Luke’s Gospel: Herod
Now there was this prophet named Jesus. Herod was excited to meet Him.
Now there was this prophet named Jesus. Herod was excited to meet Him.
Pontius Pilate seemed to fill the second role as Procurator of Rome for Israel.
The term “Sanhedrin” comes from Hebrew words meaning “sitting together.”
The sight of Jesus bound by the guards and offering no resistance was too much for them.
There would be no rest on this night.
It was His duty to warn them. He began with Peter.
Who among them would be judged the greatest?
Jesus predicted events and people who would lead them to their goals.
The Jesus Story is one of suffering, to be sure.
We are called to be a watchful people, carefully observing events and people around us.
As much as we long for stability, we can still feel the ground shaking beneath us.
Patience is a hard-won virtue that turns today’s defeat into tomorrow’s victory.
The noise of this offering was so impressive the man’s followers applauded such generosity.
The leaders of Jesus’ day were accomplished actors.
Jesus was a product of David’s family line on both Mary and Joseph’s side. He was the Son of David.
The Sadducees were a joyless group of liberal theologians who had outgrown any beliefs in the supernatural.
He was teaching in the Temple courts every day and the authorities were watching.
He was talking about Himself and the religious leaders and everyone knew this.
The leaders wanted to choose the time and the issue to give their team the best chance of shutting Jesus down.
As a tragic counterpoint to the psalteries and tambourines accompanying the songs of praise, the tears of the Savior fell to the street beneath the donkey’s feet.
Somehow the sight of Jesus riding a young donkey toward and through the gates of the ancient City of David excited the dormant hope for a Deliverer.
Hate is a most unprofitable emotion. Seldom does it lead to benefits either for the individual or the company.
As Jesus neared Jerusalem, interest grew in the nature of His coming Kingdom. If money was earned only to be given away, what kind of economy would that be?
His BIG childhood dreams had come true, but Zaccheus still felt small.
This was enough for the blind man. Each day, he listened to the passing crowds in hopes that Jesus might come his way, and now it was happening.
Of all the provocative things about Jesus, the most revolutionary was the news that He might be Messiah.
Impossibilities are the things of a created universe. The handiwork of God is expansive and is still expanding.
When we do something well it means our technique was effective; it does not mean that what was done was good.
The growth process is one of learning who to listen to who and who to ignore.
Jesus finished the story by calling for action. If we persist in self-exaltation, there can be only one result—humiliation.
What will Jesus find on the earth when He returns to it? Indeed, what does He find in this present moment?
What was the moral and social climate in those days and how will it be replicated in the Last Days?
In the earthly ministry of Jesus, there were many, many victories. He began in His home region of Galilee teaching and working miracles and multitudes followed Him.
The Kingdom of God has a native tongue—Truth! There is a national culture—Spirit!
They drifted from garbage heap to garbage heap finding only rags to wear and scraps to eat.
His faith never wavered while theirs seem to come and go.
The ingratitude of those who received His miracles but refused to follow His teaching offended Him.
“There was a certain rich man…” These are the words of Jesus.
The divided heart will always bleed trouble, one scheme upon another, until we are exposed for what we really are—an unjust steward.
Perhaps the most famous of all the stories Jesus told is the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
One of the terms we use to describe the person without God is, “lost.”
Jesus chose this image to illustrate how those who follow Him act as preservatives in a most sinful world.
A shared meal is an important means of fellowship in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus employed analogies, comparisons to material things, to help us “see” the Kingdom.
Unrepentant hearts lead directly to stupidity on an amazing scale.
It was important that Jesus teach discernment, spelling out the many facets of living for Him in a hostile world.
When we claim the Lord as our treasure, He claims us as His! Life is more than the quest for temporal things—it is an investment in eternal treasures.
As the Bible warns and promises, we reap what we have sown.
An undivided purpose will help us continue in prayer, even when answers are delayed.
