November 15, Luke 19: Jesus in Control This chapter has many narratives and scenes as Jesus moves to the cross. In all of them, he is in control of the past, present, and future as he enters Jerusalem for the last week of his “earthly existence” life. I. Prior to entrance; in control of historical timeline A. Zacchaeus. A song we’ve known since childhood. He is not being overly generous in his restitution. It was the expectation. 1. “ Under the Law of Moses, confessing a wrong to a neighbor generally required repaying the principal amount plus an added fifth (Leviticus 6:1–5; Numbers 5:6–7). A fourfold penalty was specifically the requirement for a convicted thief who sold or killed a stolen sheep (Exodus 22:1). By choosing the strictest standard of restitution, Zacchaeus demonstrated deep repentance and accountability.” ( https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/zacchaeus ). 2. Rabbinic law said not to give more than a fifth to the poor, and he gives half. B. The ...
Our pastor has been preaching on Biblical doctrines of conscience, and he cited a book that I went ahead and bought: Conscience: What is it, how to train it, and loving those who differ, by Andrew David Naselli and J. D. Crowley. I have been reading it. It is a good and short study on the subject, about 140 pages with discussion questions, bibliography, lots of citations, and readable. I recommend it, and I am not a recommender. However, I do have some thoughts. One of the authors is a missionary in Southeast Asia, or has been, and the other is a professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis. That is John Piper's institution. This second author (who gets first bill on the book) also has a Ph.D. from Bob Jones and one from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The Bob Jones background shows. But having been a part of fundamentalism, I feel his pain. It comes out in the examples they use. Some of the examples seem dated, like wearing jeans, others fit m...