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In Luke 19, Jesus enters Jerusalem as the promised Messiah (Zechariah 9:9), and his coming as King brings joy or calamity, depending on how he is received.

In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells a parable about a throne claimant who goes away and returns as king. Luke tells us the reason for this parable was twofold: he was approaching Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. Two major themes surface: (1) Jesus’ authority as king, and (2) the accountability of all to him. If faithfulness is rewarded by an an evil tyrant king, how much more will that be true for the Prince of Peace?

After Jesus tells this parable, he enters Jerusalem as king (19:28-40), but not a king of war and slaughter, but one of peace (Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 9:6). Jesus looks over the city and weeps, for he knows their rejection of him as king will result in the desolation of Jerusalem within just a few decades. They neither knew the things that made for peace (v.42) nor the time of their visitation (v.44). The king has suddenly appeared at his temple (Malachi 3:1; Luke 19:45-46).

We will not have peace with God, peace with others, peace in the world, or peace within our own heart until Christ becomes our peace (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:13-14).

Probably no other passage is more descriptive of the church in action than Ephesians 4. Ephesians breaks into two segments of three chapters each. Ephesians 1-3 is the gospel story. Ephesians 4-6 explains how the gospel story should be lived out together as a church. How are we, as Christ’s church, to live, serve, and grow together? The surprising answer is, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3). This unity, built on core doctrine (4:4-6) overflows into service towards one another that builds up (4:7-16). 

When the church walks in a manner worthy of the calling to which they’ve been called (4:1), they are the answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-23. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

In Luke 19:1-10 we meet Zacchaeus, a man most of us have heard about in Sunday School. Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus counterbalances Jesus’ confrontation with the rich young ruler (18:18–30). Both men are described as rich and both hold high office (“ruler”, 18:18; “chief tax collector”, 19:2). One walks away from Jesus sad, for he was extremely rich (Luke 18:23). The other received Jesus joyfully and started giving away his wealth. Jesus called Zacchaeus by name. He is known by the community as a sinner, but more importantly he is known by the Son of God as forgiven. They’d never met before, but the Lord knew Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus knew the Lord. Jesus came to seek and to save lost people like Zacchaeus.

In Luke 18:35-43, we learn about a blind beggar meeting Jesus on the roadside. Not only is this blind beggar destitute and entirely at the mercy of others, he is also an outcast and excluded from the worshiping community. He cries out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" This blind beggar stands in marked contrast to the rich ruler (Luke 18:18-24). The rich man had everything the world could offer, but he could not see that Jesus was the greatest gift he could ever have hoped for. In contrast the blind beggar has nothing, yet he saw in the darkness of his blindness the light of heavenly promise in Jesus. Do you see what the blind man sees?

If you’ve never considered the dragon at Christmas, you’re missing how John presents the birth of Christ in the apocalyptic book of Revelation. Revelation 12 looks at Christ’s incarnation of Jesus from a global, cosmic perspective. The dragon becomes a central part of the Christmas story, as it depicts one of the purposes of the incarnation — the defeat of Satan. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). 

The dragon bears the title of "ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9, 20:2) calling to mind the time when he devoured Adam and Eve in the garden, tempting them to disbelieve the Word of God and disobey God’s command. From that time Satan has engaged in war to prevent the fulfillment of God’s promise that the seed of the woman would crush his own head. What the dragon could not prevent was the birth of a champion-king dragon slayer — “the name by which he is called is The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). This is the one of whom John said in John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Listen to the following sermon to discover the meaning of Revelation 12 as we consider the sign of the woman, the sign of the dragon, the male child, God’s power to preserve, and the dragon’s defeat.

In Luke 18, after a rich young ruler walked away from the greatest gift in the world, Jesus addressed his twelve disciples. Rather than elaborate on the young man’s departure, Jesus prophesied about his own death and resurrection.

Christmas creates a crisis of sorts — a series of questions. Is Jesus the Messiah, the Christ (God’s anointed rescuer of sinful humanity), or not? Is Jesus, the one born in Bethlehem and placed in a feeding trough, truly the eternal Son of God? Can Jesus forgive sin and grant eternal life? Is he the only way to the Father rather than one of many ways? The response to each of these is to believe, and this belief is based on the fulfillment of prophecies concerning Christ’s birth, death, and bodily resurrection.

One of the purposes for Luke providing “an orderly account” is that we “may have certainty concerning the things” we “have been taught” about Jesus (Luke 1:3-4). John said his purpose is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). 

In Luke 18:18-30 we find a man who had it all – wealth, youth, and authority. Sadly, he lacked what was most important and he walked away from the greatest gift in the world. Jesus exposed the real treasure of his heart by telling him, "Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor" (Luke 18:22). This man refused to loosen his clutch on wealth and would not receive the kingdom like an infant (Luke 18:17). He came to the right person with a searching question, but he had a wrong understanding of eternal life (John 17:3). Jesus said it's difficult for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Here's the good news. Jesus said, "What is impossible with man is possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Don't walk away from the greatest gift in the world.

