Luke 1

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6- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a man with a withered hand:

- On a sabbath Jesus enters a synagogue and begins teaching

- A man is there whose right hand is withered

- The scribes and the Pharisees are watching Jesus closely to see whether he cures on the sabbath so they can accuse him

- Jesus says:“Get up and stand in the center and then stretch out your hand.”

- He does so and his hand is restored

So the scribes and Pharisees and religious leaders know who Jesus is and what he can do but they want to protect their power. They don’t care about the truth. So they show who they want to serve and it is a good example of sin against the holy spirit. So they are judged by their actions. And it is the same story all the time in the gospels.

 

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7- Luke speaks about Jesus calming down a storm:

- Jesus and his disciples get into a boat

- Jesus fells asleep

- A violent windstorm descends on the lake

- The boat begins to fill up with water and to be in danger

- The disciples wake Jesus up saying:

“Instructor, Instructor, we are about to perish!”

- Jesus rebukes the wind and the raging of the water and they subside and a calm sets in

- Jesus asks his disciples about their faith

- The disciples are filled with fear and are astounded

There we can see a completely different attitude between Jesus and his disciples: he sleeps peacefully whereas they are scared. So once again we can see two different points of view, Jesus’ one and the human one. But of course, Jesus can control the elements, the disciples can’t which makes a big difference! But they have seen many miracles that Jesus has performed so they definitely lack maturity! But they also needed again and gain Jesus’ teaching! And received the help of the holy spirit! On the contrary, Jesus chose Paul because he had a good knowledge and he was eager to serve God in the best way possible except he was following the wrong way! When Jesus appeared to him in a vision and told him his mistake, he followed him straight away without questioning and did a great job! He was completely different from the religious leaders he was first following as he wasn’t obstinate and arrogant!

 

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8- Luke doesn’t say anything about Jesus walking on the sea.

 

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9- Luke speaks about Jesus multiplying bread and fish:

- It’s late and the crowd has nothing to eat

- There are 5,000 men

- Jesus says to his disciples to tell the people to sit down in groups of about 50 each
- Then he takes the five loaves and the two fish, he looks up to heaven and blesses them

- Then he breaks them up and begins giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd

- So they eat and are satisfied and they take up the leftovers, 12 baskets of fragments

 

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10- Luke doesn’t say anything about Jesus multiplying bread and fish in connection with the 4,000

 

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11- Luke speaks about Jesus curing the slave of an army officer :

- This slave is dear to the army officer

- He is seriously ill and about to pass away

- He sends some elders of the jews to him to ask him to come and make his slave well

- He loves the Jews and he himself built a synagogue

- He sends friends to tell jesus not to come to his home because he doesn’t consider himself worthy

- But he asks Jesus to say the word to cure his slave

- Jesus is amazed at him and says to the crowd :

« I tell you, not even in Israel have I found so great a faith. »

- When those snt return to the house, they find the slave in good health

It is an example of the difference of what comes from God or from man. Jesus’ words come from his heart but they are really hard words for the Jews, it is unbelievable but clear like cristal !

 

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12- Luke speaks about Jesus curing Jairus’ daughter and the woman who touches him:

- A man named Jairus comes

- He is a presiding officer of the synagogue

- He falls at the feet of Jesus and begins to plead with him to come to his house

- His only daughter, who is about 12 years old, is dying

- Jesus goes with him

- The crowds press in on him

- A woman who has a flow of blood for 12 years touches the fringe of his outer garment

- Immediately her flow of blood stops

- Jesus feels it and asks who touches him

- the woman explains why she did it

- Jesus says:

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

- A representative of the presiding officer of the synagogue comes to say that Jairus’ daughter has died

- Jesus says to Jairus:

“Have no fear, only have faith, and she will be saved.”

- He goes into the room with Peter, John, James and the girl’s father and mother-in-law

- People are all weeping and beating themselves in grief for the girl

- Jesus tells them:

“Stop weeping, for she did not die but is sleeping.”

- People begin to laugh at him scornfully, because they know she has died

- But Jesus takes the girl by the hand and calls her:

“Child, get up!”

