The Gospel of Luke - Chapters 12-13

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What do we read about in the twelfth & thirteenth chapters of Luke's Gospel?
What do we learn from Luke?


What is the main focus?
Is it important to know the words from this chapter?

I am doing this in response to an Advent Reading challenge where we read 1 chapter of the Gospel of Luke per day from 1st to 24th December which will allow the whole book to be read.

If you missed The Overview or any of the chapters please click  HERE  for a list of them all.

Now let's look at the Twelfth Chapter of Luke.

Today we are dividing this chapter into 5 sections

Jesus teaches about Fear v. 1-12:

A multitude had gathered and Jesus began to teach His disciples about the Pharisees and how they cannot be trusted

So many times we hear the Pharisees criticising or accusing Jesus and now we hear Him warning the disciples about them.

They are hypocrites and probably very good at twisting what people would say but God knows the truth.  They or none of us should think that what we say or think will escape God.



Who are we to fear and who are we not to fear?

We are not to fear those who can kill us physically.   verse 5

We are to fear God who has the power of life and death but also the decision of eternal hell or salvation.    verse 6

We are not to fear men, we are not to keep quiet about God before others.    verse 8

We are to fear God.     verse 9

What are we reassured about?

God knows everything about us in all the details and we are important to Him.     verses 6-7

The Holy Spirit will help us in everything and at all times.    verses 11-12

Who are we to fear and who are we not to fear?

The Parable of the Rich Fool  v. 13-21:

Jesus tells this parable because of the question from someone who was thinking more about his inheritance than anything else so much so that he wanted to enlist the help of Jesus to get his way in things.

Jesus says that our life does not exist in the amount of our possessions.


 Possessions do not aid our relationship with God.

Our life is not prolonged by what we own nor does anything we have ensure our state before God and hence give us eternal life.  

Possessions do not aid our relationship with God.

Jesus teaches about Worry  v. 22-34:

Basically in verses 22-23 Jesus says  DO NOT WORRY

22 Then He said to His disciples,  

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 

23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

He gives examples in verses 24 and 27 of the ravens who are fed by God and the lilies who God has made beautiful.


Then tells us that worrying will do nothing for us in verse 25  and what we need is faith in verse 28


Most of us will be familiar with the words  -  "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you".   But do we stop to think about them, really think, because if so then we will recognise that it is important that we know just WHAT it is that will be added to us and WHY.


PLUS do we know what is meant by the phrase The Kingdom of God?

Well to know what the Kingdom of God is, is to know God and what His will is for us.


We need to look at verses 29 - 31 

29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  

30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  

31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Here we are told not to be anxious about the WHAT


The WHAT that will be added is found in verses 29 - 30  are all the things that the whole world needs and
The WHY  -  because God knows we need them.


WHO will look after us so that we do not need to WORRY or to be ANXIOUS?

GOD WILL LOOK AFTER US

WHAT do we need to do?

FOLLOW GOD'S WILL, OBEY HIM

 and

 DO NOT WORRY or be ANXIOUS

HOW do we do this?

WE LEAVE THINGS IN GOD'S HANDS

I love the next verse

verse 32

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God wants to look after us and now He wants to share everything with us!

It gives Him pleasure!

Truly we are important to him!

and just look at verse 34

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

He directs us in verse 33  to focus on the right things so that we have the important things to God, as the important things to us, and then our heart and mind will be in the right place and condition.

The Faithful Servant & The Evil Servant  v. 35-48:

When we have read God's Word and know what it says and understand the truth within then we have a responsibility to do what is right.

So when we know what God says in His Word then

Doing what God instructs us to do is being faithful,

  NOT doing what God instructs is being disobedient

Division & Peace  v. 49-59:

We are all willing to believe that Jesus brings peace - at Christmas we think of Jesus as the Prince of Peace but that is not for now.

Not everyone will trust in Jesus now so the whole world cannot be in unity and that also will be evident in our countries, cities, & families.

