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The Women in Jesus’ Family Tree
Scripture:“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” (Luke 1:52)“Tamar… Rahab… Ruth… the wife of Uriah…” (Matthew 1:3, 5–6) Luke doesn’t give us a genealogy the way Matthew does, but Luke absolutely gives us the same theology: God lifts the lowly and works through the overlooked. Matthew makes that…
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The Outsider Becomes the Witness
Scripture:“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” (Luke 8:39)“They overcame… by the word of their testimony.” (Acts 4:33; cf. Acts’ witness theme) The man begs to stay with Jesus. That makes sense—if you’ve been rescued, you want to cling to the Rescuer. But Jesus gives him a different calling:…
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When Healing is “Too” Costly
Scripture: “Then all the people… asked Jesus to leave them.” (Luke 8:37)“Many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7) This is one of the saddest turns in Luke’s Gospel: a man is restored, and the town asks Jesus to leave. Why? Luke says they were afraid. And underneath that fear is cost—economic…
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What Restoration Looks Like
Scripture:“They found the man… sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” (Luke 8:35)“They devoted themselves… and all who believed… had all things in common.” (Acts 2:42–47) Luke doesn’t end with fireworks. He ends with a picture of wholeness: clothed, clear-minded, sitting at Jesus’ feet. That’s not merely “symptom management.” That’s…
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The Face of Dehumanization
Scripture:“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion.’” (Luke 8:30)“God anointed Jesus… and he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed.” (Acts 10:38) This is the movement where Luke gets intense: the powers inside this man are named. “Legion.” Many. Overwhelming. Whatever you believe about demons as spiritual entities, Luke…
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An Outsider of Outsiders
Scripture:“A man… met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.” (Luke 8:27)“Jesus came… to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) Luke describes this man in layers of exclusion. He’s not just struggling—he’s socially erased. No home. No…
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To the Other Side
Scripture:“They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.” (Luke 8:26)“You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Jesus doesn’t drift into this story. Luke makes it feel intentional: opposite Galilee. The other side. The place you wouldn’t casually choose. The place that feels unfamiliar, risky, “not…
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The Outsider as the Key
Scripture:“He shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Luke 18:38)“Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’” (Luke 18:41) Luke ends the chapter with the interpretive twist: a blind beggar who can see what the sighted crowd can’t. The crowd calls him “Jesus of Nazareth.” The beggar calls him…
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Clueless – Disciples Edition
Scripture:“We are going up to Jerusalem…” (Luke 18:31)“The disciples did not understand any of this… its meaning was hidden from them.” (Luke 18:34) This is one of the most humbling verses in Luke: the disciples are right there, walking with Jesus, hearing the clearest words about what’s coming—suffering, death, resurrection—and Luke says they don’t get…
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The Injury Caused By Holding On Too Tight
Scripture (Luke):“When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.” (Luke 18:23)“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24) Luke brings a rich ruler into the conversation—an insider with everything going for him: moral seriousness, social standing, resources, respectability. He wants eternal life. He…
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Weekday Word w/ Eric 