The Weekend Bible Study - with Ronald L. Dart

[…] But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called you

[…] A certain man gave a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought

Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house you enter into, there abide, and from there depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere. Luke 9:1–6 KJ2000

And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven demons, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto him of their substance. And when many people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spoke by a parable[.] Luke 8:1–4 KJ2000 Let’s do a little experiment here. I’m going to read this parable to you without comment. I want you to try to imagine yourself as a person who has never heard it before, had no frame of reference for it, and didn’t have a clue what Jesus was talking about here. The closest you’ve come to this is sowing a few seeds in the ground one time as a kid. Listen to the parable; you have never heard it before. What do you conclude that Jesus was driving at? Let’s begin, then, in Luke chapter 8.

Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and many people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the coffin: and they that bore him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto you, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet is risen up among us; and, God has visited his people. Luke 7:12–16 KJ2000

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and asked him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Luke 5:1–3 KJ2000 I have had occasion to speak across water in less important situations, and it is true: Sound carries better over water. Well, when Jesus had finished his sermon, he said to Simon: […] Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answering said unto him, Teacher, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at your word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish: and their net broke. Luke 5:4–6 KJ2000 I guess Jesus felt he should pay something for the use of the ship. He could have given them money, I suppose, but he didn’t. He blessed them another way—in their business. It emphasized, I suppose, that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights—even if he doesn’t hand it to us himself, but asks us to let down our nets and pull it up. And they beckoned unto their partners, who were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of the fish which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from now on you shall catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. Luke 5:7–11 KJ2000 Peter recognized a miracle when he saw it. And his view of himself was unobstructed; he knew what he was. And here’s the interesting thing to think about—so did Jesus.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, […] the word of God came unto John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Luke 3:1–6 KJ2000

Now on to one of my favorite stories in all the Bible. "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." I love this passage, because it underlines for me the reality of Jesus coming in the flesh. It underlines his utter dependence on Joseph and Mary. It underlines his complete vulnerability in the world. This is a really big event.

By the reckoning of some historians, when it comes to the Gospel accounts, we have two eyewitnesses, a scribe, and one contemporary historian who was able to collect the stories and put them in order. It makes a very comprehensive set of documents. They make our job a little more difficult, but why should it be easy? Now, I have made this point before, but I have to make it again right here. Some people whose elevator doesn't go to the top floor think that contradictions in the Gospel accounts invalidate them. Ironically, rather than invalidate them, they confirm them. Let me explain. For the testimony of witnesses to be valid, that testimony must be independent of the testimony of others. The inconsistencies are important because they establish the independence of the sources. There are also differences that arise from the purpose of the author. Luke says up front that his purpose is to set these things in order. Seemingly, chronological order. Matthew and Mark, however may have no such intent, and they may group messages and events to make a greater point. So don't play the fool by nitpicking. Try rather to understand what the witnesses want us to get about Jesus and his work and message. Now, instead of consulting the scholars first, let's consult Luke himself.