Author: Bill Hall

He said to them, ‘Whenever you pray, say,
Father,
your Name be honored as Holy.
Your kingdom come.’

Luke 11:2

Jesus starts out in this model prayer with three very important things. First, God is our Father. This is a recognition of His position as Creator. He is the Prime Mover, the First Cause, the One who started it all.

Second, God is, above all else, Holy. His Name, meaning His reputation, all that He is, can be equated with Absolute Goodness. He is as perfect, just, good, merciful, beneficent, and holy as anyone could ever be.

Third, His authority is recognized. The reference to His kingdom is meant to establish the fact that He has the unquestionable right and power to be the Ultimate Ruler of Everything.

Very often there are people all over this globe who presume to pray, and yet do not believe, or would not accept, these three items. But, Jesus begins here by teaching us prayer may not commence properly without these foundational beliefs. God made everything. God is better than anyone. And, God has the right to control everyone.

Heavenly Father, thank You for these three things. You do not play games with us. You tell us Who You are, and You expect us to act accordingly. You are the Great Creator, and the Most Holy One, and You have all the rights, not us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.’

Luke 11:1

Jesus prayed. He is from heaven. He proceeds from the Father. He is God in all His fullness. Yet, He prayed. If He prayed, what should we do?

The disciples of Christ surely understood the need for prayer. But, they did want be like John’s disciples, who were popular at the time. Regardless of the motivation, prayer is something we can never learn too much about.

Heavenly Father, no matter how many times I pray, I still have to think hard for the right words. I’m glad Your Spirit helps our prayers because mine need the help. I’m so very glad that You hear us. To have access to Your ear is an incomparable joy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:42

Jesus was not about to deprive Mary of the position of the learner that she had chosen. Though Martha was busy, the things she had chosen to take care of could wait. The main thing was to take full advantage of the presence of Christ in her home.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being aware of our limits. You lead us as we are, knowing how You have made us. You are wise, loving, true, and good. We will seek to learn from Christ all of our days. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,’

Luke 10:41

The way Jesus addresses Martha here speaks volumes. The repeating of her name does two things. First, it is meant to calm Martha. Second, it reveals Christ’s love and concern for her.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be burdened by worry. The many things that Martha was doing were good tasks, Jesus didn’t say otherwise. But, Martha didn’t need to be in a tizzy over them either. She was allowing these tasks to overwhelm her.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your comfort. You could deal with us differently if You chose to. You are merciful and compassionate. Your Holiness is a blessing to us. You make us feel happy to be alive in Your world. Thank You for true life, and the blessed hope of rescue from sin. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.’

Luke 10:40

It is amazing how often Jesus was asked to give commands that other people wanted. Martha could have come and politely asked for her sister’s help. But instead of addressing her sister, she chooses to question Christ.

Martha couldn’t take the time to learn. She was too busy making sure everyone had what they needed. Now, the fact is, what Martha was doing was important. And Mary could share in the work. But, it was more important for Martha to share in the learning.

Heavenly Father, may we never forget just how precious it is that we can know You! A relationship with You is the most amazing thing any being could ever experience. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said.

Luke 10:39

Mary was a very attentive learner. She was one of those people who always want to be in the front row. Even the Lord didn’t always have interested hearers like Mary.

Heavenly Father, thanks for Your Word. It is such a delight to open the pages and see Your message to us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

Luke 10:38

It is easy to forget that it was Martha who we see initiating the relationship between Christ and her family. Regardless of whatever else we may have to say about her, that invitation of Christ into a person’s life is a crucial first step.

Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching us how to treat others. We tend to think we know what we should do. But we really don’t. You have to guide us. Thank You for putting other people in our lives to enrich us emotionally, socially, and spiritually. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

‘The one who showed mercy to him,’ he said.
Then Jesus told him, ‘Go and do the same.’

Luke 10:37

The lawyer of course got the answer to the question correct. The Samaritan was the neighbor of the man who was hurt. And, in his answer, the lawyer gives expression to the compassion presumably found in the heart of this Samaritan.

