Pentecost 12: Does Jesus Really Mean What He Says

Luke 12:32-40

Our journey this far in our series from Luke, Learning from the Master, has had Jesus teaching us who our neighbor is in the parable of the Good Samaritan; about the importance of prioritizing in the story of Mary and Martha; how to pray with the assurance of God’s positive answer to all our prayers; last week He taught us what God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit consider to be foolish behavior on our part.

We are Learning from the Master what it means to be Kingdom people, which, remember, is central to the prayer Jesus taught us 2 weeks ago: “Thy Kingdom come”: God’s Kingdom comes when you and I live like Kingdom people.

And so, our reading for today, begins with a command and a promise:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.”

You’ve often heard me say that this command, the most repeated command in Scripture “do not be afraid”, occurs 365 times……Phillip Yancey suggests that is once for each day of the year!  Jesus commands you and me: “Do not be afraid.”

And He goes on and tells us why we needn’t be afraid: it is because God has given us the Kingdom!  This is an incredibly amazing statement ...... you……I……have the Kingdom of God……IN US! (Later, in 17:21, Jesus will say, “The Kingdom of God is within you.”)  Therefore……what do we need to be afraid of?

Obviously, I need to ask: Do you have the Kingdom of God in you?……this is not something we need ever have any doubt about, because Jesus can be taken at His Word.  If He says it’s been given……it has!  If He says it’s within you……it is!

So, is the Kingdom within you?  This is an incredibly important question because it is only if the Kingdom of God is within us, that we can be sources of it into the world around us.  The deep river of God can only flow from us, as Jesus said it would (come to Me and drink and streams of life-giving water will flow from you)......... if it is first in us.

Perhaps the reason that God’s Kingdom does not come (wherever you live) even though we pray, “Your Kingdom come” is because the Kingdom is not in those who pray the prayer.

So what is this Kingdom that Jesus says has been given to believers and is within believers?  Paul answers that question perfectly for us in Romans 14:17.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We’ve looked at this before, so I don’t need to remind you that righteousness is not sinlessness, peace is not the absence of war or trouble and joy has nothing to do with happiness.

Do you have the Kingdom of God within you? Do you have this righteousness, peace and joy.Is Jesus speaking the truth when He says in our reading “The Father is just so pleased to give it to you”?  (Please remember: Ask, seek and knock from 2 weeks ago if your answer is no.)  This is really important, because it is only with the Kingdom within us that we have any chance of “not being afraid.”  And it is also because He has given us the Kingdom that He can command us 365 times to “fear not” or “be not afraid.”  The people of the world cannot understand this can they; praise God that (in the words of Jesus) we are no longer of this world.  And it’s only because of His Kingdom within us that Jesus dares, yes, dares to say:

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

The people of the world, when they hear these words, think to themselves or ask one another: “What was Jesus smoking when He made this outrageous statement?”  It must have been good stuff because He’s obviously in the clouds when He says:

“Build up treasure in Heaven.”

Praise God, once again, that we are no longer “of this world” and that we know that Jesus wasn’t on drugs.  Praise God that we are people who believe that Jesus means what He says.

So what does He mean?

Remember that this teaching of Jesus follows last week's when we looked at the foolish rich man who built barns for his excess income.

So what must I do with my excess wealth? Must I throw it away? Must I go and bury it in the ground? No, that would be bad stewardship and Jesus condemns bad stewardship. 
You must invest it. 
Where must I invest it? 
Well, here’s Jesus’ investment tip. Some people pay other people lots of money to get their investment tips about investing in this or that. Here is an investment for you, for me, for today and always:

In vs 33,  Store up your treasure in the bank of heaven and God will give you what you need in your time of need. 

I would imagine that the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Heaven is probably God himself. Wouldn’t it be nice to invest your money there? To put it in his hand, as it were, and to know that if you need it, he’ll give it back. 
Jesus commands us to store up treasure in heaven. How do I obey that command? .................You know, we can really be tempted to think, when we read this verse, that this is airy-fairy stuff, this is spiritual stuff that doesn’t make earthly sense,....... give me something concrete and down to earth. What kind of investment tip is that – store it up in heaven? How do I do that? Is there a simple answer to that question, Cedric? 

