Week of Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the
Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common
Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following
Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran
Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran
Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for
Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
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Podcast Download: Week of Last Pentecost C
Sunday Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 21, 2010;
Podcast: Sunday Last Pentecost C
Jeremiah 23:2-6 – Messianic Oracle;
Psalm 95:1-7a – God's Kingship;
Colossians 1:13-20 – Delivered from Satan's Power;
Luke 23:35-43 – The Crucifixion;
Jeremiah Paraphrase:
The Lord God rebuked the priests and prophets of Israel who were
supposed to be “shepherds” of God's people, but who were failing to
fulfill their responsibility. They had scattered and driven away
God's “flock.” They had not attended to the needs of God's people.
The Lord promised to repay the unfaithful shepherds according to
their evil deeds.
Then, the Lord promised, he would gather the remnant of his people
from where they had been driven and bring them back to their
“sheepfold” where they can be fruitful and multiply. The Lord
promised to raise up shepherds who would properly care for his
flock. The flock would no longer need fear or be dismayed, nor shall
any be missing.
Psalm Paraphrase:
Let us sing in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, the rock of our
salvation. Let us make joyful music and praise the Lord as we enter
his presence, for the Lord alone is a great God and King, above all
others. He rules the deeps and heights of earth, as well as the
oceans and dry lands, for he is the Creator of all.
“O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord
our maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand” (Psalm 95:6-7a).
Colossians Paraphrase:
The Lord has delivered us from domination by darkness (evil; Satan)
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, through
whom we we are redeemed (ransomed from the penalty of sin and
eternal condemnation) and receive forgiveness of sin (disobedience
of God's Word).
Jesus is the likeness of the invisible God. Jesus is the first-born
of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14; pre-existent with God at Creation; the
first to rise from physical death to eternal life). All things in
creation have been created for, by and through Jesus, and all
things, whether visible or the invisible; thrones, dominions,
principalities and authorities are bound together in him. Jesus is
the head of the Church, which is his body (in an analogy to a human
body), so that he is pre-eminent in everything. “For in him the
whole fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19;
compare 2:8-9). Through Jesus he gives reconciliation and peace to
all thing, in heaven and on earth, to himself, by his blood
(sacrificial death) on the cross.
Luke Paraphrase:
When Jesus had been crucified, and while the people watched, the
Jewish leaders ridiculed Jesus, telling Jesus to come down from the
cross and save himself if he were truly the Christ (Messiah; both
words mean God's “anointed”), God's Chosen One.
The (Roman) soldiers who executed Jesus also mocked him, offering
him sour wine (turned to vinegar) and telling Jesus to save himself
if he truly was the King of the Jews, as the inscription (written at
Pilate's command; John 19:19-22) declared.
Jesus was crucified between two criminals (Luke 23:32-33). One of
them taunted Jesus to save himself and the criminals, if Jesus truly
were the Christ. But the other criminal rebuked the first, asking if
the first criminal shouldn't fear God, since they were both under
condemnation and their sentences were justified because they were
guilty, but Jesus was innocent of any wrongdoing. Then the second
criminal asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus had received
authority and kingdom. Jesus replied that certainly the second
criminal would be with Jesus in Heaven that very day.
Commentary:
God has always intended, from the beginning of Creation, to raise up
people who would willingly trust and obey God. He has given us the
freedom to choose for ourselves whether to trust and obey him or
not, but God is not willing to tolerate rebellion or disobedience
forever, or at all in his eternal kingdom. We will determine for
ourselves where we will spend eternity: in the presence of God's
love and providence, or separated eternally from him and all his
goodness.
In Israel in the time of Jesus' physical ministry, the Israelites
were shepherds. They raised sheep for food and clothing. They knew
that sheep needed a shepherd to care for them, or they would become
lost, scattered, or attacked and destroyed by predators.
An owner needed to appoint shepherds to care for his flocks. God
also appointed “shepherds” to care for God's “flock: God's people.
