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)

Luke 22:47-53 is today’s BDBD. Will.

After prayer, Jesus committed his will to do God’s will for him. After receiving thirty silver coins, Judas committed his will to betray his rabbi and friend for nearly three years (47-48; Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-45; John 18:2-3). After sleeping, Jesus’ disciples committed their will to stop Jesus from saving the world but only managed to cut someone’s ear off (49-51). After conspiring together, the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders committed their will to arrest their Lord in the dark and kill the maker of their soul (52-53).

What compels my will? Does my prayer bend my will into my Father’s will? Or does covetousness bend my will to the world’s will?

“Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12). “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD” (Proverbs 19:3). “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2). “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5).

Luke 22:41-46 is today’s BDBD. Sleepless Prayer.

Jesus instructed his disciples to pray so they would not fall into temptation. Then Jesus prayed with a similar concept. Jesus referred to his soon-to-happen suffering as a cup to be drunk, meaning the lot that was assigned to him by his Father in heaven. Jesus was assigned to drink the cup of judgment and punishment for the sins of the world. Psalm 102 has been linked with Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane.

If I knew that what Jesus experienced was about to happen to me, I too would be in great anguish of soul. If I knew it was God’s will for me, would I respond like Jesus? Would I say, “Not my will, but yours be done?”

Jesus told his disciples that they were required to carry a cross too (Luke 14:27). I do not know the specifics of the cross that still awaits me. But I do know of what has transpired already. I am to know now that I too have suffering to bear for Christ and the church so that I am prepared for tomorrow’s cross.

Hebrews 12:2-6 states, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Luke 22:39-40 is today’s BDBD. Before the Trial.

The Greek word for temptation is “peirasmos,” meaning to be “put to the test” and “to prove”. Temptation in the Bible is someone facing a decision to go against God and his will or to obey God’s will and trust in his love. When tempted, I am on trial. A person’s faith and patience can be put to the test. The disciples were going to be put to the test in around an hour. On trial was their faith in Jesus.

Jesus often prayed. When in Jerusalem, he prayed on the Mount of Olives, a quiet place less than a mile from the city. Jesus’s disciples followed him. Their hearts would have been downcast from all that Jesus had told them. Their bodies would have been exhausted from a week full of activities. They would not get a weekend’s rest.

Jesus told them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” Here lies a secret. Temptation comes to all. Temptation, if not today, will come soon. Someone once said, “Two things in life are sure: death and taxes.” This, too, is sure: temptations will come.

Yet, here Jesus tells me that when I talk to God in a quiet, lonely place, I can pray to be relieved of temptation. Jesus elsewhere told his disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

However, I consider this too. Temptation is not easy. Yet, it can be profitable. Overcoming temptation is the soul’s exercise. As the body needs exercise, so the soul is exercised through temptation. Resisting the test to sin makes the soul better. Many temptations are hard to resist. The natural body is addicted to one form of devolution or another. Overcoming a soulful addiction can be harder than overcoming a physical addiction. However, if I pray as Jesus instructs, God can help me to not fall when tempted.

Luke 22:35-38 is today’s BDBD. That is Enough.

The disciples did not comprehend what Jesus was saying. The problem was not because Jesus was using allegory or parables. The problem was that the disciples were not listening to what he said, they held onto the wrong idea of God’s kingdom, and when they did understand him, they were too proud to accept it (31-35).

Even though within hours Jesus was going to be arrested and tortured, he tried once again to help his followers accept the dire situation that was going to transpire. Jesus reminded them of the time he sent them out. They lacked nothing because they were participating in Jesus’ ministry and obeying Him. He prayed for them and protected them, even when he was not physically present. They were in no real danger or trouble. So, they needed nothing (35).

However, the times would drastically change that night (37). When Jesus was to be arrested, they would have to make important decisions quickly. They would be in real physical danger (36). So, unlike before, Jesus told the disciples to be prepared.

Often, we do not know what we are getting into until events unfold. We need to be prepared by staying in communion with Jesus and paying attention to what God is doing around us. Meditation and prayer help us prepare. Best be prepared beforehand to ease the unseen coming blows.

I am transferring FreeBibleStudyHelp.com and all its blogs and podcasts to a new domain hosting company to save money. I cannot sustain the price of the easy-to-maintain one I have been paying around 20 years. They have raised their prices beyond my means, and their customer support, which used to be helpful and ethical, has become nasty.

So, I am switching to one half the price. However, I have to set up the server myself with no customer support. I have to learn and do a lot while maintaining a paying job. I knew I would need to learn new things, but I did not realize how much work was needed. I am reading a lot online. Best to be prepared for each step so the site doesn’t crash, causing the 30-year ministry to end, or at least to not be offline for a while. The change is harder than I expected. I am not ready. Worse yet, when it is set up, I will have to spend more time maintaining it, which will take away from working on the materials.

Luke 22:33-34 is today’s BDBD. Stymied Will.

Having the will, no matter how intense, to do something and then not completing it, though it was possible to, counts for nothing. Many alcoholics will find themselves having the best and strongest intention to stand confessing before God, stop drinking, and make amends. Yet, a few days later, they are buried at the bottom of a bottle. Their strong intent, though sincere, died at continuing application. Though in the heart they were willing to remain sober, they did not. They have to start all over again.

Simon (Jesus called him Simon, not Peter the rock) declared his will to go to prison and to die for and with Jesus (33). His noble declaration was sincere, but would prove unfinished. Matthew and Mark record that the other disciples were no different than Simon (Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:31).

Jesus had been trying to prepare the disciples for months for what would happen this very night. He told them again and again and again that he would be arrested, tried, and crucified. He was clear and specific. But they were too interested in jockeying for a high place amongst their peers to listen.

How to convert the will to do the right thing into an act that fulfills it? Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” (Philippians 2:12-15) Learn from Peter’s mistake. Listen to what Jesus says.

Luke 22:31-32 is today’s BDBD. The Great Sifter.

Peter, like the rest of the disciples, wanted to be the greatest amongst his peers so he could be served by them. Jesus wanted them to be great, as long as they were great in the way God sees greatness. God sees greatness in a person if they serve others (26-17). Jesus instructed and provided an example of this kind of greatness by washing Peter and the other disciples’ feet (John 13:6-10).

Jesus addressed Peter by stating Peter’s name twice, expressing love, while manifesting a warning voice. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (31) The Greek word for “you” is plural. Therefore, though Jesus lovingly addressed Peter, he was warning all of the disciples. Satan wants to sift all of Jesus’ followers. Such a desire can be seen in Satan’s exchange with the Lord over Job (Job 1-2).

Wheat is winnowed (sifted) to separate the genuine wheat kernels from other items that have gotten mixed in with it: chaff (old, dead, dry scales), bugs, straw, and other unwanted items. When the wheat is ground into flour, it is sifted once again to remove the waste from the flour. Peter and the others are about to have a contest with the adversary. Jesus prayed that Simon’s faith may not fail.

Later, Peter wrote to all believers, “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 5:8-9) I shouldn’t let a desire to be greater than others blind me from a crouching lion in the grass.