God's Word has given us signs for way the world will be, the way people will act and yet we will have to be careful to be aware of this and not be easily swayed with the culture and pressure of others.

But Jesus told the disciples here that it is better to make peace with people than to fight with them.
A hard thing to do in these times when even some people professing to be Christians are so dogmatic and insist that everyone thinks and acts like they do.   Wisdom is so much needed and should be our prayer each day.

Now let's look at the Thirteenth Chapter of Luke.

Today we are dividing this chapter into 6 sections.

Repent or Perish  v. 1-4

Here Jesus tells the people that if they do not repent they will perish.

So for those nowadays who like to say that surely God will not punish the people He has created this is a short passage which will show them otherwise.  -  Yes God hates sin.




The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree  v. 5 - 9

A Fig Tree has not borne any fruit for 3 years, it seems worthless but the keeper of the vineyard pleads for it to have another year with good care and attention.

Do we bare fruit without care and attention to God's Word - NO!

Do we bare fruit without having been helped, guided and fed by others - NO!

Do other new Christians bare fruit without our help, guidance and teaching - NO!





A spirit of Infirmity  v. 10 - 17

For 18 years a woman had been physically bent over and could not stand up straight.

She was in the synagogue on the Sabbath when Jesus spoke to her and told her to come to Him and He laid His hands on her and healed her in verses 12 - 13

12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”  

13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

She did not ask for healing BUT that didn't stop Jesus.
She was in the synagogue and the religious leaders would not be happy about this BUT that didn't stop Jesus.

She would have been seen and heard BUT that did not stop her from glorifying God.
She had not met Jesus before BUT that didn't stop her from recognising whose power Jesus had.

In verse 14  the ruler of the synagogue thought he was "calling out" Jesus for healing on the Sabbath

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

However in verse 15 - 17  it was Jesus who was "calling out" the ruler.

15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  

16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”  

17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

Look at the result of this healing in verse 17 above.
More glory was given to God


We do need to remember that Jesus' words and actions were always the means of pointing to the father and bringing glory to Him.




The Parables of the Mustard Seed & the Leaven  v. 18 - 21

Both of these are told to illustrate the Kingdom of God.

It will grow and become strong like the mustard seed - one of the smallest seeds there are will grow into a strong tree and be a home for the birds.

It will have a strengthening and growing effect on those who accept it.

The Narrow Way  v. 22 - 33

Jesus was travelling through towns and cities on His way to Jerusalem


He was asked what would seem like a simple question in verse 23

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

Jesus answered in verses 24 - 27

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  

25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’  

26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’  

27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’

We will need to enter by the narrow gate but there will be a certain time frame and then it will be too late.  We will not be known if we have not turned our backs on sin.


He then continues in verses 28 - 30  to describe how those who have not been able to enter through the narrow gate will know who is already in God's presence and the grief will be great.

Jesus knew His way and His future and was going to be obedient to God's plan.

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem  v. 31 - 35

Some Pharisees tell Jesus that Herod wishes to kill Him.

Jesus refers to Herod as a fox and explains that He will journey on to Jerusalem because He will not die outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus knew His way and His future and was going to be obedient to God's plan.

Then we see the sadness in the heart of Jesus in verses 34 - 35

34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  

35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

If you would like to read more of the posts in this series please click  HERE  for a list of them all.

For anyone looking for a book to give a thorough explanation of The Book of Luke  then I would recommend the following two commentaries by Warren Wiersbe which cover ch. 1-13 and ch. 14-24  available here below on Amazon and also at other leading bookshops.


 



For anyone looking for to do a Bible Study of The Book of Luke  I would recommend the following two studies by Warren Wiersbe which cover ch. 1-13 and ch. 14-24  available here below on Amazon and also at other leading bookshops.


 



Disclaimer: If buying here through Amazon I get a little commission but that does not mean any extra expense to you.

