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Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 10
Wiersbe - “Any man who takes Jesus Christ seriously becomes the target of the devil,” Vance Havner often told audiences. “Most church members do not give Satan enough trouble to arouse his opposition.” (Borrow Be Compassionate) Rod Mattoon - We are still lambs among wolves today. In fact, in our modern, so-called civilized time, 160,000 Christians are martyred for Christ every single year across the globe, especially in Muslim and Communist countries (ED: I AM NOT SURE OF THAT NUMBER OR THE STATEMENT THAT MORE CHRISTIANS ARE MARTYRED TODAY THAN AT ANY TIME IN HISTORY. BUT SEE THIS NOTE AND THIS LIST FROM OPEN DOORS). We may not face death in America, YET, but many Christians are harassed and persecuted for their faith in Christ. We all have been sent on a mission to reach even those who are wolves. Jesus warned it would not be easy. Yet, the opposition we face is an opportunity to show strength of character and sincerity of what we truly believe in our heart about the Lord. Steven
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Wiersbe - Instead of praying for an easier job, they were to pray for more laborers to join them, and we today need to pray that same prayer. (Please note that it is laborers, not spectators, who pray for more laborers! Too many Christians are praying for somebody else to do a job they are unwilling to do themselves.) J C
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Wiersbe - Like Joshua’s army of old, they first proclaimed peace to the cities. If a city rejected the offer of peace, then it chose judgment (Deut. 20:10–18+). It is a serious thing to reject the ambassadors God sends. (Borrow Be Compassionate) The point of return to you is that the disciple was not to proclaim the message of peace to anyone who was not willing to receive it. Neither the messenger nor the message was to be forced upon anyone. Don't spend your life trying to pound open a closed door! If you see an opportunity to share the Gospel then stay, but if not then leave! Compare Matthew 10:12-15. Leon
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Wiersbe - To hear Christ’s ambassadors means to hear Him, and to despise His representatives means to despise Him. “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you” (John 20:21; see also 2 Cor. 5:18–21). (Borrow Be Compassionate)
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Wiersbe - It was expected that rabbis would discuss theological matters in public, and the question this scribe (lawyer) asked was one that was often debated by the Jews. It was a good question asked with a bad motive, because the lawyer hoped to trap our Lord. However, Jesus trapped the lawyer! (Borrow Be Compassionate) POSB - The lawyer was not seeking the truth. He was not really trying to discover the way to God. His purpose was to trip Jesus, to lead Jesus to discredit Himself by giving some unusual answer that would arouse the people against Him. (Borrow Luke Commentary The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible) Saying, "Teacher (didaskalos), what shall I do (poieo) to inherit (kleronomeo) eternal (aionos) life (zoe)?" - This is another way of asking how can I be saved or how can I enter the kingdom of God? It is fascinating to compare this Jewish lawyer with Nicodemus "the teacher of Israel" in John 3:1-16+, and you will note that Nicodemus asks 3 questions in that conversation, but not once did he ask Jesus what he could DO to gain the Kingdom of God.
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Wiersbe comments "The scribe gave the right answer, but he would not apply it personally to himself and admit his own lack of love for both God and his neighbor. So, instead of being justified by throwing himself on the mercy of God (Luke 18:9-14), he tried to justify himself and wriggle out of his predicament. He used the old debating tactic, "Define your terms! What do you mean by 'neighbor'? Who is my neighbor?" (Borrow Be Compassionate) Moody Bible Commentary - The lawyer was attempting to "limit the commandment" so as to make it possible for him to obey it sufficiently enough to merit eternal life. To justify may carry the same sense of "justification" in Paul's writings since Luke was one of Paul's missionary companions and would be steeped in the apostle's theology. Jesus exposed the fallacy of this tactic, and He answered the lawyers' question in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Joseph Parker on wishing to justify himself - "So long as there is any disposition in us to justify ourselves, are we unprepared to receive the gospel." Keathley - The lawyer asks the question to test him. He is not sincere. That may be the reason Jesus goes along with the assumption that you can earn eternal life. Another thing we see about the lawyer is his self-righteousness. Remember that most parables answer a question and deal with an attitude. The attitude being dealt with in the parable is self-righteousness. The text says the lawyer was “seeking to justify himself.” That by the way was the problem with the nation. Of course we don’t have that problem in our culture. We just write books titled, I’m ok, You’re ok. (Ref) The Scripture is very clear on how one is justified and it is not by keeping the law... "by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." (Ro 3:20) For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.” (Gal 3:10) ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’(Dt 27:26)
