S3E158- Luke 9-10: You Gotta Be Kidding

Transcript

Podcast Introduction

In our reading today is  Luke 9-10.  I’m calling today’s episode “You Gotta Be Kidding.”

Comments on Luke 9

12Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

13He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14(About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”15The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Luke 9:12-17 NIV

The NKJV has a very good translation of verse 10: “And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.”

Jesus had sent the apostles on a ministry outing, and when they got back they gave him a report. And Jesus wanted to take them someplace where they could get some alone time. He was known to go off alone from time to time after ministering to the people, so I think He wanted to show them the benefits of getting away. 

But the crowd found out where they were, so they followed them. And of course, Jesus ministered to them. He taught them, and He healed them. How could he do anything else?

And when it began to get late, the apostles suggested to Jesus that He should send them away to find food and shelter, since there was nothing for such a large crowd in this deserted place. 

I can just imagine Jesus’ reaction when they came to Him with this suggestion. I’ll bet he got just a hint of a mischievous smile on his face as he said to Himself, “Time for another lesson.”

And He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” 

And I’ll bet Peter thought… No. I’ll bet Peter *said* something like, “Are you out of your mind?!? Look at all those people! There are thousands of them!”

The apostles told Jesus they had five loaves and two fish. And I think Jesus, with that same mischievous smile said, “So what’s the problem? That’s plenty!” And He had the apostles seat the crowd in groups of fifty.

I’ll leave it up to you to think about what reactions the apostles had to this.

And you know the rest of the story. Jesus took the loaves and fishes, said a prayer, blessed them, and distributed the food to His disciples to give to the crowd. And the leftovers filled twelve baskets.

I want to go back to Jesus’ statement, “You give them something to eat.” 

Jesus is in the process of teaching the apostles that He will work through them. Remember that just before this time outside of Bethsaida, Jesus had sent them on a ministry trip where they had preached and healed people. Without Him being there. 

And now this. 

They brought the five loaves and two fish to him. We aren’t told here in Luke, but I think after Jesus offered His prayer of blessing, He broke only the loaves and fish and handed just that amount to the disciples. And the miracle happened in their hands as they went out in faith to feed the crowd. 

Jesus was teaching the disciples that when God sends you, He will work miracles through you.

Beloved, if you have been here very long you have heard me say that God does not change. And that’s not just me saying that. In Malachi 3:6 we read, “For I the Lord do not change…” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” There are many verses that confirm the fact that God is unchanging.

So since that is true, beloved, I want to repeat what I said a moment ago. When God sends you, He will work miracles through you. It probably won’t be feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, but it  could be. There are food ministries in churches all around the world that feed people. And most of these ministries operate with very little money, yet feed many, many people. 

God told a somewhat introverted, hard working family guy from a southern California town to proclaim His name using a nearly unknown method of communication. And today that guy has spoken to people in nearly every nation on earth about the Good News. Beloved, that is a miracle. I know that guy. That guy is me, and I would NOT be my first choice to do what God has done through me. When I’m with a group of people, I’m usually the quietest guy in the room. I’m not the life of the party kind of guy. I don’t like being in the spotlight. But I do love the Lord. I do believe every word in the Bible. And I want to do whatever the Lord calls me to do.

Beloved, when God sends you, He will work miracles through you. You just have to be willing. You just have to say, “Yes.”

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 9 NIV; Ch. 10 NLT

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Transcript

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Steve Webb 0:00
So what’s the problem?

Steve Webb 0:09
Hello there. This is the Lifespring family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004. I’m your OG God caster Steve Webb. This is a daily podcast and we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How’s your day going? Welcome. Glad to see you. In our reading today, we’ll read Luke nine and 10 and I’m calling the episode, you’ve got to be kidding. The show notes page for today’s episode is Lifespring media.com/s 12, e 157. Let’s begin.

Steve Webb 0:43
Luke chapter nine.

Steve Webb 0:45
When Jesus had called the 12, together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God to heal the sick. He told them, take nothing for the journey. No staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.