There is. It’s found in Proverbs 19:17, the Good News Bible puts it like this: 

“When you give to the poor it is like lending to the Lord, and the Lord will pay you back.” 

Do you believe that? Do you have faith in God and his promises? The King James Version puts it like this: “He who has pity on the poor, lends it to the Lord, and God will pay him back what he has given.” 

“Cedric you have R10 000 right now that you don’t need right now. Invest it in heaven by giving it to the poor. When you need it I will give it back to you.” 

That either sounds like incredible wisdom or it sounds like absolute foolishness. Last week we looked at God's point of view regarding what is wise and what is foolish.

And then Jesus says:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This is a warning more than a statement.  It sums up what was wrong with the man God called, “You fool” in verse 20 of this chapter, which we looked at last week.  The man was a fool because his heart was where his treasure is – that didn’t make him a fool though; what made him a fool was that his treasure was in his investments, and that meant that was where his heart was.  

I asked last week and I ask again this week:  Where is your heart?

And then Jesus continues by teaching about His return, His Second Coming……and He speaks very specifically, in 2 short parables, about being ready.

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

That’s really what everything today is about……being ready and living as if we really do expect Jesus to return.

So, in conclusion, let’s look at what can distract us from being ready for Christ’s return:

Worry and fear can be a terrible distraction……so Jesus says: “Do not be afraid” and goes on to give us good reason to not be afraid or worried.

Our possessions can be a terrible distraction, so He encourages us and gives us good reason to hold on to them loosely, rather than tightly.

And finally, He once again begs us to have our priorities right, to remember that the greatest treasure we have, the pearl of immense value, the treasure worth selling everything else for in order to get it is: 

the Kingdom of God which is given to us and which is within us.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 16 Jan 2011

John 1:29-42

Joh 1:29  He seeth Jesus coming and saith, Behold the Lamb - Innocent; to be offered up; prophesied of by Isaiah, Isa_53:7, typified by the paschal lamb, and by the daily sacrifice: The Lamb of God - Whom God gave, approves, accepts of; who taketh away - Atoneth for; the sin - That is, all the sins: of the world - Of all mankind. Sin and the world are of equal extent.

Joh 1:31  I knew him not - Till he came to be baptized. How surprising is this; considering how nearly they were related, and how remarkable the conception and birth of both had been. But there was a peculiar providence visible in our Saviour's living, from his infancy to his baptism, at Nazareth: John all the time living the life of a hermit in the deserts of Judea, Luk_1:80, ninety or more miles from Nazareth: hereby that acquaintance was prevented which might have made John's testimony of Christ suspected.

Joh 1:34  I saw it - That is, the Spirit so descending and abiding on him. And testified - From that time.

Joh 1:41  He first findeth his own brother Simon - Probably both of them sought him: Which is, being interpreted, the Christ - This the evangelist adds, as likewise those words in Joh_1:38, that is, being interpreted, Master.

Joh 1:42  Jesus said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah - As none had told our Lord these names, this could not but strike Peter. Cephas, which is Peter - Moaning the same in Syriacts which Peter does in Greek, namely, a rock.

JW's Notes on Gospel reading for Sunday 9 January: Baptism of Jesus

 Matthew 3:13-17

Mat 3:15  It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness - It becometh every messenger of God to observe all his righteous ordinances. But the particular meaning of our Lord seems to be, that it becometh us to do (me to receive baptism, and you to administer it) in order to fulfil, that is, that I may fully perform every part of the righteous law of God, and the commission he hath given me.

Mat 3:16  And Jesus being baptized - Let our Lord's submitting to baptism teach us a holy exactness in the observance of those institutions which owe their obligation merely to a Divine command. Surely thus it becometh all his followers to fulfil all righteousness. Jesus had no sin to wash away. And yet he was baptized. And God owned his ordinance, so as to make it the season of pouring forth the Holy Spirit upon him. And where can we expect this sacred effusion, but in an humble attendance on Divine appointments? Lo, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God - St. Luke adds, in a bodily form - Probably in a glorious appearance of fire, perhaps in the shape of a dove, descending with a hovering motion, till it rested upon him. This was a visible token of those secret operations of the blessed Spirit, by which he was anointed in a peculiar manner; and abundantly fitted for his public work.