- And her spirit returns, and she rises immediately, and he orders that something be given her to eat

Another powerful account of Jesus’ actions:

- All the time he is in control

- He can concentrate on different actions at the same time as he has in mind Jairus’ daughter and he takes into account the woman who touches him among the crowd and he wants to know what has happened and he wants details and he is comprehensive both for the woman and for Jairus

- He keeps acting with order

- he doesn’t let the people who laugh at him perturb him

- Jesus doesn’t see death as men do: for him when you are dead, you sleep and you can be awoken, it is as simple as that, it is clear like crystal but not for men influenced by “tradition”. And he doesn’t say it once but many times, people must be deaf.

- GOD’S WAY AND MAN’S WAY!

 

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13- Luke is the only one to speak about Jesus resurrecting a dead man in Nain:

- Jesus travels to a city called Nain

- As he gets near the gate of the city, a dead man is carried out, the only son of his mother who is a widow

- A considerable crowd from the city is also with her

- When Jesus catches sight of her, he is moved with pity for her

- he says to her:

“Stop weeping.”

- He approaches and touches the bier, and the bearers stand still

- Then he says:

“Young man, I say to you, get up!”

- And the dead man sits up and starts to speak and jesus gives him to his mother

- Now fear seizes them all, and they begin to glorify God, saying:

“A great prophet has been raised among us” and

“God has turned his attention to his people”

In this case, Jesus is moved with pity because it is the only son of a widow! When we think about all his life with God and everything he participated, it is incredible to think about Jesus’ feelings as a human! But we mustn’t forget that he will come back as a warrior to clean the earth and those who keep destroying the earth and he will be strong and merciless for those who are responsible! For him there is nothing more important than his Father’s interests!

 

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14- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a possessed man and the pigs:

- A demon-possessed man from the city meets Jesus

- He has no clothes and he lives among the tombs

- Seeing Jesus, he cries out and falls down before him, and with a loud voice he says:

“What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

- In fact, the man is possessed by many demons

- They ask him to permit them to enter into the swine, and he gives them permission

- And the herd rushes over the precipice into the lake and drown

- The herders report what has happened and the inhabitants ask Jesus to go away because they are afraid

 

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18- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a possessed child:

- A man calls out from the crowd, saying:

“Teacher, I beg you to take a look at my son, because he is my only one. And look! A spirit seizes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it throws him into convulsions with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him after bruising him. I begged your disciples to expel it, but they could not.”

- In response Jesus says:

“O faithless and twisted generation, how long must I continue with you and put up with you? Bring your son over here.”

- But even as he is approaching, the demon hurls him to the ground and violently throws him into a convulsion

- Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and heals the boy and gives him back to his father

- And they are all astounded at the majestic power of God

 

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19- Luke speaks about Jesus expelling a speechless demon:

- He expels a speechless demon-possessed

- Then the speechless man can speaking- The crowds are amazed

- But some say:

“He expels the demons by means of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

- Others ask for a sign out of heaven from him

- Jesus says to them:

“Every kingdom divided against itself comes to ruin, and a house divided against itself falls. Tn the same way, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I expel the demons by means of Beelzebub. If I expel the demons by means of Beelzebub, by whom do your sons expel them? This is why they will be your judges. But if it is by means of God’s finger that I expel the demons, the Kingdom of God has really overtaken you…”

And Jesus keeps teaching the crowds and condemning the Pharisees that is the Jewish religious leaders!

 

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22- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a blind man:

- Jesus is getting close to Jericho

- A blind man is sitting beside the road begging

- He hers a crowd passing by, so he begins to inquire what is going on

- They report to him:

“Jesus the Nazarene is passing by!”

- At that he cries out:

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

- And those who are in front begin rebuking him, telling him to keep quiet, but all the more he keeps shouting:

“Son of David, have mercy on me!”

- Then Jesus stops and commands that the man be brought to him

- After he comes near, Jesus ask him:

“What do you want from me to do for you?”

