Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Restored cathedral in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Scripture: Luke 12:8   “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” Observation: The preparation of the disciples continues with some hard conversations. Following Jesus was going to cost them everything. There would come a time when declaring the Lordship of Jesus Christ would be dangerous. The focus was not to be on the immediate life, but on the eternal. Within the throne room of God, the angels ar...

A glance out the airplane window is a reminder of the great God who cares for us! Scripture: Luke 12:4   “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Observation: The language shifts. Jesus had been speaking warnings to the scribes and Pharisees, but suddenly he turned toward his disciples, whom he addressed as friends. He wanted to teach them about healthy fear and respect. The Pharisees would be able to kill his body, but they would be able to do nothing more. God’s view and perspective on the world was much larger than anything that they could have imagined. There would be those in the w...

A possum tried to hide halloween candy in my car engine! Scripture: Luke 12:1   Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. Observation: Jesus had just finished his comments about the scribes and the Pharisees when the scene shifted. Suddenly, it seemed that Jesus was surrounded by thousands of people. The word used in Greek is where we get our word myriad, and it generally meant about 10,000 people. While there were thousands present, Jesus remained concerned with his teaching and training of the disciples. It appeared that everyone was welcome to listen to his inst...

At the Lion Park in South Africa. Scripture: Luke 11:53   When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say. Observation: The scribes and the Pharisees had been waiting around, hoping to catch Jesus in a mistake! Remember, all the way along, Jesus was mentoring the disciples. What Jesus was experiencing was just a foreshadowing of the life of a disciple. Jesus had to be careful not to get caught up in the traps that were intentionally being set for him by the religious leaders. As Neale puts it, “covert observation and entrapment was allowed” by the religious officials (NBBC). Not only was it allowed, but it was actually encouraged. The “cross examination” was actually a provocation, as they tried to prod him into saying things that they would deem worthy of condemnation. Vincent’s Word Studies tells us that they were trying to pu...

With my favorite lawyer -- my brother, Dennis -- at our parents' graves.                                                                   Scripture: Luke 11:45   One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.” 46 And he said, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. 48 So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that this generation may be charged with the blood of al...

Scripture: Luke 11:42   “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.” Observation: The emphasis for Jesus was always on the way in which people lived their lives. They were to reflect God’s love to the world around them. The Pharisee had invited Jesus to his home but Jesus had not practiced the ritual hand-washing. The Pharisee was offended, and Jesus knew it. Going on, Jesus spoke three woes to the Pharisees. The rituals and rules had become more important to them than living out the character of God among the people. While the people were admonished to tithe, they were tithing certain items did not nee...

How would you caption this? Scripture: Luke 11:37   While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. 38 The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. Observation: Luke had just finished Jesus’ preaching regarding the person filled with light. Probably because he wanted to look important, a Pharisee invitee Jesus home to dine with him. This meal was the mid-morning meal eaten after morning prayers. Jesus knew that he was being used for entertainment by this man. It was customary for very religious Jews to follow practices of ritual cleansing prior to eating, and also, sometimes thr...

Scripture: Luke 11:33   “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.” Observation: While this little passage may seem out of place, it really is not. Jesus is challenging the spiritual condition of those who call themselves God’s people. This has to do with the willful reception of God’s light into every aspect of the person’s life.   In the first century they didn’t understand how the eye functioned, as we do today. They believed that the light came out of the eyes, not into the eyes, and that what came out, reflected what was inside the...