Luke 1: John is Born; Baptisers Birth Luke 2: Birth and Boyhood of Jesus Luke 3: Jesus Baptised; Saviour Submerged; Messianic Geneology Luke 4: Tempted; Hometown Reject; Authority over Demons and Disease Luke 5: Some Disciples Called; Leprosy and Lame Litter's Left; Leprosy Left and Lame Lept! Luke 6: Beatitudes; The 12 Selected - Apostles Appointed; Sabboth; Luke Ch 6 6:46-49 BOTH men built upon His words, BUT by NOT LIVING the truth, when overwhelming forces outside his control came, he could not sustain himself on mere words alone or bland ideals - ONLY by internalizing His truth can the STRENGTH of His truth exist Perhaps this is the difference between mere intellectual assent and true belief in the Lord Jesus...? Luke 7: Centurian's Servant; Widows Son; John's Request - Baptizer Beseeches; Prostitute's Perfume; 7:1-10 Perhaps my favorite Gospel story! What a MAN this Centurian was! He understood the ultimate issues of TRUE power; he saw more clearly than ANY of them WHAT Jesus could do, WHO Jesus REALLY was and what the IMPLICATIONS of that were - I wonder how the news of the crucifixion hit him? His government had "leagally" killed Jesus; The Empire he had spent musch (if not most) of his life defending and fighting for in harsh nasty places just snuffed out in it's typically Roman casual calloused off-hand way, the greatest "Man" this Officer had ever known; How did he react to the rumors of Jesus resurrection? As a military man did he grasp the truth of the sacrifice play made to gain an ultimately greater victory? Luke 8: A Sower, A Storm, A Legion of Pigs, A Leaders Daughter 8:4-15 Parable of Sowing v11 seed is God's Word v12 These are definately NOT saved and we learn that Satan actively pursues after those who hear the Gospel - I wonder HOW he "takes away" the Word "from their hearts"? v13 Are these saved? They had no "root" so I think not...are they imitators? the "church-goers" out of social or philosophical senses of obligation? The pseudo-christians? having the trappings and appearances of Christianity but withOUT the Life that can only come from the "root"? (2 Tim 3:5 "...holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.") Trials and hardships winnow out these from the REAL genuine articles... v14 REAL CHRISTAINS but who got distracted; who get choked on all the worlds issues that draw their attention away from Him; v15 "by persevering" - what does he mean? is is Calvin's "Perseverence of the Saints"? but I think v14 folk are christians too, maturation/sanctification is NOT salvation - immature Christians are STILL saved! perhaps by persisting in TRUSTING God? Corrie Ten Boom certainly persevered and hung on a faith that God ID true to His word and in doing so produced a true "crop" - many others who would learn of the Lord through her! v16-17 Hiding and Revealing - that which is light by it's very nature MUST be "revealed" - put out for all to see, but even more so will ALL OTHER things be revealed in that light - even those things some may desire to be hidden and kept so... v18 "Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given..." does this refer to salvation and sanctification? and so "...whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." refers to psuedo-christians who THINK they "have it made" with God, but THEN tragically too late discover they have nothing at ALL? and does this describe the RESULTS of the "disclosure" described in v16-17?? Luke 9: You Heal 'em, YOU Feed 'em!; Peter's Declaration; Mount of Transfiguration; 5,000 Fed; Kingdom Previewed Luke 10: 70 Sent; Samaritan Saves; Mary and Martha Luke 11: Lord's Prayer; Opposition Opposed; Pharisee's Woes; Luke 12: Focus on Jesus, Fear NOT for your Life - not Hopes in what $s can buy, but in what HE gives freely, Luke 13: "Fruitless Pursuits"? TRUE failure to bear fruit: - The dead - no repentence - The fig tree - no figs - The Rabbi - no mercy; no honesty Jesus Predicts His Death Luke 14: "Supper" Sayings; Count the Cost of Discipleship Luke 15: Lost and Found 15:11ff Prodigal Son - NOTE: He ALREADY WAS a son; his sonship was apparantly NEVER in question with the father (even if the SON was uncertain for a while) see v 20: LONG before the earthly father could KNOW what the son's intentions were, BEFORE the son's confession and demonstrated repentence TO that father, the father RAN to HIM, as if to GRAB him before he could get away again... Is this a parable of forgiveness unto salvation? NO, rather of forgiveness unto sanctification, of restoration of fellowship in the family (BOTH for the father AND the Brother!); it is a 1 John 1 story; Luke 16: Faithful and Unfaithful Men Luke 17: Millstones; 70 times 7; Mustard Seed One of 10 Lepers Believed; The One Grateful Leper; The Samaritan Leper; The Day of the Lord Luke 18: Answered Prayer Parables; The Power of Persistance: Wrong or