“Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning He came again into the temple and the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. And the Scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery.”
This account is under a great deal of controversy. The first eleven curses of the eighth chapter of John are not all found in some of the manuscripts. However, they do appear in some of the oldest readings and were quoted by St. Augustine and Jerome. It fits well into the scheme of the chapter in that it follows the pattern of a divine act happening, the questioning of Jesus by the Pharisees and Jesus’ answers.
The Pharisees had set up this meeting and they thought they had Jesus right where they wanted Him, thinking that Jesus would go against the Law because of His compassion for sinners.
Jesus acted, at first, like He didn’t hear them, knelt down and traced something in the dirt, and stood and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Jesus struck at the conscience of the people and they retreated in shame.
Whatever Jesus was writing or tracing in the dirt, no one knows, but His pronouncement to these hypocritical people was a divine edict. He then asks the woman, “Woman, where are those who accuse you? Has no one condemned you?” Her answer is “No one, Lord.”
Misery and Mercy were left standing together as Augustine put it. In the depth of our misery, we are left with the mercy of Jesus Christ as all others pull away from us.
Jesus then says, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”
After all had left, the sinner is left alone except for the abiding grace of God and the love of Jesus for us, we, after repenting, are forgiven and our lives can begin again in the glory walk with our Lord. New Beginnings, New Birth, New Life, New Salvation, and the promise of ever-lasting life and love are ours by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Then Jesus spoke to them saying, “I AM the light of the world, they that follow Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
The Pharisees thought that He was bearing witness of Himself and doubted the truth of His words. The discourse that follows is in six distinct parts:
1. Jesus declares His Deity. (vs 17-18)
2. He declares the solemn truth that the unbelieving will die in their sins. (v 21)
3. Jesus revealed His approaching death. (v 28)
4. Those who are set free by the Son are free indeed. (v 36)
5. Being in bondage to sin, people are children of Satan.
6. The offer of eternal life is given to those who believe in Him. ( v 51) Jesus had revealed His pre-existence that He is the eternal One. “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Upon hearing this, the Jews took up stones to kill Him but He went “through the midst of them” and passed by.
THE MAN BORN BLIND John 9:1-38
“And when Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind at his birth. And His disciples asked Him saying, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he be born blind? Jesus answered, ‘Neither has this man sinned, not his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day; the night comes, when no man can work. As long as I am in this world, I am the light of the world.”
Spiritually, this man was born blind for the sake of his own spiritual and eternal good that he might be led to the perception and acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God, in turn, because of his experience, become a channel of divine grace to others.
This man came to Jesus for salvation, not to be healed. Jesus used the same creative power as that which made man and by putting clay on his eyes, He worked hope and expectation in the man by the sense of feel. He then tells the man to go wash to further test the man’s faith. The clay represents the Lord’s ministry and the water represents the Holy Spirit ministry, thus when a person apprehends by the Spirit’s aid, the momentous fact that the mighty God became human for his salvation, and that He who here abased was indeed the “sent One of the Father”, his spiritual blindness is dispelled for ever.
Among the Pharisees, there were two camps. Those who reasoned that Jesus could not be of God because He had broken the Sabbath traditions and those who felt that Jesus had to be from God to be able to do the works of the Father in such miraculous ways.
The healed man had no doubt. “If this man were not of God, He could do nothing.”
THE RETURN TO GALILEE- THE FINAL DEPARTURE LUKE 9:51-62
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”
Jesus sent out messengers to prepare the way for His visit in a town in Samaria, but they refused Him “because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem.” The Samaritans, still believing that the place for true worship was Mt. Gerizim, were not welcoming His as they had done before because He was not catering to their wishes. Because of this refusal, the disciples would have fire brought down on them and consume them. Jesus says to them, “Sons of Thunder, you know not what spirit you are of?” Jesus was here to save lives, not take them.
