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Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Friday, April 1) Read Luke 15  Once again, Jesus was eating with the wrong crowd. Once again, the religious people around him were offended. Once again, Jesus tells a story which justifies his actions and calls into question the attitudes of his critics. Only now, it’s not just one story — it’s three: a lost sheep is found and the shepherd rejoices with his friends; a lost coin is found and the woman wants to celebrate; a lost son comes home and the father throws a party. Common themes? Lost. Found. Party. And in the first two, the direct application: when lost people are found, heaven throws a party. The implication? Providing a safe place for people to find their way back to God, and celebrating with them when they do, is an activity blessed by heaven itself. (It’s one of the many reasons I’m glad we meet in a saloon.) There is a party in the third story, too. But not everyone is happy about it. In the same way that the Pharisees and scribes grumb...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross -- Thursday, March 31 Read Luke 14  Food is front and center in today’s reading. It opens with Jesus dining in a Pharisee’s home (1), and continues with Jesus telling parables about a wedding feast (7-11) and a dinner banquet (12-15). After this, someone says, “Blessed is everyone who eats bread in the kingdom of God," whereupon Jesus tells another parable about a banquet (12-24). Why is it that food, especially festive food, plays such a big part in Luke’s gospel? After all, in addition to its outsized role in today’s reading, it is a common theme throughout the book. For example, it began with Levi’s scandalous dinner party in chapter five, and continues up through the evening when Jesus celebrated the sacramental meal with his disciple on the night he was betrayed. But it doesn't end there, for food figures prominently in  Jesus’ resurrection appearances on Easter Day. In the first instance, two disciples recognize Jesus when “he took the bre...

Wednesday, March 30 - What Kind of Kingdom is This? Read Luke 13:18-35  What kind of kingdom is this? People wondered in Jesus’ day; we wonder, too. For it is a very strange kingdom Jesus is announcing.  He welcomed the wrong people. He offended the wrong people. He said we were to love our enemies. He said we were to treat everyone as our neighbor. He made cryptic statements about dying in Jerusalem. Surely, he couldn’t be serious? What kind of kingdom is this? Jesus says the kingdom is like a mustard seed in the garden, and like leaven in the bread. What is that supposed to mean? Perhaps this: His kingdom starts small and works from the inside out. A tiny seed planted in the garden becomes a large tree. A small bit of leaven, working from within, leavens the entire loaf. Large trees from small seeds. Transformation from within, not from without. What kind of kingdom is this? And what of his words about narrow doors and gnashing teeth? People who think they’re on the inside m...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross -- Tuesday, March 29 Read Luke 13:1-17 In time, she got used to her situation. But she never got used to the stares. Generally, she forgot about her misshapen body. But when someone’s eyes averted after meeting hers, she remembered. That’s when she realized that her condition was more than just a daily nuisance to her. She was a public eyesore to others. She was someone to be avoided. People viewed her with pity, or revulsion, or both. She was on the outside looking in. She was different. Her crooked back was not just uncomfortable for her; it made others uncomfortable around her. So she learned to cope. She tried not to stick out. She entered late, stayed in the background, and left early. But she longed — oh, how she longed! — to be whole. Word spread that a local preacher was passing through town. The town was electric with anticipation. As anxious to see him as everyone else, she slipped silently into the synagogue. Suddenly he paused, and looked int...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 28) Read Luke 12:35-59  As Jesus prepared for his final showdown in Jerusalem, he gave clear instruction to his followers – and especially those who lead them. A simplified way to think about this passage is to summarize it thus: Be ready. Be faithful. Be discerning. Be Ready (35-40) The literal reading of this passage’s opening phrase is, “Let your loins stay girded.” It is an overt reference to Exodus 12:11, where, in preparation for the first Passover and the final plague on Egypt, the Israelites are told to eat the meal in haste, with belt fastened, feet sandaled, and staff in hand. Why? Because they were going on a journey and must be ready at a moment’s notice. Back then, the Israelites needed to be ready to flee the slavery of Egypt. In this case Jesus imagines a far less dangerous scene: a master may return home at any moment from a glorious wedding feast. It could be at any time, day or night. They must be ready.  An unex...

