Luke 3:22b is today’s BDBD. Jesus, the Son of God.

“You are my Son…” was the Father’s voice from heaven. Jesus own assertion and intimation indicate that references to Him as Son of God can be traced to Jesus Himself. At the center of Jesus identity in the fourth Gospel is His divine state as Son (John 10:36). Jesus conceived of His divine state as Son as unique as indicated by such assertions as “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 NIV) and the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (John 10:38 NRSV). Elsewhere, He frequently referred to God as my Father (John 5:17; 6:32; 8:54; 10:18; 15:15; Matt. 7:21; 10:32-33; 20:23; 26:29,53; Mark 8:38; Luke 2:49; 10:21-22).

At Jesus baptism and transfiguration, God the Father identified Jesus as His Son, in passages reflecting Psalm 2:7. He was identified as Son of God by an angel prior to His birth (Luke 1:32,35); by Satan at His temptation (Matt. 4:3,6); by John the Baptist (John 1:34); by the centurion at the crucifixion (Matt. 27:54). Several of His followers ascribed to Him this title in various contexts (Matt. 14:33; 16:16; John 1:49; 11:27).

The term Son of God reveals Jesus’ divine Son-ship and is closely associated with His royal position as Messiah. Gabriel told Mary that her Son would not only be called the Son of God, but would also reign on the Messianic (David’s) throne (Luke 1:32-33). The connection of Son of God with Jesus’ royal office is also found in John (1:49; 11:27; 20:30), in Paul (Rom. 1:3-4; and 1 Cor. 15:28; Col. 1:13), and in Luke (Acts 9:20-22).

Primarily, the title Son of God affirms Jesus deity evidenced by His person and His work. John emphasized Jesus personal relationship to the Father. Paul stressed the salvation that Jesus provided (Romans 1:4; and 1 Thessalonians 1:10), and the author of Hebrews focused on Jesus priesthood (5:5). All of these are vitally related to His position as Son of God. (David S. Dockery -Holman Bible Dictionary)

Luke 3:21-22 is today’s BDBD. Why was Jesus Baptized?

Jesus was baptised when John was baptizing all the people who came to be baptized. Jesus’ baptism showed John who he was preparing the way for. With that knowledge, John could point out that Jesus was the Messiah and that the Messiah was the Son of God and the Lamb of God. (John 1:31-34) Jesus said his baptism was to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:13-15).

When I was a baby, I was sprinkled baptized. That couldn’t have been a baptism of repentance for my sin because I didn’t know what was going on.

As a young adult, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord. A few years later, as I studied the Bible, learning about baptism and everything else. I began wondering if I should be fully immersed-baptized even though I had repented of my sinful life many years earlier. Then the thought came to me that my Lord, the sinless Jesus, was baptized at around 30 years of age. So why then shouldn’t I be baptized like him?

Jesus’ purpose wasn’t to be an example for me, but I see his life as an example to follow. Jesus was baptized to begin his ministry. Jesus was baptized to display to John and the world that he was God’s son. Jesus was identifying with sinful me. So I reasoned, “What would be wrong if I were to follow my Lord’s example in full immersion baptism?” Years later, my younger sister had made the same decision on her own. I was so happy for her and my answered prayers.

Have you been fully immersed-baptized like Jesus? If not, you should for the same reasons he was baptized. Ours is a baptism of repentance, a baptism of identity with God, and a baptism of declaration to the world, “I am a Christian.”

Luke 3:17-18 is today’s BDBD. The Coming Harvest.

John continued his preaching a repentance for the forgiveness of sin with a warning about the consequences of choices when the Messiah comes. “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:17)

A farmer harvests his crop every fall and spring. Wheat and barley were the most common grain crops in the Middle East in the first century. After cutting down the dead stalks, they were gathered into bunches called sheafs. The sheafs were brought to a large flat rock called a threshing floor. The stalks were thrown up in the air, causing the grain to separate from the stalks. The emptied stalks were called chaff. The chaff was gathered and burned. The grain was swept into piles. The grain piles were put in storage pottery. The filled pottery was placed in his barn.

John the Baptist used this as a parable of the work of the Messiah. Jesus used similar farming parables. So now this is made clear, a choice is needed. Will the listener prepare and allow the Messiah to come into the heart and life? If not, the unquenchable fire is the next reality of those who reject Jesus, the Christ.

Luke 3:15-16 is today’s BDBD. Two Baptisms.

People wondered in their hearts if John might be the Christ (Messiah). John did not fall. He confessed that he is not. He gave proof by saying that there are two types of baptism. John’s baptism uses water. Jesus’ baptism uses the Holy Spirit. The latter is far better than the first.

Most believers in Jesus know and understand water baptism. I wrote extensively in other places in FreeBibleStudyHelp.com commentary about water baptism. However, few know of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, let alone understand it.

On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples. “A sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2-4). This is the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit.

John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (3). Jesus preached a baptism of ownership for the spread of the gospel for the forgiveness of sin. John’s baptism was physical. Jesus’ baptism was spiritual. The first is less than the latter.

Jesus declared to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (born from above).” (John 3:3) Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit baptism, which is more than a confirmation. Jesus continued, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.'”

The water is when a baby comes into the air and begins breathing. The Spirit is when the new believer comes supernaturally into the heavenly realms, Though the body remains on earth, the spirit begins living.

Luke 3:10-14 is today’s BDBD. Practical Change.

John prophesied a coming fire if people did not produce good fruit. The people were cut to the heart. Arrogance is racked by the truth. Truth exposes the reality of the past and present chosen inadequacies and sins, and the future penalty they bring. Humbled with holy fear, they asked,” What should we do then?” John’s answer was a practical change.

Luke gives three examples of John’s practical change suggestions. First, is sharing an unneeded tunic with those who need one. The selfish nature is to hoard back-ups for potential use, knowing someone in need of help has none. Proverbs 18:1 states, “An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.”  Apostle Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Second, John told tax collectors who used their positions of power to extort others’ possessions, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.”  Many today are guilty of the love of possessions, complimenting themselves with the delusion that stealing is wisdom. Here is wisdom: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Third, is practical faith, “Be content with your pay”. Rome allowed occupied nations limited military forces for their leaders’ and tax collectors’ protection. They also may have been constricted light auxiliary non-Jewish Roman troops. Both were known for extortion because their salary would not make them rich.

The basic takeaway is that change is personal and practical more than religious practices and rituals. Take an assessment of my bad practices and habits, and work to replace them with good ones.

Luke 3:9 is today’s BDBD. God, the Lumber Jack.

John the Baptist, the desert priest, filled with the Holy Spirit, made a prophecy of judgement on the Jewish nation. The time to change was at hand. However, the maximum boa constrictor’s life span (forty years) was all that God had allotted for them to change from crushing others around a tree to becoming a fruit-giving tree.

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his ministry (3:23). Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. During the forty years in between, the Jewish nation, especially the religious leaders, were given the ministry of John, Jesus the Son, and his disciples to repent. “The ax was already at the root of the trees,” John warned, meaning it is lying there ready for judgment.

God and everyone else would know that a person had truly changed if they bore fruit of repentance. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:16-19)

As it was Israel’s time for testing then, it is now time for the Gentiles for the Apostle Paul wrote, “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:9-11) The axe is already at the foot of the tree.

Luke 3:8 is today’s BDBD. I am a Stone.

Many Jews from all strata of society came to hear God’s voice in the desert and were baptized. Many heard and did not accept John’s testimony. “We have Abraham as our Father,” they argued. They meant that they had permanent and privileged status because of their family tree. The Apostle John started his gospel account with, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:11-13)

John the Baptist includes, “For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” I am a stone made into a child for Abraham. The Lord God told Abraham, “Look up and count the stars if you can. Look down and count the sand if you can. I will give you more children than these.” (I paraphrased). I am a grain of sand, I am a distant star, I am a stone made into a son.

Luke 3:7 is today’s BDBD. The Coming Wrath.

John called the crowds who came out to him to be baptized a brood of vipers. Specifically, he was talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees according to Matthew 3:7. Then he asked an interesting question, “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” The question was sarcasm for he knew few in Jerusalem and Judea preached the truth. Coming out to him to be baptized and listen to his message about the coming Messiah was fleeing the coming wrath.

God’s wrath is hostility toward all evil. The wrath of God is against all wickedness. Romans 1:18-20 states, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

The wrath of God, to a small extent, is revealed in this life. Yet, the Lord is patient and kind. He wants everyone to repent and come to a life filled with joy and peace. He even sent his Son to redeem those who will accept him. Even though God’s love is revealed in this way, it does not mean he will always relent from wrath now.

Romans 2:5-11 states, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”

God’s wrath was poured out on the nations because of stubborn hearts. However, there is still a chance for you to escape God’s coming wrath. Romans 5:9-11 states, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Luke 3:4-6 is today’s BDBD. See God’s Salvation.

John the Baptist is the only prophet who was foretold by another prophet. Isaiah prophesied about John seven hundred years before John was born. Isaiah said John was coming, where he would be, and what he would do. John’s arrival was good news, not so much that John was great. Rather, the good news was that the Messiah would soon fulfill God’s promised salvation.

Isaiah called John a voice, a disembodied proclamation. When important people enter a room or city during a formal occasion, an unimportant steward announces their arrival. Jesus was announced at his birth with a star and by a voice, John, just before Jesus’ ministry began.

John not only prepared people for Jesus’ coming, he also told people to prepare their hearts and minds. We are to give Jesus a smooth and easy entry into our life and being. Before a king made a journey to a distant country, the roads he would travel were improved. Similarly, preparation for the Messiah was made in a moral and spiritual sense through the ministry of John, which focused on repentance, forgiveness of sin, and the need for a Savior. Ask, “Am I prepared to open my heart and let God’s salvation in?”

Luke 3:3b is today’s BDBD. Repentance Before Forgiveness.

The religious leaders, by John’s and Jesus’s time, had turned baptism into an elaborate ceremony, full of rules and regulations. Sometimes they baptized themselves every day. They self-baptize at least once a week. The Jewish religious establishment had all kinds of reasons why they must baptize themselves, as the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal.

Baptism in Jewish and early church culture always required the person to be fully immersed in water. The remains of the small pits with steps in rock that were filled with clean, fresh water to be used only for “mikveh” still remain. The rich had these baptismal pits in their homes. John the Baptist and Jesus (though it was actually Jesus’ disciples, John 4:2) used the dirty water in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; John 1:28; John 4:1-3)

Because of and after John and Jesus (theologically it was after Jesus’ ascension), baptism became a baptism of repentance. That is, baptism is a proclamation to God and the world of a personal and practical decision in the heart to stop sinning and beginning living by faith in Jesus. Luke recorded John “preaching a baptism”. Baptism, by John’s and Jesus’ day, was somewhat of an ordinary sign of repentance of the heart. (Luke 3:3) Baptism (“mikvah” or “mikveh” in Hebrew) in Jewish culture became a ritual sometime after the exile of Babylon. John not only baptized; he preached baptism. If you have not been publicly baptized, why not? If you have, are you keeping to your proclamation by preaching a baptism of repentance with you life?

Luke 3:2b-3a is today’s BDBD. Simple and Practical Faith.

Luke records that John’s ministry was “in the desert…around the Jordan (River)”. John lived and travelled within a region that was often travelled by Jews going to and from Galilee and Jerusalem. The gospel can be preached anywhere, even in the desert. God will send those he has chosen to those who preach the gospel. Yet, we also need to be practical by going where others go and being easily available.