Luke 22:24-30 is today’s BDBD. Servant Kings.

The disciples were with Jesus in the upper room of a house, eating the Passover meal which Jesus had just modified, calling the cup “the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (20) He thus fulfilled the prophecy declared by Jeremiah. “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

However, the disciples did not make the connection at this time. Instead, they were too interested in taking the highest seat of power in what they believed would be Jesus’s earthly kingdom. They quarreled about who was the greatest (24). Perhaps Peter said, “I am the rock Jesus is going to build his temple on” (Matthew 16:18). Of course, Nathan would respond, “I am the purest of all my siblings. Nathan, after all, was a prophet to the king” (1 Kings 1:22-23). They did not know what they were talking about.

Jesus interrupted their dispute by teaching them the principle of his new covenant kingdom. His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world (25-26), where the rulers are served by others. Most in today’s congresses of the world benefit from ruling at others’ expense. The rulers and judges of Jesus’ kingdom are like the servants of the world’s kingdoms (26).

Jesus served the disciples and others (27). He served them at his new blood covenant Passover by washing their feet (John 13:1-17). Jesus expects his disciples to follow his servant example. Serving Jesus is serving others. Apostle Peter later wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

The disciples were with Jesus in the upper room of a house, eating the Passover meal which Jesus had just modified, calling the cup “the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (20) He thus fulfilled the prophecy declared by Jeremiah. “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

However, the disciples did not make the connection at this time. Instead, they were too interested in taking the highest seat of power in what they believed would be Jesus’s earthly kingdom. They quarreled about who was the greatest (24). Perhaps Peter said, “I am the rock Jesus is going to build his temple on” (Matthew 16:18). Of course, Nathan would respond, “I am the purest of all my siblings. Nathan, after all, was a prophet to the king” (1 Kings 1:22-23). They did not know what they were talking about.

Jesus interrupted their dispute by teaching them the principle of his new covenant kingdom. His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world (25-26), where the rulers are served by others. Most in today’s congresses of the world benefit from ruling at others’ expense. The rulers and judges of Jesus’ kingdom are like the servants of the world’s kingdoms (26).

Jesus served the disciples and others (27). He served them at his new blood covenant Passover by washing their feet (John 13:1-17). Jesus expects his disciples to follow his servant example. Serving Jesus is serving others. Apostle Peter later wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Luke 22:20 is today’s BDBD. Blood Covenant.

Jesus shared the unleavened bread with his disciples during the Passover supper, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (19). He thus changed the meaning of the Passover (John 6:35, 41, 47-51). After the Passover supper, Jesus added something new to the Passover, for he was making a New Covenant with his people (20; Matthew 26:27-29; Mark 14:23-24). He took a cup of wine, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Jesus changed the Passover Supper. So we now refer to it as the Lord’s Supper.

Jesus’s blood is unique. Jesus’ blood is not from man. It is from God. In the 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. A 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.”

Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian congregation concerning Jesus’s pure divine blood, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

Luke 22:14-23 is today’s BDBD. Jesus’s New Passover.

Twilight (sunset) starts the 14th day of the Hebrew month Abib, the first month on the Hebrew calendar, the full moon (Exodus 12:1). This is when the Lord God commanded all Israel and those who believe in and worship the Lord to keep the Passover meal (Exodus 12:6-8, 14; Leviticus 23:4-5; Deuteronomy 16:1-2). At twilight (sunset), the next day begins the seven-day “Feast of Unleavened Bread” (Exodus 12:17-20; Leviticus 23:6-8; Deuteronomy 16:3-4, 8.). By Jesus’s time, the two meant the same thing (1).

The Passover, celebrated while Israel was slaves in Egypt, was only held that way once. After that, while at Mount Sinai, the Lord God made arrangements for it to be celebrated differently once they arrived at the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 16:5-8). Jesus would make other significant changes that would further elaborate and update the meaning of the Passover. Some modern congregations have ignored Jesus’s changes, stating that they are celebrating the true Passover and that all other congregations are wrong and thus going to hell.

While reclining at the table, Jesus told them that he had eagerly desired to eat this Passover with them before he suffered (14-15). Jesus had planned this night to be a special beginning since before the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. To this day, Jesus’s disciples celebrate it this way as Jesus said “…whenever we drink it…” (1 Corinthians 11:21), meaning every time we celebrate it, not just on Passover.

After the Passover supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and passed it to his disciples (Matthew 26:27-29, Mark 14:23-25, 1 Corinthians 11:25). He designated the cup the “new covenant in my blood which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”. And added, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The Old Covenant given through Moses to Israel from that point was lesser, and the New Covenant Jesus gave to his church (congregation) was greater. Also, because of what was happening in the church at Corinth, Apostle Paul appropriately removed the meal before celebrating the cup and bread. The first disciples, most being Jews at this time, accepted and obeyed Jesus’s new covenant from that Supper, including the first century church, to this very day.

The unleavened bread that Jesus broke and gave to his disciples, he designated as representing his body given for us (19; Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24). Jesus, as with the cup, said of the broken and shared bread, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Apostle Paul comments, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Luke 22:7 is today’s BDBD. Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Passover was originally commanded while Israel was in slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-16). Exodus 12:6 says concerning the lamb that they were to designate on the 10th day of the month Abib, “Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.” This twilight was at the beginning of the day, after the 13th ended.

Exodus 12:17-20 speaks of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread commanding that it was to start “on the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day (of Abib). When the Israelites reached Mount Sinai the Lord changed the way the Passover was to be celebrated when they reached the promised land.

Leviticus 23:4-8 also confirms they are separate days, with Passover starting at the beginning of the day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread starting at the end of the same day. “‘These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'”

Deuteronomy 16:1-8, 16-17 is a repeat of what is already defined in Exodus and Leviticus. One addition is, “You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure…” This is an addition from when they were in Egypt and at Mount Sinai. The place became first Shiloh, where the tent of meeting was placed by Joshua (Joshua 18:1, 8, 10, 19:51, 21:2, 22:12; Judges 18:31, 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:3, 9, 24, 3:21, 4:3-4, 14:3; Psalm 78:60; Jeremiah 7:12-14) until David moved it to Jerusalem and his son Solomon built the Temple (1 Kings 8:4; 1 Chronicles 6:32, 15:25-29). Jesus would make another change during the Last Supper.

As time went on, the Israelites often called Passover “The Feast of Unleavened Bread,” when in fact they are separate holy days.

Luke 22:7-13 is today’s BDBD. Lest you Yeast.

The Passover feast is a special annual meal consisting of lamb, herbs, and unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) eaten at twilight, the start of the 14th day of Abib (aka Nisan, March or April, Exodus 12:1-28, 43-50, 13:10). No other religious celebration was like it at the time it was commanded to obey by the Lord. It is somber and reflective, joined with gratitude and awe.

The Israelites are to remember how the Lord brought them out of slavery when they eat the Passover. Yeast represents sin; thus, the Passover feast and the feast of Unleavened Bread point to Jesus, who died to remove sins and rescued us from slavery to the sinful nature and the influence of the devil, the adversary.

