Author: Bill Hall

Again he said, ‘What can I compare the kingdom of God to?’

Luke 13:20

Jesus wishes for us to understand the plans of the Father. He wants for us to see the beauty of the will of the Godhead. He desires that we will make it our study all the days of our life.

Heavenly Father, Your ways are perfect! You have made the plans for all that You have purposed and it is all wonderful! Thank You for working in our lives. We can never praise You enough! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.

Luke 13:19

Though there are those who do not like it because of their hatred for Christ, His church has grown exponentially. Even today, over two thousand years later, there are many millions who claimed membership to the universal Body of Christ. And, when it comes to taking a message of peace to the world, it is only the church that has had success in the endeavor.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your church! Thank You for Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! Your power, Your glory, and Your love are evident to all the world. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He said, therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to?’

Luke 13:18

Jesus said a lot during His earthly ministry to define the church. His teaching provides the foundation of early church teaching. The disciples, and then later early church leaders, built off of what Jesus had to say about the kingdom. He helps us to understand His expectations for His church, and for children of God. The church is a living organism that grows and brings blessing to the entire world. That is what it is meant to be.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your love! You are, the great God of all. You are glorious beyond all imagination, and Your children are joyful for knowing You. Father, how can we ever praise you enough? I love you Lord! Your glory is overwhelming. Your goodness is amazing. Your power is absolute. Your wisdom is beyond all understanding. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

When he had said these things, all his adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he was doing.

Luke 13:17

So many times during the ministry of Christ His detractors were left speechless. This is why the Jewish elite had Him crucified. He had brought them to humiliation over and over again.

Heavenly Father, thank You for life in Christ! We easily forget the benefits of living in Christ because of this dark world. But, it is such a blessing to have Your Holy Spirit in our hearts at work! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?

Luke 13:16

You can hear the silence in the room when Jesus said this. How could anyone argue with this? What a wonderful Sabbath! This event surely brought glory to the LORD.

Heavenly Father, thank You for delivering us from the power of darkness. We can be released from the horrible influence of the old serpent by the power of Your Christ. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But the Lord answered him and said, ‘Hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water?’

Luke 13:15

Hypocrisy has always been a big problem. Even recently, with the application of covid standards, we saw all kinds of hypocrisy. Sometimes things were considered necessary, while other things were considered not necessary. And yet the standards were not applied consistently. It seems there was one standard for the general public, and another for political elites. Humans are full of sin and naturally hypocritical if we do not have the light of God living within us.

In this situation Jesus is highlighting the fact that the Jews realized feeding their animals on the Sabbath was necessary. It was not an infraction of their worship of God to care for basic needs. The Sabbath laws were intended to keep people from doing unneeded work, and in that way they would honor the Lord on that day. But instead, by their traditions, they had changed God’s law in such a way that the hurting could not seek help on the Sabbath day.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect way, and Your perfect standards. In spite of the fact that sin is abhorrent to You, You have made a way for even what we might consider the ugliest of sinners to be saved to the uttermost through Jesus Christ. Your plan for this world is the best plan, and will lead to the most Glory for You. But what we often miss, is that it is the best plan for us, and will lead to what is best for our lives. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”

Luke 13:14

The leader of the synagogue was more than willing to tow the party line. He is literally telling his listeners to go home and tell anyone sick not to come on the Sabbath. He does not speak to Jesus directly at all.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for healing us! Thank You for giving us Your truth and Your mercy. You are glorious! You Are Holy! You love Your creatures. Thank You for Your power, and Your wisdom! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then he laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God.

Luke 13:13

Notice this woman’s immediate reaction. This explains why Jesus was proactive in performing this miracle. This woman had the right attitude about her healing. She immediately gave the glory to Almighty God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your greatness! We will always bring glory to You by what we say, what we do, and how we think. You are worthy! You are the one who has healed us, and solved all of our problems. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.”

Luke 13:12

It is interesting to note that on several occasions in Jesus’s earthly ministry, He proactively performed miracles. In other words, someone didn’t come to Him and ask Him to perform a miracle. Sometimes, He just did it without being asked. On this occasion, Jesus already knew this woman was there and intentionally drew attention to the fact that he was going to heal her, calling out loudly to her as soon as he saw her.

Heavenly Father, You are the Healer of our diseases, whether physical or spiritual. It is to You that we look for everything. Thank You for Your Son the Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you for salvation, and life, in Him! You are worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and power! Your grace is truly amazing! You are holy, just, pure, and lovely! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit, for over eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

Luke 13:11

This woman was not simply very old, or the victim of some kind of spinal accident. She was in her current physical state due to the oppression of a demon. As a result, she was an immediate recipient of the compassion of Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us! If You had not told us how much You loved us, we would not believe it. Allow us always to see Your love in action. And give us the strength to serve You and show Your love to others, for Your Glory. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.