The Parable of the Unjust Steward

This is a difficult parable, but part of the problem is our habit of treating the parables of Jesus allegorically, in that we expect every detail to have a theological correspondence. This is not the right way to interpret parables--rather, the parables are startling stories drawn from everyday life that make surprising spiritual points.

So, in this case, don't try to figure out who the unjust steward is and who the master is and what the oil represents. Instead, focus on the main point, which I take to be this:

If people in this world know how to use their possessions in a way that works with this world's values, how much more should the followers of Jesus know how to use their possessions in in a way that works with the values of the world to come!

In other words, a Christian ought to use his money in accordance of the values of the Kingdom of God.

Does that help?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 16:1-18

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The Two Brothers

In the Parable of the Lost Sons, Jesus shows how there are two ways of destroying relationships:

• The younger son shows the "external way of destroying relationships: outright sin, rebellion, and selfishness;
• The older son shows the "internal" way of destroying relationships: self-righteousness, pride, and resentment.

Note how both ways destroy relationships, but they each do so in different ways. And note how the father wants reconciliation with both sons, regardless.

The danger to the younger son is obvious: his behavior is immediately self-destructive. But the danger to the older son is more subtle and insidious, and in some ways scarier: he thinks he is right even as his self-righteousness is keeping him out of the party.

I suspect that most of us have more in common with the older son than the younger.

How is your pride keeping you from being reconciled with someone today?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 15:11-32

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God Loves the Lost

When the Pharisees grumble that Jesus eats with sinners, he tells 3 parables, the first 2 of which we read today: the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. What's the point he's making?

That God loves lost people.

To whom can you show that love today?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 15:1-10

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Count the Cost

Jesus doesn't want anyone to accuse him of not being forthright about the cost of being a disciple. He uses hyperbolic language ("You have to hate your own family") to show that the only way discipleship works is for faith to be first, and everything else second. (How do I know that Jesus doesn't literally want us to hate our families? Well, to honor your father and mother is one of the Ten Commandments, among other reasons.)

Then, the little Parables of the Tower Builder and Warring King make the same point: understand that following Jesus comes with a cost, and don't say he didn't warn you. And if you aren't willing to pay the price, discipleship just won't make sense for you--you might as well be salt without saltiness.

For me, this raises the question, "Why would anyone choose to become his disciple, knowing that discipleship is so costly?" Here's my answer: because his way leads to life, and no other way will ultimately give us what we want.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 14:25-35

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Are You Going to the Party?

God is throwing a huge party, and wants everyone to be there. How will you reply?

I preached on this parable this past Sunday, and that was the main point.

https://vimeo.com/358694963

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 14:7-24

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Jesus's Sorrow Over Jerusalem

Jesus is here predicting both Israel's rejection of him in Jerusalem and the subsequent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He implies that if the Jews had received him as Messiah, then the Temple would not have been destroyed. As it was, Jesus was crucified around AD 30, and the Romans destroyed the Temple in AD 70. I've seen the ruins of the Temple with my own eyes.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 13:31-35

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Will the Jews Be Saved?

In the little parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven, Jesus wants us to understand that we are not accurate assessors of God's work in the world. The Kingdom of God might start small (there's not much smaller than a Crucified Messiah!), but its growth is inevitable.

Then, Jesus again reminds his hearers that the time to respond to the Kingdom message is NOW when they are still able, and not in the future, when it will be too late:

²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’"

Luke 13:24-25

He's warning his fellow Jews that just because they are part of Abraham's family does not mean they get a free pass: they still need to respond to Jesus.

The same message applies to us: the way we show we are his disciples is by doing what he said. Just because we claim to be his followers doesn't count--we have to live like it.

And guess what? There will be some people who look like insiders who turn out to be knocking on the door as outsiders, and there will be some people who would seem to be outsiders who turn out to be insiders:

"Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

Luke 13:30

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 13:18-30

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God Won't Delay Forever

People want to get Jesus's thoughts on some atrocity that Pontius Pilate ordered:

"Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices."

Luke 13:1

As usual, Jesus flips around the question by first offering another tragic example from current events, and then putting the question back to the questioners:

² Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?³ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Luke 13:2-5

The little parable he then tells about the fig tree makes the point that it's not too late to repent, but that God's judgment won't be put off forever.

A good message for all of us today.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 13:1-17

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Not Peace But Division

This passage is about the implications of Jesus's message:

1. One implication (verses 49-53) is that his message is inherently divisive, because there are people who will not accept and will be opposed to it, even within families.
2. The second implication (verses 54-59) is that his message is urgent, and Jesus upbraids the people for missing the urgency and necessity of responding to his message. If they can draw conclusions from the weather, then why can't they draw conclusions from the signs of his messianic ministry? In fact, it is so important that they make a decision for him, that not to do so is like not settling a lawsuit that you are sure to lose. The point: act now!

