May 13, 2020, Psalms 63, Luke 17

PSALM 61

Confidence in God’s Protection.

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Hear my cry, O God;

Listen to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help].

For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me,

A strong tower against the enemy.

Let me dwell in Your tent forever;

Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

For You have heard my vows, O God;

You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name [with reverence].

You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days];

His years will be like many generations.

He will sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God;

Appoint loving-kindness and truth to watch over and preserve him.

So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

Paying my vows day by day.

Luke 17  

( The book of Luke has lots of parables, and stories (words in red) From Jesus Christ. Some of these are not eye witnesses accounts but these are the things that Luke gather from those that encountered Jesus.) 

Instructions (Amplified Version) 

Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble [in sin and lose faith]. Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith [our ability to confidently trust in God and in His power].” And the Lord said, “If you have [confident, abiding] faith in God [even as small] as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree [which has very strong roots], ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea’; and [if the request was in agreement with the will of God] it would have obeyed you.

 “Which of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?’ Will he not instead say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and appropriately clothe yourself [for service] and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you may eat and drink?’ He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he? So you too, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants [undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have merely done what we ought to do.’ ”

Ten Lepers Cleansed

While Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance; and they raised their voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were [miraculously] healed and made clean. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten [of you] cleansed? Where are the [other] nine? Was there no one found to return and to give thanks and praise to God, except this foreigner?” Jesus said to him, “Get up and go [on your way]. Your faith [your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power] has restored you to health.”

Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display; nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].”

Images of lepers 
Leprosy affects the skin and the eyes. ( According to health and life journal it is a chronic infection caused by bacteria and it is considered an ancient diseased that happened to people a long time ago; today it is rare but it is not uncommon.) as you can see those with the disease where not treated well because of the way they look. They were not welcome in many places. Based upon the scriptures they made people feel uncomfortable. They were outcasts.

( I can envision Luke researching and asking questions around town and discovering the story of the ten lepers. We can assume it happen like that because when Jesus healed some he said, go show yourself to the priests. Whenever it came to his deeds or actions or his teachings there was always someone present (a disciple, or a group of people). Try to document it as you read or take note, people are always around. They were following him. He could draw people to himself even those that didn't like him. They came out to hear what he had to say. Even the Pharisees heard his teachings and the bible says it made them angry.  We do not get to know about the times he was alone because no one was around. Just think about it we have stories we can never forget. How fast or how soon did Luke write; I am not sure but I know Jesus is so beautiful I bet it was like fire inside their bones and hearts and they gathered together all the information needed to give us the gospels (the good news))

Luke continued
The Second Coming Foretold

Then He said to the disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look [the Messiah is] there!’ or ‘Look [He is] here!’ Do not go away [to see Him], and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, gives light to the other part of the sky, so [visible] will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be repudiated and rejected and considered unfit [to be the Messiah] by this [unbelieving] generation. And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the time of [the second coming of] the Son of Man: the people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, [they were indifferent to God] until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as it was in the days of Lot. People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building [carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins]; but on the [very] day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone (burning sulfur) from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, whoever is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, must not come down [and go inside] to take them out; and likewise whoever is in the field must not turn back. Remember [what happened to] Lot’s wife [when she looked back]! Whoever seeks to save his life will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] will keep it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God]. I tell you, on that night [when Messiah comes again] there will be two [sleeping] in one bed; the one (the non-believer) will be taken [away in judgment] and the other (the believer) will be left. There will be two women grinding [at the mill] together; the one (the non-believer) will be taken [away in judgment] and the other (the believer) will be left. [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] And they asked Him, “Where, Lord?” He answered, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered.”

THE WORDS WE ARE READING!

WHAT DOES THE WRITER MEAN?

The word slave

1. According to the New International Version study bible the word slave is used to describe someone that performs duty. It is not to be confused with the idea of slavery that involves owning other people. Or the idea that one group of people is superior to another group of people because of skin color. Its not a mystery and we know skin color does not determine the quality of a human being. Dogs and cats come in different colors too. Could you image the black cats saying we are superior cats to the white cats. Or image the blue birds saying to the brown birds we are of superior bird quality. Pretty silly right. The word slave in the bible was used in translation and it was the best word available to describe someone who perform service. We know that definition is true because in the book of Exodus it was not God's will for the children of Israel to be slaves to Pharaoh. God delivered them from bondage. We all know Americas dark history of slavery and white slave owners who used the bible to justified their hideous actions against African Americans. I want to say God does not condone that idea of slavery. He actually brought judgement against Egypt for the slavery and when the children of Israel were set free they were given gold and the precious items of Egypt. They worked hard for forty years and in a few moments God brought it down because he did not agree with it. 

Fast forwarding to the New Testament and the word slave. Paul says he is a slave to Christ. Based upon his writings, his deeds, and historical events he participated in he is simply implying he is a servant. He is chained to Christ but not in the sense of torture labor and beatings or cruelty.

The word servant

It is used to describe someone that serves others. Police officers, doctors, teachers, governments, and city officials are considered to be servants; they serve the public. A long time ago a King sit on the throne and he gave orders but in the bible Jesus is a King who serves. It is more about a humble attitude. It is about doing something for others Goodwill.

Works Cited 

Amplified® Bible

 (2015)

http://www.lockman.org