Category: Luke

Luke 1:21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 

I guess what strikes me about today’s verses is the normalcy of life after Zechariah talks with the angel of the Lord and is struck mute. That seemed incredibly momentous, while what comes next (verses 21-23) seem utterly mundane.

Luke 1:22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

I’m not entirely sure what I am supposed to make of that. Miracles are so…miraculous. It seems like everything should change–be brighter, clearer, more special. But nothing is different except Zechariah can’t speak and Elizabeth eventually becomes pregnant.

Luke 1:23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

Lord, Today feels like a head-scratcher. What am I supposed to take from this miracle in the mundane? Perhaps the lesson is that Your miracles are spread throughout the mundane in our lives and we need to keep a sharper eye out? Perhaps the lesson is that even with the joy of a miracle, life goes on and we need to go on with it? All I know is that You were present with Zechariah and Elizabeth long past the ending of their dream. You never forgot, and You made it happen in Your time and according to Your plan. Thank You. Amen.

Luke 1:24-25 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 

To have an angel of the Lord appear to you and say that your prayer has been heard (v13). How wonderful that reassurance would be. But even without the assurance of an angel appearing to let me know, I’m pretty sure that God of all creation, who knows every hair on my head, who collects my tears in a bottle, who loves me more than the sparrows, hears me. Always.

Luke 1:12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 

I’m still not sure what to do when His answer is not yet or not in that way. Those answers are painful, yet God is a loving, sovereign, merciful God, so while a not yet or not in that way is hard to take, I am learning–slowly, painfully, grudgingly–that I can trust Him, even in my sadness and disappointment. He has a plan for my good and His glory.

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for hearing our prayers. Thank You for loving us fiercely. Thank You that even when we are sad, even when we don’t understand, even when we are disappointed and confused, You are still in control. You are sovereign and loving and we can trust You. Even then.

Luke 1:14-15 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 

Elizabeth and Mary are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Elizabeth is old, barren. She’s probably spent a large portion of her life wishing for a child only to make some sort of peace in her old age with the fact that she would never have them. Yet now she’s expecting.

Luke 1:6-7 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 

Mary was so young, still a teenager, never had relations with a man, was looking forward to her wedding, not a child. And yet, God called on her and she said yes. Now, during what will be a time of great anxiety of the unknown, they have each other for strength and comfort.

Luke 1:8-9 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 

Precious Savior, You know us so well, what we need, what we want, who can best support us, who we can support well. Help us to pay attention to the gentle nudges when you place someone on our hearts. Help us to reach out, to encourage and support others as we journey through this life. Amen.

Luke 1:10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 12:54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.   

Jesus’s tone in Luke 12 seems to be one of frustration bordering on anger. Perhaps it is because He knows His time is running short and the people–disciples and others–still don’t get it, still aren’t hearing, aren’t paying attention to what He’s been preaching.

Luke 12:55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

And it’s not that He’s dealing with idiots, incapable of putting two thoughts together. These are competent people. They can interpret the weather. They are capable of thought. They just refuse to see, to understand “this present time.”

Luke 12:56a Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky…

Precious Savior, Thank You for loving us even when we are obtuse. Forgive us when we can’t see, won’t see what’s right in front of us. Help us to both look and see, hear and listen. Draw us closer to You always. Amen.

Luke 12:56b …How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

Have a blessed day.

Luke 12:49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!    

Today’s scripture, at face value, is very disconcerting. Jesus came to bring fire? He came to bring division? That’s not the Jesus I know and love. But I think that if we look at His words in the context of His time, we can better understand what Jesus meant.

Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

The Pharisees and Sadducees embodied the prevailing religious attitudes of the day, neither of which is anything close to what Jesus stands for. The fire Jesus has come to bring, then, is a fire for God, for Christ. In order to bring that fire, Jesus has to wake people up to the errors of their ways. That type of awakening is always going to bring division. It’s unavoidable.

Luke 12:51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me wisdom to understand when I am baffled by Your words. Help me not to create You in my image, but to more fully understand who You are in God and who I am in You. Help me to see Your love and be Your love everywhere I go. Amen.

Luke 12:52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 12:47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 

Today’s scripture is about willful disobedience versus unknowing disobedience. The servant who knows the master’s will and doesn’t do it is punished more severely than the servant who does not do the master’s will and yet does things deserving punishment. And while I have a lot of issues with this analogy, the concept makes sense.

Luke 12:48a But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows…. 

It reminds me of a quote by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” As Christians who faithfully read and study the Bible, we know better, so we are expected to do better. I struggle with where the punishment fits in, though, because my God isn’t a vengeful God, standing by with a whip, ready to strike when I get out of line.

Luke 12:48b …From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and kindness. Thank You that I *do* know better because I read and study Your word daily. Help me to do a little better each day than the day before when it comes to showing others Your love and living according to Your will. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 12:48c …and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Have a blessed day.