Do You Need God’s Blessings? Luke 14:11.

If you need to be blessed by God, humble yourself. He blesses the humble—but not the proud.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” Luke 14:11.

Consider the prodigal son—he failed, but he did not fail at repentance. And the father killed the fatted calf for him, Luke 15:11-32.

Later Jesus tells the story of two men praying. The Pharisee says, “Thank you, God, that I am not like so-and-so.” The tax collector, on the other hand, falls to his knees, pounds his chest, and cries, “Oh, God! Be merciful to me! I am such a sinner!” And Jesus asks, “Which one went home blessed?” Luke 18:9-14.

Of course, God blessed the one who was humble. First Peter says “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” 1 Peter 5:5 (and James 4:6).

Don’t you want God’s grace? Don’t you know how badly you need it?

Beg God for His grace. Beg Him to make you more humble. Use body language. Get on your knees, pound your chest. Humble yourself and ask God to make your heart truly humble. Sometimes you feel proud, pleased, and self-satisfied. And those are great times. But ask God to make you humble, to help you pray like the tax collector. Pray for humility and ask for God’s blessings. Ask Him to fill you with a humble heart toward Him and toward His people.

Read Luke 14.

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*The drawing above is Rembrandt’s sketch of the Return of the Prodigal.

How Much Did the People of Jesus’s Time Know About Crucifixion? Luke 14:27.

Could there be a symbol more ironic than the cross? The instrument of the most terrifying, arguably worst-possible death, has become the world’s most beloved symbol of eternal life. The cross is so candy-coated, so bathed in sugar and sweetness, it is impossible to grasp the bitter horror it once created. Consider the words of one of ancient Rome’s greats, Cicero:

Cicero described crucifixion as “a most cruel and disgusting punishment,” arguing “the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears … It is a crime to bind a Roman citizen, to scourge him a wickedness, to put him to death is almost parricide. What shall I say of crucifying him? So guilty an action cannot by any possibility be adequately expressed by any name bad enough for it.”

Cicero–one of history’s greatest orators–can find no words to convey the evils of crucifixion. Yet we hang crosses around our necks, on our walls, and above our baby’s cribs. We must re-capture some sense of the horror.


Crucifixion was invented and perfected by Persians, Carthaginians, even Greeks. The cruelty of the ancient world knew no bounds–and it only got worse:

The Roman Empire did for crucifixions what the assembly line did for manufacturing: suddenly crosses were everywhere.

But how familiar were the people of Israel with death by crucifixion? Quite familiar, as it turns out.

Some 70 years before the birth of Christ, a gladiator named Spartacus led a rebellion against Rome employing escaped slaves as soldiers. Spartacus and his men were defeated and captured. Then, in order to set a public example, the 6,000 who had escaped slavery were crucified along the Appian Way, one of history’s first superhighways. The men were crucified at 60-yard intervals, so that the 6,000 crosses on which men were bleeding and dying (and left to rot) would stretch 100 miles from Rome to Capua. A second group of slaves were believed to have been crucified along the Via Latina, another road leading from Rome to Capua.

Can you imagine 6,000 crucifixions happening simultaneously?

Everyone would hear about it. Rome used the horrible method of capital punishment to strike terror into the hearts of political rivals, rebels, traitors, and pirates of every sort. Where today’s dictators destroy their enemies with gas chambers, firing squads, even forced starvation, Romans preferred stripping troublemakers naked and nailing them to stakes. Then they were left hanging in the sun until they died of dehydration and exposure, a process that could take days. Meanwhile, the public was paraded in front of them, sometimes for amusement, but often as a warning.

When 6,000 slaves were crucified along the Appian Way, slave owners brought their slaves out for a field trip: this is what can happen to you if you try to escape.

Death by the cross may have been history’s most brutal form of capital punishment, designed to maintain the status quo and suppress dissent. It was an atrocity committed by a government with no regard for human life much less human rights (a novel concept at the time). The cross was meant to strike terror in the hearts of would-be rebels, and was considered so deeply humiliating it was illegal to crucify a Roman citizen.

Crucifixion was not unfamiliar to the people of Israel. When Jesus spoke of it, His audience knew exactly what He was talking about.

