luke 19

Luke 19Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

I Know (Very Little)Luke 18:31 - 21

The older I am…The more I know and the less I knowThe more I study the more I know…

However, the more I know the more I realize there is too much to know and

much that I will not know or understand

We think we know and understandMaybe we don’t

know much as we think we know

Tikker

Luke 1832 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. 33 On the third day he will rise again.” 34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

The disciples did not understandThey were with Jesus

But they were lost in the process

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The people with Jesus did not understand Jesus’ purpose

That the man was correct to shout He knew he needed help

Luke 19Jesus entered Jericho… 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus…5 …“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”

The people did not understand that Jesus loved the unlovable

They mutteredThey thought he ought to came for

the “good people”

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once… 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

Jesus teaches them about a kingdom in the future

A kingdom in which there is plenty of time for things play out

They thought the Messiah was going to bring the kingdom right

there in Jerusalem

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

No one understood the importance of that moment

Not the crowdsNor the disciplesNot the Pharisees

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus is saddenedBecause God brought a gift

to JerusalemAnd they could not see it

Luke 2014 “…they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

This time we are told the people understood

Their response?16 …When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”

But nothing is done to correct the problem

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.

Jesus says to the people… You are trying to understand the kingdom of heaven based on your

earthly existenceWhen we do this, we draw

incorrect conclusions

Luke 215 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

32 “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Here Jesus addresses the question concerning Jerusalem

Jerusalem will fall within your lifetime

35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Here Jesus addresses the issue of his return to earth as King

His unexpected return in the futureAnd not just concerns about Jerusalem

TikkerWe want to know

We think we can knowWe make-believe we know

Putting it all togetherWe are to be careful about how

much we think we knowWe are able to learn, study and draw

conclusionsWe often draw conclusion from

limited information, resources and points of view

Putting it all togetherWe need to know that we do not knowWe don’t know when Jesus is comingWe don’t know the answer to many

difficult spiritual questionsWe are not capable of knowing everything, even on one subject

Putting it all togetherWhat are we to do with all this insecurity, void and ignorance?

We know what we knowWe know that Jesus loves us

He came, lived with us and died for usOur responsibility is to be faithful

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Be informedBe aware

Be realisticBe faithful

Knowing this one thing: Jesus loves us

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