When Jesus says to the man, go and do the same, He isn’t telling the lawyer to love his neighbor. That lesson has been taught by the previous question and answer. What Jesus means is that the lawyer should live in a manner consistent with the commands of God.

The priest and the Levite claimed to follow the law and didn’t. The Samaritan was not an expert in the law, but he was actually trying to follow it.

Now, for those who would ask the obvious question, circle back to the beginning of the lawyer’s conversation with Jesus. The obvious question is, why did Jesus tell this man that loving his neighbor and trying to follow God’s law would win him eternal life? The lawyer quoted two laws. The one about the neighbor was second. The first was to love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength. This means we are to obey Him. And salvation is a matter of obedience.

If this lawyer truly loved the Lord he would accept Jesus as the Christ and have eternal life. If, on the other hand, he was like the priest or the Levite in the story, he would only pay God lipservice and fail to truly obey and repent.

Heavenly Father, thank You for communicating with us. You are merciful to us in that You have revealed Yourself to us. Thank You for allowing us to obey unto life. To be alive for You and with You forever is a true delight! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

Luke 10:36

Read this very carefully. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. But that doesn’t mean it is well understood or interpreted.

What did the lawyer ask Jesus? Who is my neighbor? So, the story is meant to address that question. And Jesus ends the story with a pointed application question.

Who was the neighbor of the man who was attacked and injured by the theives? Notice the wording. Jesus is asking a guiding question. A four-year-old could answer. It’s that kind of question. There is an expected answer.

Now this totally turns our normal interpretation on its head. Normally we say that loving your neighbor means loving everyone, even people we don’t like. That is true, we should love everyone. And Jesus teaches that. But that isn’t what He is after with this question.

Instead, Jesus implies that the Samaritan was the neighbor that the injured man should love, and the priest and Levite we’re not. Why? Why would Jesus do that?

Jesus is teaching this man to love those who acted in accordance with the laws of God. This didn’t mean the man was supposed to hate the priest and Levite. But he should first love the one who had done the right thing.

Jesus Himself practiced this. Though He preached to all, He focused on those who were willing to listen. Yes, He loves all men, but He will take those who receive Him into His family.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for making us brothers and sisters in Christ! The family bond we share is deeper than any other. You are merciful and gracious, and faithful! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him,`Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

Luke 10:35

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact value of the two denarii that the Samaritan gave for this man’s care. Inflation and differences in services rendered make it difficult to judge. But, a good guess would be that this would be akin to, at the least, someone today paying for two nights in a hotel. Depending on the the hotel, here in the US that could cost between $120 and $240, or more in tourist areas.

So this Samaritan put this guy up for a couple of nights, and also says he will pay if the man needs to stay longer. In other words, he wasn’t trying to get by without doing much for the man who had fallen among the thieves. He was making sure this guy had all that he might need to get well and get on his way.

Now, it is important to point something out here. The Lord Jesus does teach us to give sacrificially. He does want us to give to others even when it isn’t convenient for us. But, He is not here teaching us about giving specifically. He is answering the question, ‘who is my neighbor?’

Thus, the Lord does not expect us to take our starving child’s last scrap of bread and give it to the neighbor’s child who is hungry. What He is does expect is that if we can give, we will. The Samaritan was a man of substance. It is possible that he was richer than the other three men on the road. That doesn’t mean it was easy for him to do this. It is often harder to give when you are rich then when you are poor. He had to sacrifice his own luxuries to supply for this man’s need.

This fits so well with the question that was asked. The Samaritan could have left this Jewish man, a man who would likely hate him under normal circumstances. More than that, following the logic of the Jewish leaders, the Samaritan could have considered himself the holier of the two, and condemned this man as getting what he deserved. But the Samaritan didn’t do that.

Heavenly Father, thank You for treating us so well. You could look at us in all of our sin and choose to forsake us. But You do not. In Your mercy and grace You make it possible for us to be partakers of the kingdom of light. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.