Only four years before the birth of Christ, the Roman General Varus crucified 2,000 Jews.

The year 70 AD saw thousands of crucifixions in Jerusalem. When Titus laid siege to Jerusalem in 70 AD, Roman troops crucified as many as 500 Jews a day—FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.  (If they crucified only 100 a day for three months, that would mean the Romans crucified a minimum of 9,000 Jews.)

Everyone in Israel would have heard about crucifixions. They saw the brutality of Rome. They had seen the ruthless ways of her godless, merciless soldiers. These men would not hesitate to pound nails into you and hang you up to die. It was amusing to them, an entertaining mockery of another unlucky loser. You could not hope for mercy from the Romans. If the cross was your sentence it meant the slowest, most painful, terrifying, humiliating death possible. Anyone who had seen it would be horrified by it.

Against this background of terrifying, humiliating, de-humanizing crucifixions, what does Jesus say to His followers—not only to those listening, but to you and me?

“If you don’t pick up your own cross and come after Me, you cannot be My disciple” Luke 14:27.

What? Pick up a cross?

After His death and resurrection, everyone knew Jesus had carried His own cross. And years before His death (knowing what was coming), He said if we don’t take up a cross of our own, we cannot be His disciple.

What does that mean? Following Constantine’s elimination of crucifixions as a form of capital punishment, few alive today have even seen a cross, much less picked one up. Jesus is not speaking of a literal cross.

Consider the context. Jesus says “if you do not hate your father, mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even your own LIFE, you cannot be My disciple” Luke 14:26.  In other words, you should love nothing as much as you love Jesus. Your love for your family, your spouse, even your children should not compete with your love for Jesus. In fact, you should love Jesus more than you love your own life. (Are you ready to die for Him?)

But isn’t all of this just poetry? Surely He can’t be serious?

On the contrary, how much more serious could He be? What is more serious than the worst possible death mankind could ever devise? This is not mere poetry. This is serious. You must love Jesus more than everything, every ONE, and even more than yourself or your own life. Do you love Him more than your hopes and dreams? More than your most cherished goals? Jesus commands you to love Him more than everything on your resume and everything on your bucket list. Nail both documents to the cross and let them go. And love Him more than all your loved ones.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.”

Dear Lord, we give you all our loves, our goals, our most cherished people and our most cherished wishes. We give them all to you. Help us love you more than everything else. Thank you for enduring the incredible cross for us. Help us love you the same way.

Read Luke 14.

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A MAN OF PRAYER IS A MAN OF COURAGE. Luke 13:31-33.

No one faced worse than Jesus. Yet He faced it with courage. He drew amazing strength from amazing prayer. His prayer time was not mere “quality” time, but also a significant QUANTITY of time. He got up before dawn. He stayed up all night. He went away to places of solitude.

Consider Gethsemane: Jesus began that time filled with grief and terror. But by the end, He was so bold that when the torch-bearing crowd came to arrest Him, His words made them fall to the ground in fear! John 18:6.

Jesus was equally bold in the face of other threats, such as that posed by King Herod. Jesus’s childhood had been radically changed by death threats from Herod the Great, forcing the family to move to Egypt. Jesus, surely a sensitive and compassionate child, knew that King Herod had murdered innocent children in his rush to kill Jesus, a child “born to be king of the Jews.” Now Herod’s son, King Herod Antipas, is on the throne in Galilee, and suddenly decides Jesus is a threat!

“They came and told Jesus, ‘Go, get out of Galilee! Herod wants to kill you!’

“But Jesus said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow and on the third day I will complete my work.’ I will travel each day and make my way to Jerusalem. After all, it is not possible for a prophet to die outside of Jerusalem!’” Luke 13:31-33.

Jesus laughs at Herod, saying, “Go tell that fox I have more work to do in Galilee—and he can’t touch me here. After all, everyone knows Israel never murders God’s men until they arrive in the bloodthirsty city of Jerusalem.”

Jesus defies Herod, knowing nothing will happen to Him in Galilee. God has a plan, and it will be fulfilled in Jerusalem, a city Jesus loves, but a city with a terrible history of rejecting God and God’s messengers.