Jesus, being born a Jew, also celebrated the Passover. He gave instructions to Peter and John that took faith to obey. First of all, they were to look for a man, someone they did not know, carrying a jar of water in busy Jerusalem, which was something women typically did in the early morning. Secondly, they were to give him an unusual directive. Third, the directive was inviting them and several more into his house to eat the Passover, normally a family occasion. The detailed and strange instructions were obeyed (13). All happened as Jesus said.

The original Passover meal and the instructions to Peter and John were not typical. The Lord Jesus can give us instructions that seem strange and impossible to obey. Yet, obedience is always a blessing in the end.

The Lord God, through an outreach pastor, told me to turn my paper Bible study materials and knowledge that was in my head into a web page almost 30 years ago. The World Wide Web was first made public in 1993, 32 years ago, and AOL Hometown, my first platform, started in 1998. Though requiring self-sacrifice with no income or support from it, the mission has been a spiritual blessing. Oh, the refreshment of obeying strange and impossible commands.

Luke 22:1-6 is today’s BDBD. Adversary.

Satan is at work all the time. He has many who are delighted to help his cause. The chief priests and scribes wanted Jesus dead, for they feared the people (2). The religious establishment was the obvious adversary on the outside.

After over three years of intense ministry, Jesus had become a household conversation. The lips of the people on the street often spoke of him. Jesus’s popularity and words of repentance gave his adversary a choice. Repentance was not a choice they wanted to make, for they were content with being the rich, big hot shots. Jesus’s popularity threatened to take that away. They were willing to murder Jesus to keep it (2).

Judas was more like the chief priests and scribes than Jesus. Jesus was not enough for him. Perhaps he wanted to be like the religious establishment. Most likely, he had had enough of Jesus’s current ministry. Perhaps he tried to force Jesus’s hand. Perhaps he just wanted the thirty pieces of silver (5). Perhaps all of these are correct. His motive is not to be our focus. Crime is, for the most part, the result of a hundred motives rushing with bewildering fury through the mind of the criminal. Definitely, Judas was like Satan and so became one with Satan (3). Judas was the secret adversary within (4).

The Apostle John wrote, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:8-10)

Luke 21:34-38 is today’s BDBD. Careful Hearts.

Three destructive behaviors for Christians are dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life (34). They are a weight on a Christian’s heart, pulling us away from active love of Christ. They take the place of laboring for the kingdom of God and Jesus. They are the rocks, thorns, and thistles in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; Mark 4:3-8, 13-25)

Dissipation is wasteful expenditure and consumption of time, strength, gifts of the Spirit, wealth, and other resources God has given us. Dissipation is dissolute indulgence in sensual pleasure for self-gratification. It is living for oneself instead of helping others in their walk with Christ. Each day, Jesus was teaching in the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives to talk to his disciples and God. Everybody serves somebody. What do your actions prove about who you serve?

Drunkenness is more than tipping back the alcohol bottle and popping a pill to shut down. Drunkenness is anything that causes the loss of control of one’s mental state and body. Ephesians 5:15-20 Apostle Paul wrote, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Anxieties of life can choke the life out of any active saint. An anxiety can be in the form of cares, worries, distress, uneasiness, and perturbations. Worrying about how to pay the bill, aging, where to live and work, marrying and having children, the well-being of children, and the health of self or a loved one can keep the seed of Jesus’ word from growing in the heart till it produces fruit.

Why take command of dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life? Jesus told his disciples, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (36)” A wasted life, a wasted mind, and a wasted heart will not be a justification of opportunities lost at the Bema Seat of Christ. The time for the Gentile church’s judgement is at hand (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Please Christ, not self.

Luke 21:29-33 is today’s BDBD. When You See.

I researched and pondered these five verses throughout the day and many times in the past. I had already written comments for Matthew and Mark on Jesus’ teachings on these five verses in the Olivet Discourse several years ago. The first conclusion I have is that I need more study, prayer, and inspiration from the Holy Spirit. The second conclusion of these five simple verses is that they generate several conjectures among scholars.

Luke states that Jesus started this section with a parable and a short one at that (29a). The point of the “Parable of the Sprouting Fig Tree”, all admit, is that Jesus is stating his just-stated prophecies are the signs that Jerusalem and the nation of Israel are about to end (70 A.D.) and the kingdom of God will be on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus gave them what they had asked for (7). Again, Jesus says the prophesied events will be how we “know that the kingdom of God is near” (31).

The differing interpretations come with Jesus saying “this generation” in verse 32. The Greek word here can also be translated “this race,” meaning the Jews he and the disciples were looking at while on the Mount of Olives that evening. Some say that Jesus is saying that though the temple will be destroyed and the nation end, the Jews will not “pass away”. Jesus had said in verse 24 that many Jews will fall by the sword, and those who remain alive will be taken as prisoners to all the nations while the Gentiles trample on Jerusalem.

An interesting thought is that both opinions appear to be right. Some of the apostles did experience almost everything Jesus had just said. And looking at Daniel, Revelation, and other passages in the Bible, these prophecies will be fulfilled at the end of this age. So, these verses are relevant to me now. Therefore, I need more study, prayer, and inspiration from the Holy Spirit so I am not surprised when they are being fulfilled again.

Luke 21:25-28 is today’s BDBD. Calm the Sea.

What is darkening my sun in midday? Faint not, behold the Son of Man is coming in a cloud.

What is turning my moon to bloody tears? Terror not, He comes in power and great glory.

What is causing my stars to fall from view? Weep no more, stand up and lift up your head for He comes to redeem.

What is tossing my intestines inside out? Perplex no more, His redemption is in hand.

What is shaking my timbers to the roots? Be steady, behold the Son of Man is coming in a cloud.

Luke 21:20-24 is today’s BDBD. Signs Foretold Fulfilled.

Jesus is answering the disciples’ question, “And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (7) Jesus’s answer, given as prophecies, was fulfilled in the revolt against Rome in 66 through 70 A.D. Some of the disciples who heard Jesus give these were still alive when they were fulfilled. In obedience, they left Jerusalem.

Jesus told them the reason these were about to take place in less than 30 years. He said, “For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. (22)” The Jewish leadership rejected the Messiah and handed him over to the Romans to be crucified. They were punished, just as Jesus’ parables foretold.

Jesus said that the Jews who were not killed would be taken prisoner to all the nations (24). And so they were. Jesus said that Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And so they were. The Jews were given Jerusalem and the land surrounding it as a land of their own after the travesty of WWII.

Now with these prophecies fulfilled, what is next? Next, I should not be like the Jewish leadership 2,000 years ago, who rejected the Messiah. I should be like the apostles who accepted and obeyed. I should take heed of the warning of the writer of Hebrews. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:26-27) For the judgment of the Gentile churches is soon to come. (Romans 11:21; 2 Peter 2:4-10)

Luke 21:9-11 is today’s BDBD. Fearful Events, Great Signs.

