Bible Commentary on Luke Archives - Page 6 of 14

It is interesting to compare conversations we have with new believers to those that Jesus with His new followers.

Here is how conversations usually go today between a New Believer (NB) and an Experienced Pro (EP):

EP: It’s been good seeing you in church. Are you learning a lot?
NB: Oh, yeah! I’ve been reading my Bible every day, just like pastor said I should. I’ve seen God answer a lot of my prayers, and lots of people here in church are so friendly.
EP: Good, good. We’re always here for you if you ever need anything or have any questions.
NB: You know, now that you mention it, I do have a question.
EP: Sure, what is it?
NB: Well, some of my friends are having a party next weekend, and they’ve invited me to go. Usually, before I became a Christian, I would party every weekend. But now, I haven’t been to one in a while, and my friends are starting to wonder what happened to me. I had a lot of really good friends, and I would kind of like to go to the party. Do you think I should go?
EP: Hmmm. Well, will there be beer at the party?
[Read more…]

Money or Friends

By Jeremy Myers

5 Comments

If you had a choice between the following two options, which would you choose?

Boatloads of money, but have most people despise and hate you.
Very little money, but have the love, respect, and acceptance of a few, close friends.

I fear that most people would say they choose the second option, but when presented with piles and piles of cash, might actually choose the first. Thankfully, for most of us it is a hypothetical question. But for a man named Levi, it was an actual choice he had to make.

The decision Levi faced, however, was slightly different than I have presented it above. He already had lots of money, and was asked by Jesus to leave it all behind, and join His circle of friends. On the one hand, he could continue to be a tax collector, earning piles of money, but continue to have everybody hate him and despise him. Or, he could leave all his money behind, and follow Jesus, where there was love, and acceptance, and most of all, forgiveness.

[Read more…]

Reading Scripture

By Jeremy Myers

9 Comments

One key to reading Scripture is to see yourself on its pages. Identify with the people, place yourself in their shoes, and ask, “What would I do in this situation? How would I feel?”

But don’t just do this with the “good” people, like Jesus, Paul, and Moses. Put yourself into the shoes of the “bad” people also. In other words, don’t see yourself as Jesus, going to help all the sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Instead, see yourself as the sinner, the prostitute, and the tax collector.

Let me give you some examples from my own reading.

[Read more…]

The Traitor Church

By Jeremy Myers

3 Comments

Who do you definitely not want in your church? Have you ever thought that those are the ones Jesus would invite?

In Israel at the time of Jesus, some of the most despised people were the tax collectors. It is not just that nobody likes a tax collector. It was more than that. They were Jews who worked for the Roman Empire to collect money from their fellow Jews, and therefore, were viewed as traitors.

One day, when Jesus was teaching the crowds, a tax collector named Levi set up shop nearby, complete with his rich clothes and tax-enforcing bodyguards. Since the tax booths were movable, he probably came to tax the people as they arrived to hear Jesus teach.

Imagine showing up for church this Sunday, only to discover an IRS agent had put a table out front, and as everybody filed into church, was checking to make sure they had paid their taxes. [Read more…]

I’m a Leper

By Jeremy Myers

4 Comments

How would you respond if you heard that the lady down the street who spreads gossip about you slipped on some ice and is in the hospital?

What would your thoughts be if you heard that the national spokesman for the gay rights movement died of AIDS in the hospital?

How would you react if you heard that an abortion doctor discovered a bomb in his Mercedes Benz as he was leaving for the airport for a vacation in Palm Springs?

Some people might silently cheer and think “serves them right,” and believe that God was punishing these people for their behavior. Though I am ashamed to admit it, I used to think that way.

But no longer.

What brought about this shift? One thing: Up until about five years ago, I thought I had my life pretty much figured out. I was doing pretty well in my Christian walk. I knew a lot about the Bible. But then, through a long series of events (some of which you can read over at Oh Me of Little Faith, I came to see that I was actually a leper.

We often hear that since Jesus loved lepers, we should find the outcast and rejected in our own society, and love them like Jesus. I don’t disagree. But I believe that before we can love other lepers, we need to recognize that we ourselves are lepers also. Only after we see ourselves as lepers do we then have the right perspective to go and spend time with other lepers. We do not go as healthy and holy members of society to minister to the sick and dying sinners.

No, it is only from the stance of a leper can we follow Jesus to touch and minister to other lepers, learning to love the unlovable, and touch the untouchable.

So, are you a leper?

This post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 5:12-16.

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Should New Believers Party with Old Friends?

Money or Friends

Reading Scripture

The Traitor Church

I’m a Leper

This post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 5:12-16.

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