Jan 28, 2024 "Being a Disciple" (Luke 19:28-38)

 

Being a Disciple

Luke 19:28-38

 

When Jesus enters the city, many people crowd together to see Jesus. They call out praises to him and spread out their cloaks on the ground to show honor and respect. These people would later desert Jesus and even demand His death later.  

 

The people are just fans. They are not disciples. The fans like what Jesus has done and what He gives them. When the benefits stop, so does their loyalty. His disciples strove to be like Jesus, which is a big difference between the fans and the disciples.  

 

Jesus came into the city riding a donkey and not a horse to show he was a king not in battle.  

 

We need to emulate Jesus. The best way to emulate Jesus is to love others.

 

Jesus instructs some of his disciple to get a colt.

 

Luke 19:30-31 ESV

[30] saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. [31] If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”  

 

Jesus gives instructions to get something that he has already prepared.  All the disciples have to do is to obey. It has already been prepared for us to do. Jesus is with us and we just need to obey.

 

We have to suffer, endure and sacrifice just like Jesus did to love others. In fact, Jesus has given us the great commission too

 

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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Jan 21, 2024 "Blindness" (John 9:1-41)

 

Blindness

John 9:1-41

 

John chapter 9 brings up a very common belief at that time, which, unfortunately continues today. Jesus' disciples ask why was the man bind. They wanted to know if it was his sins or his parents' sins.  

 

John 9:3 ESV

[3] Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

 

Jesus does not heal him right away but adds more to show that it is not just physical blindness but also spiritual blindness.  

 

John 9:4-5 ESV

[4] We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. [5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  

 

This is more clearly shown at the end of John 9 or the third part of John 9.

 

John 9:39-41 ESV

[39] Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” [40] Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” [41] Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.  

 

Jesus tells us there are two types of blind men.  

 

John 9:30 ESV

[30] The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.  

 

The Pharisees did not work in the methods they used. The Pharisees had their own ideas on how God worked. The synagogue was a place they controlled and they confined God to their limited knowledge.  

 

John 9:16 ESV

[16] Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.  

 

John 9:18 ESV

[18]  The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight  

 

The blind man takes a simple and truthful approach to his encounter with Jesus and the Pharisees' question.  

 

John 9:25 ESV

[25] He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

 

When bad things happen to us, we always limit God. We look at our misfortunes as curses and our suffering as punishment. We do not see how God is blessing us. We fail to see how God in his infinite wisdom is bringing us and others closer to Him.

 

The blind man does not concern himself with how God opened his eyes, but that his eyes were opened.  

 

It is interesting that we forget Jesus sometimes because our priorities in Church replace Jesus.

 

Both the blind man and the Pharisees met Jesus. The blind man accepted what Jesus did and was grateful. The Pharisees chose not to acknowledge Jesus. They did not acknowledge their sin and forced their view of God on everyone.  

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