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Do you follow a set Bible Reading Plan each year?

Do you try to read certain books of the Bible each year?

Do you like to try to read through the whole Bible in one, two or three years?

Tim Challies recommended a bible reading plan and this was not just a read from the beginning to the end of the bible in one, two or three years, this was a read through the bible in one year in chronological order  -  A 5 Day Bible Reading Plan


 I had already been talking with some of our family about wanting to get a chronological Bible to read through in (what I call) a logical way, so I thought I would look at this Chronological Bible Reading Plan and try it out.


The name of this plan:   
The 5 Day Bible Reading Program


The order of this plan:   
It is organised so that the reader will read through all of the Bible in Chronological order in one year.


The cost of this plan:
It is free to download but will cost you time and determination.


The structure of this plan:
It is reproduced anew each year to suit the days and dates because it is a 5 day reading plan working on a weekly basis.

This means you have only 5 days listed each week with readings allotted to them and so if you cannot read all the sections for each day you do not need to worry about getting very disheartened and giving up because you have 2 days to catch up.


The starting date of this plan:
For This Year 2020 the start date is Sunday 5th January.

This means I had the first 4 days of the year to think seriously about how I planned to do this - which days would I plan to read on and which would be my 2 catch-up days because I was sure I would need these catch-up days each week.


I enjoyed doing the Advent Reading Plan of The Gospel of Luke which included one chapter a day for the first 24 days of December.

So knowing that I would probably want to blog about this reading plan as well I know I will need a 2 day buffer each week to help with that as well so that I do not feel as if I am under too much pressure.

As I started to write this post I had not started to read any of the passages.

It is Sunday 5th January already

So I feel that I will probably not read all of the passages set for today 

  Genesis 1-2;  Psalm 19;  Mark 1
 which are clearly shown in the pic below:

NOTE:  above is for 2020 but the links take you to this year's plan

So what did I have to think about before I started?

I needed to think about which bible version I would read.

How I would take notes.

Which sections I would take notes on because I was being realistic and knew that I would not take notes on everything.

(It is a reading plan of course and not a bible study plan.)

Well I am now almost 4 weeks into the plan.

What am I using to read through the plan?

I am reading through this plan on a new Bible App on my iPad.
I had already agreed to be a beta tester for this ESV version App so felt that reading this plan on this App would be a good test of the App.

You can see the app bottom centre on my iPad screen below.

How am I taking notes?

The App is compatible with the iPad Pro pencil so using it I am taking notes in the notes section giving myself headings of one verse or a short passage.

I am also using the favourites part of this to make a note of any verses I want to make Bible Verse Graphics of later.

UPDATE:

Because this was a beta test on this app I lost all my notes on the app when it disappeared at the end of the testing time.  Lesson learnt always make sure to back up notes from apps too.

Which sections am I taking notes on?

Taking notes really adds to your reading time so I knew that choosing the old or New Testaments as a section was not a good idea.
So I would have to choose one or more individual books of the Bible instead.

My next thought was that I would take the Gospels because while I was going through the Gospel of Luke for the Advent Reading Plan I had often thought about doing a detailed comparison between the gospels.

Also scanning through the plan it appeared that only one chapter of the Gospels would be covered in any day.

This lead me to start with the Gospel of Mark (as that is the first Gospel introduced in the plan) and if this was not too time consuming I would then go on to take notes from Matthew and John.

If I was not getting overwhelmed with the note taking at the end of those 3 Gospels I would consider tackling another book later.



How am I managing so far?

Well I started off great and then we went on holiday for a week  from 16th - 23rd January which overlapped week 2 & 3.

However it was a relaxing holiday so not a lot of plans to be out and about except by the pool so I was able to keep up there.
My only problem was that my iPad got left on the plane - not entirely my fault!
This meant I had to use my old kindle to read and hence had to use a different Bible version and also had to make my notes on letter paper the hotel had in the room.

