Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 19:1-10. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem takes Him through Jericho, the home of Zacchaeus. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus is among those who have been welcomed by Jesus, yet as a rich man, Zacchaeus has been living a life of woe. His desire to see Jesus is well-placed, but he is too short to see over the crowd. He climbs a sycamore tree for just a glimpse of Jesus. The Lord calls to Zacchaeus wit...
Mar 24, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 18:31-43. Jesus continues with unbroken focus on His journey toward Jerusalem. He reiterates to His disciples the necessity that He go there in order to fulfill the Scriptures. There He will be handed over to the Gentiles to suffer the deepest humiliation and most gruesome death. Though the cross looks horrific to human eyes, the divine ...
Mar 23, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 18:15-30. The humility of the tax collector in Jesus’ previous parable is comparable to the helplessness of the infants being brought to Him. He rebukes His disciples when they attempt to stop these children from coming to Him, for only in such dependence upon the Lord will anyone enter into His kingdom. A ruler approaches Jesus with the opposite attitude. The...
Mar 22, 2022•55 min
Rev. Ned Moerbe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blackwell, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 18:1-14. In order to encourage His disciples to pray always without losing heart, Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow. Though the judge cares neither about God’s law nor man’s opinion, he gives the widow the justice she desires due to her constant petitioning. In contrast to the unjust judge, the true God is righteous. He loves His elect, and He will sur...
Mar 21, 2022•55 min
Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Little Rock, AR and Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Maumelle, AR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:20-37. When some Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus redirects their question toward Himself. The kingdom of God is not to be sought in signs, but in the King who is among them, Jesus Himself. The Lord then instructs His disciples further. When they desire to see Him as they did at that time, th...
Mar 18, 2022•55 min
Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Jesus’ journey toward the cross puts the healing of the ten leprous men into its full context. As Jesus cleanses these men from the sickness that corrupts their skin, so He goes to cleanse all sinners from the sin that corrupts their nature by His death and resurrection. They pray for the Lord’s mercy, a prayer in which Christians still join today. One of the ten men recognizes t...
Mar 17, 2022•55 min
Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:1-10. Jesus continues His teaching against greed and pride as He turns to His disciples. Obstacles to saving faith will be present in this world, and the consequences to those who set them up by false doctrine or false living are severe. Yet, at the same time, the Lord shows how much He values His little ones. His disciples should value them similarly by taking care both to rebuk...
Mar 16, 2022•54 min
Rev. Dr. Jeff Dukeman, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Gulfport, MS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 16:19-31. Jesus continues to seek after the lost Pharisees by using the illustration of Lazarus and the rich man. Though Lazarus is poor in this life, he is known to God by name, and his faith results in the riches of eternal life. The fact that the angels carry Lazarus to Abraham’s side at death brings comfort to Christians as we face death. Though the rich man has all he wa...
Mar 15, 2022•54 min
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar, pastor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in La Grange, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 16:1-18. The parable Jesus tells about an unjust steward is challenging. Focusing on the mercy of the master is a helpful key to understand the parable consistently with the rest of Holy Scripture. In his actions, the dishonest manager banks shrewdly on the master’s merciful reputation among his debtors. Similarly, Jesus’ disciples should use their money and possessions wit...
Mar 14, 2022•56 min
Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 15:11-32. Jesus’ third parable in response to the Pharisees’ grumbling brings His teaching on the grace of God to a grand climax. Jesus speaks of a father and his two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance ahead of time. The father responds to this terrible insult by agreeing to his son’s demand. The son liquidates his property and goes to a foreign land, providing a picture of...
Mar 11, 2022•55 min
Rev. Peter Ill, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 15:1-10. When the Pharisees disapprove of Jesus’ dinner company, the Lord takes the opportunity to teach them in parables concerning the grace of God that seeks and finds lost sinners. His first parable speaks of a shepherd who has one hundred sheep under his care. Perhaps surprisingly, he is willing to go to great lengths to search and find just one lost sheep. When he finds that shee...
Mar 10, 2022•54 min
Rev. Matt Wietfeldt, Director of Admissions and the Christ Academy program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 14:25-35. Jesus turns to a broader audience of the great crowds who are journeying with Him but not yet His disciples. He speaks to let them know what following Him entails. To be a disciple of Jesus is to choose Him above all else, even over the closest earthly relationships or over the self. To be a disciple of Jesus is to ca...
Mar 09, 2022•55 min
Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 14:1-24. A Sabbath meal at the house of a Pharisee provides Jesus the opportunity to correct misunderstandings concerning the kingdom of God. The Lord cuts right through the confusion of Pharisaical traditions by healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. He holds together true love of God and true love of neighbor in opposition to the legalism of the Pharisees. As Jesus watches the...
Mar 08, 2022•54 min
Rev. Caleb Adams, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bend, OR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 13:22-35. Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem continues through towns and villages on the way. When someone questions the number of those saved, Jesus redirects toward the question of “How?” more than “How many?” The door to salvation is narrow because Jesus is the only Way. This makes the matter of repentance and faith in Jesus urgent. The door is open now, but the day will come when the doo...
Mar 07, 2022•55 min
Rev. Jonathan Walla, pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Bismarck, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 13:10-21. A woman with a disabling spirit is in the synagogue where Jesus is teaching one Sabbath. Though Satan had afflicted her for eighteen years, Jesus sets her free from the devil’s grip and the accompanying sickness. She glorifies God, but the ruler of the synagogue shames her and anyone else who would seek after healing on the Sabbath. Jesus rebukes him sharply, identifying t...
