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Let the Children Come
Scripture:“People were also bringing babies to Jesus… but the disciples rebuked them.” (Luke 18:15)“Let the little children come to me… for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16) Luke tells it plainly: the disciples try to block children. They rebuke the parents as if Jesus is too busy for the smallest…
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Standing Up Straight for the First Time in 18 Years
Scripture:“There was a woman… crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.” (Luke 13:11)“Should not this woman… whom Satan has kept bound… be set free?” (Luke 13:16) Luke gives us a woman bent over for eighteen years. That’s not only pain; that’s long-term marginalization. People likely stopped seeing her. Her condition became her identity. Luke’s outsiders…
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They Have Names
Scripture:“The twelve were with him, and also some women… Mary… Joanna… Susanna… who provided for them out of their resources.” (Luke 8:1–3) This is one of Luke’s quiet revolutions: he names women as part of Jesus’ traveling ministry team. Not as props. Not as background. Luke tells you who they are—and what they do. In…
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Do You See This Woman?
Scripture:“Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?’” (Luke 7:44) Luke tells a dinner story where a “sinful woman” enters, weeps, anoints Jesus, and is silently condemned. The host’s judgment is not subtle: “If Jesus knew what kind of woman this is…” In Luke’s world, women carried reputations…
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Grief Stops the Parade
Scripture:“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” (Luke 7:13) Luke tells the story of a widow in Nain who has lost her only son. In that society, this wasn’t just emotional devastation—it was economic and social vulnerability. A widow without a son could quickly become invisible,…
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The Women in Jesus’ Family Tree
Scripture:“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” (Luke 1:52)“Tamar… Rahab… Ruth… the wife of Uriah…” (Matthew 1:3, 5–6) Luke doesn’t give us a genealogy the way Matthew does, but Luke absolutely gives us the same theology: God lifts the lowly and works through the overlooked. Matthew makes that…
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The Outsider Becomes the Witness
Scripture:“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” (Luke 8:39)“They overcame… by the word of their testimony.” (Acts 4:33; cf. Acts’ witness theme) The man begs to stay with Jesus. That makes sense—if you’ve been rescued, you want to cling to the Rescuer. But Jesus gives him a different calling:…
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When Healing is “Too” Costly
Scripture: “Then all the people… asked Jesus to leave them.” (Luke 8:37)“Many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7) This is one of the saddest turns in Luke’s Gospel: a man is restored, and the town asks Jesus to leave. Why? Luke says they were afraid. And underneath that fear is cost—economic…
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What Restoration Looks Like
Scripture:“They found the man… sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” (Luke 8:35)“They devoted themselves… and all who believed… had all things in common.” (Acts 2:42–47) Luke doesn’t end with fireworks. He ends with a picture of wholeness: clothed, clear-minded, sitting at Jesus’ feet. That’s not merely “symptom management.” That’s…
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The Face of Dehumanization
Scripture:“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion.’” (Luke 8:30)“God anointed Jesus… and he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed.” (Acts 10:38) This is the movement where Luke gets intense: the powers inside this man are named. “Legion.” Many. Overwhelming. Whatever you believe about demons as spiritual entities, Luke…
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Weekday Word w/ Eric 