Between warnings of false christs (8) and persecutions (12-14), Jesus gave predictions of severe and fearful events and great signs. Somewhere, there is a nation or region that has been attacking another almost nonstop since Jesus’s time. Revelation 6:4 tells of the fiery red horse of war that will be sent to the world during the seven years of tribulation. Billy Graham wrote about the fiery red horse’s approaching hoof beats; that is about the increase of wars in my time.

Jesus tells his disciples to not be frightened.

Jesus also predicted great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven (11). Matthew and Mark add Jesus saying, “These are the beginning of birth pains.” When the time of new birth reaches the final minutes, the pains increase in intensity and frequency. So it is with the birth of the new age to come.

Jesus tells his disciples to be on our guard (Mark 13:9), not against these severe and fearful events and great signs, but against the opposition from others against his disciples. “Do not be alarmed,” he tells me. We have a God who loves us and will take care of us. Life may not be comfortable, and we may even be killed, but God works out all things for the good of those who love him.

The author of Hebrews wrote to the persecuted church in Judea shortly before the wars with Rome from 66 to 70 A.D. “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.'” (Hebrews 3:12-15)

Luke 21:12-19 is today’s BDBD. Results of Witnessing in Jesus’s Name.

The apostles began to witness in Jesus’s name when he left us. They did not preach prosperity, share fear, or reveal hidden secrets. They proclaimed Jesus’s words and deeds in the same spirit that Jesus witnessed. As Jesus spoke on behalf of his Father through the Holy Spirit, I, with all believers, am called to “witness to them” (13) “in Jesus’s name” (12).

Jesus told the results of being his witness. He guaranteed that all his disciples would be mishandled, persecuted, and delivered to religious and social judges for judgment (12). Church history records that all the apostles were martyred. Yet, the love of Christ was always with them. Apostle Paul wrote, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35-37)

More than being here with me, Jesus gives me words and wisdom that none of my adversaries will be able to resist or contradict (15). I am not wise by worldly standards. What I give is what I receive from the Holy Spirit. I share what Christ already said as I tried to follow his example and practically apply his teachings. My place is not to be wise. It is to share and stand firm (19). This is living by faith in Jesus, especially when life crushes the body and soul, and all men hate me because of Jesus (17).

Luke 21:8-9 is today’s BDBD. Watch Out!

The disciples heard Jesus confirm it. The temple would be destroyed (6). The temple was the center of first-century Jewish life. The disciples knew that the temple would not go without a terrible war, and no temple meant no Israel. With Israel no more, the lifestyle that they knew would either change or be lost forever. Either way, Jesus’ prophecy would mean a drastic change.

Drastic change has us asking why. The disciples did not need to ask why, for they knew that destruction was coming to Israel because of a lack of faith in the Messiah. Yet, they still had questions. When will his prophecy be fulfilled, and what will be the signs that they will begin (7)? Asking such questions shows the intimacy between Jesus and his disciples: Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3).

Jesus would answer these questions, but not before he warned them. “Watch out that no one deceives you!” He had stated this at least once before (Matthew 7:15-23).

So many have said, “Jesus is coming on such-and-such a day, and I am the messiah in my life that I cannot count them all. How many more will continue to do so? If Jesus gave this warning to his closest followers, then I cannot discount his warning now! Being a disciple of Jesus means I need to watch for clever deceivers.

Luke 21:5-7 is today’s BDBD. Big Stones, Small Faith.

Jesus had been teaching in the temple all week. He had given many wise teachings and responded to confrontations by the Jewish religious establishment. Matthew records that Jesus pronounced woes against the religious leaders at the end of the last day of teaching. Jesus concluded the woes by stating, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'” The disciples were shocked.

Jesus left the temple and traveled to the Mount of Olives. On the journey, the disciples started talking about the temple buildings, especially being sure to mention its large, beautiful stones (5; Matthew 24:1; Luke 13:1) because they had a hard time accepting what Jesus said about the destruction of the temple. One in particular was saying, “Look at these stones. Will they really be toppled down? They’re so big. Take a look at how big they are. Who can tear down such large stones?” (I am paraphrasing.) Jesus confirmed they will all be torn down (6).

A clear distinction can be seen between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus knew that worshiping God was not about buildings and appearances before others. Jesus knew that worshiping God is about accepting God’s son and worshiping him through obedient love and reverential fear. John records that at this time, “Jesus cried out, ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:44-46).

Luke 21:1-4 is today’s BDBD. Poor Widow’s Offering.

Every person who has decided to follow Jesus will have multiple times when giving an offering (“doron” in Greek) will not be easy. Many ways exist for us to make an offering to God. An offering is not just money. Romans 12:1 states we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. This passage concerns giving coins (the widow’s two “leptos” in Greek – 21:2; Mark 12:41). However, it can also apply to other offerings.

Jesus was sitting opposite where the offerings were put, which he had done before (John 8:20). Perhaps this would have been unavoidable because the religious leaders had placed many offering wells throughout the temple courts. Most definitely, it was deliberate.

Jesus noticed both the rich and the poor widow’s offerings. He did not mention the large amounts the rich gave (1). He did, however, praise the two copper coins the widow gave. The Greek word can also be translated as “thin”, “small”, and “flake”. Jesus said she gave more than the rich because “she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on”.

Offerings are not just supporting the church staff and buildings (Numbers 18:20-32). For Jesus, offerings are a matter of faith and obedience. 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 states, “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”

Luke 20:41-47 is today’s BDBD. The Honor Teaches honor.

Jesus had validated the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age to religious bigots, the Sadducees. When he shamed them with the Word of God, their religious opponents, the teachers of the Law, were delighted and praised Jesus (39). However, other than different beliefs, they were the same as the Successors. They were also religious bigots. Both groups picked Bible passages that played into their personal agenda, while ignoring or dismissing the rest.

The teachers of the law liked to receive praise from others. Honor from others was their high (46). Position and status were their motivators. Not even the Messiah, the Son of David, was as prominent as they were in their mind’s eye (41).

Admiration from others was the source of self-justification for their sins. They loved themselves more than others. They devoured widows’ houses by misusing God’s Law for self-profit (47). To compensate for a guilty conscience for this sin and others, they sought justification through others’ praise and honor.

Jesus taught the teachers of the Law that the Messiah was so much more than the Son of David, the descendant of a king. He quoted one of David’s Psalms, 110:1 where David himself wrote that his descendant was actually his Lord, the Ancient of Days, the Creator God himself (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22). “David calls him Lord,” Jesus declared. “How then can he be his son?” (44) Jesus was due honor not for humiliating the Sadducees, but for who he was. The religious leaders’ craving for honor blinded them from giving Jesus the true honor due him.

Will I let my ego get in the way of understanding the truth and honoring Jesus? Or will I be like the Sadducees and teachers of the Law? Is my honor blinding me from the Messiah?

Luke 20:37-39 is today’s BDBD. Alive and Well, Thank You.

