Jonah’s initial conversation with God after He relented concerning the judgment of Nineveh is over. God asked him if it was good that he was so angry over God’s mercy and Jonah did not reply. He decides to leave the city and wait to see what happens. Some think that verses 5-11 describe a flashback […]
Nineveh repented and God relented. Jonah’s mission was an amazing success – far beyond what a neutral observer could ever expect. He seemingly learned his lesson, preached in obedience to God, received an amazing response, and saved thousands of lives from judgment. It is now time for everyone to go home happily ever after. Or […]
The author sets up Chapter 3 to roughly parallel Chapter 1 (to a lesser extent the same is true of Chapters 2 and 4): God calls Jonah 1:1-2 3:1 God calls JonahJonah responds to the call 1:3 3:3 Jonah responds to the callJonah travels to the ship 1:3 3:3 Jonah travels to NinevehJonah warns of […]
1:17Jonah has been thrown overboard and is presumed dead. The storm is gone and the sailors are worshiping Yahweh on the ship. God’s plan for Jonah, however, is not over. We do not know for how long Jonah sinks into the sea before the fish swallows him. In his prayer he will make it plain […]
Introduction and BackgroundThe Book of Jonah is the fifth of the Minor Prophets (The Book of the Twelve). It is unique among the “Latter Prophets” in being almost completely narrative. Jonah, the son of Amittai, from Gath Hepher in Galilee (cf. II Kings 14:25, Joshua 19:13), prophesied during or shortly before the reign of Jeroboam […]
The Magnificat – so named because it’s the first word in the Latin translation of this passage – is a psalm. It’s a poem spoken by a teenager rejoicing over her condition. Her condition is – needless to say – unique in all of history. She’s pregnant. She’s a virgin. And the baby she carries […]
Jesus does not leave us guessing as to what it takes to be His disciple. He has already said a disciple must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and that a disciple has no claim on his own life (9:23-26). In this text He goes further and explains that a disciple can’t seek […]
One of the wonderful things about the Bible is how it presents its heroes. We don’t just read about the triumphs of Abraham, Moses, and David, and they aren’t presented as supernatural saints that never make a mistake. We see their faults and sins too. It’s why the Bible is ultimately a book about the […]
To understand The Transfiguration, it’s important to understand its context. Jesus ended His discussion of the cost of discipleship by telling His followers that He will someday come in glory (vs 26). He then – surprisingly – said that there were some listening to Him who would witness this glory before they died (vs 27). […]
Go for the gusto…Be all you can be…You deserve more…Because you’re worth it… Taste the rainbow…Have it your way…You rule!…Deny yourself and take up your cross. One of those slogans doesn’t seem to fit, does it? That last one kind of ruins the vibe of the preceding seven. It communicates quite a different message than […]
God is all powerful. God is all knowing. God is merciful. Because of His power, God can act in ways that supersede the natural order of His creation. Because of His knowledge, He knows exactly what His people need and when they need it. And because of His mercy, He lovingly ministers to His children […]
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:8-9 “God works in mysterious ways” is a very old saying that is very […]
Sin is the outworking of evil. It is the overriding characteristic of the current world. It negatively affects everyone and everything. Nothing in this world is what it would be if sin didn’t exist. It is the biggest problem man faces because it undergirds every problem man faces. And, most importantly, it separates man from […]
There is much to learn about weathering the storms of life from the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus shows the disciples that there is nothing outside of His authority and there is never a reason to lose faith when He’s nearby. In the same way, He shows us […]
Jesus continues to preach the kingdom of God, and in so doing uses a parable to explain how the kingdom spreads in the hearts of those who hear its message and accept it, but also how it’s rejected by those who hear its message but are too enamored with the world to believe it. The […]
Ever been in an awkward social situation? Ever felt unwelcome at a gathering? Ever eaten a meal at someone’s house only to have an immoral woman walk in and start washing your feet with her tears and anointing them with perfume? No? That’s what happens to Jesus in this story. He eats with a Pharisee, […]
We learn several things from this strange story in Luke 7. We learn that even God-ordained, miraculously-born heralds of the Messiah can doubt in the midst of trial. We learn that God can use the confusion of notable prophets to instruct and reassure His people. We learn that the greatness of John the Baptist doesn’t […]
