Immerse is an 8-week (40 day) reading campaign, where we (our church, Scottsdale Bible Church) is encouraging everyone to read through the New Testament together. To date, we have approximately 3500 people who have expressed intent to participate.

Text: Luke 13:33-19:39 (pp. 37-47)

• Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem, undeterred by the Pharisees threats that Herod has Jesus targeted.
  • Jesus identifies Jerusalem as “the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers.” The tourism commission voted against adopting it for an ad campaign.
  • Jesus laments his heart for saving Jerusalem is unrequited; consequentially, the city will face judgment. Nonetheless, hope remains that Jerusalem will one day joyfully announce the coming of the Lord.
• Jesus has yet another tense conversation about “working” (doing good) on the Sabbath. This exchange is highlighted by the Pharisees refusing to answer the questions, on the grounds that doing so would self-incriminate them as stupid and hypocritical.
  • The person in question was a man with fluid buildup (edema). This used to be called dropsy (and is rendered as such in other translations). “Dropsy” is how I would diagnose chronic clumsiness. Sometimes I get distracted by details such as this.
• Jesus tells the egomaniacal guests at the party that they should instead pursue humility, and that the host should invite more “undesirable” people to his parties.
  • A guest exclaimed “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” In other translations, this sounds more reverent. Here, it reads more sarcastic, like he was seeing Jesus’ challenges as inviting a “Dinner for Schmucks” type vibe.

• Jesus replied, telling a story to make the point…the Kingdom banquet will be filled with the outcasts, downtrodden, forgotten, and marginalized….and that none of the elite (in this world) will be there. Surely, this left the snooty guests feeling…

• Jesus talked to the crowd about the cost of following him.
  • Condition 1: loving Jesus above all else, even family and self. Love for Jesus must be such a priority that other affections would be thought of as hate by comparison.
  • Condition 2: surrender to suffering.
  • Condition 3: sacrifice comforts.
  • “Unsalty salt” in this parable is the “unconsidered decision” to follow Jesus.
  • understated point: truly following Jesus includes thoughtfulness and consideration.

• Jesus’ message was attractive to notorious people. You know, lost people who knew they were lost. This greatly irritated the lost people who mistakenly thought they weren’t lost (the religious elite). So Jesus told 3 stories to help the elite get the point:
  • He told them about the joy a man has in finding his 1 lost sheep out of the flock of 100.
  • He told them about the joy a woman has in finding 1 lost coin out of 10 silver pieces.
  • He tells the extended story of the prodigal son who returns
    • the lost son became lost as a result of his own foolish choices
    • he came to the end of himself and thought to beg his dad to let him be a servant (which would’ve been better than his current mess)
    • he went home, but his dad was on the watch for him and saw him coming.
    • The father ran out to the son and embraced and kissed him.
      • The father immediately clothed with a robe of honor
      • The father immediately gave him a ring of authority
      • The father shod him with sandals (provision as family)
      • The father had the fatted calf slain (feast of celebration)
    • The older son was not happy with news of these developments
      • he exaggerates his own labors
      • he understates his dad’s generosity and provision
      • he indicts his brother and his father
    • The dad corrected the orders son’s misperceptions and returned to the celebration.
    • point: Finding lost people is a BIG deal to God, and he (and all of heaven) celebrates when the lost are found!

• This following passage is difficult (for me). Jesus tells the story of a dishonest, shrewd manager who gets commended for selfish, shrewd behavior in preparing to be fired. The lesson, read in context to the story, seems very troubling (anti-biblical in terms of ethics)
• I think the lesson is better, more biblically consistent if detached just a bit from the story.
  • This is possible by just reading it this way – that the lesson, rather than serving as a conclusion to the story, serves as an introduction to the principle that follows.this requires shifting the “they” in “they will welcome you to an eternal home,” away from the worldly friends to heaven’s citizens (angels). The idea, therefore changes…
    • The story is of an shrewd manager (worldly) commended by rich man. Our tendency is to think of the rich man as God.However, if we see the “rich man” as the world, then “management” of the world’s resources is “worldly wealth.”Jesus’ instructions, then, are to spend worldly wealth on worldly concerns (friends for the ‘here and now’) because that wealth will come to and end.At death, there is no worldly wealth. Wealth in life offers no privilege in heaven. So…when your possessions are gone (at death), they (heaven’s citizens) will welcome you to an eternal home.”
    • what do you think?
  • Now, this principle ties to Jesus’ teaching about being faithful in small things, being entrusted with bigger things.
  • Jesus’ bottom line: you can’t serve God and be enslaved to money. (I wonder if Judas was in the audience).