Money Talks, Saturday, March 26 Read Luke 12:1-34  Listen to what Jesus said about money: “Be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.” “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” These words from today’s reading are as timely today as they were when Jesus first spoke them. For if we are honest, we know he is right. So what do we do? Perhaps we fret about our love for money; maybe we eagerly spend it or save it, according to our inclination; or we put a bit extra in the offering box to assuage our guilt, or we support worthwhile cause; or, you get the idea. No doubt, this is better than nothing. But let us not miss the bigger picture Jesus is painting. With regard to money, Jesus wants us to see that the way we approach our resources reveals the kind o...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross — Friday, March 25 Read Luke 11:29-54  As we make our way through this section of Luke’s gospel, we must remember the general arc of the story. Jesus has “set his face toward Jerusalem” (9:51). He will not reach it until the 19th chapter (19:41). Luke is patiently leading us toward the climax of his story, that moment when Jesus will confront the powers of evil, be condemned by them, and ultimately be raised victorious. In the meantime, while the Jesus movement is gaining steam and momentum, so too is the conflict his message elicits. Chief among these are the sharp disagreements between the kingdom as Jesus proclaims it, and the conflicting points of view of the established Jewish religious pressure groups. Most significant among these is the group known as Pharisees. What is especially disturbing about the Pharisees is the fact that they had a lot of great qualities. They held the Scriptures in high esteem. They had a high regard for purity and pie...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross  -- Thursday, March 23 Read Luke 11:1-28 “Lord, teach us to pray.”  The disciples’ request reveals that there was something special in the way Jesus prayed. What was it about Jesus’ prayer that made theirs seem shallow in comparison? We don’t know. But clearly, the disciples saw qualities in Jesus’ prayer which made their own seem shallow by comparison. In response, Jesus taught them the prayer we now call The Lord’s Prayer. In the early centuries of the church, this prayer was prayed verbatim at least three times a day. No doubt, we would do well to do the same.  You might try it today, or throughout this week. Say it slowly, thoughtfully, prayerfully at morning, noon and night. Reflect on each phrase. It is one of the best ways available to grow in your own prayer life. Personally, I pray it every morning as part of my daily worship. I commend it to you. Whereas in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to come to God as our Father (1-...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross, Wednesday, March 23 Read Luke 10:25-42 One of the difficulties in reading familiar gospel stories is that we tend to see in them only what we’ve always seen.  Today’s text is a perfect example of this problem. We encounter the Good Samaritan and think, “Oh yes, I should help people whenever I can.” We read about Mary and Martha and reflect, “Oh yes, I must not be so busy like Martha; I must spend time with Jesus like Mary.” When we do this, we miss the radical nature of these controversial stories. We unintentionally turn Jesus' message into something very different than it was in the first place. Consider first the story of the Good Samaritan. “Who is my neighbor?” the lawyer asked. It was a reasonable question, for in typical Jewish thought, your neighbor was a Jew. The God of Israel was the God of the Jews. His command to love your neighbor extended only to Jews. But what would Jesus say? Always the master storyteller, Jesus turns the table...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross: Tuesday, March 22  Read Luke 10:1-24  "When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). With these words, we learn that Jesus has turned a critical corner in his ministry.  He knows his time is short. His final showdown with the powers of evil – the power behind Rome and the religious leaders – is near. It is time to go toward Jerusalem; he must face his destiny. A sense of urgency now characterizes his work. This is likely why he sends out a large group of disciples ahead of him as advance troops to prepare for his later preaching. Their assignment is three-fold: Deliver a message of peace, announce the coming of the kingdom of God, and, as evidence of this, heal the sick. This they did, with great success.  You wouldn’t think the message of peace would be controversial, would you? But it was, for the truth of the matter is that most of the people wanted God to cast off their Roman...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 21) Read Luke 9:37-62 An inconvenient faith. Sometimes that’s how it feels to follow Jesus. Very inconvenient. I’d prefer a Jesus who solves my problems, who makes me feel good, who answers all my questions. Wouldn’t you? But it’s rarely that simple. In fact, it’s never that simple. For as much as I might like it to be so, Jesus is not my personal life coach. I know that’s a shock to many of us. After all, we’ve heard hundreds of sermons on how to find God’s will, overcome stress, manage our finances, build our marriages – who can blame us for thinking that the Christian life is all about how Jesus can help me make my life better? But this is so far from the truth that it’s not even funny. Jesus is not a product I consume to enhance my life. To think so is ludicrous. It’s like assuming that, since the Army’s slogan was “Be all that you can be,” its primary purpose is personal life enhancement. No. The Army has a much more important agenda ...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Saturday, March 19)  Read Luke 9:1-36  “Who do you say that I am?”  