What Jesus Did

[Jesus concluded the story about the nobleman who became king,] "But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
"'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I'm a hard man who takes what isn't mine and harvests crops I didn't plant, why didn't you deposit my...

 

[Jesus continued the story about the nobleman,] "After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. The first servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!'
"'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'

"The next servant reported...

 

The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, 'Invest this for me while I am gone.' But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do...

 

Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.

—Luke 19:6-7 NLT

Key Thought​

If Jesus were physically among us today, I'm not sure how those of us who are religious would react. The LORD's interactions with people whom society generally considered to be sinners, as was the case with Zacchaeus, offended the religious. I do know, however...

 

```markdown
[While people were grumbling that Jesus was going to eat with ###, "a notorious sinner," he] stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham."

—Luke 19:8-9 NLT

Key Thought​

### is a living example of repentance in this passage...

 

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named ###. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at ### and called him by name. "###!" he said. "Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today."

—Luke...

 

And Jesus said [to the blind man who was pleading to be able to see], "All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

—Luke 18:42-43 NLT

Key Thought​

The crowds knew that Jesus' acts of compassion were not to draw attention to himself, but to bring praise to God. He lived his life to bring honor, glory, and praise to his Father. Just as Jesus lived to glorify God...

 

When Jesus heard [the blind man who was pleading for mercy], he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord," he said, "I want to see!"

—Luke 18:40-41 NLT

Key Thought​

You see people on the street. "How you doing?" they ask. "Fine." Your reply is automatic and instinctive. However, you are not fine. You just know that they don't really want to hear about your burdens. They are just...

 

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
"Be quiet!" the people in front yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"


—Luke 18:35-39 NLT

Key Thought​

So often we let the noise and commotion of our crowded lives distract us...

 

Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, "Listen, we're going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again."
But they didn't understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking...