Week 34 "A Better Way To Live"

Video is normally posted early Sunday Afternoon.

Video Notes: "Elisha to the 10^th Power"

·      Just down the road from here on the border of Galilee & Samaria, on the road to Dothan, Jesus met a group of 10 lepers standing far away crying out for mercy. The Law didn’t allow lepers to come into town or get near people without crying out “Unclean!”

·       Jesus showed mercy and sent the lepers to show themselves to the priests. As they went they were healed. Only one returned to say thanks!

·       The sacrifice God seeks is our gratefulness!

·       This miracle along with many of Jesus’ miracles are a deliberate allusion to ministry of Elisha…this one occurs very nearly in the same place as Elijah’s encounter with Naaman.

·       Remember Jesus’ comment in Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:27) “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." Take time to read the story of Elisha and Naaman (2 Kings 5).

·       Jesus began and ended his ministry in Galilee with a not so subtle message that his ministry of grace was intended for everyone not just the Jews. It was for whomever would receive it. 

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 17:1-19 with the first 10 verses coving a seemingly random collection (but there is a reason they are together) of short teachings dealing with temptation, correction, repentance and forgiveness as well as parable about a servant doing his duty. These teachings are followed by an interesting miracle narrative that is tied to today’s video segment.

Other passages to read: We encourage you to read "horizontally" in these passages that are parallel or provide background information to our text from Luke:

·           Temptation/stumbling blocks: Mark 9:42; Leviticus 19:14; Matthew 18:5-7; 26:41;

·           Repentance & Forgiveness: Matthew 18:15-21; 6:14

·           Increase our faith: Matthew 13:31-32; 17:20; Mark 9:23-25

·           Lepers healed: Luke 9:51-55; 5:12-15;4:27;  7:21-23; Leviticus 13:2-14:36 (esp. 13:45-46)

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

·           Is temptation itself sinful? Where does it come from?

·           What does the first section (v. 1-4) teach us about God?

·           What should we do when someone asks us for forgiveness? Why?

·           Why would someone want to pull up a mulberry tree and throw it into the sea anyway?

·           What does the parable of v. 7-10 teach us about discipleship?

·           What does third section (v. 7-10) have to do with the first (v. 1-6)?

·           What does the failure of the nine lepers to return to Jesus say about them?

We try to answer these questions on the Jesus4Everyone blog in the next week’s post.

 

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

·        Are there ways in which we are a source of temptation for others, or a “stumbling block” preventing them from coming to Jesus? Is there something we need to repent of in this regard?

·       Do we confront sin in a constructive way (with an eye towards restoration)?

·       What would we say about our own lives…are we forgiving? Think about a difficult person in your life and then ask how many times a day are you willing to forgive them?

·       When we obey God do we think that he owes us something? Is our motivation in serving Jesus sincere or are we just doing it in order to gain standing with Him and others?

·       How do we need the mercy of God in our lives this week? Take time to list several, and then give them to the Lord in prayer.

·       Do we take time to worship God in loud praise and gratitude when he works in our lives? What are a couple ways you will celebrate the wonderful working of God this week?

Pastor Randy’s Sermon Notes: "A Better Way to Live"

 
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,” (2 Timothy 3:1-2)

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

1.     Gratitude guards our heart

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21)

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…”  (Hebrews 12:28)

“The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

2.  Gratitude opens up our heart

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Quotes & Commentary:

These quotes are regarding vaerses in this week's section but which Randy didn't spend much time on in service.

v. 5-6 Jesus’ answer turns them from the thought  of a less and a more faith to faith’s genuineness. If there is real faith…then effect follow. It is not so much great faith that is required as faith in a great God. The mustard seed was proverbial for its small size. It is uncertain what tree the sycamine was, but most think of the black mulberry. The rabbis held that the roots of the tree with this name would remain in the earth for 600 years…Jesus is not suggesting that his followers occupy themselves with pointless things like transferring trees into the sea. His concern is with the difficulty. He is saying that nothing is impossible to faith: genuine faith can accomplish what experience, reason, and probability would deny, if it is exercised in God’s will. (Leon Morris, Luke, IVP, 280

v. 9-10 This is not the regular word for “thank” here. In a Middle Eastern context this word refers to “special favor.” “If the servant or inferior has favor from the superior, then the superior is indebted to the petitioner and is expected to grant some special request or offer some special gift….This parable is clearly talking of work accomplished and its results. After all of this work does the servant have favor? Is the master indebted to him?...The question is much deeper than a verbal expression of thanks. The master may well express appreciation to a servant at the end of a day’s work with a friendly word of thanks. The issue is more serious than this. Is the master indebted to his servant when orders are carried out? This is the question that expects a resounding negative answer in the parable. (Kenneth E. Bailey, Through Peasant Eyes, Eerdmans, 121-122)

v. 10 “Does the slave, through fulfilling his ordinary duties to the master become his master’s patron? Of course not! Similarly, “worthless slaves” refers to slaves to whom no favor is due (and not to uselessness).

            In a message transparently designed to [warn] his disciples over against a Pharisaic mind-set, Jesus opposes any suggestion that obedience might be construed as a means to gain honor, or one might engage in obedience in order to receive a reward. Remembering those in need with justice and compassion, working for the restoration of the sinner into the community of God’s family (vv 1-4)—practices of this nature are simply the daily fare of discipleship. Extraordinary in now way, neither do they provide the basis for status advancement within the community.” (Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, Eerdmans, 614-615)

Previously on Ponderables:

·           How is this parable connected to the parable of the Parable of the Dishonest Manager which precedes it in 16:1-9? Where did he invest the resources that were at his command? He only invested in himself. The dishonest manager wasted his master’s possessions, the rich man wasted his own… and didn’t use God’s blessing to bless others.

·           What did Dives (the Latin word for “rich” and often considered the personal name of the rich man in this story) do to be condemned to hell? He chose not to hear the clear message of God’s Word “Moses and the Prophets” and lived an unmerciful self-focused (and thus idolatrous) life.

·           Once in “torment” did Dives (the rich man) repent of his sin? What evidence is there either for, or against? No he did not. After death there is no repentance. While in the story he cries to Abraham to “have mercy” this was simply the beggar’s cry for help (to which he had apparently been immune during his life) not an admission of guilt. He seems to have maintained an attitude of haughty superiority to claim Abraham as father despite his own obvious separation from him. The rich man also seems to still view Lazarus as nothing more than a servant to do his bidding.

·           What did it mean to “hear Moses and the Prophets”? What does it mean for us today to “hear”? This phrase “Moses and the Prophets” refers to all of the Old Testament. To “hear” in that culture meant to listen and respond in obedience. So much of their scripture called for them to repent…why should they die in their sins? (Ezekiel 33:11) The two great commandments cited by Jesus and the expert in the law to whom he was speaking , were Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. We can see how the rich man was not following either of these two great laws of God.

·           What are a few “sure” lessons about the after-life that we can glean from this “parable” without too much speculation? 1) There will be a conscious recognizable existence after this life. 2) Some will experience blessing and comfort in relationship. 3) Some will be apart from God and in torment. 4) Your decisions in this life determine your location in the next. 5) There is no changing the results after death.

·           What is the stealth message in this story? That if they didn’t hear the Law and the Prophets they wouldn’t believe someone who rose from the dead. This much is clear…the stealth part is that Jesus would shortly raise a man named Lazarus from the dead and the Pharisees didn’t believe in Jesus as a result of that miracle…instead they sought a way to kill Lazarus too! Further, this parable points to Jesus’ own death and resurrection which would be rejected by those like the rich man down through history.