Two amazing miracles. Two demonstrations of Jesus’ sovereignty over creation. Two signs of His divinity. Two victories in His continuing war against a fallen world. Two demonstrations of compassion and one amazing example of faith. Luke begins this chapter with two scenes from Jesus’ life that show we serve an omnipotent and merciful Redeemer who […]
Jesus concludes His sermon with a final application comparing those who look saved with those who truly are. He’s just explained that there are false believers who bear bad fruit and true believers who bear good fruit. And He told us that words will expose the hearts of those who profess the truth versus those […]
It’s time to learn about trees and the fruit they produce. Jesus takes what He just said about judgment and hypocrisy and uses it to launch into a lesson about how to identify good trees (true believers) and bad trees (false believers). In both cases, they’re identified by the fruit they produce. Bad trees produce […]
After telling His followers to love their enemies – a revolutionary concept that turns every natural human impulse on its head – Jesus doesn’t let up. He now explores mercy and all its ramifications. Just as the citizen of the kingdom of God must treat his enemies as God does, so he must have the […]
My mom died last week and we celebrated her life today. Below is a tribute I delivered at the funeral in her honor: When we met with the funeral home to start planning today, the representative we met with asked each of us in the family to tell her something about mom. We all kind […]
Here’s my thesis: Christmas lists take the magic and fun and surprise out of Christmas and reduce it to a transactional holiday morning. Once lists enter the equation, Christmas effectively becomes a baby shower or wedding reception with lights. There are times and places for pre-determined buying decisions, but Christmas isn’t one of them. A […]
Love your enemies. It’s a simple sentence, isn’t it? It’s an imperative made up of three words, none of which is hard to understand. It’s short, it’s easily definable, it’s easy to read and speak. There’s absolutely nothing about it that’s complicated at all. It even kind of rolls off the tongue. What we realize […]
Starting in verse 20 and lasting through the end of the chapter is what some call the Sermon on the Plain. Likely the same sermon as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, it is Jesus’ manifesto explaining how a citizen of the kingdom of God is to live. In a word, the godly […]
Jesus chooses twelve men from among His disciples to be apostles. The men He chooses are in some cases expected and in others surprising. The varying personalities, lifestyles, and professions show God’s sovereignty and mercy and act as a preview of a kingdom where there will be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male […]
God instituted the Sabbath when He gave Israel the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment reads as follows: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, […]
Jesus continues to defy convention, especially for the religious leaders. He shockingly chooses a tax collector as one of His followers and then uses that choice to make a statement about who He is and what He’s here to begin. Jesus is unlike anything the scribes and Pharisees have seen, and His approach and goals […]
Jesus has shown His supremacy over temptation, over sickness and suffering (healing multitudes), over the powers of evil (casting out demons), and over nature (bringing boatloads of fish to fishermen). In this text, He shows His supremacy over the most feared disease of His time (leprosy) and – most impressively – over sin itself. Jesus […]
Jesus teaches by the Sea of Galilee and calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples. Based on what we know from other references, this isn’t His first exposure to the fishermen but it’s the first time His divinity becomes real to them. Once they realize the truth, they do what only makes […]
After what was by any reckoning a failed return to His hometown, Jesus moves on to Capernaum and makes it His home base (at least while He ministers in Galilee – ultimately, He has no permanent home – Lk 9:58). While there He teaches, heals, and casts out demons. In so doing He shows His […]
The wonderful thing about the book of Psalms is that it meets us where we live. It tells about good times and mountaintop experiences, but it also speaks to trials and disappointments, times that don’t make sense, times where God seems silent or absent. In a word, the Psalms talk about life – real life […]
“You can’t go home again” is an old saying that means if you try to return to a place you remember from the past it won’t be the same as you remember it. The expression comes from a book title, but it just as easily could’ve originated from the text we study today. Jesus comes […]
Jesus begins His public ministry. He is gloriously baptized, anointed with the Spirit, and then ruthlessly tempted. In all cases, He proves Himself worthy of His inheritance and mission. This story shows that spiritual highs are often followed by temptations to selfishness and pride. It also shows that there is nothing in our life experience […]
