persist in this.  There is a war, however, not to ask just to get an answer from persistence without faith in action which is obedience in the Lord as He told us, “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”  This means we pray in faith and walk in it as well for God to supply our needs as we submit to His sovereign authority.  He is a just Judge and faithful to hear us when we pray in persistence and sincerity.  The second parable gave us the example of the pride of the religious Pharisee contrasted with the humility of a tax collector who realized his unworthiness because he was a sinner and confessed that openly as the Pharisee did not with his demands when praying.  The proud man thought himself worthy because he was so much better than others as he did good works to earn God’s favor (as he imagined).  On the other hand, the man who recognized and confessed his sinfulness could not look up to God to justify himself as he acknowledged he was incapable of righteousness in word or thought or deed.  He merely cried for mercy because grace alone could satisfy a lost man, just as we confess our inability to earn (Romans 3:23, 6:23) the righteousness found only in Christ and His righteousness (Romans 3:22, 5:17, 21, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9).  His cry is ours also which says, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”  If we humble ourselves (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:5-6) in this realization we will be lifted up by the Lord to be made important and justified in Christ alone and not in or of ourselves.  Jesus ended these two parables with the illustration of little children who came to Him and were not refused because they came in true faith which looks to and trusts Him completely for answers to inward prayers of their deepest needs.  May we be like them in humble trust in our prayers. 

The Coming Kingdom

Luke 17:20-37 

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

22 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left."

37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"

So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Jesus told us of the coming kingdom of God to be seen first within us and ending up coming down from heaven among us on a better earth wiped clean from sin as a spiritual and physical cleansing by fire.  When asked first ofall by the Pharisees who beloved in spirits, angels, and an afterlife (Acts 23:8), unlike the Sadducees, Jesus told them these truths of the kingdom now and to come (Luke 11:2, Revelation 12:10) as we pray for.  He told them that we cannot see it coming (Matthew 24:33, 27) most of all because the kingdom is within us (Romans 14:17), pointing to the fact that regeneration is required to be part of that kingdom of heaven and of God.  His kingdom means that He is Lord of us and rules us as such; it is not just a place for us, but a place of Him where we enter in.  He Himself will be the new temple in the capital of this new celestial country as Revelation 21:22 informs us.  The kingdom of God then begins with our regeneration of salvation in us on this earth and continues to eternity in the new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:13) where His righteousness lives and remains on everyone there without end as now in this sin-stained world needing to be cauterized and (2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12-13) to then be remade as intended in Eden’s garden.  We are not to futilely attempt to determine or define the coming of the end of this world’s kingdoms and the beginning of God’s kingdom on earth as Jesus warned the people then.  His return for judgment on all will be as quick as a flash of lightning seen by everyone at once without any warning or prediction.  We therefore must be prepared with the kingdom of God within us before that kingdom entra escapes us.  We must be citizens of that heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) before His arrival as there is no passport to allow us to enter later (Hebrews 9:27-28) if we are not already members of the household (Ephesians 2:19) of God in Christ.  People will assume they can enter when He returns but will unfortunately be denied access because they did not enter the one narrow gate (Acts 4:12, Matthew 7:13-14, John 10:2-3, 9) into this kingdom while still on this old earth.  Instead, most will be living for the passing pleasures of sin until they are taken unaware because they did not listen or hear the gospel of del from sin and its due punishment apart from the pardon of Jesus Christ through Hos atoning sacrificial suffering and death with the resurrection promising our own in Him.  Like Sodom of old, the kingdoms of this world will be taken by complete surprise in the judgment by fire to come on the world on His unannounced return.  Are you ready?  We can observe enough general signs (Matthew 24:6-8) to know trouble is brewing but the exact day and time are beyond us.  Since we know the precursors to judgment day and the coming kingdom, it is time to repent from our pursuit of the temporal passing pleasures of sin to believe and receive Him (John 1:12) that we may enter the kingdom of God in Christ now and become citizens with the only right to the kingdom to come.  Do you have assurance that you will be able to enter it?  Are you already a citizen of this kingdom of God?  Be certain (2 Peter 1:10-11).

Forgiveness, Faithful Duty, and Thanksgiving

Luke 17:1-19

Jesus Warns of Offenses

1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Faith and Duty

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"

Ten Lepers Cleansed

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."