Mat 3:17  And lo, a voice - We have here a glorious manifestation of the ever - blessed Trinity: the Father speaking from heaven, the Son spoken to, the Holy Ghost descending upon him. In whom I delight - What an encomium is this! How poor to this are all other kinds of praise! To he the pleasure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed: this is true glory: this is the highest, the brightest light, that virtue can appear in.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 26th December

Sun 26 Dec
Matthew 2:13-23
Mat 2:15 That it might be fulfilled - That is, whereby was fulfilled. The original word frequently signifies, not the design of an action, but barely the consequence or event of it. Which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet - on another occasion: Out of Egypt have I called my Son - which was now fulfilled as it were anew; Christ being in a far higher sense the Son of God than Israel, of whom the words were originally spoken. Hos_11:1.
Mat 2:16 Then Herod, seeing that he was deluded by the wise men - So did his pride teach him to regard this action, as if it were intended to expose him to the derision of his subjects. Sending forth - a party of soldiers: In all the confines thereof - In all the neighbouring places, of which Rama was one.
Mat 2:17 Then was fulfilled - A passage of Scripture, whether prophetic, historical, or poetical, is in the language of the New Testament fulfilled, when an event happens to which it may with great propriety be accommodated.
Mat 2:18 Rachel weeping for her children - The Benjamites, who inhabited Rama, sprung from her. She was buried near this place; and is here beautifully represented risen, as it were out of her grave, and bewailing her lost children. Because they are not - that is, are dead. The preservation of Jesus from this destruction, may be considered as a figure of God's care over his children in their greatest danger. God does not often, as he easily could, cut off their persecutors at a stroke. But he provides a hiding place for his people, and by methods not less effectual, though less pompous, preserves them from being swept away, even when the enemy comes in like a flood. Jer_31:15.
Mat 2:22 He was afraid to go thither - into Judea; and so turned aside into the region of Galilee - a part of the land of Israel not under the jurisdiction of Archelaus.
Mat 2:23 He came and dwelt in Nazareth - (where he had dwelt before he went to Bethlehem) a place contemptible to a proverb. So that hereby was fulfilled what has been spoken in effect by several of the prophets, (though by none of them in express words,) He shall be called a Nazarene - that is, he shall be despised and rejected, shall be a mark of public contempt and reproach.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 19th December

Sun 19 Dec 2010 Year A Fourth Sunday in Advent

Matthew 1:18-25
Mat 1:19 A just man - A strict observer of the law: therefore not thinking it right to keep her.
Mat 1:21 Jesus - That is, a Saviour. It is the same name with Joshua (who was a type of him) which properly signifies, The Lord, Salvation. His people - Israel. And all the Israel of God.
Mat 1:23 They shall call his name Emmanuel - To be called, only means, according to the Hebrew manner of speaking, that the person spoken of shall really and effectually be what he is called, and actually fulfil that title. Thus, Unto us a child is born - and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace - That is, he shall be all these, though not so much nominally, as really, and in effect. And thus was he called Emmanuel; which was no common name of Christ, but points out his nature and office; as he is God incarnate, and dwells by his Spirit in the hearts of his people. It is observable, the words in Isaiah are, Thou (namely, his mother) shalt call; but here, They - that is, all his people, shall call - shall acknowledge him to be Emmanuel, God with us. Which being interpreted - This is a clear proof that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel in Greek, and not in Hebrew. Isa_7:14.
Mat 1:25 He knew her not, till after she had brought forth - It cannot be inferred from hence, that he knew her afterward: no more than it can be inferred from that expression, 2Sa_6:23, Michal had no child till the day of her death, that she had children afterward. Nor do the words that follow, the first - born son, alter the case. For there are abundance of places, wherein the term first born is used, though there were no subsequent children. Luk_2:7.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 12th December

Sun 12 Dec  2010 Year A Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 11:2-11

Mat 11:2  He sent two of his disciples - Not because he doubted himself; but to confirm their faith. Luk_7:18.

Mat 11:3  He that is to come - The Messiah.

Mat 11:4  Go and tell John the things that ye hear and see - Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah, than any bare assertion can be.