Right, Good or Ill Rich Young Ruler - persisted in loving $s Jesus Predicts His Death - He Presses on to Jerusalem Blind Beggar Persists Luke 19: Zaccheus Servants: More or Minas; "Talented" Servants; Triumphal Entry Weeping Over Jerusalem Purging the Temple Luke 20: Authority Challenged and Answered; Traps and Triumph; Critics Confounded; Pharasee's, Scribes and Sadducees; Luke 21: Widow's Mite; Future Things; Day of the Lord: Part 2; Luke 22: Upper Room to the Garden to the Sanhedrin Price, Passover, Promises, Proclamation; Fee, food, Fervency, fixed; The Night of the Betrayal of the Son of God; Religious Leaders reject Him; Luke 22: The Religious Trial and Repudiation of Jesus Luke 23: Pilate to Herod to Pilate; Civil Government/Leaders reject Him Crucifixion; Imagine Pilates puzzlement, confusion, and frustration with what must seem a perverse and absurd people - the ONE man he's found in this blasted god's forsaken country (who's prime export, by the way, seems to be rebellion wrapped in thinly disguised contempt and hostility towards their rightful Roman rulers), the ONE man who IS, in fact, INNOCENT of ALL, guilty of NOTHING in a nation FULL of treasonous (and PROUD of it) surly Jews and THEY want Him DEAD!!? HOW? WHY? Pilate HAD to know Jesus was no political threat already! He's NO fool, I'm sure EVERY public word jesus had uttered, especially in Jerusalem, was reported to Pilate, so he KNEW the "render to Ceasar and Render to God" debate (this sounds MORE like Marcus Arelious - heck, this made Jesus a better Roman citizen that 2/3s of the rest of the entire EMPIRE - MANY of whom were certainly NOT interested in rendering to Ceasar and the REST of whom were definitely NOT interested in rendering to their gods), Pilate KNEW that Jesus ' kingdom was NOTan immediate geopolitical bid for rebellion against Rome (and wasn't THAT a switch?), but rather a lifestyle that would make MODEL citizens out of them ALL; AND THIS is the man THEY want DEAD? Don't despise Pilate, rather admire him for trying THREE times to save Jesus from an UNJUST death, even in the face of a GROWING riot...until political expediency and his ultimate mandate to keep the peace (in a constantly tumultuous land filled with people who must have seemed to be constantly boiling mad) finally took precidence, priority over any personal sense of justice Pilate may have felt, and he gave them what they wanted - "I mean, after all, good man though he evidently IS, he IS just another incomprehensible Jew..." another troublesome, difficult to understand foreigner who was upsetting a populice Pilate would rather be kept placated and quiet; In some ways, Pilate was no worse than the rest of the pagan world where, even then, the ends justified the means, if the stakes were high enough; Sense his personal exasperation as he argues with the crowd...."By JOVE! This is RIDICULOUS! He's NOT a criminal! LOOK! I'll beat him 1/2 to death, if you like, if he's done something to upset you, but KILL HIM?! That's OUTRAGEOUS!" Yet the crowd screams and rages for ultimate blood - did it remind Pilate of the Colliseum and Gladitorial fights? Did he feel, with growing disgust and contempt, the irony of this self-proclaimed self-righteous rabbles close similarity to Romes most Pagan Entertainment? WHY would Pilate go to the trouble to distance himslef from a crowd he could "potentially" have pleased by alining himself with their actions, by openly supporting their agenda? I think his act of handwashing was compelled by a PERSONAL sense of outrage and indignation at the injustice of it all - in a sense, declaring, "I'll allow this under duress, but I will NOT lend even an AIR of personal approval to this disgraceful behavior of the Jewish leadership..." Finally, perhaps, his disgust with ALL Jews and ALL Judea got the better of him - "You want to kill the best one among you? FINE! Go ahead! But I'll NOT be roped in WITH you! I reject and denounce your blood lust, I'll wash my hands of you ALL!" Luke 23: The CIVIL Trial and Execution of Jesus Pilate Asks/Pursues Herod Scoffs/Mocks Pilate Pleads People Rage/Persist Women Weep Jesus Dies Heaven Closes Jesus Buried v47 - The Centurian - I doubt every common execution of petty criminals had a Centurian to supervise it; This man may have witnessed it all - the beatings, the scourgings, the trials by Herod and Pilate, adn the crucifixion and death of Jesus; He was overwhelmed by the Character of Jesus as he witnessed the last hours of Jesus Life - front row, center seat to an wspwcially messy death....usually you got scourged OR crucified, but NOT BOTH; Luke 24: Resurrection! v29-32 Man cannot invite Jesus in, see and experience His breaking bread and NOT suddenly see Him for Who He is... Even before they recognize Him with their heads, their HEARTS begin to respond in a deep and hard to understand way....