John did not prepare people for the Messiah and the coming kingdom by supernatural ways, spiritual mysteries, or miracles. John’s ministry was simple and practical. John studied the word and applied it to his life. Jesus taught, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observations, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20)

What does God want for me? What should I do? Where should I go? I do not know, therefore I wait till I do. Time does not stop while I wait and wonder. These questions are important, but often not answered. Most do not get the full, complete description that answers all the questions. I have this moment and today. I can plan for tomorrow, but living right today should not be put off. Allow the Word of God to come, keep God within, and do what is right now. The simple and practical can be powerful, used by God, too.

Luke 3:1-2a is today’s BDBD. During Evil Times.

The high priesthood was corrupt, not following the law of God set forth in the first five books of the Bible. There were two high priests. (John 18:19, 22, 24) This was unlawful. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Annas was the first and true high priest. However, he had a political problem with the Romans. So the Romans removed him as high priest. His son-in-law was then made the high priest in his place. Family ties were used to get seats of authority. (John 13, 14, Acts 3)

The time for the average person in the Roman Empire and Palestine was evil and dark. The people were hard worked and under appreciated. The word of God was distorted by the religious leaders for their own selfish gain. People could go high and low and not find physical or spiritual rest.

This is the time that the Word of God came to John the Baptist. John’s parents had been priests. So John the Baptist was a priest by birthright. Yet, he did not stay in Jerusalem to practice his ministry as would have been expected. Perhaps he was cast out. Most definitely he obeyed the word of God given to his parents found in the Old Testament. He lived in the desert with little comfort and no wealth. Obeying God’s call can mean we are sent to do the undesired and unexpected. God does not promise prosperity for many of his people.

Luke 2:51-52 is today’s BDBD. Obey Parents.

Who was to blame for Jesus being separated from his parents? The question implies that someone is to blame for an error. Yet, no error had been made.

Jesus’ parents asked, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” The question and supporting statement say that they were anxious, meaning they believed Jesus was lost or, even worse, may have been taken and harmed. They also implied that Jesus was negligent in his responsibilities and obligations to his parents. The concept and reaction are common for any parent. How much more two people whom God entrusted his Son with?

When my daughter was perhaps five or six years old, our family took a vacation to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. While walking with a group through their tallest cave system, we arrived at Crystal Falls after navigating the narrowest section. The guide turned off the lights behind us and began leading everyone up a tall metal spiral staircase. My daughter obviously did not want to walk up the stairs. So she bolted towards the darkness we had just traversed. I experienced the greatest fear I had yet experienced. I ran after her, trying to keep from falling on the slippery rock floor. I captured her and tightly carried a screaming and wiggly young girl up the slippery metal stairs. Upon reaching the top, she calmed down, and we made our way out. ” Who was to blame? Her or I? Neither.

Did she disobey me? Was I neglectful? Did either of us disrespect the other? These questions were never asked because they are meaningless.

Jesus’ response to his parents also displays this. Jesus remained obedient, and his mother treasured Jesus’ reply. Jesus knew who Father above was and was eager to know and experience him. Mary knew that she and Joseph were doing well in bringing him up according to God’s word and way. Sometimes there is no need to blame the other.

Luke 2:46-50 in today’s BDBD. Listen, Answer, and Ask Questions.

Jesus, who was twelve and attending Passover in Jerusalem with his parents, was attending the required temple education as preparation for his adult life as a Jew. Adult life for Jewish children started at their thirteenth birthday. Seated around him would have been many other twelve-year-old boys. The boys were to listen, answer questions, and ask questions as the rabbis instructed them. This was the common way for teaching in most societies in his day.

Jesus displayed an understanding of scripture that marveled the religious leaders during exchanges with renowned rabbis. The unusual wisdom came from a previous study of the Bible, and that comes from the Holy Spirit. This is a gift given to many Christians since the day of Pentecost.

The plan was for Jesus to undergo this important education when Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem for Passover, as they did annually, as required by the Mosaic law. They obviously had a planned day and time of departure. Like many, they traveled with a group of relatives and friends for protection and joyful camaraderie. After a long day’s travel, they would have stopped east of Jericho, west of the Jordan River. Upon arrival, they found that Jesus could not be found. So they returned to Jerusalem to find their son. Had Jesus betrayed his parents’ trust in him on the verge of his adult life? (More in the next BDBD.)

Luke 2:43-46 is today’s BDBD. Jesus’ Education.

Jesus’ desire to know and understand the word of God is displayed. He could not have received such education in the small village Nazareth as he should have been able to receive in Jerusalem. Jesus took advantage of his time in Jerusalem to stand and learn in the temple courts.

So many adults in our culture do not know and study the Bible. Sadly their children don’t know it either. Children and young adult education must include Bible facts, not just social events and music that they like.

When a child begins learning an art, sport, or reading, writing and arithmetic they learn the basic facts first and build upon those facts. Why do not many congregations teach the basic facts of the Bible anymore? Peter wrote, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-3) The writer of Hebrews wrote, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Any new believer needs Bible study! Don’t let the Book collect dust on your shelf. Read it every day and study it deeply in groups at least once a week. I fear that many church goers are going to be so surprised when the first through the last seventh trumpets are blown because they had not studied the Bible for themselves. Instead many today only rely on movies, television shows, other books, and speakers for their Biblical education. Perhaps your thinking, “The Bible is to hard for me to understand.” Don’t children say similar things when they learn to read and write? Why give up and make excuses? Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire you and start eating spiritual food!

Luke 2:42 is today’s BDBD. Socially Recognized Adulthood.

Luke records, “When he was twelve years old… according to the custom”. When a Jewish boy celebrates his thirteenth birthday, they officially declared an adult. The event is called a bar mitzvah. When thirteen years old, he is given the right to participate in society and religion as an adult. When thirteen, he fully assumed the responsibilities and rights of the circumcision he had received as an infant. He becomes “a son of the commandment”.

The custom was to bring a Jewish boy to Jerusalem a year before his bar mitzvah as part of his education. In Jerusalem he was to learn the proceedings of the temple and perhaps even from the best religious scholars who lived in and around Jerusalem. The teachers would gather in the large temple courts and teach.

Celebrating the time when a boy and girl becomes an adult has been lost in many modern cultures. To often children who are to immature are given rights and responsibilities of an adult. And to often young adults who are mature are not given the rights and responsibilities of an adult. The age of ascension has been blurred so that the youth are confused and society is brought low. The age at which a person becomes an adult can be between thirteen and eighteen years old. The event should not be two big and not without meaning.

I had learned of this important fact before it was to late for my son or daughter. When they graduated from high school I told them, “Today you are officially a man and daughter in society and in this family…” The conversation moved on from there.

Luke 1:41 is today’s BDBD. Worship in God’s Temple.

Luke comments, “Every year his parents went to Jerusalem”. The Lord God required all men to appear before the Sovereign Lord at the temple in Jerusalem three times a year. (Exodus 23:14, 17, 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16)

Since Alexander the Great controlled Palestine, many Jews had been scattered throughout the Greek and Roman world. Traveling to Jerusalem three times a year was hard, if not impossible for many Jews. So the religious leaders declared that each male Jew didn’t have to go to Jerusalem three times a year, but should try to get to Jerusalem for at least one of the three main feasts. Luke’s comment in verse 41 seems to indicate that Joseph and Mary was sure to visit Jerusalem on Passover, the most important feast at the time, but perhaps not the other two feasts.

Since the foundation of New Testament Temple at Pentecost in the hearts of God’s people and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. we can’t go to a physical temple. Rather we are to present ourselves before his temple in our hearts. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; and 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21)

Luke 1:40 is today’s BDBD. A Balanced Life.

Jesus was well-balanced. Somewhat similar to the trinity of God, man has (or is capable of having) three parts: physical body, soul (feelings and thought), and spirit (that which is of the spiritual world). When Adam and Eve sinned, the first part that died was the spirit, for God’s spirit departed from them. (John 1:4, 8:12) Eventually, their physical body died so that all that was left was their soul. God promises complete restoration in his Son, Jesus. (John 1:12-13: Acts 10:43).

Today, children are raised unbalanced. Some parents push their children into sports to the point of deifying a balanced life. I knew of a boy who wasn’t yet a teenager who suffered a physical sports injury so severely that he could no longer play any sports and had other physical problems. Other parents push their children to study textbooks so much that the knowledge they obtain gives them a headache, fear, and other pains due to a lack of sleep. A few parents push their children towards their religious beliefs because its their occupation and/or fears. Pursuing each of these three things is important and good only when balanced. Each child is born with talents and gifts. Each child can be nurtured to build on their strengths and should do so without neglecting the whole self.

Luke 1:39 with Matthew 2:19-23. Jesus’ Toddler Years.

Luke records Jesus’ birth, the shepherds’ visit, and Jesus’ circumcision which was when Simeon and Anna prophesied about Jesus’ ministry. These accounts are laden in the saving grace through Jesus to all including the Gentiles. He does not record the wise men visit nor Jesus’ need to be taken to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath. Matthew does not record Luke’s recorded events, and Luke does not mention Matthew’s recorded events. Why?

First, consider the timing. How long was Jesus in Egypt? Jesus was born in either 6 or 5 B.C. Matthew records that the wise men started their trip when they saw the star in their homeland. The trip would have taken around a year. Thus, they visited Jesus, Joseph, and Mary when he was between one and two years old. (This is also why Herod had all the boys killed two and under, Matthew 2:16.) Matthew records that Joseph left Egypt “after Herod died”. Herod died in 6 B.C. So, their stay in Egypt was less than a year. And all the events in Luke and Matthew can easily fall into a timeline.

Now, as to why they recorded what they did. One reason is that they didn’t know about the other events. However, I believe another reason is more probable. Matthew’s reason for recording Jesus’ brief stay in Egypt as a toddler was to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled Scripture. Matthew’s audience was Jews who wanted to know how Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures. So, Matthew recorded the visit to document it. It can be concluded that Joseph intended to keep his family in Bethlehem, as they had been there for around two years. However, God intervened because Jesus needed to be raised in Nazareth to fulfill Scriptures. God told the prophets to proclaim centuries before about the events of the young boys dying, Jesus being brought out of Egypt, and being raised as a Nazarene.

Luke’s audience was the Greek (intellectual Gentiles). They weren’t interested in how Jesus fulfilled scripture. Rather, they wanted to know the facts of how Jesus brings God’s grace. (Luke 1:1) Luke appealed to their reason and Matthew appeals to man’s religious incline. Both reveal Jesus in different ways according to the audience they had in mind.

Luke 2:39 is today’s BDBD. Nazareth.

Nazareth in the district of Galilee was a small town, Mary and Joseph’s hometown. (Luke 1:26) According to John 2:46 the town was known for nothing good. “Nazer” means “despised,” or “not honorable”. Christians were at first called Nazarenes. (Acts 24:5)

Nazareth was on a major trade route. Being on a major trade route brought in many strangers and Gentiles. It would be hard to keep faith and purity in such an environment. Also being a small town made it easy for everyone to know everyone and everything about each other. Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament anywhere, but the area is referenced. (Isaiah 9:1) Poor Jews lived in towns like Nazareth. Many Jews left Judea to escape first the Syrian and then the Roman oppression. Mary and Joseph’s family must have moved to this area because of the oppression.

The environment about us will affect us. However, I do not have to let it control me and be an excuse to do wrong things. The Lord will always provide a way. I need to keep faith. The Lord will not test us beyond what we can deal with in a good way.