Mat 11:5  The poor have the Gospel preached to them - The greatest mercy of all. Isa_29:18; Isa_35:5.

Mat 11:6  Happy is he who shall not be offended at me - Notwithstanding all these proofs that I am the Messiah.

Mat 11:7  As they departed, he said concerning John - Of whom probably he would not have said so much when they were present. A reed shaken by the wind? - No; nothing could ever shake John in the testimony he gave to the truth. The expression is proverbial.

Mat 11:8  A man clothed in soft, delicate raiment - An effeminate courtier, accustomed to fawning and flattery? You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces; not in a wilderness.

Mat 11:9  More than a prophet - For the prophets only pointed me out afar off; but John was my immediate forerunner.

Mat 11:11  But he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he - Which an ancient author explains thus: - "One perfect in the law, as John was, is inferior to one who is baptized into the death of Christ. For this is the kingdom of heaven, even to be buried with Christ, and to be raised up together with him. John was greater than all who had been then born of women, but he was cut off before the kingdom of heaven was given." [He seems to mean, that righteousness, peace, and joy, which constitute the present inward kingdom of heaven.] "He was blameless as to that righteousness which is by the law; but he fell short of those who are perfected by the spirit of life which is in Christ. Whosoever, therefore, is least in the kingdom of heaven, by Christian regeneration, is greater than any who has attained only the righteousness of the law, because the law maketh nothing perfect." It may farther mean, the least true Christian believer has a more perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ, of his redemption and kingdom, than John the Baptist had, who died before the full manifestation of the Gospel.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 5th December

Mat 3:1 In those days - that is, while Jesus dwelt there. In the wilderness of Judea - This was a wilderness properly so called, a wild, barren, desolate place as was that also where our Lord was tempted. But, generally speaking, a wilderness in the New Testament means only a common, or less cultivated place, in opposition to pasture and arable land.
Mat 3:2 The kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, are but two phrases for the same thing. They mean, not barely a future happy state, in heaven, but a state to be enjoyed on earth: the proper disposition for the glory of heaven, rather than the possession of it. Is at hand - As if he had said, God is about to erect that kingdom, spoken of by Daniel Dan_2:44; Dan_7:13-14; the kingdom of the God of heaven. It properly signifies here, the Gospel dispensation, in which subjects were to be gathered to God by his Son, and a society to be formed, which was to subsist first on earth, and afterward with God in glory. In some places of Scripture, the phrase more particularly denotes the state of it on earth: in ,others, it signifies only the state of glory: but it generally includes both. The Jews understood it of a temporal kingdom, the seat of which they supposed would be Jerusalem; and the expected sovereign of this kingdom they learned from Daniel to call the Son of man. Both John the Baptist and Christ took up that phrase, the kingdom of heaven, as they found it, and gradually taught the Jews (though greatly unwilling to learn) to understand it right. The very demand of repentance, as previous to it, showed it was a spiritual kingdom, and that no wicked man, how politic, brave, or learned soever, could possibly be a subject of it.
Mat 3:3 The way of the Lord - Of Christ. Make his paths straight - By removing every thing which might prove a hinderance to his gracious appearance. Isa_40:3.
Mat 3:4 John had his raiment of camels' hair - Coarse and rough, suiting his character and doctrine. A leathern girdle - Like Elijah, in whose spirit and power he came. His food was locusts and wild honey - Locusts are ranked among clean meats, Lev_11:22. But these were not always to be had. So in default of those, he fed on wild honey.
Mat 3:6 Confessing their sins - Of their own accord; freely and openly. Such prodigious numbers could hardly be baptized by immerging their whole bodies under water: nor can we think they were provided with change of raiment for it, which was scarcely practicable for such vast multitudes. And yet they could not be immerged naked with modesty, nor in their wearing apparel with safety. It seems, therefore, that they stood in ranks on the edge of the river, and that John, passing along before them, cast water on their heads or faces, by which means he might baptize many thousands in a day. And this way most naturally signified Christ's baptizing them with the Holy Ghost and with fire, which John spoke of, as prefigured by his baptizing with water, and which was eminently fulfilled, when the Holy Ghost sat upon the disciples in the appearance of tongues, or flames of fire.
Mat 3:7 The Pharisees were a very ancient sect among the Jews. They took their name from a Hebrew word, which signifies to separate, because they separated themselves from all other men. They were outwardly strict observers of the law, fasted often, made long prayers, rigorously kept the Sabbath, and paid all tithe, even of mint, anise, and cummin. Hence they were in high esteem among the people. But inwardly, they were full of pride and hypocrisy. The Sadducees were another sect among the Jews, only not so considerable as the Pharisees. They denied the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul, and by consequence the resurrection of the dead. Ye brood of vipers - In like manner, the crafty Herod is styled a fox, and persons of insidious, ravenous, profane, or sensual dispositions, are named respectively by him who saw their hearts, serpents, dogs, wolves, and swine; terms which are not the random language of passion, but a judicious designation of the persons meant by them. For it was fitting such men should be marked out, either for a caution to others, or a warning to themselves.
Mat 3:8 Repentance is of two sorts; that which is termed legal, and that which is styled evangelical repentance. The former (which is the same that is spoken of here) is a thorough conviction of sin. The latter is a change of heart (and consequently of life) from all sin to all holiness.
Mat 3:9 And say not confidently - The word in the original, vulgarly rendered, Think not, seems here, and in many places, not to diminish, but rather add to the force of the word with which it is joined. We have Abraham to our father - It is almost incredible, how great the presumption of the Jews was on this their relation to Abraham. One of their famous sayings was, "Abraham sits near the gates of hell, and suffers no Israelite to go down into it." I say unto you - This preface always denotes the importance of what follows. Of these stones - Probably pointing to those which lay before them.
Mat 3:10 But the axe also already lieth - That is, there is no room for such idle pretences. Speedy execution is determined against all that do not repent. The comparison seems to be taken from a woodman that has laid down his axe to put off his coat, and then immediately goes to work to cut down the tree. This refers to the wrath to come in Mat_3:7. Is hewn down - Instantly, without farther delay.
Mat 3:11 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire - He shall fill you with the Holy Ghost, inflaming your hearts with that fire of love, which many waters cannot quench. And this was done, even with a visible appearance as of fire, on the day of pentecost.
Mat 3:12 Whose fan - That is, the word of the Gospel. His floor - That is, his Church, which is now covered with a mixture of wheat and chaff. He will gather the wheat into the garner - Will lay up those who are truly good in heaven.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 28th November

