Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Click Here to Listen to or Read Luke 21 The Widow’s Offering Jesus' story of the widow's offering is short but very powerful. The widow put in a few small coins, which wasn't much compared to the large offering brought forth by the rich.  But Jesus commends her with the words, " This poor widow has put in more than all the others." Why did he mean by that? She put in more relative to what she had. She was more generous because as a percentage of what she could give, it was much more than the rich put in. This is one of the weaknesses of a strict "tithing" message. Of course, tithing is biblical and most people should at least be working toward a tithe. But like the widow's situation, someone who is not tithing could be a lot more generous than someone who is.  For example for someone who makes a million dollars and has limited expenses, a tithe of $100,000 might not be a big deal. But, for someone making $50,000 and barely being able to come up with ...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 20 The Authority of Jesus Questioned Jesus was in the temple courts doing two things he did quite a bit, teaching and preaching. Teaching the Old Testament and preaching the Good News of the kingdom. He was teaching with authority as he always did. The Jewish leaders question him by asking him by what authority did he teach and preach. Rather than reacting defensively, Jesus knew that they really weren't sincerely seeking an answer to this question. They were looking to discredit him. So, instead of answering them, he asked them a question, " By what authority did John the Baptist baptize him with ." They were in a bind and went away with their " tails between their legs ".  "If we want answers from Jesus, we must deal rightly with the truth that has already been revealed. These men knew that John said Jesus was the Messiah, and were not willing to accept it." - Guzik The Parable of the Tenants The relationship betw...

Click Here to Listen To or Read Luke 19   Zacchaeus the Tax Collector Luke continues his emphasis of Jesus' inclusion of outcasts in his ministry. Zacchaeus was not only a tax collector, but the chief tax collector. In the minds of the Jewish people it didn't get much lower than him. Though Zacchaeus was a rich man, he wasn't very tall, which is why he needed to climb up a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus walking by.  As Jesus had a habit of doing, he picked Zacchaeus out of the crowd and said, " I want to go to your house today. " What a day for Zachaeus! He had climbed up to just a get a chance to see Jesus and ends up having him over for dinner. Once again the religious leaders were not so happy with Jesus rubbing elbows with such sinners. But to make matters worse, he was even going to eat at this man's house.  Zacchaeus' responded to Jesus' offer with repentance. Unlike the Jewish leaders, who saw no need to repent, Zacchaeus vowed to give half h...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 18 The Parable of the Persistent Widow Jesus uses this story about the widow who never gave up on praying to teach that prayer is an act of faith. Sometimes our prayers are answered right away. Sometimes they are answered over time. Sometimes they are answered in ways we don't understand. Sometimes they are not answered at all.  The bottom line is God always hears and answers our prayers. But the act of praying and continuing to pray is one of faith. It is as Jesus prayed in the Garden, " Thy will, not mine be done. " Though we pour hearts out to God asking for what we think is right and just, we leave it in his hands. Unanswered prayer for issues like family members who are not Christian, people we love who are sick and not getting better, and for matters of grave injustice all challenge our faith. We wonder why if God loves us would he allow us to go through these trials and tribulations.  As we enter into Holy Week, it is good to se...

Click Here to Read or Listen to the Luke 17 Sin, Faith, Duty In this first section there is kind of a random selection of teachings from Jesus. Jesus teaches on why causing someone else to sin it such a grave offense. He teaches about forgiveness and why we need to forgive someone if they are truly sorry, even to as many as seven times per day. I don't think he is being literal at this point. He is saying we need to forgive, as we have been forgiven. But he does add, " If they truly repent ". This is important. Someone could ask for forgiveness not at all intending to change their behavior. This begs the question, " Do I have to forgive someone if they don't repent? " How do I determine if they are truly repentant, isn't that God's job? There are other places in the bible when our forgiveness of someone else is not dependent on them repenting of what they did to us.  What do we do with the person who has never repented? Do we forgive them? Even if re...

Click Here to Listen to or Read Luke 16   The Parable of the Shrewd Manager Jesus had a lot to say about possessions. On one hand he warned against trusting in possessions or letting possessions dominate you. i.e. Where your treasure is there your heart is also. But in today's parable, he teaches about the importance of managing the possessions God has given you. Possessions are something that God has entrusted to you, if you have them. Jesus says in this passage, " Whoever has been entrusted with a lot will be accountable for how they use them. "  In the story, the servant is in trouble. He has been lazy and wasteful of his master's possessions. He is about to get fired for his laziness. But instead of being a victim, he goes out and barters with the master's clients and ends up getting as much out of these accounts as possible. The master is impressed with his servant for his resourcefulness, and he keeps his job.  Jesus uses this example to say if those in the ...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 15 The Parable of the Lost Sheep As we have said before, one of the distinctives of Luke's gospel is an emphasis on reaching out to the lost. In chapter 15, all three stories have thus theme of finding that which has been lost.  In this first story, the motif was the shepherd, who leaves the ninety nine "found" sheep to go after the one lost sheep. This does not reflect the shepherd's disregard for the ninety nine sheep were found, but his deep love for the one sheep that had wandered off and was alone. Jesus told this story after the Pharisees muttered about his association with sinners. Note how joyous the shepherd is when he finds the lost sheep, puts it on his shoulder, and takes it home. The story ends with the statement that all heaven rejoices when ome lost sheep is found.  It is amazing to think when we lead someone to Christ all of heaven rejoices. This reminds us that one of the primary purposes of the church is to reach...

