A Journey Through Luke & ActsSample

Jesus teaches his followers to avoid the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They talk about God’s love but neglect the poor. They have lots of knowledge but only use it to gain praise. Jesus won’t tolerate this two-faced lifestyle and teaches that God sees everything and will keep humanity accountable. This is meant as both a warning and an encouragement. It’s a warning because greed and gossip will not remain secret. Hypocrites will be found out. Truth will be revealed, and wrong will be made right one day. But it’s also an encouragement because God doesn’t only see the evil humanity commits; he also sees the good. He sees the needs of humanity and generously cares for his creation. When followers of Jesus pursue and prioritize the Kingdom of God, Jesus assures they will receive eternal treasures and all that they need for life on earth. Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that life will be easy. In fact, Jesus acknowledges that his followers will indeed suffer. But he promises that those who face suffering will face God, and those who give their lives to honor his name will be honored before angels. Because of this, Jesus encourages his followers to trust God’s provision and warns them of the dangers of hypocrisy. Jesus longs for everyone to receive his words, but many reject them.