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Wiersbe - The lawyer wanted to make the issue somewhat complex and philosophical, but Jesus made it simple and practical. He moved it from duty to love, from debating to doing. To be sure, our Lord was not condemning discussions or debates; He was only warning us not to use these things as excuses for doing nothing. Committees are not always committed! One of my favorite D.L. Moody stories illustrates this point. Attending a convention in Indianapolis, Mr. Moody asked singer Ira Sankey to meet him at 6 o’clock one evening at a certain street corner. When Sankey arrived, Mr. Moody put him on a box and asked him to sing, and it was not long before a crowd gathered. Moody spoke briefly, inviting the crowd to follow him to the nearby opera house. Before long, the auditorium was filled, and the evangelist preached the Gospel to the spiritually hungry people. When the delegates to the convention started to arrive, Moody stopped preaching and said, “Now we must close as the brethren of the convention wish to come and to discuss the question, ‘How to Reach the Masses.’ ” Touche! (Borrow Be Compassionate) Barclay sums up Jesus' teaching on the Good Samaritan in Lk 10:25-37 - The scribe (lawyer) who asked this question was in earnest. Jesus asked him what was written in the law, and then said, "How do you read?" Strict orthodox Jews wore round their wrists little leather boxes called phylacteries (or toptaphoth), which contained certain passages of scripture--Ex 13:1-10; Dt 13:11-16; Dt 6:4-9; Dt 11:13-20. "You will love the Lord your God" is from Deuteronomy 6:4 and Deuteronomy 11:13. So Jesus said to the scribe, "Look at the phylactery on your own wrist and it will answer your question." To that the scribes added Leviticus 19:18+, which bids a man love his neighbor as himself; but with their passion for definition the Rabbis sought to define who a man's neighbor was; and at their worst and their narrowest they confined the word neighbor to their fellow Jews. For instance, some of them said that it was illegal to help a Gentile woman in her sorest time, the time of childbirth, for that would only have been to bring another Gentile into the world. So then the scribe's question, "Who is my neighbor?" was genuine. Jesus' answer involves three things. (i) We must help a man even when he has brought his trouble on himself, as the traveler had done. (ii) Any man of any nation who is in need is our neighbor. Our help must be as wide as the love of God. (iii) The help must be practical and not consist merely in feeling sorry. No doubt the priest and the Levite felt a pang of pity for the wounded man, but they did nothing. Compassion, to be real, must issue in deeds. What Jesus said to the scribe, he says to us--"Go you and do the same." (ED: AND THIS SHOULD HAVE CONVICTED THE LAWYER CAUSING HIM TO CRY OUT FOR SALVATION FROM JESUS). (Daily Study Bible) Leon
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Wiersbe writes that "Worship is at the heart of all that we are and all that we do in the Christian life. It is important that we be busy ambassadors, taking the message of the Gospel to lost souls. It is also essential to be merciful Samaritans, seeking to help exploited and hurting people who need God’s mercy. But before we can represent Christ as we should, or imitate Him in our caring ministry, we must spend time with Him and learn from Him. We must “take time to be holy.” (Borrow Be Compassionate) Ray Pritchard - Mary only appears for certain three times in the gospels—Luke 10, John 11, and John 12. In all three places she is always in the same place—at the feet of Jesus. We never see her anywhere else. In our text she is at Jesus’ feet listening to his words. Consider what this means: Sitting—Quietness; At the Lord’s Feet—Closeness; Listening—Attention; To his Word—Submission. Those four words reveal Mary’s heart: quietness, closeness, attention and submission. She is utterly devoted to the Lord and wants nothing more than to be near him. Listening is hard work. It’s not easy to sit in a classroom (or in a church sanctuary!) and listen carefully for 20 or 30 or 40 minutes. Sooner or later, the mind tends to drift off. It’s a rare compliment if someone says, “He’s a good listener.” Many of us listen only as long as we need to figure out what we’re going to say next when our turn comes to talk. Mary was a truly good listener.....Who is serving the Lord—Martha or Mary? The answer is, both are serving the Lord. Martha is serving him by preparing the meal, and Mary is serving him by listening quietly at his feet. But who is in the better place at this moment? Mary is. She is able to hear what her Master says and is ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Martha is so distracted that she can’t hear anything Jesus is saying.