Please note that the beginning of Advent marks the start of a new lectionary year. This Sunday we thus begin Year A

Sun 28 Nov Year A Matt 24:36-44

Mat 24:36 But of that day - The day of judgment; Knoweth no man - Not while our Lord was on earth. Yet it might be afterward revealed to St. John consistently with this.
Mat 24:40 One is taken - Into God's immediate protection: and one is left - To share the common calamities. Our Lord speaks as having the whole transaction present before his eyes.
Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding - Which was then a common employment of women.
Mat 24:42 Ye know not what hour your Lord cometh - Either to require your soul of you, or to avenge himself of this nation.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 21th November

Sun 21 Nov Luke 23:33-43

Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus - Our Lord passed most of the time on the cross in silence: yet seven sentences which he spoke thereon are recorded by the four evangelists, though no one evangelist has recorded them all. Hence it appears that the four Gospels are, as it were, four parts, which, joined together, make one symphony. Sometimes one of these only, sometimes two or three, sometimes all sound together. Father - So he speaks both in the beginning and at the end of his sufferings on the cross: Forgive them - How striking is this passage! While they are actually nailing him to the cross, he seems to feel the injury they did to their own souls more than the wounds they gave him; and as it were to forget his own anguish out of a concern for their own salvation. And how eminently was his prayer heard! It procured forgiveness for all that were penitent, and a suspension of vengeance even for the impenitent.
Luk 23:35 If thou be the Christ. If thou be the king - The priests deride the name of Messiah: the soldiers the name of king.
Luk 23:39 And one of the malefactors reviled him - St. Matthew says, the robbers: St. Mark, they that were crucified with him, reviled him. Either therefore St. Matthew and Mark put the plural for the singular (as the best authors sometimes do) or both reviled him at the first, till one of them felt "the overwhelming power of saving grace."
Luk 23:40 The other rebuked him - What a surprising degree was here of repentance, faith, and other graces! And what abundance of good works, in his public confession of his sin, reproof of his fellow criminal, his honourable testimony to Christ, and profession of faith in him, while he was in so disgraceful circumstances as were stumbling even to his disciples! This shows the power of Divine grace. But it encourages none to put off their repentance to the last hour; since, as far as appears, this was the first time this criminal had an opportunity of knowing any thing of Christ, and his conversion was designed to put a peculiar glory on our Saviour in his lowest state, while his enemies derided him, and his own disciples either denied or forsook him.
Luk 23:42 Remember me when thou comest - From heaven, in thy kingdom - He acknowledges him a king, and such a king, as after he is dead, can profit the dead. The apostles themselves had not then so clear conceptions of the kingdom of Christ.
Luk 23:43 In paradise - The place where the souls of the righteous remain from death till the resurrection. As if he had said, I will not only remember thee then, but this very day.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 14th November

