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 10:18-20

February 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””

The first thing I see here is a claim to be God. How so? When Jesus says he saw Satan fall, he is claiming to have been in existence before Genesis 1:1.* Using similar language in John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”), John describes Jesus as having existed “in the beginning” just like God did in Genesis 1:1.

After that declaration, Jesus assured the disciples that he had authority over the power of Satan and that he had given that authority to them.

This gift of power over the enemy seems significant and something to rejoice over. However, Jesus was concerned that they might focus on that gift (or power). Thus, he warned them not to rejoice in that authority/power. Rather, they should rejoice in the most fundamental thing, which is that their names are written in heaven. That “free gift” (Rom 6:23) is the foundation for every good thing that Christ gives his children. It seems that Jesus wants them to focus on the most basic thing.

This is a good reminder to me to keep things simple. I’m reminded of the Lord’s warning in Jeremiah 9:23-24:

23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

If I focus on the Lord and his kindness to write my name in heaven, there is less opportunity for me to focus on myself.

Father, help me to cast my eyes and heart upon you today, and thus think less about myself and more about you today. Amen.

*Note: This assumes that Satan fell before the history recorded in the Bible. For my point, though, it matters not if Satan fell before creation or only before the fall (Gen 3). If Jesus saw it happen, he was there.

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

Luke 9:23-25

February 25, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?’” (Luke 9:23-25)

These verses demonstrate the upside-down nature of following Jesus. Jesus opens with the conjunction if, showing the conditional nature of what he is about to say. 

IF you want to follow me, THEN you must deny yourself. That’s a demanding condition because I don’t like to deny myself. I like what I like, and I want what I want. BUT Jesus says I have to deny myself to follow him. He is not just another add-on in my life. 

Next, he says, if I focus on my own life, I will lose it. That is so counterintuitive! Saving my life will cause me to lose it? But by surrendering my life, I will actually gain life? I think what he means here is if we forget about ourselves and pursue him, we will find true life because he is LIFE (Jn 14:6). 

He continues with a question: What have you gained if by focusing on yourself, you gain the whole world? The point? Whatever it is, it is a loss compared to what you will gain IF you follow me.

This requires faith. When I pursue the world, I can see the results in wealth and power. When I pursue Jesus, my soul grows, and my reward in glory grows. If I deny myself, the outcome is joy. If I focus on this world, the outcome will be miserable in comparison. 

Father, please help me to deny myself and follow Jesus with abandon. Amen.

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

Luke 8:21

February 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But he answered them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it’” (Luke 8:21).

Notice the emphasis that Jesus places on hearing and doing the word of God. He is not satisfied with those who specialize in knowing the word of God, but don’t do it.

I have been guilty of reading God’s word for the sake of knowledge, hoping to use it to fix other people. For many years, I gave little to no consideration to how the word of God applied to me or that I should actually be doing it.

Jesus has a close familial category for those who hear and do his word. He is not saying that his biological family is unimportant, but is emphasizing the closeness he has with those who hear and do his word.

Father, please help me be more thoughtful about how I can do your word. Help me faithfully apply to myself what I learn from your word. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, Luke

Luke 7:4-7, 9

February 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Luke 7:4-7, 9

“And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.’ (4-7)

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”(9‬)

This story illustrates the difference between faith and works. Let’s build it out. The characters in this story are 1) the Roman centurion and his servant, 2) the Jewish elders, and 3) Jesus.

The first thing that should leap off the page for us is the oddity of the partnership between the elders of the Jews and the Roman centurion. Typically, the conquered have a strained relationship with their conqueror. But, the oddness of this relationship is elevated because of the religious distinctions between Romans and Jews. Yet both considerations are apparently overlooked by the elders of the Jews, who deemed him worthy because “he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” The elders deemed him worthy of Jesus’ attention because he did something significant for them. In other words, he earned it.

Contrast that with the centurion’s thoughts. “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”

The elders and the centurion saw the need in the same way. Their starting point was the same. Their path to the request was different. The elders said he deserved Jesus’ help. The centurion said he was not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence. He also added that he knew Jesus could heal his servant from afar. While it may not be obvious at the first reading, Jesus viewed these additional words as a demonstration of the centurion’s faith. So much so that Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

Luke concludes his telling of this story with these words: “And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (7‬:‭10‬). Matthew provides a more detailed conclusion, emphasizing the centurion’s faith: “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬).

In summary, we see two approaches to Jesus: 1) works-based, and 2) faith-based. Note that it was the latter that caused Jesus to marvel and remark that he had not seen such faith in all of Israel (Luke 7:9 and Matthew 8:10).

I think we, too, can cause Jesus to marvel when we stop looking at our perceived accomplishments, and focus on him. What can I offer Jesus but a broken and contrite heart full of faith?

Father, help me have a genuine, humble faith similar to the centurion’s. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Gospels, humility, Luke
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