Luke, 20
24. Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” In response, they said to him, “Caesar’s.”
24. Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” In response, they said to him, “Caesar’s.”
Luke chapter begins with religious leaders questioning Jesus' authority and ends with a lesson about the true meaning of love and generosity. Some topics covered include the authority of Jesus, the rejection of religious leaders, the responsibility of Christians towards God, and the importance of generosity and love for neighbor. Following are five verses related to these themes:
Psalm 118:22-23: "The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. This came from the Lord, and is something wonderful in our eyes." This verse is quoted by Jesus in Luke 20:17 When he refers to himself as the stone rejected by religious leaders, who will eventually become the cornerstone.
Isaiah 5:1-2: "I will sing to my beloved my friend's song about his vineyard: my beloved had a vineyard in a fertile hill. Vides; and built in the midst of it a tower, and also made it a laga; and hoped that it would give good grapes, but it gave angry grapes. " This verse is referenced in Luke 20:9-19 in the parable of the vineyard, where religious leaders represent the bad farmers who reject the servants of God and end up killing the son of the owner of the vineyard.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in you, from God, and that you are not yourselves? Because you were bought by price; God in your body. " This verse highlights the responsibility of Christians in relation to their body and how they should use it to the glory of God. This relates to Luke 20:25, where Jesus teaches to surrender to Caesar what is Caesar and God what is of God.
Proverbs 11:24-25: "There are those who spread, and it is still added to it more; and there are those who retain more than it is just, but it is to its loss. The generous soul will prosper, and who gives to drink will be dismissed." This verse highlights the importance of generosity and how this can bring blessings to the person. This relates to the history of the poor widow in Luke 20:45-21:4, who donated everything he had and received the praise of Jesus for his generosity.
Isaiah 8:14: "He will be like a sanctuary, but also as a stumbling block and a rock that falls. For both of them, both for the house of Israel and to the house of Judah, he will be a trap and a bond . " This prophetic verse describes the duality of Jesus as a refuge for some and a stumbling block for others, something that is approached in Chapter 20 of Luke.
“O Senhor nos dá tantas graças e nós pensamos que tocamos o céu com um dedo. Não sabemos, no entanto, que para crescer precisamos de pão duro, das cruzes, das humilhações, das provações e das contradições.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina
