Daily Bible Reading
Day 4
Today's reading: Luke 10-12
Look for the promises in God’s word. As you read and find them, write them in your journal along with the scripture reference.
Luke 10
The Mission of the Seventy-Two
1. After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
2. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
3. Go! I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves.
4. Do not carry a money bag, a traveler’s bag, or sandals, and greet no one on the road.
5. Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house!’
6. And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you.
7. Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house.
8. Whenever you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before you.
9. Heal the sick in that town and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come upon you!’
10. But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its streets and say,
11. ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’
12. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town!
13. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you!
15. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades!
16. “The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17. Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”
18. So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19. Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.
20. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.”
21. On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
22. All things have been given to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.”
23. Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!
24. For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25. Now an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26. He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”
27. The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
28. Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29. But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30. Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.
31. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, but when he saw the injured man he passed by on the other side.
32. So too a Levite, when he came up to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33. But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the injured man was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.
34. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’
36. Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37. The expert in religious law said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” So Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Jesus and Martha
38. Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest.
39. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said.
40. But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.”
41. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things,
42. but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 11
Instructions on Prayer
1. Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2. So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored; may your kingdom come.
3. Give us each day our daily bread,
4. and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation.”
5. Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6. because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7. Then he will reply from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.’
8. I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9. “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
10. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?
12. Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13. If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14. Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, and the crowds were amazed.
15. But some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he casts out demons.”
16. Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven.
17. But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.
18. So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19. Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.
21. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are safe.
22. But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder.
23. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Response to Jesus’ Work
24. “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’
25. When it returns, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
26. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
27. As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”
28. But he replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
The Sign of Jonah
29. As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
30. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
31. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, something greater than Solomon is here!
32. The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them – and now, something greater than Jonah is here!
Internal Light
33. “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light.
34. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased, your body is full of darkness.
35. Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness.
36. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark, it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
Rebuking the Pharisees and Experts in the Law
37. As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.
38. The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal.
39. But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
40. You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well?
41. But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.
42. “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.
43. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces!
44. Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it!”
45. One of the experts in religious law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.”
46. But Jesus replied, “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! You load people down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch the burdens with even one of your fingers!
47. Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48. So you testify that you approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they killed the prophets and you build their tombs!
49. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’
50. so that this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,
51. from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.
52. Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going in.”
53. When he went out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, and to ask him hostile questions about many things,
54. plotting against him, to catch him in something he might say.
Luke 12
Fear God, Not People
1. Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2. Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known.
3. So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
4. “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do.
5. But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!
6. Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.
7. In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
8. “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before God’s angels.
9. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God’s angels.
10. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11. But when they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense or what you should say,
12. for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you must say.”
The Parable of the Rich Landowner
13. Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14. But Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?”
15. Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16. He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop,
17. so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
18. Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19. And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’
20. But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21. So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”
Exhortation Not to Worry
22. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
23. For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing.
24. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!
25. And which of you by worrying can add an hour to his life?
26. So if you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about the rest?
27. Consider how the flowers grow; they do not work or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!
28. And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you people of little faith!
29. So do not be overly concerned about what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things.
30. For all the nations of the world pursue these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31. Instead, pursue his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.
33. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
34. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Call to Faithful Stewardship
35. “Get dressed for service and keep your lamps burning;
36. be like people waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
37. Blessed are those slaves whom their master finds alert when he returns! I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, have them take their place at the table, and will come and wait on them!
38. Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, blessed are those slaves!
39. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
40. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41. Then Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”
42. The Lord replied, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his household servants, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?
43. Blessed is that slave whom his master finds at work when he returns.
44. I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45. But if that slave should say to himself, ‘My master is delayed in returning,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk,
46. then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
47. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or do what his master asked will receive a severe beating.
48. But the one who did not know his master’s will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.
Not Peace, but Division
49. “I have come to bring fire on the earth – and how I wish it were already kindled!
50. I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!
51. Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!
52. For from now on there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three.
53. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Reading the Signs
54. Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and it does.
55. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is.
56. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how to interpret the present time?
Clear the Debts
57. “And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?
58. As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
59. I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!”