Since I came back I have been suffering badly with sinus problems and neck problems and I have to admit I am a little behind now.

By date I should be well into week 4  but I have not started Galatians yet so if you look at the plan above you will see I have not done very much of week 4 yet.



Last Question is -  Why do we use a plan to read our bible?

Everyone will probably have a different thought as they read this question but right now I'm thinking about not just now but of in previous years.

When I was a young Christian it was good to have some kind of guide to keep me reading.

When I got more disciplined I would sometimes use a plan and sometimes not because I felt like I could trust myself to read regularly.

Now I want to give myself the challenge of reading in the chronological order to understand more of the timing and setting of different parts.

Looking back I see one great reason that I probably had not really thought about so much before  -  setting a good example to our families of planning to read and structuring out thoughts.

Something to Note:

I took more detailed notes while I was away on holiday and even took notes on Genesis and the Psalms as well as Mark

UPDATE:

I did not finish the reading plan in the one year so I continued over into the second year  -  reason being that I took too many notes.

However no plan should ever make us conform exactly to it as we are all individuals and the most important thing is that we actually read all of the Bible.

I Would Still Recommend the Reading Plan

You can download the plan here  The 5 Day Bible Reading Program

The Gospel of Luke - Chapters 10 & 11

What do we read about in the tenth & eleventh chapters of Luke's Gospel?
What do we learn from Luke?


What is the main focus?
Is it important to know the words from this chapter?

I am doing this in response to an Advent Reading challenge where we read 1 chapter of the Gospel of Luke per day from 1st to 24th December which will allow the whole book to be read.

I don't plan to post every day but will try to do so every two days and end on the 24th.

If you missed The Overview or any of the chapters please click  HERE  for a list of them all.

Now let's look at the Tenth Chapter of Luke.

Today we are dividing this chapter into 4 sections

The Seventy Sent Out v. 1-16:

There is a great resemblance here to the start of chapter 9 where Jesus sent out the twelve disciples.

However it is from this passage and not from the previous one that we have the famous words of Jesus in verse 2 often quoted as people are going to the mission field.

The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.  

verse 3  brings us the mention of lambs and wolves,
Jesus was definitely preparing them for a not so easy time.


verse 5  brings us a lovely greeting which should be used more in today's world.
I'm often struck by the greetings in the Epistles and think we should greet people better than we do.

After some detailed instructions of how they are to stay in the homes and the cities Jesus makes it clear in verse 12  that it is a serious thing for a city where they are not made welcome saying

But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Other places are then mentioned by Jesus and compared to Tyre and Sidon whom God will judge and strong words are said in judgement of Capernaum. 
Why?
The previous times we read in Luke about Capernaum we were not given any indication that Jesus was upset by the evil there or the non-acceptance of Jesus.
This is something I am interested to look into again some time or ask some of those Theologians that I know very well.


We are left in this section with Jesus words again leaving a strong warning in verse 16

“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

It is indeed a serious thing to reject those whom God sends.


Reminds me of the incident with the young boys and the bears in 2 Kings 2:22-24 a very interesting read.

It is indeed a serious thing to reject those whom God sends.

The Seventy Return  v. 17-24:

I like the heading for this section in the NKJV

The Seventy Return With JOY!    -    Makes you smile even as you read it.

However this section seems to be about 3 types of Joy.

1.  The disciples are joyful on their return.

Seventy disciples witness to how well their mission time went in verse 17

“Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

But Jesus reminds them of the fall of Satan and how even though He has given them power over the enemy this is a risky joy to concentrate on because if they do they will be taking their focus off the giver of the power and directing it on themselves.

Then they will find themselves becoming proud, as Satan did.

2.  Jesus talks about true Joy.

Keeping their focus on God will keep their hearts joyful because as He tells them in verse 20

God has written their names in Heaven which is of far greater importance and relevance to their lives than what they think they are accomplishing on earth.  

