Intro to “A Mission of Mercy” (Luke 9:51-56)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/10/2026 7:58 AM

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  Intro to “A Mission of Mercy”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:51-56

            Message of the verses:  “⁵¹ When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; ⁵² and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. ⁵³ And they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” ⁵⁵ But He turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ And they went on to another village.”

            I will begin looking at the introduction to this 32^nd chapter from John MacArthur’s commentary on the gospel of Luke by quoting his introduction to the verses above.

            “Mercy is a word filled with loveliness.  To say that someone is merciful is to pay them the highest compliments; it is to characterize them as loving, compassionate, tender, forgiving, selfless, caring, and protective.  In contrast merciless people are vicious, vengeful, deadly, destructive, hate others, and wish them only evil.

            “Both the Old Testament and the New Testament extol the value of mercy.  Proverbs 3:3 ranks mercy with truth—which God has magnified according to His name (cf. Ps. 138:2).”

(cf. Ps. 138:2)

“2  I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”

“While divine truth is of supreme value, it must be balanced with mercy.  God is truth (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16), but He exalts mercy to the degree that truth is exalted.”

(Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16)

“5  Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.”

“16  So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes.”

“If that were not true, His truth would instantaneously crush sinners.  Reflecting God’s mercy, believers are changed to speak the truth, not harshly or impatiently, but in love (Eph. 4:15).”

(Eph. 4:15)

“15  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

“Scripture also emphasizes the importance of mercy by linking it with justice (Hos. 12:6 NKJV; Zech. 7:9 NKJV).

(Hos. 12:6 NKJV; Zech. 7:9 NKJV)

“So you, by the help of your God, return’ Observe mercy and justice And wait on your God continually.”

“This says the Lord of hosts: Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother.”

            “Mercy is also beneficial.  Solomon noted that ‘the merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm’ (Prov. 11:17).  David expressed that same principle when he wrote, ‘How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble’ (Ps. 41:1).  Daniel counselled King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Break away not from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity’ (Dan. 4:27).  In the Beatitudes Jesus said ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy’ (Matt. 5:7).

            “To show mercy is to imitate God (cf. Eph. 5:1), who is merciful.”

(cf. Eph. 5:1)

“¶  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

“David called Him ‘a God merciful and gracious’ (Ps. 86:15).  Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist spoke of ‘the tender mercy of our God’ (Luke 1:78).  Paul described God as ‘the Father of mercies’ (2 Cor. 1:3), who is ‘rich in mercy’ (Eph. 2:4), while the writer of Hebrews described the Lord Jesus Christ as ‘a merciful and faithful high priest’ (Heb. 2:17).

            “Christians are commanded to show mercy.  In Luke 6:36 Jesus instructed believers, ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,’ while James cautioned that those who fail to shoe mercy will face God’s judgment, since ‘judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment’ (James 2:13).

            “Mercy may be defined as unconditional love reaching out to meet a person’s need without thought of whether he or she deserves it.  It is compassionate kindness that does good to people simply because they are in need.  Mercy is activated by the suffering of others, and grants them loving-kindness because of their desperate condition.  The supreme New Testament illustration of mercy is the story of the prodigal son.  After squandering his inheritance by his profligate, sinful living, he was forgiving and welcomed home by his merciful father and extended mercy to relieve his terrible condition.  In an Old Testament illustration of jerky, 2 Kings 6:11-23 recounts the story of some Aramean soldiers whom Elisha struck with blindness and let captive into the city of Samaria.  The king of Israel wanted to execute them, but instead Elisha commanded him to prepare a feast for the soldiers and then set them free (vv. 22-23).  In a  world where vengeance is consider a virtue, the people of God must be characterized by mercy.”

(2Kings 6:11-23)

“11  And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?" 12  And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."  13 ¶  And he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him." It was told him, "Behold, he is in Dothan." 14  So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15  When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16  He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17  Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18  And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. 19  And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria. 20  As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21  As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?" 22  He answered, "You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23  So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.”

            “This passage records the first incident of the Lord’s lengthy journey to Jerusalem…Jesus seized the opportunity provided by a Samaritan village’s rejection of Him to teach His disciples a riveting and unforgettable lesson on mercy.  It is the perfect follow-up to the lesson on humility He had taught them in the previous section…Since only the humble are merciful.  Though this is a brief narrative account that never mentions the word mercy, it is implicit in our Lord’s attitude that He has come to extend this priceless treasure to those in desperate need, but do not deserve it.  As Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, I is to provide mercy by His death; as He enters a Samaritan village, it is also to extend mercy.”

