February 21, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 3 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.41 through 4.44 (pages 103-107)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
So sad that the religious leaders couldn’t see their own hypocrisy. They didn’t look themselves in the mirror so to speak. They put a standard on others that they themselves did not heed.
I wonder how susceptible we are to be so blind. Maybe not guilty of the same things Jesus was pointing out to the Pharisees, but to seeing our own faults. I’m reminded from this reading how important it is to daily reflect on our words and actions.
Amen, Renee!
9 ¶ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
So many examples of perspective and priorties in these sections that begs the question…What is in our heart? Are we following rules or doing work to check a box or out of a true love for others and a desire for God to be glorified. Hard to share the gospel to others when it isn’t evident in our own lives. We can say the right words but people are watching our behavior. Are we like the Samaritan showing genuine care or stepping over the man because he is not one of us, are we taking time to stop and listen to God like Mary or just letting the tasks of life get in the way like Martha, or are we like the Pharises worrying about appearances or are we humbly coming to God to be used for His glory.
The generation of Jewish leaders that rejected Christ have the weight of the rejection and deaths of all the prophets that were killed up to that time on them.
Jesus goes on to condemn the lawyers who have taken away the key to learning about God.
They have set up their “system” of outward requirements, that are impossible to keep, preventing anyone, even themselves from knowing God.
What is the key? The heart.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Acts 19-22.
”In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”“
Acts 20:35 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.20.35.NIV
4.41 The Most Important Commandment, the Story About the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) I love the way Jesus allows the man to answer his own question and reveal the areas of his own heart that needed to be brought into alignment with God’s heart. “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” Asking questions is a great way to learn what it is a person thinks about any subject, and when trying to share Christ with others, it is no different. Why do they think we are here? Why is there something rather than nothing? What do they think happens when we die? How do they determine what is right and what is wrong? I also love how Luke makes it clear the motives behind the man’s follow-up question…”But he, desiring to justify himself…” Why do we justify ourselves before God? Because of our pride. Surely, we are not that bad. Surely God understands why we sin…He understands how hard it is to live a righteous life…as the recent Superbowl ads trumpet “He gets us.” Well…Jesus does understand us, and He loves us…so much so that while we were yet sinners, He died for us! But he also loves us too much to just leave us as we are.
4.42 Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (ESV). How often am I like Martha? Far too often. This goes to yesterday’s readings as well…no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom. How then shall I live?
4.43 Jesus Teaches About Prayer (Luke 11:1-13) I love that in Jesus’ example of how to pray, He tells us to address God as Father. It is that intimacy that exists between God and His people that is not found in any other religious framework. God Himself has adopted us as His own…”For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29) In our new lives in Christ, we bear the family resemblance…because God is making us more and more like Jesus through His power and His Spirit! How are we witnessing this change in our lives? How do we see God changing us? How are we different?
4.44 Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders (Luke 11:37-54) Jesus gives stern rebukes against religious hypocrisy here, which can be very easy to fall into, given it originates with our pride! Ultimately, we have to always be on guard about either loving the praise of man, or discipling people in way that we ourselves not live. Grace and humility are our great teachers here…we know that God looks upon the heart, not the exterior of a person. When we being from a place where we acknowledge that we are nothing…that ultimately, anything we do is because God graces us to do it, and that we are indeed God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand, that we might walk in them (Eph 2:10)…it really helps strip away our pride and keeps us focused on God, for His glory…and it is there that we find peace, regardless of the outcomes!
Steve McGowan
4:41 – 4:44
4.41 The Most Important Commandment 🙏
The Life of Jesus 4.41-4.44; Mark 13-14
How often I’m like Martha. I let my busy life get in the way of paying attention to the words of Jesus.
So often Jesus warned about the teachers and Pharisees for they were leading the people astray and putting heavy burdens on them that they themselves didn`t even follow. Such hypocrites. Earlier Jesus was calling them deceivers and liars like their father the devil. In the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus was calling out these Pharisees and Levites for they were the one`s walking by this injured man and not lifting a hand to help even though they could. In the story it doesn`t say who this injured man was but he was probably Jewish. I only say that by the statement that he was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. But it doesn`t really matter only that his need was great. In a way it could be worse for if he was Jewish this would put him under their teaching in the synagogue. But what a great story and teaching by Jesus. How this Samaritan was to help this Jewish man even though the Jews hated the Samaritans. He showed great love to this injured man. He gave his time, money, attended to his needs, put him on his donkey and brought him to a inn. How are we when we see someone in need or hear about it? Do we have the compassion of Jesus to help someone or do we just ignore the need? Even latter Jesus is rebuking these Levites and Pharisees for their pride and self righteousness. They were not clean on the inside and didn`t love God. But they wanted the people to see their outside appearance and deceive people thinking they were clean. Again God hates hypocrites. Jesus said to them : You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning too. Jesus spoke in the common tongue and so was the whole Bible written so the common man could read it and not just a select few priests and teachers. Many men died to have the word of God translated into English. Even now the word of God is being translated into other languages and dialects. The command to teach all Nations about Jesus. That every tongue confess that He is Lord. In between these teachings about these Religious leaders is the instruction to Martha not to be so busy that you don`t have time for Him. And the teaching on prayer to be persistent in our prayers. Peace to all.
Lenten 2024-Day 3
Lenten Day 3
Section 4:43, very encouraging. God hears every prayer we pray and will always answer them. Keep asking and you shall receive what you need(if it abides with His will).
“And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith.”(Matthew 21:22)
It is truly amazing that the God of the heavens calls us to a love relationship, where in response to His love for us, we love Him with every facet of our being. And with that love in our hearts, it only makes sense to love our neighbor as we do ourselves. And our neighbor is anyone who comes across our path and there is an opportunity to help. SO it is about our heart toward people and not our geographic location. And one way that we express our love for God is to listen to His words. How easy it is for us to be distracted with the logistics of life and not give God the time and attention that He deserves. We need to be more concerned about the state of our hearts than the state of our bodies or environment. Prayer is another way that I show love for God. We start by recognizing Who it is that we are praying to, and the authority He has over all things and the desire we should have that His kingdom should come and His will should be done. Once we have that right, we ask for our physical needs and our spiritual ones as well. All this to foster further fellowship with God and faith in Him. And we don’t hesitate to continue to press God’s throne…keep asking, seeking and knocking…. And when we love God like this, we will avoid the pitfalls of the Pharisees that were so concerned with appearances, that they didn’t care what was in their hearts. They wanted the prominent place and wanted to give people the things they should do but not do them themselves. Continuing to love God is the key to embrace the things we should do in these sections, and to avoid the things we shouldn’t do. May we do it with all that is within us!
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only ONE.” When I am caught up in the busyness of the day, so much so that I have no time for God, I can ask myself what matters most? Is it that I have a relationship with the Lord or that I get everything done? And when I focus on what matters most, I am lifted up. When I focus on what doesn’t really matter, I feel burdened by it all. So when I make good choices about what I think and do each day, I am choosing what is better. “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Lenten 3