The Everyday Prayer

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

V. 18 – Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah…in our Scriptures, it is Isaiah 61 and 58. This passage was written following the Babylonian exile. It was a passage recognized by the Jews as a messianic passage.  The Jewish concept of the messiah was a warrior who would exalt Israel and free their nation from their oppressors.  In Luke 4, the Jews of Nazareth waited to hear what Jesus, one of their own, would say about this passage.  “It is fulfilled today in your hearing…”  Not what they expected to hear!  Jesus was giving a view into His ministry in Galilee.  (He would meet spiritual needs as well as a physical needs.)  He was claiming to be the messiah, but He did meet with their expectations.  They rejected His claim.

How do you reject Jesus?  If Scripture does not say what you think it ought to say…do you reject it?  Or ignore it?  Or justify it?  We are quick to condemn the Jews of Nazareth, but are we guilty as well?

 

 

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

“All spoke well of him.”  Jesus will eventually warn people that the “yea-sayers” pose a particular kind of danger to the human soul. We’ll gravitate toward those who give us good press, and pretty soon, we’re not loving people, just using them to prop up our self-regard.  Jesus remained unfazed by the initial rave reviews.  How did he do that?  Well, it’s not insignificant that immediately prior to his visit to Galilee, he spent an extended time away in solitude. The Bible indicates that Jesus often did this.  Jesus understood that one must be able to live alone if one is going to live with others.  In these times of separation, he could listen for neither supporters nor detractors, but only for the voice of God.  And then he would return to the presence of people in love and discernment.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:14-30 (day two)  And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. vs. 15

Before he challenged their comfort with the prophecies of Isaiah the people of Galilee were astonished by Jesus’ knowledge of scripture, and his ability to unpack it for them. Jesus was not out creating new doctrine or shouting outside the temple. He was with the people. Teaching them. They already had all the texts they needed. What Jesus was doing was helping them connect truths in ways they were never able to consider before. A good teacher will do that for y0u. Even if you have all the facts it can be a very daunting task to try and put it together without someone who knows what the final outcome should be.

Jesus can still connect the dots for you if you struggle with making sense of life, of faith, of him. He is still a good teacher.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:14-30 (day one)

Wrong holiday?  Maybe not!

When Jesus returned to Nazareth, His hometown, it was quickly evident that his ideas had grown and changed.  Stretched the limits of the narrow nationalism and “us first” competition with other cities.

Wasn’t a popular move.  As Jesus preached a God who was good to Gentiles, a God who revealed himself on the condition of faith (see Matthew 13:58, another day in Nazareth), the people of His city were offended.  Angry.  Who does He think He is?!

The more a man depends on the Spirit, the less he will hold or parrot the ideas of popular society.  He will be “original” in the truest sense.

Paul later gave testimony.  “For me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court. . . but the one who examines me is the Lord.”–1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Happy New Year, friends!  Happy Independence from the thoughts of men!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:1-13 (day seven)

Jesus loves Deuteronomy.  Every time the devil threw a fast ball at Jesus he hit it out of the park with Deuteronomy.
Temptation 1:  Deuteronomy 8:3
Temptation 2:  Deuteronomy 6:13
Temptation 3:  Deuteronomy 6:16

“It is written…” is a perfect way to respond.  It is written that the devil will lose, Revelation 20:10: “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Jesus loves Deuteronomy, and you should love Deuteronomy.  You should memorize it and treasure it in your heart.  For one, it gives you a chance against temptation, and two, it prepares you for the devil’s curveball.  You noticed in Jesus’s third temptation (Luke 4:10-11) the devil himself uses Scripture to back Jesus off the plate.  Satan knows, abuses, and manipulates Scripture with the best of them.  Be ready!  Just because someone is throwing a Scripture reference at you does not mean they know God.  The only way you overcome the devil’s chin music is to treasure Scripture in your heart by doing something like memorizing Deuteronomy for the opportune time.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:1-13 (day five)  ³ And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

There is striking similarity in the strategy of Satan in the temptation of Jesus and the temptation and fall of man.  Satan calls into question the truthfulness of God in order to create confusion and uncertainty about the nature and character of God.  “Is His Word true?”  At stake in these temptations and responses is the character of God. Can we really believe Him?  Can we really trust Him?  Can we count on Him to keep His promises?  Scripture says “Yes!” ” A thousand times Yes!!”  The temptation was more about the trustworthiness of God than the identity of Jesus.  Jesus models the correct perspective.  Is our faith and trust in God and His Word bigger than our self-image and self-esteem?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:1-13 (day four)

Jesus had just returned from His baptism.  A voice from heaven had proclaimed God’s pleasure with Him.  Now, as He returned from the Jordan, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Certainly, this had been a mountain-top experience.  We’ve all had them…experiences that draw us near to God and bring blessings overflowing.

What happens to Jesus next?  Often times, following a mountain-top experience, we face some of the greatest tests of our lives.  Jesus faced a grueling round of temptations that challenged Him to choose any way but God’s to move forward in His ministry.  Spiritual highs can prepare us to face those lows of temptation.  Guard yourself against the wiles of Satan…when you least expect it, he is poised to spring the trap!  We are lulled into carelessness with those feelings of euphoria after being in the presence of God.  Be vigilant…stand strong…Satan prowls about like a hungry lion, seeking those whom he may devour.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13  (day three)

“[The devil] left him until an opportune time.”  You know those things that catch your eye, get your goat, tick you off, push your buttons, turn you on? Yeah, Jesus could have listed those things as well. Whenever you finally admit to the Lord how difficult the struggle really is, he responds by saying, “That was my struggle too.” The Bible says he’s sympathetic, not unsympathetic, because our temptations were his temptations. Believe it. This wilderness encounter was only the beginning of what the devil had planned for Jesus. The devil even showed up in his friend Peter’s counsel for crying out loud. To face temptation well, we must learn from Jesus to struggle like he struggled before we can learn to resist sin like Jesus resisted sin. Pay attention.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 4:1-13  (day two) And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. vs. 2b

Sometimes I think Dr. Luke is the king of understatement. I am sure that Jesus was indeed hungry at the end of the 40 days. What strikes me is the mystery of fasting. Earlier in the verse Luke writes that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” No food in his belly, but full to overflowing with the Spirit. On the surface you would think that anyone would be at their weakest and most defenseless at the end of a fast like that. While I am not advocating the neglect of our health, I am struck by the clarity of Jesus’ responses to Satan. It was his hunger that Satan first addresses, but Jesus’ dependence and sustenance were found in God alone.

There is so much to discover about Jesus in this passage. If we empty ourselves of stuff, and fill ourselves with the Spirit of God doesn’t it stand to reason that we, too, we have a clearer picture of the purpose of God is in our lives?