Sun 14 Nov Luke 21:5-19

Luk 21:5 Goodly stones - Such as no engines now in use could have brought, or even set upon each other. Some of them (as an eye witness who lately measured them writes) were forty - five cubits long, five high, and six broad; yet brought thither from another country. And gifts - Which persons delivered from imminent dangers had, in accomplishment of their vows, hung on the walls and pillars. The marble of the temple was so white, that it appeared like a mountain of snow at a distance. And the gilding of many parts made it, especially when the sun shone, a most splendid and beautiful spectacle.
Luk 21:8 I am the Christ; and the time is near - When I will deliver you from all your enemies. They are the words of the seducers.
Luk 21:9 Commotions - Intestine broils; civil wars.
Luk 21:11 Fearful sights and signs from heaven - Of which Josephus gives a circumstantial account.
Luk 21:13 It shall turn to you for a testimony - Of your having delivered your own souls, and of their being without excuse.
Luk 21:18 Not a hair of your head - A proverbial expression, shall perish - Without the special providence of God. And then, not before the time, nor without A full reward.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls - Be calm and serene, masters of yourselves, and superior to all irrational and disquieting passions. By keeping the government of your spirits, you will both avoid much misery, and guard the better against all dangers.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 7th

Sun 7 Nov Luke 20:27-38

Luk 20:34 The children of this world - The inhabitants of earth, marry and are given in marriage - As being all subject to the law of mortality; so that the species is in need of being continually repaired.
Luk 20:35 But they who obtain that world - Which they enter into, before the resurrection of the dead.
Luk 20:36 They are the children of God - In a more eminent sense when they rise again.
Luk 20:37 That the dead are raised, even Moses, as well as the other prophets showed, when he calleth - That is, when he recites the words which God spoke of himself, I am the God of Abraham. It cannot properly be said, that God is the God of any who are totally perished.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 31st

Sun 31 Oct Luke 19:1-10
Luk 19:1 He passed through Jericho - So that Zaccheus must have lived near the end of the town: the tree was in the town itself. And he was rich - These words seem to refer to the discourse in the last chapter, Luk_18:24-27, particularly to Luk_18:27. Zaccheus is a proof, that it is possible by the power of God for even a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Luk 19:2 The chief of the publicans - What we would term, commissioner of the customs. A very honourable as well as profitable place.
Luk 19:4 And running before - With great earnestness. He climbed up - Notwithstanding his quality: desire conquering honour and shame.
Luk 19:5 Jesus said, Zaccheus, make haste and come down - What a strange mixture of passions must Zaccheus have now felt, hearing one speak, as knowing both his name and his heart!
Luk 19:7 They all murmured - All who were near: though most of them rather out of surprise than indignation.
Luk 19:8 And Zaccheus stood - Showing by his posture, his deliberate, purpose and ready mind, and said, Behold, Lord, I give - I determine to do it immediately.
Luk 19:9 He also is a son of Abraham - A Jew born, and as such has a right to the first offer of salvation.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 24th

