Bible Study Thread: Luke

[paradox3]

Reflection: Luke 11: 37 - 54

Wow! Jesus is sounding particularly harsh today.

I have no quarrel with Him calling out the Pharisees for being one way on the outside and another on the inside. But why is this present generation to be held responsible for the actions of its ancestors?

 

[blackbelt1961]

In the second century gnostic book,"Dialogue of the Saviour" Jesus says"The lamp of the body is the mind....as long as you are upright, then your bodies are lights. As long as your mind is darkness, the light that you wait for , will not be.
Of course the gnostic Christians put more emphasis on knowledge and what is within rather than the body.
So maybe theyre just saying the same thing instead of using the eye as a metaphor as Luke does.

there is no such thing as gnostic Christians, there is the only Gnosticism, which contradicts the teachings Christ, kindla like new age, contradict who Christ is

 

[paradox3]

Please start another thread if there are more comments to be made about Gnosticism.

 

[blackbelt1961]

Reflection: Luke 11: 37 - 54

Wow! Jesus is sounding particularly harsh today.

I have no quarrel with Him calling out the Pharisees for being one way on the outside and another on the inside. But why is this present generation to be held responsible for the actions of its ancestors?

because the ancestors of the Pharisees killed the Prophets to shut them up, then the Pharisees build their tombs to Justify their past evil actions as if they cared for them, now that the prophets are dead and can't speak against their religious order.

no different than what they did to Jesus

 

[paradox3]

because the ancestors of the Pharisees killed the Prophets to shut them up, then the Pharisees build their tombs to Justify their past evil actions as if they cared for them, now that the prophets are dead and can't speak against their religious order.

no different than what they did to Jesus

So it's the building of the tombs that offends Jesus?

Just trying to get a handle on this story.

 

[paradox3]

Hey folks,

Just looking at the timing of this thread. I have been moving at a slower pace than I did on the Matthew and Mark threads. I am thinking to go a little faster and have us arrive at the Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter stories on their respective days.

Any thoughts?

I would like to host similar threads for John's gospel and Acts in the future but might leave it until fall and winter. I am not sure which of the two books I will tackle first. . . P3

 

[blackbelt1961]

So it's the building of the tombs that offends Jesus?

Just trying to get a handle on this story.

no, its there attitude, they built the tombs to show that they are righteous when in fact the tombs were just a cover up for there past deeds

 

[blackbelt1961]

Hey folks,

Just looking at the timing of this thread. I have been moving at a slower pace than I did on the Matthew and Mark threads. I am thinking to go a little faster and have us arrive at the Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter stories on their respective days.

I won't be able to comment on those days, ill be in cuba 2 weeks

 

[paradox3]

no, its there attitude, they built the tombs to show that they are righteous when in fact the tombs were just a cover up for there past deeds

Interesting that Jesus has compared the Pharisees to white washed tombs on other occasions. In today's text, he likens them to unmarked graves and says people walk over them without realizing it.

 

[BetteTheRed]

I think the continual reference to Pharisees says more about the context surrounding the time period when it is being written, when post-Temple Judaism and early Christianity were not getting along terribly well, and criticizing Judaism in any form would have helped keep peace with the Romans.

 

[blackbelt1961]

Interesting that Jesus has compared the Pharisees to white washed tombs on other occasions. In today's text, he likens them to unmarked graves and says people walk over them without realizing it.

indeed, the Pharisees were religious and wanted to Look good but didn't care about Justice or God, they just cared about their positions of power and authority, which made them hypocrites.

the word Hypocrite' comes from the Greek word 'hypokrites', which means "an actor, the Pharisees were pretending to be something other than what they truly were. Jesus called them out on it and for that, they pushed Pilate to crucify Him because they wanted to keep their righteous image before the very people they had religious authority over.

They are still the same today and why they are so against accepting Christ as there Messiah. To accept Christ today is to admit there past religious mistake and humble themselves before Him.

that is what they did to there Prophets

 

[Waterfall]

indeed, the Pharisees were religious and wanted to Look good but didn't care about Justice or God, they just cared about their positions of power and authority, which made them hypocrites.

the word Hypocrite' comes from the Greek word 'hypokrites', which means "an actor, the Pharisees were pretending to be something other than what they truly were. Jesus called them out on it and for that, they pushed Pilate to crucify Him because they wanted to keep their righteous image before the very people they had religious authority over.

They are still the same today and why they are so against accepting Christ as there Messiah. To accept Christ today is to admit there past religious mistake and humble themselves before Him.

that is what they did to there Prophets

So Jesus would have kicked the Apostle Paul to the curb? Seeing as Paul was a Pharisee....

