Luke 22:15

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Luke 22:15 

“And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” –  Luke 22:15  

Our focus verse today along with the verses that follow up to 23, speak of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  They are now in the upper room of a house at around twilight which the Spirit led them to, and Jesus is telling them what will follow. “And when the hour had come He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:14-16. To recline at the table was tradition at this time.  They would be around a table on the floor, in a reclining position with a pillow under their arms. The last supper, as all celebrations of the Lord’s Supper, was meant for those who professed to be Jesus’ followers, hence only His disciples were invited at this time. Paul lays this out in his first letter to the Church of Corinth.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats, and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brethren when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you may not come together for judgment. And the remaining matters I shall arrange when I come.” 1 Corinthians 11:26-34.

Paul declares the importance of this by saying we must examine ourselves before partaking of the wine and/or bread, to ensure we are worthy to take both the bread and the wine.

Next, He passes out the wine and the bread.  “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes. And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:17-19. He will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the Kingdom of God comes. What is meant here is more clearly laid out in Matthew. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:29. Jesus looked forward to a future celebration of the Passover in heaven, one that He has not yet celebrated with His people. He is waiting for all His people to be gathered to Him, and then there will be a great supper, the marriage supper of the Lamb. “And he said to me, write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are true words of God.” Revelation 19:9. This is the fulfillment Jesus was looking forward to.

In closing, The Last Supper was a significant event and proclaimed a turning point in God’s plan for the world. In comparing the crucifixion of Jesus to the feast of Passover, we can readily see the redemptive nature of Christ’s death. As symbolized by the original Passover sacrifice in the Old Testament, Christ’s death atones for the sins of His people; His blood rescues us from death and saves us from slavery. Today, the Lord’s Supper is when believers reflect upon Christ’s perfect sacrifice and know that, through our faith in receiving Him, we will be with Him forever. And because of the importance of this, it is imperative that we examine ourselves prior to taking communion.  We are to reflect on the meaning of the ordinance and confess personal sin. Do we know what communion means, and are we taking it for that purpose? Are we actually walking out our faith and living in active relationship with God, allowing Him to do His sanctifying work in our lives? If so, communion is a sobering celebration of Christ and His church. If not, we make a mockery of the ordinance.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 22:8

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Luke 22:8 

“And He sent Peter and John, saying, go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” –  Luke 22:8

This verse speaks of the  preparation that was necessary for the get together often identified as the Last Supper, meaning the last meal the disciples shared with Jesus prior to His crucifixion. “Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” Luke 22:7-8. Since the Passover meal had to be eaten within the walled city of Jerusalem, Jesus prepared to eat the meal within the city. We see this in the Book of Exodus. First they were to celebrate three feasts a year. “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.” Exodus 23:15-16. Then in verse 17 we read, “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” Exodus 23:17.  The fact that they were to appear before the Lord , this speaks of celebrating these feasts in Jerusalem. And as our focus verse states, He sent Peter and John to make the preparations.

They then asked Jesus, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” Luke 22:9. They did not have a place where they resided, so they wondered if He had a specific place in mind.  Jesus then tells them, not exactly where they will celebrate, but how they will find the place. “And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. And you shall say to the owner of the house, The Teacher says to you, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” Luke 22:10-11. Now, we see something very interesting.  Jesus tells them to go out and they will find a man carrying a pitcher of water to his home,  so they follow him into his home.  Then when they arrive they were to ask the owner about a guest room.  Now, what is interesting is that the person they meet on the road is not the owner of the house.