The

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 12:49-59

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A Warning to Christian Leaders

The parable Jesus tells here about an untrustworthy household manager is terrifying, particularly for those in Christian leadership.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Luke 12:47-49

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 12:35-48

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You Have Everything You Need

Jesus seems to think of the world as a safe place, full of abundance, created by a generous God:

²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ 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—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

Luke 12:22-31

How would today be different for you if you believed that you had everything you need?

P.S. Sorry about missing the last 2 days....

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 12:13-34

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What They Believed About Eyes in the Ancient World

Until recently, I was confused by the words of Jesus we find in today's reading:

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Luke 11:33-36

But this week I came across the following explanation in a commentary, which helped me:

"According to a physiology prevalent in Greco-Roman antiquity, the eyes do not function by allowing light to come in but by allowing the body's own light to go out. The eye is the conduit or source of the light that makes sight possible. Jesus' assertion, 'Your eye is the lamp of your body,' thus expresses a commonly held view, identifying the eyes are sources of light insofar as they allow the body's light to go forth. Given this physiology, the pivotal issue is whether the eyes are sick or healthy--that is, whether the body is full of darkness or light....[Jesus] urges his audience to consider the nature of their dispositions.... v. 35 is present as an existential challenge to self-evaluation, a warning to be filled with light rather than darkness. Clearly, those who test Jesus (v. 16)--as well as those Pharisees and lawyers of the subsequent unit (vv. 37-54), whose inner avarice and malevolence generate a neglect of justice and love of God--are condemned by their own actions as people full of darkness. The possibility of repentance is left open; what is not debatable for Jesus is the certainty that one's inner constitution is broadcast in one's behaviors.

Joel Greene, The Gospel of Luke, pp 465-466 [emphasis mine]

Anyway, I found that helpful.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 11:29-36

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Calling Jesus Names

Rather than coming to terms with the obvious power at work in his ministry, some of the people slander Jesus and say that he is only able to exorcise demons because he works for Beelzebul. (Beelzebul was a Philistine god that came to represent the Devil for the Jews.) Jesus points out the obvious stupidity of this accusation: if he is driving out demons on behalf of the prince of demons, that means that the demonic forces are working against themselves.

I think it's interesting that his opponents would prefer to call Jesus a name than to actually reckon with his ideas. That should be a warning to us: when people resort to simplistic labeling and name-calling, rather than reckon with the actual ideas themselves, it means they don't actually have anything to say, and no argument to make. American politics is full of this kind of lazy bullying. Let us not be like that today--if we think someone is wrong or misguided, let's do the hard work of argument and avoid the easy resort to useless labeling.

P.S. Quick thought about vv. 24-26. Jesus is just describing what evil spirits are like: they will torment someone for a while, give someone a temporary reprieve, and then come back worse than before. If that's what evil spirits are like, then it is ridiculous that some people are unable to celebrate that he has been exorcising demons; rather, they want to just criticize and call names.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 11:14-28

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My Daughter is Obsessed With Chewing Gum

We made the mistake of giving our two year-old daughter chewing gum earlier this summer. (It was a moment of temporary parental insanity, Your Honor.) I'm assuming that the gum we gave her included heroin, because since then she's become obsessed with it. This morning--and this is 100% true--she asked me for chewing gum at 6:45 AM. And here's the thing: no matter how many times we tell her, "No," she will ask again, undaunted, 20 minutes later, or 2 minutes later, or 5 seconds later, "Kin I half gumm? Kin I?"

[Note to the reader--and I am not making this up--she literally just asked us again as I am in the midst of writing this post. Let the record show that she just "brushed" her teeth, and that it is 7:45 PM and her bedtime. We've created a monster.]

Jesus says that that's the way we should behave in prayer:

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Luke 11:5-8

Persistence, according to Jesus, is an important ingredient in prayer.

What have you quit praying for?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 11:1-13

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Jesus Wouldn't Have Been on His Phone

Jesus gives Martha a hard time for being distracted and missing the importance of actually being present with the people around her.

If he gave Martha a hard time 2,000 years ago, what would Jesus have to say to you about distraction today?

How can you be intentionally and unhurriedly present today?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 10:38-42

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The Good Samaritan

Some brief thoughts on the Parable of the Good Samaritan:

• This parable is utterly brilliant--see how Jesus totally flips the perspective?
• Neighbor moves from the object ("Who is my neighbor?) to the subject ("How can I be a neighbor?").
• Samaritans were HATED by the Jews and considered half-breeds. Who would be the Samaritan today if Jesus were telling YOU this parable? Donald Trump? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? An illegal immigrant? A member of the Border Patrol?
• Jesus makes it clear that there is no limit how much we should love and care for other people--the Good Samaritan does far more than just the minimum.
• The Christians faith is not about believing but about doing. Jesus says, "Go and do likewise."

