Bible

Continuing in Luke’s Gospel today in the Bible room we are reading Session 9, the summaries of chapters 21 and 22.

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Luke

Session 9

Chapter 21. All

Jesus sees the rich and the poor putting their offerings into the treasury:

• A poor widow puts in all she has – two mites;
• He says she has put in more than the rich have put in;
• For she has given all she has while the rich have much;
• Some around Jesus are speaking of the beauty of the temple;
• He says: A day is coming when this temple will be torn down;
• The people ask Jesus what signs will show that day is coming;
• He tells them not to follow false teachers claiming to be Jesus;
• But He says they will hear of wars and troubles before the end;
• They should not be afraid when they hear of these things;
• Nations will be fighting nations, and there will be earthquakes;
• There will also be famines, great disasters, and fearful sights;
• But before all these things, His people will be persecuted,
• And placed in prisons for being followers of Jesus;
• They need not worry about how they will answer questions;
• Jesus will put the words in their mouths to answer charges;
• These will become opportunities to testify before rulers;
• The accusers will not be able to withstand their wisdom;
• His followers will be betrayed by their families and friends;
• They will be hated, and some of them will face death;
• But they are to have patience as their souls will be saved;
• When Jerusalem is surrounded by enemies, destruction is near;
• Inhabitants of Judea should run to the mountains;
• Vengeance and distress are coming as foretold in the writings;
• Gentiles will overrun Jerusalem, many will be taken captive;
• Until the time of the Gentiles is completed;
• There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and on earth;
• There will be anxiety in all the nations, even the seas will roar;
• Overwhelming fear will cause hearts to fail;
• Then the Son of Man will appear in a cloud of glory and power;
• The followers of Jesus can raise their heads and look up;
• Their redemption is drawing near;
• Jesus says they know when trees are budding summer is near;
• So, when all these events happen, the kingdom of God is near;
• Jesus says: Many things change, but His words never change;
• His people should be always ready and watching for that day;
• For it will come suddenly upon all the earth;
• They should keep praying to escape the things that are coming;
• And to be able to stand before the Son of Man;
• Jesus continues teaching in the temple during the daytime;
• At night, He stays on mount Olivet;
• Early each morning, the crowd gathers again in the temple.

Chapter 22. Betrayer

The time of the Passover Feast is drawing near:

• The elders of the church are plotting how they could kill Jesus;
• Fearful of the crowds, they prefer to catch Him alone;
• Satan has entered one of His twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot;
• He plots with the elders how to show them which One He is;
• They can catch Him when He is with only the twelve;
• The elders agree to give Judas money for his help;
• The day of the Passover arrives;
• Jesus tells Peter and John to go into the city and meet a man;
• He will show them the house where they can prepare the feast;
• The owner of the house will show them to an upper room;
• That room has already been furnished as our meeting place;
• So, the two apostles prepare for the Passover feast;
• Then, they are joined there by Jesus and the other disciples;
• Jesus starts by telling them how glad He is to be with them,
• As they can celebrate this feast one last time together;
• He will eat the Passover again only after it has been fulfilled;
• And that will be in the kingdom of God;
• Giving thanks, Jesus tells them to each drink of the cup;
• He will not drink until the kingdom of God comes;
• Giving thanks again, He divides the bread to each of them,
• Tells them it is His body which He is giving for them;
• They are to do this as a remembrance of Him;
• After the supper Jesus says the cup is the new covenant,
• His blood which He sheds for them;
• Jesus says His betrayer is there with Him at the table;
• He says the coming events have all been determined;
• But the future will not be good for the betrayer;
• The disciples begin to wonder who will be the betrayer;
• And then they argue over who is the greatest among them;
• Jesus says the Gentiles are like this, some ruling over others;
• But it should not be this way among the disciples;
• Whoever would be greatest should act like the younger;
• And whoever would govern should be a servant;
• Jesus says He is among them as the One who serves;
• He praises His disciples as they have been faithful to Him;
• He is going to make them each a judge of the tribes of Israel;
• Jesus tells Peter He knows that Satan has been after him;
• But Jesus says He has prayed for Peter that he keeps his faith;
• And when he returns to Jesus, he will be a strong leader;
• He replies that he will follow Jesus to prison and to death;
• Jesus tells him he will deny three times even knowing Him;
• Jesus reminds them when they took nothing out to preach;
• Now, He says, they need to get a money bag and a sword;
• For He is about to face some difficult situations;
• They tell Him they have two swords; He says that’s enough;
• They all leave the room and go out to the Mount of Olives;
• This was customary for Jesus, but this time they follow Him;
• At a certain place He leaves them and goes on farther to pray;
• He asks His Father that it be His will to spare Jesus’s suffering;
• But either way, Jesus says He will accept His Father’s will;
• An angel from heaven comes to give Jesus more strength;
• In agony, He prays even more earnestly;
• His sweat becomes like great drops of blood falling down;
• In their sorrow, the disciples had fallen asleep;
• Jesus tells them they should be praying, not sleeping;
• Immediately, a large group approaches, and Judas joins them;
• Drawing near, he attempts to give Jesus a kiss;
• Jesus asks him if this is how he intends to betray Him;
• Alarmed, one of the disciples cuts off a servant’s right ear;
• Jesus heals the ear, tells them they should not retaliate;
• He tells the elders they could have taken Him at the temple,
• As He was there every day, swords and clubs not needed;
• But this was their hour, and the power of darkness;
• They arrest Jesus, take Him to the house of the chief priest;
• Peter is following at a distance, hiding among the servants;
• They are sitting around a fire when he is recognized by a girl;
• She says she saw him with Jesus; Peter denies knowing Him;
• Then another servant says Peter was a follower of Jesus;
• Again, he denies that he knew Him;
• An hour later, another man says Peter was with Jesus;
• The third time he denies knowing Jesus;
• The rooster crows, and Jesus looks at Peter;
• He is reminded of what Jesus had told him earlier,
• That he would deny Him three times as the rooster crowed;
• Peter leaves the gathering weeping bitterly;
• Jesus is mocked and beaten by the men holding Him;
• They blaspheme Jesus by doing and saying many things;
• At daybreak, the elders lead Jesus into their council;
• They ask Him to tell them if He is the Christ;
• He says even if He told them, they would not believe;
• But, He says, after this, He will sit at the right hand of God;
• Again, they ask if He is the Son of God;
• Jesus says they are correct to say that He is;
• They say this is all the evidence they need;
• They have heard it directly from His mouth.

End of Session 9 of the book of Luke.