His courage is amazing. Do you need courage? It comes through PRAYER.

Read Luke 13.

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FRUIT TREES. Luke 13:6-9.

Fruit trees do not mature quickly. Apple trees bear fruit for the first time in the fourth or fifth year. Fig trees, cherry trees, and plum trees bear fruit at three to five years. Pears at four to six years. Clearly if you plan to farm fruit, you will have to be patient: it does not happen overnight.

Still, how long do you wait? When the apple tree hits year five and still bears no fruit, a farmer might give it one more year, but after that, the tree is coming down. Why let it waste the space and the nutrients?

“And He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?’ But the worker replied, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Perhaps it will bear fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down’” Luke 13:6-9.

Fig trees bear fruit at three to five years—and interestingly, in some tropical climates, once they begin, they can bear fruit year round. But other conditions can keep them from bearing fruit at all: too much shade, too little water, lack of nutrients, illness.

Are we bearing fruit? Are you?

If you are walking with the Lord, He will use you to bear fruit. But your soul needs the LIGHT of His word and the NUTRITION of being fed by the word and by other believers.

If you are feeding on God’s word, being encouraged by other Christians, and spending time with Jesus every day, you will bear fruit. Be willing to share your faith, to talk about God. He will take care of the rest.

God, help us bear fruit for You, help us make it a priority. Prune us so we bear MORE fruit!

Read Luke 13.

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Are You Bearing Fruit? Luke 13:6-9.

God put us here to bear fruit—to make an impact, to nourish and sweeten the world around us. Are you doing that? Does your life bear fruit?

In Luke 13, Jesus tells a story about fruit.

“And He began telling this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down’” Luke 13:6-9.

God expects you to bear fruit. Do you? He is merciful. He will prune you (which hurts), He will water and fertilize. But He expects you to grow some fruit.

Invite people to church.

Ask your friends about their faith and their beliefs (learn how to ask deep, open-ended questions!).

Bring up spiritual matters and see where the conversation goes.

Pray for your friends and family (prayer always bears fruit).

Read and study the Word; Bible study always bears fruit.

Flee youthful lust. Sin rots fruit.

Thank God for His mercy, for pruning, and for His patience. Ask Him to change you and make you more fruitful. Ask Him to send opportunities your way, and to help you see them and respond well.

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Jesus Picks a Fight–Seven Times. Luke 13:10-17.

Do you picture Jesus as strong, tough, and bold, or meek, pale, and weak? The reason I ask is that portrayals of Jesus run the gamut: Though almost everyone sticks to the traditional tall, skinny, brown-haired Englishman in a white robe (just sayin’), the question of manliness spans a broad spectrum.

Once or twice, I have seen Jesus portrayed as rugged, muscular, tan, and sweaty, but more often He appears pale, weak, and so skinny you wonder how he can even walk.

Sometimes the hair is long but manly (sort of), but other times His hair looks as womanly as something out of a shampoo commercial.

How do you picture Him?

I don’t know what He looked like. But I know He would not have looked weak. The Bible indicates Jesus was not at all afraid of the religious leaders of His day. In fact, He deliberately picked fights with them over and over. Do you know how many times He purposefully healed people on the Sabbath day?

SEVEN TIMES! 

Jesus performed seven healings on the Sabbath.

(1) Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, Mark 1:29-31. (2) The man with the withered hand, Mark 3:1-6. (3) The man born blind, John 9:1-16. (4) A crippled woman, Luke 13:10-17. (5) A man with dropsy, Luke 14:1-6. (6) Jesus cast out an evil spirit, Mark 1:21-28. And finally, (7) He healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda, John 5:1-18.

The Bible’s use of seven (the “perfect number”) is always significant, indicating perfection or completeness.

By healing seven people on the Sabbath, Jesus points out that healing is not against God’s Sabbath rules, but rather is merely a violation of the man-made traditions that had been added to the original rule.

The Sabbath restricts work activities so you can rest and reflect on God. But healing is not inconsistent with that rest, which Jesus makes clear:

“‘Hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you untie his ox or his donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water? Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for 18 years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?’ When He said these things, all His adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things He was doing” Luke 13:15-17.