Luke 2:36-38 is today’s BDBD. A Prophetess Among Us.

Anna was unique in many ways. She was a prophetess, the first human messenger of God in the Bible since the time of Malachi. She was of the lost tribe of Asher, not Judea. She was a woman who had dedicated herself to the Lord. She was eighty-four (or widowed eighty-four years), an age uncommon in those days. Widows were often poor and socially marginalized.

The prophetess Anna never left the temple. The temple gates were closed at night, and only the priests would remain inside. She worshiped God day and night, and was thankful despite losing her husband after only seven years of marriage. Many very old people I have known are either bitter or senile. She witnessed and encouraged others by sharing Jesus with them. She looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. She exhibited the Holy Spirit’s joy.

Anna was one of the few who recognized the Messiah, the redemption of Jerusalem, when they saw baby Jesus. No priest, no rabbi, no layman, and no social leader recognized the Messiah when they saw him. Those who did see he was the Christ were told so by an angel, including Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth (John’s mother), and the shepherds. Anna, was unique because she was blessed.

The younger generation usually sees the previous generation as silly and thus disregards them. Oh, if only they had listened to prophetess Anna, Jerusalem would have been redeemed that very year. “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” (Titus 2:3-5)

Luke 2:33-35 is today’s BDBD. Heart Revealed.

A Jesus encounter reveals the person I am. Every joint and marrow, every membrane and cell, every thought and reason are now known. The id is revealed as indecent. The ego is exposed to reality. The heart is cut open with a double-edged sword. The mind has seen the Great Light. My Maker has opened blind eyes. Do I like what I see?

What is this I see? It is thee. What is this I hear? It is clear. What is this I smell? It is hell. What is this you teach? Something you can reach. What is this you give? How to live. What is this that beats?

Will I go up or down? Your choice abound. What is so sore? Your very core. What is the cure? The only one to be pure. I want him in. Are you sure? I want his life. Will you be his wife? I will. He did. Your new life begins.

Luke 2:28-32 is today’s BDBD. Hey Gentiles, Jesus is Our Light of Revelation.

The Gentiles are in the dark even though we are intellectual and have achievements much. We were and still can be in the dark when we do not have a right relationship with God through Jesus who is full of grace and truth. Gentiles live in darkness until the gospel of Jesus is welcomed within and without. I did not know God, nor his truth. Now I do. All prior revelations were dark.

Apostle John also wrote in his gospel, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:19-21)

Christ is the light to the Gentiles. Those who have Jesus in their hearts become lights to others. He speaks and works through us. Jesus said, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” (Luke 8:16)

Jesus’s revelation light is more than thought and wisdom. Jesus revelation light is life. The Apostle John wrote in his gospel account, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:3-5) Jesus is a light of revelation to the Gentiles. Let my light shine so others can become lit through my testimony.

Luke 2:25-27 is today’s BDBD. Simeon’s Holy Spirit Revelation.

Luke records that “the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon”, a righteous and devout Jew. Quoting Tozer, “The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people. There is nothing about the Holy Spirit queer, or strange, or eerie.

“Unless you are convinced that it isn’t an added, unusual, extra, deluxe something that you have to go to God and beg and beat your fists on the chair to get, I recommend that you don’t do anything about it yet except to meditate upon the Scriptures bearing on this truth. You don’t have to persuade God at all. Dr. Simpson used to say, “Being filled with the Spirit is as easy as breathing; you can simply breathe out and breathe in.”

“Before you can be filled with the Spirit you must desire to be filled. Are you sure that you want to be possessed by a Spirit other than your own? That Spirit, if He ever possesses you, will be the Lord of your Life! Do you want to hand the keys of your soul over to the Holy Spirit?

“Again, are you sure that you need to be filled? Can’t you get along the way you are? But maybe you feel in your heart that you just can’t go on as you are. If you feel that there are levels of spirituality, mystic deeps and heights of spiritual communion, purity and power that you have never known, that there is fruit which you know you should bear and do not, victory which you know you should have and have not—I would say, “Come on,” because God has something for you.

“Here is how to receive. First, present your body to Him (Rom. 12:1-2). God can’t fill what He can’t have. Now I ask you: Are you ready to present your body with all of its functions and all that it contains your mind, your personality, your spirit, your love, your ambitions, your all?

“The second thing is to ask (Luke 11:9-11), and I set aside all theological objections to this text. He chooses to have us ask; so why not ask?

“Acts 5:32 tells us the third thing. God gives His Holy Spirit to them that obey Him. Simply live by the Scriptures as you understand them. Simple, but revolutionary.

“The next thing is, have faith. (Gal. 3:2) We receive Him by faith as we receive the Lord in salvation by faith. He comes as a gift of God to us in power. First, He comes in some degree and measure when we are converted; otherwise, we couldn’t be converted. But I am talking about something different now, an advance over that. I am talking about His coming and possessing the full body, and mind, and life, and heart, taking the whole personality over, gently, but directly and bluntly, making it His, so that we may become a habitation of God through the Spirit. (Gems from Tozer)

Luke 2:21-24 is today’s BDBD. Jesus Embarks the Covenant.

The sign of the covenant between the Lord God and Abraham was circumcision. Luke states the Law, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.” (Exodus 13:2, 12) God Almighty said He would be Abraham’s God, as well as the God of his descendants. Abraham and his descendants were to keep their part. “This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.” (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3)

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be circumcised, Jesus entered the covenant. Thus, he was required to keep the law given through Moses. Jesus became fully human and fully Israelite. Galatians 4:4-5 states, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

The significance of Jesus being under the covenant law and keeping the law perfectly cannot be understated. Jesus needed to be perfect in every way. If he was not perfect, including being perfect before God by means of keeping the covenant, I nor anyone would be redeemed.

My ancestors were never part of the Mosaic Covenant. Yet, I now received the benefits of one who was under the Mosaic Covenant and remained blameless. As Hebrews 4:15-16 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Luke 1:15-20 is today’s BDBD. Testimony Treasures.

The shepherds went to Bethlehem and saw that the angel’s message was true. Mary, Joseph, and a newborn baby, Jesus Christ, were as was told. Jesus was in a manger.

The shepherds told everyone they encountered what had been said about Jesus. Their testimony was true. Everyone was amazed. She and Joseph had not known about the angel’s appearance and message until they were told. God was working on their behalf just as she had been told. Throughout her life in good and bad times, she would think about these things with thoroughness and care, treasuring them in her heart. The testimony of another can become a treasure that remains if we just believe. I can speak treasures to another.

Luke 2:12-14 is today’s BDBD. Peace & Favor.

The angel gave the shepherd a sign that would enable them to find Christ, the Lord (“Christos Kyrios” in the original Greek). The sign was unusual in itself, a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (12). The anointed was poor and destitute from birth. Christ did not work in worldly riches, glory, and grandeur.

Then, a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared and praised God, whether in song or spoken is not clear. The church calls their praise the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”, meaning “Glory to God in the Highest”. Jesus, leaving heaven and coming as a man with bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, lying in a manger, was recognized as displaying the glory and majesty of God.

Some have ridiculed the second half of the angel’s praise, saying, “Peace on earth did not come.” Peace is not assured to all, but only to those pleasing to God -the objects of his good pleasure as seen in Luke 3:22, 10:21, and 12:32. The Roman world was experiencing the Pax Romana (Roman Peace), marked by external tranquility. But the angels proclaimed a deep, soulful, and mindful everlasting peace made possible by Jesus, Christos Kyrios. Receive the Lord’s peace by faith in Jesus.

Luke 2:11c is today’s BDBD. Christ the Lord.

The angel says of the baby Jesus, “He is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.” Christ the Lord renders a Greek expression found nowhere else in the New Testament. It literally can be translated, “Christ Lord”. Perhaps we should understand it as “Christ and Lord”. Acts 2:36 records Peter saying to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:5 records Paul saying of his evangelistic mission, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

In Philippians 2:10-11, Paul includes the early Christian song’s lyrics, “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ” (Tyndale New Testament Commentary, Luke). I have more to say about Jesus being called Lord in the commentary found at www.FreeBibleStudyHelp.com in this passage. The point is, in saying, “He is Christ the Lord” the angel is calling Jesus the God of Israel.

Do I live knowing and believing God is Lord? Do I trust in his provision? Do I trust in his love? Do I obey his commands like the Great Commission, love my neighbors, and pray for my enemies? Do I live for his glory or my entertainment? Do I trust him in every aspect, or do I grumble like the Israelites did when the Lord took them out of Egypt?

Luke 2:8-11 is today’s BDBD. Angel Visitation.

Jesus, the Savior, was announced to shepherds living in the fields around Bethlehem by the angel of the Lord. The angel did not appear to people living in Bethlehem who rejected the Messiah and his parents, nor the religious leaders in and near Jerusalem, nor the Jewish eccentric sect called the Essenes living in Qumran, nor to Joseph and Mary’s relatives and friends in Nazareth, nor to wealthy rulers like Herod and Caesar. What kind of people were shepherds to receive such an honor?

The angels came to the shepherds because they were available. It was night and they were awake watching their sheep, destined to be sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem less than six miles (9 km) away. They were good representatives of the type of people who would respond to Jesus’ message.

Shepherds in ancient Palestine were often young unruly despised boys and young men. Their occupation kept them from being ceremonial clean which meant so much to the religious Jews. Talmud law stated their testimonial was not allowed in a court of law because they were unreliable. They were known to steal while in the field. Keeping watch over sheep in open fields was an unwanted job. The lowest boy in a family would get the job. Shepherds were known for gambling and other vices. They had to not only defend wild animals, but also thieves. Thus they camped together at night.

God works in way that sometimes is hard for fallen man to perceive. The people he calls are often the lowly and despised. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 states, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” There is no place for pride in Christ. So it is with me.

Luke 2:1-7 is today’s BDBD. As a Matter of Fact.

Luke, the author, establishes the facts of Jesus’ birth. He establishes when Jesus was born with other events that can be easily dated. Numbering years as we do now was invented by a monk in 525 AD and adopted officially in the 9th century. So, antiquity authors used well-documented and known people and events to date other important events.

First, Luke mentions Caesar Augustus, declared Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C., thus ending the Roman Republic. He reigned until 14 A.D. when he was murdered. Next, Luke mentions a Roman wide census, used to determine how much taxes and men for the army can be taken from an area. Third, Luke brings up that Quirinius was governor of Syria, who ruled from 51 B.C. to 21 A.D. With these and other facts mentioned by Luke (like shepherds in Bethlehem), Luke establishes that Jesus was born in the spring of 5 or 6 B.C.

Through the rulers and authorities mentioned, Luke establishes that the Roman environment was oppressive and impoverished for most Jews. By mentioning that Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, was of the line of David (as was Mary), I learn that though born with royal blood does not guarantee all generations wealth and power.

Bible study and meditation can help one to see that its accuracy, though challenged, is infallible. God gives what is needed to determine if Jesus is the promised Messiah, Son of David and Son of God who died to remove mankind’s sin and rose from death to free us from the fear of death. God freely gives and establishes the evidence. We only need to place it as a priority to learn.

Luke 1:76-79 is today’s BDBD. Path of Peace.

