Day 109 Bible Readings for April 20 (Easter – Resurrection Sunday) – Luke 19: 41-44 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, Deuteronomy 31: 1-29, Luke 19: 11-44, Psalm 66: 7-14

Luke 19: 41-44 (ESV)

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Verses 41 through 44 from Luke 19 tells us that Jesus wept for Jerusalem after he entered the city on Palm Sunday. Jesus was prophesying about what would eventually happen to Jerusalem 30 years later in 70 AD. I saw The Chosen Series 5 Episode 1 in the theatre and they did a great job of showing Jesus reciting this prophecy and scenes from the destruction of Jerusalem.

In 70 AD, Titus the Roman General attacked Jerusalem. The Roman-Jewish historian named Flavius Josephus wrote that Titus built a wall around the city as described in the prophecy by Jesus. Titus destroyed the city. The Temple was destroyed in a fire and over a million people in Jerusalem died. The Temple to this day has not been rebuilt so the prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled and still remains fulfilled. Many Biblical scholars predict that the Temple of Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until we are in the end times as seen in the Book of Revelation, and many consider the rebuilding as a sign of the end times.

Happy Easter! Day 108 Bible Readings for April 19 – Luke 19: 8-10 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 29, Deuteronomy 30: 1-10, Luke 18: 31-43, Luke 19: 1-10, Psalm 68: 1-6

Luke 19: 8-10 (ESV)

“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

In verses 8 through 10 from Luke 19, we read the story about Zacchaeus who was a rich chief tax collector. He knew about Jesus and wanted to see him, but he was small so he climbed up sycamore tree to see him. Jesus stopped where Zacchaeus was in the tree and told he wanted to stay at his house. The crowd who was there complained that Jesus was going to be the guest of a sinner. Zacchaeus told Jesus he had given half his wealth to the poor and he restored fourfold to anyone whom he had defrauded.

Zacchaeus wasn’t just someone who wanted to see Jesus. He knew about his teachings and had put them into action in his own life, so Zacchaeus was already transformed when Jesus spoke directly to him. Jesus told the crowd that Zacchaeus had received salvation by his actions, and he was exactly the type of person that Jesus had come to see and save. Jesus took incarnation on earth to save and seek sinners, and that salvation was open to all if they followed his teachings. I like this story because it shows that were people who had heard about the teachings of Jesus and had followed them without first having seen Jesus or his miracles. The faith of Zacchaeus was so strong that he needed to just hear about the teachings of Christ to believe them, without ever having seen him or experienced a miracle from Jesus in his life.

Day 107 Bible Readings – Luke 18: 14 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 28: 15-68, Luke 18: 1-30, Psalm 67

Luke 18: 14 (ESV)

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In verse 14 from Luke 18, Jesus tells us the difference between the Pharisee who was praying and the tax collected who was also praying. The Pharisee in his prayer told God he was not a sinner like other meh, and all the things he had done to follow God’s laws. The Pharisee was praising himself to God. The tax collector prayed to God in a different way. The tax collector was humble and would not even lift his yes to God. He told God he was a sinner and asked God to be merciful to him.

One Bible scholar noted that the Pharisee was looking at prayer and his life as a way to be exalted. The tax collector instead came to God in humility because he needed God’s mercy. Jesus tells us that tax collector will receive God’s mercy and will be justified, because he prayed humbly to God for mercy. God will not show mercy to the Pharisee because he prayed to God with pride. God doesn’t need to be reminded of all the things that we do. God wants to know if we acknowledge we are sinners, and if we want his mercy. The Pharisee did not admit to even having a sin, which was a lie. We are all sinners and need to pray to God for his mercy.

Day 106 Bible Readings – Luke 17: 17-19 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 26-27, Deuteronomy 28: 1-14, Luke 17: 11-37, Psalm 66: 13-20

Luke 17: 17-19 (ESV)

“Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In verses 17 through 19, Jesus asks about the other nine (9) lepers and why only one came back to thank him. The one leper that came back to thank Jesus for healing was a Samaritan and a foreigner. Jesus thanked the leper and told him to go his way because his faith had made him well. The author of a Bible commentary I read noted that the leper who came back to thank Jesus was healing not only of his physical affliction, but Jesus also healed his heart and mind as well.

In the Bible commentaries I read, many authors noted that we must always show gratitude to God for everything in our life and not just for miracles. The leper who returned showed his faith in Jesus by returning to thank him and acknowledging him as the one who healed him. We also read in these verses that the grace of God extends to everyone who calls on him for healing. Christ invites all to experience the mercy and love of God. But when we acknowledge God as the source of our blessings and healing, we show God by our actions that we have a relationship with him. We need to remember to give gratitude to God for all the blessings and the miracles in our life every day, so we can acknowledge and nurture the relationship we have with him.