Jesus gives the priestly Sadducees definitive Biblical proof to support his dissertation that physical death is not the end of human existence, and that there will be a physical resurrection in the age to come. More so, he provides it from the Law, the first five books, the only books that the Sadducees recognized as canonical (Exodus 3:6)

Moses was meandering with his father-in-law’s flock through the far side of the desert when he saw a bush that appeared to be on fire, but did not burn (Exodus 3:1-3). What does one do when one sees a bush burning, but it is not consumed? Well, we’ll check it out, of course. So Moses marked his course and started investigating. “Strange, why the bush does not burn up?” he thought.

What do you know, but the bush was not on fire. It was Lord Jesus dressed in bright glory. “Do not come any closer,” God said, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Whew. Moses wasn’t expecting that. God was talking to him from within the bush. It is impossible to camouflage glory. By the way, that glory is how Jesus appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration and to the apostle John, as recorded in the book of Revelation. Now that is a resurrection body.

Then God Jesus said to Moses something that Jesus, the Son of Man, states to the Sadducees, “I am the God…” Every phrase of the Bible stresses something. In this case, the active present tense indicates Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were alive even though they were generations before Moses. The human soul and spirit do not die when the physical body dies (1 Corinthians 15). Hope exists for modern man through Christ Jesus.

Luke 20:35-36 is today’s BDBD. The Resurrection to come. #2.

The word “resurrection” in Greek is “anastasis”, meaning literally “standing again.” It is used forty times in the New Testament, and always refers most naturally to a bodily rising from the dead. (Luke 20:36; John 11:24; Acts 4:33, Rev. 20:5) There is certainly no warrant for taking it to mean something else.

Jesus walked out of his tomb in the same body that was crucified. When he arrived in heaven, however, his body was changed, for he shined as many verses state. This is the state of Jesus now. He is in a glorious resurrection body. This is the form that God and he chose him to be in. This is how the Bridegroom looks. This is the state of the King.

What is Jesus’ believers’ future? Those who believe in Jesus will be married to Jesus alone. This verse and atthew 22:29-32 records Jesus saying, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” Jesus is saying that an angel does not marry another angel. Similarly, Jesus’s bride will not marry another human. Jesus continued, “But about the resurrection of the dead–have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Like Jesus rose from the dead, so those who believe in him by faith will rise from the dead. We will be married to him alone. In this life we choose to marry someone from the opposite sex and may have children together. In the future, after the current physical body dies, Jesus’ bride will be alive in a resurrected body, married to Jesus, the King.

Luke 20:27-36a is today’s BDBD. Resurrection to come. #1.

When a person gains interest in Jesus, especially when we accept his rule and love in our lives, the reality of Jesus’ teaching concerning the resurrection of the dead must be considered and ascribed to in one aspect or another. The resurrection addressed in this encounter with the Sadducees is not the Lazarus resurrection type (John 11). Nor is this resurrection like Elijah’s and Moses’ appearances with Jesus on the mount (9:30-33), although there are similarities. Nor is it about where our soul and spirit go when this body stops living.

The Sadducees’ question and Jesus’s answer regards the resurrection of all the dead in Christ at the beginning of the next age (34-35; Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24; 1 Corinthians 15). The Sadducees were descendants of Levi and controlled Temple worship in Jesus’ time. They did not believe in this resurrection. Most Sadducees believed that after we die, a person’s existence ends. They recognized that Jesus’s teaching included this resurrection. So they tried to publicly humiliate the man who overturned the tables of the money changers in their temple with a silly hypothetical question.

Jesus first responded to the silliness of their hypothetical question. Matthew and Mark record Jesus telling them they were in error because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Then he tells them that those worthy of the coming resurrection of the dead at the end of this age will neither marry nor be given in marriage as has been done till today (34-35).

Secondly, Jesus says the people at the resurrection to come will never die physically, just as angels can no longer physically die (36). Lazarus and all those before like him physically died again. No, the resurrection to come is different.

I do not want to be like the Sadducees who were in error because I do not know the Bible and the power of God.

More on this resurrection in the next BDBD.

Luke 20:20-26 is today’s BDBD. Give.

Who likes taxes, but the receiver? Receiving others’ hard-earned income through taxes is good only if not used for self-gratification or honor. Giving taxes is good when a general citizenry has honest collection to build and maintain civil infrastructure. However, the human race has never created a society that is perfect in tax collection and use. Politicians have always stolen from and misused the tax fund for themselves and their families. Even Jesus’ disciples included Judas, who stole money from the general collection.

Misappropriation, fraud, and cheating were as common in Jesus’ day as it is today. The ruins of many buildings and palaces that Herod and his family built with the money forced from the Jews are still easy to see. The Jew’s hatred of Rome, which he represented, can be understood. So can the trap that the jealous religious leaders set for Jesus concerning paying taxes.

Jesus’s answer must have been a great shock to everyone. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” This means that even though fraud, mismanagement, and abuse are greater in my day than in Jesus’ day, I still need to pay taxes. It also means that just because being a Christian, let alone an active and open one, is considered strange and in some cases invokes persecution and harm, I need to continue to give myself to God and his kingdom. After all, if I say I am his, then I must do as Jesus said, give myself to him and his mission for me.

Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Luke 20:17-19 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Tenants. #3.

The people were startled at the conclusion of Jesus’ parable. They did not want to believe that God would allow his son to be killed by selfish and corrupt tenants and that, in response, he would kill the tenants and give the vineyard to someone else. The prophets often used a vineyard to represent Israel. So they understood Jesus well.

They believed that God loved Israel. So they could not believe God would do such a thing as this. They accepted that he punished their ancestors by sending them into captivity in Babylon. But they believed that they were not like their ancestors. They were good. Besides, what Jesus was saying was worse than the Babylonian experience. They shouted, “May this never be!” (16b)

Jesus wanted to help them accept that if they do not repent, they would perish. So he quoted Psalm 118:22. “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” (17a) Luke and Matthew 21:44 add Jesus’ commentary on that verse. This is an allusion to execution by stoning according to the Mosaic law.

The place of stoning was twice as high as a man. While standing on a scaffold (platform), one of the witnesses struck the culprit on the loins, so that he fell off the scaffold. If he died by the stroke and fall, all is done. If not, the other witness threw a stone upon his heart and finished him. That stone thrown on the culprit was in some cases as much as two men could lift up.

Luke 20:14-16 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Tenants. #2.

Jesus’s “Parable of the Tenants” has the vineyard’s owner sending his son to collect his share of the harvest. The tenants recognize he is the heir and devised a plan to kill him and take the inheritance as their own.

Greed and an evil sense of self-importance ruled their decision and the following action. Foolishness also prevailed because they were never in the chain of ownership. The only way they could legally receive it was for the owner to sell it, something he never intended. They would always be simple farmers and he would always be the owner.

When the simple farmers killed the son, the owner came and killed the tenants and gave his vineyard to others. The people who heard this parable understood the meaning (16b). The Jewish leadership would kill Jesus, the Son of God. God would destroy the nation and give the care of the kingdom over to the Gentiles.

How has the world responded to the duty of caring for God’s people? How have I? Jesus gave the church the great commission. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) Have I been participating in the kingdom’s growth? Or in the vineyard in need of watering and cultivating? Am I, a simple farmer, overvaluing my assigned place? Will he not do the same to the church if we are just like the Jewish leadership?