11/10/2026 8:47 AM

 

 

“Pride Reacts With Exclusivity” (Luke 9:49-50)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/9/2026 8:12 PM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  “Pride Reacts With Exclusivity”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 9:49-50)

            Message of the verses:  “John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”  But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.”

            John MacArthur writes “The second incident reveals that John at least was beginning to understand the Lord’s message.  In light of Jesus’ warning in verse 48 John wondered whether the apostles had acted properly in an earlier incident, and feeling some guilt decided to ask Jesus about it.  “Master, he said, “we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”  Since this incident is not recorded in the Gospels, the identity of this man is not known.  “That he was not a phony exorcist like the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-14) is clean, since he was successfully casting out demons in Christ’s name; that is, consistent with His authority and power.”

(Acts 19:13-14)

“13 ¶  Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14  Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.”

“It was not an empty claim such as that in Matthey 7:21-23:

Now everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

            “Whoever he was, the apostles, pridefully jealous of their exclusive position, tried to prevent him from carrying on his ministry because he did not follow along with them.  In other words, he was not one of their group.  Why Jesus permitted him to do what he did is also not clear.  It may be that he would later be included as one of the seventy, who would have such power (Luke 10:17).”

(Luke 10:17)

“17 ¶  The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

“In any case, he provided another  lesson for Jesus to use to teach the disciples humility.

            “Jesus confirmed John’s doubt about how they had handled the situation, and said to him, “Do not hinder him.”  The Lord removed any doubt that this man was a genuine disciple, since He would never have forbidden the apostles to rebuke a false teacher.

            “Pride promotes exclusivity, but humility promotes unity.  We cannot embrace those who claim to be Christ’s but do not preach the truth of Christ.  However we must embrace all who both name the name of Christ and also speak His truth, whatever organization they belong to. Christians must have the attitude of Paul, who rejoiced when the truth was proclaimed—even when those preaching it were cruelly hostile to him (Phil. 1:15-18).”

(Phil. 1:15-18)

“15  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,”

            “Jesus closed this section with the axiomatic statement, “He who is not against you is for you.”  There is not middle ground between truth and error; between sound doctrine and heresy.  Every person is either for Christ, or against Him.  Later in Luke’s gospel, the Lord repeated this saying, this time relating it directly to Himself:  ‘He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters’ (11:23).  Only those who teach the truth can be embraced as fellow servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

            “Pride is not a virtue, but the source of all sin.  It must not be excused or justified, nor can it heinousness be downplayed.  The sobering truth is that it that ‘everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished’ (Prov. 16:5), since ‘a proud heart…is sin’ (Prov. 21:4).  But the blessed promise is that although ‘God is opposed to the proud [He] gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6).”

11/9/2026 8:48 PM

 

“Pride Reverses Reality” (Luke 9:48b)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/9/2026 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                                                       Focus:  “Pride Reverses Reality”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 9:48b

            Message of the verse:  “for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great”

            Once again we will be looking at a very short SD, and then in this evenings SD it will not only be a little bit longer but it will be the last one in this chapter of John MacArthur’s commentary.

            He writes “Pride drives people to exalt themselves, push their agendas, fulfill their ambitions, and receive praise from others.  But how fallen minds think is the reverse of spiritual reality, as Jesus told the apostles, the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great (cf. Matt. 23:11-12).”

(cf. Matt. 23:11-12)

“11  The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

“Spiritual wisdom, which equates greatness with humility, is counterintuitive; it is the opposite of the way the world, both secular and religious thinks.  The truly great in the heavenly kingdom are not honor, but those who humbly defer to others, considering them more important than themselves and looking out for their interests (Phil. 2:3-4).”

(Phil. 2:3-4)

“3  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

“It is the humble, not the proud, that God will exalt (1:52; 14:11; 18:14; Matt. 23:5-12; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).”