To whom do you need to be a Good Samaritan today?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 10:25-37

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What Does Jesus Mean When He Speaks About Satan?

Jesus sends out 72 of his followers on a mission trip. When they return, they enthusiastically tell him all the cool stuff that happened:

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'”

Luke 10:17

Jesus replies,

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

Luke 10:18

What does that mean?

I found this passage from one of my commentaries on Luke to be helpful:

"Jesus' vision of Satan's downfall can be a mental image...for what has happened or is happening in his own mission and that of the seventy-two....

"Jesus, therefore, can put his followers' success in a heavenly perspective that is hidden from them. He projects the limited defeat of demons onto the broader screen of the cosmic conflict between God and the forces of evil. What is happening is not simply the expulsion of random demons that they might come across in their travels but the beginning of the complete overthrow of Satan's rule. The disciples only see the battle picture from the limited perspective of their hand-to-hand combat in the trenches. They have charged into the line of demons and routed them in various skirmishes. Jesus sees the whole war map. Satan has been knocked off his throne in 'heaven,' representing the 'summit of his power,' and is in full retreat. He is still kicking and will unleash woes, but he will assuredly be vanquished. His final defeat with be consummated at the end of time....

"The vision of Satan's fall does not make Jesus' death and resurrection superfluous, and the final victory does not even come in Jesus' death and resurrection because Satan continues to work damage in Acts (13:4-12, 26:18). But the cross and the resurrection do mortal damage to the satanic realm (Heb 2:14)."

David Garland, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 3

Pretty cool!

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 10: 17-24

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How Do We Know the Text of the New Testament Hasn't Been Changed?

Lots of folks worry that the text of the Bible has been changed over time. How do we know we can trust the text that we are reading? How can we be sure the text hasn't been changed over the centuries? Can we trust the text of the New Testament?

The short answer: yes.

Here's why: there are thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament in existence; biblical scholars compare and contrast these manuscripts with each other.

• As of 2016, there were more than 5,850 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament;
• About 1000 of these date from before 390 AD, when St. Jerome made his Latin translation of the Bible, called the Vulgate.
• Most of these manuscripts are partial or fragmentary, but even so we have multiple manuscripts for every single book in the New Testament. (Revelation is the least well-attested, but there are still about 300 ancient Greek manuscripts that preserve it.)

So, comparing these thousands of manuscripts, scholars can be confident that the New Testament in our Bibles is essentially the exact same New Testament that the early Christians wrote--we can see that things have not changed over time.

However, there are small discrepancies and textual problems in the New Testament, one of which is found in today's reading:

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go."

Luke 10:1

Notice the small [a] in the NIV? That leads to a textual note that says "Some manuscripts seventy." What that means is that the Bible translators are letting you know that there are many manuscripts that say "seventy" instead of "seventy-two." The translators of the NIV think that "seventy-two" is what Luke actually wrote, but they want you to know that there is some textual confusion on that point and that it is possible that he wrote "seventy." (Obviously, we do not have the literal autograph that Luke wrote.)

To me, these sorts of textual problems make me more confident in the text of the Bible, not less:

1. If the church was trying to perpetuate a hoax, it would be beyond stupid to print footnotes in the Bible that explain when there are textual problems!
2. If the Bible was formed the was the church claims it was formed, i.e., organically and over time, then it would make sense that there would be small textual problems like this.
3. The vast majority of the textual problems are exactly like Luke 10:1--totally beside the point. Whether Jesus sent out seventy-two or seventy really doesn't matter.

You can be confident that the text of the New Testament in our Bible's today is the same text that the New Testament writers wrote, and any small discrepancies or textual problems that exist are both irrelevant and out in the open.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 10:1-16

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Seek Allies Whenever Possible

John: “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

Jesus: "Are demons bad?"

John: "Uh...yes."

Jesus: "And are we currently fighting against the spiritual forces of wickedness?"

John: [in a small voice] "yes."

Jesus: "Then he is our ally in this. Treat him as such."

There are so many enemies arrayed against the Kingdom of God that we can't afford to reject potential allies.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 9:46-62

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The Spiritual Reality We Cannot See

On our honeymoon, my wife and I went snorkeling. Above the water, we could just see...water. But below the water, with the benefit of the masks we were wearing, we saw a whole other world: the sea teemed with bright fishes and gently waving grasses. That undersea world had always been there, but most of the time we were unable to see it.

In the Bible from time to time we get a glimpse of the deeper spiritual reality that is currently hidden from us with naked sight. The so-called Mount of Transfiguration is one of those times:

²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 

Luke 9:29-30

Isn't it fascinating to think about all the life that we are currently unable to see?

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

1 Corinthians 13:12

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 9:28-45

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