Jesus spoke often of the essential need of forgiveness, our faithfulness as a necessity of faith, and thankfulness as a response to His mercy of forgiveness and gift of faith.  He warned of giving offense and gives us the command to be forgiving to others who offend us when they come to us in repentance to beg our forgiveness.  This means we also need to rebuke the offender and not just glibly wave it all aside, for then they might not truly change if not held accountable with firm love for their good.  But we also must be willing to keep forgiving the offender if the offense does repeat or others are committed against us by that person, just as our Heavenly Father does for us (1 John 1:9).  If the offender sincerely repents, we must likewise sincerely forgive from the heart.  We are to do to others as we would have them do to us as it is written in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 for us to live by.  We are to be merciful as our Father in heaven is (Luke 6:36) in forgiving those who offend us, even if it repeatedly.  Forgiveness is essential and never optional.  Likewise, our faithfulness of faith to trust our Lord in all matters grows only as we begin by rote obedience at times, doing our duty of obedience to God’s word until He enlarges our heart (Psalm 119:32) to grow into willing obedience out of trust in all Jesus tells us and joy in willingly doing as we are commanded and compelled.  Like a servant we keep the attitude of, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.”  Our standing as children of God is not a prideful attitude of entitlement, but a humble place of service as slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:16, 19, 22-23) in our freedom from sin’s forgiven penalty.  Also like the ten lepers who were healed but only one acknowledged what God had done for them, we are to show sincere and overwhelming gratitude for our salvation from sin’s much deserved penalty.  The ten all cried for mercy from the Lord and each one was made well, yet only one returned to Jesus to thank and worship Him.  That faith was sincere in thanksgiving and was rewarded with healing of both body and soul.  We are to go our way from the point of deliverance from sin which is our conversion of salvation with the same response of overwhelming joy in our salvation with a thankful heart willing to obey as we follow Jesus Christ and forgive as we have been wonderfully and undeservedly forgiven.  This is true forgiveness, faithful duty of faith, and thankfulness from the heart changed by His marvelous grace. 

Eternal or Temporal Valuables?

Luke 16:19-31

19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'

27 "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

Jesus told this parable about those who hold to valuables in this life as they seek comfort, riches, and possessions and contrasted these with the extremely poor who suffer want to make the point of what we should value in life in light of eternity.  The rich man seemingly had all he ever desired until he died and found himself suffering eternal torment in Hades which we often call Hell now.  Lazarus, however, suffered with hunger and sickness and had to beg to survive by begging at the very gate of the man who suffered no want of anything.  When they both died, Lazarus was escorted into heaven by angels while the selfish man left all riches behind as his remains were buried and he then suffered greatly afterwards.  The once rich man looked up from the fiery lake of suffering (Matthew 8:12) and saw the once poor man with Abraham in heaven (Matthew 8:11) and called to Abraham for relief from the torment of the flames of judgment he earned ((Romans 6:23) from unrepentant sin as we now know the details more fully after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ described by Paul and the other apostles.  The condemned begged for mercy as the begged outside his house had for years and was reminded that his good things that he valued were only his as long as he lived on earth at the expense of others like poor Lazarus.  Yes, he had received all the go in greed while the other had suffered great need which he did nothing to help with.  Now the poor was rich in the Lord and was comforted while he was the pauper who reaped the torment from all he had sown in life.  Not only that, but there was no way to cross from Hades to Heaven in either direction; the choice made in this life determines eternity after death and judgment (Hebrews 9:27-28, Matthew 25:46, John 12:25, 17:2-3) which we all face.  No amount of earthly valuables or good deeds can earn the kingdom of heaven, only the work of believing God’s word and work in Jesus Christ (John 6:28-29) through repentance from the dead works of sin (Hebrews 6:1) and faith in the Lord’s work to enter in.  Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) who will inherit these things of true and eternal value no matter how much suffering is endured in this life.  The once rich man who had nothing then begged Abraham to send messengers to his five brothers to tell them the bad news with the good news of escape from his own fate of torment.  He was told that they already had the answer in the scriptures (Luke 24:46-47) which pointed to Jesus who was telling this parable that the listeners would understand what He was conveying in this fictional tale of the reality of faith and judgment, of eternal death and eternal life.  The now poor man who was suffering terribly asked if someone could go to the brothers from the dead to make the urgency clear to them but was told if they did not understand from the scriptures that they would not be persuaded to repent even if one were to rise from the grave to tell them what was already available by what God had been telling them and which they would see in the resurrection of Christ Himself who was pointing to what He was about to accomplish to save those who trust His word, turn from sin, and believe to recei Him according to His word of the good news, the gospel of eternal life.  How many still refuse to believe the simple truth of God’s work as they attempt to work their way to heaven or choose to live for themselves and reject their only hope of true eternal valuables He offers us freely?  Do we dare seek to lay up earthly temporal treasures at the expense of ones never ending (Matthew 6:33) of eternal worth?  We are called to count the cost of life and death and choose wisely when our eyes and ears are opened.  Remember the poor rich man and the poor Lazarus who was rich with true and lasting valuables in the Lord. 