- He says:

“Lord, let me recover my sight”

- So Jesus says to him:

“Recover your sight; your faith has made you well”

- And instantly he recovers his sight, and he begins to follow him, glorifying God

- Also, at seeing it, all the people give praise to God

 

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24- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a woman who has been ill for 18 years:

- Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath

- A woman is there who has had a spirit of weakness for 18 years; and she is bent double and is unable to straighten up at all

- When he sees her, Jesus addresses her and says:

“Woman, you are released from your weakness”

- And he lays his hands on her, and instantly she straightens up and begins to glorify God

- But in response the presiding officer of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus does the cure on the Sabbath, says to the crowd:

“There are six days on which work ought to be done; so come and be cured on those days, and not on the Sabbath day”

- However, the Lord answers him:

“Hypocrites, does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his bull or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to give it something to drink? Should not this woman, who is a daughter of Abraham and whom Satan held bound for 18 years, be released from this bondage on the sabbath day?

- Well, when he says these things, all his opposers begin to feel shame, but the entire crowd begins to rejoice at all the glorious things he does

 

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25- Luke speaks about Jesus curing a man with dropsy:

- Jesus goes to eat a meal in the house of one of the leaders of the pharisees on the sabbath, and they are closely watching him

- A man who has dropsy is in front of him

- So in response, Jesus asks those versed in the Law and the Pharisees:

“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”

- But they keep silent

- With that he takes hold of the man, heals him, and sends him away

- Then he says to them:

“Who of you, if his son or bull falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?

- And they are not able to reply to this

 

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26- Luke speaks about Jesus curing ten men with leprosy:

- Jesus is going to Jerusalem

- He is passing between Samaria and Galilee

- He is entering a village when ten men with leprosy meet him, but they stand at a distance

- And they raise their voices and say:

“Jesus, Instructor, have mercy on us!”

- When he sees them, he says to them:

“Go and show yourselves to the priests”

- Then as they are going off, they are cleansed

- One of them, when he sees that he is healed, turns back, glorifying God with a loud voice

- And he falls facedown at Jesus’ feet, thanking him

- Furthermore, he is a Samaritan

- In reply Jesus says:

“all ten are cleansed, are they not? Where, then, are the other nine? Did no one else turn back to give glory to God except this man of another nation?”

- Then he says to him:

“Get up and be on your way; your faith has made you well”

 

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29- Luke speaks about Jesus putting back the ear of the slave of the high priest:

- Judas leads a crowd to take hold of Jesus

- When those around Jesus see what is going to happen, they say:

“Lord, should we strike with the sword?”

- One of them even strikes the slave of the high priest, taking off his right ear

- But in reply Jesus says: “That is enough”

- And he touches the ear and heals him

 

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In fact, Luke is the only one who says that Jesus puts the ear back in its place.

 

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1- Luke starts telling about Jesus’ miracles in Chapter 4. He has been teaching a lot. He is now in Capernaum, a city of Galilee and he is teaching on the Sabbath and people are astounded as he speaks with authority (Luke 4:31,32). He cures a man who is possessed then he cures Simon’s mother-in-law. In both cases he does it all at once! So many people are brought to him so he can cure them. I don’t think it is possible to imagine the situation! He stops at daybreak and goes to an isolated place (Luke 4:42). But people keep looking for him. Quite a stressful situation!

 

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2- Sometimes the pressure is so great he has to go aboard a boat to be able to teach people (Luke 5:1-3). Later he cures a leper once again straight away (Luke 5:12-14). And people keep looking for him to listen to him and to be cured so he must always look for desolate areas to pray and stay alone (Luke 5:15,16). Then he cures a paralyzed man and religious leaders are present and argue with him (Luke5:17-26). After that he chooses Levi as one of his disciples and he goes eating with him and other people and more religious leaders who keep arguing with him. Jesus never refuses discussions.

 

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3- Luke 6: Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders are opposers and they always look for ways to argue against Jesus. It is a perpetual fight: one against all. Another sabbath and Jesus cures a man with a withered hand and religious leaders argue with him as usual. And people come to hear him and to be cured. Jesus’ mission is a 24 hour job and people are always after him to argue or to listen to him or to be cured and they all want to touch him! No time to rest and he must always be ready to fight back knowing that he must die!