(1:52; 14:11; 18:14; Matt. 23:5-12; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6)

“52  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;”

“11  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

“14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

“5  They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6  and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7  and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8  But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9  And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10  Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11  The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

“10  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

“6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In an earlier SD on the subject of pride from this chapter of MacArthur’s commentary I quoted a section from Isaiah 14, which speaks of Satan’s pride, which is what caused him to fall.  Ezekiel 28 also speaks of Satan’s fall.  So when Satan fell from the position that God gave him when he created him that was the first sin in God’s universe.  Satan continues to use this in our world today because he was behind the fall of man when both Adam and Eve fell into sin which means everyone who is fathered by man is born a sinner, thus will be full of pride.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to convicted me when I fall into the sin of pride so that I can confess my sin to the Lord and depend on the Holy Spirit to keep me from the sin of pride.

11/9/2026 9:43 AM

 

 

“Pride Rejects Deity” (Luke 9:48a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/8/2026 10:10 PM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  “Pride Rejects Deity”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Reference: Luke 9:48a

            Message of the verse: “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me;”

            This SD will be rather short, as we continue to write about pride.  MacArthur writes “Jesus’ next statement indicates the severest consequence of pride:  Whoever receives this child, symbolic of believers, in My name receives Me.  The Lord spoke here of His union with those who are His.  Paul expressed that principle when he wrote that ‘the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him’ (1 Cor. 6:17).  Therefore those who reject believers are also rejecting Jesus (cf. Matt. 25:41-45; Acts 9:4-5).”

(cf. Matt. 25:41-45; Acts 9:4-5)

“41  "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44  Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’”

“4  And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5  And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

“Further, since whoever receives Jesus receives the Father who sent Him, those who reject other Christians are not only rejecting Jesus, but the Father as well (cf. John 5:23).”

(cf. John 5:23)

“23  that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”

“So strongly does Jesus identify with believers that He declared that those who lure them into sin are deserving of the most horrifying death imaginable:  ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea’ (Matt. 18:6).  As the Lord solemnly warned, ‘See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven’ (v. 10).  How believers treat each other is how they treat the Son and the Father.  To demean or show disdain toward one of the Lord’s own is to seriously dishonor Him.”

11/8/2026 10:26 PM

“Pride Reveals Depravity” (Luke 9:47)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/8/2026 8:39 AM

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus: “Pride Reveals Depravity”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 9:47

            Message of the verse:  “But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,”

            John MacArthur writes “As always, Jesus went beyond the outward manifestation of sinful behavior to the deeper issue.  In His omniscience, the Lord knew what they were thinking in their heart (cf. 5:22; 7:39-40; John 2:25).”

(cf. 5:22; 7:39-40; John 2:25)

“22  When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts?”

“39  Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

“25  and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”

“The apostles’ argument flowed from sinful hearts (the noun translated thinking is the same one translated ‘argument’ in v. 46).  The singular form of the noun translated heart indicates it is being used in a collective sense.  They were all thinking the same evil thoughts.

            “The depraved heart (Jer. 17:19; Rom. 2:5) is the source of all the defiling speech that flows out of the mouth, since the ‘mouth speaks from that which fills [the] heart’ (Luke 6:45).”

(Jer. 17:19; Rom. 2:5)

“9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

“5  But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

“In Mark 7:14-15 Jesus, ‘after He called the crowd to Him again…began saying to them, ‘Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.’’

            “Mark notes that at this point Jesus confronted the apostles by asking them about what He already knew in His omniscience had happened.  He said to them ‘What were you discussing on the way?’  Mark 9:33).  Embarrassed, ‘they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest’ (v. 34).  According to Matthew’s account of this  incident, the disciples, apparently committed to the nobility of their debate, asked Jesus to settle their dispute and declare which of them was the ‘greatest in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 18:1).  To illustrate the inappropriateness of their ridiculous hassling and to overturn their legitimizing of pride, Jesus took a child (perhaps one of Peter’s children) and stood him by His side.  The Lord chose a child to illustrate humility because children were the lowliest in society.  Darrell L. Bock writes, ‘In Judaism, children under twelve could not be taught the Torah, and so to spend time with them was considered a waste’ Luke 1:1-9:50(Grand Rapids; Baker, 1998), 894-95).