In those days it was often said that, except for his own flask, a man does not carry water; he leaves this work to women. The text in fact does not care about the gender of the person mentioned. In Luke, as in Mark, the word translated ‘man’ is the Greek word anthrōpos, meaning man. But it is not man as opposed to woman, it is man as opposed to animal.  It speaks of the species, not the gender. Now even if the one carrying the water was a slave or a woman, neither of them in that period could own property or were unable to acquire the funds to make it happen. Then, Jesus tells them to ask about a guest room in his house. “The Teacher says to you, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” Luke 22:11b. Jesus then gives them the answer the owner of the house will give them. “And he will show you a large, furnished, upper room; prepare it there.” Luke 22:12. He does not speak simply of a normal guest room as we understand it, but a large room that is located above the main house. Then after receiving Jesus’ instructions, “And they departed and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.” Luke 22:13.

So, what can we learn from this?  Jesus knew what was going to happen .  He had only a few days before He was to be crucified. On Thursday, it was Passover proper. The lamb is killed, and Jesus and His disciples eat the Passover meal in the upper room. On Friday, the Day of Preparation. Jesus is tried and executed, but not convicted. The Jews continue their Passover celebrations with the chagigah, offerings made during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On Saturday was the weekly Sabbath, and then on Sunday, His resurrection.  The preparation for His arrest, conviction, and ultimately His execution and resurrection was only a couple days. However, these several days brought about our opportunity for salvation. He kept the Jewish celebrations and gave His life for us.  This is why He came, and this is why we have access to salvation and eternal life.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Mark 12:41

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Mark 12:41

“And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.” – Mark 12:41  

This verse of the day will be focused on what is important in regard to giving.  I call this, as others do, the widow’s offering.  This begins with Jesus observing the giving of many.  “And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.” Mark 12:41.  Now the treasury might have been located in the court of women and consisted of thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles for both the temple tax and money given voluntarily for various purposes. This is not fully understood however it is seen by many in this way.  Because of this difficulty, many usually interpret this as a reference to one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped offering boxes that stood in the Women’s Court, six of which were designated for freewill offerings. Many people came to give their offerings, and many of the rich were giving large amounts. 

And while He was watching, “a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.“ Mark 12:42.  The two very small copper coins mentioned here were two lepta in the Greek. The lepton was the smallest coin in circulation in Palestine and was worth 1/64 of a denarius, which was a day’s wages for a common laborer.  Needless to say, it was a coin of very little value. Now as was their way, the rich probably made a show in giving their offering, both in how they did it, and in ensuring that people heard the coins as they were put in the receptacle.  But for this poor woman, she no doubt quietly placed them in the receptacle. And because the coins were so small and had little weight, and therefore were probably not heard, especially with all the noise of the other contributors.  

Now, Jesus calls His disciples to Himself and says, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44. Jesus let the disciples know that the thing of most importance is not how much is given but the extent to which the gift is a sacrificial one. Or to put it another way, the most significant thing is not how much is given but how much is left for one’s personal use afterwards. A major element of Jesus’ teaching is that attitude is more important than action. The widow’s total giving demonstrates an attitude of absolute trust in God.

There are several things this story of the widow’s offering teaches us. First, God sees what man overlooks. The big gifts in the temple were surely noticed by people, and this was probably their purpose, and also what the disciples were watching. But Jesus saw something they did not. He saw the humble gift of a poor lady. This was the gift Jesus found worthy of comment, and this was the gift He wanted His disciples to see. Other gifts given that day made a lot of noise as they jingled into the receptacles, but the widow’s gift may not have may not have been by those there, but it was still heard by God.

Second, God’s evaluation is different than ours. The widow’s gift added up to a penny, according to man’s estimation. But Jesus said that she had given more than anyone else that day. How could this be? The difference is one of proportion. The rich gave much but they still retained their fortunes; the widow gave everything, all she had to live on. Hers was a true sacrifice; the rich had not begun to give to the level of her sacrifice.