God's shepherds were the leaders of Judaism, Pharisees, Sadducees
and scribes (teachers of God's Word). At the time of Jesus' physical
ministry, the religious leaders were like unfaithful shepherds; they
neglected the sheep of God's flock. They cared more for themselves
than for the spiritual condition of God's people (for example:
Matthew 27:3-5).
We must recognize that we are “sheep” in need of a “Good Shepherd,”
Jesus Christ (John 10:11-15), whom God has raised up for us as he
promised in his Word (Jeremiah 23:4-6). Jesus is the fulfillment of
Jeremiah's prophecy that God would raise up a “Righteous Branch”
from David to inherit the eternal throne God promised David (2
Samuel 7:5-13; Psalm 89:20-29). Jesus is the “son” (descendant) of
David (Matthew 1:1; 21:9, 15-16).
Christianity today is very much like Judaism at the time of Jesus'
first coming. In the nominal Church there are many unfaithful
“shepherds,” who use their position of leadership for their own
benefit, and don't properly care for the spiritual needs of the
“flock.” Two examples of this are the false teachings of “Works
Righteousness (teaching that salvation is by doing good deeds;
compare Ephesians 2:8-10), and “Cheap Grace,” which is teaching that
salvation is by God's grace (unmerited favor; a free gift; which is
true), but without the requirement of discipleship and obedience to
the Lord (which is false; John 14:15; Matthew 28:19-20). These false
teachings were present in the first-century Church and are refuted
in the New Testament, and still exist in the nominal Church today
(See False Teachings, sidebar, top right, home).
God has raised up faithful leaders in the true Church, but one must
be knowledgeable about the Bible in order to discern the true from
the false. The Bible is the standard by which all teaching and
doctrine must be judged. Only by reading the Bible completely, and
also reading portions daily, can we protect ourselves from false
teaching.
We are all sinners (disobedient of God's Word, in the Bible and in
the example of Jesus, the “living Word), who fall short of God's
righteousness (doing what is right, good, and true according to
God's Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). Jesus is God's only
provision for the forgiveness of our sin and salvation from eternal
death (Acts 4:12, John 14:6), which is the penalty for sin (Romans
6:23; see God's Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right, home).
God has been teaching us, in the record of his dealings with the
Israelites, in the Old Testament, that there is no forgiveness of
sin without blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus' blood, shed on
the cross is the ultimate and only sacrifice acceptable to God for
the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7). God transfers us from
the power of evil into the kingdom of his Son, Jesus Christ, by our
redemption (ransom) through Jesus' blood sacrifice (Colossians
1:14).
We are all, like the thieves on the crosses, justly guilty of sin
and worthy of eternal condemnation. One of the thieves recognized
and acknowledge his sin and committed himself into Jesus' care, and
he received eternal life in paradise restored in Heaven with the
Lord. The other thief had one last chance to repent and be forgiven,
and lost it.
This may be your last chance! Yesterday is gone; tomorrow may never
come. Today is the Day of Salvation; today is the only day we can be
sure that we can still repent (turn from sinning) and be saved
through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ.
The unrepentant thief didn't accept that Jesus was sinless and the
thief's only last chance. He didn't accept the testimony of his
fellow thief, and he didn't trust and obey Jesus' word. His
suggestion to Jesus to come down from the cross and save him as well
was not made in faith that Jesus could or would.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus'
disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John
14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first
truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ
and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew
28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity
(1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Monday Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 22, 2010;
Podcast: Monday Last Pentecost C
Psalm 122 - Peace for Jerusalem;
This “Song of Ascents” was intended for use by pilgrims ascending to
the temple in Jerusalem from the surrounding valleys.
Paraphrase:
The pilgrim rejoices in the opportunity to go to the house of the
Lord. At last the pilgrim’s feet are standing within the gates of
Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a great city bound together in unity, where all the
tribes of the Lord come together to give thanks to the name (entire
person and character) of the Lord. Jerusalem is where the (eternal)
throne of David is established; the throne of Judgment.
