The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day four)

There was always evidence that Jesus had been to a particular place. When Jesus passed through a town or a household, he didn’t “leave it like he found it.” He left evidence everywhere he went. It was not trace evidence, either. The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. Jesus left unmistakeable, radical life change behind him everywhere he went.
This tells us several things. It tells us that the Kingdom of God is not some pie-in-the-sky, eternal concept that is unattainable to us. The Kingdom of God is here and now and has immediate impact in this earthly life. As we continue to minister in the name of Jesus and seek to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, there will be this kind of evidence. This also tells us that Jesus, the Jewish man born in Bethlehem, is the one we’ve waited so long for. In him we find the fulfillment of the law and prophets. In him we find God made flesh. In him we find the lamb slain for our sins. Jesus reminds us, just as he reminded John, that the evidence is clear: God has won the victory.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day three)

And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” v. 20

Throughout Luke’s gospel account, he highlights that people were actively waiting (by being obedient) for the Lord to move. He shows us that with Simeon and Anna. They were waiting for the Lord’s promises to be fulfilled, expecting it to happen. We see that again here with John and his disciples.

To this point, Jesus had not been publicly announced as the Messiah. His disciples had not yet had the opportunity to see Jesus raised from the dead or even observe many miracles or hear Jesus’ many teachings. This truly was a moment of faith confirmation for John’s crew of “Are you really who they say you are?” We know from their question that they were actively looking for the Messiah. Much like Simeon and Anna, they were expectantly looking and waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. When all of them saw evidence of the Lord moving, they went closer to be sure.

Are you actively and expectantly looking for the Spirit of the Lord to be moving in your life today? Are you “in tune” with Him enough to look around and say, “That’s the Lord!” Before you go any further today, you might need to take time to pray and ask the Lord to help you see and know His Spirit better. Expect God to answer you and be looking.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day two)

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ v. 33-34

At the beginning of our passage this week, John’s disciples ask the question of Jesus that continues to follow him today. “Are you the long-expected one?” Jesus’ declaration of his Lordship also came with a warning: The Messiah will never be what you expect him to be. With John he was too ascetic; Jesus was too worldly. People will say they are looking for something, but their criteria is often too narrow. How can you conceive of a savior? A King who welcomes all to redemption. Is there a man holy enough, or one who will connect with every sinner? We will get it wrong every time when we try to construct God in our image. It can’t work; and if we are honest with ourselves, we wouldn’t want it to work that way. Jesus continued to meet people, to love them, to call them to righteousness through himself. Jesus is the only one who never disappoints. The long wait is over. Jesus has come.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day seven)

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Luke 4:14

What happens before this moment is as paramount to the text as what happens in the passage itself. Just before this, Jesus defeats Satan and temptation after being pushed to his physical limits. He returns from this in the Power of the Spirit. God did not need the Spirit to bring the Son into glory, but Jesus needed the Spirit to defeat temptation without relying on His deity. Jesus was tempted as we are, and He overcame that temptation without sinning, not because He is God, but because He relied on the Holy Spirit. He laid out the battle plan for us.

Do you desire to do big things for Jesus? The battle plan is simple. Fight sin. Fight with Scripture. Fight with prayer. When you win, you will feel a Spirit power unlike any other. A feeling of accomplishment that could lead you to run through a wall for God. Ride the momentum and keep on defeating sin again and again until it runs from you. This is what it feels like to walk in the power of the Spirit. This was the long-expected power that would come to change the tide of the war. If Jesus needed this power of the Spirit, how much more do you?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day six)

Luke’s purpose in this scene is unmistakable. As Bryan has already noted, Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be a sign that would be opposed; a dividing line running straight through the human heart. Luke wants us to see that division take shape in real time in Jesus’ hometown, the place you would least expect.

At first, the people of Nazareth are impressed. They marvel at his words. But admiration quickly turns to offense. Why? Because Jesus refuses to be reduced to a hometown hero or a comforting religious voice. He declares that God’s salvation is not controlled by familiarity, ethnicity, or entitlement. By pointing to Elijah and Elisha, Jesus makes it clear: God’s mercy has always reached beyond expected boundaries, often bypassing those who assume it belongs to them.

This is where the tension erupts. Jesus is not a novelty to admire; he is the promised Messiah who demands a response. Luke presses the question on every reader: Will you receive him on his terms, or reject him because he refuses to conform to yours?

There is no neutral ground.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day five)

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.”

I am again struck by the habits and rhythms of Jesus (and his family) to worship and grow spiritually. It’s no accident that they were instituted for these very purposes. As we begin 2026, what rhythms and habits will you resolve to routinely and repeatedly practice (for yourself and family) to grow and deepen your/their faith?

Let me suggest six:
• I will read weekly. (Re:Verse Scriptures)
• I will gather regularly. (Bible Study & Worship)
• I will give generously.
• I will pray faithfully.
• I will serve enthusiastically.
• I will live missionally.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day four)

This is such an interesting text for Jesus to site at the beginning of his ministry. It is no soft introduction to who the Son of Man truly is. He deliberately states, in front of the community he grew up in, that he is the fulfillment of the prophets. He’s not only a great and respected man, but he is the One whom they have waited for. As we move towards Epiphany, this is the reality that we celebrate – Jesus is more than anyone thought he was; he is the Son of God.

Not only is he boldly stating his identity as the fulfillment of the prophets, he’s reminding them exactly who the prophets said would come – one who declares deliverance to the destitute. This claim responds to what his mother stated in her song during her pregnancy,

He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. Luke 1:52-53

This is a message of profound hope for some, and a bitter, countercultural pill to swallow for others. This Messiah is long-expected, yet nothing like what many expected. Who are you expecting?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day three)

And he closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

The Christ was long-expected, and now all eyes turned to him expectantly. Not all knew or believed him to be the Christ, but the expectancy remained. Curiosity was high, and so was skepticism. Ears were listening, but ears were also filtering. Silence invited Jesus to speak, and silence also gave space for the formulation of opposing arguments. This is exactly the dichotomy which Simeon had prophesied: this child is destined to cause the rising of many in Israel, and this child is destined to cause the falling of many in Israel. Loved and hated, welcomed and scorned, praised and cursed, embraced and pierced. Here is Jesus. Who is it you see?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day two)

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. v. 16

I referenced this verse in the Re:Vlog yesterday, and I want to re-visit it today. As we stand on the dawn of the new year, this passage serves as an excellent reminder to recommit to gathering together as the body of Christ each and every week. So much of what we do as a fellowship is outwardly focused, and rightly so. We are called to make disciples, to go and tell, to spread the good news. Jesus reminds us that we are also called to a local body of believers. We gather together (REGULARLY) to glorify God and to equip one another for the work we are called to do outside the walls of the church. Jesus demonstrated that this practice of worship was not abrogated by his work in the streets, towns, and countrysides. Rather, it was an opportunity to honor God the Father. In all things, let us strive to be more like Jesus.