A Wee Little Man Was He – Luke 19-20

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.   This is Episode #305 and today we’ll read Luke chapters 19&20 together.   Zacchaeus was a wee little man; a wee little man was he.  

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me – from the beginning – simply reading God’s word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Luke Chapter 19

Jesus Visits Zacchaeus

He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since he was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”

So he quickly came down and welcomed him joyfully. All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.”

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.”

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable of the Ten Minas

As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.

Therefore he said, “A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king and then to return. He called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’

“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us.’

“At his return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those servants he had given the money to, so that he could find out how much they had made in business. The first came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten more minas.’

“‘Well done, good servant! ’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over ten towns.’

“The second came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

“So he said to him, ‘You will be over five towns.’

“And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it safe in a cloth because I was afraid of you since you’re a harsh man: you collect what you didn’t deposit and reap what you didn’t sow.’

Even What He Has Will Be Taken Away

“He told him, ‘I will condemn you by what you have said, you evil servant! If you knew I was a harsh man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow, why, then, didn’t you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest.’ So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’

“‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.’”

The Triumphal Entry

When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it? ’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

So those who were sent left and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

“The Lord needs it,” they said. Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their clothes on the colt, they helped Jesus get on it. As he was going along, they were spreading their clothes on the road. Now he came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

Blessed is the King who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven

and glory in the highest heaven!

Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”

Jesus’s Love for Jerusalem

As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”

Cleansing the Temple

He went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling, and he said, “It is written, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”

Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill him, but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people were captivated by what they heard.

Luke Chapter 20

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”

He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know its origin.

And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

Now he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

“But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!”

But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone?

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”

Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on him that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

God and Caesar

They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority. They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and you don’t show partiality but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But detecting their craftiness, he said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

“Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

They were not able to catch him in what he said in public, and being amazed at his answer, they became silent.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up and questioned him: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. Also the second and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. Finally, the woman died too. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”

Jesus told them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to take part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection. Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to him.”

Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The Question about the Messiah

Then he said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is the son of David? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms:

The Lord declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies your footstool.’

David calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?”

Warning against the Scribes

While all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”

Close

There is a movie we show when we are evangelizing is Tanzania.  It’s very easy to understand and provides a pretty thorough explanation of the Gospel.  It’s called The Jesus Movie.  Sure, it’s a little dated, but the project was dubbed in so many languages that it’s the perfect witnessing tool when in foreign lands.  Now that I’ve seen firsthand how God uses this movie, I believe it’s something we should all be aware of for our own outreach efforts.  So, make some popcorn and watch it with a friend who has questions about Jesus.  Tell ‘em you need input from a non-believing friend.  That’s always true and conversation about the Gospel is always good.  I put a link to the movie in the transcript for Episode 305 on my website.

I love the scene depicting the story of Zacchaeus.  In the movie, he is so happy!  He is so animated at his decision to make things right, that Jesus laughs out loud when he sees his excitement.  I imagine that Zacchaeus really was happy that day.  Finally, the weight of sin had been lifted from his shoulders.  Jesus’ love for him seemed to beget the same in Zacchaeus toward others.  Hmmm…that reminds me of another parable.  Remember how that tiny mustard seed grows into a bush so large that birds can build their homes in it?  When we extend even the smallest amount of love to someone, it can make a huge difference.  The kingdom of God grows.

Prayer

Let’s pray.  Lord, You came and made all things new.  Even that unpopular tax collector was able to begin a whole new life.  And the same is true for people today.  Make us sensitive to those around us as You were to Zacchaeus.  Draw us to those who need to hear about Your love and make a new start with You.  As the song says, break our hearts for what breaks Yours.  Amen.

Have you seen the Gospel create that kind of change in a person?  Tell me about it at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will be changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.