At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God s praises:

Transcription

1 Luke 2:1 - Luke 9:62 (The Message) Luke 2-9 The Birth of Jesus About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. 6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel. An Event for Everyone 8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God s angel stood among them and God s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, Don t be afraid. I m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. Let s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us. They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they d been told!

2 Blessings 21 When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God s Law: Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God, and also to sacrifice the pair of doves or two young pigeons prescribed in God s Law In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I ve seen your salvation; it s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel Jesus father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted the pain of a sword-thrust through you But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

3 39-40 When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him. They Found Him in the Temple Every year Jesus parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors. When they didn t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt. His mother said, Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you He said, Why were you looking for me? Didn t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father? But they had no idea what he was talking about So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people. A Baptism of Life-Change In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene; during the Chief- Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas John, Zachariah s son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God. He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins, as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Thunder in the desert! Prepare God s arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! Every ditch will be filled in,

4 Every bump smoothed out, The detours straightened out, All the ruts paved over. Everyone will be there to see The parade of God s salvation. 7-9 When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: Brood of snakes! What do you think you re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God s judgment? It s your life that must change, not your skin. And don t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it s deadwood, it goes on the fire. 10 The crowd asked him, Then what are we supposed to do? 11 If you have two coats, give one away, he said. Do the same with your food. 12 Tax men also came to be baptized and said, Teacher, what should we do? 13 He told them, No more extortion collect only what is required by law. 14 Soldiers asked him, And what should we do? He told them, No shakedowns, no blackmail and be content with your rations. 15 The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, Could this John be the Messiah? But John intervened: I m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He s going to clean house make a clean sweep of your lives. He ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he ll put out with the trash to be burned There was a lot more of this words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message! But Herod, the ruler, stung by

5 John s rebuke in the matter of Herodias, his brother Philip s wife, capped his long string of evil deeds with this outrage: He put John in jail After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life. Son of Adam, Son of God When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melki, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi,

6 son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Kenan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Kenan, son of Enos, son of Seth,

7 son of Adam, son of God. Tested by the Devil Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry. 3 The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: Since you re God s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread. 4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: It takes more than bread to really live. 5-7 For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, They re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they re yours, the whole works. 8 Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute singleheartedness For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, If you are God s Son, jump. It s written, isn t it, that he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won t so much as stub your toe on a stone? 12 Yes, said Jesus, and it s also written, Don t you dare tempt the Lord your God. 13 That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity. To Set the Burdened Free Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone s acclaim and pleasure He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was

8 handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God s Spirit is on me; he s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, This is God s year to act! He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, You ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place. 22 All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, Isn t this Joseph s son, the one we ve known since he was a youngster? He answered, I suppose you re going to quote the proverb, Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum. Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown. Isn t it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land, but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon? And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha but the only one cleansed was Naaman the Syrian That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom, but he gave them the slip and was on his way He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you re up to. You re the Holy One of God and you ve come to destroy us! 35 Jesus shut him up: Quiet! Get out of him! The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn t hurt him.

9 36-37 That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, What s going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go? Jesus was the talk of the town. He Healed Them All He left the meeting place and went to Simon s house. Simon s motherin-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them. Demons left in droves, screaming, Son of God! You re the Son of God! But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn t go on. He told them, Don t you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God s kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do? Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee. Push Out into Deep Water Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. 4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch. 5-7 Simon said, Master, we ve been fishing hard all night and haven t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I ll let out the nets. It was no sooner said than done a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. Master, leave. I m a sinner and can t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.

10 When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee s sons, coworkers with Simon Jesus said to Simon, There is nothing to fear. From now on you ll be fishing for men and women. They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. Invitation to a Changed Life 12 One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, If you want to, you can cleanse me. 13 Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, I want to. Be clean. Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone Jesus instructed him, Don t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done. But the man couldn t keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer. 17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, Friend, I forgive your sins. 21 That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. Who does he think he is? That s blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say I forgive your sins, or to say Get up and start walking? Well, just so it s clear that I m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both.... He now spoke directly to the