And lastly, God commends giving in faith. Here was a woman in need of receiving charity, yet she had a heart to give. Even though the amount was negligible, what could her offering buy. But she gave it in faith that God could use it. The widow’s faith is also evident in the fact that she gave the last of her money. Like the widow of Zarephath, who gave her last meal to Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:7–16), the widow in the temple gave away her last means of self-support. Does this mean the widow left the temple completely destitute, went home, and died of starvation? No. The Bible teaches that God provides for our needs. (See Matthew 6:25-34). We don’t know the details of this particular widow’s future, but we can be certain that she was provided for due to our loving God. As Paul said so well, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

It is interesting that just before Jesus commented on the widow’s gift, He commented on the scribes who devour widows’ houses. ”And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market-places,  and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40. The religious officials of the day, instead of helping the widows in need, were perfectly content to rob them of their livelihood and inheritance. The system was corrupt, and the darkness of the scribes’ greed makes the widow’s sacrifice shine even more brightly. “Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7. And He is faithful to take care of His own.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 22:17

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Verse of the Day Devotion.  Matthew 22:17

“Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” –  Matthew 22:17  

This is an interesting verse in that there are two very opposing sides that are trying to trap Jesus, and as always, Jesus comes out on top. Let us start by looking at these two groups.  “Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.” Matthew 22:15-16. First, the Herodians were a non-religious Jewish party who supported Herod’s dynasty and the general policy of the Roman government. They perceived that Christ’s teachings and influence were antagonistic to their interests. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were members of an ancient Jewish sect who believed in the strict observance of oral traditions and the written Law of Moses. They didn’t believe that Christ was the Messiah because He taught a different practice, despite His many miracles during His earthly ministry. Although Herodians and Pharisees were at opposite ends of the political spectrum, their common hatred of Christ was enough for them to join forces to try to destroy Him.

Now, they ask their question. “Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” Matthew 22:17. Jesus had just returned to Jerusalem for the final time and recently finished sharing several parables with the crowd. Jesus’ enemies saw an opportunity to put Jesus on the spot in front of His followers. Therefore, they came together to ask Jesus the above question. And it was a trick question, and I believe Jesus knew it was. If He had answered no, the Herodians would charge Him with treason against Rome. If yes, the Pharisees would accuse Him of disloyalty to the Jewish nation, and He would lose the support of the crowds. To pay taxes or not to pay taxes? The question was designed as a Catch-22.

However, His response is not what they anticipated. “But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?” Matthew 22:18. He knew their goal was to trap Him so they could accuse Him of false teachings. Their hypocrisy was that they professed to be actual inquirers, while their actual goal was to trap Him.  However, Jesus does not fall into it.  “Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax. And they brought Him a denarius.” Matthew 22:19. Now, the denarius was a coin used as the tax money at that time. It was made of silver and featured an image of the emperor with an inscription calling him divine. The Jews considered such images idolatry, forbidden by the second commandment. This was another reason why, if Jesus answered yes, He would be in trouble. His acceptance of the tax as lawful could have been seen as a rejection of the second commandment, thus casting doubt on His claim to be the Son of God.

Thus, Jesus trapped them by His response. “Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax. And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to Him, Caesar’s. Then He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:19-21.  Jesus first asked them whose image was this on the coin.  They answered Him honestly, that it was Caesar.  Then Jesus puts an end to their hypocrisy. He tells them to give Caesar what is his, and to God what is His.  When Jesus said, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, He was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms. There is a kingdom of this world, and Caesar holds power over it. But there is another kingdom, not of this world, and Jesus is King of that one. “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” John 18:36. Christians are part of both kingdoms, at least temporarily. Under Caesar, we have certain obligations that involve material things. Under Christ, we have other obligations that involve things eternal. If Caesar demands money, give it to him, it’s only mammon. But make sure you also give God what He demands.

Caesar produced and minted coins which the people used, and then required them to give some back by way of taxes. As king, He had the right to do both. After all, his image was stamped on what he had made. God has given us the human soul, and He has stamped His image on everyone. So give Caesar his due. the temporary stuff of this world. But make sure to give God His due: “and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” Romans 6:13.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 22:42

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 22:42

“What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He? They said to Him, The son of David.” –  Matthew 22:42

Now, after the Pharisees had asked questions of Jesus, He then turned the tables on them, and He asked a question of them.  “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,” Matthew 22:41. They had been asking Him questions, so He chooses to ask them one as well. He had evaded all their traps, which were based fundamentally on their refusal to recognize him as Messiah. Their problems were the fact that they were looking for a purely human, nationalistic liberator, and as far as they were concerned, He did not fit this idea. Now, we see this question in our focus verse. “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” Matthew 22:42a.