Mar 04, 2022•57 min
Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 12:54-13:9. Jesus turns to the crowds and rebukes their hypocrisy in correctly reading the signs of the weather but failing to recognize the signs that He is the Christ. If they continue in that hypocrisy, they will align themselves with the false teaching of the Pharisees. Instead, they must recognize for themselves that Jesus is the Righteous One, the only One who can give settlement ...
Mar 03, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 12:35-53. Jesus continues to speak forthrightly as He prepares His disciples for His second coming. His servants are called to faithfulness, for they know they have a master who has come to serve them. Yet they dare not take this grace for granted; the master returns at an unexpected hour, and unfaithfulness will be met with His judgment. Jesus shows how quickly small unfaithfulness g...
Mar 02, 2022•54 min
Rev. Mark Barz, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 12:22-34. On the heels of the parable of the rich fool, Jesus teaches His disciples that there is no need to worry. When they are rich toward God, He will give them all that they need for this life. Besides, this life is more than food and clothing, all of which are gifts from God’s hand in the first place. He cares for birds and flowers; certainly He will take care of His peop...
Mar 01, 2022•55 min
Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 12:1-21. As the crowds around Jesus grow, the Lord takes the opportunity to warn the disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees. Their hypocrisy is seeking to please people only. Not only is such a task ultimately futile before men, but God will make all hidden things plain. Such fear of men is short-sighted, for their power is only over this physical life. Only God has authority ...
Feb 28, 2022•56 min
Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, pastor at St. Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 11:37-54. Opposition to Jesus continues to rise as He journeys toward Jerusalem. His refusal to participate in the ritual washings of the Pharisees draws their astonishment, providing an opportunity for the Lord to call them away from their idolatry of self-righteousness. He strikes at the heart of Pharisaical distinctives when He speaks woe against their outward...
Feb 25, 2022•54 min
Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 11:14-36. Jesus faces two challenges from His opponents. First, some assert that Jesus is casting out demons by the prince of demons. In response, Jesus shows how ludicrous that thought is before proclaiming that He has come as the Stronger One who binds the strong man, Satan, to set us captives free. This blessed redemption is received by all those who hear the Word of God in faith. S...
Feb 24, 2022•56 min
Rev. Andrew Belt, pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Marshfield, WI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 10:38-11:13. Jesus’ continuing journey takes Him to the home of Mary and Martha. Martha welcomes the Lord into the home, where Mary sits at Jesus’ feet to receive His teaching. Martha’s serving distracts her from Jesus. When she asks Him to intervene, Jesus gently reminds Martha that the one thing necessary is His Word and calls her to receive it along with Mary. Knowing that the Lor...
Feb 23, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dan Speckhard, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in North Judson, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 10:25-37. As Jesus continues His journey toward Jerusalem, a lawyer comes to test Jesus with a question concerning how the Law relates to eternal life. Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer, who answers correctly from the Law of Moses. Yet the lawyer wants to justify himself; knowing that he has not loved perfectly, he seeks a loophole in which neighbors he is...
Feb 22, 2022•55 min
Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 10:1-24. With His face set toward Jerusalem, Jesus sends out His disciples ahead of Him. The harvest is great, so the disciples must first learn to pray that the Lord would send workers into the field. As they go into the field, they do so as lambs who must rely on the Lord’s protection from the wolves. They do not carry with them things needed for...
Feb 21, 2022•54 min
Rev. Jeff Hemmer, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fairview Heights, IL and assistant to the President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:51-62. St. Luke reaches a key turning point in his Gospel account when Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem. The days of Jesus’ birth and ministry in Galilee have been leading to this moment, in which Jesus makes a determined turn to the place where He must suffer, die, and rise for the salvation of sinners...
Feb 18, 2022•55 min
Rev. Dr. Arthur Just, professor of exegetical theology and acting dean of the chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:37-50. This text serves as a pivot from Jesus’ Galilean ministry to His journey toward Jerusalem. As Jesus descends the mountain of His transfiguration, His disciples’ confusion concerning His coming suffering and death only grows. They had been unable to cast out a demon from a man’s only son; Jesus exclaims concer...
Feb 17, 2022•55 min
Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:28-36. On the mountain of transfiguration, Peter, James, and John see a preview of the Lord’s resurrection glory to come. The glory with which Jesus shines in brilliant white is His own glory as God. Moses and Elijah appear and begin speaking to Jesus about His exodus, which He will accomplish by His death, resurrection, and ascension. Though Peter speaks without...
Feb 16, 2022•54 min
Rev. Sean Daenzer, director of worship for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and chaplain at the International Center in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:18-27. The question of Jesus’ identity takes center stage as Jesus Himself brings it up. The thoughts of the crowds are on the right track but are insufficient. When Jesus turns the questions to the disciples themselves, Peter speaks correctly the divinely given confession that Jesus is the Christ of God. The discip...
Feb 15, 2022•56 min
Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 9:1-17. The proclamation of the kingdom of God is an urgent matter. Jesus sends His apostles out with that gospel message. Though they carry little with them, their heavenly Father will provide for their needs through those who hear the Word and believe it. Some will not believe the message; Herod the tetrarch fell into such unbelief, despi...
Feb 14, 2022•53 min
Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 8:40-56. Jesus returns to Capernaum to a waiting crowd and a desperate synagogue ruler named Jairus. His only daughter is dying. He knows Jesus is the only One who can help, so Jairus falls at the Lord’s feet and implores Him to come to his house and help. Jesus goes, though with far less urgency than Jairus surely would have liked. The crowd makes for slow going, but the miracle that ...
Feb 11, 2022•52 min