11 paraplegic: Get up. Take your bedroll and go home. Without a moment s hesitation, he did it got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, We ve never seen anything like that! After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, Come along with me. And he did walked away from everything and went with him Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and sinners? Jesus heard about it and spoke up, Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I m here inviting outsiders, not insiders an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out. 33 They asked him, John s disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why? Jesus said, When you re celebrating a wedding, you don t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn t the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come! No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don t put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine. In Charge of the Sabbath On a certain Sabbath Jesus was walking through a field of ripe grain. His disciples were pulling off heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands to get rid of the chaff, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, Why are you doing that, breaking a Sabbath rule? 3-4 But Jesus stood up for them. Have you never read what David and those with him did when they were hungry? How he entered the sanctuary and ate

12 fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? He also handed it out to his companions. 5 Then he said, The Son of Man is no slave to the Sabbath; he s in charge. 6-8 On another Sabbath he went to the meeting place and taught. There was a man there with a crippled right hand. The religion scholars and Pharisees had their eye on Jesus to see if he would heal the man, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction. He knew what they were up to and spoke to the man with the crippled hand: Get up and stand here before us. He did. 9 Then Jesus addressed them, Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless? He looked around, looked each one in the eye. He said to the man, Hold out your hand. He held it out it was as good as new! They were beside themselves with anger, and started plotting how they might get even with him. The Twelve Apostles At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, Andrew, his brother, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, Simon, called the Zealot, Judas, son of James, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. You re Blessed Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and

13 Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke: You re blessed when you ve lost it all. God s kingdom is there for the finding. You re blessed when you re ravenously hungry. Then you re ready for the Messianic meal. You re blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens skip like a lamb, if you like! for even though they don t like it, I do... and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this. Give Away Your Life 24 But it s trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you ll ever get. 25 And it s trouble ahead if you re satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long. And it s trouble ahead if you think life s all fun and games. There s suffering to be met, and you re going to meet it. 26 There s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more titfor-tat stuff. Live generously Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only

14 love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You ll never I promise regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind Don t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you ll find life given back, but not merely given back given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity He quoted a proverb: Can a blind man guide a blind man? Wouldn t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher It s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, Let me wash your face for you, when your own face is distorted by contempt? It s this I- know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. Work the Words into Your Life You don t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds Why are you so polite with me, always saying Yes, sir, and That s right, sir, but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don t work

15 them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss. A Place of Holy Mystery When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn t want to lose him. When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place. 6-8 Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, Master, you don t have to go to all this trouble. I m not that good a person, you know. I d be embarrassed for you to come to my house, even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. I m a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, Go, and he goes; another, Come, and he comes; my slave, Do this, and he does it Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: I ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works. When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession a woman s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, Don t cry. Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, Young man, I tell you: Get up. The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, God is back, looking to the needs of his people! The news of Jesus spread all through the country. Is This What You Were Expecting? John s disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, Are you the One we ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?

16 20 The men showed up before Jesus and said, John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, Are you the One we ve been expecting, or are we still waiting? In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth have God s salvation hospitality extended to them. Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate! After John s messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A messenger from God? That s right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you ll ever hear. He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote, I m sending my messenger on ahead To make the road smooth for you Let me lay it out for you as plainly as I can: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence; the Pharisees and religious officials would have nothing to do with such a baptism, wouldn t think of giving up their place in line to their inferiors How can I account for the people of this generation? They re like spoiled children complaining to their parents, We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy. John the Baptizer came fasting and you called him crazy. The Son of Man came feasting and you called him a lush. Opinion polls don t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Anointing His Feet

17 36-39 One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him. 40 Jesus said to him, Simon, I have something to tell you. Oh? Tell me Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful? Simon answered, I suppose the one who was forgiven the most. That s right, said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal. 48 Then he spoke to her: I forgive your sins. 49 That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: Who does he think he is, forgiving sins! 50 He ignored them and said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God s kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod s manager; and Susanna along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.

18 The Story of the Seeds 4-8 As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop. Are you listening to this? Really listening? 9 His disciples asked, Why did you tell this story? 10 He said, You ve been given insight into God s kingdom you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren t going to get it: Their eyes are open but don t see a thing, Their ears are open but don t hear a thing This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won t believe and be saved. 13 The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn t go very deep. It s only another fad, and the moment there s trouble it s gone. 14 And the seed that fell in the weeds well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun. 15 But the seed in the good earth these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there s a harvest. Misers of What You Hear No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We re not keeping secrets; we re telling them. We re not hiding things; we re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.

