Bible

Continuing here in the Bible room with the Gospel of Luke, as today we read Session 8, the summaries of chapters 19 and 20.

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Luke

Session 8

Chapter 19. Salvation

Jesus walks through Jericho, encounters Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector:

• Short in stature, Zacchaeus climbs a tree to be able to see Jesus;
• When Jesus sees him, he tells him to come down quickly;
• For He intends to visit with him at his house;
• When Zacchaeus receives Jesus, the people complain;
• They say: Jesus is going to be a guest at the house of a sinner;
• Zacchaeus repents, pledges to give half his money to the poor;
• And restore four-fold anything he has cheated from others;
• Jesus says: Today salvation has come to Zacchaeus;
• For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost;
• Jesus begins teaching by a parable about the kingdom of God:
• A nobleman goes out to become king in a foreign country;
• He gives his ten servants about three months’ salary, one mina;
• He tells them to increase this money through wise trading;
• Before he leaves there is an uprising among some of his people;
• They are saying they do not want him to be their ruler;
• When he returns, he calls the servants in for an accounting;
• First servant reports he has increased his mina to ten minas;
• The Master tells him he is good and faithful, has done well;
• Therefore, he will make him ruler over ten cities;
• Second servant reports his mina has earned five minas;
• So, the Master says he will be ruler over five cities;
• Another servant gives his mina back to the Master;
• He says he has kept it, fearful of his severe Master;
• The Master calls him wicked, will be judged by his own words;
• He says at least he could have put it in the bank for interest;
• He takes the mina from him, gives it to the one with ten minas;
• Some object, saying he already has ten minas;
• The Master says much will be given to him who has much;
• And he who has little, from him it will be taken;
• The Master says those who opposed him are to be killed;
• After Jesus finishes this parable, He leaves to go to Jerusalem;
• When He comes near to Bethpage and Bethany, at Mt. Olivet,
• He sends two of His disciples into the village to borrow a colt;
• This colt has never been ridden, and they take him to Jesus;
• If anyone asks, they are to tell them the Lord needs this colt;
• The owner does ask them why they are taking his colt;
• And they respond: The Lord needs him;
• Placing their garments on the colt, they help Jesus onto him;
• Then they spread their clothes on the road before Him;
• As He goes down the road His followers rejoice and shout:
• “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”;
• Some of the Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke this noisy crowd;
• Jesus says if they were silent the stones would be shouting;
• Drawing near to Jerusalem, Jesus begins to weep;
• He says: If they only knew what He could have done for them;
• But they would not see the peace they could have had;
• Their enemies will be coming to surround and destroy them;
• Jesus then goes into the temple, drives out those doing business;
• He says His house is to be a place for prayer, not for thieves;
• Jesus teaches daily in the temple as the people come to listen;
• But the religious leaders are plotting how they can kill Him.

Chapter 20. Authority

Jesus continues daily teaching sessions in the temple as the people listen:

• The religious leaders ask Jesus who gave Him authority for this;
• So, He asks them: Was John’s baptism from heaven or men?
• They talk among themselves how to answer this question:
• If we say from heaven, He will ask why we did not believe him;
• If we say from men, we will be risking our lives,
• As the people all believe that John was a prophet;
• They decide their answer to Jesus is: We do not know;
• So, Jesus says then He will not tell them of His authority;
• Jesus continues by telling them this parable:
• A man plants a vineyard, hires a manager, then leaves on a trip;
• At harvest time he sends his servant to collect some fruit;
• But the servant is beaten and sent away without any fruit;
• The man sends another servant who is also beaten, sent away;
• A third servant is wounded and sent away empty handed;
• The man decides he will send his own beloved son;
• Surely, the managers will respect him when they see who he is;
• But when they see him, they know he is the heir;
• So, they plot to kill him, take over the vineyard;
• They kill the beloved son; What will the owner do to them?
• He will come and destroy those managers, give it to others;
• The people respond: Certainly not! But Jesus reminds them:
• “The stone the builders rejected has become the chief
• cornerstone; Whoever falls on that stone will be broken,
• But on whomever it falls will be ground into powder”;
• The religious leaders knew this parable was aimed at them;
• They wanted to attack Jesus, but they feared the people;
• So, they placed spies among the people to watch Jesus;
• And look for some reason to turn Him in to the authorities;
• They ask Him if the law requires paying taxes to Caesar;
• Knowing their scheme, He asks them to hand him a coin;
• Then He asks them to identify whose picture is on the coin;
• They say Caesar: Jesus says pay Caesar what is owed to him,
• And give to God what is owed to Him;
• They could not find anything to place a charge against Jesus;
• The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection from the dead;
• So, they come to Jesus with a hypothetical situation:
• Moses had written that when a married man dies childless,
• His brother should take his wife so she could have children;
• But suppose this man also dies childless and also his brother;
• Until seven brothers die childless, and the woman dies;
• Then, they ask, whose wife is she at the resurrection?
• Jesus answers: In this life men and women are married;
• But in the resurrection, there will be no marrying;
• Neither will there be any more deaths;
• For the dead are raised as Moses proved at the burning bush;
• He called the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
• For He is not the God of the dead but of the living;
• After this they stop asking Him questions;
• Jesus asks them: How can it be said Christ is David’s Son?
• David calls Him Lord, and yet He is also His Son;
• Jesus tells His disciples: Beware of the scribes;
• They love public attention and preferential treatment;
• But they mistreat the widows and pretend to offer prayers;
• These people will receive great condemnation.

End of Session 8 of the book of Luke.