Luke 6:27-38 There are many great examples of love in the Bible. There is the great erotic love of the Lover for his Beloved in the Song of Songs. There is the great brotherly love of Jonathan for David, who, even though David was going to be made king instead of Jonathan, loved him like a brother. There is the brotherly and agape love of St. Paul for his fellow Jews so that he says he could wish he were... Read more
Luke 6:12-26 Having been baptized and thus anointed as Prophet, Priest, and King, Jesus has begun demonstrating that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand by His miracles. In Luke 6, He begins a new phase of spreading the Kingdom He has come to establish: He begins to establish His Church. I want you to notice how Jesus prepares for the great work that the Father had given Him: He spends all night in prayer in verse 12. Only after... Read more
Luke 6:1-11 “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Now it might seem strange for Jesus to say that the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. It would seem as if it would be obvious that God was the Lord of the Sabbath. Maybe it would be less obvious that He was actually Lord of the human body and could heal it, but you’d expect the Jews to understand that He was Lord of... Read more
Luke 5:27-39 St. Paul is fond of saying that we must take off the old man and put on the new. He meant by this, of course, that if we are united to Jesus Christ then we are new creatures. As a new creature in Christ, you are to mortify (put to death) the Old Man and the works of the flesh and to put on the New Man, Jesus Christ, who is your sanctification. St. Ambrose said, with reference... Read more
Luke 5:12-26 Strange days have found us. Strange days have tracked us down. We have seen strange things today! There is an invisible miracle that takes place in the Erlandson household every evening after our common supper. A great multitude comes together to hear the report that is going around concerning Jesus of Nazareth. A great multitude gathers together to be healed by Him of their infirmities. Jesus heals those who are deaf and dumb, and those who are blind... Read more
Luke 4:42-5:11 We all like success stories, and we all seek success. Hundreds of books purport to tell us hundreds of different secrets of success. When really, it’s quite simple. One example of a man who was successful by many human standards was Howard Hughes. Hughes became by turns a Hollywood movie producer, aircraft inventor, mining mogul, and casino owner. An avid pilot, he set world flight records, including his 1938 flight around the world in just over 91 hours.... Read more
Luke 4:31-41 Who do you think this Jesus of Nazareth is? Let me remind you what we’ve all seen and heard about Him. Many heard his teaching, and they were astonished at it. He didn’t teach like the other teachers, simply stringing together a long catena of what other teachers have said. Nor did he simply quote the Scriptures. He amazed and astonished because he taught on his own authority and that of God directly, saying things like, “You have... Read more
Luke 4:14-30 He’s getting up to read the Word of the Lord, and some of you are still asleep. He’s getting up to read the Word of the Lord, and some of you hear only the words of men. He’s getting up to preach about the Good News of God’s salvation which is fulfilled today in your hearing, and some of you are still asleep. He’s getting up to preach about the Good News of God’s salvation which is fulfilled... Read more
Luke 4:1-13 I find Luke 4, in which the temptation of Christ occurs, to be one of the most humorous passages in the Bible. It’s not actually the temptation itself but the way the events leading up to the temptation that make me laugh. After Jesus has been baptized, the very next thing that happens is that He is tempted in the wilderness. “And in those days He ate nothing and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” Let’s... Read more
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Monday of 3rd Sunday in Trinity – Luke 6:39-49
Luke 6:39-49 Who is your favorite teacher you’ve ever had? Most of us have at least one teacher who really made an impression on us for life. How blessed I would feel if some of my former students, when asked who their favorite teacher ever was, answered Mr. Erlandson (or Mr. E. or E Machine). I don’t have any one teacher that I can say is my favorite, at least not from my years in K-12. But I do have... Read more