Steve Webb 1:04
Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you leave their town and shake the dust off your feet is the testimony against them. So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, I beheaded John, who then is this I hear such things about, and he tried to see him. When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him, and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida. But the crowds learned about it and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon, the 12 came to him and said, Send the crowd away. So they can go to the surrounding villages in countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here. He replied, You give them something to eat, they answered, we have only five loaves of bread into fish, unless we go and buy food for all this crowd. About 5000 men were there. But he said to his disciples, have them sit down in groups of about 50 Each, the disciples did so and everyone sat down. taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate, and we’re satisfied. And the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of broken pieces that were left over. Once when Jesus was praying in private, and his disciples were with him, he asked them, Who do the crowds say I am? They replied, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life. But what about you? He asked, Who do you say I am? Peter answered, God’s Messiah. Jesus strictly warned him not to tell this to anyone. And he said, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed, and on the third day be raised to life. Then he said to them all, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me, for whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit their very self? whoever is ashamed of me in my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God. About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of His face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment to Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy. But when they became fully awake, they saw his glory in the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to Him, Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He did not know what he was saying. While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. voice came from the cloud saying, This is my son whom I have chosen. Listen to him. When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. The next day when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met them. A man in the crowd called out, teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams, it throws them into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him, it is destroying him. I beg your disciples to drive it out, but they could not. You unbelieving in perverse generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you bring your son here. Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Steve Webb 6:05
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them so that they did not grasp it. And they were afraid to ask him about it. And arguments started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside them. Then he said to them, whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent Me, for it is the one who was least among you all, who was the greatest master said, John, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not one of us. Do not stop him. Jesus said, For whoever is not against you is for you. As the time approached, for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on a head who went into a Samaritan Village to get things ready for him. But the people there did not welcome him because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them, then he and his disciples went to another village. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I will follow You wherever You go. Jesus replied, foxes have dens and birds have nests but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. He said to another man, follow me. But he replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Still another said, I will follow You, Lord. But first, let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus replied, No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

Steve Webb 8:11
Luke chapter 10.

Steve Webb 8:14
The Lord now chose 72 other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them. The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who was in charge of the harvest, ask him to send more workers into his fields. Now go and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. Whenever you enter someone’s home first say, may God’s peace be on this house. If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand. If they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home, stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality because those who work deserve their pay. If you enter a town and it welcomes you eat whatever is set before you heal the sick and tell them the kingdom of God is near you now. But if a town refuses to welcome you go out into its streets and say, We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And no this the kingdom of God is near. I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day. What sorrow awaits you Khorasan and Bethsaida for if the miracles I did in you had been done in Wicked, Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. Yes, tyre incited will be better are off on judgment day then you and you people have Copernican, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. Then he said to the disciples, anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God who sent me. When the 72 disciples returned, they joyfully reported to Him, Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name. Yes, he told them, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority over all power of the enemy. And you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you. rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.

Steve Webb 10:51
At that same time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. And he said, oh Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, father, it please do to do it this way. My father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the sun except the Father. And no one truly knows the Father except the sun, and those to whom the sun chooses to reveal him. Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, bless it are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. One day, an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question. Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus replied, What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it? The man answered, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Right? Jesus told him, Do this and you will live. The man wanted to justify his actions. So he asked Jesus, and who was my neighbor? Jesus replied with a story. A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance, a priest came along, but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by a temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along in what he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an end where he took care of him. The next day, he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here. Now, which of these three would you say was the neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Jesus asked, the man replied, The one who showed him mercy. Then Jesus said, yes, now go and do the same. As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me. But the Lord said to her, my dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.

Steve Webb 14:05
Let me reread Luke nine verses 12 through 17. For you, okay. Late in the afternoon, the 12 came to him and said, Send the crowd away. So they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging because we are in a remote place here, you replied. You give them something to eat? They answered, we have only five loaves of bread and to fish unless we go and buy food for all this crowd. About 5000 men were there. But he said to his disciples, have them sit down in groups of about 50 Each, the disciples did so and everyone sat down, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate, and we’re satisfied and the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. I like the New King James translation of Verse 10, which says, and the apostles when they had returned, told him all that they had done, then he took them and went outside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city of Bethsaida. Okay, Jesus had sent the disciples on a ministry outing, and when they got back, they gave him a report. And Jesus wanted to take them someplace where they could get some alone time, you know, that he was known to go off alone from time to time after ministering to the people, right. So I think he wanted to show the apostles the benefits of getting away, but the crowd found out where they were. So they followed them. And of course, when Jesus saw them following he ministered to them, he taught them and He healed them.