“And it came to pass that as they went on their way, a certain man said unto Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” With the start of this section, we have more tests of discipleship. By Jesus say to this man, “but the Son of Man has not where to lay His head”, brings full meaning only when we realize that one of the three members of the Godhead who created all things was now reduced by His own choice, for our sake, to that of the lowest of creation, showing absolute subjection to God’s will.
“And He said to another, ‘Follow Me’, but the man said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” This was an excuse for the dead are buried on the same day of death and no one would follow a teacher on that day. Jesus’ answer to him was, “Let the dead, (spiritually dead), bury their dead, (physically dead), but you go preach the Kingdom of God.”
All of our problems of the past should be left in the past. All our toils and labor that led to and were a result of sinning must be left at the foot of the Cross.
“After these things the Lord appointed the other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, wither He Himself would come.”
In the sending of the seventy, Jesus commissioned them to harvest souls “as lambs among wolves,” telling them of the dangers, and to go humbly, and “salute no one on the way.” This was not to have them be discourteous; it shows the urgency of the situation. There would be no time to stop and chat.
As to the reception and conduct of these men, Jesus tells them to be courteous in the homes where they were welcomed. He gave them the power to heal the sick and they would spread the message that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He tells them of the rejection that they would encounter and to turn away from them but to deliver the message concerning the Kingdom of God, none the less.
Jesus then predicts judgements on the unbelieving cities: Chorizin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Your Name’, and Jesus gave them the power over Satan and tells them to rejoice ‘because your names are written in Heaven”.
Jesus then rejoices over the simplicity of truths that are revealed through the Son of all that was hidden from the “prudent and the wise” and for the revealing of the Father through the Son.
He tells the disciples that they are blessed to have done the things they have done, seen them, and heard what they have heard. In this we have the rewards of both faith and faith works.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN LUKE 10: 30-42
“And behold, a certain lawyer, took up and tested Him, saying, ‘Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said unto Him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And in answering said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
“Who is my neighbor?”
The Scribe was hoping to find a way to trap Jesus and catch Him in preaching against the basic tenets of the law. Instead, he received a lesson from Jesus.
Maturin, in his “Practical Studies of the Parables,” says that “With one master stroke our Lord draws the contrasts between men such as His questioner and such a spirit as He displayed, and this fresh and vigorous Samaritan.”
This man in the parable is passed by the Priest and a Levite. The Priest passed by with indifference and the Levite passed by but first weighed what he would gain from helping the man. He sought to rationalize his conduct. Both decided that the man had deserved what he had gotten and nothing would be gained from helping such a fool.
The Samaritan, even though far removed from temple worship, believed in God and worshiped Him. All this help that the man received from the Samaritan was done without thoughts of repayment and it was total care, not only to the immediate needs of the injured man, but also to his future needs.
First, we see that the Samaritan didn’t follow the traditions of the Oral Law which the Jewish leaders followed and followed the written Law more closely.
Second, all of the restrictions that were man-made without guidance of God were more of a hindrance that help in the worship of God’s Word.
The Scribe is told to “go and do likewise” after the Scribe agreed that the Samaritan had done the right thing.
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village; and a certain woman, named Martha, received Him into her house.”
Martha is over anxious and worried, and full of anxiety while Mary rests in the good things of the Lord. The thing that is needful is the reliance on God’s Word and the gaining of the peace that comes from following God’s Word. Mary received the good part and now she would have it with her the rest of her life. Martha was worried about outside appearances and everything being just right for Jesus. This is good, but it pleases God more than anything else when people rest in Him and worship in thankful reverence of what He has done for us, instead of what we have done for Him.
THE DISCOURSE ON PRAYER LUKE 11:1-4
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He was finished, one of the disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
In this prayer, notice that Jesus first praised God and then made His requests. Praising God first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell Him about out needs. To often our prayers are more like shopping lists than conversation with our Holy Father.
The next verses focus on three aspects of prayer: 1. It’s content; 2. Our persistence: and 3. God’s faithfulness.
