Luke 9
23 Then (Jesus) said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your selfish ambitions,
take up your cross daily,
and follow me.
24 If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.
25 And what do you benefit
if you gain the whole world
but are yourself lost or destroyed?
All my life I've heard preachers use this passage to get people to commit to be missionaries to "deepest, darkest Africa."
I've wondered for a long time now if this parable is Jesus' attempt to clue us in on the results we will all experience as we share what our lives are like as followers of Jesus.
********
Luke 8
4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they look, they won’t really see.
When they hear, they won’t understand.’
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. 12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. 13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
Luke 7
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. 2 At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4 So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
6 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” 10 And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.
This is Luke's account of the things Jesus said during what we call in Matthew's Gospel as the Sermon on the Mount...
Luke 6
20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.
22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.
41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
Luke 5
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth.
“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him.
28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other notorious sinners also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
********
Jesus clearly WANTED to be with people his culture & society considered awful & despicable.
And there was obviously something about Jesus that made these "notorious sinners" WANTED to be with Him.
Which begs the question - do we, as followers of Jesus & supposedly filled with His love, WANT to hang out with the "notorious sinners" of our time?
And is there truly so much of Jesus' love & personality resident in our souls that the "scum" of this earth WANT to hang with us?
Hebrews 4
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit,
between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.
Everything is naked
and exposed
before his eyes,
and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold firmly to what we believe.
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses,
for he faced all of the same testings we do,
yet he did not sin.
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
There we will receive his mercy,
and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 3
14 For if we are faithful to the end,
trusting God
just as firmly as when we first believed,
we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
15 Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
Mark 12
28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.
He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked,
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this:
‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.’
31 The second is equally important:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.”
********
Boil down what Jesus said?
Love God, love others.
LGLO
Psalm 49
1 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2 High and low,
rich and poor—listen!
3 For my words are wise,
and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4 I listen carefully to many proverbs
and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
5 Why should I fear when trouble comes,
when enemies surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever
and never see the grave.
10 Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
12 but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
13 This is the fate of fools,
though they are remembered as being wise.
14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.
16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they take nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate
and are applauded for their success.
19 But they will die like all before them
and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
they will die, just like animals.
Mark 10
13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus
so he could touch and bless them.
But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples.
He said to them,
“Let the children come to me.
Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
15 I tell you the truth,
anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child
will never enter it.”
16 Then he took the children in his arms
and placed his hands on their heads
and blessed them.
Mark 9
33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house,
Jesus asked his disciples,
“What were you discussing out on the road?”
34 But they didn’t answer,
because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 He sat down,
called the twelve disciples over to him,
and said,
“Whoever wants to be first must take last place
and be the servant of everyone else.”
36 Then he put a little child among them.
hmmmmmm... maybe I should forward this to a few politicians...?
Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me,
and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me
but also my Father who sent me.”
Mark 8
34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, (Jesus) said,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way,
take up your cross,
and follow me.
35 If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake
and for the sake of the Good News,
you will save it.
36 And what do you benefit
if you gain the whole world
but lose your own soul?
37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
38 If anyone is ashamed of me & my message in these adulterous & sinful days,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person
when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
2 Timothy is Paul's goodbye letter to Timothy, the son he "come by."
we don't know if Timothy made it to Rome before Paul was executed - probably not.
So these are probably Paul's last few words to a person he loved dearly as a son...
********
2 Timothy 4
1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus,
who will someday judge the living and the dead
when he comes to set up his Kingdom:
2 Preach the word of God.
Be prepared,
whether the time is favorable or not.
Patiently correct,
rebuke,
and encourage your people with good teaching.
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching.
They will follow their own desires
and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.
Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.
Work at telling others the Good News,
and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
This is Paul writing to Timothy, his son that he "come by"
2 Timothy is Paul's "goodbye letter" to Timothy.
Paul wrote in it prison in Rome, shortly before Paul was executed.
2 Timothy 3
1 You should know this, Timothy,
that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
2 For people will love only themselves
and their money.
They will be boastful
and proud,
scoffing at God,
disobedient to their parents,
and ungrateful.
They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving
and unforgiving;
they will slander others
and have no self-control.
They will be cruel
and hate what is good.
4 They will betray their friends,
be reckless,
be puffed up with pride,
and love pleasure rather than God.
5 They will act religious,
but they will reject the power that could make them godly.
Stay away from people like that!
Mark 5
21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”
24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
2 Timothy 1
9 For God saved us
and called us to live a holy life.
He did this,
not because we deserved it,
but because that was his plan
from before the beginning of time;
to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
10 And now he has made all of this plain to us
by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior.
He broke the power of death
and illuminated the way to life and immortality
through the Good News.
These 2 passages are from Paul's first letter to Timothy.
Timothy was a young colleague & fellow worker in Paul's missionary journeys & endeavors.
Paul & Timothy were really close. Paul considered Timothy his son.
In the first passage Paul is encouraging Timothy on how to live his life as a follower of Jesus.
The second passage is to rich people.
Both passages shine a light on how to live.
1 Timothy 6
11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God;
so run from all these evil things.
Pursue righteousness and a godly life,
along with faith,
love,
perseverance,
and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight for the true faith.
Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you...
********
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud
and not to trust in their money,
which is so unreliable.
Their trust should be in God,
who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to use their money to do good.
They should be rich in good works
and generous to those in need,
always being ready to share with others.
19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure
as a good foundation for the future
so that they may experience true life.