The Unjust Steward and the Heart

Luke 16:1-18 

1 He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'

3 "Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'

5 "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?

13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

16 "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

18 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Jesus told this parable before answering the Pharisees whose love of money and pride were the root of their evil.  He spoke of ar wealthy man who had a worker who needed to be held accountable for misusing the man’s money and let go from his employment.  The cunning man did not want to steal and was too proud to beg, so he devised a plan to get support from those who owed the master money and support him when he lost his position by helping them pay less of their debts. The original debt reduction plan but with a dishonest twist.  He had them dishonestly rewrite the amounts of their debts so they would owe less and have more for themselves and to help the man being fired for his own dishonesty.  This shrewdness was commended by the master as a “well done” plot but not in agreement with what he had done as a commendation.  This was not an example for us to follow but and indictment against those choosing to use worldly cunning (Genesis 3:1, Ephesians 4:14) but to speak truly (Ephesians 4:15) with love and concern to do right by others in fairness and honesty instead of shrewd and dishonest practices.  Jesus used this to tell them and us not to be as the world in living to love money at the expense of righteousness because any unjust and unfaithful behavior only leads to an eternal home of the same.  True eternal life is found in loving God and keeping His commandments while loving others as we desire to be loved and treated in such a fashion of just and fair dealings.  Why would God entrust true riches to any who seek their own at the expense of others and disregard of Him in the process?  Unfaithfulness breeds  unfaithful people unable to be entrusted with the true riches of God in Christ.  Likewise, we are told that we are unable to serve two masters; either we serve God in willing obedience or we serve the unrighteous gain of wealth for ourselves to our own demise.  Why then would we want to pursue a path of temporal and passing pleasure of prosperity with no eternal gain?  The Pharisees heard this and were incensed against Jesus for exposing their hearts’ desires and worship because it unveiled their unrighteousness and shrewdness.  They tried to justify their actions as if their abominable behavior would not be seen by God or men.  He further exposed their hypocrisy of not keeping the moral commandments of the LORD while posturing themselves as the keepers of the Law modified to fit their ungodliness.  May we never even begin to imitate this line of reasoning!  Not one tiniest detail of God’s moral law will be explained away; Jesus made it clear that it would be easier to make the heavens and earth to vanish than abrogate the truth and need to keep the word of God.  He then left them with an example of how they gave divorces contrary to God’s word and caused others to sin by explaining away (Deuteronomy 24:1-3, Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:4-5) that part of His word.  This is an example for us to not disregard what God’s word commands in the scriptures and substitute behavior and reasoning that only give us temporary gain at the expense of eternal riches of justness and righteousness.  Remember the unjust steward and the effect on the heart. 