Luke 20:9-13 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Tenants. #1.

After the religious elite challenged Jesus’ authority, he began teaching them in parables. One is recorded in all three Synoptic gospels: “The Parable of the Tenants” (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12). They record that Jesus spoke this parable against them (19).

The object is a man who planted a vineyard. The subject is the world’s most common occupation, ordinary farmers. The Lord God is the man who owns the vineyard. The vineyard is his people with whom he established a covenant with and gave a good set of standards to live by. The ordinary farmers are religious leaders.

The owner expected some of the harvest. The ordinary farmers knew this. However, somewhere along their way, they began thinking higher of themselves. The subjects began thinking they were the objects, and the Lord God was to be ignored. They instituted a covenant and imposed their standards upon those they were entrusted to. They portrayed that they were acting in the interest of God. However, they were thieves, selfish, and greedy. They became richer than the field could endure.

When the man who owned the field sent people to collect some of the fruit of his field, they persecuted them and sent them away empty-handed. Finally, he sent his son, Jesus, whom he loved. My generation has far too many very wealthy religious elite who do not preach the gospel. Is the same ills in my heart?

Luke 20:1-8 is today’s BDBD. authority challenges AUTHORITY.

Men’s and women’s authority tends to lie and subvert to keep it. We will do these and worse while opposing God’s authority. Jesus had overturned the money exchange tables and driven out those who were selling sacrificial animals in the temple area (19:45-48). This challenged the Jewish religious authority and subverted their money flow. Their addiction to authorities’ power sent them on a revenge binge. The chief priests, teachers of the law, together with the elders, had to reassert their power over Jesus (1).

They publicly confronted Jesus while he was teaching. They were direct: “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things. Who gave you this authority?” (2) If Jesus had given them a direct answer, they would have either asked him for proof, arrested him, or stoned him. Rather, he let them answer their own questions. John the Baptist had stated many times Jesus’ authority. The religious leaders rejected John because he was not one of them. The people knew John was a prophet. Jesus asked them where John’s baptism was from: heaven or man (4).

They feared the people’s opinion of them, John, and Jesus. So they did not answer Jesus. Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. (8)”

How do I respond to Jesus’ authority? Do I challenge it? What do I do to subvert Jesus’ authority over me? How do I justify to myself keeping control of my destiny? Do I call Jesus “Lord, Lord,” but do not do what he directs (6:46)? Do I live by faith in Jesus or in myself?

Luke 19:45-48 is today’s BDBD. Correct Contact Disconnect.

Jesus highly valued familiar contact with God, otherwise known as prayer. Jesus’ communion with God was more than words and emotions. Prayer is primarily spiritual. When the Lord Jesus formed Adam from the dust of the ground, he looked normal (Genesis 2:7a). Yet, Adam was not made in the image of God until the Lord God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7b; John 3:5-6). The Hebrew word for “breathed into” in Genesis 1:27, “naphach”, is similar to the Hebrew word for “Spirit” in Genesis 1:2 (“…the Spirit of God was hovering…”). Prayer is spiritual breathing.

Breathing is difficult with the stench and noise of animal commerce present (45; Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-17). God ordered the tabernacle and later the temple to be built so the human race (Israelites and Gentiles) could commune with God. The Jewish religious leadership instituted the buying and selling of animals for sacrifice in the large Gentile Temple court, the one area where Gentiles were permitted. Jesus was furious when he saw this. Three years earlier, he had expelled the sellers and animals from this area. Now, they returned.

Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there once again. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Then he taught at the temple. The Gentiles could breathe the Spirit’s breath once again. Whatever is keeping me from God’s breath is keeping my temple from being born again (John 2:21).

Luke 19:41-44 is today’s BDBD. Hidden Peace.

Jesus shed tears as he fulfilled the Messianic prophecy in the sight of Jerusalem’s citizens by riding a colt into Jerusalem (41). He cried because they had blinders of pride, greed, and false interpretation on their eyes. God had come (44). They could have peace. They rejected it. They believed they could rule themselves. Jerusalem’s destruction was sure to come.

Jesus and John the Baptist had tried to remove the blinders by teaching the truth. Yet, selfish and sinful desires kept them from accepting and understanding (41-42, 8:9-10, 10:21). “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:10-11)

How often have I turned away when God came to me in signs, wonders, dreams, words, and movements of the Holy Spirit? Has my stubborn heart blinded me? The past is done and cannot be changed. However, I can change my heart now. In the future, I can humble myself and accept Jesus’ rule.

Luke 19:35-40 is today’s BDBD. The First Rock Band.

The Sunday before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus and his disciples arrived in Jerusalem, traveling from Jericho and passing through Bethphage and Bethany, two small towns less than two miles east of Jerusalem. (28-29; John 12:1, 12) When he arrived at the Mount of Olives in Bethphage, he stopped at a crossroads where one street went to the temple, a distance of less than two miles (3.2 km).

Jesus had sent two of his disciples ahead to borrow a donkey with her colt so he could ride it into Jerusalem (30; Matthew 21:2). A donkey then is like an old junk car today. Whereas a horse was like today’s tank. Why did he do this? Jesus was making a significant announcement by fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. (Matthew 21:5; John 12:5)

No wonder the disciples began joyfully praising God loudly for all the miracles they had seen (37; John 12:17-18). Hosanna means save now. Using loud voices, the disciples were singing the words of Psalm 118:25-26, which were understood at that time and before to refer to the Messiah. Jesus seems to hint they were the first rock band (40).

Jesus and his disciples made the greatest claim yet that he is the Messiah, the king of Israel and Judea, to the people. Everyone knew what he was saying, for kings, including David, rode into the capital city, either on a horse (as conqueror) or a donkey (in peace). They joyfully welcomed him into Jerusalem. Will you allow the King to enter your heart?

Luke 19:28-34 is today’s BDBD. A Donkey’s Errand.

God sometimes gives instructions and wants his people to do something that doesn’t make sense or seems unethical. When Jesus and his disciples left Jericho and trekked the approximately five-hour uphill walk to Jerusalem, two disciples would experience such a directive.

When they arrived at the Mount of Olives, Jesus instructed them to go into a village and take a tied-up colt. He did not tell them to hunt for the owner and asked him for permission. They were to simply untie it and bring it to where Jesus and the other disciples had stopped. He also told them what to do when they were confronted. They were to simply say, “The Lord needs it.” (Matthew 21:1-7; Mark 11:1-6) Obedience took trust, faith, and courage.

The disciples’ unusual experience is not uncommon. Abraham was told to do several things that took similar faith and courage. The Lord told him to go to a country, but he was not told its location. He was also told to offer his son Isaac to the Lord God. Both were not only odd, but one was even horrible to the Lord.

The Lord wants me to step out of my comfort zone. He tells us to “Go,” without telling how I am to personally apply the Great Commission. In Jericho, Jesus told “The Parable of the Ten Minas”, a general outline of the Great Commission. I am to apply it with faith and courage, even though I have many questions, including “How?”