Steve Webb 15:43
I mean, how could he do anything else? I mean, this is Jesus we’re talking about, he’s not going to try to ditch him, or he’s not going to send them away. So when it began to get late, the apostles suggested to Jesus, that He should send them away to find food and shelter since there was nothing for such a large crowd in this deserted place. Now, I can just imagine Jesus reaction when they came to him with this suggestion, I’ll bet he got just a hand of a mischievous smile on his face. And he probably said to himself, time for another lesson. And he said to them, you give them something to eat? And I’ll bet Peter thought, no, no, I don’t think Peter thought I’ll bet Peter said something like, Are you out of your mind? Look at all these people, there are 1000s of them. Of course, the Bible doesn’t tell us that the Bible only tells them this part. The apostles told Jesus that they had five loaves and two fish. And I think Jesus with that same mischievous smile, said, so what’s the problem? That’s plenty. And then he had the apostle seek the crowd in groups of 50. And I’ll leave it up to you to think about what reactions the apostles had to this. And you know, the rest of the story, Jesus took the loaves and fishes and a prayer of thanksgiving, bless them and distributed the food to His disciples to give to the crowd, and the leftovers filled 12 baskets. Now, I want to go back to Jesus statement, you give them something to eat. So what’s going on here, Jesus is in the process of teaching the apostles that he will work through them. Remember that just before this time outside of Bethsaida, Jesus had sent them on a ministry trip where they had preached in healed people, without him being there. And now this scene outside of Bethsaida, in this deserted place, with this huge crowd of people, so the apostles brought the five loaves and to fish to him. We aren’t told this part in Luke. But I think after Jesus offered his prayer of thanksgiving and blessing, he broke only the five loaves and two fish, and handed just that amount to the disciples. And the miracle happened in their hands as they went out in faith, to feed the crowd. Jesus was teaching the disciples that when God sends you, he will work miracles through you. Beloved, if you’ve been here very long, you’ve heard me say that God does not change. And that’s not just me saying that, in Malikai, three, six, we read, For I the Lord do not change. Hebrews 13 eight says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever. There are many verses that confirm the fact that God is unchanging. So since that is true, beloved, I want to repeat what I said a moment ago, when God sends you he will work miracles through you. Now, it probably won’t be feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, but it could be, there are food ministries and churches all around the world that feed people. And most of these ministries operate with very little money, yet they feed many, many people. And God told us somewhat introverted, hard working family guy from a Southern California town, to proclaim His name using a nearly unknown method of communication. And today, that guy’s spoken to people in nearly every nation on earth about the good news. Beloved, that’s a miracle. I know that guy. That guy’s me. And I would not be my first choice to do what God has done through me. Because when I’m with a group of people, I’m usually the quietest guy in the room. I’m not the life of the party kind of guy. I don’t like being in the spotlight. But I do love the Lord. And I do believe every word of the Bible, and I do want to do whatever the Lord calls me to do. Beloved, when God sends you, he will work miracles through you. You just have to be willing. You just have to say, Yes. Will you say yes, let me know what you’re thinking. Leave a comment at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 157. Tomorrow we’re going to read Galatians, four through six boost.

Steve Webb 20:10
Sean of San Pedro sent me a boostagram. He said “The episodes are sounding great, Steve. Well, thank you, Shawn. Any asks, how’s it going with a goal of a three hour production limit? Well, let’s just put it this way I’m making progress. Yesterday, I think I got the show out in about three and a half hours. It’s taken longer today. But I’ve had several telephone interruptions. And I’ve had to do a lot of chores around the house. So it’s been difficult to just sit down in a three hour block of time, but I’m making progress. I’ve been able to do things around the house that have gone without being done for some time. So that’s better for my mental health as well, too. So yeah, thanks for asking. I just pray that that continues. Thanks. And then Shawn says it was fun to hear proverbs three, five this morning. We teach that to the kids in Sunday school sometimes feels like my wife and I just got out of a phase of hard times. And now we need to trust without understanding for some long term planning. It’s still a challenge. Yep, I can relate Shawn, I can relate. Tell you what in the prayer section will pray for you and Brittany. And with that booster gram, Shawn sent 500 SATs using the fountain app.

Steve Webb 21:34
On this date in church history, February 5 1631, English born clergyman Roger Williams arrived in America. And he soon began questioning Massachusetts religious policies that fuse church in state matters. Then five years later, he was banished to Rhode Island where he established the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island.

Steve Webb 22:01
Prayer requests, alright, let’s pray for Shean and Brittany that God would give them direction. I’m sure that how He’s battled with COVID. And the hospitalization was difficult for the entire family. And many things were probably put aside for a time. And now that how he’s out of the hospital and gaining strength, they need to think about what they’re going to be doing going forward. So let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, it amazes me that you chose to involve humans in your plan to the extent that you did, knowing what knuckleheads we are. But I thank you that you did do that. Help us to see when you’re giving us an opportunity, Lord, to join you in your work, and give us the faith Lord, to say yes. I pray for Shawn and Brittany now that you would show them where you want them to go and what you want them to do. Lead them by your Holy Spirit, they want to serve you and I know that your plan for them has been fully formed in your mind from the beginning. So Lord, help them to see what it is. And I pray the same for each member of the Lifespring family. You know each one intimately. And you want to involve each one in something you already have in mind for them. Lead each one to that thing that you’ve created them for. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. Send in your prayer requests and your praises at prayer dot Lifespring media.com.

Steve Webb 23:31
Love to hear your comments on the show, go to Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 157. And put a few words down. Let me know what you’re thinking. It could be about this specific episode or it could be ideas or suggestions or don’t do that anymore. type messages, whatever you want to say Lifespring media.com/s 12 v 157. And if you want it to be private, you can send me an email at Steve at Lifespring media.com. Please, I do need your support for the show. Lifespring media.com/support. If you enjoy the show, if you think that it’s something that is a value in your life, if you think it’s good for humanity. If you think the service I’m providing here reading the Bible every day is a valuable thing. help support the show, decide on how much value you think it has and then convert that to a number and send it to me Lifespring media.com/support Well, here we are into the show. Tomorrow. May God bless you richly. Thank you for being here. It’s been fun spending time with you. My name is Steve Webb. Bye

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