Luke – Doors Wide Open!
Luke 8, New Living Translation
Parable of the Lamp
16 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. 17 For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”
HOLY PAUSE!
We cannot receive The Light of the world, Jesus Christ, into our once dark hearts, enlightening our minds and flooding our souls and then try to cover Him up with continuing in our selfish ways. Once the Messiah has entered in, He’s in. It would foolish and impossible to hide The Light of Salvation.Listen as we read this out loud, slowly…”“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed.” Lamps gave light because of oil being set on fire. Consider how dangerous it would have been back then to put even a small amount of fire under a wooden bowl or under the mattress made of straw! Imagine Jesus telling this example with explaining how foolish it would be to try to keep the light hidden. In the process of covering up the light, your fire might go out or, worse yet, you could set your house on fire! It is not only foolish but dangerous to hide the Light. In the best of circumstances it is crazy to receive The Light and then do your best to cover up the fact that you know Christ!
I am reminded what Jesus said later to his followers, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) I do not think I could handle the shame of hiding The Light of my life, can you?
Are we ashamed of knowing Christ? What does our behavior show?
Do we hide knowing and living for Him at work, in our family gatherings or with our group of friends while socializing? Are we afraid of that conversation of saving grace?
“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.”
The Light of Jesus in us should be at the front of our thinking, be seen by our smile, and reflected in our eyes! The Light of Jesus should be glorified in our behaviors as we journey in a dark world without Him.
Don’t hide Him! Let what you have SHINE!
“A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”
Jesus is The Light of the world. He came for all. All need to see The Light and be guided by The Light. There is nothing worse than finding your way in a dark room, bumping and tripping over obstacles that cause bruises and brokenness. Put The Light where it can be seen by all.
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior,Lord, you have promised that more understanding of what you are saying will be given to those who are listening. I’m listening, Lord. I am convicted, challenged and corrected by Your Word this morning. Help me to live in ways that please You and glorify Who You are. May Your Light shine brightly in me today. You cannot be hidden! You are God and I am not.
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
Sing with me…SHINE (by Newsboys)
Shine.
Make ’em wonder whatcha got.
Make ’em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored.
Shine.
Let it shine before all men.
Let em see good works and then
Let em glorify the Lord.
4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Women are not only mentioned but they are an important part of the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ our Lord and their Lord. Upon believing in Him, they follow Him and contribute to His ministry financially. The women supported Jesus and the other disciples because they believed in Jesus and his work to seek and to save lost people. Later, at the foot of the cross, it would be these women who stayed with Christ. It would be these women who brought spices to the tomb to dignify the body of Christ. It would be these women who would be the first to meet the RISEN Christ and told to go tell the others! 
Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. 
Men and Women were created with specific gifts and talents and tasks they can do well because of their uniqueness. When we work together, with respect for each other’s differences and abilities as we follow Jesus, the ministry of Jesus is exponentially multiplied for Christ, in Christ, with Christ living in each one of us…brothers and sisters, united in Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father,
thankful for walking still. I am a fast walker, (which is annoying to some). I still walk about two miles a day. Feet are important to get us where we want to go. I’m grateful for my feet. Some have to use other forms to get around.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
NO ONE is beyond forgiveness from Jesus. No one.
A woman who knew her sin was determined to come to the One and only who could forgive her. She risks coming into the home of a Pharisee. It is such a gutsy thing to do that she is not stopped, only ridiculed as she weeps uncontrollably. She does not care. She throws all caution to the wind. She comes from behind Jesus in humility. She quickly breaks open her life savings and pours out the contents from the once sealed alabaster jar on the beautiful feet who has brought good news! 
Confusion and doubt hits all of us at times. We might be doing what we think God wants but confused by the response of others so that puts us briefly in doubt mode. We wonder if we are doing what God wants. We wonder if we are doing things correctly or in the best way. We are confused by attitudes around us. We are confused when we get stuck in the prison of our doubt. So, we ask God.
21 At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. 22 Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 23 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
It is not unusual for great spiritual leaders to have their days of doubt and uncertainty. Moses was ready to quit on one occasion (Num. 11:10–15), and so were Elijah (1 Kings 19) and Jeremiah (Jer. 20:7–9, 14–18), and even Paul knew the meaning of despair (2 Cor. 1:8–9). 
Jesus did not give the two men a lecture on theology or prophecy. Instead, He invited them to watch as He healed many people of many different afflictions. Certainly these were His credentials as the promised Messiah. He had not established a political kingdom, but the kingdom of God was there in power. 
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior
When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary
Nain was about twenty-five miles from Capernaum, a good day’s journey away, yet Jesus went there even though He was not requested to come. Since the Jews buried their dead the same day, it is likely that Jesus and His disciples arrived at the city gate late in the afternoon of the day the boy died. 
the same sense that we are, having been brought into existence by conception and birth. Since Jesus is eternal God, He has always existed. The title Son of God declares Christ’s divine nature and His relationship to the Father, to whom the Son has willingly subjected Himself from all eternity. All the Persons of the Godhead are equal and each has a specific place to fill and task to fulfill. 
“Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away”…
Jesus was sent from God to seek and to save the lost who do not know God or have turned away from God in their thinking and behaving. John tells us what God fully intended to solidify this mission, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NLT) 
6 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
You may or may not have heard the expression “Give me a solid” from the 60’s, but what it refers to something real or tangible–solid (as opposed to lip service). It could even be such a thing as a solid handshake which held great meaning. Also around the time of the origin of this phrase, currency was still on the gold standard (as in solid gold and guaranteed 1:1), again, this request or favor is something tangible and that you could count on.
From “The Jacket”, first broadcast 2/6/91:
Building on a Solid Foundation
What is flowing from my heart, cascading into my behavior?
My hope is built on nothing less
We are judgy as we drive to work, church, outings or family gatherings. We know how to drive and all others do not, especially the ones who get in our way or cut us off. We tell them how to drive as if they are hearing us in our closed up car. Our mood on the way to work, school or anywhere is growing more sour by the minute…because of our judgyness. 
Jesus teaches us, “do not judge others”. He teaches that when we judge, we will be judged. I have learned that when we don’t judge, we experience a relief in our souls. Why? Because it is not our job to stand in judgement of others. We really do not want this job. An earthly judge must live with their decisions based on what is presented in evidence. The only, ultimate judge who can see and know all hearts and circumstances is Jesus Christ, our Lord. And how does HE judge? He forgives. We need to retrain our brains.
37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
What do we teach by our words and body language? To be judgy or forgiving?
Jesus, Son of God, went away to pray. He didn’t want to be away from people He loved. He wanted to be WITH God, to hear from God, His Father. “He prayed to God all night.” What did Jesus ask God? Was it wisdom in choosing the Twelve to be apostles, those who could be His hands of healing so the ministry could be multiplied? Probably, because at daybreak that was the first task of the day.
12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:
When the chosen Twelve came down the mountain with Jesus in the lead, they were met with other believers and disciples followers along with crowds of people begging to be healed. “Everyone tried to touch him…” That phrase hits my heart this morning. The world today wanders around seeking to be healed from all kinds of anxieties, brokenness, loneliness, mental issues and physical pain. But they are looking in all the wrong places. They have forgotten, or they never knew, that Jesus is alive, ready to heal broken spirits, is compassionate to save, and willing to love us relentlessly and completely. Who will tell them?