Luke 19:20-26 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Ten Minas+None

Jesus has the newly appointed King in “The Parable of the Ten Minas” upon his return, taking account of his ten servants’ investments. Each was given the same amount of minas. Each had an equal chance to accomplish his master’s intent (15). The first two he examined have either increased the investment by 100% or 50%. He was pleased with both and handsomely rewarded them with praise and cities (16-19). The desire to be commended by the King of the Universe should be enough to motivate the least of his disciples. To be rewarded so handsomely is grace. My mind’s eye can picture the moment I stand before him.

The throne is occupied by a man dressed in light brighter than a streak of lightning. I cover my face with my palms in his presence. His angel ushers me into his presence, standing behind me to my left. A group of fellow servants is standing to the King’s left. They are there for the same reason as I.

There is nowhere to hide. I confess, “Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.”

Then comes his rebuke and sentence. I am left with no minas. The rebuke will remain for eternity. Shame and regret will be mine. The harvest field was plentiful, and I did nothing.

Luke 19:12-27 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Ten Minas, Subject or Servant?

Jesus was at the home of Zacchaeus, a very rich chief tax collector, on the midday of his “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. Jesus had invited himself and his disciples to eat at his home, an invitation that Zacchaeus was eager to oblige (1-4). They were most likely on the house’s flat canopied roof, a common place for large groups to gather in the ancient Middle East. Jesus would have been at the head of the table, Zacchaeus either next to or near him, and Jesus’s disciples would be seated on pillows around a low table. Servants would bring food and drink trays from the quarters on the first floor to the guests, something the disciples would not have been accustomed to.

Jesus used what was happening around them in the parable he was teaching. Four people types where near or at the scene on Zacchaeus’ home; 1) Jesus, the disciples at the table, 2) the servants busy bringing food and drink to those at the table, 3) the guests, and 4) the religous leaders who were critizising Jesus’ decision to enter a ‘”sinner’s” home (7) which they themselves would refused to enter. So, Jesus’ parable had four people types; 1) a noblemen who was to be appointed king (12), 2) servants bringing food and drink (13a), 3) the people (minas) the servants were to manage (13b), and 4) subjects of the kingdom (citizens, 13b).

The nobleman was definitely going to be appointed king no matter what the citizens wanted. So, Jesus was definitely going to be King no matter what the Jewish religious leaders were conspiring. Since the nobleman knew he would be gone for an undetermined length of time, he appointed his servants to increase his minas (money). So, Jesus knew he would be gone for a rather long time. The nobleman gave his servants an important directive. So, Jesus commissioned his disciples to help those who would come into their nets to become mature enough to bring new people into the nets (13).

I am invited to determine who I am. Am I a citizen, a servant, or one being served? The citizens will be killed (27). The servants who increase the minas that are given to them will be rewarded (16-19). The servants who did nothing to increase the minas given to them will lose what they have been given (26). The choice is mine.

Luke 19:11-13 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Ten Minas, Investing Advice.

Jesus was at the home of Zacchaeus, whose occupation dealt with money, investments, loss, and profit. Thus, Zacchaeus and the Apostle Matthew would have understood “The Parable of the Ten Minas” better than zealots, fishermen, Pharisees, and Levite priests who also heard this parable. Jesus used the best parables for the location he and his disciples were in. Indirectly and rather uniquely, Jesus’ parable endorses investing money for profit.

The main character of the parable is a man of noble birth. Jesus is the man, for he is not only the descendant of King David (3:23-38; Matthew 1:1-17), but he is also the Son of God (1:32, 35; 22:69; Mark 1:1; John 1:34, 5:25, 20:31).

Jesus said that the “man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return” (12). He thus not only foretold his resurrection and the heavenly anointing by his Father, but he also foretold of his second coming (aka The Second Advent).

After outlining the parable with one sentence (a common Hebrew teaching method), Jesus goes into the important details. The nobleman knew that he was going to be away for quite some time. Jesus does not say how long the nobleman would be gone or when he would return. The interval would have to be long enough for a need to turn responsibilities over to someone else, and long enough to prove they were good or bad investors. Not knowing when their master would return should drive those entrusted with his money to work as though he would return at any moment.

The man of nobility called for ten of his servants (13). The root word of the original Hebrew noun for “servant” means “bind”, literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary, and in the sense of subjective or subservience. He gave each the same amount, ten minas, equal to around thirty months’ wages. They were instructed to invest this money to gain a profit.

Everyone in the crowd would identify with the desire to increase wealth. Am I investing my minas according to my master’s instructions?

Luke 19:11 is today’s BDBD. The Parable of the Ten Minas, Investing Advice.

Jesus had just declared Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector in Jericho, and his household saved and Zacchaeus is a child of Abraham (9). He said that was why he came (10). His statement drew the attention of everyone who heard it, so he used the attention to tell a parable called “The Parable of the Ten Minas” (11).

Luke tells two reasons why Jesus told this parable. First, they were “near Jerusalem”. Jerusalem was around fifteen miles away, approximately a five-hour walk. He would start the journey once he and his disciples finished eating. Upon arrival, the people with him and within Jerusalem would praise God and wave palm branches. It is now called “The Triumphal Entry”. However, in less than a week, they would reject him and crucify him.

The second reason is, “the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once”. J. Dwight Pentecost in his book “Things to Come” distinguishes between four Biblical uses of the term Kingdom of God (Heaven according to Matthew): 1) God’s universal kingdom, 2) a spiritual kingdom, 3) the millennial Davidic kingdom, and 4) the mystery form of the kingdom (Matthew 13 and other places). Jesus’s parable here concerns the mystery form of the kingdom.

J. Dwight Pentecost writes, “The mystery was the fact that when the One in whom this program was to be realized was publicly presented, He would be rejected and an age would fall between His rejection and the fulfillment of God’s purpose of sovereignty at His second advent. The mystery form of the kingdom, then, has reference to the age between the two advents of Christ. The mysteries of the Kingdom of God describe the conditions that prevail on the earth in that interim while the king is absent. These mysteries thus relate this present age to the eternal purpose of God in regard to His kingdom… this mystery form of the kingdom is composed of saved and unsaved alike (profitable servants and unprofitable servants, wheat and tares, good and bad fish).”

At the end of this age, Jesus will come as King and judge his servants according to what they did while he was away.

Tomorrow’s BDBD will look at the details of this parable.

Luke 19:1-10 is today’s BDBD. Zacchaeus -salvation came to my house. #4

Daily life journal entry conclusion: Zacchaeus.

I told Jesus of Nazareth, whom I am convinced is the promised Messiah, my decision of recompense for my sins, especially cheating others when I collected taxes. I will never forget his response, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (9)”

Jesus said this at my confession of guilt and repentance. He did not say this when he saw me in the tree and invited himself to my house. Nor did he tell me that I should repent or perish. John the Baptist had said this, and since I heard him say this, I took it to heart. Yet, it was not until Jesus called me that I changed my ways and sought reconciliation for my poor life decisions.