Zechariah begins to direct the subject of his song to his son, John, a prophet of the Most High. Zechariah repeats and adds to the angel’s message concerning John’s mission (13-17). Zechariah’s song has hints of Psalm 23 with the stanza, “…the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (78-79; Psalm 23:2-4)

John will go on before the Lord Jesus to prepare the way for him. John prepared them by giving his people “the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.” (77-78) Peter, on the day of Pentecost, said the same about Jesus. Peter replied to those who heard his message, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

God is calling people right now. Let the rising Son, Jesus, light for you the way down the path of peace. Jesus knows the path of peace for he is the path and the peace. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Luke 1:72-75 is today’s BDBD. Serve Him Without Fear.

Nine months before this event, Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple. Most priests had a deep-seated fear of God, especially when this honor was bestowed upon them. Zechariah loved the Lord, but, like the rest of the Jews, he had learned to fear the Lord while living in exile in the land of Babylon.

Then the angel appeared with him while he was serving in the Temple. The fear of the Lord was heightened. Though he received the great message of becoming a father, Zechariah doubted, and so he could not speak. This reinforced his fear of the Lord.

Now with knowledge of the advent of the Messiah, Zechariah sings, “Jesus will rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and enable us to serve him without fear.” (69, 74) Jesus has the power to remove fear. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Hebrews 2:14-16 states, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.”

What is fear to Jesus? What fear do I have? Are you afraid of sharing your faith in Jesus? Do not say, “I am afraid because I might say something wrong?” Ask Jesus to become your courage. Serve him in obedience and love. Serve him with no fear when you serve him in righteousness.

Luke 1:68-71 is today’s BDBD. Redeemed!

“I am redeemed!” a title to some popular contemporary Christian and Gospel songs: one by Big Daddy Weave, another by Jessie Dixon, and another by Chris Blue. Oh yeah, there is also the one by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist titled, “The Lord, the God of Israel has redeemed his people,” a longer title than the others. But the meaning is the same. What, then, does it mean when we sing, “I am redeemed?”

Redemption is an ancient legal concept that governs business transactions. The Old Testament provided for the redemption of land and people that had passed from their original owner to become the property of another. (Leviticus 25:25-27, 47-49; Numbers 18:15)

Israel was essentially a twice redeemed people. They were slaves in Egypt, redeemed from slavery by obeying the first Passover, the smearing of lamb’s blood on their door posts and eating its meat and unleavened bread. Later, when they were in Babylon captivity, the Lord brought them back by overthrowing Babylon with Cyrus the Persian. (Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 7:8; Isaiah 48:20, 52:9) This second time is not considered a redeeming, but the Lord, as their owner, sent them away and then brought them back.

Jesus has redeemed us through sacrificing himself. (Titus 2:14) Galatians 3:13-14 states, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Ephesians 1:7 states, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Jesus redeems people from slavery by purchasing us with his blood.

Luke 1:67 is today’s BDBD. Holy Spirit Filled.

Zechariah was filled with the Spirit after silent humble Bible study and prayer for over nine months. Every prophesy comes from the Holy Spirit. Peter wrote, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Tozer wrote, “Most Christians are not joyful persons because they are not holy persons, and they are not holy persons because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit, and they are not filled with the Holy Spirit because they are not separated persons. The Spirit cannot fill whom He cannot separate, and whom He cannot fill, He cannot make holy, and whom He cannot make holy, He cannot make happy! (The Tozer Quotable II: More Wise Words with a Prophetic Edge)

J. Vernin McGee wrote, “The filling of the Holy Spirit is for service. The experience of the Day of Pentecost (and after) came from the filling of the Holy Spirit (not the baptism of the Holy Spirit). It is still the same today. The filling of the Holy Spirit is for service. This is the only work of the Holy Spirit that we are to do anything about-we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18).

Notice that before Pentecost, the believers wanted this filling of the Spirit. “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…” (Acts 1:14). What would their supplication be about? About the promise of the Lord Jesus that He would send His Holy Spirit to them.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a command given to us. It is not an experience. It is an act of God whereby the believer in Jesus Christ is indwelt by the Spirit of God, sealed unto the day of redemption, and placed into the church, the body of Christ, by the baptism of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit of God is the ennoblement for service. We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. (End of Venin’s quote.)

Luke 1:64-67 is today’s BDBD. The Hand.

God wanted everyone to know that John was to be something special. He wanted everyone to pay close attention to the lad, for he was the forerunner of the Messiah, the Elijah who was to come (17). God introduced a prophet for the first time in four hundred years. No one is recorded as having the hand of the Lord on them since the prophet Malachi (discarding the Jewish wars books).

When Zechariah displayed his obedience by writing, “His name is John,” his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed (64). Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and praised God (67). Through these impossible-to-deny miracles, people asked, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

God has plans for everyone. God has his hand on everyone from the moment of conception. We can choose to let the Lord keep his hands on us, or we can remove God’s hand with a rebellious spirit and sinful thoughts and actions. Yet, to be sure, from conception, God’s hand is ever present. When the Lord touches, do not refuse. Pray, “Lord, this day I pray. I will do what you say. Lay your hand on this clay. Form me to be whatever you say.”

Luke 1:60-64 is today’s BDBD. Still Silent?

When it was time to name Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s son during the circumcision, the local religious leaders were going to follow tradition and give him his father’s name. Elizabeth had learned from Zechariah that the angel who visited him in the temple said to name the boy John, which means “Jehovah has been gracious.” Zechariah still could not speak, so she spoke on their behalf. “NO! He is to be called John.” Zechariah had learned his lesson: trust, obey, and lower your pride. He wrote, “His name is John.”

When John was born Zechariah still couldn’t speak even though the angel said, “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens.” (Luke 1:20) God was faithful and kept his promise to Zechariah for a son even though he doubted. Yet when John was born what did Zechariah think and do even though he couldn’t speak? He learned his lesson. He trusted and obeyed.

According to verse 1:20, the angel said “‘until this happens'”, where “this” most likely refers to the baby’s birth. However, when John was born, Zechariah was unable to speak for eight more days. Zechariah could have become bitter about the eight extra days and forgotten all that he learned during his training. Yet he did not. Trust and obey even though God’s will goes against tradition and is hard to understand, let alone obey. Such faith is hard to find, but it is the kind of faith God seeks.

Luke 1:59 is today’s BDBD. Circumcised.

Zechariah and Elizabeth brought their baby son to be circumcised, as required by the Law of Moses. Circumcision was the way to bring boys into the nation and society of Israel. It is and was for purification and a seal of the covenant made to Abraham. (Genesis 17:1-3, 9-11)

Circumcision is the removal of a penis’ end skin. During the circumcision, there is a lot of blood and pain when done as an adult. (Genesis 34:25) Not so true when done as an infant. The Lord God gave circumcision to Abram who had to be serious when he considered God’s proposal for the circumcision part of the covenant between them.

As far as I know, Abraham’s circumcision was the first time God ever presented this in the history of mankind. So, to obey this new act took a lot of faith. Other nations (Arabs) also practiced circumcision (Jeremiah 9:25-26; Ezekiel 32:18-19), but not for the covenant reasons that Israel did. Theirs was part of the right to becoming a man and gain full participation in the community.

Circumcision signified Abraham’s covenanted commitment to the LORD -that the LORD alone would be his God whom he would trust and serve. It symbolized an oath (analogous to the oath to which God had submitted himself). Thus, Abraham was to place himself under the rule of the LORD as his King, consecrating himself, his offspring, and all he possessed to the service of the LORD.

Physical circumcision was a sign of circumcision of the heart. Heart circumcision is what is needed now. Romans 2:29 states, “No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.” (See also Acts 15:1-21)

Are you circumcised of the heart? Have you place the Lord Jesus Christ first? What does your relationship with him mean? Where do your thoughts go during the day and night? To him or things in the world? Do you love Jesus? Are you circumcised of the heart?

Luke 1:57-58 is today’s BDBD. Great Mercy.

Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her. They were probably some of the same people who made it hard for her to bear her previous childless life because of their gossip. However, when Elizabeth gave birth to the boy, they all rejoiced together.

We may not personally like someone because we see a weakness in them (which is actually a weakness on our part), but when we see the work of God in their life, we should definitely shut up and rejoice with them. I’m sure everyone has seen grumpy people and petty rivalries even in congregations that should not be. Love each other. Pray for those who are down. Rejoice with those when we see God work in their lives. (Philippians 2:17-18, 3:1, 4:4; James 5:16) These are signs of good character.

I think some people gossip so much that they are not aware when they are gossiping. Do a self-check. Ask, “Do I say nice things about others when they are not around and exalt others’ strengths? Or do I say negative things about others when they are not around and exalt their weaknesses?” Guard the tongue, for Jesus said, “There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Luke 8:17).

Luke 1:46-53 is today’s BDBD. God my Savior.

Who was God to Mary? Her song answers this and more. Mary sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary calls God, Lord; “kryios” (a transliteration) in the original Greek. “Lord” is used in the New Testament when referring to Jesus. She calls Jesus her God. Mary called God her personal Savior. She needed a savior for her personal sins. Mary was not without sin, and therefore needed God to save her.

Here is a breakdown of Jesus, her Savior.

What did Mary know about God’s character and his way of working?
First, three aspects of his character are mentioned.
1) God is mighty (powerful). She says, “‘For the Mighty One has done great things for me.'” (49)
2) God is holy. “‘holy is his name.'” (49)
3) God is merciful. “‘his mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.'”
Second, his general way of working. These are contrasts.
1) “‘he has scattered those who are proud in their inner most thoughts.'” (51)
2) “‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones…'” (52a)
3) “‘…he… has lifted up the humble.'” (52b)
4) “‘he has filled the hungry with good things.'” (53a)
5) “‘…but has sent the rich away empty.'” (53b)

How is God known by me? Is it personable? Or distance?

Luke 1:39-45 is today’s BDBD. Blessed is She Who Believed.

Hearing the angel’s word about Elizabeth, Mary did not delay in visiting Elizabeth. Her hurry shows her need to find comfort and support from a fellow believer. Her visit was unannounced. Elizabeth and her husband, both of the priestly line, did not know she was coming.

The priest lived close to Jerusalem, within a day’s walk. Mary lived in Galilee. The average Jew avoided Samaria when going back and forth from Galilee to Judea. They took the route along the Jordan River. The route took several days. This is the route that Mary probably took. A single woman would have much danger on the road, if not the protection of the Lord God. Another indication of Mary’s need to find the comfort of another believer.

When Elizabeth greeted Mary as she did in verses 42 and 43, the blessing that the angel proclaimed to her was confirmed. Mary could more fully accept it and praise God. Elizabeth spoke as a prophetess. Elizabeth believed that Mary’s son was the Messiah, the one her son would proceed. Mary was blessed because she believed. Jesus would tell Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you believed; blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

Sometimes, all saints need to find comfort and support from a fellow believer. I can remember times in my life when that was so. This is the reason why Jesus sent out his disciples two-by-two. Blessing others decision of faith is good and wise.

Luke 1:35-38 is today’s BDBD. I am the Lord’s Servant.

Mary’s decision was based on her position. Mary decided that she was the Lord’s servant. A servant believes the master’s word and, according to his word, does the master’s will. A servant is ready to go. A servant doesn’t have to understand everything, they just have to do.

This is Mary’s statement of faith. Without understanding God’s mission, it is hard to accomplish by man’s standards, but not by God’s. By faith, we can overcome obstacles. Accepting God’s will and emptying oneself are often the same and coincide. Obeying is not easy, and for a person of God, it is an unavoidable pain. But it leads to righteousness and blessing. Mary was prepared for whatever would happen because of this decision, for she trusted God. A rebellious person would not accept because they don’t trust God.

