With just a few days left in His life as a man, Jesus rides into Jerusalem hailed as a King. The crowds celebrate today but will soon call for crucifixion. Are you ready to follow the King?

Luke 12

Bethany was a small village on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives. It was home for some interesting characters with great stories of faith: Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Simon the leper. People who encountered Jesus on his way to the cross teach us some valuable lessons on how to live on our way to our eternal home.

The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25-37

Luke 9:51 is a transition point in the ministry direction of Jesus. The crowd thins out, the enemies intensify, and the cross comes on the horizon.

In Luke 9, Jesus takes the disciples to the northern border of Israel, away from the adoring crowds around the sea of Galilee and the supervision of the Jewish religious leaders. The retreat provides Him an occasion to introduce this new idea of “the Church”. For the remainder of His time on earth, Jesus will focus on building this team to take His story to the world.

In Luke 6, Jesus presents what is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”. In this message he outlines the nature of the Kingdom He is here to establish, a kingdom where everything is upside down. First shall be last, the greatest are servants, you love your enemies, and the King dies for His followers. Following Jesus and obeying what he teaches in this sermon would solve the biggest problems we face. Do we have the courage to follow?

In chapter 6, Luke tells us two stories that take place on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. In both, Jesus does something that would normally not be a problem, but these stories happen on the Sabbath. The Sabbath had become the focal point of religion and Jesus wasn’t about being religious. Jesus was in the right place at the wrong time.