Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson 2026

Luke 15 - NIV Luke 15 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day The Parable of the Lost Sheep 15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Commentary In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables. The Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin , and the Parable of the Prodigal Son . The three p...

Luke 14 - NIV Luke 14 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for Today The Cost of Being a Disciple 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Commentary One of my goals in writing the Daily Bread this year is to write on some of the more difficult passages in the New Testament. Today's passage is certainly one of those. It makes it even more difficult because Jesus is the one saying these words.  So the question is what did Jesus mean when he said, "If anyone does not hate their father, mother, children, and siblings, such a person cannot be my disciple? " Does Jesus really want us to hate the members of our family?  So let's unpack this. First of all, as students of the bible, we have to realize that no...

Luke 13 - NIV Luke 17 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘ For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” Commentary Jesus told parables to teach people what God is like. He used natural analogies to show spiritual principles, and how they worked in the kingdom of God. Each person in the parable represented someone. The man who planted the fig tree is God. The man who took care of the vineyard was Jesus. The three years could very likely be the three years of public ministry of Jesus.  As we know Jesus came first to the Jewish pe...

Luke 12 -NIV   Luke 12 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day Warnings and Encouragements 12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. Commentary Jesus' biggest enemies were the Pharisees. The Pharisees were in charge of overseeing the keeping of the Law of Moses for the people of Israel. The term " Pharisee " means " separated ones ". What did this means ? They sought to distinguish themselves through high standards of personal piety and strict interpretation of the Torah, applying purity laws to daily life, not just the Te...

Luke 11 - NIV Luke 11 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day: Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer 11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” Commentary: The Lord's Prayer has been prayed by millions of Christians, millions of times. Most people know the Lord's Prayer by heart. It is prayed at worship services, funerals, and even at A.A. meetings. Yet, sometimes I don't we do a "deep enough dive" into its meaning. So let's look at each of the six petitions and their meaning.  Note the disciples said, "Teach us pray." They had seen Jesus pray "early and often". They saw the power Jesus exhibited af...

Luke 10 - NIV Luke 10 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day: Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two 10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. Commentary: What is interesting to me about this text is how Jesus went from equipping 12 disciples to carry on his mission and minstry to 72. This is a huge growth in the amount of people who would be bringing the gospel to the whole world. I would be interested in the selection process for this 72. Jesus knew the time was short before his crucifixion, and many villages had not been presented with the gospel.  Also, note he sent them out two by two. This is a great mo...

Luke 9 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary -Luke 9 Key Verses - Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This i...

Luke 8 - NIV Luke 8 - Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses Jesus’ Mother and Brothers 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”  21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” Commentary Large crowds continued to follow Jesus everywhere he went, as he proclaimed the kingdom of God, and showed it by healing the sick and casting out demons. In Luke 8, he tells a famous parable called the "Parable of the Sower". A farmer sowed seed liberally and it scattered to different places with different soil conditions. There was the hardened path, the rocky ground, the thorny ground, and the good soil. The seed only took root and matured and bore fruit in the good soil. Jesus took the disciples aside to unpack for them the meaning of the parable. He explained the reasons why the first...

Click Here On Link to Read Luke 7 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary - Luke 7 Verses for Today: The Faith of the Centurion 7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that ...

Insert for Luke 6 - NIV Click Here for Enduring Word Commentary The Wise and Foolish Builders 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Jesus has been doing lots of miracles and healings, but in chapter 6 he teaches his disciples and those who had come with the crowds what it meant to follow him. It was one thing to follow the crowd and be amazed at his healing all those who were sick and diseased. But Jesus never did miracles just to ...

Link to Matthew 5 - NIV Link to Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day - Matthew 5:1-7 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.  Commentary...

Luke 4 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for Today He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners  and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,  19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Commentary Jesus returned to his hometown in Nazareth, where he went into the synagogue to give the message after a reading from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. He...

Luke 3 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses: 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Commentary: The obvious question when we read Luke 3, is why did Jesus need to be baptized? If baptism is characterized by repentance and turning from sin, is Jesus a sinner then. The obvious answer is "no". If Jesus needed to be baptized for his sin, he would not have been the sinless Son of God. He could not have been the sacrifice for our sin, as he would have had to die for his own sin on the cross.  Simply put, if Jesus was a sinner, the basic tenets of our the Christian faith are false. We are still dead in our sins.  Today's story begs the question, " Why did Jesus get baptized in the Jordan River"? What is the significance of his baptism?  The ...

Luke 2 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Commentary Luke's gospel gives us the most detail regarding Jesus' birth to Mary and Joseph. Luke's version focuses on the humanity and humility of Jesus. Important Luke tells us the story from Mary's perspective. In the first chapter the angel spoke the news of Jesus' birth to her. She meets her cousin Elizabeth and her soon to be son, John the Baptist, leaps in her womb at the sound Mary's greeting.  Matthew ...

Luke 1 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Today we start the third gospel, the gospel of Luke. Luke has many unique features. Here is a summary. The Gospel of Luke is uniquely characterized as a detailed, orderly, and literary account focusing on Jesus as the Savior for all people, particularly highlighting the marginalized, women, the poor, and Gentiles. Written by a physician, it features exclusive parables like the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son, emphasizes the Holy Spirit, and presents Jesus' compassionate ministry and post-resurrection appearances. - Benedictine College Verses for the Day 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may ...

Mark 16 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses - Matthew 16:15-15 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Commentary This is Mark's version of the Great Commission, which is also found in Matthew 28. There are similarities and differences. The basic thrust is the same, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. " This basic mission of the church will never change . Notice it doesn't say wait until people come to your church and then preach the gospel. It says, "Go into all the world!" You might think that this might exclude you because it is not practical for you to become a missionary and go to some other part of the world. However, the world is all around you, right where you live. In the state I live in, California, around 50% of the people identify as a Christian. This would mean every other...

Mark 15 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses of the Day 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Commentary To say that there is a lot of irony in this passage is an understatement.  Irony #1 - Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and didn't want to be a part of this proceeding. He knew that these leaders were jealous of Jesus, because the crowds were all going over to him. Jesus threatened their power and control over the people....

Mark 14 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day: Peter Disowns Jesus 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. 68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” 72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. Commentary There ar...

Mark 13 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day The Day and Hour Unknown 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” Commentary In Mark 13 Jesus has a conversation with four of disciples, Peter, James John, Andrew, about the end times when he will return in great and promised glory. His angels will gather his elect from the four ends of the earth and the four ends of heaven. Many will come claiming to be the M...

Mark 12 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day Marriage at the Resurrection 18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Commentary Jesus didn't teach a ton on the exact details of wha...