Looking for Jesus according to Luke

[JLG]

46) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 16:

- “The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on, the Kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it. Indeed, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled. “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

- The Law was for the Israelites and the Jews but they proved unable to follow it!

- They had their promised land and they lost everything!

- the Christians have the good news and another promised land and a new world!

- Will the majority of them do like the Israelites and the Jews and lose everything?

- When I see and listen to what happens everywhere in the world, the same history keeps repeating again and again!

- And God is patient but there is a limit to his patience!

[JLG]

47) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 16:

- “There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and linen, enjoying himself day after day with magnificence. But a beggar named Lazarus used to be put at his gate, covered with ulcers and desiring to be filled with the things dropping from the table of the rich man. Yes, even the dogs would come and lick his ulcers. Now in the course of time, the beggar died and was carried off by the angels to Abraham’s side. “Also, the rich man died and was buried. And in the Grave he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and he saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus by his side. So he called and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this blazing fire.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you had your fill of good things in your lifetime, but Lazarus for his part received bad things. Now, however, he is being comforted here, but you are in anguish. And besides all these things, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to go over from here to you cannot, neither may people cross over from there to us.’ Then he said, ‘That being so, I ask you, father, to send him to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, in order that he may give them a thorough witness so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.’ Then he said, ‘No, indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

- What a true and hard parable!

- When people are young, they don’t think about getting old!

- When they are old, that’s another story!

- When people are alive, they don’t really care about death!

- When you believe in God, do you make treasure in heaven so when time comes, Jesus will remember you?

- If you don’t do anything or just what religion asks you to do, will Jesus remember you when he comes?

- Or will he say I don’t know you, go away from me?

 

[JLG]

48) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 17:

- Then he said to his disciples: “It is unavoidable that causes for stumbling should come. Nevertheless, woe to the one through whom they come! It would be more advantageous for him if a millstone were hung from his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to stumble one of these little ones.

- When we speak about God’s word, we must be careful!

- Because if we are wrong and people think we are right, we send them in the wrong direction!

- We can make mistakes, everybody can make mistakes!

- What’s important is when it comes from the heart!

- And we must ask God for help to understand his word!

- But everybody must check what others say again and again!

- When we are babies, we drink milk!

- Then we eat solid food!

- We can’t keep on milk!

- It is the same for our brains, we need to grow and look for answers!

 

[JLG]

49) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 17:

- Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother commits a sin, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins seven times a day against you and he comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

- We can say things!

- But it takes time!

- When time is precious, we have to make a choice!

- We can repeat the same things regularly!

- We must decide what is most important!

- It is always a question of time!

- It is important to help people!

- But we can’t help everybody!

- People must also be conscious that they need help!

- And they need to make an effort!

- Otherwise it is good for nothing!

- And there is a lot to do!

 

[JLG]

50) Jesus vs the religious leaders

Luke 17:

- Now the apostles said to the Lord: “Give us more faith.”

- God and Jesus don’t need disciples who ask for more faith!

- We must develop our own faith by reading and studying the Bible!

- And apply what we learn!

- to get into our brains and hearts!

- We must live our faith!

- It must grow naturally!

- Otherwise it is dead!

- It doesn’t mean it has to be perfect all the time!

- But we must keep on building it up!

- It must be a strength which moves us to action not to spiritual apathy!

[JLG]

51) Jesus vs the religious leaders

Luke 17:

- Then the Lord said: “If you had faith the size of a mustard grain, you would say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea!’ and it would obey you.

- Jesus gave the possibility to his apostles to make miracles!

- He taught them daily and personally!

- Yet they couldn’t understand him till his death!

- And he taught them progressively!

- Thus we may keep questioning our degree of faith!

- It must be alive otherwise it may die!

- We need to build it up!

[JLG]

52) Jesus vs the religious leaders

Luke 17:

- “Which one of you who has a slave plowing or shepherding would say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come here at once and dine at the table’? Rather, will he not say to him, ‘Get something ready for me to have my evening meal, and put on an apron and serve me until I finish eating and drinking, and afterward you can eat and drink’? He will not feel gratitude to the slave because he did what was assigned, will he? Likewise, when you have done all the things assigned to you, say: ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves. What we have done is what we ought to have done.’”

- We are good-for-nothing slaves!

- So how do you call those who don’t do anything!

- Dead ones!

- America is a country with many natural catastrophes!

- If we take the example of Florida, there are:

- Tropical storms!

- Hurricanes!

- Tornadoes!

- Wildfires!

- Floods!

- But usually people are told and they prepare for what comes!

- Those who don’t do anything are crazy if they don’t do anything to save their lives!

[JLG]

53) Jesus vs the religious leaders

Luke 17:

- While he was going to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee. And as he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him, but they stood at a distance. And they raised their voices and said: “Jesus, Instructor, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Then as they were going off, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. And he fell facedown at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. Furthermore, he was a Samaritan. In reply Jesus said: “All ten were cleansed, were they not? Where, then, are the other nine? Did no one else turn back to give glory to God except this man of another nation?” Then he said to him: “Get up and be on your way; your faith has made you well.”

- Quite a violent but so realistic situation!

- Those who say they know everything usually don’t know anything!

- And Jesus will tell them I don’t know you go away!

- Many don’t do anything and think that’s how to be grateful!

- Think about the faithful servants of God!

- To be faithful you must show your faithfulness!

- The majority of the Israelites didn’t do anything and went against God!

- They were supposed to know!

- Look at their fate!

- Yes, they have ears but they don’t hear!

- Yes, they have eyes but they don’t see!

 

[JLG]

54) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 17:

- On being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, he answered them: “The Kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness; nor will people say, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’ For look! the Kingdom of God is in your midst.” Then he said to the disciples: “Days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but you will not see it. And people will say to you, ‘See there!’ or, ‘See here!’ Do not go out or chase after them. For just as lightning flashes from one part of heaven to another part of heaven, so the Son of man will be in his day. First, however, he must undergo many sufferings and be rejected by this generation. Moreover, just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of man: they were eating, they were drinking, men were marrying, women were being given in marriage until that day when Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all.

- Do you see the repetition of man’s history?

- Man never understands!

- I mean the majority!

- It is necessary to be ready!

- As if God’s kingdom were coming tomorrow!

- So when it comes, things will be alright for us!

- But if we think we will take the last train, there will be no last train!

- When it’s too late, it’s too late!

- And if we are not ready now, it’s too late for us!

- Because we must show that God and Jesus can count on us!

- If they can’t count on us, we are not useful to them!

- Usually people are busy only for their own interests!

- Bad choice!

- Remember a tsunami!

- You see signs before it comes!

- When we see it it’s too late!

- We are dead!

[JLG]

55) Jesus vs the religious leaders

 

Luke 17:

- Jesus tells us about the days of Lot: people were eating and drinking and buying and selling and planting and building!

- But Lot went out of Sodom and the city was destroyed and all the people in it!

- Then Jesus warns us that it will be the same when the Son of man comes!

- And he tells to remember the wife of Lot!

- And he adds that if we try to keep our lives safe we will lose them!

- But if we lose them we will be preserved!

- One will be taken and the other abandoned!

- If we don’t do our part, we will be abandoned!

- look wherever you want in the Bible!

- ACTION IS REQUIRED!

- There is no room for spiritual laziness!