In Luke 18:9-17 Jesus teaches a parable about two people and two destinies to confront any notion that we can trust in ourselves to be righteous. The Pharisee shows us doing good things does not get you into God's Kingdom. The Tax Collector shows us even the worst of the worst can enter God's Kingdom. Entering God's kingdom doesn't require our self-righteous efforts, it requires depending on God's work of atoning mercy. You will only experience God's Kingdom if you depend entirely on God's mercy like an infant depends entirely on its mother. Do you?

Luke 18-1-8 contains a parable and an application that continue the theme of Jesus’ return. The parable forms the conclusion of 17:20-37. Jesus asks a searching question at the close of the parable — “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8). What’s the point? Disciples must pray with persistence while waiting for final vindication lest they become despondent during the period of delay when injustice abounds. Don’t lose heart, for justice will be served.

Are you living in the reality of Jesus’ return? Luke 17, instead of providing a timeline of future events to the question of “when the kingdom of God would come” (17:20), Jesus admonishes us to live in anticipation of his return. The world has a track record of being indifferent and smug in the face of imminent danger. To illustrate this, Jesus uses two OT allusions. First, the days of Noah before the flood, and second, the days of Lot before it rained down fire and sulfur. Jesus does not call attention to any specific sin, but rather highlights how they were living normal life without any regard for God and his impending judgment. Jesus warned, “so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:30). Are you living in the reality of Christ’s return? Jesus emphasizes the importance of being ready.

In Luke 17:11-19, as Jesus enters the outskirts of a village, he is met by ten lepers. Rather than cry out “unclean” as the Law commanded (Leviticus 13:45), they cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” (17:13). 

The request for mercy comes often to Jesus in the Gospels: Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30–31; Mark 10:47–48; Luke 18:38–39. Whether the suffering is leprosy, blindness, demon oppression, or demon possession, and whether it’s for you, your son, your daughter, or another loved one, an appropriate cry to Jesus is “Have mercy on us.”

All ten lepers were healed, but only one turned back with gratitude. The Samaritan leper who had been healed “…fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.” The distance had been closed. To him Jesus said, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” (17:19). This is a response of faith to God’s mercy and grace. Sin, like leprosy, isolates. Jesus, through healing and forgiveness, brings us near to God.

“Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper! You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30:10–12).

In Luke 17:1-10, Jesus teaches on three topics related to Christian discipleship. These texts should be read in context of the Gospel, which gives weight and motivation for Christians to obey.

While temptations to sin are sure to come, we should never entice others to sin. We should pay attention to how our conduct may be leading others into sin (vs 1-4). While it may be difficult, Christians should rebuke their brother or sister when they sin, and forgive them as many times as they repent. As God through Christ forgave us, we should forgive others.

To genuinely forgive others, we need faith in the person (Messiah, God incarnate) and work (atoning sacrifice for sin) of Jesus Christ. Jesus is both author and perfector of our faith, so seek him in times of spiritual weakness. Remember, God can do the seemingly impossible through small, yet genuine, faith (vs 5-6).

Lastly, Jesus makes clear that no matter how well we serve God, he is never indebted to us as we are simply doing our duty (vs 7-10). Continue to serve faithfully and humbly, remembering that God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord; our service is in response to his grace, not a cause for merits. With the gospel of Jesus Christ as our foundation, let’s be people who fight sin/causes of sin, forgive others, trust in God for faith, and serve humbly.

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus teaches a parable about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. In this parable Jesus confronts the Pharisees' love of money. While the rich man and Lazarus seem to be extreme opposites in life, what they do share in common is they both die. Jesus shocks his listeners with surprising outcomes for these characters after their death. The rich man is in torment and anguish while Lazarus enjoys the peace and comfort of God's presence. The point of this parable is that the rich man experiences eternal torment because he delighted more in luxuries for himself than in love for others. In other words, to claim an eternal future in God's kingdom means you must embrace the values of God's kingdom today. Have you?

In Luke 16:1-18, Jesus teaches a parable about the values of his kingdom in regard to wealth. Jesus surprises us by commending the dishonest manager. Jesus isn't commending his dishonesty; rather, he commends his shrewdness. He's saying that the people of this world exercise shrewdness and forward thinking about their money. Citizens of God’s kingdom should do so even more. This parable  reminds us that God is the owner; we are not. This means that if we are not generous towards others, it isn't merely an issue of being miserly. It's robbery. Thankfully, we have the perfect manager in Jesus. He gave more than his wealth to make us into his friends. He gave his life. The gospel provides the motivation and inspiration for Christ's people to use money in accord with the values of God's kingdom.

Luke 15 is Jesus’ response to Pharisaical grumbling (15:1-2). He responds with a parable (a simple story that conveys spiritual truths). It’s one parable (15:3 “So he told them this parable”) with three different episodes — a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The actions of the shepherd, woman, and father become illustrations of God’s character, and what God is doing through his son, Jesus — Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” In the third episode of this parable (the lost son), Jesus expands the story. Parables are about contrast. This is not a story about one son, but two sons (a younger and older son) and more importantly, a father. There are beautiful lessons in the younger son’s departure and return, the father’s welcome, the older brother’s anger, and the father’s entreating love. In this episode we get a consistent view of God’s character. We see the patience and love of the father toward both sons.