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The One Year New Testament

June 21

Luke 11:37-54

Luke 11:37-54

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Reflection

One of the main reasons Jesus sometimes offends people is because he constantly presses his gospel message to the level of the heart (Luke 6:6–11; 11:45). God sees the hearts of all humans and is not impressed with mere outward religion. He does desire good deeds in our lives, but they are supposed to flow from hearts of love that are fueled by faith in Christ (v. 42b; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:6). Humans have a tendency to easily and subtly replace this with heartless religious activities and duties that merely have the appearance of godliness.

Jesus points out three ways in which his gospel reveals our brokenness and sin —ways in which we may be no different than the Pharisees: first, some have an outward appearance of cleanness but are full of greed on the inside (Luke 11:39); second, some sacrifice a portion of their possessions while neglecting to love God or others (v. 42); and third, some do good simply because they love the honor that it brings them (v. 43). Jesus not only points out these problems with our hearts. He also invites us to die to such double-living and to live by the Spirit, being transformed from the inside out (Matt. 5:48; Rom. 12:1–2; Col. 3:1–10). Indeed, to be internally transformed is the only way to be truly changed on the outside.

Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15-23

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Reflection

In this moving passage, Paul declares the supremacy of Christ over all things, visible and invisible. From the creation of all things (Col. 1:16–17) to the salvation of our souls (v. 20), Christ is Lord of all. He is the One through whom all things were created (v. 16) and the One who provides peace with God through his blood on the cross (v. 20). He is the head of creation (vv. 15–17) and the head of the church (vv. 18–20).

Here is the awe-inspiring mystery of Jesus Christ—the hands that molded the universe were pierced for the sake of those who were alienated, hostile, and evil (vv. 21–22). Because of Christ’s sinless life and sacrificial work on the cross we are now graciously considered holy and blameless before God. Here again Paul tells us that the gospel is our daily source of strength; we are to be “stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (v. 23).

Psalm 143:5

Psalm 143:5

5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.

Thoughts For Prayer

Remember that you must never move on from the gospel. Even though you have heard it before, you need to hear it again. Pray that God would give your heart a desire to grow ever deeper in your understanding of his grace to you in Christ.

Missions Prayer Requests More

  • June 22, 2025

    Supported Workers: Bobby & Julie in Central Asia

    Countries:

    Ruth, a recent Air Force Academy graduate, has joined their team for the months of June and July. Pray that God will work in and through her during this time. Bobby is thankful for prayers for his preaching in Russian. Although he finds it very challenging, he is growing and trusts that God is using this seemingly impossible task. Preparing to preach at the end of May brought conviction concerning his prayer life and his love for others. Pray for these areas of his life, along with his desire for personal growth in meekness and in encouraging others.

    People’s Republic of China (Asia). Population: 1,416,096,094 Believers: 5.7%. The survival and growth of the church in China are two of the most decisive events of our generation. The window of opportunity for spiritual receptivity might not be open indefinitely. China today faces materialism—with increasing wealth, the debilitating effects of spreading corruption, moral decline, and the growing social and economic impact of the one-child policy. All of these may profoundly affect the spiritual openness of the nation and the church itself. Pray that the Refiner’s fire might keep burning and that the church’s spiritual cutting edge—honed in the midst of persecution—might not be blunted. From Operation World DVD-ROM 2010 and www.operationworld.org

The One Year New Testament Copyright Tyndale House Publishers, used by Permission. NIV Bible copyright International Bible Society.