Jesus directs his question to explore the scriptural nature of messiahship. From whose ancestry is the Messiah to come. The answer, at least for Jesus’ immediate audience, would have indisputably been from the lineage of David. Their answer no doubt came from verses like one found in 2 Samuel.

“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” 2 Samuel 7:12-15.

Now, Jesus responds to their answer with another question. “He said to them, Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”  Matthew 22:43-45. Their answer sets up the opportunity for Jesus to denounce their beliefs regarding the Messiah with the above questions. If the Messiah is merely the human offspring of David, why does David himself speak of him as “Lord”, a master or sovereign above the one who is king of Israel and the highest human authority in the land? Jesus here employs the rabbinic method of setting up antinomy, a contradiction between the two beliefs that are themselves reasonable.

He bases this on a verse in a Psalm of David.  “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.” Psalm 110:1. Now, in order to completely understand this, we need to look at a couple of Jewish words that are translated as one word in English. The first ‘Lord’ (The Lord says) is YAHWEH, which is the Hebrew covenant name for God, the eternal God of the universe, the Great I AM who revealed Himself to Moses.  The second ‘Lord’ (says to my Lord) is Adonai, someone or something having power, authority, or influence, a master or ruler, but not almighty God.  Only Yahweh would be the word translated ‘God’, Therefore, what David said here was essentially, “God said to the Messiah, sit at my right hand, until your enemies are a footstool for you.”

Jesus’ reasoning is this: ‘Son of David’ is your title for the Messiah, yet David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ The Messiah, then, must be much more than just a son, a physical descendant of David. According to Psalm 110:1, this ‘Son of David’ was alive during David’s time and was greater than David. All of this information is contained in the statement that “the LORD says to my Lord.” Jesus is David’s Lord; He is the Christ, the Jewish Messiah, and Psalm 110 is a promise of Jesus’ victory at His second coming.

Jesus made it clear when He said, “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” Matthew 22:45. The Messiah could not be a physical son of David because David died long before the Messiah was born. And this left the Pharisees speechless.  “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.” Matthew  22:46.

They refused to accept this, for it went against everything they had been taught by Jewish Leaders and Scholars.  We need to be careful that we do not accept something as truth simply because it has always been taught that way.  We must be open to the truth we may not fully understand, and then honestly study to understand it.  And when we do this, asking the Lord to guide us, we can learn what is actually truth, and not merely tradition.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 19:45

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 19:45

“And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling,” – Luke 19:45  

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He entered into the Temple. What He saw angered Him. “And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling,” Luke 19:45. Jesus then cleansed the temple of the moneychangers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Now, there were two basic areas where the moneychangers in Judea angered Him. 

First was the conversion of money. Judea at this time was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel”, a Jewish coin. This is found in the Book of Exodus.

“The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD. Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD. The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less than the half a shekel when you give the contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.” Exodus 30:11-15.

It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The moneychangers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.

The second was the selling of the needed sacrifices. According to the Law, at least two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice.  

“But if he is poor, and his means are insufficient, then he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering as a wave offering to make atonement for him, and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil, and two turtledoves or two young pigeons which are within his means, the one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.” Leviticus 14:21-22.

It was sometimes difficult to bring these birds from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices, as well as declaring an animal unfit for the sacrifice so they would trade them for a price, then sell them to another later.

Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, He condemned them by saying, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” Luke 19:46.  Now there is an earlier time Jesus dealt with the moneychangers and the sellers.  In the first one, He made a whip to get them to leave. “And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” John 2:14-16. As you can see here, they did not learn but continued to make money off the poor.

