- Covered In His Dust
- Posts
- Luke Chapter 19
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 19 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 we get started on Chapter 19, let’s take an aerial view of what’s going on.
Jesus is nearing the end of His earthly ministry, and His focus is on teaching His disciples and preparing them for what lies ahead.
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus meets Zacchaeus in Jericho. Jericho to Jerusalem, is only 17 miles and probably takes about a day to get there.
It's estimated that it took Jesus a matter of days, perhaps up to a week, from the time he met Zacchaeus to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was arrested.
Here’s a partial timeline:
Last Supper and Arrest: Jesus shares the Last Supper with His disciples and is betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane (Thursday evening).
Trials Before Jewish and Roman Authorities: Jesus faced trials before Jewish religious leaders and then Pontius Pilate, who condemned Him to be crucified (Thursday night to Friday morning).
Crucifixion: Jesus is crucified on a hill called Golgotha alongside two criminals (Friday morning to afternoon).
Burial: Jesus' body is placed in a tomb before sunset on Friday, following Jewish burial customs (Friday late afternoon).
Resurrection: On the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus rises from the dead, conquering sin and death and bringing hope and new life to all who believe (Easter Sunday).
I’m 57 years old, and I’ve never realized how rushed the last few days were.
I KNOW the story. I’ve read or heard it SO MANY TIMES that it’s become familiar—too familiar.
I grew up in America, where Easter was a church service in the morning followed by an Easter Egg hunt.
Easter in America is about the kids and chocolate and bunnies.
As I look at the timeline, I’m heartbroken for the first time in my life. I’m embarrassed and sad about that.
I’ve been a missionary for over a decade, and today, I’m feeling the heaviness of Jesus’ last days.
I’m feeling the weight of how rushed the trials were.
I’m feeling the weight of Jesus finding the disciples sleeping.
I’m feeling the weight of Jesus praying three times, “Let this cup pass from me.”
In Chapter 18, we read about The Rich Ruler, who walked away sad. When I read that scripture, I often walk away feeling convicted. I grew up in America, and by the world’s standards,
We
Are
Rich
The goal isn’t to walk away sad! Jesus isn’t fulfilled when we walk away sad. He understands.
“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Someone in the crowd speaks up. You can hear the desperation in their voice. They seem distressed.
“Then who can be saved?”
But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
And then Jesus gives them a real example of a rich man being saved in Chapter 19 with Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector.
A "chief tax collector," like Zacchaeus, held a higher position among tax collectors. He would have overseen a team of tax collectors and managed collection within the region or district. He probably had more authority and potentially greater wealth compared to regular tax collectors.
But what was the difference? Why did one walk away sad, and the other receive salvation?
The Apostle Paul tells us,
"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Zacchaeus had Godly sorrow.
He didn’t walk away sad.
He believed, and he repented.
The Rich Ruler had “the sorrow of the world.”
No one is beyond redemption and repentance.
You know what I loved about this story? I love that Jesus invited Himself over for dinner! Sharing the Gospel requires a boldness and an edginess that might put us in situations where we invite ourselves for dinner.
The Parable of the Ten Minas is another one of those stories that SOUNDS familiar so we often read without giving much attention to detail.
As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
As Jesus traveled towards Jerusalem, the crowd believed that the kingdom would appear immediately. They probably thought Jesus was going to Jerusalem to be an earthly king who would reign immediately even though, in chapter 18, He told them he was going to die.
For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
The nobleman in the parable is going off to “a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.”
It seems WEIRD to me that someone would go off to “a far country” to get a kingdom and then return. Right? Doesn’t that seem like a weird way to do it?
Except the followers of Jesus knew exactly what He meant.
This had just happened in Israel. Herod the Great was king of Judea when Jesus was born. He was the one who had the babies killed in Bethlehem.
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
Herod died shortly after Jesus's birth, and his son, Archelaus, was appointed ruler of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea.
But guess what? Archelaus couldn't assume his role immediately. He had to travel to Rome, almost 1500 miles, “a far country to receive for himself a kingdom,” to receive confirmation from the Roman Emperor Cesar Augustus before officially becoming ruler.
The nobleman in the parable is Jesus, and in the parable, He’s explaining to them that He was going to be gone for a while, at least 2000 years.
Where was He going?
He had accomplished His work here on earth by redeeming mankind, and He was going back to the throne of glory to sit at the right hand of His Father.
"that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."
"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.'"
The nobleman knew he was going to be gone for a while, so before he left, he called 10 of his servants and gave them each ten minas.
A mina was a unit of currency used in the Roman Empire and was roughly equivalent to 100 denarii.
If the value of a denarius were approximately a day's wage for an average worker, then a mina would roughly be 100 days' wages.
The nobleman commissioned his servants to make good use of what he had given them, to invest it wisely so that when he came back, they would have even more to show for it.
In the same way, Jesus has commissioned us to make good use of what He has given us and to invest wisely so that when He comes back, we will have even more to show for it.
Great. What does that mean practically?
A good place to start is the Great Commission, which He gave to all of us, until He returns.
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
We’re sent out to make disciples and to teach them all that He has commanded. We are to bear fruit and to invite others to join the Kingdom of God.
While the nobleman was gone, his servants were expected to work. And that’s where we are today. Jesus hasn’t returned yet, and He expects us to be working until His return.
Working how?
Discipling.
Sharing the gospel.
Prayer and intercession.
Stewarding our resources.
Building and strengthening the church.
Demonstrating compassion and mercy.
Investing the gifts and talents God has given you.
He will return and we will have to give an accounting.
Not sure where to start?
Take inventory of the gifts and talents God has given you.
Write out what a man or woman of faith looks like. What do they do in the morning? Do they pray? When? How often? Are they compassionate? Are they generous? Do they love their neighbor? How? How often? Do they read the Bible? Do they study the Bible? When? Do they engage in activities that contradict who God is, including movies, music, and social media? Do they (men) lead their family spiritually? Do they curse? Ever?
I’m not saying this is who you have to be today. Spend some time writing and thinking about this person of faith who has fully surrendered their life to Christ.
And then… ask the Holy Spirit to conform you to His likeness. Pray that Jesus would sanctify you… daily… hourly. I’m telling you right now. God answers those prayers.
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
In the parable, those who rejected the king symbolize not only the Jewish nation, God’s chosen people, who rejected Christ during His earthly ministry, but also anyone who opposes Christ today. When Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom, judgment will come upon all who reject Jesus as Lord.
Remember why Jesus told the parable.
Jesus used the Parable to clarify that the Kingdom of God would not come immediately, as many hoped or expected.
The lesson of the parable is that He will be gone and that while He’s gone, He expects us to be about His business.
That’s it for today. Keep an eye out for part 2 of Chapter 19 in your inbox on Monday. It aligns closely with where we are today, especially as we're just ten days away from Easter.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
PS—Do you love Covered in His Dust? Someone you know is praying to understand scripture. Consider forwarding this to three people today.
Did you know you can share it on social media? Just click on one of the links at the top right of this page.
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.