Sun 24 Oct Luke 18:9-14
Luk 18:9 He spake this parable - Not to hypocrites; the Pharisee here mentioned was no hypocrite, no more than an outward adulterer: but he sincerely trusted in himself that he was righteous, and accordingly told God so, in the prayer which none but God heard.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week - So did all the strict Pharisees: every Monday and Thursday. I give tithes of all that I possess - Many of them gave one full tenth of their income in tithes, and another tenth in alms. the sum of this plea is, I do no harm: I use all the means of grace: I do all the good I can.
Luk 18:13 The publican standing afar off - From the holy of holies, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven - Touched with shame, which is more ingenuous than fear.
Luk 18:14 This man went down - From the hill on which the temple stood, justified rather than the other - That is, and not the other.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 17th

Sun 17 Oct Luke 18:1-8
Luk 18:1 He spake a parable to them - This and the following parable warn us against two fatal extremes, with regard to prayer: the former against faintness and weariness, the latter against self confidence.
Luk 18:7 And shall not God - The most just Judge, vindicate his own elect - Preserve the Christians from all their adversaries, and in particular save them out of the general destruction, and avenge them of the Jews? Though he bear long with them - Though he does not immediately put an end, either to the wrongs of the wicked, or the sufferings of good men.
Luk 18:8 Yet when the Son of man cometh, will he find faith upon earth - Yet notwithstanding all the instances both of his long suffering and of his justice, whenever he shall remarkably appear, against their enemies in this age or in after ages, how few true believers will be found upon earth!

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 10th

JW has no comments on Luke 17:11-19

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 3rd

Luke 17:5-10
Luk 17:5 Lord, increase our faith - That we may thus forgive, and may neither offend nor be offended.
Luk 17:6 And he said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed - If ye had the least measure of true faith, no instance of duty would be too hard for you. Ye would say to this sycamine tree - This seems to have been a kind of proverbial expression.
Luk 17:7 But which of you - But is it not meet that you should first obey, and then triumph? Though still with a deep sense of your utter unprofitableness.
Luk 17:9 Doth he thank that servant - Does he account himself obliged to him?
Luk 17:10 When ye have done all, say, We are unprofitable servants - For a man cannot profit God. Happy is he who judges himself an unprofitable servant: miserable is he whom God pronounces such. But though we are unprofitable to him, our serving him is not unprofitable to us. For he is pleased to give by his grace a value to our good works, which in consequence of his promise entitles us to an eternal reward.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 26th

Luke 16:19-31
Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man - Very probably a Pharisee, and one that justified himself before men; a very honest, as well as honourable gentleman: though it was not proper to mention his name on this occasion: who was clothed in purple and fine linen - and doubtless esteemed on this account, (perhaps not only by those who sold it, but by most that knew him,) as encouraging trade, and acting according to his quality: And feasted splendidly every day - And consequently was esteemed yet more, for his generosity and hospitality in keeping so good a table.
Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, (according to the Greek pronunciation) or Eleazer. By his name it may be conjectured, he was of no mean family, though it was thus reduced. There was no reason for our Lord to conceal his name, which probably was then well known. Theophylact observes, from the tradition of the Hebrews, that he lived at Jerusalem. Yea, the dogs also came and licked his sores - It seems this circumstance is recorded to show that all his ulcers lay bare, and were not closed or bound up.
Luk 16:22 And the beggar - Worn out with hunger, and pain, and want of all things, died: and was carried by angels (amazing change of the scene!) into Abraham's bosom - So the Jews styled paradise; the place where the souls of good men remain from death to the resurrection. The rich man also died, and was buried - Doubtless with pomp enough, though we do not read of his lying in state; that stupid, senseless pageantry, that shocking insult on a poor, putrefying carcass, was reserved for our enlightened age!
Luk 16:23 He seeth Abraham afar off - And yet knew him at that distance: and shall not Abraham's children, when they are together in paradise, know each other!
Luk 16:24 Father Abraham, have mercy on me - It cannot be denied, but here is one precedent in Scripture of praying to departed saints: but who is it that prays, and with what success? Will any, who considers this, be fond of copying after him?
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son - According to the flesh. Is it not worthy of observation, that Abraham will not revile even a damned soul? and shall living men revile one another? Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things - Thou didst choose and accept of worldly things as thy good, thy happiness. And can any be at a loss to know why he was in torments? This damnable idolatry, had there been nothing more, was enough to sink him to the nethermost @#!*% .
Luk 16:26 Beside this there is a great gulf fixed - Reader, to which side of it wilt thou go?
Luk 16:28 Lest they also come into this place - He might justly fear lest their reproaches should add to his own torment.
Luk 16:31 Neither will they be persuaded - Truly to repent: for this implies an entire change of heart: but a thousand apparitions cannot, effect this. God only can, applying his word.