The Temple was built for the worship of God, not to make the Jewish leadership wealthy. The same is true of the modern-day church.  Our purpose is to spread the good news of the gospel throughout all the world.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. I have no problem with paying a pastor a good salary. I do have a problem when it takes priority over the Church’s primary goal, or when they flaunt it at the expense of the truth.  Christ is coming back soon, and there are millions who need to be reached.  I pray that the Church realizes this and begins allotting the funds as God intended.     

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 18:17

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 18:17

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.” – Luke 18:17  

Today’s verse shows how Jesus sees children and in a sense tells us how we must be in this world. It starts with the following statement. “And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.” Luke 18:15. In Matthew’s gospel, we get a clearer picture of what was happening. “Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.” Matthew 19:13. When we put the two together, we see that people were bringing their babies, toddlers, and young children to Jesus.  There is no clarification as to the ages. Matthew and Mark say children, whereas Luke uses babies here, and then child/children in verse 17. This indicates to me that all ages of children were brought to Him. Then it is stated here in Luke that they brought them to Him to touch them.  In the nineteenth chapter of Matthew, we see that these children were brought to Jesus so He could pray for them. In essence, to bless them. But as we see at the end of verse 15, the disciples rebuked them. Now, it was quite customary in Israel to entreat Rabbis and rulers of synagogues for such a benefit; but that this was desired from Jesus even yet in the last period of His public life, in spite of the continually increasing opposition to Him, is an unequivocal evidence of the deep and favorable impression which His activity had left behind in these regions. They heard He was in the area, and they brought them to Him for a prayer and blessing.

But as we see at the end of verse 15, the disciples rebuked them in the hope of preventing them from bringing them to Jesus. Jesus, having seen and heard this told the disciples to stop. “But Jesus called for them, saying, permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.” Luke 18:16-17. Mark says that they were reprimanded. “But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14.  There was nothing wrong being done by the parents or children.  Also, Jesus was not saying that all children, simply because they are children, have received God’s kingdom. Jesus was not attributing to children an innate goodness. Rather, he appealed to some quality possessed by little children that is essential for entering God’s kingdom.  Many see this as humility, which makes sense. Others denote simple faith free from doubt and argumentation.   I see it as without prejudice, pride, ambition, and vanity, with meekness, and humility. 

In closing, Darrell L. Bock says the following that I believe is very well said. “There are two basic lessons to be learned.  The lesson about children is that they are welcome in God’s kingdom. He is available to them. God’s care for them shows that he cares for all. The kingdom is not only for adults. And the lesson for disciples is that children are good models for a disciple. Children trust their parents and rely on them. So disciples should rely on their Father. To be a part of the kingdom, we must receive it in the way a child walks through life. Entry is blocked to those who do not trust the Father. God accepts those who run into their Father’s arms, knowing that he will care for them.” Let us trust our Father, as a small child trusts their parents, not challenging or arguing, but listening and leaning on His every word, accepting everything He says while patiently waiting for the fulfilment of the promises He gave us.  This is the attitude of the children in Jesus’ time, and this should be our attitude with our Heavenly Father.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 17:19

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 17:19

“And He said to him, Rise, and go your way; your faith has made you well.” – Luke 17:19   

Today’s verse is an account of the healing of ten men who were afflicted with an infectious skin disease commonly known as leprosy.  In Israel during this time, when a person developed a rash or skin disorder, they had no option but to go to the priest for them to examine it. God declared the following to Moses and Aaron. “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes an infection of leprosy on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons the priests. And the priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.” Leviticus 13:2-3. This was done in order to keep the leprosy from spreading throughout Israel. Unfortunately, those who were infected may have a life sentence upon them, for they had to be isolated and many times lived as outcasts until they died.