Let us pray for peace for Jerusalem; may those who love her,
prosper. May peace and security be within her walls and towers. Let
us pray for peace in Jerusalem for the sake of our brethren and
companions. Let us seek her good for the sake of the house of God.
Commentary:
“Jerusalem” is the City of God on earth which foreshadows the
eternal City of God in heaven. Since the coming of Jesus Christ, the
promised Messiah, God’s anointed Savior and eternal King, the Church
is the “New Jerusalem” and Christians are the “New Israel;” the “New
People of God.” “Born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) Christians are the
temple and household of God individually and collectively.
Judaism effectively ended at the Cross of Jesus Christ, when the
temple curtain, separating God’s presence from the people, was torn
in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing that a new
and better way into God’s presence had been opened through Jesus
Christ. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70
A.D.. The people were scattered throughout the world; Israel ceased
to exist as a nation, until reestablished following World War II.
The temple has never been rebuilt.
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of an eternal Savior (Acts
4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right,
home) and heir to the throne of David (2 Samuel 7:5-13; Psalm
89:20-29). Jesus is the son (descendant) of David (Matthew 1:1-17).
Jesus is the name of the Lord (Colossians 2:8-9; John 20:28)!
Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew
28:18). Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment, where
he will judge the physically and spiritually living and dead (John
5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will
receive eternal life in the New Jerusalem in God’s kingdom in
heaven. Those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to trust and
obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell
(Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Christians need to pray and work for unity and peace within the
(true) Church. There is unity and peace among genuine, Biblical
Christians. Unfortunately, false “christs” and false prophets have
arisen, and have created false “churches,” and division within the
nominal “Church,” as the Word of God has warned (1 John 4:1-6).
God’s Word in the Bible has been given to us to help us discern
truth from error. Christians need to know and be guided by the
Bible. There cannot be peace and unity between Christians and false
teachers and false prophets.
In a sense Christians are pilgrims in this world, on our way upward
to the eternal heavenly Jerusalem. It is an “ascent” in the sense of
effort and perseverance in spiritual growth to Christian maturity,
when at last we will stand within the gates of heavenly Jerusalem.
Are we praying and working for peace and unity within the Church? Do
we look forward to and rejoice in the opportunity to worship in the
house of the Lord each week? Are we heading toward and looking
forward to eternity with the Lord in Heaven?
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus'
disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John
14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first
truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ
and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew
28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity
(1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Tuesday Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 23,
2010;
Podcast: Tuesday Last Pentecost C
Isaiah 2:1-5 - The New
Age;
Paraphrase:
Isaiah declared God’s Word concerning Judah and
Jerusalem. In the future, the mountain of the house of God will be
elevated above all mountains. All people will go up the mountain
to the house of God so that he can teach them his ways and they
can live by them. From Zion (the mountain of the Lord) shall come
the Law (God’s Word). The Lord will be Judge over all people and
nations. They will convert their weapons of war into agricultural
tools, because wars will no longer be waged.
Come, house of Jacob (Israel; God’s chosen
people) let us walk in the light (divine knowledge; righteousness)
of the Lord.
Commentary:
In the age to come, following the Day of
Judgment, the Lord will reign over all people and nations, and all
will seek to know and live according to God’s Word. It will be an
age of peace with God and with other people.
God’s people are called to learn to live
according to God’s Word now, in this present age. This is our only
opportunity to seek and come to know God, our Creator (Acts
17:26-27), and this is possible only through Jesus Christ (John
14:6).
This lifetime is our only opportunity to be
re-born (John 3:3, 5-8) spiritually, by the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). Only those who
have learned, in this age, to trust and obey Jesus, will survive
the Day of Judgment and enter into the new eternal age of peace,
when Creation will be restored to the perfection God intended.
