- Covered In His Dust
- Posts
- Luke Chapter 18
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
Read Chapter 18 before reading my notes. They’ll make more sense.
Access previous notes on Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
Before I get started today, I want to give a shout-out to my editor. When I struggle or when the words are stuck, she drops everything she’s doing and works it out with me. She reads multiple rough drafts and lends me her invaluable insight.
It’s hard to believe that I’m more in love with her today than I was when I married her 25 years ago. There is nothing better than walking in faith (sometimes running and sometimes crawling) with someone who adores the Lord.
I’m grateful for you.
I’m so grateful to God for you.
THANK YOU for helping me get my notes out twice a week. I couldn’t do it without you. Facts.
Okay, let’s get after it.
The reason I started researching the scriptures is because I was tired of skipping passages in the Bible I didn’t completely understand.
Now, if I run across something that doesn’t look right, I’m on it.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow seems pretty straightforward. In fact, the first verse explains the parable's lesson.
“always to pray and not lose heart.”
The verse that didn’t immediately make sense to me was the last sentence of the parable's last verse.
“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
This seems out of place. What does this have to do with the parable?
To understand it, we need to go back to chapter 17 to get some context. Remember, the original scriptures weren’t divided by chapters and verses, and there were certainly no chapter titles such as “The Persistent Widow.”
At the end of chapter 17, Jesus was teaching about the Second Coming.
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
Lot and his family were warned not to look back, yet Lot's wife did. We must be careful not to hold on too tightly to the things of this world so that when Jesus returns, we don’t turn to pillars of salt, left in judgment.
Will Jesus' warnings keep our focus on Him and prevent us from getting too attached to the world? When the Son of Man returns, will He find us trusting Him, or will we be too caught up in securing our future here on earth?
"But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
How do we endure to the end?
And that’s the lesson of the persistent widow.
We pray without losing heart.
We pray without ceasing.
We pray with trust and confidence in a just Judge.
WE are the widow in the parable.
We are weak and without a husband to stand up for us.
Like the widow who went to the only one who could help her, we go to God, the only One who can help us.
We don’t go to the Judge to wear Him down with our prayers. We’re not beating on a door. We’re coming before a Judge whose heart is inclined to answer our prayers. It’s His good pleasure.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Lastly, I think it’s important to highlight verse 7.
“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”
The elect are God’s chosen people—those who believe and are saved. Jesus is teaching His disciples, you and me, that His chosen will be identified by their persistent praying.
We will be known by our prayer life?
That’s an area of my life I need to be better at.
This year, as I’ve studied the New Testament, I often try to identify who I am in the lessons Jesus teaches.
Am I the prodigal son who wanders away but returns to God seeking forgiveness and reconciliation? Or am I like the older brother, struggling with feelings of resentment or self-righteousness?
Am I the Samaritan who shows compassion and mercy to those in need? Or am I the priest or Levite who passes by without helping?
Am I the rich young ruler, clinging to material possessions and struggling to fully commit to following Jesus? Or am I willing to surrender everything to follow Him?
This is what I’ve found:
I have been the Pharisee who has looked down on others with pride and self-righteousness. I failed to recognize my own faults and need humility and forgiveness.
I have been the Samaritan woman at the well who sought fulfillment in earthly relationships but found true satisfaction and forgiveness through encountering Jesus.
I have been Judas, who betrayed Jesus. I realized the weight of my actions and sought forgiveness for my betrayal.
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
We have nothing to offer God to atone for our sin.
We are:
empty,
impoverished,
despised,
bankrupt,
and desperate beggars.
"God, have mercy on us"
As we study Luke, I want to encourage you to be curious. Imagine curiosity as a muscle. Every time you ask a question, you’re building muscle.
WHY?
WHO is that?
WHERE is that?
WHERE is that now?
HOW is that connected?
WHAT does it mean now?
But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them,”
I think most of us read right past this scripture. But today, let’s be curious.
How do I hinder children?
Setting a Poor Example: When we act dishonestly, unkindly, or selfishly as adults, children might copy us. This makes it hard for kids to learn what it means to follow Jesus.
Exposing Them to Harmful Influences: If children see or hear things in movies, games, or online that go against what Jesus teaches, it can confuse them and make it tough to understand God's love.
Excessive Pressure or Expectations: If we push kids too hard to do well in school, sports, or other activities, it can make it difficult for them to focus on growing closer to God and understanding his love.
A comfortable t-shirt.
The first thing that stands out about the parable of the Rich Ruler is that it’s SO FAMILIAR. One reason is that it’s included in all three synoptic Gospels. If you’ve read through the New Testament, you’ve read it three times.
The synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—are called "synoptic" because they offer similar views of Jesus' life and teachings. They share many of the same stories and events, often using similar words. Scholars believe they most likely used shared sources to write their Gospels. While they're alike in many ways, each Gospel also has its own unique material.
When I read scripture that feels comfortable, if it FEELS like I understand the lesson or parable, I work a little harder to uncover something I didn’t know.
The Rich Ruler shows his entire hand when he asks,
“Good Teacher, what must [I] do to inherit eternal life?”
Here’s the thing. We can’t DO anything. We are saved by grace.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"
Then why does Jesus say THIS???
“You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’”
Is Jesus saying that we can inherit eternal life, we can be saved, by following the commandments??? It seems like it.
What is the purpose of the law in regard to salvation?
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Law doesn’t save us, but instead, it’s a mirror that shows us our guilt and need for a savior.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by the law FAITH.
The word “guardian” in the original Greek is παιδαγωγὸς (guardian/tutor). Like a guardian or tutor, the Law provided guidance, instruction, and boundaries for living a righteous life.
And then the Rich Ruler’s pride revealed itself.
“All these I have kept from my youth.”
He grew up believing he would be saved by the law through his righteousness, but in the end, it’s God who provides the perfect lamb through which we become righteous before God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God became man to die for our sin, making what’s impossible, possible through the Father.
The man didn't want to follow Jesus if it meant giving away his money, which showed that he was actually breaking the two greatest commandments. He didn’t love the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul, and he didn’t love his neighbor as himself.
Even though he claimed to follow all the commandments, his actions exposed that he was just as sinful as everyone else. The Law proved it.
That’s it for today.
I’m curious. What are you most excited about right now? (Reply to this email, and I’ll reply with what I’m most excited about.)
Did you know???
You can EASILY share this newsletter by clicking on the social media links at the top! Try it. ❤️ (Seriously, scroll to the top and try it.)
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
PS - Do you love Covered in His Dust? Forward it to someone you care about.
Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe to future notes here.
George Sisneros serves as a full-time missionary in Guatemala. He is the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 25 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family will be expanding to Cuba in 2024.