We cannot and should not use this to put absolute trust in a man or woman who calls themselves a servant of God. A long time ago I was in a group who had some leaders who wanted absolute trust and obedience because they called themselves “servants of God”. This verse does not promote such demands. Mary trusted God, not the angel.

Luke 1:34 is today’s BDBD. How Will This Be?

Mary inquired how she could have a son when she was a virgin. She may have been concerned that Gabriel, who looks like a man, wanted to be the father. Perhaps she wondered if Joseph could be the father and how this would affect her relationship with Joseph.

Mary wasn’t doubting God’s ability. Rather, who would be the father? Mary had a willing heart.

Interestingly, Mary asked only about this and not about the other things the angel said. Why? Perhaps because almost all Jews of those days knew a lot about the Messiah. She was asking for God’s direction in fulfilling this prophecy. She had a good spirit of inquiry. It is acceptable and important to have discernment in what others are asking and saying.

Luke 1:31-33 is today’s BDBD. Jesus is…

The angel told Mary, “…you are to give him the name Jesus… The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David”.

The religious leaders of the day understood clearly from 2 Samuel 7:12 and Psalm 89:29 that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. The Messiah’s kingship is a theocracy. Only the Messiah is called the son of David. No prophet, priest, or other person would ever be called the son of David by God.

God established David’s kingdom, but it was a temporary kingdom in the human sense of a kingdom. God promised David that one of his descendants would be forever king in an eternal kingdom. David’s kingdom, as men see it, was destroyed by the Babylonians. However, Jesus reigns spiritually, forever inheriting David’s throne.

Daniel, the prophet, was told, “In the time of those kings (Roman), the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands–a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces.” (Daniel 2:44-45)

Luke 1:29-33. Lifetime Mission.

Lifetime Mission.
Mary received a lifetime mission from the Lord God via an angel.

BLESSINGS OF THIS MISSION:
1) Mary was just an ordinary young country girl. Now she will be the mother of Jesus, the Messiah.
2) Being his mother gave the blessing of seeing and hearing Jesus more than anyone.
3) She was the only mother to have a perfect son. Which may have been hard to bear at some times.
4) The relationship between Mary and Jesus, being mother-son, was different than any one else would have.
5) She saw the glory of God daily. She understood how God had fulfilled his will, the will that many had waited to be fulfilled.
6) God sets his people up in time of need.
7) She would forever be remembered as the mother of Jesus. She deserved respect, but not worship.
8) She would continually be an example to follow even after Jesus’ birth and after her death.

CROSS OF MISSION:
1) Her husband to be would not understand. So there was a possibility that she would not be able to marry Joseph.
2) Her neighbors and family wouldn’t understand.
3) When he left for mission she would miss her son and would want him back, as any mother would.
4) Humanly she didn’t need the troubles that this mission would bring.
5) She would have to give birth in a stable.
6) She would have to suddenly make a journey to Egypt.
7) Joseph died early perhaps due to the hardships his mission would have.
8) She saw Jesus die on the cross as a public criminal.
9) Once she made this decision she could not go back.

Luke 1:27-28 is today’s BDBD. Pledged to be Married.

In ancient Jewish society, to be pledged to be married was a one-year term of legal marriage without coming together. The husband would create an environment for a family to be raised in during this one year period. During this time, they would spiritually ready their hearts for the responsibility to come.

When Jesus came in the flesh around two thousand years ago, the Jewish marriage practices were different then the practices of marriage in much of the world today. In those days, when children were very young the parents of two families would decide who their children’s prospective spouse would be. The children were too young to know what was going on. Then when the two children became of a certain age they would be betrothed as bride and bridegroom for one year. Today’s engagement time is similar to the betrothed year, but there are distinct differences. (Ex. 22:16, Deuteronomy 22:13-30, Matt. 1:18, Luke 1:27, 2:5)

During the one year, the betrothed bride and bridegroom were considered legally married. Yet they would not live together, nor have intimate relations together. They would not leave their parent’s families until the year was concluded. Before they were married they were to be sanctified as Israel was sanctified before they married the Lord at Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19:10-14) The brides became sanctified by having the ceremonial “mikvah” (water immersion). While they were betrothed, the couple must remain pure and devoted to each other. The bridegroom would prepare a house for them to raise a family in, and the bride would take care of the bridegroom’s needs. At any time during the betrothal year if the bride decided that she didn’t want to be married to the bridegroom, she could call the marriage off and there would be a legal separation.

When they were finally married there would be two witnesses, friends of the bridegroom. Their role was to prepare the bride and escort her to meet the groom underneath the “chupath” (wedding canopy) where the marriage would occur. Moses was the witness who led Israel to the Lord at Mount Sinai, where a canopy of smoke circled the mountain top. (Ex. 19)

When they married, they would have a “ketuba” (marriage contract/covenant) which states the terms and conditions of the marriage; the Lord and Israel in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. During a traditional Jewish wedding, the couple would state their love for each other as the Lord and Israel did at Mount Sinai. (Ex. 19:4-8) The marriage was completed (“kiddushin” meaning sanctified) when the bridegroom gave something of value to the bride and she accepted it, usually a ring that had a precious stone on it if he could afford it. Then there would be a great wedding banquet, a feast was held which lasted several days. (John 2:1-11)

Luke 1:26-27 is today’s BDBD. Virgin Birth.

The virgin birth is important because it means Jesus was born without the natural sin of Adam’s race. Jesus has nothing to do with Adam’s sin. Jesus is called the second Adam.

Jesus is the perfect sacrifice because he alone is of the seed of God. His blood alone in the entire human race is and was pure. As Paul says he is the second (last) Adam. (1 Cor. 15:22, 45) Leviticus 17:11-12a states, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Hebrews 9:22b states, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

In his book, The Chemistry of the Blood, M. R. DeHann, M.D. explains the origin of blood: “The blood which flows in an unborn babe’s arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the fetus It is only after the sperm has entered the ovum and a fetus begins to develop that blood appears. As a very simple illustration of this, think of the egg of a hen. An non-fertilized egg is simply an ovum on a much larger scale than the human ovum. You may incubate this non-fertilized hen’s egg, but it will never develop. It will dry up completely but no chick will result. But let that egg be fertilized by the introduction of the male sperm and incubation will bring to light the presence of life in an embryo. After a few hours it visibly develops. In a little while red streaks occur, denoting the presence of blood According to scientists from the time of conception to the time of birth not ONE SINGLE DROP OF BLOOD ever passes from mother to child The mother contributes no blood at all.”

Jesus pure blood was not conveyed by his mother, the daughter of sinful Adam. Rather, it was conveyed by the pure seed of his Heavenly Father!

Centrioles are supplied by the father’s sperm. A centriole is the center of a centrosome and is a minute protoplasmic body. Plasma is the fluid part of blood and protoplasm is organized living matter, the fluid complex of the living nucleus that is often designated the physical basis of life. The basis of life is in the father’s protoplasmic seed: a seed made of fluid and plasma water and blood. Jesus came by just such a seed. John tells us there is one who came by water and blood ” Jesus Christ (1 John 5:6) John also tells us that when Jesus died he saw the blood and water come out of Jesus side separately, thus marking his death. (Source, In Search of Israel by Batya Wootten.)

Through his act of love Jesus bride was cleansed of sin by his pure blood. (Rom. 4:25) Thus, Jesus was able to re-establish the lost love relationship with his bride. God and anyone in the human race who wants it can have a relationship again. As a symbol of this, when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated the most holy of holies from the place where priests could stand in the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two. (Matt. 27:51) The curtain was the symbol of sin separating God from his people. With Jesus death for his bride, sin was removed and thus no longer would Jesus be separated from his bride. (Col. 1:19-21)

Luke 1:21-25 is today’s BDBD. Living the Unexpected

Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, discovered that living the unexpected was unlike what they had understood in the retelling of gallant stories of heroes past. For example, Abraham had no permanent home, humiliatingly had no son, and lived as an alien and a stranger in this world (Genesis 23:4; Hebrews 11:9). David spent most of his life rejected (Psalm 39:12, 69:8), lived mostly in caves and desolate places, and was eventually repelled by his wives. The prophet Jeremiah was forced to hide in wastelands, was ridiculed and mocked by his peers, and thrown in a cistern by the king, left to die.

Zechariah found the unexpected joy left him unable to communicate with his fellow priests (22). And for fear of rejection and humiliation, he kept to himself why he was unable to talk after being in the Temple. Elizabeth, when she became pregnant as an elderly woman, hid in seclusion for five months (24). She was grateful for the gift of pregnancy, but unable to share it with anyone till Mary, the mother of our Lord, arrived six months after Zechariah returned home.

The unexpected, though God’s blessing, is seldom what is expected. Unexpected gifts mean living by faith (Hebrews 11). A visit by the Lord, even through a messenger, is a sacred encounter to keep even the faintest and least soul living through the troubles being His chosen brings.

Luke 1:18-20 is today’s BDBD. Believe the Unexpected.

Miracles are everywhere, and often, if I just notice and believe. Zechariah’s day at and in the Temple was filled with miracles. 1) He was selected out of over a thousand priests to burn incense in the Temple. 2) An angel appeared next to the altar of incense. 3) The angel told him his prayer was answered; he would have a son. 4) His son would be great in the sight of the Lord. 5) His son would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth, perhaps the first to have this happen. 6) His son would go on before the Lord to prepare for the Lord’s coming. So many miracles.

However, Zechariah recognized them, but did not believe what he was experiencing (20). His hidden request for a sign was rebuked (19). He would be disciplined through a temporary muting (19). During the discipline, he would learn to think and believe before speaking.

I am sad because I am just like Zechariah. I know that God is always working around me. However, I seldom take the time to see at that time or at any other time the miracles transpiring around me. And when I do consider, I do not understand. Time to control my thoughts. Time to meditate on the last 24 hours and see what God has done, believe, and speak well of it. Time to believe the unexpected.

Luke 1:11-17 is today’s BDBD. Expect the Unexpected.

According to Numbers 4:3, the eligible age to serve as priest was 30 to 50 years old. To serve before the Lord would require that Zechariah be ceremonially clean. With so many priests available and being old, Zechariah could not have taken the time to serve as a priest in the temple. Zechariah could have stayed home. But he feared the Lord and kept his place.

Around two thousand (2,000) priests were in each of the twenty-four (24) divisions in those days. Burning incense happened every morning and evening. According to the rules of the priesthood, a priest could offer the incense only once in his lifetime. Many priests died without ever offering incense. Offering incense was a rare blessing. It was the highlight of a priest’s life of faith. Zechariah being picked that year, most likely when he was 50, was unexpected. But not as unexpected as an angel suddenly appearing to him when he was about to burn incense in holy place in the Temple, so near to the Lord in the Holy of Holies.

The angel went into great detail about his soon-to-be-born son. That too was unexpected, for both he and his wife were old (7). Zechariah would have been required to pray to God for Israel. However, he slipped in a personal prayer. He and his wife were childless. He asked for a son. The angel said they were going to be given a power-filled eccentric Holy Spirit wilderness evangelist. He would make “ready a people prepared for the Lord.” An unexpected answered prayer. Never give up on the Lord.

Luke 1:7-10 is today’s BDBD. No Answer.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes. They served God. Yet, though they prayed for a son, they did not have one, even into old age. Why do bad things happen in righteous people’s lives, especially things that they have little or no control over?

One is discipline and training. Another is to prove our love for God. God is looking for someone to have a mutual love relationship with. He is willing to shower love on anyone.