In verse 3, we find that God’s provision is daily, not all at once. We cannot store it up and then cease communication with God. We dare not be self-satisfied. When we are feeling low, we should ask ourselves, “How long have I been out of contact with God?”
Verse 4 shows us the importance of forgiveness being the cornerstone of our relationship with God. To remain in unforgiveness shows that we have not understood that we ourselves deeply need to be forgiven.
THE PERSISTENT FRIEND- LUKE 11:5-13
“And He said unto them, ‘Which one of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves.”
While the parable teaches hospitality, obviously its primary teaching concerns the spiritual. On the life, darkness descends and the soul loses its way. The soul turns to a friend for help. Jesus was teaching the disciples that they would be appealed to for help and they had to be able to perform the necessary acts of intercession for others. Although there is much the believer can do to help the sinner, there is a limit to what he can do himself. Salvation is supernatural and by the grace of God and the Blood of Jesus Christ. No one can supply what is needed on his own. He must find the friend who is the Bread of Life and that one is Jesus.
The next aspect is the power of intercessory prayer to supply the inquirers wants.
Hindrances and obstacles must be overcome if we are to be ready to serve at any time. One who is in need would not be put off and to delay may cause greater harm. Importunity is taught and the fact that God’s help is immediate.
“And I day unto you, Ask and it shall be given to you, Seek, and you shall find, Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks,receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened.”
The beauty of this parable is that, by reason of the three-fold friendship, the ultimate result is obtained. Each of the three of the Holy Trinity is a friend. He that provides all is God the Father; He that provides access is God the Son, and He that provides the guidance is God the Holy Spirit.
God sends the Holy Spirit to us, the Bread of Life satisfies us at any time, and this is true throughout eternity.
As Jesus had been attacked by the Pharisees after the miracle of The Withered Hand, He is again accused of being in league with Satan. His answers are basically the same as He repeats the ‘Divided Kingdom’ discourse and His words concerning the state of backsliders.
In verse 11:27 of Luke, “A certain woman…said unto Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the paps that You have sucked.’ Jesus said to this, ‘But rather, Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.”
Here we have Jesus restating the main reason what He became incarnate; the salvation of mankind. Whenever the people, including His disciples, made reference to His personal glory, Jesus quickly brought the attention back to His Father and His mission so that the point of His ministry would not be lost.
In this section, we have the parable of the lighted candle which illustrates the necessity of letting our light shine and of being free from evil and darkness.
“When your eye is single” meaning that if it is single and sound morally as well as free from any lusts, the whole body will be free of sin and perfect. It is our responsibility to make the body full of light by meeting the terms of the Gospel. (2 Peter 1:4-10:etc.)
When confronted again about the eating before washing, Jesus again denounces the Pharisees for their self-righteousness and announces six “woes” upon them and the Scribes:
1. Relying on incense and sacrifices instead the judgment and love of God.
2. Self –righteousness and self-exaltation.
3. Hypocrisy of their outward show and inward sinning.
4. Placing unbearable burdens upon the people to observe the Oral Law.
5. The blood of the martyrs spilt by their fathers
6. The damnation of their souls for interfering with the entering into Heaven souls by corrupting true knowledge.
THE RICH FOOL –LUKE 12:16-24
This parable was occasioned as the result of a request by one of His hearers that dealt with the state of his family. “Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus had not come with material things in mind. “Man, who made me a judge or deliverer over you?” Jesus then taught a lesson. “And He said unto them, ‘Take heed and beware of covertness; for one’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which is possessed.”
The parable is a picture of a worldly-minded man whose ground brought forth plentifully, so much that he could not store it. His thoughts were not of charity but of greed. He planned on how he would be able to spend the rest of his life in luxury. The fact that the man was rich is not the point. The point lies in the fact that he thought only of himself.
God’s message for him was, “You fool, this night your soul will be required of you.” He died unprepared to meet his creator.
