Luke 24:6-7

March 12, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:6-7)

These verses raise an issue that is puzzling to me. Those closest to Jesus were surprised that he was crucified and that he had resurrected. Does that mean they had disregarded or forgotten the times (plural!) that he had told them about his coming death and resurrection? Were these concepts that they were unable to understand? Or, were they, for some reason, unwilling to believe?

To be clear, while Thomas is labeled the doubter (John 20:24-29) because of his demand to see Jesus’ wounds, when Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women reported the resurrection to the apostles, their words “seemed to [the apostles] an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”(10-11‬) Thomas was hardly alone in his disbelief.

Luke records that Peter immediately ran to the tomb to verify the women’s report, and the two on the Road to Emmaus had reported their experience with the resurrected Jesus. Still, when Jesus eventually appeared to the gathered saints, they were shocked, “startled, and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.” (37)

Jesus proceeded to show them the scars in his hands and feet. (39)

Here is my question: Why was it so difficult for them to believe?

I think the answer is provided in these words, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”(45‬) Believing the gospel is not merely a matter of examining the evidence and deciding to accept or reject the claims as we might when selecting a car or refrigerator. Deciding for Christ is spiritual business and requires the work of the Lord in our minds and hearts. No less than Jesus had “witnessed” to these people, yet they didn’t believe until Jesus opened their minds.

Notice what Luke writes in Acts 16:14 as he tells the story of Lydia’s conversion at Philippi: “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Even the witness of the apostle Paul required the Lord’s intervention to be effective.

My conclusion is pretty straightforward. I must take more seriously the need to pray for the Lord to accompany my witness to unbelievers. Their decision to believe is not dependent on how well-versed I am (though I should be well-versed) nor how well-spoken I am (though I should be clear and kind). I must recognize that handling the story of Jesus is holy business and treat it as such.

Father, please help me to keep in mind how dependent I am on you in all areas of my life, including conversations about Jesus. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Evangelism, Life of Christ, Luke, New Testament

Luke 23:39-43

March 11, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:39-43)

This scene is instructive about how people receive or reject Christ, and how Christ receives or rejects people.

First, we have three people. Jesus and two criminals. While we should not assume they were identical, we can conclude the two men’s offenses were similar in severity since they were receiving the same punishment.

Second, we should notice the different interactions with Jesus. The first, with no appreciation of Jesus, he demands that Jesus act on his behalf. The second, fully acknowledging his guilt and expressing appreciation for Jesus, humbly requested that Jesus remember him.

These two demonstrate the strangeness of this world. Two people in similar circumstances may respond very differently.

The second criminal does the footwork for us. Let’s notice what he says.

  1. He rebuked criminal 1, reminding him that all three were in the same situation.
  2. He acknowledged that the two criminals’ punishment is just.
  3. He recognized that Jesus was innocent.
  4. He humbly requested that Jesus remember him in his kingdom.

These steps resulted in his salvation: Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The absence of response to the first criminal’s demands suggests to me that he was not redeemed because he did not demonstrate humility or repentance.

Two people. Two responses. Two outcomes.

Father, please help me be humble before your son. Help me have a repentant heart. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, humility, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, Luke, New Testament

Luke 22:21-22

March 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

I see two things in these verses. First, Jesus revealed that he was aware of the plot to betray him. That plot was hatched in verses 3-4:

“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.” (22‬:‭3‬-‭4‬)

At that moment, there were two in the room who were aware of the plot.  But there was a time when Jesus alone was aware. We saw that time back in chapter 18. “And taking the twelve, he said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.’ (‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭31‬-‭32‬) Remember that none of them understood what he was saying because it was hidden from them. Now, it is slowly becoming clear. I said slowly because the guys still wondered who it was. (18:34)

All of the above points to Jesus’ determination to follow the Father’s will, even though he knew what that meant for him personally. He didn’t get tricked into it. He wasn’t caught by surprise. Peter told the crowd at Pentecost what Jesus already knew: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬)

The second thing I see is that humans face accountability for the decisions we make. In this case, Judas will be held accountable for his decision to betray Jesus. Some will say, “That’s not fair. He just did what was determined by the definite plan of God.” (Acts 2:23) Others might say, “The devil made him do it.” (Luke 22:3)

Honestly, I don’t know how man’s free will and God’s sovereignty can work together, but I trust that God does. Later in this same chapter, Jesus told the disciples to “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (22‬:‭40‬) Based on this chapter, I know I want to pray, watch who I hang with, and perhaps avoid clandestine meetings.

Father, please help me to guard my heart and walk circumspectly for my good and your glory. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jesus Said, Luke, New Testament

Luke 21:3-4

March 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:3-4)

In these verses, Jesus focuses on the heart when he says, the “poor widow has put in more than all of them.” Clearly, an accountant would take exception to Jesus’ claim, unless he allowed Jesus to mean what he meant.

Jesus qualified his comparison by evaluating her heart as demonstrated by her level of personal sacrifice. Presumably, the rich put significantly more money into the offering than she did. Yet Jesus said, “They all contributed out of their abundance.” Now, I don’t think this was necessarily a blanket criticism of the wealthy. Rather, I think Jesus was elevating the widow’s sacrifice to the level of appreciation it deserved…in Jesus’ paradigm.

In Jesus’ evaluation of our actions, He considers the heart more than we might. In fact, we are unable to accurately measure the hearts of others. But in this story, Jesus gives some guidance on how to measure a person’s heart. Sacrifice. What is the personal cost (or risk) in our effort for the Lord? As for the widow, “she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

Father, please help me to have a greater heart of sacrifice for your causes. Help me to risk more for your name’s sake. Please grow my faith in you and help me to have a decreasing faith in the things of this world. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, good enough, humility, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament

Luke 20:20, 26

March 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. (Luke 20:20)

And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer, they became silent.” (Luke 20:26)

This story really has two parts: 1) The scribes and the chief priests were angry with Jesus and wanted to punish him. Because they were afraid of how the people might react, they employed others to trip up Jesus.

2) The bad actors were unable to trip up Jesus. Instead, they marveled at his answers.

This is a story I have heard many times. Two famous cases in my lifetime are Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel. Both men were skeptics who wanted to put to rest the story of Jesus. So, they dug into the text to prove Jesus wrong. However, in both cases, the more they researched, the more they marveled. Finally, rather than silence Jesus, they both surrendered to Jesus as Lord.

I do not doubt that similar stories could be told by scores of people. Some battles are clearly not worth undertaking. In some 2000 years, Jesus has not been successfully silenced. Though some likely anticipate that he may be silenced any day now, I will side with Jesus.

Father, please help me to stand firm in my faith. Help me never try to undermine Jesus. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Luke, New Testament
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