Thanksgiving for Our Restoration

Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'

20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'

28 "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'

31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

I once was lost but now am found.  These words of Amazing Grace originated in this parable of the lost and wayward prodigal son.  Like the lost sheep and missing wedding garland coin, this man is shown for his value to the earthly father as a picture of how much more God and His angels rejoice over sinners repenting from sin and coming to Him confessing their rebellion od disobedience.  The younger son here demanded his inheritance which would have been one-third of the total his father would bequeath the youngest.  He simply could not wait for his father to grow ol and die because he wanted to go see the world and party away all the money in a whirlwind of sinful debauchery.  His reckless and wasteful lifestyle of foolish spending and an uncontrolled life of dissipation soon left him completely broke.  Skint.  Nothing left.  After lowered to eating the food of pigs, an abominable practice for a son of Isaac, he came to his senses with the realization that he could return in shame to his father with confession and repentance as he admitted to sinning against God and him.  He hoped to then have food and shelter as a servant and no more for he deserved nothing more for wasting the inheritance which his father had toiled for all his life.  He felt his unworthiness and would humble himself.  The prodigal son returned and was seen coming from a distance by the worried father.  That loving man had compassion on the son coming from far away and ran to hug and kiss him with that father’s love.  The son confessed his sinful actions and begged forgiveness from his father and the Heavenly Father at the same time in his humility.  The father wel him back with open arms and threw a huge feast to celebrate his lost son’s return to him.  When a servant told the brother these things about how his lost and wayward brother had come back safe and sound, the brother grew angry at the wasteful living and accused the brother of spending all the money of the inheritance on prostitutes and was envious that he never had such a feast.  The father wisely pointed out that this older brother had everything already, including the portion of the inheritance originally promised to him, and rightly justified the celebration because the younger had been dead and now was alive, he was lost and now was found!  This is a picture of all us sinners in the Heavenly Father’s love and forgiveness with open arms of reconciliation through our confession of sin and repentance to accept what any mere servant can expect.  We also have been dead in sin and given life in Christ as the sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father who celebrates each one delivered from His wrath due our sin.  Just like the lost sheep and coin, He rejoices with the heavenly choir for our restoration from our sin nature of wasteful lives that once pursued the passing pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25) instead of serving Him.  May we therefore read this and rest in our acceptance and restoration as His beloved children with thanksgiving and in eternal peace.  Once we were lost, now we are found forevermore! 

Lost Valuables

Luke 15:1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Jesus used these parables of lost valuables to demonstrate the value of the kingdom of heaven over all other possessions and pursuits of the kingdoms of this earth.  He said these truths in response to the complaining scribes and Pharisees who judged Him for entertaining sinners instead of condemning them as the religious people were expected to do.  The first parable is about a single lost sheep of great value to the shepherd who still had ninety-nine more who were not missing.  The value was on the sheep itself and not on the amount which the shepherd possessed in total.  Each one was precious to him and so he left the safe majority to seek the one lost one before it perished in the wilderness without the needed care he provided to keep it alive.  When he finally rescued it from harm and destruction, the good shepherd had a party to celebrate with overwhelming joy in the rescue and return of that sheep much like the Lord finds immense and infinite pleasure in our repentance from sin as we are rescued by Him from a certain judgment and destruction (Ezekiel 34:23, Hebrews 10:27, 1 Peter 2:25).  Yes, there absolutely is such joy in heaven over each sinner who repents, who turns from their lost state in sin to forgiveness and redemption of reconciliation in Him who is the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ!  The angels who did not leave their heavenly abode (Hebrews 12:22-23, Jude 1:6) and who worship the Lord God there stand in a mighty chorus of exuberance over each one of us who is delivered by grace through repentance and faith in Christ.  All lives matter to God from every people and nation and language group (Acts 17:26, Revelation 5:9, 14:6) as the sheep of His pasture (John 10:9, 14-16).  Jesus then told the second parable about a lost drachma, a valuable coin often worn in a ten-piece garland by married women which was as valuable as a wedding ring with sentimental value is today.  Without the one missing piece of the set it was as a diamond ring missing a valuable stone and leaving a gaping hole white noticeable to all, especially to the owner.  This woman then carefully and thoroughly searched all through the house with a broom on her knees until she found the valuable piece that was lost because it meant so much to her.  She also responded as the shepherd who found his lost sheep with great joy and celebration with friends and even her neighbors.  She wanted all to know the immense importance of the lost one and the joy of it being found.  This again was a picture of the angels in heaven rejoicing over a single lost repentant sinner who is of infinite value to the Lord who made us in His image when they are found by God because we are His bride (Hosea 2:19-20, 23, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 21:9) and the sheep (Psalm 95:7-8, 1 Peter 2:25) of His heavenly pasture.  We are the valuables of God who once were lost but now are found in His amazing grace!