Bid Farewell (Luke 14:25-35)

Bid Farewell (Luke 14:25-35)

In this episode we turn to Luke 14:25-35, shifting from the sabbath encounters, to an interaction that Jesus has with the crowds surrounding Him. From this passage we talk about honestly evaluating the cost of following Jesus, from relationships, to security, and identity. When we follow Jesus, we are invited to bid farewell to all those things that we often cling to.

The Right Now Moment (Luke 14:15-24)

In this episode, we continue on with Luke 14:15-24, still at the prominent Pharisees house for the Sabbath meal, we drop in on another parable of Jesus’. From this passage we talk about misplaced priorities in life: possessions, time/productivity, and relationships/social status, and how we are often tempted to allow these things to distract us from responding to the invitation to participate in God’s Kingdom now.

From Prominence to Humility (Luke 14:1-14)

In this episode we move into Luke 14:1-14 where Jesus heads over to a prominent Pharisees house for a Sabbath meal, while here, Jesus heals a man, and shares another parable. Together we discuss our propensity to pursue prominence, and the invitation that Jesus issues to surrender our position to Him, trusting that He sees us.

Making Every Effort to Know and be Known (Luke 13:22-35)

In this episode we work through Luke 13:22-35. In this passage we hear Jesus speak on the narrow door in response to a question from the crowd and then we hear Jesus’ lament of Jerusalem. Throughout our conversation we discuss feasts in first century Israel and identified Jesus’ conversation on the narrow door as a metaphor for the opportunity and expectation of relationship with God to enter the feast of the Kingdom of Heaven. Too often, the temptation is to allow proximity to Jesus to substitute for personal relationship with Jesus.

The Day Freedom Disrupted Religion (Luke 13:10-21)

In this episode we continue on with Luke 13:10-21. In this passage we see Jesus heal a woman on the sabbath and also hear two short parables on the Kingdom of Heaven. What does it really mean to be set free—and are we sometimes more bound than we realize? As we explore this passage, three key themes emerge: 1) Jesus’ power and willingness to set us free from what binds us, 2) our tendency to rely on religious structures rather than relationship, and His invitation to live fully in the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, and 3) we also reflect on the nature of this “upside-down” Kingdom—starting small, yet steadily growing, persistent, and transformative.