Forgiveness at a Great Cost Luke 23:32–38 Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34 This was a prayer for forgiveness and a great forgiveness at that. It was also a forgiveness prayed for at an enormous cost. This is because forgiveness does not come cheap. And the reason it does

Herod’s Downfall Luke 23:6–12 [Herod] questioned [Jesus] at some length, but he made no answer. Luke 23:9 These were the steps in Herod’s fall, beginning with his encounter with John the Baptist: First, there was conviction of sin (see Matt. 14:1–5). But Herod did not welcome this conviction, being unwilling to part from his sin.

Weeping for the Lost Luke 19:41–44 And when he drew near and saw [Jerusalem], he wept over it. Luke 19:41 Is this not an insight into the very heart of God? God wants the wicked to repent. He wants you to repent. Jesus would have been pleased by the conversion of Jerusalem. Can you not

Mercy-Seated Luke 18:9–14 God, be merciful to me, a sinner! Luke 18:13 The word translated “be merciful” is the verb form of the word for the “mercy seat” on the ark of the covenant in the Jewish temple. Therefore, it could literally (but awkwardly) be translated “be mercy-seated toward” or “treat me as one who

Hopelessness or Hopefulness Luke 16:19–31 Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed. Luke 16:26 Consider this contrast between the hopelessness of the rich man’s condition after death and the hopefulness of his condition before. After death there is no possibility of change. But in this life there is, and therefore we can