 

[blackbelt1961]

So Jesus would have kicked the Apostle Paul to the curb? Seeing as Paul was a Pharisee....

Paul's heart was changed by the Lord, the Pharisees who wanted to keep there Power & Authority over the people, their heart hardened even further because of the Lord

 

[paradox3]

So Jesus would have kicked the Apostle Paul to the curb? Seeing as Paul was a Pharisee....

Scripture does not rule out the possibility of a righteous Pharisee. So while Jesus is generally quite critical of them, there are a few exceptions.

We see it in the stories of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, both Pharisees.

Lawyers and scribes answer questions correctly on a few occasions, too.

 

[paradox3]

Looking ahead at the schedule for this thread, I would say we will be continuing at the present pace (3-4 days/ chapter) until Palm Sunday. Then we will move more quickly through Holy Week and arrive at the Good Friday and Easter Sunday narratives on the respective days.

We will take a break for Easter vigil on Holy Saturday and get to the post-resurrection material on Easter Monday.

Ta da! I like the sound of this.

 

[unsafe]

Todays Scripture ----

Luke 11:37-54 (GW)
Jesus Criticizes Some Jewish Leaders
37 After Jesus spoke, a Pharisee invited him to have lunch at his house. So Jesus accepted the invitation. 38 The Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus didn’t wash before the meal.

39 The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside you are full of greed and evil.

40 You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside too? 41 Give what is inside as a gift to the poor, and then everything will be clean[a] for you.

42 “How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give God one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of God. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.

43 “How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to sit in the front seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.

44 How horrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves. People walk on them without knowing what they are.”

45 One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings said to him, “Teacher, when you talk this way, you insult us too.”

46 Jesus said, “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You burden people with loads that are hard to carry. But you won’t lift a finger to carry any of these loads.

47 “How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them.

48 So you are witnesses and approve of what your ancestors did. They murdered the prophets for whom you build monuments.

49 That’s why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will murder some of those prophets and apostles and persecute others.’

50 So the people living now will be charged with the murder of every prophet since the world was made.

51 This includes the murders from Abel to Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I can guarantee this truth: The people living today will be held responsible for this.

52 “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You have taken away the key that unlocks knowledge. You haven’t gained entrance into knowledge yourselves, and you’ve kept out those who wanted to enter.”

53 When Jesus left, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees held a terrible grudge against him. They questioned him about many things 54 and watched him closely to trap him in something he might say.


unsafe says -----This is all about Dead Religion and a Living Personal Relationship with God ------

Judaism is like all other religions ---they are all man made and therefore all Spiritually dead -----Hanging with God is not about any religion ---it is all about the Love we have for God alone who has done so much for us without us even realizing that is was God --- Through His Love and Mercy and Grace we can even exist today ----God gave us life ---- it is by God's Common Grace that we humans open our eyes each morning -----it is by God's Grace that we have rain --snow-- sun--- clouds ----etc ----it is by God's Grace that we have jobs -----We can go on and on ----

The Pharisees and Scribes just didn't get it ------they were to busy trying to keep their Religious traditions and Laws that they themselves said whatever God gave them they could keep ---they were arrogant then and they remained arrogant and this hardened their hearts to who Jesus was and His Good News

unsafe says
We see a Pharisee invites Jesus for a meal at his home and they criticize the fact that their tradition of hand washing wasn't adhered to --there is no law by God about washing hands before a meal ---this is one of their own made up Laws -----and Jesus quickly rebukes it -----

Verse 39 -----39 The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside you are full of greed and evil

unsafe says ---This is what man made Religion is all about -----putting on an outside show while inside they who are running the show remain in the world acting and believing all that is in the world ----their inside is still one made of corruptible seed ------God is on their Lips --not in their hearts


unsafe says ---This is still so very much in this world today and we see it time and time again as the clergy of today stand in their pulpits Preaching with their lips about God and then themselves doing evil things ------their heart is in doing worldly things -----

All man made Religion is Hypocritical ----there are so many so called people today who Profess to be Christians but their Words crucify them -----they are like the Pharisees they use the word Christian as a Title only ---their inside is still of corruptible seed ----

unsafe says
Jesus gives the Pharisees 6 Woes in this Scripture ----

The Woes are all to do with hypocrisy -----

Tithing is one -----they tithe but then forget about their neighbour -----

Reputation is one -----they were more interested in being praised-- honored ---flattered and exalted then they were humbling themselves to God to serve Him not their own egos

Uncleanness is one ----- under Jewish law anyone who came in contact with a dead body was considered unclean and Jesus totally insults them with His statement here ------44 How horrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves. People walk on them without knowing what they are.”

