Reading Plan for Aug. 2 - 8
August 2, 2026 | Luke 9:18-36
Reflection:
Notice the sequence of events in today’s reading:
Peter declares Jesus to be the Anointed One (Messiah);
Jesus foretells his own death and resurrection, in speaking about the “Son of Man”;
Jesus is transfigured in front of disciples, revealing who he is.
All three of these scenes reveal something about who Jesus is. What does it mean to you that Jesus is revealed as God’s Messiah? What is this messiah anointed to do? To answer this from Luke’s perspective, look back at chapter 4:18-19. Isaiah long ago tells what the “Anointed One” is supposed to do. Jesus’ death and resurrection are harder to find foretold in Scripture, but Isaiah 52:13–53:12 tells us about the Suffering Servant. This sounds a lot like the suffering that Jesus experienced. The transfiguration links Jesus to the Law and the Prophets, in the forms of Moses and Elijah. What does it mean for your faith to know that Jesus’ life and ministry are linked to the core of Jewish law and prophecy? On top of all that is revealed about Jesus in him, we experience the living God, who was and is and is to come.
August 3, 2026 | Luke 9:37-50
Reflection:
It seems strange that Jesus calls those around him “faithless and perverse.” These people were seeking to do something good in trying to heal this boy who had suffered so much for all his life. Jesus must have been pretty frustrated after healing so many wherever he went, that his disciples, who have been with him all this time, are not able to heal. Jesus’ mind seems to be focused on what’s coming next: his betrayal, suffering, death….and resurrection. Perhaps his sense of urgency is building. He knows that he won’t be with his disciples for much longer. His frustration seems warranted. He wants them to get what he’s about before he is no longer with them. So, when an argument about who is greater comes up among the disciples, it’s easy to understand that his frustration with his disciples continues to rise. And then, someone outside his disciples’ circle is healing in Jesus' name; no wonder he says, “It’s okay.” They seem to have gotten what Jesus is all about, while his own disciples haven’t fully caught on.
August 4, 2026 | Luke 9:51-62
Reflection:
Jesus continues to see how his disciples haven’t understood Jesus’ core way of being in the world. They ask, “Should we bring God’s wrath down on this village?” Jesus chastises them. “You all do not understand. Let it go. Move on! We’ve got a bigger mission to do.” In the Gospel of John, we will read how a Samaritan village does accept Jesus and listens to him. In both stories, the topic of “Jerusalem” comes up. The Samaritan Jews worshiped God on Mount Gerizim, which was a rival sanctuary to the temple in Jerusalem. This is why these Samaritans appear to reject Jesus, because his “face was set toward Jerusalem.” They take it as a snub of their place of worship. In John we’ll hear Jesus say, “A day is coming very soon when people will not worship God on this mountain or that one. They will worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus’ urgency seems to be growing. He moves on from Samaria, heading to Jerusalem, the work of the kingdom being at the forefront of all he is doing. What do you consider your work for God’s kingdom to be?
August 5, 2026 | Luke 10:1-12
Reflection:
See here how Jesus sends the seventy-two out to prepare the way for him to go. I had not noticed this detail before. He sends them out in peace to make way for peace and for a peaceful reception of Jesus’ message and Jesus himself. Notice all the ways that Jesus encourages his disciples to detach from expectations: accept hospitality where it is offered, cure the sick and tell them all about the kingdom of God drawn near. If the world falls short in its hospitality, leave it to God to take care of. The memory of what happened to Sodom looms large in the imagination of first-century Jewish people. The connection Jesus makes between his present circumstance and that of Sodom is a lack of hospitality. Sodom was an inhospitable place. God made it not only so that strangers could come there, but also that no one could live there. What hospitality are you inspired to create, not out of threat of punishment, but because you are welcoming in the kingdom of God?
August 6, 2026 | Luke 10:13-28
Reflection:
Things are heating up. Jesus’ ministry is expanding. The sense of urgency is growing. The impact the disciples are making is farther and farther reaching. Hospitality for the approaching kingdom remains a key issue. Jesus sees the potential for people outside the historically Jewish areas to be hospitable to the kingdom before his own people. We can hear his frustration as he pronounces “woe” over these closer-to-home towns. In doing so, Jesus stands in line with the prophets of old, who expressed divine frustration when God’s people turned away from what was right and good. As the disciples return, Jesus tells them not to feel themselves exalted for the power they experienced. Better, he says, is one’s connection to the kingdom of heaven. Demonstrations of power are temporary. The kingdom is eternal. And Jesus embodies this teaching in a parable about an outsider who shows deeper loving compassion than those who are supposed to. This parable is prompted by a question from the crowd about eternal life. Notice how Jesus doesn’t quite answer the question. Jesus says, “Love your God with your whole self, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says nothing about eternity; he simply says, “Do this and you will live.” If you truly understand that eternal life is now, how would you live this day, loving God and neighbor?
August 7, 2026 | Luke 10:29-42
Reflection:
The man who asked Jesus about eternity isn’t satisfied with Jesus’ answer. The man thinks he’ll win something over on Jesus when he asks, “And just who is my neighbor?” Now comes the parable, one of the most well-known teachings of Jesus. Notice how the “rule of three” is active in this parable, like “the three little pigs” or “the three bears”; there are three people who encounter the beaten man on the road. Only one acts with empathy and compassion, going beyond what religious figures were supposed to do. The Outsider (that is, the Samaritan) startles us with his deeply caring response to the man on the road. The man is meant to startle us, to get our hackles up. The Samaritan isn’t supposed to be the “good guy,” but he is; and he is more than just good, or justly righteous. The Samaritan is loving and giving, and in this story, he is not rewarded. He loves where all else have failed to do so. Our passage today ends with another well-known story, that of Mary, Martha and Jesus. We know how it goes. One sister is busily helping and serving, and the other is attentively attending to Jesus and his teachings. There is conflict in this story. Does Jesus remedy the conflict between the sisters when he says, “Mary has chosen the better part”? Does Martha just stop everything and say, “Oh, Jesus, you’re right!” and just stop and join her sister? I imagine the conflict continues, as it does in the church to this day. There will always be someone who thinks they’re being a better servant than others. How would you respond to Jesus if he said, “You’ve oriented yourself in the wrong direction. Stop fussing. Take time to listen”? What do you think you might hear if you took time to sit at the feet of Jesus?
August 8, 2026 | Luke 11:1-23
Reflection:
Today’s passage could easily be broken up into three days; there’s a lot here to digest. First, we get a version of the Lord’s Prayer. It’s shorter than the one many Christians have memorized from Matthew’s Gospel, but it is essentially the same. Jesus offers us first a pattern of prayer, then he goes on to tell us about perseverance in prayer. Many of us may have taken these words of Jesus to heart: “Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened, etc.” And even though we believe we’ve been consistent in our prayers, not everything turns out as we want. This teaching of Jesus’ is not naive; Jesus knows that God’s will is primary in the world of prayer. Yet, listen carefully to how Jesus talks about a compassionate God who seeks to supply for our needs. Notice that what God supplies to us is the Holy Spirit. We may have wanted something else, but God provides us a way to draw closer to God. As we end today’s reading, notice how Jesus deals with his critics. He takes on their illogic directly, “What you’re saying makes no sense; don’t you see it?” Both through his teaching on prayer and his countering his critics, Jesus calls those who listen to him to a deeper relationship with God: pray, and you will be drawn close by God’s Holy Spirit. Stick close to God, for it is God who is mighty. Follow, learn, act in love.” What more do you think Jesus is teaching?