Yet how does he, us, and others know that we love God? If we obey his commands and trust in him we can reciprocate God’s love for us back to him. What do we have to give God except trust and obey?

Adam and Eve failed in these two things. They did not obey his command not to eat the fruit and they did not trust in God’s love and blessing.

In everyone’s life comes times of testing our love for him. Noah’s test was in building the ark. Abraham’s test was patience and being willing to sacrifice the son he loved. Job’s test was the troubles that came to his life. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s test was to wait for a son till it seems impossible.

We should not be surprised when bad things happen to those who are seeking God and his kingdom. We should thank God.

Jesus taught, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

When the disciples asked Jesus why a man was born blind he told them, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)

Luke 1:5-6 is today’s BDBD. In the Time of Herod…

Luke chapters 1 and 2 are about the remnant of God’s people in a dark time in Judea’s history. An elderly priestly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were among the few who held onto faith in the Lord God and the coming Messiah.

Oppressive and mighty Rome took control of the partially Hellenized territories, Judea and Galilee in 63 A.D. No battles were needed because the Jewish infighting in Jerusalem was so great that the religious and political leaders went to Rome and ask for their “help”. The Roman Senate appointed Herod, an immoral and cruel Gentile (an Idumean whose ancestors were Edomites) king over Judea in 40 B.C. After some battles against the Parthians his rule was firmly established by 37 B.C.

Herod was friends of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) who was given a mandate by the people to rule as dictator for life in 45 B.C. Herod was friends first with Mark Anthony and then with Octavian (27 B.C.-14 A.D.) when Octavian defeated Mark Anthony in 31 B.C. Octavian changed his name to Caesar Augustus (He was grand-nephew of Julius Caesar.) and was declared Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C.

Like most rulers of the day Herod was ruthless; murdering his wife, his three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle and many others – not to mention the babies in Bethlehem. In order to build many buildings and fortresses he imposed a high Roman tax, leaving many in poverty.

Luke 1:4 is today’s BDBD. Things You Have Been Taught.

Bible Reading, if it is to be profitable, will not be the pleasant diversion sometimes pictured in the religious ads, a peaceful pastime with which to while away a tired evening. The Bible is a serious book, probably the most serious in the world, and it will not submit to being used for light amusement.

The message of the Bible is strongly evangelistic, its tone is urgent, and its claims are exacting. It makes sovereign demands upon the reader and will hear no excuse for his failure to meet them.

The first work of revealed truth is to secure an unconditional surrender of the sinner to the will of God. Until this has been accomplished, nothing really lasting has been done at all. The reader may admire the rich imagery of the Bible, its bold figures, and impassioned flights of eloquence; he may enjoy its tender musical passages and revel in its strong homely wisdom, but until he has submitted to its full authority over his life, he has secured no good from it yet. (The Early Tozer: A Word In Season)

Luke 1:1-3 is today’s BDBD. They Were Handed Down.

Luke, the author of this gospel, is a historian who wrote an accurate, orderly, and factual account. Luke was not the first to write what the disciples had been saying concerning Jesus’ ministry. Mark and Matthew’s accounts are believed to have been finished by this time. The introduction found at FreeBibleStudyHelp.com has more information.

The Bible that the church accepted (with much prayer and God’s leading) in the third century and has been handed down to us to this day, has four gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Other accounts were rejected then and now by most scholars.

The first church came to know, accept, and firmly believe that the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus and his ministry. Luke quotes a lot from the Old Testament to show that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the Messiah. See the chart, “PROPHECIES JESUS FULFILLED” on FreeBibleStudyHelp.com for a list.

Using language similar to classical Greek, Luke begins with a formal preface, common to historical works of the time, in which he states his purpose for writing and identifies the recipient. He acknowledges other reports on the subject, shows the need for this new work and states his method of approach and sources of information.

Luke 24:46-53 is today’s BDBD. To all Nations.

Mark closes his gospel with Jesus giving the Great Commission and Jesus’s Ascension (Mark 19:15-20). Matthew concludes his gospel with Jesus giving them the Great Commission on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20). John ends his gospel with Jesus speaking one-to-one to Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. John states in the last two verses, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:24-25).

Luke concludes his account of Jesus’ 3 1/2 years ministry with Jesus reteaching the disciples about the nature of his ministry and their soon-to-start ministry of preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations (46-49). Luke’s last four verses concern Jesus’ Ascension (50-53). Of course, Luke starts the Acts of the Apostles with instructions, the Great Commission, and the Ascension.

Jesus told his disciples, “You are witnesses of these things.” I, too, through reading and studying the Bible, am a witness to what Jesus did and taught. More than that, I have a testimony of what Jesus has done and is doing in my life and ministry. I can share this with others. The Great Commission is for all who believe in Jesus.

Luke 24:44-45 is today’s BDBD. Near-Sighted.

Many people are born near-sighted. Near-sightedness is defined as “unable to see distant objects clearly”. However, a near-sighted person can see close objects much better than someone with 20/20 vision. I know, because I was born very near-sighted. Something no one knew till I was eight years old.

I vividly remember the day I first wore corrective glasses. I was amazed. The world was a new place for me. I could see and understand objects that were always there, but too blurred to understand fully. My perception of reality had changed. Years later, when I gazed upon the Grand Canyon for the first time, I experienced depth perception like never before. Great distances were always before me, but the sense of depth was not fully experienced.

The disciples had been raised in a religious culture. When Jesus called them, he began teaching them the Truth in a way other rabbis had not. The disciples saw and heard Jesus, and still their minds did not understand how what he was saying tied perfectly into the Bible till on the day of his resurrection Jesus “opened their minds to they could understand the Scriptures. (45)”

Luke does not explain how Jesus turned the key and opened the door of understanding Scriptures. However, I believe it was more than teaching them, for Jesus had been teaching them for over three years. Indeed, to this very day, it is possible to read and study the Bible and never correctly perceive it. This gift is something only Jesus can give. Lord Jesus, help me not only to read the word, but understand, experience it, and live it. Penetrate my soul with your double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

Luke 24:36-43 is today’s BDBD. Holy Holes.

Imagine, if you will, a moment when a myriad of emotions spin like a tornado and voluminous thoughts coil the brain like grape vines on a fence. Now, hold that emotion and imagine being in the locked upper room (for fear of the Jews) where reports of the risen Jesus are the doubt, joy, and amazement of conversations.

Then suddenly, Jesus appears in the center of the locked room (36; John 20:19). Would you think Jesus was a ghost that came through the locked door? The startled and frightened disciples did (37). The heightened emotional tension was at the snapping point as all stared at Jesus is the risen glory.

Jesus greeted them with the Jewish standard, “Peace be with you.” Then he asked them a chastising question, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?” (38; Mark 16:14)

What is impossible for man is possible with God. (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27) Stop doubting and believe what Jesus said. Look at the holy holes in Jesus’ hands and feet. Touch Jesus and see.

Luke 24:28-35 is today’s BDBD. Burning Hearts.

Cleopas and another disciple listened carefully to Jesus expound Scripture concerning himself, the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus started at Genesis, the first book in the Bible, written by Moses, to Malachi, the last book of the Prophets and the Old Testament. Jesus conducted a personal exposé of the Old Testament. Jesus finished the Bible study when the disciples reached their destination, the village of Emmaus.

Jesus acted as if he was going to continue walking. I wonder why he did this. Perhaps he sincerely was going to leave them. However, Luke used the Greek verb “prospoieo” meaning “acted” and “make as though”. So, it seems he wanted to stay with them a little longer. So, perhaps Jesus was testing his disciples.

The disciples begged Jesus to the point of force to stay with them. After one encounter with the Messiah, many have sought to live out eternity with Jesus. Indeed, being with Jesus is a disciple’s one begging desire. Jesus said, “Forceful men lay hold of the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 111:12) I can personally say this is a true statement.

Jesus consented. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them to eat just as he had done during the Last Supper. This was the first Sunday morning service; a message and fellowship with the breaking of bread.

As Jesus said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23) The disciples remembered Jesus. Just then, Jesus disappeared from their sight (31), mission accomplished.

Together the disciples agreed, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:25-27 is today’s BDBD. Foolish Hearts.

When Cleopas and another disciple of Jesus finished their dismal recount of Jesus’ Passion, Jesus harshly rebuked them. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Faith (belief) was not only their problem, but all the disciples’ problem. They did not believe what the prophets spoke of Jesus. They held onto their own understanding of Scriptures. The yeast of the Pharisees and teachers of the law spoiled them.

No better way to know and understand the Son of God than to prayerfully study the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Study is not just some part of the Bible, according to Jesus here. Study is all the Bible. Too many either now or at the Judgement (Bema) set of Jesus will be harshly rebuked because their Bible is harshly ever recognized, let alone opened up and read. How foolish.

Luke 24:16-24 is today’s BDBD. Morning Viewpoint.

Perspective depends on the spectator. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to the whole depends on one’s mindset. Wake up in a bad mood, and everything seems meaningless and endless drudgery. Wake up after a deep peaceful sleep, and one can appreciate the Lord brushing a kaleidoscope sky with the sun.

Cleopas and another disciple woke up in a bad mood for three consecutive days. Accepting only some of the truth led them to miss a kaleidoscope morning. The Son greeted them, and their faces remained gloomy (16). “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” the Lord asked (18). They stood still, looking at the dirt path (17).

Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, they knew: 1) He was a prophet. 2) He was powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 3) The chief priests and their rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death. 4) They crucified him. 5) They hoped Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel. 6) It had been three days since Jesus was crucified. 7) Some of the women amazed them. They went to the tomb and did not find Jesus’ body. 8) Angels told the women, who told the disciples that Jesus was alive. 9) Peter and John went to the tomb and confirmed the women’s reports. 10) Peter and John did not see Jesus.

Cleopas and the disciple were correct in all these things except one: they only hoped Jesus would redeem Israel. They did not know that Jesus did indeed redeem Israel. Their bad mood was caused by the wrong perspective. Whether in a bad mood or a good mood in the morning, the kaleidoscope sky is still beautiful. Time for a change of mood, viewing the risen Son every morning.

Luke 24:13-17 is today’s BDBD. Walk Talk.

What does one do when a life plan falls apart? What to do when a person you loved and put your hope in dies? Where does one turn for guidance when the one who died was the provider of guidance to this new and better life plan, a hopeful, bright understanding and approach to life? And to add confusion to low spirits, the light died in darkness. Hope was overcome by a heavy heart.

Such was the plight of the two former Christians walking away from Jerusalem down the seven-mile (11 km) road to Emmaus. The Sunday morning that Jesus’ spirit and soul reentered his regenerated body, Cleopas (18) and another disciple were trying to accept that they had to answer these questions, for Jesus, the one they believed was the Messiah, was crucified, died, and was buried.

Jesus was concerned about his dejected disciples. Though Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, their life outlook was hopeless and bleak, God did not forget them. Though they ran away when he was arrested and did not say one word or do one thing in his defense, Jesus did not give up on them. He came to them, though Jesus did not allow them to recognize him at first (16).

Jesus’ identity was hidden from them because they needed to know that they had lost hope, because it was not rooted in truth. Their hope was placed in the right person, but for the wrong understanding and incorrect reasons. Jesus revealed to them yet again why they should keep their hope.

Hope in Jesus can bring heartache when the reason and/or understanding for that hope is wrong. Yet, Jesus will never give up on those who put their faith and hope in him. He will try and try again to reveal the truth. Do not lose heart. Most must hear the same thing many times before pure faith comes to life.

