'There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high because your liberation [ Or 'redemption,' a Pauline term, cf. Romans 3:24+.] is near at hand.' - Luke 21:25-28 -
The time of this coming
And Jesus told them a parable, 'Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. [ The kingdom has already come, 17:21, but this refers to the period of its triumphant progress which begins with the destruction of Jerusalem. Cf. 9:27p.] I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Luke 21:29-33 -
Be on the alert
'Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down [ Var. 'for it will come down on you like a snare'.] on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence [ Lit. 'and to stand erect'.] before the Son of Man.' - Luke 21:34-36 -
The last days of Jesus
In the daytime Jesus would be in the Temple teaching, but would spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives. And from early morning the people would gather round him in the Temple to listen to him. [ The literary relationship with John 8:1-2 is unmistakable. The adulterous woman passage of John 7:53-8:11, for the Lucan authorship of which there are many good arguments, would fit into this context admirably.] - Luke 21:37-38 -
IV. THE PASSION [ Luke does not record the anointing at Bethany; he has already described a similar incident in 7:36-50.]
The conspiracy against Jesus: Judas betrays him
The feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was now drawing near, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for some way of doing away with Jesus, because they mistrusted the people. [ Luke does not record the anointing at Bethany; he has already described a similar incident in 7:36-50.]
Then Satan entered into Judas, surname Iscariot who was numbered among the Twelve. He went to the chief priests and the officers of the guard [ Officers of the Temple police. All of these were Jews, chosen from among Levites.] to discuss a scheme for handling Jesus over to them. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He accepted, and looked for an opportunity to betray him to them without the people knowing. - Luke 22:1-6 -
Preparation for the Passover supper
The day of Unleavened Bread came round, the day on which the Passover had to be sacrificed, and he sent Peter and John, saying 'Go and make the preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare it?' they asked. 'Listen,' Jesus said 'as you go into the city you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house he enters and tell the owner of the house, "The Master has this to say to you: Where is the dining room in which I can eat the Passover with my disciples?" The man will show you a large upper room furnished with couches. Make the preparations here.' They set off and found everything as Jesus had told them, and prepared the Passover. - Luke 22:7-13 -
The Supper
When the hour came Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. And Jesus said to them, [ In Luke, Christ's discourses at the supper play a more important part than in Matthew and Mark, preparing us for those of John 13:31-17:26.] 'I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; because I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled [ The first stage of fulfillment is the Eucharist itself, the centre of spiritual life in the kingdom founded by Jesus; the final stage will be at the end of time when the Passover is to be fulfilled perfectly and in a fashion no longer veiled.] in the kingdom of God.'
Then taking a cup, [ Luke distinguishes the Passover and the cup of vv. 15-18 from the bread and the cup of vv. 19-20 in order to draw a parallel between the ancient rite of the Jewish Passover and the new rite of the Christian Eucharist. Some ancient authorities, failing to understand this theological device, and disturbed to find two cups mentioned, quite mistakenly omitted v. 20 or even v. 20 with the second part of v. 19 (that is) 'which will be given... of me'.] Jesus gave thanks and said, 'Take this and share it among you, because from now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the kingdom of God comes.' - Luke 22:14-18 -
The institution of the Eucharist [ Note the affinity between Luke's text and Paul's.]
Then Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, 'This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.' Jesus did the same with the cup after supper, and said, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you. [ Or alternatively 'which has to be given' and 'which has to be poured out.'] - Luke 22:19-20 -
The treachery of Judas foretold
'And yet, here with me on the table is the hand of man who betrays me. The Son of Man does indeed go to his fate even as it has been decreed, but alas for that man by whom he is betrayed!' And they began to ask one another which of them it could be who was to do this thing. - Luke 22:21-23 -
Who is the greatest?
A dispute arose also between them about which should be reckoned the greatest but Jesus said to them, 'Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you. No; the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves. For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves! - Luke 22:24-27 -
The reward promised to the apostles
WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY.
"I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time, in the world to come, Eternal Life." - Luke 18:28-30 -
'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'
"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.
But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -
"IT IS TRUE, GOD SENT HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, AND IT WAS TO THEM THAT THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE WAS BROUGHT BY JESUS CHRIST - BUT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL MEN.
YOU MUST HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE RECENT HAPPENINGS IN JUDAEA; ABOUT JESUS OF NAZARETH AND HOW HE BEGAN IN GALILEE, AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST HAD BEEN PREACHING BAPTISM. GOD HAD ANOINTED HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, AND BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM, JESUS WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND CURING ALL WHO HAD FALLEN INTO THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.
NOW I, ( SIMON PETER / PETER ) AND THOSE WITH ME, CAN WITNESS TO EVERYTHING JESUS DID THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE OF JUDAEA AND IN JERUSALEM ITSELF; AND ALSO TO THE FACT THAT THEY KILLED HIM BY HANGING HIM ON A TREE, YET THREE DAYS AFTERWARDS GOD RAISED HIM TO LIFE AND ALLOWED HIM TO BE SEEN, NOT BY THE WHOLE PEOPLE BUT ONLY BY CERTAIN WITNESSES GOD HAD CHOSEN BEFOREHAND.
NOW WE ARE THOSE WITNESSES - WE HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK WITH HIM AFTER HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD - AND JESUS CHRIST HAS ORDERED US TO PROCLAIM THIS TO HIS PEOPLE AND TO TELL THEM THAT GOD HAS APPOINTED HIM TO JUDGE EVERYONE, ALIVE AND DEAD.
IT IS TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT ALL THE PROPHETS BEAR THIS WITNESS: THAT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS WILL HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH HIS NAME." - ACTS 10:36-43 -
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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