Luke 20.41-21.4 – Seeing the King

Having silenced his enemies Jesus asks a question to reveal the error in Jewish thinking as to the identity of the long-awaited Messiah.  The Jews of Jesus’ day thought merely of a human king; one who would ascend to Israel’s throne and rebuild their Temple, rule with justice, fight their battles, and bring Israel’s pagan enemies into submission.  But the true Messiah is so much more.  Jesus is not just ‘the son of David’ he is David’s ‘Lord’; the son of God who shares his fathers’ throne – a position which demands a response not of outward show or mere performance, but of humble and self-sacrificial giving.

• Do you see Jesus as David did?

• Are there any areas of your life which need to be (re)submitted to the lordship of Jesus?

• Can you think any ways in which your Christian faith has become a ‘performance’?  If so, ask God for his forgiveness and for a heart like that of the poor widow.

• In what ways can you follow the poor widows’ example in living out your faith?    

Luke 20.1-40 – The Controversial King

Having cleansed the Temple, Jesus continues his confrontation with the Jewish religious authorities by addressing matters of human pride, civic duty and the interpretation of scripture.  And woven throughout the dialogue is an affirmation of who Jesus is: he is the anointed Messiah, the one who’s way was prepared by John the Baptist; he is God’s own beloved son, sent to proclaim a message to his fathers’ people; he is rejected by those people, given over to Caesar and killed; and on the third day he is raised from the dead.  This is a summary of the Gospel.

• In what ways can you make it known that Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and on earth?

• For a first-century Jew, what do you think it would mean ‘to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’?

• What does it mean for you today to give to God what is God’s?

• ‘He is not the God of the dead, but of the living’.  In what ways does knowing this bring you hope today?

Luke 19.28-48 – The King has Come

Jesus arrives in Jerusalem.  This is the climax of his story and the end of his journey.  Jesus comes as the fulfilment of the hopes and dreams of Israel; as God’s anointed Messiah who would bring peace and glory to earth from heaven.  But he comes not by seizing power, nor does he give any indication that he is a king of power.  Instead, he arrives riding on a humble animal, shedding tears over the state of Jerusalem – tears which flow from a heart of love, and which ultimately, in the clearing of the Temple, pass judgment on the city that has chosen to ignore the moment when Israel’s God was arriving in its midst.

• Why do you think Jesus entered Jerusalem the way he did?  (see Zechariah 9.9-13)

• Some rejoice in Jesus’ arrival, others do not understand, and still others reject him.  How will you respond to Jesus today?

• In what ways might God be asking you to ‘weep’ over the state of our city?  Turn any thoughts into prayer.

• Can you sing a song of praise to Jesus?

Luke 18.31-19.27 – To See or Not to See

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is almost complete, but the disciples are still struggling to understand the truth about Jesus and his kingship.  Yet whilst the disciples can’t see, a blind beggar now can, and a chief tax-collector who ‘wanted to see’ gets to meet Jesus face-to-face and experiences the salvific presence of God.  Wherever Jesus is, there also is the new life and mercy of God’s kingdom; a kingdom however that at once arrives with a warning and promise of judgment.

• As Jesus asked the blind beggar, so today he asks you: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Take some time to consider this and bring any thoughts to God in prayer.

• What are you prepared to do to make sure that you ‘see’ Jesus?

• In what ways are you joining in with Jesus’ mission ‘to seek and to save’ the lost? 

• How does the judgment of God’s kingdom make you feel?

Luke 22.1-38 – The Last Supper

To give his followers (both then and now) a way of understanding and remembering what was about to happen to him, Jesus doesn’t teach a theory; he uses a meal – the bread symbolising his broken body, the wine his shed blood and the call to ‘remember’, the Passover (Exodus 12) as Israel looked back at the Exodus.  Now however, God would act to save his people not simply from Egyptian slavery but from slavery to all evil and even death itself.  Jesus’ own death would enable Israel and the whole world to ‘escape’.  And notice here how the blend of celebration and betrayal mirrors the triumph and tragedy displayed in the cross.

• What difference does it make to your life today to know that the powers of evil and death have been defeated?

• What do you think is happening when we remember Jesus in this way?

• What does re-enacting this meal mean to you?

• In what ways might you be able to ‘serve’ others today?

Luke 18.1-30 – Receiving the Blessing

Persistence in prayer, genuine repentance, child-like trust and dependence, and a willingness to abandon all forms of security other than Jesus himself; all marks of the kingdom of God and the way to receive its blessings, both now and in the future.  And the promise that comes to all those whose lives are marked in this way is among the most comforting in the whole gospel: this one ‘went home justified before God.’          
• Look back at vs. 11 and 12.  Do you know that God’s approval and favour can never be earned?

• In what ways are you currently trying to earn God’s approval and favour?  

• What might Jesus be asking you to give up for the sake of God’s kingdom?

• How can you become more child-like towards God?  Ask him to help you become like this.

Luke 17.1-37 – Faith that Saves

Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is at once both a future expectation and a present reality.  And the way to enter that kingdom is by responding to Jesus with acceptance, trust, gratitude and praise; in other words, with faith.  Faith however which doesn’t need to be great.  No, what matters to Jesus is the great God that that faith is looking out on; the God of life and death, who is now at work in and through his son Jesus Christ establishing his kingdom.

• What does faith look like for you today?

• What are you trusting God for, both now and in the future?

• ‘He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him’ (v.16).  Take some time to count the many things God has blessed you with, naming them before him, and giving thanks.

• What do you understand ‘the kingdom of God’ to mean?