Luke 24:9-12 is today’s BDBD. Seeing and Understanding.

Is seeing believing? I used to understand it to be so. Is understanding believing? I used to see it that way. Belief can come to life through seeing and understanding. But more often than not, one can see and understand and still not believe, for the mind has a deceiving way of doubting what is seen, though what is seen is easy to comprehend, and these should give birth to faith, but that are not always so. The same is true for hearing. I can hear the truth many times, but my mind decides that what is heard is not believable, though the evidence is easy to see and understand.

Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and the other women with them saw the empty tomb and angels who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead (4-10). They heard. They saw. And they were reminded of the many times Jesus told them this would happen. How did their mind respond?

Matthew records that they were “afraid yet filled with joy.” (Matthew 28:8). Mark adds that they were trembling and bewildered and fled from the tomb because they were afraid (Mark 16:8). John records their telling the disciples, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John 20:2). And Mary Magdalene wept at the empty tomb (John 20:4).

The Eleven apostles were no different. They heard, but did not believe (11; Mark 16:11). Only Peter and John went to the tomb to investigate what the women told them. (12; John 20:3, 8-9). What they saw fit the descriptions of the women. Yet, even though they were personally taught by Jesus, “they did not understand from Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” Hopefully, upon repetition, the heart will counsel the mind into believing the garden full of flowers and bees that it sees, hears, smells, and comprehends is indeed full of life.

Luke 24:1-8. On the Third Day.

The Sabbath (Saturday) was somber and depressing. Preparing spices and perfumes to complete a rushed burial was the only thing accomplished, mixed with quiet private discussions (Luke 23:55-56). No one had an appetite to talk or eat.

As Saturday’s early light covered the stars, groups of women who loved Jesus left to pour the perfume and spices they had prepared on Jesus’ body. On the way, one of the Marys asked, “How will we be able to enter the tomb? Joseph rolled a large stone over the entrance.” (23:50-54; Matthew 27:60-61; Mark 15:46)

“Perhaps the gardener will help us move it back,” another Mary answered.

Upon arrival, they found that the stone was already rolled away and the tomb was empty (24:2-3). That is when the brilliant angles appeared. Fear, confusion, and more questions rushed in, overwhelming their depression. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” a rhetorical question that did not help until he added, “He is not here; he has risen!” (5-6).

Many times, a lack of listening brought unnecessary gloom. I should remember, “He is risen!” The early CCM artist, Carman, wrote these lyrics. “When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray,
It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday’s on the way.”

Luke 23:55-24:10. Early Sunday Morning.

The Scofield Reference Bible organizes the women’s visits like this: “Three women -Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome- start for the sepulcher, followed by other women bearing spices. The three find the stone rolled away, and Mary Magdalene goes to tell the disciples (Luke 23:55-24:10; John 20:1-2).

Mary, the mother of James and Joses, draws nearer the tomb and sees the angel of the Lord (Matthew 28:2). She goes back to meet the other women following with the spices.

Meanwhile, Peter and John, warned by Mary Magdalene, arrive, look in, and go away (John 20:3-10). Mary Magdalene returns weeping, sees the two angels and then Jesus (John 20:11-18), and goes as He bade her to tell the disciples.

Mary (mother of James and Joses), meanwhile, has met the women with the spices and, returning with them, they see the two angels (Luke 24:4-5; Mark 16:5). They also receive the angelic message, and going to seek the disciples, are met by Jesus (Matthew 28:8-10).

Luke 23:50-56 is today’s BDBD. Jesus’s burial.

What is a Christian burial? I have been to several funerals, most of which can be considered Christian. Yet, none have been like Jesus’s burial. None of the services have read any of the gospel accounts of Jesus’s burial (Luke 23:50-56; Matthew 27:57-66; Mark 15:42-47; John 19:31-42) for enough sorrow is contained the the death of someone we personally interacted with. Rather, the funeral messages I have heard focus on the person’s past and/or their “resting place” in heaven.

When I look back at the funerals I attended, I can remember many details. So, I have no doubt that the woman (55; Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:40-41, 47), Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Council (Sanhedrin), and Nicodemus, also a member of the Sanhedrin (John 19:39), remembered all the details of Jesus’s burial. Overwhelming sorrow fills the soul upon remembering the death and burial of the loved one.

Jesus died as the sun touched the horizon, the end of modern Friday’s light and the Hebrew sixth day of the week (54). Sabbath was about to begin, the seventh Hebrew day. Because of the Laws given through Moses, no one could work on the Sabbath, which started at twilight. So, the small group of bold followers quickly lowered Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut in rock, one in which no one had yet been laid (53). Tombs in the ancient Middle East contained family members. This tomb was new and therefore empty. Jesus’s body was alone through the Sabbath’s night, the next day’s morning and day, through sunset, and the next day’s night (per Hebrew calendar). His body was alone. But his being was escorting past deceased soul’s including one of the criminals crucified with him, into paradise.

Those who loved Jesus are one with him in his burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).

Luke 23:47 is today’s BDBD. Surely this man…

The unnamed career Roman soldier, a Centurion in charge of at least 100 soldiers, was assigned to conduct Jesus’ crucifixion. Centurions were chosen on merit, remarkable for their deliberation, constancy, and strength of mind, more so than daring courage. This Centurion led Jesus from Pilate’s verdict and the hatred of the Jewish religious leaders with a company of men through the streets of Jerusalem to the place of execution, oversaw his nailing to the cross, gambled for Jesus’ clothes, mocked Jesus, offered Jesus wine vinegar, heard all that Jesus said on the cross, and observed the manner of his death.

The Centurion saw the sun go dark for three hours, the earthquake, and all that happened when Jesus was crucified and gave up his spirit (Matthew 27:54). This hardened soldier became terrified of the judgment of God. He carried out what he must have known was an unjust sentence. The fear of God’s judgement moved him to praise God and declare, “Surely this was a righteous man, the Son of God.” His testimony is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The significance of his testimony cannot be understated.

Some wonder what the fear of God is and believe it has little or no merit in Christianity because they have not experienced it. Yet, the fear of God’s judgment has compelled many to regret and even repent of terrible acts, such as this man. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and its end is experiencing the love and forgiveness of God… if we only ask.

Luke 23:46 is today’s BDBD. Last Words, Exact Words.

The last words spoken before the last breath usually reveals much about a person and their life priority, their belief, and their destiny. Jesus’ last words, according the John and Luke, are, “It is finished. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (46; John 19:28) Jesus’ priority was to finish the work given him by his heavenly Father. Jesus’ belief was that he had completed that work and would now be going to his Father. Jesus’ destiny was to sit at his Father’s right hand in paradise.

I have said many times in my commentaries that Jesus died for my sins. However, none of the four gospel writers record that Jesus died, meaning to cease living and existing. Luke and Matthew record that Jesus “breathed his last,” also translated “yielded or gave up the ghost”. Mark and John record that Jesus “gave up his spirit”. They were not using artistic, flowery words. They were relaying the facts properly. Jesus’ physical body ceased working, but continued to exist in soul and spirit. Three days later, his body came to life again, his soul and spirit reentered that body, and Jesus walked out of the grave.

Physical death is not the end. “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) “Pray… that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36) “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:2-3)

Luke 23:44-46 is today’s BDBD. It’s Curtains for You.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke say that the sun stopped shining from six until nine while Jesus was on the cross. They are using Hebrew time, not modern time. Hebrew time has the first hour at sunrise and the twelfth hour at sunset. So, the sixth hour in Hebrew time is noon in modern time, and the ninth hour in Hebrew time is 3 pm in modern time during spring. The darkness of all mankind’s sin was placed on Jesus, and the unique union between God the Father and God the Son was suspended for three hours. Jesus was fulfilling God’s foreordained will, the the three hours of darkness.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke note what appears to be an insignificant event when Jesus paid the price for mankind’s sin with his death on the cross. They say the curtain of the temple was torn in two. This curtain separated the most holy place and the holy place, symbolizing sin separating us from entering God’s presence (Exodus 26; Hebrews 9 3-10, 10:19-22). With my sin removed, I now have direct access to God.

Hebrew’s author wrote, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22) Time to meet the maker of my new soul and spirit.

Luke 23:42-43 is today’s BDBD. The Place After the Cross.

Jesus hung on the cross between two criminals. Crucifixion was for the worst of the worst. Crucifixion was for those who committed murder, treason, or incited a revolt against Rome. The two men hanging on either side of Jesus committed one of those crimes (41).

One condemned criminal ridiculed Jesus. The other defended Jesus. The latter requested, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus called his kingdom paradise.

Paradise is from the Greek noun “paradeisos” (a transliteration). It is from Persian origin, meaning a forest and a park, especially the Garden of Eden. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, predating Jesus’ time) used paradeisos in Genesis 2:8-10 to describe the Garden in Eden, and in Nehemiah 2:8 for the Persian king’s forest. Mankind, through sin, lost Eden. Jesus removed sin by shedding his blood on the cross. So now I have access to Jesus’ Paradise through his blood.

Paradeisos is used in two other places in the New Testament. Revelation 2:7 records Jesus telling the apostle John, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Jesus overcame the cross to share paradise with those who overcome through faith in him. “Jesus, remember me in your paradise.”

Luke 23:34a is today’s BDBD. The Hardest Thing To Do.

Consider all that Jesus allowed to happen to him. His friend betrayed him. He was arrested. His disciples and friends abandoned him. The men guarding him beat and mocked him. The existing religious leaders of the religion he started condemned him to death by crucifixion. They brought him to civil leaders, created false charges, and demanded that he be crucified.

The civil leader flogged him even though he knew he was innocent. Then he allowed the religious leaders to crucify him to appease them. The soldiers put a rob on him and a crown of thorns. They mocked him and beat him. They paraded him naked and bleeding through the city streets. They nailed him to a cross and put his battered body on display. They divided his clothes amongst themselves.

Jesus’ response to this while dying on the cross was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Forgiving someone we love of one violation can be the hardest thing to do. Yet, Jesus forgave everyone who violated Him because he was obeying his Father, he loved to the end, and they acted in ignorance (Acts 3:17; 1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

Luke 23:38 is today’s BDBD. What Does That Mean?

The church name for the first Friday after Passover is “Good Friday”, so someone long passed labeled it. It is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ. Many have stated an opinion on the label. It is just a label to me. Like all long well used labels, it means one thing to someone, and then the same label will mean something altogether different to someone else.

Take, for example, another label with different meanings depending on the reader. Over Jesus’s head hung a lie that cannot be more true, depending on the individual. “This is the King of the Jews,” it read (38). Pilate intended it to be the official Roman sentence, the reason Jesus was crucified. It is also probable that he intended it to be an insult to the Jewish leaders. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and not deserving the capital punishment, but their shouts, “Crucify him,” prevailed (23). He also placed it above Jesus’s head as insurance for being accused of political corruption. So, for Pilate, “King of the Jews” had several meanings.

The label over Jesus’s bleeding head was self-justification to the Jewish religious and social leaders. “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One,” they said (35). Jesus, during their mock trial, had clearly stated that he was the Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God, who would be seated at the right hand of the Mighty God (22:67-70). Since he was now nailed to a cross with a mocking label over his head, they felt proud that they were right about him, for Jesus did not save himself. Pride blinded them to the true meaning of what it meant to be King of the Jews. As his disciples now suffer for his sake, so Jesus suffered for their redemption. He would not come down. He would die King of the Jews.

