Author: Bill Hall

See, your house is abandoned to you. I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’!

Luke 13:35

That day will come, but at a great cost. The story of the Bible is not a record of obedience, but of the Lord’s faithfulness.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your ongoing faithfulness! Your immutability is always a comfort to us. We can always know who You are, and we can know Your works. Your Grace is amazing because You are amazing! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Luke 13:34

Of all the cities in all the world Jerusalem has the biggest reason to be filled with those faithful to the LORD. And yet, it has so often in its history been filled with the unbelieving.

We see here the will of the Lord. And yet, it is not His determined will, but His pure will. He has determined to allow people to reject Him. But He desires them to accept Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your graciousness and goodness! Lord, Your wisdom in how You have planned everything is amazing to us. We are glad to know that it is Your will for all of us to belong to You for all of eternity. Many will not believe, but that is only because in Your wisdom You have chosen to allow it to happen that way. It is for Your Glory, we must understand it as such. Thank You for being the glorious God of all! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Yet it is necessary that I travel today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

Luke 13:33

Jesus is being sarcastic here. He is commenting on the irony that the prophets are always slain in the city of peace. He needed to be in the city for the consummation of His work.

Heavenly Father, You are gracious and compassionate! You are full of faithful love. You are not mocked, You know humanity, and You have dealt with us in the best ways possible, the most wonderful ways. Thank You! We have hope because of Christ! Your plan is good and we are so overwhelmed with Your love and power! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work.’

Luke 13:32

Jesus understood Herod very well, and also knew exactly what would happen. This comment shows that He was not worried, afraid, or otherwise concerned in any way. His plans were going exactly the way He knew they would.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and power! You are so wise and You know all that we need and all that we will ever do. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

At that time some Pharisees came and told him, “Go, get out of here. Herod wants to kill you.”

Luke 13:31

This is, if course, not what it appears to be. There were those among the pharisees that approved of Jesus and would be happy to help him. But this was probably not that group.

More likely these detractors were in league with Herod. They just wanted Jesus out of their business, and they would use any means necessary to do it. If they could actually scare Jesus away, all the better.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your grace, power, love, truth, and wisdom! You are glorious beyond all imagination. Your will is perfect. When we understand Who You are, we can only praise You and love You forever! I will sing to Your glory! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Note this: Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

Luke 13:30

Things will be different from what they seem like in the here and now. Jesus will not judge by our standards. And, if his estimation of the widow’s farthing is any indication, many who are seen as lowly will be noticed by Him.

Heavenly Father, You are God for all, reigning over it all. You see in your great might all that is from You throne’s height. I will praise Your Name and way, forever after the wonderful day. The Lord Jesus will come here, and we all will be there. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet in the kingdom of God.

Luke 13:29

There will be people from all over the world and every time in history at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Though there are few that find the narrow way, there will be a vast host that make it to this great event. The LORD always has a remanent of people who believe.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the friends that all who know Christ have in this world. The precious host of believers all over this world are a constant blessing to our lives. And You in each of us is the glory and joy of it. You are wonderful! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown out.

Luke 13:28

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because there will be two responses to finding oneself in hell. The first response will be great grief, a grief like nothing anyone has ever had on earth. And, second, the other response will be extreme rage unlike anything ever worked up by humanity.

Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience who felt that all but the worst of them would make it to heaven. Several times in His ministry Jesus preached against this false doctrine. This was not primarily meant to upset His hearers, but to wake them to their lost souls.

Heavenly Father, You are so amazing! Each day I live I understand more of how wonderful you are! I will forever be amazed by You, Almighty God. Thank You for creating us, and for new life in Christ. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But he will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you’re from. Get away from me, all you evildoers!’

Luke 13:27

The Lord will have no association with evil. Without a life that is healed by Him, there will be no connection between Him and lost humanity. In this context, He is especially warning the Jewish people to repent before it is too late.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy! Without Your mercy, grace, and faithful love we would all be destroyed! You are kind and just and true. I will praise You for all that You have done and will do. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

Luke 13:26

This verse is aimed directly at those present who had heard Jesus teaching and seen Him. He had taught in the streets. In other words, He made His message accessible to everyone. The common man could hear and see this teacher from Galilee.

The ones mentioned here were claiming fellowship with Jesus by virtue of taking a meal with Him. And, they claimed acceptance of His message by way of His free teaching among them. But, in reality, they had done neither.

Heavenly Father, how often do we claim things about our life with You that are inaccurate? When we boast, we may need to throw our hands into the air and confess, we have known You so little for all that You have known us! You have understood us so very well, while we have known You just superficially. Oh, we will come to the fount and drink deeply of Your holiness, truth, and love! In You alone may we find peaceful fellowship, and fullness of life and joy. As we cast aside our vain toys, we cling to the Rock that is higher! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.