3.  Jesus is Joyful

In verse 21 we are told that Jesus talked to His Father and that

Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit

This is the righteous joy that the Father, Son and Spirit shared.

We end this section with verses 23-24  where Jesus tells the Disciples how blessed they are to be in the position they are in being able to see and hear so much from God.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan  v. 25-37:

We are all so familiar with this parable.

It is important to remember in what circumstances and in answer to which question this parable relates.

We have just heard Jesus telling the disciples that others have not heard or seen the things they have and of course we know that this relates to understanding and not just listening.

So the circumstances now are that Jesus is approached by someone who does not understand the ways of God fully and the question is found in verse 25

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Now Jesus does not give him a direct answer to the question but directs him to the Law, asking him not just what is written there but also what he understands it to mean.

Love is the answer but it's our attitude and how we direct that love that is important.

So then the question from the lawyer comes in verse 29  

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

Thinking back to the Old Testament I think there were plenty of times as the Law was given that there was good detail and example given so did this man not really know who his neighbour was?

So Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Any different types of people could have been cast in the roles but Jesus chose to make the example of the pious religious and the hated among the Jews which I think He did to show that he knew the lawyer's true heart.

The parable ends with verses 36 - 37

36 So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The way it ends without the man speaking again I have to wonder if the man did not mean for this to be the result because it would mean a change of heart on his part when he already thought he was good enough, but knowing the law is not good enough again the Love is the answer.

Love is the answer but it's our attitude and how we direct that love that is important.

Mary & Martha  v. 38-42:

I don't think it is by chance that this section comes at this point.

Again the relationship is important and the attitude and the love.

Many women today want to make more of this than there is here.
This is a home situation and Jesus was invited in to the home by Martha (verse 38)  she has a sister and while the hostess was thinking and working towards the comfort and the refreshment of the guest her sister was not helping.

I can see a similar situation happening very easily today as well.
We have a guest and there will be someone in the home who takes responsibility for the hospitality they want to offer, usually the best cook or organiser within the family.

Martha gets upset and wants her sister to help and Jesus just reminds her that this is a one off occasion where they have Him and His teaching and she needs to recognise which is the most important.  He was not always going to be around to learn from.

Mary listening to Jesus was not a sign that she was going to be a teacher of the Word, she was simply making the most of the opportunity to learn which is what we all need to do.

Martha not sitting intently listening was not being condemned, we are shown here that there are two things we need to do in life -  have a good attitude & relationship with God's word (listen, read, learn and be in the presence of God) and have a good attitude and relationship with others (honour, respect and serve people).  Martha at this time chose the serving and Mary chose the learning.

Looking now to the relationship, attitude and love in this situation, and knowing that Jesus is later spoken of as a friend of these two women and their brother, I am sure we can say that the relationship, attitude and love between them all was not destroyed by this event.

Now let's look at the Eleventh Chapter of Luke.

We are also dividing this chapter into 4 sections.

Teaching On Prayer  v. 1-13:

We are all very familiar with the Lord's prayer but in this Gospel it may not be the same as we normally say it.


Which of the Gospels have the Lord's Prayer?


Matthew 6 v 5 - 15 covers teaching on prayer in the section known as the Sermon on the Mount.
but the part known commonly as the Lord's prayer would be verses 9 - 13

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
 Amen.

Mark 11 v 25 - 26  covers a short look at prayer covering trespasses and forgiveness

25“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 

26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

We can only FORGIVE when we LOVE.

Luke 11 v 1 - 4  covers teaching on prayer covering trespasses and forgiveness but the part considered to be the Lord's prayer is verses 2 - 4

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.

We can only have GOOD ATTITUDES when we know that we ourselves are SINNERS.

John has short verses dispersed throughout the Gospel on prayer but the best known part would be in chapter 16 verse 24

which is not likened to the Lord's Prayer.


If we look closely we see that Luke's version is basically the same as Matthew's version except it is missing the closing statement

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
 Amen.