Only those who allow the Lord to reign over them now will enter
his eternal kingdom.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Wednesday Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 24,
2010;
Podcast: Wednesday Last Pentecost C
Romans 13:11-14 -
Christ’s Imminent Return;
Paraphrase:
Christians should “wake up” and realize that
Christ could return at any moment. Our salvation is closer now
than when we first believed. The long night of ungodliness and
rebellion is almost over; the day of righteousness is about to
break forth. “Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put
on the armor of light ” (Romans 13:12b).We should conduct
ourselves as in the light of day, not participating in the works
of darkness; not indulging in revelry, drunkenness, debauchery,
licentiousness, quarreling or jealousy. Instead let us apply
Christ’s teaching in our lives and not pursue and indulge in the
desires of the flesh.
This Creation has been designed by God to be an
opportunity to learn by trial and error that God’s Word is
trustworthy and true, and to receive eternal life in God’s
heavenly kingdom. Jesus Christ has been God’s one and only plan
for our salvation (Acts 4:12; see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home), and has been designed into Creation
from the very start (John 1:1-5, 14).
This lifetime is our only opportunity to seek
and come to know God, our Creator (Acts 17:26-27), and this is
only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6), by the Holy Spirit
which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who
trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). This lifetime is our only
opportunity to be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) to eternal life.
The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ
and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14;
Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God has provided forgiveness for our sin
(disobedience of God’s Word) and salvation from eternal
condemnation in Jesus Christ. But that salvation must be claimed
and received through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. We must be
“re-born,” spiritually, so that we are filled, guided and
empowered by his Holy Spirit. We should be following Jesus’
example and carrying on his ministry of redemption to a lost and
dying world.
None of us can be sure that there will be a
tomorrow; today is the only day we have, to do what we can and
should. We can be certain that the Day of the Lord will come
within our lifetime.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday Last Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 25,
2010;
Podcast: Thursday Last Pentecost C
Matthew 24:37-44 - The
Thief in the Night;
Paraphrase:
His disciples asked Jesus for signs of the end
of the age and his second coming (Matthew 24:3). In reply, Jesus
warned that his return will be like the days of Noah (Genesis
6:5-7:24). In Noah’s day, people were “eating and drinking;
marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24:38) up to the day
that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and all were swept
away, except for Noah and his family who were in the ark.
Jesus warned that salvation will be so
selective that of two men working in a field, one will be taken
and the other left behind, and likewise, of two women milling
grain, one will be taken and the other left. We must be watchful,
because we won’t know the Day of the Lord’s coming.
Remember that if a householder knew when during
the night the thief was coming, he would be awake and watching,
and would not let the thief break into his house. So also we must
be alert and watchful, for the Son of man (Jesus) is coming at an
hour we do not expect.
In the days of Noah, worldly people were doing
what was wicked, indulging their fleshly appetites in eating,
drinking and “partying,” and did not have regard for the Lord and
his Word. In contrast, Noah feared (had proper respect for the
power and authority of) God, and sought, believed, and acted upon
God’s Word. So Noah and his family, acting in faith in God’s Word,
were saved. Noah built the ark according to God’s instructions.
Commentary:
Jesus Christ is the “ark” which God has
provided to save us from the judgment and eternal condemnation
which is coming upon the earth because of wickedness (doing what
is evil in God’s judgment) and sin (disobedience of God’s Word).
While worldly people are pursuing the lusts of the flesh,
Christians are trusting in God’s Word and are preparing for the
Lord’s return. Worldly people thought Noah’s preparations were
foolishness right up to the moment of their destruction.
Worldly people are trying to provide their own
salvation from God’s coming judgment in various ways, like
building better levees, storm cellars, gated communities,
earthquake-proof buildings, stockpiling survival supplies, seeking
medical miracles to prolong physical life, trying to halt global
warming, and even participating in “religious rituals.” None of
those measures will prevent Christ’s return and the Day of
Judgment.
Worldly people want to know the signs of
Christ’s return so that they can indulge themselves until the last
possible moment and then call out to Jesus to save them. Claiming
salvation in Jesus’ name won’t save us if we haven’t trusted and
obeyed Jesus, and been “born again” (John 3:3-5-8) by the gift of
his indwelling Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:21-27).
