Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 22:25-38. Let’s go!

Luke 22:25-27 (NIV) 
25  Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26  But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
27  For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

On verses 25-27: Back in Jesus’ time, the highest profile leaders were very much about titles and throwing their weight around (v25). In contrast, Jesus calls his disciples to a revolutionary kind of leadership, one that is about service. In God’s economy, the greatest and most valuable leaders are those who serve.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 22:14-24. Let’s go!

Luke 22:14-24 (NIV)
14  When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.
15  And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17  After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you…….

On verses 14-24: This scene, one of the most famous scenes from Jesus’ life, is the basis for why and how we do communion. The bread we break represents the body Jesus broke for us on the cross. The cup we drink represents the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross.

At first, when I read a passage like this, I’m struck by how petty the disciples are in this scene. Their leader Jesus has just shared his heart about how much he desires to eat this final supper with them before he suffers. The disciples, however, upon hearing that one of them will betray Jesus, turn this last supper with Jesus into a quarrel among themselves about who would be the one to betray Jesus. This would lead to various disciples getting defensive and starting to talk about which of them was the greatest disciple. Yet in quarreling this way, the disciples were missing the point of the last supper. They had turned an occasion that was supposed to be about Jesus into an occasion that was more about themselves.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 22:1-13. Let’s go!

Luke 22:1 (NIV) 
1  Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching…

On verse 1: The Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Passover, was one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar. It was an annual event to commemorate the time described in the book of Exodus when the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt and were getting ready to leave Egypt under Moses’ leadership. God warned that every firstborn son living in Egypt would be struck down and killed unless his family sacrificed a lamb without defect and painted the doorframes of their homes with the lamb’s blood. When God saw the blood painted on the doorframes, God’s wrath would “pass over” that family and that house. God also instructed the Israelite families back then to bake bread without leaven (yeast) in it, so as to have a quick meal before being led out of Egypt. As a reminder of the mercy God showed to the Israelites back then, every year the Israelites would commemorate this event through the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Passover, by eating a similar meal together consisting of unleavened bread and lamb.  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 21:20-28. Let’s go!

Luke 21:20-28 (NIV) 
20  “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 
21  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 
22  For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 
23  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. ……

On verses 20-28: Here Jesus warns his disciples that chaotic and frightening times lay ahead of them before Jesus returns. In terms of specifics, however, as in the case of verses 8-19, it is not 100% clear exactly at what point in these verses Jesus transitions from talking about the impending fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. to talking about his return in verse 27-28, which is certainly an end time event. One could argue that verses 25-26 are most likely talking about the end times, but how much of verses 20-24 is talking about the end times and how much is referring to the already past destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.?