• In a not-an-all-awkward transition (and by that I mean, totally deliberate), the Pharisees are described as a group who “dearly loved their money.”
  • This exposition directed at the Pharisees reveals the eternal truth of the laws of God, and the wisdom in living now with an eternal intentionality (and how that affects thoughts on wealth and marriage)
• Jesus “unpacks” this teaching using the story about the rich man and Lazarus.
  • Rich man had everything in life.
  • Lazarus was pitiful.
  • Yet at death, this was inverted.
    • Truly amazing to me is that even from hell, the rich man looked at Lazarus and had no regard for him, other than how he might be useful to serve his selfish needs. He even assumed Abraham considered Lazarus the same way.
  • Abraham responded to the rich man’s requests with some harsh truths
    • these destinations were permanent and unbridgeable.
    • still-living loved ones who were resolute in unbelief wouldn’t be persuaded by a supernatural visitation if they hadn’t been convinced by Moses and the prophets.
      • We will see this to be true in how the Pharisees react to God raising his friend Lazarus from the dead (and the common name is possibly not coincidental, either).

• In rapid-fire succession, we read quick teachings on:
  • Don’t tempt others (lead others into sin). That’s bad. you’ll regret it
  • Forgive others. a lot. as often as needed. You’ve been forgiven for more.
  • a response to the request to “teach us how to grow our faith.”
    • Jesus doesn’t really honor their request, as much as he exhorts them to use the faith they already have.
    • It’s not so they could work wonders (like relocating a tree)…but that they can do the things Jesus is leading them to do if they’ll rest more in the faith that he has given them to do the things they’re commanded to do.
  • A seeming warning to not get boastful about what they do. Remember, this is tied to the faith question, and the point is faithful service, not accomplishment of boast-worthy feats. Jesus’ exhortation is for followers to do their duty, relying upon the faith given to them to do it.

• Jesus then healed 10 men with leprosy. Only one came back to thank him.

• Jesus addresses the Pharisees interest in the coming Kingdom of God.
  • He says, “It’s already among you!” He is clearly associating himself with the Kingdom of God.
  • He tells them he’s about to depart and they will long for the day when he returns, but they will not see it. (Yikes!)
  • He foretells his own suffering and rejection.
  • He compares this time with the days of Noah and the days of Lot. The phrase “destroys them all” is repeated.

• There will be no shortage of signs indicating that things are wrapping up here (and none of them are good).
• Hard pivot: Jesus tells followers to pray and never give up. God is good and likes to answer prayers (caveats: on his time, and according to his will. These caveats may be challenging to reconcile to your experience from time to time).
• Jesus uses an arrogant Pharisee to teach humility in prayer.
• understated point: God hears the prayers of the humble, and resists the blathering of the prideful.

• Jesus chastises the disciples for scolding parents of kids rushing Jesus.
  • He says to receive the Kingdom of God like a child.
  • I think this is more about eagerness and total dependence than about innocence.

• Jesus talks with the rich man about eternal life. He calls Jesus good, which Jesus points out attests to his divinity.
  • Jesus tells the man to obey the 10 commandments. Check.
  • Jesus tells him to sell all possessions and follow him. Oops…problem.
  • Jesus points out that wealth is a problem for a lot of people.
  • He also points out that God can overcome that problem, and that anything given up for Jesus is rewarded.

• Things are picking up…Jesus tells the twelve that they’re heading into Jerusalem, and that everything promised will start to play out. Including his sham arrest, torture, and murder. But also his resurrection.
  • They missed the point.

• The blind man shouted to be saved. Jesus saved him. Everyone rejoiced
• Jesus went in Jericho. Met Zaccheus. He was wee. But his faith was big.
  • “Sin-sniffers” grumbled. Jesus saved him anyway.

• Jesus told the story about the nobleman whose son was going to be crowned king. This story is known as the parable of the talents, and the message is that Jesus was going away, that he’d be returning, and there will be an accounting of the investments he makes in his followers and how those investments were used.
• understated point: use the gifts God has given you to make a Kingdom impact.