February 2, 2014
Hymn 96 - If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour
Prayer
Today we are going to look at another parable in Luke.
Luke 14:1 - Here the Lord is invited for a meal with a chief Pharisee. The Pharisees were trying to catch the Lord, so they invited Him on the sabbath. The Pharisees were very legalistic: they went beyond the law, binding heavy burdens on people, which were “grievous to be borne” (Matthew 23:4). In Exodus 20: 8 - 11, the sabbath was declared a very special day of rest by God, but the Pharisees had taken it to an extreme.
V. 2: They were watching the Lord, hoping to catch Him doing something wrong, so you could imagine that they invited the sick man there on purpose, to see what the Lord would do.
V. 3: They were expecting the Lord to just heal the man, but He asks them a question to point out that the law had nothing against healing in it and that they had enforced that themselves.
V. 4: They had no answer to His question. Jesus then healed this man with the dropsy. The disease had made the man its victim and now he was set free. It is like when we get saved: the Lord delivers us from sin, sets us free and gives us peace and joy.
V. 5: The Lord then went back to talking about the Sabbath. Suppose one of the Pharisee’s animals had fallen into a pit; what would he do? If he left it there, it might die and that wouldn’t be good. The Lord draws a parallel here: one of His creatures was in a pit (he was unwell). Was it wrong to help him? The Pharisees couldn’t catch Him, because they would have done the same thing.
V. 7: The Pharisees may have been watching the Lord, but He was watching them just as closely. He saw that they were choosing the better places for themselves when invited to others’ houses.
V. 8: He warns them not to do this, because someone more honourable may come and they would be dishonoured.
Vv. 10 - 11: Jesus is the number one example of verse 11. It says in Philippians that He went down into death, but that God has now highly exalted Him and set Him above all. We need to act in humility and let others exalt us if God sees fit.
Acts 8:9-25
In the midst of the revival among the Samaritans, an individual by the name of Simon is brought to our attention. He’s quite a contrast to the eunuch at the end of this chapter and comes as the third internal problem since the church formed. The first was Ananias and Sapphira, second was the Grecian widows, and now Simon the magician. Our enemy is always making an effort to cause problems and sorrows. Interestingly, all these problems—at least in part—had something to do with money. Money can be a source of problems.
Simon used magic and told people that he was great person. Again, a contrast to the eunuch, who was a great person politically, but had come to seek the Lord. The people of Samaritans regarded Simon because he bewitched them with sorceries. It was a sad situation for both groups, but then came Philip with the good news of the gospel. God worked in hearts, and people were saved. Some for real, and some not.
What Philip preached was the kingdom of God. We are to seek it as our first priority, and we need to be born again to see it at all (John 3). The only way into the kingdom is through Jesus.
Simon believed Philip’s message and was amazed by the miracles he saw. He used magic and could bewitch people, but Philip was a man of God and could do miracles. There was a difference.
When the church in Jerusalem heard what was going on, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. Jesus had given Peter the keys to the kingdom of God, and Peter used them here to open the door for the Samaritans to have the Holy Spirit. Peter was there on the day of Pentecost when the Jews were granted access to salvation, and we’ll see him ushering the Gentiles in later on. He was the one specially chosen to open these doors of the gospel. As soon as all groups are in, we don’t see as much of Peter.
This laying on of hands isn’t the normal way to receive the Holy Spirit. It happened just as this new people group was being introduced into the kingdom of God. Simon saw this power, and exposed what was really in his heart when he asked to buy the ability to give the Holy Spirit. He didn’t just want to be in the Kingdom of God, he wanted to be someone great. Peter rebuked him and said that the Spirit wasn’t to be bought. He is a free gift.
Simon believed, but he didn’t have the faith to receive the gift of salvation. Peter told him that he was in the gall of bitterness, and said that he needed to repent of his wickedness. It was a withering rebuke. Contrast that with eunuch, who went on his way rejoicing.
Despite this problem with Simon, the work of God went on as the disciples preached in other villages.
Hymn 226—I once was a stranger to grace and to God
Prayer