Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Jerusalem at night, from the roof of the Nazarene property in the old city.  Scripture: Luke 19:11   As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ 17 He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very smal...

The wealthy Zacchaeus was transformed when he took action, climbed a tree, and sought out Jesus.  Scripture: Luke 19:1   He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has...

What can you hear in the midst of the crowd? Scripture: Luke 18:35   As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. Observation: The final stop before Jerusalem was the city of Jericho. Here Jesus and the disciples encountered a blind man who was begging. This man represent...

Scripture: Luke 18:31   Then he took the twelve aside and 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. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Observation: For the third time, Jesus tells the disciples about the days ahead. He wants them to know exactly what is going to happen to him, but they still don’t get it. They are on a journey of discipleship, and have watched Jesus closely, but they still don’t understand the true nature of God’s plan.  In the preceding verses, the disciples demonstrated that they remained unable to internalize the values of the kingdom of God. Neale relate...

Enjoying some table fellowship in England.  Luke 18:28   Then Peter said, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Observation: This dialogue comes as a conclusion to the conversations about what it takes to follow Jesus. The reality is sinking in, that whether one leaves little or much, the pain of what one leaves is the same. This is a complete reorientation of life, focused on the kingdom of God, and this focus leads us to ministry on the margins and to the poor. The poor become valued as though they are members of our own family.  Application: It’s easy to focus our lives on our family and close friends. Having regular meals with them is not usually a difficult task, but there are many in this worl...

A camel and the eye of a needle. With God the impossible becomes possible! Scripture: Luke 18:26   Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” Observation: David Neale tells us, “these two realities—extreme grace and radical discipleship—converge in the life of holiness” (NBBC). That’s what Jesus is talking about here when he comments to the disciples on the rich man. What God desires is radical discipleship and this is from everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, young or old, we are being called to a life of discipleship that will cost us everything.  At the same time, we are not saved by our discipleship, or actions. Those who heard Jesus speak of the difficulty of a wealthy man being saved, wondered then, how it could be possible. The reality is that we have to recognize the extreme grace that is extended to us, so that we can live a life of discipleship. It is only ...