Reading Plan for Aug. 23 - 29

August 23, 2026 | Luke 16:1-13
Reflection:
Today we are going to employ that exercise of reading backwards; that is, read the end of the passage, and see if this helps to understand the beginning. If we read verses 11-13, and we think these verses make a pretty clear point - be honest and trustworthy in all your dealings - we might think this is the key to interpreting the parable Jesus tells in verses 1-9. However, this doesn’t seem to work, really. The end of the parable itself says, “Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth[b] so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” And this seems to say the exact opposite of the next few verses. The parable is about shrewdness; but is Jesus criticizing this shrewdness or praising it? I don’t think it needs to be an either-or. I have read multiple commentaries on this particular parable, and there is a lot written about it. None of it, however, have I found satisfying. Most come down to this: Jesus’ followers should be keenly aware of their context. Life is not always a fair and equal quid pro quo interchange. People of faith should act wisely when need requires it. Overall, though, it is hard to imagine that Jesus advocates for dishonest action, especially since he has repeatedly criticized hypocrisy. Jesus' message over and over again is a call to integrity in thought, word, and deed. And before we try to read the parable as saying, “Dishonesty works, too,” read the whole chapter. :)

August 24, 2026 | Luke 16:14-18
Reflection:
Today’s passage has three parts. They happen quickly. They seem to be addressing separate issues. After you’ve read these five verses, slow down. Read them again. Read them separately, and then read them as they flow one into the other. In the first passage, do not distance yourself from the Pharisees. They were people like you and I. They were seeking to do their best. Some got caught up in the image of their role, and lost their way as stewards of godly instruction. Any human being could fall short of their calling and do what is “an abomination in the sight of God.” The second “saying” takes into the most tense point between the tradition of “law and prophets” and the innovation of the proclamation of the kingdom. Consider ways in which the “law of love” is the fulfillment of all the law and prophets. For the third saying, consider how divorce is a rupture in covenantal relationships. Divorce is an everyday symbol of humanity’s rending apart of the covenant God has made. Jesus upholds the dignity of women, who end up most often the losers in any divorce situation.

August 25, 2026 | Luke 16:19-31
Reflection:
In today’s parable, Jesus is not giving us an exact map of heaven and hell and how things operate in these spheres. Jesus is telling us a story. He does, however, want us to think…and it appears that he wants us to think about the interconnection between money and power, and how these shape the state of our “soul.” Some people want to know the “point” of a parable. Jesus is more concerned with the experience you have as you listen to and live with a parable. The parable only “makes a point” on the surface level. The real power of a parable is in how, over time, it shapes you (and me, and anyone who encounters it). Sit with this parable. If you immediately think of others who should hear this parable and get its “point,” then I encourage you to read it again meditatively, considering how this parable is about how God interacts with you. To what life change is this parable of Jesus calling you? How are you “deaf” to hearing the message of grace because you’re too worried about adherence to the law? Let the Spirit shape you, not through fear of the future, but with an inbreaking message that changes your now.

August 26, 2026 | Luke 17:1-10
Reflection:
There is a dynamic relationship between “sin,” “repentance,” and “forgiveness.” Luckily, in Scripture there is not a set formula that shows you exactly how these three interact. Multiple stories show that grace is far more active than our attempts to atone and reconcile. Add to this dynamic the element of faith, and you will find that it is faith that is the “ground” upon which sin, grace, repentance, and forgiveness inter-play. And not our faith alone. Rather, it is God’s faithfulness that is the true ground of our being. In the closing section of today’s reading, I wish that Jesus had said, “I know your normal pattern is to order slaves around, without regard for their well-being…but in the kingdom it is not so. In the kingdom you are to say, “Ah, good and faithful servant, you have been plowing and tending the sheep! Come, sit at table with me; take your place with the others, for all have become inheritors of the kingdom!” Jesus, however, doesn’t say this. He’s making another point. “Don’t function in a quid pro quo manner. Do what you are called to do in this life without expectation to be lavished with undeserved gifts. The world is full of slaves of all kinds. Don’t think of yourselves better than they. You are no different…in God’s sight.” Consider how Jesus again and again is calling us all to live beyond hypocrisy.

August 27, 2026 | Luke 17:11-19
Reflection:
Today’s story is akin to the parable of the “Good Samaritan.” The person we least expect to be “good” ends up doing the right and gracious thing. What becomes clear when we read this story is that the focus isn’t on Jesus’ miraculous healing of 10 men, at a distance, from a skin disease (perhaps leprosy). That’s a story in and of itself!!! This telling of the story breezes by that part and focuses on the one grateful person, who turns out to be a Samaritan, the kind of Jew that other Jews avoid and shun. Jesus even calls him a foreigner, even though Samaria lies between Jesus’ home in Galilee and Jerusalem. The man would definitely have been considered an outsider, but the point here is that Jesus sees and acknowledges faith from someone who is least expected to be faithful. What is the sign of this man’s faithfulness? Was it gratitude? In what ways would your gratitude be considered a sign of faithfulness?

August 28, 2026 | Luke 17:20-37
Reflection:
Perhaps the best question to ask yourself in relation to today's passage is, “In what do I put my trust?” Watch from this time forward how Jesus’ teachings become more and more apocalyptic; that is, they focus on catastrophic changes that are coming. Jesus calls us all to be faithful no matter what the time or circumstance. Hear these words, “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it,” as a lens for experiencing the whole teaching. Apocalyptic teaching is full of imagery and allusion to the vision that Daniel had centuries before. This form of teaching is akin to the parables; if we were to take them too literally, we would miss the point. “Don’t focus on the catastrophes all around you. Be grounded in the love of God and God’s faithfulness. Trust in the God who has sustained life from the beginning, and you will endure to the end.” What fears turn you away from your foundation in God’s love and providence? How are you to lose those fears to gain life?

August 29, 2026 | Luke 18:1-14
Reflection:
We could say that Jesus teaches us to expect the unexpected. We don’t expect a Samaritan to be good and faithful. We don’t expect anything good to come out of Galilee. Jesus didn’t expect to find faith in Tyre and Sidon. Perhaps it’s better to say, “When the unexpected startles you or confronts you, look for ways that God could be surprising you with new insight.” In his parable, Jesus says, “You didn’t expect the unjust judge to do something even remotely good. But he did. Maybe not for the right reason, but he did. Even more so, know that God, who is just, will do something surprisingly good.” In the second parable, Jesus surprises us with a tax collector turning out to be justified. We have expectations about how the world is supposed to work. Sometimes those expectations close us down to the good that God is doing in the world. Review your day. Consider ways in which your expectations of how things are supposed to go may have blocked you from experiencing the surprising good God is doing.