Luke Part 3 Week 7

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 18:40-43 

⁴⁰ When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” ⁴² And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too. 

Jesus stopped when the bling beggar cried out to Him. Jesus asked a question to which He already knew the answer, “What do you want me to do for you?” The man wanted to see and Jesus realized He had faith so He caused him to receive his sight. Not only was the man enabled to see, but he also followed Jesus giving praise to God. Other eyewitnesses to this also praised God. 

REFLECT 

Does it seem strange to you that Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted? Some physicians say there are people who do not want to be healed of their infirmity.  

RESPOND 

Although God has the ability to heal, He does not heal everyone this side of heaven. Even the apostles had the power to heal, but the apostle Paul left Trophimus without healing him (see 2 Timothy 4:20). Talk with a friend about these matters. 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:1-4 

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. ² There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He remained the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. ³ He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 

Tax collectors were despised because they worked for the Roman government collecting taxes from the Jewish people. Some collected more tax than they should have. A “chief tax collector” who was very rich would be especially despised. This one named Zacchaeus was short, but he desperately wanted to see Jesus so he climbed a tree to do so. 

REFLECT 

Once you had the desire to know more about Jesus, what lengths did you go to? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about what each of you did when you became spiritually hungry to know more about Jesus. Did this desire drive you into the gospels in the New Testament to learn more about Him? 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:5-7 

⁵ When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” ⁶ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. ⁷ But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 

Jesus already knew this rich chief tax collector by name. He called him to come down so He could be a guest in his home. This upset the bystanders because they didn’t think Jesus should be a guest “of a notorious sinner.” As today, unbelievers have standards they think true believers should live by. 

REFLECT 

Have you had unbelievers try to tell you how you should act as a believer in Jesus? 

RESPOND 

Notice as you read the gospels that Jesus was kind hearted to unbelievers. For an example, read John 8:1-11. Jesus was not so kind to unbelieving religious people (see Matthew 21:12-13). Today is the same, persecution of those teaching and preaching biblical Christianity doesn’t come from unbelievers but from religious leaders who do not believe what the Bible teaches. In some countries it is a death sentence to say one believes in Jesus.  

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:8 

⁸ Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”  

Zacchaeus’s change of heart is seen by his actions of being willing to repay those he had cheated. He would even repay them four times as much as he had cheated them. When a person believes in Jesus the evidence of it is what an individual does. That was even the purpose of water baptism in Bible times. It indicated to others the person had become a follower of Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Do you realize the only way others know you are a believer in Jesus is by your life and actions? 

RESPOND 

Again, this brings to mind a question sometimes asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Share with a friend what each of you is doing to show others you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:9-10 

⁹ Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”  

Jesus knew whether the chief tax collector believed in Him, but the only way others could know this is by what he said and did. Luke 19:10 is considered by some to be the key verse in the book of Luke, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” This gives the purpose of why the Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth and took up human form so He could die for the sin of the world.  

REFLECT 

It’s one thing to be able to say, “Jesus died for others,” but can you say, “Jesus died for me”? 

RESPOND 

As mentioned before, “Christianity is not about a religion, it is about a relationship.” Some count on their good works to make them right with God, but only personally believing in Him as Savior will make you right with God. Someday we will all meet Jesus face to face. You will either meet Him as your Savior or as your Judge. The decision you make in your lifetime determines how you will meet Jesus; there is no second chance after death (see Hebrews 9:27).