Luke

Jesus knew how difficult persecution would be for the apostles and the church (John 15:18-21).  They would be accused by religious or civil lawyers just because they believed that He was God in a human body, the Saviour of the world, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  How could they deal with the anxiety and prepare themselves to face the trial? (Luke 12:11-12)  His instruction was simple: decide before the crisis not to worry: believe that the necessary wisdom would be given just at the right time; trust that God-given words would come to mind when needed.

Jesus promised His trainee apostles that they would be hated and persecuted (John 15:18-21).  Such promises are not easy to take in, although those who love Jesus will accept His hard words as well as the pleasant ones (John 6:60-69).  Hatred is most difficult to bear when it comes from those who are closest to us (Luke 12:49-53).   We should instinctively think of our family as being the safe place, where love motivates each member to support and encourage the others.  That was God's idea for family life.  But when God is despised, all that He has designed bec

When you know unsustainable trouble is ahead, it is time to move to safety. The Old Testament account of the destruction of Sodom was preceded by a warning to flee from the city before they were also killed (Genesis 19:12-16).  John the Baptist exposed the religious leaders who had no intention of repenting, but came to see him baptising, by saying, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" (Matthew 3:7) ... but they were just playing religious games and did not think that God's judgement would fall on them.

What will it be like when Jesus comes again?  What better information could we have than these words from Jesus Himself!  Of course, as the Second Coming is unique and in the future, we will not have any experience with which to compare it.  However, Jesus' description is sufficient to enable us to recognise it when it happens.  This event will be of cosmic proportion: the sky will change; the earth and sea will be in turmoil and human beings will fear the end of the world; but Jesus will be seen coming through the clouds and all His people will stand up and rejoice (Joe

Every continent and local area has seasons of hot and cold, rain and dry; and weather suitable for sowing and reaping (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).  Farmers need a reasonable degree of certainty about these seasons so that they can decide when to invest their seed and when to harvest.  Failure of the rains, or cold at the wrong time, will make the farmer's life difficult.  If the seasons were totally haphazard, agriculture would be impossible to the point of famine.  

When Jesus speaks, He can only say what is true, because He is the truth (John 14:6) and is full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  He accurately described the horrible events that were to come only 40 years ahead (Luke 21:5-24) when Jerusalem would be invaded by the Romans, destroying everything including the temple.  He also described the events surrounding His second coming (Luke 21:8-11; Luke 21:25-28).  What he said was like a landscape of distant hills in which the nearer hills merged into the distant mountains.  The destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming see

This wicked world will not continue for ever, because Jesus is coming back (John 14:28), and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).  Eternity is closer than most people think (Ecclesiastes 3:11)!  Jesus told His disciples not to be weighed down with the problems of this world, or to try to escape the painful circumstances of a sin-sick society with alcohol or other addictions.  The addiction to worry, which has become a compulsive habit for so many, focusses the mind on how we can save ourselves from the troubles of this life; but it is a futile waste of effort because we ca

During the week before Jesus was crucified, He went to work every day.  He was in the temple from morning until evening explaining God's Word.  He did not hide Himself away but was publically available for all who wanted to hear Him (Mark 14:49).  And many people did.  He became a magnet for those who were seeking truth, and yet, at the end of the week, they were to cry out "Crucify Him, crucify Him" (Luke 23:21) - as though the truth He spoke and the character He displayed meant nothing at all.  But they could never deny that they had heard the truth - and

The Passover was a great annual event.  It was an evening meal which was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread - a whole week of celebration commemorating God's deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:17).  Leaven (another word for yeast) made bread rise but made it susceptible to going bad if not eaten soon after baking.  In the Exodus from Egypt, the bread for the journey needed to last until God provided Manna, the bread from heaven.  Leaven was also a symbol for sin … a little bit will corrupt the whole loaf (1 Corinthians 5:6).  Before th

Judas lost his integrity before he betrayed Jesus.  Although a chosen disciple, his mind-set was like the Pharisees who wanted honour, and he loved money (Luke 16:14).  Judas proved this by being a thief (John 12:6).  It seemed to have been common knowledge among the other disciples: having responsibility for all the money given to Jesus, Judas used some of it for himself.  It was old fashioned corruption, or perhaps it was even considered a 'perk' of the job.  Although the tax collectors were hated for it (Luke 5:30), similar behaviour by the religious leaders was