Luke 22:1

Luke 22:1 says, Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.  The time of the feast of Passover was near.  This is a very important celebration for the Jewish people, since it commemorates the angel passing over their children when the Egyptian children were killed by God as a judgment of Pharoah.  Verse two adds, And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.  The chief priests and scribes were still trying to figure out how they could kill Jesus without suffering the wrath of the people who were following Him.  These were the most powerful religions people of that day, and they were trying to figure out how to kill Jesus safely.  Though many people are attempting to deny that Jesus Christ lived, died and was rose from the dead to be the everlasting Passover for all who believe in Him, let's hope that religions leaders aren't doing so.  Verse three states, Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.  Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples, those closest to Jesus.  I am not sure if he started following Jesus in sincerity and then found that He was not Who Judas wanted Him to be or not, but whatever his reasons, Judas now gave in to the influence of Satan.  He had not put his faith in Jesus alone.  People may attempt to follow Jesus without totally putting their faith in Him, but they will always fail by giving in to the influence of Satan.  There can be no followers of Christ who only partially believe in Him.  Verse four adds, And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.  Judas went to the chief priests and captains, the religious leaders, to see how he could best betray Jesus.  Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we cannot serve God, and some religious leaders may even try to lead us away from Jesus Christ.  If they pronounce that Jesus Christ is not the only way to salvation, and we believe them, they are leading us away from Him and into following Satan.  Verse five continues, And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.  The chief priests and captains were glad to have one of Jesus's closest disciples to be willing to betray Him, so they paid Judas.  Too many professed Christians today are willing to sell out Jesus and what He teaches us if the price is right.  We cannot allow material gain to be more important than our relationship with Jesus Christ and faithfully follow Him.  Verse six adds, And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.  Judas promised these religious leaders that he would find a time to betray Jesus when the crowds weren't around.  He was in an ideal place to do this, and so are some today who claim to be followers of Christ in an ideal position to betray Him and even to lead others away from Him.

Luke 21:34

Luke 21:34 says, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.  Jesus warned those around Him to take heed that they didn't allow themselves to do certain things.  They were not to allow their hearts to become over filled with desires of the things of this world, they were not to be drunken, and they were not to be consumed with worry about the cares of this life.  We too often focus on the drunkenness and ignore the other two.  Jesus also said that if we are focused on the things of this world instead of on God, that His judgment day would catch us unaware, or unprepared.  Verse thirty-five adds, For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Jesus the said that God's judgment day would be like a snare, something that people did not see and got caught in, and that it would come to the whole world.  Everyone is going to be caught up in the judgment day, whether they believe in God or not.  Verse thirty-six states, Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.  Jesus then told them that they were to watch and pray so that they would be counted worthy to stand before the Son of Man.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we need to daily pray for His guidance and to obey His will.  We do not earn salvation by this, because faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, but obedience to God's will proves that we have accepted Him.  Verse thirty-seven says, And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.  Jesus taught in the temple during the day and went up to the Mount of Olives at night.  We need to be teaching the world about Jesus as we go about our everyday life, but we also need time to rest and replenish our relationship with Him.  Verse thirty-eight adds, And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.  People were coming early every day to hear Jesus teach in the temple.  Today, we have a hard time getting people to come to church one or two times a week to hear God's word being preached and taught.  

Luke 21`20

Luke 2:20 says, And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.  Jesus warned them of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and dispersion of the Jewish people.  He said when Jerusalem was besieged, that the desolation of it was near.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.  Jesus warned the people of Judea to flee to the mountains, and for the people of Jerusalem to leave the city while they could and not to let other people enter the city.  Matthew Henry says this tells us that we should not enter a city that God has abandoned, though I am not sure how we would know that He truly had, especially since they would be the ones most in need of the gospel.  Verse twenty-two continues, For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.  Jesus said that these would be the days of vengeance, which would occur to fulfill the scripture.  We know that we have been given some signs of things to come before the return of Jesus Christ as well.  Verse twenty-three states, But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.  Jesus said there would be woe for expectant and young mothers in that day, because of all the destruction was going on around them.  In cities today where war is raging, it has to be rough on young mothers, who fear not only for their safety, but also with the safety of their child.  Verse twenty-four adds, And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.  Jesus said that Jerusalem would fall and the people of Isreal would be oppressed by the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled. This is the time that we have been living in since that happened, and one day it will come to an end.  Verse twenty-five says, And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  Jesus warned them that when the day of the Gentiles was ending, even the heavens would give warning.  Verse twenty-six adds, Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  Jesus warned that when these things began to happen that people would lose heart, but I believe that the followers of Christ never should.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  This definitely is a statement about the second coming of Christ, which will occur at the end of the days of the Gentiles.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.  Jesus tells us that when these things begin to happen that we are to look up.  We should always focus on God and keep our faith in Him.  We need to look up to God everyday,  and if we do, we will never be defeated no matter what happens in the world.  Verse twenty-nine says, And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;  Jesus then taught them with another parable, this one the parable of the fig tree.  Not everything that the Bible teaches us is spelled out completely, but we must read it under the direction of the Holy Spirit in order to understand what God is saying is us.  Verse thirty adds, When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.  Jesus said when we see new growth on the fig tree, we know summer is at hand.  Verse thirty-one continues, So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.  Jesus then tells us that when we see these things that He had spoken of come to pass, that the kingdom of God is at hand.  All we can say for certain is that His kingdom, which will be ushered in with the return of Jesus Christ is closer than it has ever been.  Verse thirty-two states, Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.  Jesus then spoke of the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of the day of the Gentiles once more.  He said that that generation would not pass away before it happened.  Verse thirty-three adds, Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.  Even if all the universe passes away, God's word will never pass away, and His word is all that we should put our faith in.

