Category: Luke

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.

Luke 22:24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

It is easy to judge the disciples from a distance, to call them foolish and shallow because, in the shadow of all that Jesus foretold, here they are arguing over who’s the greatest. But maybe it was a diversion technique: We can’t stop this terrible thing that’s coming, so let’s just focus on something else.

Luke 22:25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.

One thing I do recognize: I’m no different at my core, wanting to be recognized for my efforts. But Jesus says that’s not His way. In His kingdom, the greatest is the one who serves.

Luke 22:26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

Lord, I have so much to learn. Help me to set aside my pride, which clamors for the world’s attention. Help me to focus on loving You, loving others, serving others, glorifying You. Amen.

Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 22:14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.

Jesus knows what is coming. He knows that Judas will betray Him and the disciples will abandon Him. And yet He says to them at this Passover meal, this literal last supper, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” He *knows* the faults and missteps of these people, what it means for Him and for them, and yet, He *eagerly desires* to eat the Passover meal *with them* before He *suffers* (emphasis mine).

Luke 22:15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Commentary calls His actions “Such love and intimacy.” Hymns ask “What kind of love is this that gave itself for me?” Jesus says, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). I can’t even fathom love that eagerly desires a last meal with people who will betray me and turn their backs on me, and Jesus says, “I have set you an example that you should go and do as I have done” (John 13:15).

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Lord, My pride bucks at what You are calling me to do—love people who are fallible and weak, who will and have betrayed me, who aren’t nice, aren’t lovable, aren’t worthy of love in my opinion. And even as I bristle and squirm at this ask, I know You do this for me. Every. Single. Day. Help me to get over myself. Help me to surrender my pride and to love Your people, not because they are worthy, but because You are. Thank You for loving me, even though I don’t deserve it. Amen.

Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

I’ve heard a theory that Judas may have betrayed Jesus to get the ball rolling, to force the Messiah into action. Whatever his motive, the fact that he tried to give back the silver and ended up taking his own life, indicates that he did not accomplish what he had hoped.

Luke 22:4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.

It’s easy to judge Judas, but I’m not so different at times. My unwillingness, inability to give up control of my worries suggests that, just like Judas, I think I know better, I think I have a better idea, a better plan. Unfortunately, my way often leaves me bitter, anxious, unsettled—not what I was trying to accomplish.

Luke 22:5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money.

God of Mercy, Thank You for Your love and compassion. Thank You for knowing everything about me yet loving me fiercely despite my flaws. Help me to lay my worries, my troubles, my plans at Your feet and trust You. Always. Help me to love others despite their flaws as well. Amen.

Luke 22:6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 21:5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said….

The disciples, when talking about the temple, remind me a little of children who are easily distracted by shiny objects. Jesus is quick to remind them of what is important, lasting, eternal. He reminds them to put their faith, trust, and hope in Him and to be vigilant for His return.

Luke 21:6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

And when I got all the way down to verse 34–“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with … the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.”—I realized He was talking to me, too. This is another loving reminder that my trust must be in Him alone. Worries and anxieties will distract me, weigh me down, steal my focus from Him.

Luke 21:7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

Lord, It’s so easy to be anxious and fretful. It truly takes no effort at all to let the minutiae of life consume me, but that way lies destruction. Help me focus solely on You, cling to You, live for You, in You, with You. Always. Amen.

Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 20:34-35 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage….

In today’s reading, the Sadducees are trying to trip Jesus up in matters of doctrine. Just like yesterday’s political debate, Jesus isn’t having it. But He doesn’t eviscerate them with His reply; He reminds them of who God is and who we are in Him.

Luke 20:36 …and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.

Verse 38 reminds the Sadducees and us that “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Aside from doctrine and policy and everything else, we all serve the same loving God. That’s the truth to be focused on.

Luke 20:37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

Lord, We live in a world of division and confrontation. It is so easy to get so focused on protecting and defending the tenets of our faith that we lose sight of the important truth that we all serve the same loving God. Help us, instead of tearing each other down in the name of faith to lift Your name in praise and encourage each other. Help us all to draw closer to You. Amen.

Luke 20:38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Have a blessed day.