The two criminals crucified with Jesus, one on each side, had different meanings for Jesus being the King of the Jews (32, 39-42). For one, Jesus was someone to hurl insults at, a place to expel hate and rage. For the other, Jesus being the King of the Jews, was his last hope for salvation from eternal punishment (41-42). He sought pardon from the King. He asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom, when you come with your kingly power.”

So now I sit pondering what it means to me that Jesus is the King of the Jews.

Luke 23:27-31 is today’s BDBD. Cover us!

Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders, like a perfect block is rejected as a cornerstone by architects. The reason was not that he was God’s chosen Messiah. The reasons Jesus was rejected were that he was either not the kind of Messiah they wanted or because they wanted the job. Jesus said so in The Parable of the Tenants (20:9-19), and when he told them the exultant seat of the Messiah was greater than the highly praised King David (20:41-47).

While being led to the place of crucifixions, a large crowd, including women, followed Jesus. The women mourned and wailed for him. Some say they were mostly the general citizenship of Jerusalem who usually mourned for the men the Romans crucified. Others say they remembered his words and miracles and were generally sad that he was going to die. A mixture of both is probably true.

Jesus turned around and addressed the women. He said that they should weep for in less than 40 years the Romans will surround Jerusalem and lay it to waste to such an extent that they will want themselves and their children to die in a terrible natural disaster. He concludes, “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (31)

Will a day come soon that, because of a grave misunderstanding of Scriptures and selfish thinking people will be like the crowd that followed Jesus? On that day, many who now say, “Lord, Lord,” will reject Jesus and mourn for the wrong reasons. Many refuse to carry their cross now will reject Jesus’ cross on that day.

Luke 23:26 is today’s BDBD. Carry the Cross.

Jesus had been tortured by the temple guards, Herod’s guards, and the Romans before he was forced to carry the cross. He had not slept in more than 24 hours, not during his preaching and teaching in the temple the day before, not while he prayed on the Mount of Olives, and not during the trials. He was exhausted. The Roman guards, wanting to hurry the crucifixion, conscripted someone to carry the cross the rest of the way.

Simon may have become the first convert to Christ from Cyrene because of being forced to carry the cross. The fact that Mark (who was the youngest gospel writer) mentioned his sons, Alexander and Rufus, indicates that Simon’s sons were prominent in the early church. (Mark 15:21)

Simon probably wondered why God made him carry someone else’s cross. Later, he probably realized that through this, his sons would become Christians with an important place in the church. God works in ways we cannot comprehend, even through hardship.

Luke 23:1-25 is today’s BDBD. Heart Weight.

Moments of critical decisions measure the heart. The heart of Israel’s religious establishment was found wanting for they decided to kill the awaited Messiah (1, 21, 23). Now, Pilate and Herod’s hearts were on trial. It appeared Jesus was on trial. In reality, God was weighing their hearts. The judges were being examined. The moment of critical decision had come.

Three proverbs come to mind when reviewing Herod and Pilate. “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2) “If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24:12) And finally, “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.” (Proverbs 15:28)

Pilate and Herod knew Jesus had done nothing warranting any punishment, let alone crucifixion (4, 14-15; Matthew 27:19, 24). According to Roman law, which they took great pride in, crucifixion was only for someone found guilty of treason and insurrection. Pilate knew Jesus did neither, and that the Jews brought Jesus to him only because of religious jealousy (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:15; John 18:31, 38). In the end, Pilate gave in to the religious elite, and Herod did not set Jesus free.

Luke 23:13-24 is today’s BDBD. Unavoidable?

Is something ever impossible to avoid or prevent from happening? I cannot stop the sun from shining or the rain from falling. Nor can I stop another from making a foolish and evil decision, though I can try. However, my question is, can I stop what seems to be an inevitable travesty?

Could Pilate have prevented a crime from being committed while maintaining civil peace? “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (4). “I have found no basis for your charges against him.” (14b) Pilate appealed to them again (20). But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (21). “For the third time since Jesus returned from Herod, Pilate spoke to them: “…I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.” (22) He sincerely tried to stop them.

Pilate believed that if he released Jesus, the fervor in the court would turn into a riot and even a revolt, and thus, he would be derelict of his duty. Would he? I place myself in his situation, a pagan who, like most Romans, prided themself on their sense of justice and civil rule. Imagine being in his situation. What could I do to let an innocent live and go free, and keep civil peace with the religious authority, so consumed with violence? It seemed that either way I decided would bring a bad result.

Is there ever a way to avoid the inevitable? “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7)

Luke 23:8-12 is today’s BDBD. A Funeral Circus.

Herod in one ring, layering questions on questions while trying to entice a miracle. The chief priests and the teachers of the Mosaic law became a pack of mad dogs jumping through flaming hoops in another ring. Soldiers, like evil clowns playing dress-up-the-joker in a third ring. Silent Jesus, the focus of their dark crafts. Depravity sinks deep into a dark pit when given power over the light.

“The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17) “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4) “Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:21-22) “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.” (Psalm 37:12-13)

“This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:23-24) “The man who does not work for salvation, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

Luke 23:5-7 is today’s BDBD. Political Poison.

Pilate deduced Jesus was not a threat to the Romans. “I find no basis for a charge against this man,” he told the accusers. Jesus’ teachings were no threat to the Roman Empire. The fact that many followed a Jewish Rabbi did not violate Roman law. Nor did it indicate that he was inciting a rebellion.

An accusation was made. Pilate examined the accused. His reply to Pilate proved sufficient to demonstrate that Jesus was innocent of any crime against Roman law. The accused did not answer to anything the religious leaders were saying (Matthew 15:4-5; Mark 27:12-14). Thus, the accused revealed their hearts to Pilate (Mark 15:5). Pilate deduced the real reason Jesus was being accused (Matthew 27:12-14). The religious leaders were jealous and afraid they would lose their position (Matthew 27:18; Acts 17:5).

At this point, Pilate should have, by law and ethics, released Jesus. Yet, he did not. Why? He was more interested in persuading the religious leaders that Jesus was innocent. When that was not working, he still kept Jesus in custody. Why? What is this sin of selfish injustice?

Pilate is not the only person who knows someone is innocent and yet keeps them in custody with the threat of punishment and even death. Pilate is not the only person who lets another suffer and be persecuted for no righteous reason.

Matthew Henry, a famous British minister and Bible commentator in the late 15th and early 16th century, wrote, “He proposes to release him, if they will but consent to it. He ought to have done it without asking leave of them, ‘Let justice have its course, though the heavens should be desolated’. But the fear of man brings many into this snare, that, whereas justice should take place, though heaven and earth come together, they will do an unjust thing, against their consciences, rather than pull an old house about their ears. Pilate declares him innocent, and therefore has a mind to release him; yet, to please the people, he does not.” Will I sacrifice another so I will be accepted by another? Do I drink political poison?

Luke 23:1-4 is today’s BDBD. You Said So.

By our words we will be judged. Words come from the heart. Words are the fruit that reveals if our tree is rotting at the core and roots. If the core is hollow and infested with termites and/or the roots are dying, then our fruit will be sour. No one will pick and eat them. They fall to the group, root, and disappear from memory.

The whole assembly of religious leaders lied. Pilate’s words were politically motivated, not based on truth and justice. Jesus’s words were, “You have said so.” By their words they were revealed to be rooting. Soon they will be cut down and the stumps burned.

“I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant!” (Luke 19:22) “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

Luke 22:66-71 is today’s BDBD. Jesus Passed the Test.

NOTE: BDBD will be down for a few days during the change of Domain Hosts.

Jesus was arrested in the middle of the night and brought first to Annas, the high priest according to the Law given through Moses. The Romans deposed him for political reasons, ensuring he was unable to lead the Sanhedrin (3:2; John 11:49-50, 18:13-14, 19, 22, 24; Acts 4:5-6). After questioning Jesus, Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas, his son-in-law and the Roman-appointed high priest. Caiaphas conducted an illegal trial according to the Law given through Moses, before the Sanhedrin. The trial was illegal because it was Passover and still night (66, John 18:24).

Both high priests were thus unfit to be high priests, for they violated many God given laws during the questioning and trial. This was no problem for Jesus became a high priest in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:1-10). As high priest, Jesus would offer himself up as the lamb of God, without defect for the sins of the people (John 1:29, 36; Revelation 5:6, 7:17, 19:9). The lamb must be examined to ensure it was pure before it was sacrificed according to the Law (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3, 10, 3:1, 6-7, 17:5). So, Jesus was examined and found without fault (Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:55).

Desperate to find a reason to kill Jesus, the religious leaders finally demanded, “If you are the Christ, that is, the Messiah, tell us” (67). Funny, because only a few months earlier, he had already publicly told them in the temple he was, and they were ready to stone him back then (John 10:24-33). So, when they asked it again secretly with no crowd present, Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God” (66-69).

Frustrated, all the religious leaders finally asked in their belief the capital punishable question, “Are you then the Son of God?” Jesus did not fail to confess, “You are right in saying I am.” And with the true confession, Jesus offered himself up as the lamb of God for my sins and the sins of all who believe in him. Praise be to the lamb of God.

Luke 22:63-65 is today’s BDBD. Need a New Heart.

The guards were likely the same ones who were present when he was arrested. They were not identified by the gospel writers, but most likely consisted of temple guards. They were given the authority to arrest Jesus, who had not been charged with a crime. Their cruelty to a man who had not been found guilty reveals the heart of mankind. The human heart has a tendency to use the authority given to it to harm others.

The Stanford Prison Study conducted in 1971 illustrates that people’s behavior is strongly influenced by the social roles they are assigned and the situations they are placed in. Specifically, the study demonstrated how quickly individuals can conform to assigned roles, even when those roles involve negative or authoritarian behaviors. The study highlights the power of situational factors in shaping behavior, often overshadowing individual personality traits. A person’s heart can grow cold and cruel when they are given authority over others.

Psalm 143:2 states, “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” Romans 3:10 states, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Jesus did not resist his arrest and did not stop the cruelty of the guards to solve the human heart’s problem. Since it could not be cured, he endures suffering so that anyone who would accept him could be given a new heart. Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26 states, “I will give them a new undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

Luke 22:54-62 is today’s BDBD. One Confesses, One Denies.

Jesus’s trials, conducted by the Jewish leadership, are contrasted with Peter’s denying Jesus three times in all four Gospel accounts (54-62; Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; John 18:12-27). This is clear because they bounce back and forth between the two with dizzying speed. The whole incident, from Jesus’s arrest to the Jewish leader’s verdict and Peter’s first, second, and third denials of knowing Jesus, lasted perhaps an hour, certainly no more than two. Yet, in this small amount of time, five of Jesus’s predictions would be made sure: his arrest, rejection, persecution, condemnation, and Peter’s shame.

Comparing myself to Jesus and Peter, I can say I want to be like Jesus, who, though so poorly treated, withstood the test. Yet, in reality, I am more like Peter, who was only threatened with association with someone arrested and being tried. Jesus overcame fear because he was prepared with knowledge of the Bible and deep personal prayer. Peter remained afraid because although Jesus taught him the Bible very personally, he could not find the courage to accept it nor the will to pray when Jesus told him it was time to pray, watch, and be prepared.

Peter was so sure of his ability that he did not depend on God. Jesus accepted his lack of ability so much so that he could do nothing more than depend fully on God his Father. When Jesus asked was his identity, he did not fail to tell them the truth, though it meant beating, humiliation, scourging, crucifixion, and death.

As Peter later wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:6-9)