Luke 21:8

Luke 21:8 says, And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.  Jesus warned the people even while He was still here on earth that there would be those who falsely claimed to be Christ who would come, and that they would claim that judgment day was near.  Jesus warned the disciples to not follow these people.  We occasionally have heard of someone who claimed the be Jesus Christ who had returned, and even more often have heard of those who claim that His return is imminent, but we are still to not believe them.  Verse nine adds, But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.  This sounds like the world today, and Jesus said these things must come to pass, but this does not mean that the end is coming soon.  Verse ten states, Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  We are definitely hearing about this today, and it is only going to get worse.  Verse eleven adds, And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.  We know about the earthquakes, famines and pestulances, and I am not sure what the great signs from heaven are.  Verse twelve declares, But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.  There has definitely been a lot of this going on during the years since Jesus died and rose again and it is definitely going on in parts of the world today.  Verse thirteen adds, And it shall turn to you for a testimony.  The world is looking to us as followers of Christ to share our testimony of Him today, and this is what He expects to do.  Verse fourteen continues, Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:  Jesus tells us to not have decided beforehand what we are going to say if we are persecuted.  This might seem like it would be something good to do, but Jesus tells us not to.  Verse fifteen declares, For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.  Jesus tells us to rely on Him for what to say and that if we do, the world cannot deny or resist what we say.  We are never to rely own our own knowledge and strength, but on God's knowledge and strength to empower us in these situations.  Verse sixteen adds, And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.  Families are often divided when it comes to Jesus Christ, especially in parts of the world, and family members are not only turned over to authorities for their faith in Jesus Christ, but in some instances, the family members even participate in putting them to death.  Verse seventeen continues, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.  This is very far removed from the concept that God wants me to be happy so He will give me what I desire.  We are told that we will have just the opposite occur.  Verse eighteen says, But there shall not an hair of your head perish.  I don't believe that we are going to be physically unharmed when we stand for Jesus in the face of adversity, but that from a spiritual standpoint we will always be safely in the arms of God.  Verse nineteen adds, In your patience possess ye your souls.  When we patiently stand faithful in our relationship to Jesus Christ, we will keep our soul safe forever. 

Luke 21:1

Luke 21:1 says, And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.  Jesus looked up and saw some rich men putting their gifts into the treasury.  Evidently, they were doing it so that they would be noticed, and some rich people today want to be noticed when they are giving to the church.  Verse two adds, And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.  There was also a poor widow who gave her small donation, and Jesus noticed her also, even if most of the people may not have.  We tend to notice when rich people give something more than we do when poor people do.  We may even write off the donations of poor people as being insignificant.  God does not look at the amount of the gift, but at the attitude of the giver.  Verse three states, And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:  Jesus said 5he poor widow had given more than all the rich men combined had.  Too often, when it comes to giving to the church, we say show me the money, and give recognition to those giving the largest amount.  Verse four adds, For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.  As stated already, Jesus didn't look at the amount given but at the attitude of the giver.  Those who are poorer may often give a greater percentage of what they have than those who are better off.  Verse five says, And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,  Some people were talking about how richly the temple was adorned.  There are still people today who take a lot of pride in church buildings, sometimes spending an inordinate amount on its upkeep while being less concerned about the people around them who may be in need.  Verse six adds, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  Jesus told them that the day was coming when not even one stone of the temple would be left on top of the other.  There is also coming a day when not one stone of all the beautiful church buildings of today will be left on top of another.  Like the temple then, they are but temporary structures.  Verse seven continues, And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?  The people then asked Jesus when this would happen and what the sign would be that it was about to come to pass.  Many people today are trying to figure out when the second coming of Jesus Christ will happen.  This should not be our focus.  We should be focusing on being faithful to Jesus Christ at all times if we are His followers. 