Numbers 19:11 (ESV)
11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.


Heavy Burdens is one -----Jesus speaking to lawyers here ------some scripture say experts and some lawyers ----

verse 46 GW --- Jesus said, “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You burden people with loads that are hard to carry. But you won’t lift a finger to carry any of these loads.

Luke 11:46 (ESV)
46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

unsafe says ---this above is referring to all the man made rules that have been put in place that place great burdens on the Church ----and they do nothing about relieving them -----



The Blood of the Prophets is one -----

47 “How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them.
48 So you are witnesses and approve of what your ancestors did. They murdered the prophets for whom you build monuments.
49 That’s why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will murder some of those prophets and apostles and persecute others.’
50 So the people living now will be charged with the murder of every prophet since the world was made.


unsafe says ----So for me this is saying ------ If the Lawyers approved of the death of the prophets by their ancestors then they opposed the greatest Prophet now that stands before them ---because both the Laws and the prophets point directly to Jesus and Jesus came to fulfil the Laws and the prophets ------these Lawyers were suppose to be great experts in knowing the scripture ignored these signs because they were blinded by their own ignorance and pride ---- they despise this great Prophet who is among them they will be charged as guilty for the bloodshed of all the prophets -----


The Key of Knowledge is one ----

52 “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You have taken away the key that unlocks knowledge. You haven’t gained entrance into knowledge yourselves, and you’ve kept out those who wanted to enter.”

unsafe says ----Jesus wanted all to follow Him and to believe in Him and the one who sent Him ---He flung the door open to all who wanted to hear and understand His message ---He used the key of knowledge to bring people to understand the will and nature of God and to bring people to God ------

The Pharisees were lost a lost bunch of souls by their own pride and arrogance -----they lived a Hypocritical life and Jesus told them Flat Out what He thought ----He used Righteous Judgment against them and didn't sugar coat His words -----


Today is no different in this multi man made Religious world -----Many sugar coat the Gospel scared to preach the truth and many preach their own Doctrine ---Twisting and turning scripture to suit their own agenda ------


The Pharisees were False Prophets and there are many around still today -----leading their Church down the wrong Path to eternal death ------and they should all be ashamed of themselves -----

 

[paradox3]

Summary: Luke 12: 1 - 34

1. Jesus warns against hypocrisy. The crowds are now gathering by the thousands and trampling each other.

2. Jesus states that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

3. Jesus relates the parable of the rich fool. "Be on guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (v.15)

4. Jesus tells the disciples they are not to worry about what they eat or what they wear. Instead, they are to strive for God's kingdom and these things will be given to them as well. No thief comes near and no moth destroys the treasure that is in heaven. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

[paradox3]

Reflection: Luke 12: 1 - 34

So we are not to worry. And to focus on the spiritual aspect of life rather than the material. As in the story of Martha and Mary, I have to wonder about the advice to totally disregard the material side of life.

It seems that the Holy Spirit will provide all the guidance we need. If brought before the religious authorities, there is no need to worry about what to say or how to defend ourselves. The Holy Spirit will teach us at that very hour what we ought to say.

What exactly did Jesus mean by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? How are we to define this unpardonable behavior, do you think?

He cautions us about God's judgement and tells us it is necessary to acknowledge the Son of Man. Yet speaking a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Maybe Jesus is saying we must acknowledge him if we want him to advocate for us with the angels of God.

 

[blackbelt1961]

Reflection: Luke 12: 1 - 34

So we are not to worry. And to focus on the spiritual aspect of life rather than the material. As in the story of Martha and Mary, I have to wonder about the advice to totally disregard the material side of life.

Good Morning ,

It's not so much to focus on the spiritual aspect of Life more than our physical part, but rather to add, make a part the spiritual along with our physical. Worrying/eating is a natural part of the human experience, the spiritual part helps us to deal with it and build our faith with God.
It is a balance of both aspects, spiritual & physical that is healthy, if you look at the life of Jesus, He was a very balanced Human being.

It seems that the Holy Spirit will provide all the guidance we need. If brought before the religious authorities, there is no need to worry about what to say or how to defend ourselves. The Holy Spirit will teach us at that very hour what we ought to say.

The Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us in all that is spiritual, including prayer, forgiveness, comfort, relationships, mountains etc .

