Hi friends, I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles. So here is how it works. I'll read three chapters to you. You can listen or read along in your own Bible or online, and then I'll pray, and that's it. I will be reading Luke 13 through 15 from the New Living Translation, and if you are following along in the Let's Read the Gospels guided journal, we are on page 85. Luke 13. About this time Jesus was informed the pilot had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the temple. Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee? Jesus asked, is that why they suffered? Not at all. And you will perish too unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the 18 people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish too. Then Jesus told this story. A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, I've waited three years and there hasn't been a single fig. Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden. The gardener answered, Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down. One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for 18 years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness. Then he touched her and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God. But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. There are six days of the week for working, he said to the crowd, come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath. But the Lord replied, you hypocrites, each of you works on the Sabbath day. Don't you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham has been held in bondage by Satan for 18 years. Isn't it right that she be released even on the Sabbath? This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did. Then Jesus said, What is the kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden. It grows and becomes a tree and the birds make nests in its branches. He also asked, What else is the kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough. Jesus went through the towns and villages teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, Lord, will only a few be saved? He replied, Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, Lord, open the door for us. But he will reply, I don't know you or where you come from. Then you will say, But we ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets. And he will reply, I tell you, I don't know you or where you come from. Get away from me. All you who do evil. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. And people will come from all over the world, from east and west, north and south, to take their places in the kingdom of God. And note this, some who seem least important now will be the greatest then. And some who are the greatest now will be least important then. At that time, some Pharisees said to him, Get away from here if you want to live. Herod Antipas wants to kill you. Jesus replied, Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow. And the third day I will accomplish my purpose. Yes, today, tomorrow and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn't do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers. How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me. And now look, your house is abandoned and you will never see me again until you say blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Luke 14. One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day or not? When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath if your son or your cow falls into a pit? Don't you rush to get him out? Again, they could not answer. When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice. When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, Give this person your seat. Then you will be embarrassed and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table. Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, Friend, we have a better place for you. Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Then he turned to his host. When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, he said, Don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors, for they will invite you back and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you. Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the kingdom of God. Jesus replied with this story. A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to tell the guests, Come, the banquet is ready. But they all began making excuses. One said, I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me. Another said, I have just bought five pairs of oxen and I want to try them out. Please excuse me. Another said, I just got married, so I can't come. The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. After the servant had done this, he reported, There's still room for more. So his master said, Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet. A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else. Your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, There is the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it. Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Luke 15. Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people, even eating with them. So Jesus told them the story. If a man has 100 sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the 99 others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors saying, Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over 99 others who are righteous and haven't strayed away. Or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin. In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents. To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story. A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now before you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later, this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land. And there he wasted all his money and wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, At home, even the hired servants have food enough to spare and here I am dying of hunger. I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant. So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming filled with love and compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. His father said to the servants, Quick, bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet and kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast for the son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began. Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house and he asked one of the servants what was going on. Your brother is back, he was told, and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return. The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied all these years, I have slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time, you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf. His father said to him, look, dear son, you have always stayed by me and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day for your brother was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, but now he is found. That is Luke 13 through 15 in the NLT. Let's pray together. Jesus, I love that last story. Maybe my favorite story in the Bible in Luke 15 about the two brothers. And I would ask today that you would show us where we are the younger brother, where we are running, where we are out of step with what you would have us be doing with our lives. And show us where we're the older brother, where we're judgmental, where we're unkind, where we are feeling like we are slaving for God versus serving and being a loved child of God. So open our eyes to where we fit in that story today. We love you, Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
