Luke Part 3 Week 8

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:11 

¹¹ The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 

The kingdom Jesus spoke of was His earthly kingdom. His rule on earth would be a thousand years in length. It is referred to six times in Revelation 20:1-7. This is to be distinguished from the rapture, or catching up of believers to meet Jesus in the air, as told about in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Several things must take place before His earthly kingdom is set up but none have to be fulfilled before the rapture of the church, the body of Christ.  

REFLECT 

Even though the return of Jesus may be delayed, His catching up of believers could occur at any time. Are you ready if it’s today? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about the Second Advent of Jesus. At His First Advent He was born in Bethlehem. The Second Advent refers to when He comes to earth again. A passage that tells about this is Revelation 19:11—20:7. The rapture of the Body of Christ will precede these events.   

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:12-14 

¹² He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. ¹³ Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ ¹⁴ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’” 

Jesus was telling the story about a nobleman and what his servants were doing while waiting for his return as a king. It is a picture of what Christ-followers are doing waiting for His return. The Jewish religious leaders hated Jesus and did not want Him to be their King. Those waiting for the nobleman’s return were told to invest the money given to each servant.  

REFLECT 

Are you busy doing the Lord’s work while waiting for His return? 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend to read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22. This passage tells believers how they should be living. Are you living like these verses say you should? 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:15-16 

¹⁵ “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. ¹⁶ The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’” 

The servants were to have invested the nobleman’s money and be able to show some profit to the new king. The first servant had done exceedingly well. His investment made “ten times the original amount.” At this point you might wonder how the other servants had done while they waited on the return of the nobleman/king.  

REFLECT 

Do you realize that anything you have has been given to you by the Lord? 

RESPOND 

Some think if they give 10 percent to the Lord, they can spend the remaining 90 percent any way they wish. Such an attitude does not indicate they are thankful to the Lord for everything they have. Of course, New Testament believers are not told to tithe but to give according to the way God has prospered them (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:10-12). 

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:17-19 

¹⁷ “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ ¹⁸ The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ ¹⁹ ‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’” 

This is the passage that causes some to believe faithful followers of Christ will be governors over cities in eternity. This is the last thing some believers would want. Remember in a story, or a parable, not every detail should be made to support some doctrine. The “nobleman” is here referred to as “the king.”  

REFLECT 

If it were your choice, would you want to be a governor over a city in eternity? Believers will likely find heaven to be much different than anything they can think of now.  

RESPOND 

Discuss with a friend about some concepts people have of heaven. When He was on earth, Jesus said little about heaven. Mostly, He warned people about not going to hell. There is enough biblical truth to assure us that believers will be with Jesus and that will be a perfect place. For passages in this regard, see John 14:6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 19:20-23 

²⁰ “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. ²¹ I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ ²² ‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, ²³ why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’” 

This part of Jesus’ story tells of the person who was not serious about carrying out the king’s instructions. In short, he was not busy following instructions to do what he was told, regardless of the increase it might have brought.  

REFLECT 

How would you grade yourself on carrying out King Jesus’ commands in the Bible? 

RESPOND 

Join with a friend in looking up some passages that have to do with commands of Jesus that believers should keep. Examine passages like Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 4:25-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22. What grade would you give yourselves?