Thanks to Jesus’ next words, I know this to be true. He continued, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (10)” I was lost. Jesus found me and saved me from a life I began to despise. I was joyful in ways I cannot begin to describe and compare. I have decided to follow him and change my ways.

After the meal, I told my wife I had decided to accompany Jesus and his disciples on their five-hour walk to Jerusalem for Passover. When we left Jericho’s west gate, Jesus healed the blind men I saw and heard at the east city gate. I praised God with the crowd (18:35-43). Surely, Jesus, the Messiah, will do great things this Passover in Jerusalem. This is going to be my greatest Passover ever.

Luke 19:1-10 is today’s BDBD. Zacchaeus -salvation came to my house. #3

Daily life journal entry continued: Zacchaeus.

Jesus and I led the way to my home. I had joy that I could not put into words. Jesus had chosen to stay at my house, though many Levite priests, important rabbis, and the synagogue ruler lived in my elite Jericho neighborhood. The synagogue ruler lived next door. Some were gathering on his home’s roof.

When we arrived, my family warmly welcomed me and wanted to know who all the people were with me. I introduced Jesus and instructed them to prepare a meal for him, his disciples, and everyone willing to enter my house. Many would not enter the home of a tax collector. They joined those on the synagogue’s ruler’s roof. Some muttered the slander I had become used to, though I did not want my children to hear it.

I instructed them to sit on the roof my wife had prepared for such occasions and placed Jesus at the head of the table. Jesus gave thanks for the provisions and blessed my family. At this, someone on the roof next door said, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’ (7)”. I looked to see who said that so loudly. One of Jesus’ disciples, Matthew, who was a tax collector like me, told me, “That rich man approached Jesus at the city gates asking how to inherit eternal life (18:18-30)”.

“He is Jericho’s synagogue ruler,” I replied. I knew why he said this. He was correct. Seeing Jesus still eating at the table, I was grateful for his grace and sorrowful for my life choices. He looked at me. I stood up and said to Jesus, the Son of David, “Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” I made sure those on the roof next door could hear me.

Conclusion in the next BDBD.

Luke 19:1-10 is today’s BDBD. Zacchaeus -salvation came to my house. #2

Daily life journal entry continued: Zacchaeus.

Climbing a sycamore-fig tree is not as easy as it looks, especially when the tree flourishes with ripe fruit, a person has short legs, and is wearing a finely crafted suit that only great wealth can buy. I was unaware until this day that too much fragrance annoys the sinuses, and wasps are as territorial as a young man with an alluring lady. I endured because I was curious about this Jewish rabbi with a tax collector as a disciple, and yet able to attract and maintain such a large crowd over long distances (3-5).

I found a stable branch that offered a clear view of the approaching crowd. Finding the center of attention in a crowd is not hard unless the person is not what one expects. Jesus of Nazareth was such a man. He looked “like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2) Curious; what is it that draws us, drew me to him? The anticipation to satisfy a hope for that which one had not been able to grasp even with great lifelong effort? Perhaps. Yes, I believe that was my reason.

Jesus started heading directly to my tree. When he reached the spot, he looked up and said to me, “Zacchaeus…” he used my name. Most people, no, no one called me by the name my parents gave me. Yet, Jesus called me by name. How did he know my name? He continued, “…come down immediately. I must stay at your house today (5)”. I was so shocked and excited that I practically fell out of the tree. I have never been elegant, and certainly was not so coming down that tree (6).

Continued in the next BDBD.

Luke 19:1-10 is today’s BDBD. Zacchaeus -salvation came to my house. #1

Daily life journal entry: Zacchaeus.

My parents gave me the Israelite name Zacchaeus, meaning pure, a name I did not live up to until Jesus, the Messiah, invited me to a meal at my house. I grew up an outsider in a Jewish society. They called me “impure brood”, “heathen blood”, “traitor”, and “short root”. No one wanted to be my friend. I was an outcast in the poor neighborhood of my youth.

I determined that religion is full of bigots and hypocrites. I abandoned the pure life my parents wanted for me and pursued wealth so I could gain influence over the people who humiliated and alienated me in my youth. Through ruthless hard work, I rose through the tax collector ranks, became the chief tax collector in the second most prosperous territory in Palestine, and lived in Herod the Great’s newly constructed palace garden oasis estates. However, no matter how hard and ruthlessly I worked for Rome, the satisfaction I sought always seemed a hand-grip away.

One winter after the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah in December), I began hearing reports (part of my job) of a Jewish rabbi who routinely performs miracles and draws large crowds to hear his teachings. Reports came to my attention that this rabbi caused a man named Lazarus, who was in the grave for four days, to rise from the dead. Normally, I would reject such reports as fantasy. However, I also heard that this rabbi has a former tax collector, a former zealot or two, and fishermen as important disciples. I wondered what kind of Jewish rabbi would have such ridiculous disciples. One of seventy-seven disciples this rabbi sent out before he arrived in my city, I interviewed and confirmed these reports and more (Luke 10:1).

When this unusual rabbi Jesus finally approached Jericho, I ran east down the Roman road the fastest my short legs could move me, to the old city gates to see him. Since I am slower and smaller than most, and a large crowd was traveling with him, I could not see him when I finally arrived at the gate (3). It was very noisy; some blind men cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” and were being rebuked (18:38-39). I needed to get higher to see him. So, I ran west down the Roman road to the sycamore-fig tree grove and climbed one. The spring fruit was ripening, and wasps were swarming. Climbing was difficult, and I was wearing one of my best suits. I did not care. I was so determined to see this unusual rabbi.

Part #2 in the next BDBD.

Luke 18:35-43 is today’s BDBD. Your Faith Has Healed You. #3

My friend and I, blind men, passed by Herod the Great’s 10-acre, 3-palace garden oasis to the west exit of Jericho. There we waited for Jesus of Nazareth and the exuberant crowd we encountered at the east gate. We had a second chance to receive our sight. We were determined to yell for mercy so Jesus could hear us.

“What is taking them so long? Did we take too long to make it here? Perhaps we missed them,” my friend stated.

Just then, a pair of Pharisees stated as they walked to Jerusalem, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’, a chief tax collector. No righteous man would do that.”

I told my friend, “John baptised anyone who repented, even soldiers. Pay no attention to those religious bigots. Jesus is still in Jericho, eating as most pilgrims do.”

Then we heard the crowd again. “He is coming! Shout with me, friend. Be loud. Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and ordered that we be brought to him. Some came to us and said, “Cheer up! On your feet!. He’s calling you.” We obeyed. I was so full of anticipation, I threw my cloak aside, jumped to my feet, and came to Jesus (40; Matthew 20:32; Mark 10:49-50).

I didn’t think about it then, but now I realize Jesus asked an obvious question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” I said.

“Yes, Rabbi, we want to see,” my friend added.

Jesus touched our eyes and said, “Receive your sight. Go, your faith has healed you.” (42; Matthew 20:34; Mark 10:52) Immediately, we received our sight and followed Jesus, praising God all the way to Jerusalem. The greatest day of my life. Surely, the Messiah has come and now he is in his city, Jerusalem. We all expect him to do great things this Passover.