Notice verse 17: “His adversaries were humiliated….”  Over and over, Jesus seems to have deliberately poked the Pharisees in the eye with a sharp stick. Not only was Jesus unafraid of the religious leaders of His day. Jesus knew before He began His ministry that it would all end at the cross. Until then, no confrontation was a threat to Him, but rather simply another step closer to His redemption of all mankind.

By healing on the Sabbath, Jesus not only demonstrated grace and the true meaning of sabbath, but He proved Himself to be one of the strongest, most fearless examples of loving manhood in history. 

Read Luke 13.

For a deeper discussion, consider this helpful article: https://cateclesia.com/2022/06/13/healing-comes-with-the-sabbath/

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BE HONEST WITH GOD. Acts 5:3-10; Hebrews 13:8.

The New Covenant was amazing:

No more animal sacrifices.

No more striving to follow 613 rules.

No more struggling to hear God speak through prophets.

In the age of grace, God pours out His Holy Spirit.

In grace, His sheep hear His voice! John 10:27.

In grace, Jesus says “I will not leave you as orphans, but I will come to you” John 14:18.

In grace, there is no sin God cannot forgive. No matter how we stray, He welcomes us home like the prodigal’s father.

In grace, God gives us everything, requiring nothing in return….

Wait—Question that last sentence! God requires nothing?

Some say the God of the Old Testament has expectations with no love, and the God of the New Testament has love with no expectations. But GRACE does not cancel out God’s expectations. (Do you really believe God places no expectations on His people?)

We must embrace His Grace, but retain the fear of the Lord. It’s BOTH.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. GOD NEVER CHANGES.

And “to whom much is given, much is required” Luke 12:48. Has He given you much? Then He requires much.

That begins with HONESTY. Even if you can’t be honest with everyone—be honest with God. Consider new Christians Ananias and Sapphira. They sold land and donated part of the money—but claimed to be donating it all.

“Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds?…. Wasn’t it at your disposal? You have not lied to men but to God!’ When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and great fear came on all who heard.”

[Later, Sapphira showed up having no idea what happened, and Peter spoke to her.]

‘Tell me, did you sell the field for this price?’

‘Yes, for that price.’

‘Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out!’ Instantly, she dropped dead at his feet” Acts 5:3-10.

BEG God to make you TOTALLY HONEST with Him in every area. Ask Him to fill you with TOTAL INTEGRITY, Because “to whom much is given, much is required.”

Read Acts 5.

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BABY BOOKS. Luke 12:7.

When I was a child, mothers bought huge photo albums and wrote down everything their children did in the first year: first smile, first laugh, first time to sit up, first steps, first solid food, first word, first toys, first sentence, first friend, first EVERYTHING. The second year, moms wrote less, and it decreased with each year that followed (it’s hard work!). But–

God keeps a book on you—and never stops writing in it.

God loves you. Big deal, right?—you’ve heard it all your life. But no, seriously:

GOD.

LOVES.

YOU.

The King of Heaven loves you. The Creator of the Universe is excited about YOU!

“Indeed the hairs of your head are numbered” Luke 12:7.

“You save my tears in your bottle. You log them in your record book” Psalm 56:8.

“He sees my ways and numbers all my steps” Job 31:4.

“You know when I sit, when I stand, and everything I think… You know my words, before I even speak them…. In Your book were written all my days, before I had lived even one of them” Psalm 139:2,4,16.

Sure, God is all-knowing—of course He KNOWS all these things. But only LOVE can explain why He writes it all down! Imagine God watching you, adoring you, delighting in you, and dipping his quill in the ink and logging the details of your day. And it’s not a naughty/nice list: He is obsessed with you, not your sins.

The Bible says He numbers your HAIRS! He logs your TEARS in His book. He counts your STEPS (more accurately than any Apple watch or FitBit). He knows your SITTING, your STANDING, every THOUGHT, every WORD, and every day you would live was in His book before you were born!

Only someone deeply in love would keep such detailed records. No mom can keep track of all these things. But God keeps perfect records. Because He loves you! He is smitten with you! He delights in you! He enjoys you! You bring God pleasure, do you understand that? That is why He pays attention—because HE LOVES YOU.

