Using Ungodly Mammon to Make Eternal Friends? (Luke 16:1-13)
Jesus’ parable of the dishonest manager displays a manager’s shrewdness by scheming against his rich master. Unlike the prodigal son, this manager does not repent but shrewdly uses his worldly wisdom to ensure his survival in this world. Jesus commends the manager’s shrewdness in this age, but calls attention to how the sons of this world know how to survive. Christ exhorts the “sons of light” to exhibit a wisdom of using the things of this world for the glory of the Lord’s kingdom. The parable calls believers to faithful stewardship, wise use of resources, and loyalty to God rather than worldly prestige. Our call to live out the gospel is a challenge. We have to discern what is pleasing to the Lord in the Holy Spirit. It is a call to deliberately live before the face of God, empowered and united to our Savior, and living in light of him being our redeemer and master.
"You Always Had Me" (Luke 15:11-32)
The parable of the prodigal son highlights the contrast between a repentant sinner and a self-righteous individual. The younger son, after squandering his inheritance, returns home seeking forgiveness, possibly with a manipulative mindset, but ultimately accepts his father’s invitation to celebrate and enjoy their restored relationship. The older son, however, resents the grace shown to his brother. The older brother calls to his father’s attention his years of slaving for the family. He fails to see that his father never required him to slave for approval or acceptance but simply to enjoy the merciful status of sonship. This parable teaches that the Christian life is not about proving our worthiness to receive God’s favor but about pursuing our lord, living in communion with Him, and rejoicing in our relationship seeking to live out of gratitude and joy rather than boasting of one’s works.
The Sinners' Supper: Mercy in the Mess (Luke 15:1-10)
In this passage, Christ’s association with tax collectors and sinners challenges the Pharisees' understanding of holiness and reveals their self-righteousness. Christ responds with two parables: the shepherd who seeks out the one lost sheep, symbolizing his love for the lost, and the woman who finds a lost coin, emphasizing the joy of restoration. These parables contrast the Pharisees' lack of understanding of repentance and highlight the importance of seeking righteousness through Christ rather than self-reliance. It is remarkable that even the angels in heaven celebrate the repentance of sinners, urging believers to align with this divine celebration of redemption.
Considering Christ's Call (Luke 14:25-35)
Normally, God is often associated with love.. However, Christ challenges this notion by calling His followers to hate their families and even their own lives, seemingly to contradict Moses' command to honor parents. Christ is teaching the cost of true discipleship—one that requires prioritizing Him every worldly comfort, bearing the cross, and seeking God’s will over worldly ambitions. He warns against a superficial understanding of His kingdom, calling believers to count the cost and commit fully, even at potentially great personal sacrifice. True discipleship means losing one's life in the sense of reprioritizing values according to the cross, and living as a sacrifice to God. Thus, Christians must conform to Christ’s image, discerning His wisdom through the Spirit and aligning their lives with His priorities in faith.
Christ's Radical Feast (Luke 14:1-24)
We consider the transactional nature of social banquets in Rome, where guests were invited to elevate one’s status, with the radically different banquet of God's kingdom where the people too powerless to advance the host are invited. When Jesus dines with the Pharisees, they seek to trap Him, using a man with dropsy as bait. Yet Jesus, in healing the man, exposes the Pharisees’ hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. Through a parable, Jesus teaches that true honor comes not from self-exaltation but from humility and dependence on God. He calls His followers to invite and embrace the poor, crippled, and marginalized, reflecting the heart of God’s kingdom. Ultimately, the true banquet belongs to those who recognize their spiritual poverty and rely solely on Jesus for redemption, pointing to the fullness of peace and restoration believers that believers possess in Christ now and in the fullness when he returns.
Establishing the True Vision of Peace (Luke 13:31-35)
The city of man, represented by Herod’s tyranny, gives an illusion of peace through threats and violence. Christ’s kingdom is contrasted as he lays down his succumbing to the tyranny of this age. Christ is warned by a faction of Pharisees of Herod’s threat to kill Jesus. Jesus does not cower, exposing Herod’s weakness and remaining resolute in his mission. Christ makes explicit that Herod is not the threat to Jesus, but earthly Jerusalem rejects him like they have with all the prophets. Jesus is the true protector, as he was in their exodus event. The irony is that the vision of peace in his age joins the world peace of Rome by rejecting Christ. However, God overturns their sentence of death through the resurrection. Christ calls humanity to walk through the narrow door; they are called to take his yoke upon them and to do so before Christ returns as the true king of glory—the stone the builders rejected God has set as the cornerstone. Let us not reject God’s word, but embrace the substance of the word as we bow our knee to Chris
Strive for the Narrow Door (Luke 13)
Jesus warns that we tend to ask the wrong question in our redemption. We tend to focus on whether they have done enough rather than whether they are striving to enter through the narrow door on Christ’s terms. Many assume they are spiritually secure, but without Christ’s redemption, they are lost. As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, his followers expect earthly glory, yet he moves toward suffering, the cross, and ultimate victory through resurrection. This will happen in the city called the Vision of Shalom (peace) or Jerusalem. The issue posed to Jesus is how many will be saved rather than how one can be saved. Jesus calls for striving, emphasizing that salvation is not about religious heritage or outward association but a true commitment to him. The narrow door will not remain open forever, and many who assume they belong to God’s kingdom will be shut out, while unexpected outsiders will be welcomed in. This great reversal fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 25) of God’s feast, where only those who humbly trust in Christ will rejoice. Ultimately, salvation is not about human effort or religious status but about submitting to Christ and recognizing our need for his redeeming grace before the door closes.