            “Having taken up the child in His arms (Mark 9:36), Jesus said ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 18:3-4).  Instead of touting their supposed achievements, the apostles (like all who would enter the kingdom) needed to humble themselves and acknowledge that they had no rank and no achievements that merited entrance into or elevation in God’s kingdom; that they could contribute nothing to their salvation. Since all who enter the kingdom are considered the greatest in it, there is no spiritual ranking; greatness in the kingdom is absolute, not relative (cf. Luke 18:15-17).  Jesus used the most insignificant of all to teach what it really is to be the greatest of all.”

11/8/2026 9:02 AM

 

“Pride Raises Reality” (Luke 9:46b)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/7/2026 10:02 AM

My Worship Time                                                                           Focus:  “Pride Raises Reality”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 9:46b

            Message of the verse:  “as to which of them might be the greatest.”

            I believe that what I’m about to do I have done on an earlier SD, as SD that also spoke of pride.  I will post a secular song by a man named Rodger Miller as he sings about pride.

Two broken hearts lonely looking like houses
Where nobody lives
Two people each having so much pride inside
Neither side forgives

The angry words spoken in haste
Such a waste of two lives
It's my belief pride is the chief cause in the decline
In the number of husbands and wives

A woman and a man
A man and a woman
Some can, some can't, and some can

Two broken hearts lonely looking like houses
Where nobody lives
Two people each having so much pride inside
Neither side forgives

The angry words spoken in haste
Such a waste of two lives
It's my belief pride is the chief cause in the decline
In the number of husbands and wives
Husbands and wives

            John MacArthur writes “Pride results in thinking oneself superior and ranking others lower in an arbitrary fashion.  The apostles were arguing about which of them might be the greatest, no doubt touring what they had accomplished during their recent preaching and healing tour (9:1-6).

(9:1-6)

“1 ¶  And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2  and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3  And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4  And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5  And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." 6  And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”

“Such an obvious manifestation of carnal immaturity (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-9) must have saddened Jesus.”

(cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-9)

“1 ¶  But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3  for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4  For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?  5 ¶  What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6  I planted, Apollos but only God who gives the growth. 8  He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9  For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

“The apostles were like those of whom Paul wrote, ‘When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves they are without understanding’ (2 Cor. 10:12).  Anything they had accomplished in their ministries was not because of their abilities, but solely through the power granted them by Jesus (9:1).”

(9:1)

““1 ¶  And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases”

            “The endless sorting of people in petty fashion to make some feel superior to others, as the apostles were doing, merely pours gas on the fires of pride and burns through the fabric of unity.”

            I want to quote now from Isaiah 14:13-14 which many believe is a statement about Satan’s fall, and as you read them you cannot help but think that he had a great problem with pride.  “13  You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

11/7/2026 10:52 AM

 

 

 

“Pride Ruins Unity” (Luke 9:46a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/6/2026 10:24 PM

My Worship Time                                                                               Focus:  “Pride Ruins Unity”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 9:46a

            Message of the verse:  “An argument started among them”

            This is a very short section as it only has two paragraphs in MacArthur’s commentary.  Jesus’ warning of His impending suffering and death as seen in 9:44 “44  “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”  Also Jesus spoke of their need to be willing to suffer (9:23-26).

(9:23-26)

“23  And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

So as we look at these verses we can come to the conclusion that Jesus was going to die.  The reason is because they were focusing in on the crown and not the cross; on the glory, not the suffering.  Still anticipating the imminent arrival of the kingdom, an argument started among them as to their place in it.  Ironically, while Jesus spoke of His personal suffering, the argued about their personal glory.

            John MacArthur writes “This was a disturbing and potentially disastrous development.  These men were the first generation of gospel preachers, and would be the leaders of the soon to be founded church. With so much riding on them and so much opposition from the hostile world, they needed to be unified and supportive of each other.  The danger revealed here is that pride ruins unity by destroying relationships.  Relationships are based on loving sacrifice and service; on selfless deferring to and giving to others.  Pride, being self-focused, is indifferent to others.  Beyond that, it is ultimately judgmental and critical, and therefore divisive.  Because of that, pride is the most common destroyer both of relationships and churches.  It plagued the Corinthian church, causing Paul to ask, ‘For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?’ (1 Cor. 3:3; cf. 2 Cor. 12:20).”

(cf. 2 Cor. 12:20)

“20  For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”

“Knowing that pride is the wedge Satan uses to split churches and splinter relationships, the Lord stressed to the disciples the crucial necessity of humility.”

11/6/2026 10:45 PM