Now these ten men who were probably part of a leper colony approached Jesus but remained at a distance as per the law. They called out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Luke 17:13. And without seeming to do anything to heal them, Jesus merely gave the instruction to go show themselves to the priest. “And when He saw them, He said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14. Note, before the men left, the men were still lepers. Nothing had yet changed. However, in faith, they obeyed, and as they began to walk to the priest, they were healed.

Now, we have no idea how far they had gone from Jesus before they were healed.  However, they were all healed at the same time.  What is sad here is that only one of them came back to Jesus after seeing he was healed, and this was the Samaritan. A Samaritan is an inhabitant of the city or region of Samaria, which lies between Judea and Galilee. The Jews labeled these non-Jews Samaritans, as a term of reproach and contempt.

Jesus expressed disappointment that the other nine had not thought to give praise to God for their healing. “And Jesus answered and said, Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” Luke 17:17-18. From this we learn that God desires for us to express our thankfulness to Him for all He does in our lives. Jesus’ last words to the grateful Samaritan imply that this man was healed both physically and spiritually. After the man was already healed of leprosy, Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 19:19. It could be that the man’s return to fall at Jesus’ feet gave him spiritual wholeness in addition to the physical wholeness he had received.

Even though Jesus did not withhold healing from the Jews, who had the faith to do what He said, they  did not take the time to thank Him. He made a point of noting their lack of gratefulness. Not improbable is the view that Luke here, using this as an example, wished to place in a clear light the unthankful attitude of the Jews towards the Savior, which showed itself throughout Jesus’ time here. John Peter Lange put it this way. “The ingratitude of the nine, in contrast with the one Samaritan, bears so far as this a symbolical character, that it gives an example of the unfavorable reception which the Savior ever found in Israel, in opposition to the higher esteem which was accorded Him in the heathen world.”

When God blesses us with a miracle of healing, good opportunities, or anything else that is to our benefit, we must take time to acknowledge the Giver and not just the gifts. Especially if these gifts are beyond our ability to secure ourselves. True faith which leads to salvation, whether our soul, body, or even our life here, should be intimately connected with glorying God. No matter which, He is deserving of all thankfulness, glory, and praise.  We must take time daily to give Him thanks for all good things He gives us, for we cannot earn them, but by His grace and love He gives them to us. Always remember this, for He deserves it all.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 17:10

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 17:10

“So, you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, we are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.” – Luke 17:10   

Most theologians do not see this as a parable, as some perceive it, but as an illustration. Jesus starts this with a question. “But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, Come immediately and sit down to eat? But will he not say to him, Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink” Luke 17:7-8.  Here he speaks of slaves serving their master in the custom implicit in this time period. This meant the responsibilities of doing what the master included serving him before he served himself.  The conditions in this illustration reflect these customs. If a master has a servant who comes in from plowing or tending sheep, the master does not instruct the servant to meet their own needs first. Rather, the servant is expected to tend to the master’s needs, and only afterward to his own. The servant should expect no special recognition or reward for so doing, for he is a servant, after all, and has only done what is expected of servants.

Then He continues with the following rhetorical question, “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?” Luke 17:9.  Jesus here is saying the master will not thank the slave because He only did what was required.  He was not thanked when he plowed the field.  Nor was he given special recognition or reward  for the work in the field and then the preparing of the meal.  He only did what was required of him, not anything extra.  These were his responsibilities.

This brings out the difference between asking and commanding.  If we are asked to do something, we may say yes or say no and these are both acceptable answers.  If we are commanded, and the person has the right to for they are over us, then the only acceptable answer is yes. The Greek word translated commanded is διατάσσω or diatassō, which has the meaning to direct, or order to be done.  More directly, doing what the master commands.  And because he commanded him, there was no purpose in thanking the one who did it.