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Wiersbe - In these days, when life can easily be pulled apart and when so many voices tell us what to do, we need to be like Mary and keep our priorities straight. We must make time daily to sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to his Word, and receive truth that is good, needful, and lasting. If we do this, we will please the Lord. There is a time for being a servant like Martha, but it is important that we first take time for worshiping, loving, and learning at the feet of Jesus. This is true preparation for acceptable service. In that day, rabbis seldom taught female students, but Jesus was pleased to teach Mary, and he will teach you and me by his Spirit if we come to his feet. Worship and meditation must always precede service, for without Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Spending time with Jesus will also enrich us spiritually. Martha was worried about food for the body, but Mary’s priority was food for the soul. “Do not labor for the food which perishes,” Jesus said, “but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you” (Jn 6:27). God’s word is bread, milk, meat, and honey for the soul (Deut. 8:3; Ps. 119:103; 1 Pet. 2:2–3; Heb. 5:12–14). With her healthy spiritual appetite, Mary was in good company with people like Jeremiah (Jer. 15:16), Job (Job 23:12), and Jesus (Matt. 4:4). Jesus warned us that the cares of this life—like the preparation of meals—can choke the soil of our souls and make it difficult for us to receive the seed of the Word (Luke 8:14). It is essential that we cultivate an appetite for the Word of God and not live on substitutes. Don’t settle for secondhand nourishment; let the Spirit teach you directly from Scriptures. That even applies to books like this one, for books are supplements to Bible study, not substitutes for Bible study and meditation. Sitting at the feet of Jesus means you will be criticized. Satan doesn’t mind if your Bible sits on a table or in a drawer, he just doesn’t want it to get into your heart and bless you. Martha criticized her sister and her Savior and tried to tell them what to do. Criticism from believers hurts far more than criticism from unbelievers, and we must learn to expect it and not be crippled by it. Let Jesus defend you just as he defended Mary. The safest place is at the feet of Jesus. But the blessing is this: spending time daily with Jesus will give you lasting influence. When Mary anointed Jesus, he told her that she would be a blessing to Christians around the world (Matt. 26:13), and she has been! Our lives, our prayers, our worship, and our service can reach around the world and bear fruit for eternity, but we won’t know about it until we see Jesus. We must make the choice. Mary made her choice and God blessed her for it. I have chosen the way of truth . . . I have chosen Your precepts. Psalm 119:30, 173 (See New Testament Words for Today: 100 Devotional Reflections) Distracted By Serving. —Luke 10:40 Not long ago, I spent 2 weeks teaching at a Christian college overseas. While traveling, I wrote out a prayer list that I determined to use every day. I was greatly enriched by keeping this commitment to pray, and I returned home confident that I would continue the practice. I didn’t! Soon I was so busy with church, family, and work that I prayed only in bits and snatches. I had lapsed into one of the most common snares of all —choosing the good and rejecting the best. Then I read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. I saw that I was like Martha, “distracted with much serving” (v.40) and neglecting Christ. I needed to say no to some of the good things I was doing and make room for the best. I needed to be thanking, praising, and worshiping God, and interceding for my family and friends. But even times of prayer can degenerate into legalism, just another item on a “spiritual” to-do list. Prayer can be a distraction if it becomes an obligation instead of a privilege and an essential part of our relationship with God. Is God impressed with gifts you bring? Your work, your skills, each little thing? Oh yes, He values what you do, But what He wants is time with you. —Gustafson We must spend time with the Master before we can have a servant's heart. Are You Distracted? —Luke 10:40 In data collected from over 20,000 Christians in 139 countries, The Obstacles to Growth Survey found that, on average, more than 40 percent of Christians around the world say they “often” or “always” rush from task to task. About 60 percent of Christians say that it’s “often” or “always” true that the busyness of life gets in the way of developing their relationship with God. It’s clear that busyness does distract us from our fellowship with Him. It seems that Martha too allowed busyness to distract her from spending time with Jesus. When she welcomed Him and His disciples into her home, she was occupied with preparing the food, washing their feet, and making sure they were comfortable. All of these things had to be done, but Luke seems to intimate that Martha’s busyness in preparation degenerated into busywork that distracted her from reflecting on Jesus’ words and enjoying time with Him (Luke 10:38-42). What about us? Are we rushing from task to task, allowing the busyness of life and even work for Jesus to distract us from enjoying sweet fellowship with Him? Let’s ask God to help us diminish our distractions by making Jesus our focus.By Marvin Williams Lord, I don’t want to miss out on moments of intimacy with You. Help me not to be so busy that I fail to devote time each day to prayer and reading Your Word. Amen. If you are too busy for God, you are too busy. Luke 10:41 But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things Amplified - But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; CSB The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, NLT But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!
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Wiersbe - Often in my pastoral ministry, I have asked people with serious problems, “Tell me about your devotional life.” The usual response has been an embarrassed look, a bowed head, and the quiet confession, “I stopped reading my Bible and praying a long time ago.” And they wondered why they had problems! According to John 12:1–2, Martha must have learned her lesson, for she prepared a feast for Jesus, the Twelve, and her brother and sister—that’s fifteen people—and did not utter one word of complaint! She had God’s peace in her heart because she had learned to sit at the feet of Jesus. (Borrow Be Compassionate) Mary has chosen the good part - It is as if Jesus was saying (and I will paraphrase) "Martha, you are preparing many dishes for us to eat, but Mary has prepared the one dish you cannot fix in the kitchen!" How much better to "eat" the words from the Bread of Life, words that feed the soul that lives forever, than to eat the bread that feeds the body which is decaying and is destined to soon die! (cf 2 Cor 4:16). MARY'S SINGLE MINDED FOCUS ONE THING - ONE PERSON One master passion in the breast, Like Aaron's serpent, swallows up the rest. —Alexander Pope. God grant us grace that we do not let many things crowd out the one thing that is needful. Amen Jesus' gave us another version of "one thing" needful in His Sermon on the Mount... But (for contrast see Mt 6:31-32) seek (present imperative - make this the habit of your life. The only way to obey is to be filled daily with the Spirit who gives us the desire and power [Php 2:13NLT] to seek) first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33-+)