Jesus asked his disciples this after spending a whole night in prayer. We can’t help but wonder whether Jesus had been praying over that same question: his vocation, his mission, and his marching orders. Now he wants to know what his disciples think about him. The success or failure of his entire redemptive mission will lie squarely on the shoulders of these twelve. It is vital that they have a clear understanding of who he is. So he asks, “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds with conviction: “The Messiah of God.” It is a bold confession. Jesus has been skating around the question since the beginning of his ministry. He knows that his definition of Messiah is very different from the popular conception. After all, the general expectation was that when the Messiah came, he would incite a rebellion against Rome, win Israel’s independence, restore true temple worsh...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Friday, March 8) Read Luke 8:40-56        Does it ever seem like God’s time and yours are radically different? You ask for wisdom, for healing, for direction, for guidance, but it doesn't seem to come in time – if it comes at all? Jairus must have felt that way in today’s scripture reading. His only daughter, merely twelve years old, was deathly ill. Hearing that Jesus was in town, the Bible tells us he “implored” Jesus to come and heal his daughter. No doubt he did: I’d “implore” too. Imagine his relief as Jesus and his entourage made their way toward his home. His prayers would be answered. His persistence had paid off. His daughter would be saved. This pleasant train of thought derailed when Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Who touched me?” he said. No answer. Jesus’ disciples were dubious: With so many people thronging about, how could he feel a single touch? "Someone touched me," Jesus said. Imagine Jairus’ anxiety at this delay. “M...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Thursday, March 17) Read Luke 8:1-39 On March 5, 1976, Donna and I were two sixteen-year-old kids staring at each other over ice cream at Robin Hood’s Ice Cream Shoppe in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It was our first official date. Four years later we were married, and the following year we began a lifetime of ministry together. Our first assignment was a dream situation: we were ministers of youth and worship at a thriving church in Pismo Beach, California. We loved everything about it. People thought we were crazy when we left after four years to finish our education, and to become the pastors of a country church in Dillman, Indiana. Whenever I read the parable of the sower and the seed, I fondly recall that country church where we enjoyed four fantastic years of ministry. Why they were willing to embrace a 25-year-old, guitar-playing, long-haired preacher from California is a mystery to me. But they did, and we’ve never forgotten their love and generos...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Wednesday, March 16)  Read Luke 7:36-50  I would love to have been there when the “sinful woman” crashed Simon’s party. It’s one of the most beautiful stories in the gospels. Jesus is invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. Is he a secret disciple? Is this a private interview, like the one between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3? After all, he has shown hospitality to Jesus by opening his home to him— not something to be taken lightly in any culture, especially in those days. Suddenly, an uninvited guest steps into the scene. We see from the start that she is out of place in this gathering, for she is “a woman of the city, … a sinner.” She cautiously – or brazenly – makes her way to Jesus. Clearly, she has something on her mind. What is she thinking? She must know she doesn't belong here. Pausing behind Jesus and holding an alabaster ointment jar in her hands, she is unsure what to do next. Soon her emotions get the best of her a...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Tuesday, March 15) Read Luke 7:18-35  John was confused about Jesus. After announcing him as the Messiah, two things mystified him. Why didn’t he gather a rebellion to overthrow Rome? And why hadn’t he rescued him from Herod (Luke 3:18-19)? Jesus uses John’s confusion to make some confusing statements of his own regarding his identity and mission. Luke uses the whole episode to highlight the vital question: who does Jesus think he is? Let’s take a careful look at this interchange…. Jesus responds cryptically to John’s question: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard….” He then recites a litany of miracles filled with Old Testament allusions to the coming of the Holy One to Israel (Isa 29:18-19; 35:3-6): “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,” etc. The cryptic comments continue as John’s messengers leave. Jesus asks the crowd about John. Who did they think he was? “A reed shaken by the wind…? A man dressed in soft clothing…? A prophet...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 14) Read Luke 7:1-17  What did it take to amaze Jesus? We are told of two instances. In the first, he is amazed by the unbelief he witness in his hometown of Nazareth. In the second, he marvels at the faith of a Roman centurion in Capernaum. Consider the contrast between these two episodes. In both cases, faith – or its lack – is what amazed Jesus. In today’s reading, Jesus marvels at the great faith of a Roman centurion. Concerned for his servant's health, he asks some Jewish elders to request that Jesus come to heal him. While Jesus is on his way, and knowing that Jesus would defile himself if he were to enter a Gentile home, he sends some friends with this message: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.... But say the word, and let my servant be healed." We can see why Jesus was amazed. We are too. In the first place, the soldier’s concern for his servant’s health shows him to b...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross: (Saturday, March 12) Read Luke 6 At first, we’re frustrated by the Pharisees. But later we wonder: is there a bit of the Pharisee in us, too? First, our frustration. Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are so infuriated by this apparent disregard for Sabbath-keeping that they immediately plot – on the Sabbath, mind you! – how to get rid of Jesus. “Let me see if I have this right,” we think. “It’s not okay to heal a man on the Sabbath, but it is okay to plan your revenge on the Sabbath? Seems like a twisted set of priorities to me.” And we’re right. The Pharisees were so protective of the letter of the law that the violated its spirit. Jesus knew this. That’s why he asked, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm?” So far, so good. But then Jesus begins to ruffle our own feathers a bit. He spends the night in prayer (there’s that refrain again!) and chooses 12 apostles. He gathers them along with others who are following him and he tells them...