We can be certain that Christ’s return will be
within our lifetime. The day we die physically, our eternal
destiny will be sealed; the very next instant is judgment at the
throne of the Lord.
God has given us his Word, the Bible, the
spiritual “survival manual,” and his living Word fulfilled,
embodied and exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus
demonstrated perfect trust and obedience in God’s Word. Jesus’
resurrection demonstrates the reality of existence after physical
death and the possibility of eternal life. In order to be saved we
must trust and obey God’s Word, and seek and prepare for our
salvation according to God’s Word.
Jesus is God’s only provision for forgiveness
of our sin and salvation from eternal judgment and condemnation
(see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar top right, home). There will
be no way to survive God’s Judgment except by trusting and obeying
God’s Word through Jesus Christ, by the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit. Only Jesus gives the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey
Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee
that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
In the Day of the Lord, Jesus is going to
separate the physically and spiritually living and dead (John
5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus
will receive eternal life in Heaven, and those who have rejected
Jesus and have refused or failed to trust and obey him will
receive eternal condemnation and eternal destruction in Hell with
all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday Last
Pentecost C
Christ the King
First
Posted November 26, 2010;
Podcast: Friday Last Pentecost C
Matthew 21:1-11 - Jesus’ Entry
into Jerusalem;
Paraphrase:
Jesus was going to Jerusalem knowing that he
would be crucified (Matthew 20:18-19). At Bethphage, on the Mount
of Olives, he told two of the disciples to go into the village and
they would find a young donkey* tied, which they were to untie and
bring back. If anyone questioned them they were to say that the
Lord has need of [it]. The disciples went and found it as the Lord
had said. Thus the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled.
When they returned they put their clothes on
the donkey’s back for Jesus to sit upon. The crowd that was with
them carpeted the road with clothing and leafy branches and
shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest” (Mathew 21:9).
When Jesus entered Jerusalem the townspeople
were excited and asked the crowd following Jesus who he was. The
followers told the people of Jerusalem that it was the prophet
Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee.
Commentary:
This text is one on which the Church
celebration of Palm Sunday is based. It is the fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecy. It reminds us of Jesus’ first coming, in
humility, to die on the Cross, and anticipates the Second Coming,
when the victorious Christ returns in great power and glory on the
Day of Judgment.
Hosanna means “O, Save.” “Jesus” means “savior;
he will save” (Matthew 1:21), and “Son of David” is the Messianic
title. Jesus is the descendant of David (Matthew 1:1-17), to whom
God promised to establish an eternal throne through David’s
descendant (2 Samuel 7:5-13; Psalm 89:20-29). Christ and Messiah
each mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew, respectively; God’s
anointed Savior and eternal King.
God’s Word is eternal and is always fulfilled,
over and over, as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. The
test of prophecy as God’s Word is its fulfillment (Deuteronomy
18:21-22). God promised to send a Savior hundreds of years before.
The people were looking for the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled the
prophecy of God’s Word, but was rejected and crucified by his own
people. The Jews didn’t trust and obey God’s Word, but couldn’t
prevent, and actually fulfilled God’s Word by crucifying Jesus (1
Corinthians 2:6-8).
Jesus’ disciples are those who trust and obey
Jesus. Jesus sent two disciples to borrow the donkey, and as they
did as Jesus commanded, they found the situation exactly as Jesus
had said. As disciples trust and obey Jesus they find that what
Jesus says is true and what Jesus tells them to do is
accomplished. As we trust and obey Jesus we learn and come to know
with certainty that he is absolutely true and trustworthy.
If Jesus came today as in his first coming, in
meekness and humility, would he be any better received? Jesus is
coming again in fulfillment of God’s Word, but his second coming
will be in triumph with great glory and power, and he will be
coming not to suffer and die for us but to judge the physically
and spiritually living and dead (John 5:28-29; 1 Peter 4:5).
The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that
one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Those who have trusted
and obeyed Jesus, and who have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8)
by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives
(John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus
(John 14:15-17), will receive eternal life in God’s kingdom in
Heaven. But those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to
trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal destruction and eternal
death in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians
1:5-10).