Here in Luke, Jesus then goes on to give an example of persistent prayer about a neighbour who has visitors late at night and needs bread in verses 5 - 8


and follows with results of that persistence in verses 9 - 10

9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

which is almost identical to Matthew 7 v 7 below

and another example of the type of answer God will give us in verses 11 - 13  where we plainly see that God is a good God who gives good things especially The Holy Spirit.


Here again in this teaching on prayer we see that relationship, attitude and love are so important.


We can only FORGIVE when we LOVE.


We can only have GOOD ATTITUDES when we know that we ourselves are SINNERS.



We can only keep GOOD RELATIONSHIPS when we LOVE and FORGIVE ourselves and others.

Casting Out A Demon  v. 14-28:

I have always found it strange that a statement such as that in verse 15 would be made

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

Why would demons be against demons?


But then maybe the previous verse helps to show why, because in it we read that

the multitudes marvelled

Many people accepted the greatness of what Jesus did and respected Him for it but then that also means in our imperfect human life we will then see the scoffers and the jealous who can't always keep their mouths shut.  No matter what Jesus would have done it would not have satisfied or pleased all the people.

So Jesus confronts them with the fact that it doesn't make sense that He should cast out demons as they have accused Him.   In verses 19 - 20  he shows them the stupidity of their words but also calls them out in the fact that they don't want to believe that He is of God.

19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.  

20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

If Jesus is from God then they are showing that they are against Him - verse 23

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

People are afraid when they see the power of God through Jesus because they know they are not right with God.
This is the time when people should shred their pride, arrogance and embarrassment to instead accept the way God wants to work.


Jesus then talks about how worse it can be when a demon is cast out but comes back with others to take up residence again.
Lives are changed by demons being cast out but they must be renewed by God's Spirit so that they stay changed.
If the people stay in unbelief or forget what God is doing for them they will not be changed.


Then we come to the verse that stands out from all others in this chapter, the verse that means so much.

To be true followers of Christ we need to take heed to this verse - this is what is expected of us.
Our heart and our actions must reflect the fact that we do not just hear but we believe and obey.

We are not to go our own way and think and apply our own thoughts, no we need to stay firm on the Word of God at all times - that's where the blessing is.

The Sign of Jonah  v. 29-36:


Jesus relates the people around Him with looking for signs but the only one they need is that of Jonah.

Who was Jonah sent to?
Ninevites

Why was Jonah sent?
The people were disobeying God's Laws

What was Jonah to do?
Take God's message of their sin and tell them to repent

What is the sign of Jonah?
That God wants people to recognise their sin and repent and trust in Him.

What did God declare?
The Ninevites repented when they met and heard from Jonah and were then not out of relationship with God.
The people here were still out of relationship with God because they were not looking to Jesus (who was greater than Jonah) but instead looking for something else.  They were not ready to repent.

The people were evil and Jesus related it to having darkness within when they should have light.
Jesus had also spoken about a lamp in a parable in chapter 8 v 16 - 21





Woes On The Pharisees  v. 37-54:


Jesus speaks of 3 Woes relating to the Pharisees

1. They concentrated on tithing of all different things but overlooked the love & justice of God.
2. They wanted to be noticed and honoured everywhere.
3. They had uncleanness within that people were unaware of.

Jesus speaks of 3 Woes relating to the scribes

1. They thought others had to be subject to laws but they didn't want to be.
2. They did not respect the prophets.
3. They were a hindrance to people to learn pure knowledge.

What reaction do we read from the Pharisees and scribes after this?

They plotted, planned and schemed against Jesus to catch Him out to be able to accuse Him of wrongdoing etc.

We can only keep GOOD RELATIONSHIPS when we LOVE and FORGIVE ourselves and others.

What about the attitudes, relationships and love we have seen as a recurring theme in these two chapters?
The scribes and Pharisees did not show a good attitude towards Jesus, did not want to have a good relationship with Him and certainly did not show love.

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