This occurrence in this parable is a common one and is chronicled regularly in the daily press. Humans become so concerned with the material that they forget the spiritual.
THE LESSONS OF LUKE 12:1-21
1. Beware of Hypocrisy
2-3 All Secrets Will Be Exposed
4-6 Fear God, Not Man
7. God’s Providence Over All
8-9 Confess Christ
10. Honor the Holy Spirit
12 .Rely On the Holy Spirit
13-14 Refuse To Be A Busybody
15. Beware of Covetousness and Life Is More Than Possessions
20. No Security in Possessions
15-21 Do Not Seek or Trust In Riches
18-20 Life is Uncertian
18-21 Human Plans For Long Life Are Foolish Without God
20-21 Must Give Accounting To God
33-34 Laying Up Treasure Only On Earth Will Damn The Soul
THE BARREN TREE PARABLE
Man is to repent and not to judge. “Except you repent, you shall all likewise parish.” This predicts that some people to whom Jesus spoke with would be destroyed in like manner as were the Galileans whom Pilate killed. This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. The parable illustrates the fruitlessness of Israel and her doom to come. It also speaks to all who are unbelievers.
THREE PARABLES –LUKE 12:35-59
WATCHFUL SERVANTS
“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and you, yourselves like men that wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open unto him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord, when he returns, shall find watching…”
The main lessons of this parable are for us to be watchful servants in view of Jesus’ second coming and be righteously ready. Always ready; Always vigilant.
GOODMAN OF THE HOUSE
“…Who, then, is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give him his portion of meat in due season.? Blessed is the steward whom, when his lord comes, finds him doing.”
We must be watchful and faithful stewards of our Lord.
UNFAITHFUL SERVANT
“I come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptised with; and how am I straightened till it be accomplished!”
We must be reconciled to opposition from our best friends, we must know the signs of the times, and live in peach with all people.
All three of these parables are warnings pertinent to Jesus’ second coming.
THE INFIRM WOMAN- LUKE 13:10-17
“And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up.”
This woman had had this infirmity for eighteen years and was very low in spirit. (“Whom Satan has bound”) She had deeper problems than merely physical, but her faith was strong.
Jesus shows His loving compassion once again. The faith and habitual devotion of the woman made her receptive and worthy of healing. He laid His hand on her and said to her, “Thou art loosed”
The reactions to this miracle were gratitude from the woman, who glorified God after she was healed; the caviling ruler was angry because of the breaking of the Sabbath tradition, and the people who witnessed the healing “rejoiced for all the glorious things being done by Him.”
Through sin, we are all bound in one way or another. If we remain in faith and practice that faith, we will be loosed for the restricting bondage of sin by the Grace of God through His Son. We cannot do this by ourselves. We need the help of salvation.
MERE PROFESSION- LUKE 13:22-33
“And He went through the cities and villages teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.”
In this section, Jesus tells us to strive to enter the “straight gate”. Many will not be saved because they seek the wrong way.
They seek when the door is shut.
They seek in the wrong place and “stand without”.
They seek with the mouth but the heart is far away from God.
All this illustrates the impossibility to be saved after it is too late.
Jesus not only reveals the results of mere profession, but also the time of the fulfillment: at the time of judgment, (Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8; Mt. 7:21-23); The description of torment, (v 28); hell is mentioned seven times and must be taken literally if we are to sit down in the Kingdom of God. “And behold, they who are last shall be first, and they who are first shall be last.”
Jesus is warned after these sayings and He tells those who warned Him that He is not afraid of “that fox” and that He will be triumphant.
The lament over Jerusalem in Luke 13:34,35 predicts the overthrow of Jerusalem and speaks of the times that Jerusalem and Israel would have been taken and loved by God throughout history, He would be continually rejected. Israel is to remain in this state as a nation until Jesus comes with His saints to set up the Millennial Kingdom and “until you shall say, ‘Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.”