Luke's Story (20 page)

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Authors: Tim Lahaye 7 Jerry B. Jenkins

BOOK: Luke's Story
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14
But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15
The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite!
a
Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead
it
away to water it?
16
So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
17
And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
18
Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
19
It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large
a
tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
 
 
Take the Lowly Place
7
So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:
8
“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
9
and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
10
But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
11
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
13:35
a
NU-Text and M-Text omit
assuredly.
b
Psalm 118:26 14:3
a
NU-Text adds
or not.
14:5
a
NU-Text and M-Text read
son.
12
Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.
13
But when you give a feast, invite
the
poor,
the
maimed,
the
lame,
the
blind.
13
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
 
The Parable of the Great Supper
15
Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed
is
he who shall eat bread
a
in the kingdom of God!”
16
Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17
and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18
But they all with one
accord
began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19
And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20
Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21
So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here
the
poor and
the
maimed and
the
lame and
the
blind.’
22
And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’
23
Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
them
to come in, that my house may be filled.
24
For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
 
Leaving All to Follow Christ
25
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,
26
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My discip29Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30
And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent. ’
31
But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
 
Jesus Warns of Offenses
 
17 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe
to him
through whom they do come!
2
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 offend one of these little ones.
3
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,
a
rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4
And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you,
a
saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
 
Faith and Duty
5
And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6
So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7
And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
8
But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
9
Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
a 10
So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
 
Ten Lepers Cleansed
11
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12
Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
13
And they lifted up
their
voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
17:3
a
NU-Text omits
against you.
17:4
a
M-Text omits
to you.
17:9
a
NU-Text ends verse with
commanded;
M-Text omits
him.
14
So when He saw
them,
He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16
and fell down on
his
face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
16
So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten c
leansed? But where
are
the nine?
18
Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19
And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith h
as made you well.”
 
The Coming of the Kingdom omits
a and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
14
But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this
man
to reign over us.’
15
“And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16
Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’
17
And he said to him, ‘Well
done,
good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’
18
And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’
18
Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
20
“Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
21
For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
22
And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you,
you
wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
23
Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
24
“And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give
it
to him who has ten minas.’
25
(But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’)
26
‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
27
But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay
them
before me.’”
 
The Triumphal Entry
28
When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29
And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage
a
and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet,
that
He sent two of His disciples,
30
saying, “Go into the village opposite
you,
where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring
it here.
31
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing
it?
’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’”
32
So those who were sent went their way and found
it
just as He had said to them.
33
But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”
34
And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”
35
Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.
36
And as He went,
many
spread their clothes on the road.
37
Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
38
saying:

‘ Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’
a
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
 
39
And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40
But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
 
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
19:29
a
M-Text reads
Bethsphage.
19:38
a
Psalm 118:26
41
Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
42
saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things
that make
for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
43
For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
44
and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
 
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
45
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,
a
46
saying to them, “It is written,
‘My house is
a
a house of prayer,’
b
but you have made it a
‘den of thieves.’

c

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