Category: Luke

Luke 24:22-23a In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body.

These disciples, on their walk to Emmaus, are trying to wrap their heads around all they have seen and heard. The recent events and the things that others are saying about what they have seen and heard are unlike anything they have ever experienced. I imagine Jesus in verse 25 is frustrated, saying “How foolish are you?!?” He tried to prepare them for what was to come, but they still can’t make sense of it.

Luke 24:23b They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 

My pastor often says that with Jesus, the worst thing is never the last thing. That’s not how He works. The betrayal of Judas was not the end. The gruesome death on the cross was not the end. The fear and confusion in the aftermath of loss was not the end. With Jesus, the worst thing is never the last thing. Hold on. He’s not finished yet.

Luke 24:24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

Lord, Thank You for the knowledge that with You, the worst thing is never the last thing. Thank You for trying to help us understand and for loving us even when we don’t. No matter what we are struggling with today, Lord, help us never lose sight of the fact that You are sovereign, loving, compassionate, merciful, in control, and because of that, no matter what we face today, You’ve got us. You are making a way. The worst thing is not the end. Amen.

Luke 24:25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 

How many times has Jesus Himself walked with me in a difficult situation and I have failed to recognize Him (v16)? Jesus promises to be with me always, and He always keeps His promises, so every time I feel alone and abandoned in a situation or circumstance, I am kept from recognizing that Jesus Himself is walking with me.

Luke 24:14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 

But who is keeping me from recognizing Jesus and why? Jesus is the Lord of all the universe, so I can’t believe that anything or anyone (besides God, who is also a part of the Holy Trinity) could control Him. And I am absolutely certain that He does not want me to feel abandoned.

Luke 24:15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 

Lord, I have so many questions, and I don’t think questions are a bad thing. I think questions help me to draw closer to You as I understand You better. I do believe that You are with me always. I do believe that there are times when You walk along with me and I am kept from recognizing You. I do not believe that Your goal is to make me feel abandoned or alone. Somehow this, too, can draw me closer to You. Help me to trust and believe You always. Even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Luke 24:16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 22:59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Luke’s account is the only one that includes Jesus turning and looking at Peter after the third denial. He had already been beaten some at this point, so he would have been bloody and bruised. I wonder what Peter saw in that gaze. I wonder what Jesus intended.

Luke 22:60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him. He also knew he would turn back, and Jesus told him that when he did, to strengthen his brothers. Peter probably felt condemnation in that look, but Jesus’s words and actions all point to compassion and mercy instead.

Luke 22:61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

Lord, We have such grand intentions at times, though often we fail miserably in the doing. Thank You for Your compassion and mercy. Help us to forgive ourselves and others as You forgive us. Amen.

Luke 22:62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

I was raised not to question God. I honestly don’t remember whether this was something I was expressly told in church or a conclusion I reached on my own, but I struggled with it for years (and years and years). Jesus, here, shows what honest, fervent communication with the Father looks like.

Luke 22:43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

I have prayed before, earnestly, “Lord, I *hate* this situation. I loath it. This isn’t fair. This isn’t right. But I trust You. I love you. I trust that You are making a way in this wilderness, even now. Even through this.” Jesus’s prayer in the garden taught me that the ability to have that kind of gut-level honesty with my Creator is part of a loving relationship with Him.

Luke 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Lord, Even as You were preparing for death, You were teaching me about how to draw closer to You, how to be earnest in my prayers, even when emotions are high and situations are difficult. Thank You—for the knowledge, for listening to my prayers, for the ability to be honest, even when my soul is in anguish. Help me never to forget that I can always come to You with my whole heart. Amen.

Luke 22:45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

Verse 31 surprised me. I don’t remember that Satan asked permission to test the disciples. At this point in the narrative, I’m usually so focused on the cross and the disciples’ failings before Jesus gets there that I slip into narrative autopilot. But this fits with what Jesus is leaving in place at His death—disciples who love Him deeply, who trust Him completely, and who will comfort, support, and educate His people.

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus knows the disciples will falter leading to the cross. He also knows that they are the future of His ministry on earth, that they need to know that despite all their missteps and failings, they are fiercely loved by their Savior and uniquely worthy of His calling on their lives; they *can* do what Jesus calls them to after His death. This is what Jesus is leaving in place at His death.

Luke 22:33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Precious Savior, You have shown me in this passage that we have to humble ourselves before You before we can fully arm ourselves with Your strength. The disciples had to falter in their own strength so they could succeed through Yours. Help me to lay down my pride, to humble myself, so that I can move forward in Your strength alone. Amen.

Luke 22:34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Have a blessed day.