Click Here to Read or Listen to the New Testament Jesus at a Pharisee’s House The fact that Jesus was at a prominent Pharisees' home shows he still had a heart for them, though they were rejecting him. We don't know the exact circumstances of the invitation. Again Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, but this time before he healed the man, he asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This time the onus was more them to respond. They were in the trap. They didn't know what to say. Jesus’ logic was simple and impossible to dispute. If it was allowed to help animals on the Sabbath, how much more was it right to heal people who are made in God’s image? (Guzik) “If they said no, they would reveal themselves for what they really were – inhumane religious leaders. If they said yes, they would be breaking their own laws governing the Sabbath.” (Pate) Next, Jesus uses the situation to teach on humility. In his day there was a definite structure for how people were...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 13 Repent or Perish We don't know what incident that is being referred to here, but history shows Pilate often ruthlessly killed Galileans going to Jerusalem to worship God. The point is the people were innocent. The same is true of the Tower of Siloam when it fell on innocent people. These people would not be held accountable because weren't culpable. But those who heard Jesus teach and preach, saw his miracles, signs, and wonders would be accountable.  The parable of the fig tree in the vineyard is directed at the Jews. In the Old Testament Israel was called the " Vine of God ". The fruit they were supposed to bear was showing God's love to all the nations, also known as Gentiles. But when the farmer went to see if the fig tree had borne any fruit, it was barren. The owner came back and was going to cut it down, but his servant said he would dig around it and add fertilizer. He asked for the owner to give it one more year.  T...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 12 Warnings and Encouragements As thousands followed Jesus and stampeded such that there were injuries inflicted, Jesus took time to teach about the importance of not being overly influenced by number of followers. In the crowds were Pharisees, who were not at all pleased with Jesus. Though they may have been hidden in the crowds at the time, one day the light would reveal their self righteousness. Their darkness came because they thought they were righteous, and tried to lord it over others.  Hypocrisy is like leaven in the sense that it only takes a little bit of it to affect a great mass. A little bit of hypocrisy can be like a little bit of arsenic. In light of their tremendous popularity, it was especially important for the disciples to remember this. The temptation to hypocrisy is often strongest to those who enjoy some measure of outward success. - Guzik Jesus also warned the disciples that even though there were crowds of people enthrall...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 11 Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer One day as the disciples "caught" Jesus praying, they asked him to teach them how to pray. So Jesus taught them this short prayer, which has become known as the "Lord's Prayer". The prayer in Luke is very simple. It starts with " hallowing " God's name. This means God's name is holy. It is not ordinary and shouldn't be taken in vain. Next, Jesus tells them to simply pray " your kindom come ". (Some manuscripts add " your will be done on earth as it is in heaven ") I like the simplicity of "your kingdom come". Why? Because that is what we pray. We pray that God's kingdom, His rule or reign, would come. We want it to come and we pray for it to come. We also pray it would come through us and through our churches in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus teaches them next to ask God for " daily bread ". Not weekly or monthly bread, but da...

Click Here to Read or Listen to Luke 10   Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two Jesus sent his disciples out in different numbers and combinations. It shows us that he was training more disciples than just the twelve. In this case he sent out seventy two disciples in pairs. Importantly he never sent someone out alone. He was a big fan of team ministry. Why? Because two are better than one. When one falls down, the other can pick them up. They can encourage and pray for each other. They can relate to more than just one person.  As the disciples went out, they were to be completely reliant on those who welcomed them. They were looking for "people of peace". Jesus provided for them through others. Similarly God provides for pastors and missionaries through their churches today. He taught the disciples to stay in one home. While they were there they could heal showing God's kingdom had come near this home. Note this concept once again of the kingdom of God coming near. They are not...

Click Here to Listen to or Read Luke 9 Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Chapter 9 marks the beginning of a change from Jesus doing the preaching, teaching and healing to the disciples doing it. Importantly it says he gave them the "power and authority" to do it. We have talked a lot about this. Bottom line is that Jesus never asks us to do something he doesn't give us the power and authority to carry it out. They preached about the kingdom of God and then manifested it by casting out demons, healing sicknesses and diseases. It says they healed people everywhere. When Herod heard what had happened, he wondered if John the Baptist had risen from the dead, or a prophet had appeared.  They also took nothing with them as a sign of complete dependence on God. When people would not listen to them, they moved on to places where there was more receptivity. Sometimes in our pride, we try to convince people to believe in Jesus, but if their hearts are not receptive it is a waste of time. ...