What exactly did Jesus mean by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? How are we to define this unpardonable behavior, do you think?

the Pharisees knew Jesus was the Son of God, but fought him along the way because Jesus message was a threat to the way the Pharisees governed the people, so they choose their power and authority over God. So when it came to Jesus removing demons by the Power of the Holy Spirit/God, the Pharisees accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of satan .

so in a nutshell, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is knowingly attributing the Power of the Holy Spirit who is God , to satan.

He cautions us about God's judgement and tells us it is necessary to acknowledge the Son of Man. Yet speaking a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Maybe Jesus is saying we must acknowledge him if we want him to advocate for us with the angels of God.

if our hearts are for God and His ways, it will reflect in our lives, like any treasure we hold dear to our hearts. Even though we will still sin and have failures along our path of life on to death, they will be forgiven because of the righteous of the work of Jesus on the cross, we are not alone in our life walk.

Jesus is the Only way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), these are also attribtures of the Creator alone, here also in John 14:6, Jesus's claim to Divinity as Creator.

 

[unsafe]

Todays scripture

unsafe says ----Jesus gives warnings and encouragement to His Disciples -----

Luke 12"1-34 GW
Jesus Speaks to His Disciples
12 Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy. 2 Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.
4 “My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more.
5 I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. 7 Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.
8 I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others.
9 But God’s angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that they don’t know me.
10 Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are put on trial in synagogues or in front of rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. 12 At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”


unsafe says ---We see in verses 1-11 that Jesus is warning His Disciples of being like the Pharisees ---their yeast spreads and corrupts so if one comes upon a Hypocrite don't imitate him ----The Pharisees were great counterfeits and they fooled many ---Their hypocritical character was hidden for some time but there is a time coming when what was kept secret will be reveled ----the Pharisees will have to eventually give an account of all their works and covered sins and even their words will be on the chopping block to be judged -----Jesus says don't be afraid of men they can only kill the body and after that it is out of their hands -----be afraid of the one who has the power to send you to hell We are to fear God He is the punisher of all unrighteousness not man -----God looks after the sparrows and He tells the Disciples they are more valuable then the sparrows -----If true followers acknowledge Christ then He will do the same for them but if they reject Him He will reject them before the angels -----The Disciples are not to worry about what to say or how to defend themselves in front of rulers and authorities as the Holy Spirit will direct them and teach them as to what to say ------



Important here -----Verse 10 -----10 Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

unsafe says ---this is saying to me ---that Jesus says He can be denied to some degree which can be by True Repentance forgiven but to blaspheme God's Holy Spirit is totally rejecting the power that works in us and through us to reflect Christ's life ----Jesus died to forgive our sins and receiving the Holy Spirit is part of God's Grace and if one rejects this Grace it cannot be applied again ------We receive the Holy Spirit only once ----- Jesus died once
for us ----we die once and then Judgment comes ------

Verse 11 ----also important -----as this is for us today and God says in His logos that the Holy Spirit will guide and teach all True Christ-ians as to what the scriptures are Spiritually saying ----

A Story about Material Possessions
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance that our father left us.”
14 Jesus said to him, “Who appointed me to be your judge or to divide your inheritance?”
15 He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
16 Then he used this illustration. He said, “A rich man had land that produced good crops. 17 He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’ 18 He said, ‘I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you’ve accumulated?’ 21 That’s how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with God.”


unsafe says ----This passage 13-21 above speaks for itself for True Christ-ians -----We are not to horde or store what we have extra -----we are to give our extra to Bless another -----we are Blessed to be a Blessing to others -----it is more important to have a relationship with God and secure our eternal home then it is to have stored up material things for ourselves

Stop Worrying
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Consider the crows. They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds.
25 “Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? 26 If you can’t do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? 27 Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 28 That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
29 “Don’t concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. 30 Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31 Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 “Sell your material possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out! Make a treasure for yourselves in heaven that never loses its value! In heaven thieves and moths can’t get close enough to destroy your treasure. 34 Your heart will be where your treasure is.


unsafe says -----Verses 22-34 -----Jesus is saying that we should not worry ---but as blackbelt1961 points out worry is a part of our human nature and is very difficult to master as far as fully trusting God to provide everything we need --it takes great courage and fully trusting God not engage in worry ------Like it or not worry is negative meditation it is carrying anxiety and the cares of the world on us and is not healthy for us we are to trust God to provide all our needs--- Philippians 4:19 is a Promise -----but hard to accomplish and it certainly can't be done on our own Power -----We Need Grace to strengthen us in this endeavor and not many of us will ever accomplish this goal ---When we start to worry we need to focus on God's word not the worrying thought -----but easier said then done ----