“Luke, our dear doctor, and Demas send you their greetings.” (Colossians 4:14)

“As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life.” (2 Timothy 4:6 – GN)“Only Luke is with me…” (2 Timothy 4:11

– GN)

“Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1-4 – GN)

“It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground.” (Mark 4:31 – GNB)

“It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” (Luke 13:19 – NLT)

“But [the people] would not welcome or receive or accept Him, because His face was [set as if He was] going to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John observed this, they said, Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, ‘You do not know of what sort of spirit you are, For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they journeyed on to another village.” (Luke 9:53-56 - Amplified)

“On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him.

Jesus said to them, ‘What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?’ They stood still, with sad faces. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, ‘Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,’ they answered.

‘This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.’” (Luke 24:13-21 GNB)

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?’ And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.” (Luke 24:25-27 GNB)

“As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; but they held him back, saying, ‘Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.’ So he went in to stay with them. He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.

They said to each other, ‘Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’ They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others and saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed!’” (Luke 24:28-34 GNB)

Medicine – evidence based Religion – “faith” based

“Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 WNT)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)

“When John the Baptist heard in prison about the things that Christ was doing, he sent some of his disciples to him. ‘Tell us,’ they asked Jesus, ‘are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Matthew 11:2-3 GNB)

“Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing: the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. How happy are those who have no doubts about me!’” (Matthew 11:4-6 GNB)

“When that day comes, the deaf will be able to hear a book being read aloud, and the blind, who have been living in darkness, will open their eyes and see. Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the LORD, the holy God of Israel, gives.” (Isaiah 29:18-19 GNB)

“Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.’ Then the Master said, ‘Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” (Luke 18:1-8 – The Message)

“And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Suppose one of you should go to a friend’s house at midnight and say, 'Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine who is on a trip has just come to my house, and I don't have any food for him!' And suppose your friend should answer from inside, 'Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' Well, what then? I tell you that even if he will not get up and give you the bread because you are his friend, yet he will get up and give you everything you need because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.

And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:5-13 – GN)

“The Helper will come – the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” (John 15:26 – GN)

“When the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth…He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you.” (John 16:13,14 – GN)

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him, because he remains with you and is in you.” (John 14:16-17 – GN)

The Rich Man and Lazarus “One day when many tax collectors

and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, ‘This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!’ So Jesus told them this parable:

‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them---what do you do? You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it. When you find it, you are so happy that you put it on your shoulders and carry it back home. Then you call your friends and neighbors together and say to them, ‘I am so happy I found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate!’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.’” (Luke 15:1-7 – GN)

“Or suppose a woman who has ten silver coins loses one of them---what does she do? She lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and looks carefully everywhere until she finds it. When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, and says to them, ‘I am so happy I found the coin I lost. Let us celebrate!’ In the same way, I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.’” (Luke 15:8-10 – GN)

Jesus went on to say, ‘There was once a man who had two sons. The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country, and he was left without a thing.” (Luke 15:11-14 GNB)

“So he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him out to his farm to take care of the pigs. He wished he could fill himself with the bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat. At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father's hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve! I will get up and go to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers.’

So he got up and started back to his father. He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him. ‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’

“But the father called to his servants. ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast! For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began.” (Luke 15:23,24 – GN)

“In the meantime the older son was out in the field. On his way back, when he came close to the house, he heard the music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Your brother has come back home,’ the servant answered, ‘and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.’ The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in.

But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’” (Luke 15:25-32 – GN)

The shrewd manager “No servant can be the slave of two

masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other or will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. When the Pharisees heard all this, they made fun of Jesus, because they loved money.” (Luke 16:11-14 – GN)

“Jesus said to them, ‘You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by people are worth nothing in God’s sight. The Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were in effect up to the time of John the Baptist; since then the Good News about the Kingdom of God is being told, and everyone forces their way in.’” (Luke 16:15-16 – GN)

“There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’

“But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’ The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.’

Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’ The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’” (Luke 16:19-31 – GN)

“..a place of special custody for souls, in which angels are appointed as guardians to them, who distribute to them temporary punishments, agreeable to every one’s behavior and manners…Angels are appointed over them to reproach them and threaten them with their terrible looks, and to thrust them still downwards. Now those angles are set over these souls, drag them into the neighborhood of Hell itself….they do not stand clear of the hot vapor itself; but when they have a near view of this spectacle, as of a terrible and exceeding great prospect of fire, they are struck with a fearful expectation of future judgment, and in effect punished thereby…”

Later, they go to “a lake of unquenchable fire…prepared for a day afore-determined by God, in which one righteous sentence shall deservedly be passed upon all men…this everlasting punishment…”

The good, are “led with hymns, sung by angels…to a place where they wait for the rest and eternal life in Heaven, which is to succeed this region. This place we call the bosom of Abraham.”

There is a “chasm deep and large fixed between them; insomuch that a just man that hath compassion upon them cannot be admitted, nor can one that is unjust, if he were bold enough to attempt it, pass over it.”

Hell: “to these belong unquenchable fire, and that without end, and certain fiery worm never dying, and not destroying the body, but continuing its eruption of the body with never-ceasing grief; neither will sleep give ease to these men, nor will the night afford them comfort; death will not free them from punishment.”

Literal interpretation

Abraham’s bosom? Chasm in between? If the soul is apart from the body, is

there a need to cool the tongue? This is the only case in which Hades is

associated with any punishment

ParableWho is the rich man?Who is Lazarus?

‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ But Abraham said, ‘if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’” “From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus…the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, because on his account many Jews were rejecting them and believing in Jesus” (John 11:53 – GN)

“While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22 GNB)