Luke 20:39

Luke 20:39 says, Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.  One of the scribes told Jesus that He had answered the question about marriage in heaven well.  He evidently thought he knew as much or more than Jesus.  Jesus did not need anyone to endorse what He said then, nor does He today.  Still, if the scribe was sincere, at least he acknowledged the truth of what Jesus said.  Verse forty adds, And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.  After failing to get Jesus to say something wrong about marriage after a person died, the scribes and Pharisees quit asking Him any questions.  People will eventually always come to understand that God's word cannot be disputed.  Verse forty-one states, And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?  Jesus asked the scribes and Pharisees a question of His own.  Jesus asked them if the Christ was to be David's son.  This was a well known principle of the Jewish people.  We should still acknowledge this today as followers of Christ.  Verse forty-two adds, And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,  Jesus then said that in the book of Psalms that David referred to the coming Christ, or Messiah, as His Lord, and not his son.  His LORD told David to sit at His right hand, but David was still in a position of service to his LORD, which is all we will ever be as Christians.  Verse forty-three continues, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.  David said that God, and not he himself, was going to make his enemies his footstool.  Victory over our enemies in the world today will come by the power of God, and not by our own power.  Verse forty-four asks, David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?  Jesus said if David called the coming Messiah his LORD, then how did people then call Him David's son.  Of course, Jesus being David's son was physical, and Him being David's LORD was spiritual, and this is something we must acknowledge today.  Verse forty-five adds, Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,  Verse forty-six continues, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;  Jesus said so that all the people could hear that they should beware of the scribes, who liked to be idolalized by other people.  We should also beware of those religious leaders today who like to do things so that they will be noticed and adored, if not idolalized, by other people.  Verse forty-seven concludes, Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.  Jesus said the scribes took widows houses and then made a show of their long prayers.  God will hold us accountable for how we treat others, no matter how long we make a show of our prayers.  Jesus said they would receive a greater damnation because of their hypocrisy.  There is no room in Christianity for hypocrisy. 

Luke 20:27

Luke 20:27 says, Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,  Certain Sadducees, who denied there is any resurrection from the dead, came to Jesus in an attempt to get Him to say something that they could use against Him.  They were not there seeking to understand why they were wrong.  Some people today who have wrong ideas about life after death still attempt to disprove that there is everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.  The Sadducees used the scripture, Moses's teaching about a brother marrying his sisters widow if the brother died without a child to attempt to get Jesus to say something that they could us against Him.  Not everyone who quotes scripture does so to glorify God.  Verse twenty-nine states, There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.  The Sadducees gave an example of seven brothers, the first of which married and died without a child.  Verse thirty adds, And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.  Verse thirty-one continues, And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.  In their example, all six of the remaining brothers in order married the woman and died without her having a child.  This is a very unlikely scenario, but it would be possible, but the Sadducees were not really worried about the actual possibility, but only about getting Jesus to say something they could use against Him.  We hear people today attempt to do the same thing by questioning why God does act in a certain way in a particular situation.  Verse thirty-two concludes, Last of all the woman died also.  The Sadducees concluded that eventually the woman died as a widow.  Verse thirty-three asks, Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.  The Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, asked Jesus whose wife she would be in the resurrection, since she had been married to all seven brothers.  They really weren't looking for answer that would help them come to a true understanding of the resurrection of the dead, just a many people today question the Bible and God Himself not for a better understanding but to discredit Him instead.  Verse thirty-four declares, And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:  Verse thirty-five adds, But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:  Jesus told the Sadducees that people are married in this world alone, and that those who attain everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ are not married in heaven. Verse thirty-six continues, Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.  Jesus said that once we die and are resurrected we will never die again as followers of Christ.  He said we will be equal to the angels, but He did not say that we would be angels, but as children of the resurrection we would be children of God.  This is and always will be the important fact about the resurrection from the dead for Christians.  We cannot know everything that heaven will be, but we can be certain that we will be the children of God if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-seven continues, Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  Jesus said that Moses acknowledged the truth of the resurrection when he called God the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which He could not be if there were no resurrection from the dead and everlasting life.  Verse thirty-eight concludes, For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.  Since God is not there God of the dead but of the living, then there must be everlasting life.  This was not what the Sadducees were wanting to hear, but it was God's truth.  Even if people don't want to hear it today, God's truth will always be the only truth there is.