Hello.
Welcome to my Bible readings.
In this sleep series,
I will be looking at the gospel according to Luke.
In much of the classic literature I read,
There are references to the Bible and religious teachings.
If we wish to educate ourselves fully in a literary capacity,
It makes sense that we should dive into this for reference.
And so here we are.
It is time for sleep.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose.
That's it.
Then let it out on a long sigh.
This is your time and your space.
A time where you can relax,
Safe in the knowledge there is nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Happy listening.
Don't be afraid,
Little flock,
For your father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor.
Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out.
And save your riches in heaven,
Where they will never decrease,
Because no thief can get to them and no moth can destroy them.
For your heart will always be where your riches are.
Watchful servants.
Be ready for whatever comes,
Dressed for action and with your lamps lit,
Like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast.
When he comes and knocks,
They will open the door for him at once.
How happy are those servants whose master finds them awake and ready when he returns.
I tell you he will take off his coat,
Ask them to sit down and wait on them.
How happy they are if he finds them ready even if he should come at midnight or later.
And you can be sure if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come,
He would not let the thief break in.
You too must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.
The faithful or the unfaithful servant.
Peter said,
Lord,
Does this parable apply to us or do you mean it for everyone?
The Lord answered,
Who then is the faithful and wise servant?
He is the one that his master will put in charge,
To run the household and give other servants their share of the food at the proper time.
How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home.
Indeed,
I tell you,
The master will put that servant in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself his master is taking a long time to come back,
And if he begins to beat the other servants,
Both the men and the women,
And eats and drinks and gets drunk,
Then the master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know.
Then the master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the disobedient.
The servant who knows what his master wants him to do,
But does not get himself ready to do it,
Will be punished with a heavy whipping.
But the servant who does not know what his master wants and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping,
Will be punished with a light whipping.
Much is required from the person to whom much is given.
Much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.
JESUS THE CAUSE OF DIVISION I came to set the earth on fire,
And how I wish it were already kindled!
I have a baptism to receive,
And how distressed I am until it is over!
Do you suppose I came to bring peace to the world?
No,
Not peace,
But division.
From now on a family of five will be divided,
Three against two,
And two against three.
Fathers will be against their sons,
Mothers against their daughters,
And daughters against their mothers.
Mothers-in-law will be against their daughters-in-law,
And daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.
UNDERSTANDING THE TIME Jesus said also,
When you see a cloud coming up in the west,
That once you say it's going to rain,
And it does.
When you feel the south wind blowing,
You say it's going to be hot,
And it is.
Hypocrites!
You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather,
And why then do you not know the meaning of this present time?
SETTLE WITH YOUR OPPONENT Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do?
If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court,
You do your best to settle the dispute with them before you get there.
If you don't,
They will drag you before the judge,
Who will hand you over to the police,
And you will be put in jail.
There you will stay,
I tell you,
Until you pay the last penny of your fine.
TURN FROM YOUR SINS OR DIE At that time,
Some people were there who told Jesus about the Galileans,
Whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God.
Jesus answered them,
Because those Galileans were killed in that way,
Do you think it proves they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans?
No.
And I tell you,
If you do not turn from your sins,
You will die as they did.
What about those eighteen people who were killed when the tower fell on them,
Do you suppose this proves they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem?
No.
And I tell you,
If you do not turn from your sins,
You will die as they did.
THE PARABLE OF THE UNTRUTHFUL FIG TREE Then Jesus told them this parable.
There once was a man who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard.
He went looking for figs on it,
But found none.
So he said to his gardener,
Look,
For three years I have been coming here looking for figs on this fig tree,
And I haven't found any.
Cut it down.
Why should it go on oozing up the soil?
But the gardener answered,
Leave it alone,
Sir,
Just one more year.
I will dig round it and put in some manure.
Then if the tree bears figs next year,
So much the better.
If not,
You can have it cut down.
Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagogue.
A woman there had an evil spirit that had made her ill for eighteen years.
She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
When Jesus saw her,
He called out,
Woman,
You are free from your illness.
And he placed his hands on her.
At once she straightened up and praised God.
The official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,
So he spoke up and said,
There are six days in which we should work,
So come during those days and be healed,
But not on the Sabbath.
And the Lord answered,
You hypocrite.
Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath.
Now here is this descendant of Abraham,
Who Satan's kept bound for eighteen years.
Should she not be released on the Sabbath?
His answer made his enemies ashamed of themselves,
While the people rejoiced over all the wonderful things that he did.
The parable of the mustard seed Jesus asked,
What is the kingdom of God like?
What shall I compare it with?
It is like this.
A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field.
The plant grows and becomes a tree,
And the birds make their nests in its branches.
The parable of the yeast Again Jesus asked,
What shall I compare the kingdom of God with?
It is like this,
He said.
A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty litres of flour,
Until the whole batch of dough rises.
The narrow door Jesus went through towns and villages,
Teaching the people and making his way towards Jerusalem.
Someone asked,
Sir,
Will just a few people be saved?
And Jesus answered,
Do your best to go in through the narrow door,
Because many people will surely try to go in but not be able.
The master of the house will get up and close the door,
And when you stand outside and begin to knock and say,
Open the door,
Sir,
He will answer you.
I don't know where you come from,
He will say,
And you will answer,
We ate and drank with you,
You taught in our town.
He will say again,
I don't know where you come from,
Get away from me,
You wicked people.
Then how you will cry and grind your teeth when you see Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,
While you are thrown out.
People will come from the east and the west,
And the north and the south,
And sit down and feast in the kingdom of God.
Those who are now last will be first,
And those who are now first will be last.