Really, ministry isn’t simple at all. It has many expressions, some of them obvious and some of them hidden.
They graduated from disciples to apostles because Jesus sent them out, two by two, with a mission.
In the games of life, we are free to choose the side we will join.
The men were weary and solitude brought them sleep, not supplication.
Jesus did exactly that—He gave all 12 of them the power to preach the Gospel and heal the sick.
The only hindrance found in the scriptural record was the lack of faith.
He was greeted, not with flowers and accolades from an adoring crowd, but by a naked crazy man.
One day, the light of judgment will shine into every human heart.
A group of women now followed Him, providing for the needs of the team from their own resources.
For some reason, a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to his home for dinner.
It is difficult to calculate the totality of the loss suffered by a woman of Nain.
Jesus always responded to the faith of those who called on Him, but this was the most unusual statement of faith He had yet to hear.
The future is coming for each of us. The choices we make today determine what that future will be. Without Jesus, each of us is headed for ruin.
These famous commands of Jesus remain a lofty, unattainable goal until we give our hearts to Him and He takes up residence there.
Jesus knew that many, if not most of the people in the multitude, would turn away from Him when the healings were done.
It was time for Jesus to select from among the multitudes that followed Him those who would be His primary representatives.
It never occurred to them that Jesus might be Lord of the Sabbath, but they were about to discover this.
The difference between Jesus and His men and John and his followers was one of missions.
Matthew’s quick mind for sums added up the offer and the tax collector saw a way out of the wretched life he had been living.
As Jesus taught His unique vision of the Law and the prophets and the details of the Covenant with God, the keepers of the flame were busy trying to keep up.
There are no “ifs” to be considered. If we come to Jesus in faith believing, He will meet us. If we call on Him in faith, He hears us!
That day on the Sea of Galilee, the sun did not set on the same world upon which it rose that morning. Two sets of brothers forsook all to answer the call of Jesus.
They didn’t argue with Him; they just believed what He said. They didn’t strike out at Him, they reached out to Him and He touched them.
As a parting gesture, the demons threw the man to the floor of the synagogue, shaken but uninjured, and left him there as they fled.
The moment had come for Him to tell His friends and family who He was. They needed to know. It would explain so much!
After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit the Lord led Jesus (Some say He was driven by the Spirit!) into the wilderness.
To be true sons of Abraham, they must follow God as Abraham did.
When the feast was over, everyone started for home, supposing Jesus to be with the entourage.
It is inevitable that two such Temple fixtures would have known each other.
This was not rapid transit; each roll of the donkey’s backbone felt like it would bring on labor pains.
No one knew how the ordeal would affect a woman of Elizabeth’s advanced years.
“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
His love for his wife Elizabeth was greater than his desire for a son or a daughter so, after years of disappointment.
He called him, “most excellent,” indicating the possibility that he was a man of means, or perhaps one possessing an official standing.
The scribes and Pharisees remembered Jesus’ promise to rise again on the third day.
Their business was spilling blood and each one knew that on any day, their own blood may be spilt.
In the public trials of Jesus, justice was nowhere to be found.
Despite their little routines, there would be nothing routine about this night in Gethsemane.
It was the time of the Passover feast, a time the enemies of Jesus sought to avoid.
An offering is not the response to a request.
Those of us who are blessed to live in Western democracies do not relate very well to kings.
Evil accumulates in the hearts of men as they ignore their Creator and live only for themselves.
It is difficult for us, more than 20 centuries later, to understand the teachings of Jesus concerning the end times.
They had positions of authority but no spiritual authority.
Gluttons for punishment, the leaders tried one more time to get the best of Jesus.
It would follow that an invitation to the wedding of a prince would be treasured by all who were chosen.
Jesus was more than a prophet.
Before he headed for the Temple, He borrowed a whip from a camel driver.
Jesus told them to answer, “The Lord has need of them.”
She had given her sons to follow Jesus and she wanted to know about His plans for them.