 In Luke 15:4-7 Jesus says he would leave the 99 to find the one lost sheep. (John 10:11- Jesus is the good shepherd and he will lay down his life for his sheep). Jesus invited Peter and all his disciples to take part in caring for his church. In this text “feed my sheep;” it's referring to the work of a shepherd. They are called to feed believers and the lost with spiritual food, to seek the lost “sheep.” Why does Jesus give Peter this charge? It was a way to not only -forgive- Peter for his earlier -betrayal of Christ- but to show that Jesus had -absolute trust- in Peter’s ability to #lead in God’s kingdom. Jesus forgives and entrusts peter part of the most important work to be done in the kingdom. (You can read complementary accounts of Peter’s three denials in Matthew 26:20-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, and John 18:15-27). As Peter discovered, no matter how often we let Him down, God won’t give up on us. John 21:15-17 illustrates Peter’s #restoration in the ministry by Jesus. After the disciples finished breakfast on the shore of Tiberias, Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved Jesus “more than these.” (The question is significant because we learn that Peter was quick to speak and act in love and honor of Jesus (Matt16:13-19).Jesus posed the question 3 times to Peter, which -parallel- his earlier 3 denials). Jesus says to Peter; “feed and take care of the sheep given to Him; the duty of shepherding the people of God, to teach them #biblical #truth that feeds their souls.” The commission given to Peter is extended to ALL the apostles to care for The flock, knowing that they belong ultimately to Christ and that they need the truth of God’s Word!:)
 Contextually in Luke 18 we are near the end of the long journey to *Jerusalem, a trek that occupies nearly a third of Luke’s gospel. The parable comes of Jesus’ discourse on His return, an event that will occur at the very *end of *history. During the period between first and second comings, the covenant community will endure great hardship and persecution, so the parable motivates believers to *persevere. It is prefaced with a purpose statement: “that they [the disciples] ought always to pray and not lose heart” The phrase “lose heart” occurs often in the New Testament in the context of end-times #persecution. For example, Paul tells the Ephesian church “not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory” (3:13; 2 Cor. 4:1, 16; Gal. 6:9; 2 Thess. 3:13). The general flow of the parable is easy enough: a widow steadfastly pleads with a pagan judge to grant her justice. Nearly all details of the parable are vague—we know nothing of *why or *how the widow was wronged, nothing about the “*adversary*,” and nothing about where this took place but we -do- learn something about the nature of the *judge. He “neither feared God nor respected man” -because of the widow’s persistence, he handed down a favorable verdict. In the wider context of Luke 17–18- in preceding passages, much of what Jesus teaches concerns the believers’ *perseverance before His second coming (17:22–37). As history unfolds, hostility *increases between God’s people and the world. Living in a period of time that is oddly marked by the presence of the kingdom of God and the tribulation (Matt. 13:24–50). Participating in the kingdom inevitably results in great hardship and persecution. (Luke 17:33). They will be wronged, and the world will do its worst. But, because the widow persevered, the judge avenged her. Faith is indeed a gift of God and one of the closest passages to the parable of the #persistent widow is the #fifth #seal in Revelation 9:10, where the deceased saints in heaven cry out to God, God reminds us of one thing: “Wait a little longer” 💫🌍
The concept of “blasphemy against the Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus has just performed a miracle. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus, and the Lord cast the demon out, healing the man of blindness and muteness. The eyewitnesses to this exorcism began to wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for. A group of Pharisees, hearing the talk of the Messiah, quickly quashed any budding faith in the crowd: “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons,” they said (Matthew 12:24).
 Matt18:12/Luke15:4-from these passages we -understand- it is -Jesus- who leaves the 99. This is because he used short relatable stories to share deeper spiritual insights about Himself, His Father, and His Kingdom. The lost sheep parables are no different and point to considerable truths. To better understand these truths, we’ll need to take a closer look at the nature of parables and what is implied by the stories of the lost sheep. In Luke, the lost sheep, loving shepherd, and remaining flock, spoke so brilliantly and effectively to their respective situations. And they did so because the familiar points of reference added depth to what Jesus was trying to relay. Today, it’s a bit harder to relate to this culture of ancient Israel, so it helps to read these #parables with a little #context. For instance, Psalm 100:3 is one of many places where -God’s people- are referred to as sheep. It says, “Know that the Lord is God… we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” This theme of believers of Jesus, or Christians, being sheep is repeated all throughout (Matt10:6; Mark14:27; Isaiah53:6; Jer50:6), used again in both parables, among other places. These parables combined speak to the complete body of Christ. To the sheep who are already in the fold, and to the sheep who are yet to come. Both to the lost sinner, and again to the found saint. Most predominantly, we recognize this in the life of the “lost” sinner, “Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke15:4). While we were sinners, Christ died for us, (Romans 5:8) thus securing an eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12) and tearing the *curtain between us and God (Hebrews10:20) that from -His fullness- we can *receive #grace upon grace (John 1:16). The Shepherd goes after the sheep who are his(Matt18:12; Luke 15:4; 2 Timothy 2:19) amid the goats and the wolves(Matt25:33; Matt7:15). It is His sheep that hear and recognize their Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), for they have been #chosen and #predestined to do so (Eph 1:4-5).
 The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.[Lk 10:25–37] And has inspired #painting, sculpture, satire, poetry, photography, and film throughout history. Its introduced by a question, known as the #Great #Commandment: Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to -inherit- eternal life?"He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus replies with a story: Jesus answered, "A -certain- man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he -fell- among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, -leaving him -half -dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, -he passed by- on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his -wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and -took care- of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, -I will *repay you- -when- I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a -neighbor- to him who -fell among- the robbers?" He said, "He *who showed #mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
— Luke 10:30–37,  Bible Cross References 🕊❤️🙏❤️🕊
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Anew Light MinistriesCREATING environments through the vehicles of Visual and Expressive ARTS to help plug people into their CREATOR by fostering Spiritual Growth. By combining Therapeutic Art, Christ-Centered CBT techniques, and Integrated Arts in Scriptural Education, I seek to Heal human brokenness and Redeem Fullness through the Transformative Healing Power of The Holy Spirit. |
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