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Friday, March 11) Read Luke 5:17-39 The problem is, Jesus was having way too much fun. He was doing the wrong sorts of things with the wrong sort of folk. What kind of Messiah would claim to forgive sins, or share a glass of wine with tax collectors? It just wasn’t right! Everyone was eager for the Messiah to come. They expected him to rescue them from their pagan oppressors and set up God’s kingdom in Jerusalem.  In fact, this was at the heart of the Pharisee’s agenda. They earnestly believed that if everyone would follow the Torah (the Law), God would find them worthy of his blessing. The Messiah would come. Rome would be defeated. The righteous would be vindicated. Sinners would be condemned. All would be well. But this would-be Messiah was breaking all the rules and welcoming all the wrong people. Here he is, doing it again. Healing a paralyzed man, well that’s fine. But offering him forgiveness? That could be found in one place only: the temple...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Thursday, March 10) Read Luke 5:1-16 “But he would withdraw to desolate places to pray” (5:16).  This is the second time Luke has told us that Jesus made it his practice to find a private place of solitude for prayer -- in addition to the 40-day period of prayer in the wilderness with which he began his ministry. We dare not miss this important window into Jesus’ personal spiritual life. We may wonder: if Jesus was the Son of God, why did he need to pray? Didn’t he already know what to do? Apparently not. The mystery of the Incarnation is beyond human comprehension. In fact, it seems to me that the more we attempt to clarify it, the more we tend to obscure it. We either make Jesus so divine that he was hardly human, or so human that he was scarcely divine. The truth is, he was fully divine and fully human, and these are ideas bigger than our minds can hold. We do better, I think, to let the scriptures speak for themselves, to embrace the mystery, an...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Wednesday, March 9) Read Luke 4 Three of the four gospels give us a very personal story of Jesus’ encounter with the Tempter in the Wilderness. Isn’t it telling? Just as Jesus begins his public ministry he has a very private encounter with the Enemy. It is as if, before he is prepared to do public battle with the forces of Evil in the world, he must first have a private wrestling match with the Evil One. It’s true in life, isn’t it? Most public failures are the result of private failures first.  The affair which ultimately destroys a marriage is generally only the final battle in a long war which began in private long before: an extended lunch, a discreet re-arranging of schedules, a too-tender touch, an inappropriate heart-to-heart conversation, an internal “I give up” to the problems at home. Or a similar story with regard to ethics, or … you get the idea. The opposite is true, as well. Public victories are not won in a moment, but are forged in t...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Tuesday, March 8 ) Read Luke 3 Traditionally, we study the ministry of John the Baptist during Advent. But considering our purpose – preparing our hearts for the Cross and the Resurrection – John’s ministry serves equally well. We won’t much like his message: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance….” We’re a bit offended at first. After all, aren’t we among the few who’ve come to hear what John has to say? Aren’t we sincere in seeking God? What about all those other people who could care less? Give us a break, John! On second thought, maybe his message is precisely what we need to hear. For if we know where the story is going (God on a Cross for your sins and mine), we must prepare our hearts to see, hear, and feel the story fresh each year. We need to repent of our poor housekeeping, our debris-cluttered lives, our crooked ways, our rough roads. We need John’s message just as much tod...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Monday, March 7) Read Luke 2:22-52 It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the temple to the Jewish people of the first century. It was at the center of their city, at the center of their lives, and at the center of their identity as the people of God. The temple represented the presence of God among his people. If we are familiar with the grand scope of the biblical drama, we realize how important this is. After all, ever since the Garden was spoiled by human rebellion, humanity had lived “east of Eden” — at arms-length distance from God. The rescue from Egypt and the covenant on Mount Sinai was the result of God’s desire, once again, to live among his people. We may find the 15 chapter description of how to build the tabernacle to be tedious; the Israelites certainly did not. At last! God is among us! When, later, a beautiful temple was built by King Solomon, the glory of God’s presence was so thick that the priests could not even continu...

Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Saturday, March 5) Read Luke 2:1-21 At last the story begins. The overture is over: the opera has begun. The curtain opens and we are given the setting to the story: “A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” For us this is ancient history, but Luke’s original readers recognized it as yesterday’s headline. They knew of Caesar Augustus as well as we know about Abraham Lincoln – and probably better, for Augustus’ reign had ended only a few decades earlier (14 A.D.) What they knew was this: Caesar Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Following a bloody civil war, he seized power and turned the great Roman republic into an empire with himself at its helm. Claiming that his adopted father became a god after he died, Augustus called himself the “son of god.” Rome’s rise to greatness had brought peace to the world (Pax Romana) , climaxing with the reign of Augustus himself. Before long, especially in the east, p...