GOD REALLY DOES LOVE YOU!

Read Luke 12.

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Preacher Scandals and the Fear of the Lord. Luke 12:5-7.

Preacher scandals are sadly common. As with any class of claims, a few are groundless. But many are based on misconduct—from abusive leadership to embezzlement, adultery, pedophilia, and more. There are websites  and newsletters reporting the alleged misdeeds of America’s pastors. Here are two things to keep in mind:

First, stories of disgraced men of the cloth will always get more publicity than they deserve because everyone, even the skeptic who does not practice a religion, expects pastors to be the most well-behaved among us. After all, when a man becomes a preacher, he holds himself out as one whose life sets the highest standard.

Even a bad preacher ought to be a good role model.

Second, remember that for every disgraced pastor, there are thousands working hard in the trenches, day-in, day-out, serving God’s kingdom and blessing His people.

Most of America’s ministers ARE good role models and do not fail their calling.

I have written elsewhere[1] that Jim Bakker, whose 1987 fall from grace was one of the most famous preacher-scandals in history, explained:

“I always loved Jesus. But I never feared Him.”

We love grace today. If I were to contrast today’s church with the church of generations past, I would argue today’s church is a place of WELCOME and GRACE. Jesus taught us to love the sinner. We finally heard Him. Churches are relaxed. All are welcome. The clothes are casual. The music style is as familiar as anything on the radio. The preaching is as cozy as a bedtime story. The downtrodden who walk in off the street will be embraced with smiles and love and coffee and donuts. Our churches have learned to love “the least of these”—and that is a step forward.

No one should come to church and feel judged or shamed.

But the Savior who taught us to love the least of these also reminded us to fear God: 

“I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! … The hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!” Luke 12:5-7.

Fear the Lord, but remember that He loves you. He numbers the hairs on your head. He saves your tears in a bottle, Psalm 56:8. He adores you! Enjoy His grace. But fear Him.

I believe in eternal security: once you are born again, you cannot be un-born. You will not lose your salvation. But there are consequences to sin. It will make your life mediocre. It may destroy your ministry. And it will diminish your rewards in heaven.  

A healthy fear of the Lord will keep you and me and our pastors walking in obedience to Jesus.  

Read Luke 12.

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[1] https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2024/03/25/does-todays-christian-fear-the-lord-mark-438-41-2-corinthians-510/

“JESUS WEPT.” John 11:33-38.

“Jesus wept” John 11:35.

People love this two-word verse. It’s fun to memorize, huh? But why did Jesus weep? There are several statements about emotions here, and they should be considered together:

“When Jesus saw Mary crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was ANGRY in His spirit and DEEPLY MOVED.

‘Where have you put him?’ He asked.

‘Lord,’ they told Him, ‘Come and see.’

JESUS WEPT….

Then Jesus, ANGRY in Himself again, came to the tomb” John 11:33-38.

The first emotion is ANGER: when He saw Mary crying, He was angry and deeply moved. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus were three of Jesus’s best friends. Mary’s tears make Jesus angry (not at her, in my opinion, but at the reality of death). Her tears move Him deeply.

Then on the way to Lazarus’s grave, Jesus weeps. Maybe they were walking through a cemetery filled with tombs. A graveyard makes Lazarus’s death more real.

Finally, arriving at the tomb, Jesus becomes “angry in Himself again.”

Jesus feels a range of emotions: He is angry, deeply moved, weeps, and is angry again. This is not about Lazarus: Jesus is angry about DEATH ITSELF.

He is angry for Mary and Martha’s suffering—not to mention that of Lazarus—and He is angry for His mother Mary, who has buried Joseph at this point. He will raise Lazarus today, and that will be amazing, but what about Jesus’s own grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends? What about all the funerals He has attended in His lifetime, never meddling, but quietly accepting the awful reality of death? Jesus had the sort of mind that could think beyond today; He was angry over centuries of deaths.

Death was never God’s plan. But death is a motivator for Jesus. This is the battle He came to win! Jesus hates death because He hates sin. And Jesus can save you from both!

“Oh, death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55.

God, thank you for hating death more than we do, and for joining us in weeping over losses. You rescue us from death.

Read John 11.

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