19 19-20 His mother and brothers showed up but couldn t get through to him because of the crowd. He was given the message, Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see you. 21 He replied, My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God s Word. Obedience is thicker than blood One day he and his disciples got in a boat. Let s cross the lake, he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: Master, Master, we re going to drown! Getting to his feet, he told the wind, Silence! and the waves, Quiet down! They did it. The lake became smooth as glass. 25 Then he said to his disciples, Why can t you trust me? They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them! The Madman and the Pigs They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn t worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, What business do you have messing with me? You re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don t give me a hard time! (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds Jesus asked him, What is your name? Mob. My name is Mob, he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.

20 34-36 Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off. The man whom he had delivered from the demons asked to go with him, but he sent him back, saying, Go home and tell everything God did in you. So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him. His Touch On his return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus feet and begged him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making his way through the pushing, jostling crowd In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but not one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, Who touched me? When no one stepped forward, Peter said, But Master, we ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you. 46 Jesus insisted, Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me. 47 When the woman realized that she couldn t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed. 48 Jesus said, Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! 49 While he was still talking, someone from the leader s house came up and told him, Your daughter died. No need now to bother the Teacher.

21 50-51 Jesus overheard and said, Don t be upset. Just trust me and everything will be all right. Going into the house, he wouldn t let anyone enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child s parents Everyone was crying and carrying on over her. Jesus said, Don t cry. She didn t die; she s sleeping. They laughed at him. They knew she was dead Then Jesus, gripping her hand, called, My dear child, get up. She was up in an instant, up and breathing again! He told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were ecstatic, but Jesus warned them to keep quiet. Don t tell a soul what happened in this room. Keep It Simple Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God s kingdom and heal the sick. He said, Don t load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you re not welcomed, leave town. Don t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on. 6 Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went. 7-9 Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn t know what to think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, still others that some prophet of long ago had shown up. Herod said, But I killed John took off his head. So who is this that I keep hearing about? Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed. Bread and Fish for Five Thousand 12 As the day declined, the Twelve said, Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We re out in the middle of nowhere.

22 13-14 You feed them, Jesus said. They said, We couldn t scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish unless, of course, you want us to go to town ourselves and buy food for everybody. (There were more than five thousand people in the crowd.) But he went ahead and directed his disciples, Sit them down in groups of about fifty. They did what he said, and soon had everyone seated. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up. Don t Run from Suffering 18 One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am? 19 They said, John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back He then asked, And you what are you saying about me? Who am I? Peter answered, The Messiah of God. Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said. 22 He went on, It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You re not in the driver s seat I am. Don t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I m leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn t, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God. Jesus in His Glory

23 28-31 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, Master, this is a great moment! Let s build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He blurted this out without thinking While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him. 36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen When they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them. A man called from out of the crowd, Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son. He s my only child. Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he s screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black-and-blue before it leaves. I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn t. 41 Jesus said, What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy, and handed him back to his father. They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God s greatness, God s majestic greatness. Your Business Is Life While they continued to stand around exclaiming over all the things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, Treasure and ponder each of these next words: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into human hands.

24 45 They didn t get what he was saying. It was like he was speaking a foreign language and they couldn t make heads or tails of it. But they were embarrassed to ask him what he meant They started arguing over which of them would be most famous. When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me, he said. And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference. 49 John spoke up, Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn t of our group. 50 Jesus said, Don t stop him. If he s not an enemy, he s an ally When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them? Jesus turned on them: Of course not! And they traveled on to another village. 57 On the road someone asked if he could go along. I ll go with you, wherever, he said. 58 Jesus was curt: Are you ready to rough it? We re not staying in the best inns, you know. Jesus said to another, Follow me. 59 He said, Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father s funeral. 60 Jesus refused. First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God s kingdom! 61 Then another said, I m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.

25 62 Jesus said, No procrastination. No backward looks. You can t put God s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.