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Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Again (Luke 14:1–6)

On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. 2 In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” 4 But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. 5 Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” 6 But they were unable to answer his question. Jesus is invited to dine at the home of a leading Pharisee on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest and worship. Those gathered are observing Him carefully. Among them is a man suffering from dropsy, a medical condition involving abnormal swelling caused by fluid accumulating in the body. The man's presence provides another occasion for Jesus to address the question of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus asks the scholars of the...

Jesus Continues His Mission and Laments over Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35)

At that time some Pharisees came to him and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. 33 Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! 35 Behold, your house will be abandoned. [But] I tell you, you will not see me until [the time comes when] you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” In today's Gospel, some Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod Antipas wants to kill Him. Herod governs Galilee and Perea, territories where Jesus has carried out much of His ministry. He is also responsible for the death...

Jesus Prays All Night Then Chooses the Twelve (Luke 6:12–16)

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Jesus withdraws to a mountain and spends the entire night in prayer before choosing the twelve apostles. Throughout Luke's Gospel, prayer accompanies important moments in Jesus' ministry, including His baptism (Luke 3:21–22) and His Transfiguration (Luke 9:28–36). Here, His night of prayer precedes a decision that will shape the future of His mission and the course of human history. Jesus' communion with the Father is central to His work, and the men He chooses will be entrusted with continuing that work after His Resurrection. The moun...

How God's Kingdom Grows (Luke 13:18–21)

Then he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and ‘the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.’” 20 Again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed [in] with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.” Jesus uses two familiar examples from everyday life to explain how the kingdom of God grows. God's kingdom means His reign—His saving power at work among humanity, drawing people into communion with Him. God has always reigned over His creation, but through Jesus Christ, His saving reign is revealed and established in a new and decisive way. Through the mustard seed and the yeast, Jesus teaches how God's kingdom grows and transforms lives, even when its work appears small or goes unnoticed. These parables follow Jesus' healing of a woman...

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath, Angering a Synagogue Leader (Luke 13:10–17)

He was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. 11 And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” 13 He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” 15 The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? 16 This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” 17 When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done...

Love of God and Neighbor Is the Foundation of the Law (Matthew 22:34-40)

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” In today's Gospel, Jesus is questioned by a scholar of the Jewish Law after He has answered a challenge from the Sadducees concerning the resurrection. The scholar asks which of God's commandments is the greatest. Although Matthew describes the question as a test, it concerns an important matter in Jewish religious life: understanding the central teaching that gives meaning to God's commandments. Jesus answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, a passage belonging to the Sh...

God Gives Us Time to Repent, Change Our Lives, and Bear Fruit (Luke 13:1-9)

At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2 He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? 3 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! 4 Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? 5 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” 6 And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, 7 he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. [So] cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ 8 He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this ye...

Recognizing the Presence of God's Kingdom and Responding to It (Luke 12:54-59)

He also said to the crowds, “When you see [a] cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; 55 and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Jesus continues speaking to the crowds as He makes His way toward Jerusalem. He has been teaching about the importance of remaining faithful to God and being prepared for His return in glory. Now He challenges the people to recog...

Jesus’ Mission Brings Fire and Division (Luke 12:49-53)

I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! 50 There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” In Luke 9:51, Jesus begins His determined journey toward Jerusalem, which He reaches in chapter 19. Along the way, He teaches His disciples about faith, prayer, mercy, and the demands of following Him. He heals the sick, calls people to repentance, and prepares them for the coming of God's Kingdom. His journey will lead to His suffering and death in Jerusalem and ultimately to Hi...

Stewards Entrusted with Much Are Called to Faithful and Caring Service (Luke 12:39-48)

Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” 41 Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 That servant who knew his master’s will but did not ma...

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