The ministry of John the Baptist begins. John – the most important prophet in the Bible (per Jesus) and one of the oddest – preaches repentance in no uncertain terms. He’s not beholden to tradition, power, prestige, precedent, wealth, or comfort. He’s here to tell the truth and pave the way for the Messiah. John […]
Luke continues his exclusive account of Jesus’ birth and early childhood. This part of the story shows ordinary humans in contact with supernatural events and also shows that young Jesus does not take long to understand His nature and mission. Ultimately Luke takes pains to make his readers understand that normal people are involved in […]
Luke 2 is really the quintessential Christmas passage. It’s the most complete account of the birth of the Messiah and the text most people associate with Christmas. It’s not, however, simply a story. In Luke’s telling he gives us a picture of how God sovereignly works; of how God is the God of power and […]
As the scene opens on Luke’s birth narratives, God has been silent for 400 years. His last words were to the prophet Malachi saying that Elijah would come again and proclaim the day of the Lord (Mal 4:5) and that God would send a messenger to clear the way before the coming Messiah (Mal 3:1). […]
Almighty God, who calledst Luke the Physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist and Physician of the soul: May it please thee that, by the wholesome medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our […]
1-13 Instead of recounting the Sermon on the Mount in one place like Matthew, Luke spreads the teaching throughout his book. In these verses he records Jesus’ teaching about prayer from the Sermon and adds a parable that is unique to this account. The model prayer shows the importance of making God the priority of […]
9:1-6 This is somewhat of an odd event. No way to know where all the disciples go, how long they’re gone or what Jesus does during their absence. It could be that this is a rehearsal for what they’ll be called to do after the ascension. Jesus gives them a mini-great commission and sends them […]
1-3 Jesus continues the mission that He laid out in 4:43 – He is here to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. The Messiah is here, and God’s kingdom will be established through Him – both now to a limited extent and in the future to the fullest. Luke helpfully explains how […]
5:1-11 Nothing random or coincidental about Jesus being around the boats of Peter, Andrew, James and John. He clearly seeks them out. The miracle Jesus performs is perfectly appropriate for the four fisherman – He meets them where they live. Peter’s response (vs 8) shows he knows he’s in the presence of God. It’s the […]
Overview Luke is a Gentile (or most likely a Gentile – see Col 4:10-14) writing not as an eyewitness but based on others’ eyewitness accounts. Luke is a physician (Col 4:14). It’s interesting to consider how this affects his writing about Jesus’ miracles and healings. Luke likely has a unique perspective on Jesus’ role as […]
Dates722 – Northern kingdom deported by Assyria605 – First Jewish captives taken to Babylon from Judah (includes Daniel)586 – Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar539 – Fall of Babylon to Persia536 – First return of Jews to Israel under Zerubbabel (end of 70-year captivity per Daniel prophecy)483 – Vashti deposed481 – Xerxes’ campaign against Greece launched479 (7th […]
The story of Jesus healing the man born blind is an actual event that illustrates Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world (8:12, 9:5). It shows the stark contrast between those who accept and walk in His light and those who reject it (1:4-5). One who is born blind is made to see […]
Reasons to study the Old TestamentThe Old Testament points us to Christ. It gives us the historical background to the coming of the Messiah, including His ancestral line and God working through historical events to bring His birth to pass. The Old Testament also tells us about God. We get to see how God works […]
Habakkuk’s final response to God’s words of impending judgment is a prayer. He is done arguing and done questioning. He accepts God’s explanation that He will use the Babylonians to judge Judah and then judge the Babylonians themselves for their sin. He knows evil times are coming but is willing to trust the ultimate Author […]
After telling Habakkuk to record what he is about to see and to wait for the appointed time for it to occur, God now gives Habakkuk the actual message. God assures Habakkuk that though He will use the Babylonians it does not mean they will go unpunished. Their sin and violence are not outside of […]
After three iterations of dialogue between Habakkuk and God (Habakkuk complains – God answers – Habakkuk responds) we reach a very interesting break in the action. Instead of simply recording God’s second response (as he did with the first one), Habakkuk curiously tells us that he assumes a post and waits for God to speak. […]
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