Christ’s Public Scandal (Luke 13:1-10)
Jesus continually overturns expectations, revealing that God's kingdom is about inward renewal, and it is not mere rule-keeping. In Luke 13, He heals a woman who had suffered for 18 years, but instead of rejoicing, the religious leaders are outraged because their rigid view of the Sabbath blinded them to its true purpose—rest and restoration. Jesus exposes their hypocrisy, showing that they care more for their animals than for a suffering daughter of Abraham. He then gives two parables—the mustard seed and the leaven—illustrating how God’s kingdom grows through a quiet inward power, transforming lives from the inside out. The gospel is not about legalism or self-reliance but about pursuing and loving God, allowing Him to heal and renew us. As we grow in our union with Christ, sin loses its grip, and we find true joy in His presence. May we humbly tremble at His Word and pursue Him, knowing that He first pursued and secured us by His grace.
Fruitless Faith or Fruit-bearing Faith? (Luke 13:1-9)
The book of Job challenges the simplistic idea that righteousness guarantees blessings and wickedness results in suffering. Instead, the book presents a deeper theodicy that studies how God’s justice works in time. God is showing he will triumph, and his people need to submit to him as his champion people. Job comes to know God, repents of his self-righteousness, and finds victory by bowing the knee to his redeemer.
Christ echoes this theme in His response to the Siloam tower disaster and the parable of the fig tree. Christ’s point is that our outward appearance is not the substance of righteousness. One needs to be oriented and tuned into the Lord’s kingdom, and discerning the Lord’s ways. Job’s story fits within this broader biblical narrative, calling believers to move beyond a rigid understanding of divine justice. We are called to self-examination and faithful submission to God’s will rather than be piety police proclaiming why catastrophe strikes everyone else.
Can Faith Both Unite and Divide? (Luke 12:49-59)
Jesus’ mission is paradoxical because He unifies His people in faith and brings division at the same time. Christ is celebrated because he brings heavenly peace, but Christ declares, “I have not come to bring peace, but division,” because true peace is not the absence of conflict but submission to Christ as King. Families may be divided over their allegiance to Him, but His baptism of suffering and judgment secures His disciples who hear his word. Just as the Spirit’s fire empowered the disciples rather than consuming them in Luke’s second volume, Christ’s sacrifice enables us to stand in the final judgment as we already taste its cleansing power. He warns that while people can discern the weather, many fail to recognize the urgency of the gospel. Real faith is not about religious rituals or cultural Christianity but about embracing Jesus as Messiah, Savior, and King. By faith, we are transformed, aligning our hearts and lives with Him, not as perfect people but as redeemed ones who live for God’s glory. Let us judge for ourselves what is right as we discern the true words of our savior.
Joyful Slaves under Sovereign Scrutiny (Luke 12:35-48)
The Christian life is based on the assurance in Christ’s finished work and a call to active, faithful service. Christ not only secures our righteousness, but he also transforms our hearts, empowering us to live as responsive, vigilant servants awaiting our Master’s return. Jesus presents these parables to challenge us to serve Him diligently, trust in God’s provision, and glorify Him in all things as we anticipate the fullness of His kingdom.
Be Happy: Sell Everything? (Luke 12:13-34)
The passage examines Christ’s teaching on wealth and priorities through a parable about inheritance and a rich man’s desire to secure his future through self-reliance. Christ rebukes his mindset that prioritizes earthly kingdom security in the place of the heavenly kingdom, making explicit that true provision comes from God. The parable of the rich fool highlights the danger of self-centered planning without seeking God’s wisdom to order one’s steps. While wise stewardship is encouraged, Christ warns against placing ultimate trust in earthly security. Instead, believers are called to seek God’s kingdom first, trusting that he will provide for their needs, just as he cares for creation. The reason for this is if God cares for the fading flower and the unclean bird how much more his children he has redeemed in Christ.