And then to our focus verse. “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.” Luke 17:10. Why should we say this?  Because we are.  We sinned and lost our opportunity for salvation.  However, God made a way by sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins.  And there is nothing we can do that even comes close to what He did. Therefore, we owe Him everything and He owes us nothing.  The idea of ‘unworthy slaves’ has the idea of meriting nothing. We have not benefited God or laid him under obligation. If he rewards us, it will be a matter of unmerited favor and grace. And this is true in relation to Christians in all respects. Jesus is telling them that what the Pharisees believe is contrary to the truth.  He opposes any suggestion that obedience might be construed as a means to gain honor, or that one might engage in obedience in order to receive a reward. 

In closing, theologian Robert H. Stein puts it this way, which could not have been said better. “The last saying is directed to the church and reminds the readers that there is no place for boasting and that disciples must remember who is to serve whom. Luke may even have been warning the church leaders among his readers that their service did not merit them any special reward. There will always be a need to emphasize this, for at times some Christians tend to reverse these roles and see God as their servant. Whereas a sovereign God delights to bless his servants (See below Luke 12:35-37). The church must always remember that he is the Lord of all creation and that they are, even at their best, forgiven sinners. Believers are the apples of God’s eye, and woe to those who would cause them to stumble; but believers who see clearly only confess, ‘We are unworthy servants.’ All too often they are not even able to say, “We have only done our duty.” Believers have no claim on God. Their only hope is God’s gracious character and promise.” 

 “Be dressed in readiness and keep your lamps alight. And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.” Luke 12:35-37.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Luke 17:3

Verse of the Day Devotion Luke 17:3

“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” –  Luke 17:3 

This verse deals with people, specifically in these verses (1-4), who sin against us.  Starting in verse 1 we read, “And He said to His disciples, It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come!” Luke 17:1. As we see at the beginning of this verse, He is not speaking to the Pharisees but to His disciples.  And what He is saying here is that temptation, here referred to as ‘stumbling blocks’ are inevitable.  From the Greek word ‘skandalon’ which refers to the trap-spring,  the item on a trap that causes it to spring shut. The idea is that whatever tempts us to sin is a trap, and if we fall into sin due to the temptation, then we sprung the trap and are caught in it. But notice the end of this verse.  Yes, we sin and that is wrong.  Jesus knew that due to the world, the flesh, and the devil such temptations would continue. But Jesus says woe to those who cause the temptation.

Then in the next verse, Jesus shows how He feels about this. “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.” Luke 17:2. Drowning a person with a stone tied about the neck was an ancient mode of punishment. What this is saying is that it would be better for them to endure the temporary drowning death by men then to cause a young brother or sister in Christ to sin, which is a serious offense to God.

Now we come to our focus verse. “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Luke 17:3. So, based on what we see in the first two verses, He is not speaking of sins in general, but particularly of sins one brother commits against another. This rebuke should be a mild brotherly admonition, helping them understand what occurred. If such correction brings him to humbly acknowledge his fault, forgiveness must not then be withheld, even if the trespass had already been six times repeated. We see this last part in verse 4. “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, I repent, forgive him.” Luke 17:4. Now, this seven times is not to be taken literally for it has a much deeper meaning. It does not mean you may forgive him, but it is an imperative denoting ‘you will forgive him’. There is no option here.  And to understand the numbers, we must go the Matthew for clarification. “Then Peter came and said to Him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22. The seven times mentioned in Luke, and the seventy times seven in Matthew are not upper limits to the number of times we are to forgive.  It means ‘always.  If a brother or sister sins against us, and they repent, then we are to ‘always’ forgive them.  And our model in this is God Himself. He forgives all our sins if we truly repent and ask forgiveness. Remember, Jesus forgave all the sins committed by one on the cross in which he repented.  “And he was saying, Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom! And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43.

Jesus calls us to forgive those who sin against us and repent of that sin. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32. When we repented, He forgave us.  Therefore, those who repent of their sins against us, we must forgive. And in so doing, we will show them the reality of our faith, and thus open the door to help them grow in their faith and in the knowledge of God. And this is what we are called to do. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14.  And this light is to help disciple others in the faith. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. That is, after all, our calling.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.