All of us have sinned (disobeyed God’s Word;
Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is (eternal)
death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is God’s only provision (Acts 4:12;
John 14:6) for forgiveness of our sin and salvation (from God’s
eternal judgment and condemnation), from the beginning of Creation
(John 1:1-5; 14; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar top right,
home).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The other Gospels only refer to one donkey
(Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30; John 12:14), and the Hebrew text,
Zechariah 9:9, on which it is based and quoted in the text refers
to one, not two, donkeys. The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised
Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger,
Matthew 21:5n, p. 1198, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Saturday Last
Pentecost C
Christ the King
First Posted November 27, 2010;
Podcast: Saturday Last Pentecost C
Luke 3:1-6 - John the
Baptizer;
Paraphrase:
John the Baptizer began his ministry in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Tiberius Claudius
Nero;* the year of 26-27 A.D.**), while Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea, and the rest of the provinces of the kingdom of
Herod the Great were divided among Lysanias, and the sons of Herod
the Great, Antipas, and Philip (and Archelaus). Caiaphas was high
priest, and his father-in-law Annas, the former high priest, was
still influential.
John the Baptizer was of priestly descent
through both parents (Luke 1:5), and his mother was a kinswoman of
Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36). John had been living in the
wilderness (south and east of Jerusalem) in the manner of Old
Testament prophets, when John received the Word of God to call the
people of Israel be baptized with water as an act of repentance
(return to obedient trust in the Lord) and cleansing, for
forgiveness of their sins (disobedience of God’s Word) in
preparation for the coming of the Messiah.
John was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah
(Isaiah 40:3-5) of a voice in the wilderness warning Israel to
prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Messiah, who brings
righteousness and salvation, but also brings judgment and
condemnation.
Commentary:
Luke carefully dates the beginning of John’s
ministry, which is also the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John is
the fulfillment of God’s Word of a prophet, in the manner of
Elijah (Matthew 17:10-13), who was to herald the coming of the
Messiah. John didn’t know who the Messiah was or when he would
appear, but he believed God’s Word and acted upon it, and God’s
Word was fulfilled in Jesus (John 1:31-34).
John’s call for repentance and commitment to
obedient trust in the Lord is just as important and relevant today
as it was at the time of John. God’s Word promised to send a
Savior and eternal King, through whom God’s people would be
forgiven and restored to righteousness (doing what is right in
God’s judgment; in accordance to his Word), and God fulfilled that
promise at the right moment in history, in Jesus Christ (Messiah;
both words mean “anointed” in Greek and Hebrew, respectively).
God’s Word also promises that Christ will
return, on the Day of Judgment, and his Second Coming (Second
Advent) will bring judgment and condemnation on those who have
refused to trust and obey Jesus. God will fulfill that promise as
surely as he fulfilled the promise of Jesus’ first advent.
John’s warning to us is as urgent and relevant
today, particularly in America, and the Church in America, as it
was at the time of Jesus’ first coming. Christ’s return is as
imminent now as his first advent was then. We can be certain that
Jesus will return within our lifetime, because the moment we die
physically our eternal destiny is fixed and unalterable. If we
haven’t learned to trust and obey him now in this lifetime, we
will face his judgment and condemnation. But we cannot be certain
that we will live to see tomorrow. Today is the day to repent and
turn to obedient trust in God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied and
exemplified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1-5, 14).
Jesus is God’s only provision for our
forgiveness and salvation from eternal condemnation and
destruction (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation,
sidebar, top right, home). Only through faith (obedient trust) in
Jesus can we fulfill the requirements of God’s Word, by the gift
of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is
in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians
1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus'
disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John
14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first
truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ
and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew
28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity
(1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “
Tiberius Caesar”
digital edition, bibledatabase.org -
http://bibledatabase.org/eastons.html
**The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by
Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Luke 3:1-20n, p. 1244, New
York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
