March 19, 2015
the son of Joseph, the son of Heli…” (Luke 3:23 NKJV).
Some point to the differences between the two genealogies found in Matthew and Luke as evidence of error in the Bible. However, the better explanation is that Matthew and Luke were writing from different perspectives. Matthew’s gospel presented Christ as King, while Luke’s presented him as Son of Man. Matthew followed the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke followed the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), though David’s son Nathan. Since there was no Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, “as was supposed.” Matthew’s genealogy started with Abraham and ended with Jesus, showing his legal right to the Davidic throne, while Luke began with Jesus and traced his humanity all the way back to Adam and to God.
March 18, 2015
A Davidic psalm. A prayer asking God for His higher perspective and protection. Lead me to the higher rock. Set my feet, which are sinking in mud, on something firm. Put my mind above the daily distractions to see things from your heavenly heights. Raise my soul to a place of shelter from life’s storms. Lord, I am overwhelmed, protect me from my enemies. Show me how to get to “the rock.” Not “a rock,” but “the rock.” For there is only One who is “the” Rock and He is Jesus, the Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Show me how to get to Jesus today!
March 17, 2015
Luke is the only gospel that described how Jesus grew up. The story of twelve year old Jesus talking with the teachers in the Temple, while His family was looking for Him, is a very interesting glimpse into His youth. And it begs the question, “What did it look like for the Son of God to grow up?” Luke summarized Christ’s growing years in a four part description. This description is helpful for those who want to grow to maturity as Jesus did.
The four areas of growth are:
1) Mental “wisdom”
2) Physical “stature”
3) Spiritual “favor with God”
4) Social “favor with men”
I use this verse to help set goals in my life each year, praying that Jesus will help me to grow more like Him. What are your “Luke 2:52” goals?
March 16, 2015
Although the incident that elevated the Aaronic priest, Phinehas, seems brutal to modern eyes, it resulted in a special covenant that God made with the tribe of Levi. This seems to be what Malachi 2:4 and 2:8 refer to as the “covenant of Levi.” God turned the curse that Jacob spoke over Levi (Gen. 49:5-7) on his deathbed, into a blessing. True, Levi would still be “scattered” in Israel as Jacob prophesied, but God made the tribe His special possession. The covenant with Levi was one of “peace” and of an “everlasting priesthood.” Depending on one’s eschatology, some would say that this covenant was inherited by the Church. While others would say that God still has a future for Israel and the Levites in a Millennial Temple.
March 15, 2015
After nine months being mute, Zacharias prophesied over his newborn son, John. All that the angel Gabriel predicted had come to pass. I suppose the silenced old Zacharias had plenty of time to contemplate the angel’s words during his wife’s pregnancy. Awe fell over the entire neighborhood as the tongue-tied priest became an articulate prophet, blessing his son. In this verse, he spoke the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 over his son, saying that he would be the preparer of the way for the Messiah. What if every child was so anticipated? What if every son had a father speaking a prophetic blessing over him?
March 14, 2015
This is one of the more bizarre stories in the Bible. The Israelites were once again grumbling against God and Moses because of the lack of water and variety of food in the wilderness, so God punished them with poisonous snakes. God hates grumbling. Grumbling is the opposite of thankfulness. Grumbling itself is like a venom that infects everyone that hears it with a spirit of ingratitude. When the people repented and cried out for forgiveness, God instructed Moses to make an image of a bronze serpent and to put it up on a pole for people to look upon and repent of their sin for healing. Strange that the symbol of their suffering would be God’s provision for their forgiveness and healing. Yet, this is exactly what God did when He sent Jesus to die in our place. For on the cross we see the image of what our own sin deserved. Jesus became the symbol of our suffering. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
March 13, 2015
Luke addressed both his gospel as well as the book of Acts to a man named “Theophilus,” whose name means “lover of God.” Luke addressed him with the title, “most excellent,” which would imply that he was a person of prominence. Some have suggested that Theophilus was a man of wealth and position that Luke had been discipling in the faith. Perhaps he had offered to underwrite the expense of publishing Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts as well, which means that Luke addressed both of these books to him as his patron. The cost of copying these two works, so that they could be shared among the churches would have been great. There was no printing press, so the cost of copyists and paper was very high. At any rate, Luke the physician, under the inspiration of the Spirit, offered a very well-researched and “orderly account” of the gospel of Jesus and the history of the early church. And we are able to hold this account in our hands and read it with our eyes and receive it into our hearts today!
March 12, 2015
This was the question the women who wanted to anoint the Lord’s body had as they headed towards the tomb on that first Easter morning. Arriving there, they found the huge stone had already been rolled away, revealing the empty tomb. Do you know someone that seems close to believing, yet there is a kind of unmovable stone standing in the way? You can lead them to the cross and to the tomb, but only God can remove the stone. Pray that the stone is removed, so that they can finally see and believe.
March 11, 2015
Roman soldiers were expert executioners. They had seen men die in the cruelest of ways. They had witnessed their various human responses to torture and death. Yet, this officer had never seen anyone endure suffering as Jesus did. What was it about Jesus that moved this hardened death squad centurion? Was it his dignity and demeanor amidst such ugliness and disdain? Was it his care for the thief crucified beside him or his forgiveness of the taunting crowd? Perhaps it was the darkening of the sky or the ground that shook when he cried out his last? Maybe there was a way that he looked at the Roman leader with compassion in his eyes even as he was dying? Whatever it was, this officer was moved to affirm Christ’s identity. His normally sarcastic, biting tongue was moved to childlike wonder. I wonder. What became of this Roman officer? Did he turn in his sword for a seat at the Lord’s table? Did he exchange his Roman helmet for one of salvation?
March 10, 2015
The atheist usually lays claim to an intellectual position to support their unbelief. However, the Bible says that their true problem is not reason, but a lack of righteousness. It isn’t the atheist’s mind that rejects God, but his heart. And having refused God entrance, he can find no better candidate for divinity than himself. So, atheism is really humanism at heart. Yet God “looks down” to see who will seek His face. Who will open their hearts and minds to Him? Those that truly seek God will find Him. This is wisdom.