Reading Plan for Sept. 6 - 12
September 6, 2026 | Luke 20:1-8
Reflection:
A key word in today’s reading is “authority.” There is a lot hanging on the perceived authority of Jesus as he dares to teach in the temple, after he had driven out the money changers. The crowds seem to hang on his every word, but the religious “authorities” question Jesus' perceived power and presence. The Greek word used here for “authority” is exousia. It can mean anything from “privilege, force, capacity, competency, liberty, right, power, jurisdiction, mastery, and delegated influence.” That’s a lot of meaning for one word. The root of the word is “ousia,” which can mean “presence,” “essence,” or even just “being.” Jesus had such “presence” that the crowds were captivated by him. Those who were supposed to hold power, the religious authorities, questioned the genuine presence of power in their midst. What power and presence does Jesus hold for you?
September 7, 2026 | Luke 20:9-19
Reflection:
We have gained a lot of practice reading parables now that we’ve journeyed through Mark, Matthew, and now most of Luke. When we get to the Gospel of John, we will encounter none of these traditional parables. So, we’re coming to the end of Jesus’ parables. What do we know about reading the parables? We come to see that Jesus uses the parables to teach everyday folks about the kingdom of God, and he uses parables to call out the hypocrisy of supposed religious authorities. We also know that parables do not work on exact equivalence. The parable helps us use our imagination by putting two things side by side. We have some room in interpretation. The scribes and the chief priests didn’t have to see and hear that this parable was in some way about them, but it does seem almost unavoidable. Jesus’ parables open up worlds of meaning, and sometimes they seem pretty specific. He seems to be talking about his own death and how it will come about, and that those in authority will experience the consequences of their own hypocrisy and grabbing at power. If Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected, how is he like a cornerstone for your life and faith?
September 8, 2026 | Luke 20:20-26
Reflection:
This incident may be well-known to you. Jesus is questioned about the legality of paying taxes to the Roman Emperor. Jesus, wisely, asks whose image is on the coin with which they pay these taxes. They say, “Caesar.” And Jesus says, “Give to Caesar then what belongs to him. And give to God what belongs to God.” (You can almost hear the mic drop!) Jesus is skillful at overcoming the traps people set for him. If you know this story already, look for details you may not have noticed, like “they sent spies who pretended to be honest.” The Greek here reads more like “who feigned to be righteous,” and the word “feign” here is more like “acted like hypocrites.” Any one of us could fall short of being totally genuine, honest, or righteous. Yet, these folks were deliberate in their falsehood. Jesus saw right through their pretense. In the face of Jesus’ authoritative rightness, all fell silent. How is Jesus calling you to a more genuine and honest life and faith?
September 9, 2026 | Luke 20:27-40
Reflection:
We’ve encountered this story before (in Mark 12 and Matthew 22). The story reads pretty much the same in each gospel account, and the Sadducees each time come across as obtuse and obstructionist. In America, in the mid-1800s, there was a political movement known as the “Know-Nothing Party." These folks were virulently anti-immigration, opposing the influx of Irish fleeing famine back home. It was a secretive movement; its followers were told that, if they were ever questioned about their party’s beliefs and activities, they were to say, “I know nothing.” The Sadducees were something of a “know-nothing” faction. They said that it’s impossible to know anything about life after death, and they rejected all those who claimed to know something about it. They tried to use the tension between factions of knowers and non-knowers, but put Jesus in the middle. And, instead of evading the questions they raise, Jesus answers them (somewhat) directly: “You truly appear to know nothing. If you read your scripture, you’d see that God is the God of the living, and those who appear to have died live yet still. Your questions are really off-base. Because you claim that the truth is unknowable, you close yourselves off from what can be known from the testimony we have.” Jesus basically calls them blind, seeking to blind others. Jesus tells us that the life we have is bigger than we currently know. Are you satisfied with Jesus’ answer?
September 10, 2026 | Luke 20:41-47
Reflection:
It appears that both parts of today’s scripture reading deal with hypocrisy. This may be obvious when reading the second part, for Jesus calls us religious leaders who like to appear pious even though they actually are destroying the most vulnerable people’s lives. In the first part, though, Jesus seems to be saying, “You all think that you read scripture carefully and understand it. But I am telling you that maybe you’ve never really read it. How can the Messiah come after David (as his descendant) when it appears that God (the LORD) speaks to the Messiah (the Lord) as being before David? Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1-2, and this psalm is one of the most quoted passages in the New Testament. The Hebrew seems much more straightforward. It’s as if the “king” who writes the psalm is saying, “God said to me.” That’s a simple interpretation. But Jesus makes it more complex, perhaps to call out the hypocrisy of those who think they know scripture and teach only their understanding. Jesus calls us each to a deeper engagement and deeper humility in reading, interpreting, and teaching scripture.
September 11, 2026 | Luke 21:1-6
Reflection:
Again, we encounter a teaching of Jesus that is quite well-known. Jesus sees a woman put two pennies into the temple treasury offering. He then tells his disciples, with others listening in, that this woman has given more than all the wealthy people putting in their gifts. We can relate this teaching back to Jesus’ critique of hypocrisy that we have seen over and over again in Luke’s gospel. Jesus highlights the woman who is doing something generous and faithfully sacrificial. The act of such faithfulness is what stands out. Jesus next tells everyone that the temple itself will soon be gone. The temple will not exist, but the act of generosity and devotion is what lasts. He didn’t tell the woman not to give, “Hey, you know that this temple will be destroyed; don’t waste your money!” He highlights her extravagance and trust. In what ways can you give to another without counting the cost?
September 12, 2026 | Luke 21:7-19
Reflection:
Jesus tells his disciples, and we get to overhear, that wars and insurrections will come and go, and we are called not to be terrified when they do. It’s a tall order, especially since we’ve seen insurrections and wars in our own times. Jesus' warnings become more and more dire. Terrible things will happen, he says. And terrible things have happened over and over again since Jesus’ days. And yet we are called to faithfulness again and again in the midst of all that has occurred and will occur. What was the most terrifying thing to happen to you, and how did God’s faithfulness see you through?