Bible In One Year-Day 38 (Friday, February 07, 2014)

Commentary: Lk13-15. As we have seen, so far, concerning the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees, it was full of contentions and so it is till now. The Pharisees had the thought of knowing all and they always chose the best places. I always wonder why Christ was so interactive with them. Jesus spoke of self righteousness because they thought they are better than whoever evil falls upon. He spoke of hypocrites because they taught what they never practiced. He talked about the narrow way and emphasized that we need to strive to enter through it and that many who thought they are qualified will eventually realize that they had worked iniquity all along. Jesus made us to understand that there shall be surprises on that day; there shall be gnashing of teeth.

Luke 13:28 “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

He told them all these because He tried to invite the Pharisees, the priests, the learned and the rich, but they wouldn’t accept His invitation. He tried to make them see the light but they said they had the light. He tried to heal their blindness but they said they could see.

John 9:41 “Jesus said to them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”

However, the poor and the outcast came to honor the invitation to the banquet of salvation. He talked about humility and the promotion waiting for the humble. Jesus taught us how to celebrate a feast; remember the destitutes. Jesus told us how excuses could banish people out of the table of victory and salvation. Luke14::26-35 gives the pre-requisites for a disciple of Jesus. We all know that father, mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters take a great proportion of our love life. It does not imply that they should be regarded as outcasts but what He is saying is that the love you have for these ones should not affect your dedication and devotion to Him so as not to pose any form of excuse. The work of God demands total attention. In His explanation, He even made us to understand that you need to weigh the devotion to God and love for the family. There are three things that are lost in Lk15; lost sheep, lost coin and lost son. These are three types of sinners. The lost sheep are those who went astray into the world. It is possible for someone to be in the church and still be lost; this is an example of a lost coin. If you lost a coin within your apartment, it can take months for you to find it. You need careful searching to find it. You need a lamp to search. A lost person in the church could be difficult to find because you might be judging him by the works and not by the heart as no man can see the heart (Jer17:9-10). An Evangelist could easily find a lost sheep, but it will take the light of the Holy Spirit to search out the Judas Iscariot (deceptive worker or believer) in the church. And this is why many are victims of such lost brethren even in the fold of Christ. You need the light of the Holy Spirit to search for someone who is lost while in the church. That is, you need the Spirit of discernment. The third is the lost son and this is about a Christian misusing God’s resources, especially for self glorification, or using it for splendor just like Samson. Through careless and wild life, Samson lost the power given to him. All these examples given by Jesus are simply talking about REPENTANCE from all known sin. Jesus used these three lost things to correct the Pharisees because you will find all these vices in their lives. The sheep was in the fold before going astray. The lost coin was lost within the house and lost son squandered the gift of the father. The Pharisees never said there was no God. They believe they were obeying or in control of the word of God but never realized they have problems. Jesus was telling them to repent. When a sinner repents, there is celebration in heaven. God loves the sinner staging a comeback. It gladdens His heart. And if the sinner comes back, there is restoration beyond the original position and with power. The ring is a symbol of authority as a heir.

Luke 15:22 “But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:”

Jesus loves you (JLU). Through Him we are joint heir.

Galatians 4:7 “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then a heir of God through Christ.”

He did not come to judge or condemn but for sinners to repent of their sinfulness. You have every opportunity whilst alive to delete anything that will stand against you at the judgment sit. But after death, mercy, repentance, forgiveness and grace cease; you will give account because the spirit of lies would have departed from you. You will have nothing but to confess everything you did even in the secret. Remember Peter how he fell at Jesus feet at his first encounter with Him; “go away from me, for I am a sinful man”. The power in the glory of Jesus will break the power of darkness and every part of you (hands, eyes, legs etc) will talk; even your shadow. REPENT! REPENT!! REPENT!!! Prayer: Lord Jesus, I need another touch from You. Next mile on the trip is Lk16-18. Keep the fire burning and alive. Spread the gospel of JESUS!!!