John Wesley’s Comments on this week's RCL readings

John Wesley’s Comments on Luke 16:1-13 from his Notes on the New Testament

Luk 16:1 And he said also to his disciples - Not only to the scribes and Pharisees to whom he had hitherto been speaking, but to all the younger as well as the elder brethren: to the returning prodigals who were now his disciples. A certain rich man had a steward - Christ here teaches all that are now in favour with God, particularly pardoned penitents, to behave wisely in what is committed to them.
Luk 16:3 To beg I am ashamed - But not ashamed to cheat! This was likewise a sense of honour! "By men called honour, but by angels pride."
Luk 16:4 I know - That is, I am resolved, what to do.
Luk 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward - Namely, in this respect, because he had used timely precaution: so that though the dishonesty of such a servant be detestable, yet his foresight, care, and contrivance, about the interests of this life, deserve our imitation, with regard to the more important affairs of another. The children of this world - Those who seek no other portion than this world: Are wiser - Not absolutely, for they are, one and all, egregious fools; but they are more consistent with themselves; they are truer to their principles; they more steadily pursue their end; they are wiser in their generation - That is, in their own way, than the children of light - The children of God, whose light shines on their hearts.
Luk 16:9 And I say to you - Be good stewards even of the lowest talents wherewith God hath intrusted you. Mammon means riches or money. It is termed the mammon of unrighteousness, because of the manner wherein it is commonly either procured or employed. Make yourselves friends of this, by doing all possible good, particularly to the children of God: that when ye fail, when your flesh and your heart faileth, when this earthly tabernacle is dissolved, those of them who have gone before may receive, may welcome you into the everlasting habitations.
Luk 16:10 And whether ye have more or less, see that ye be faithful as well as wise stewards. He that is faithful in what is meanest of all, worldly substance, is also faithful in things of a higher nature; and he that uses these lowest gifts unfaithfully, is likewise unfaithful in spiritual things.
Luk 16:11 Who will intrust you with the true riches? - How should God intrust you with spiritual and eternal, which alone are true riches?
Luk 16:12 If ye have not been faithful in that which was another's - None of these temporal things are yours: you are only stewards of them, not proprietors: God is the proprietor of all; he lodges them in your hands for a season: but still they are his property. Rich men, understand and consider this. If your steward uses any part of your estate (so called in the language of men) any farther or any otherwise than you direct, he is a knave: he has neither conscience nor honour. Neither have you either one or the other, if you use any part of that estate, which is in truth God's, not yours, any otherwise than he directs. That which is your own - Heaven, which when you have it, will be your own for ever.
Luk 16:13 And you cannot be faithful to God, if you trim between God and the world, if you do not serve him alone. Mat_6:24.

Do Methodist preachers ever use John Wesley's Notes on the New Testament

In the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (the connexion of which I am a member) we claim that the doctrines of the Evangelical Faith are based upon the Divine revelation recorded in the Holy Scriptures. "These Evangelical Doctrines, to which the preachers of the Methodist Church, ministerial and lay, are pledged, are contained in Wesley's Notes on the New Testament and his Forty-four Sermons" [Laws and Discipline, MCSA, 11 edition, 2007]. I wonder however, how many of our preachers have actually read the Forty-four sermons and how many refer to JW's Notes when preparing a sermon. I may be wrong, but I believe the answer to both questions is: relatively few. I base this assumption on informal discussions, as well as a perusal of some of our recent 'study documents' which often quote many other commentators, but not JW's Notes. They are very accessible on the world wide web and are in the public domain. When I bought my own 'hard copy' a number of years ago I could not source one from our denominational bookshop in South Africa, but did find a copy in my local branch of a national franchise Christian bookshop.

With this in mind I am going to make available each week, JW's notes on the Gospel reading set for the coming Sunday based on the Revised Common Lectionary, which is currently in Year C.