How great is God– beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? (Job 36:26-29)
More to the Easter Story devotionals resume tomorrow. Enjoy a Sabbath today and worship Him!
Luke
11:37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him;
so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he
noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
“That’s just one of the problems with sin,” Jesus thought as He reflected on the scene of the blind crowds being led by blind Pharisees. When your own human leaders (especially ones whom other men admire) go the way of darkness, it’s harder than ever to find oneself craving the light or finding life. He hoped the crowds would see through the hypocrisy. After all,
They are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ( Matthew 15:14)
For that reason, it was every bit as important to preach to the leaders as to the crowds. He turned to the surprised Pharisee.
Luke 11:39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you– be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.”
The Pharisee who invited him and the others gathered bristled at the criticism. The truth is they’d set themselves up as judges over Jesus. But Jesus was having none of it. He knew their hypocrisy and how it was projected against Himself. They’d already set themselves up in order to condemn Him. He said,
Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. 43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. 44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”
Indeed,
their hypocrisy was evident even among the people. The crowds complained behind closed doors but
were afraid to say anything. With Jesus’
saying this publicly, all eyes were on Him.
Luke 11:45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
Jesus
nodded, affirming that hypocrisy in the leaders was plentiful enough for any willing
to see it.
Luke 11:46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
The
expert’s jaw dropped. He had expected an
apology and got an accusation every bit as pointed as to the Pharisees! Jesus said it with such authority! It’s like He knew their hearts!
Luke 11:47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. 52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
The truth had been spoken. The welcome had become worn. Jesus had done the necessary teaching about their projected hypocrisy and decided to leave. Enemies had been made. The truth does that kind of thing.
Think about it:
The truth is feared by those living in darkness. Why do you think that is? Who do they really think they’re hiding from?
In Luke 11:53-54 we read, “When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.” Why did they begin an inquisition, trying to project their failings onto others and to catch Jesus in something?
Think about our world and the many ways Christianity had been removed from acceptable speech in the public square, cross memorial exhibits, and nativities. In what ways do people today try to take away the key to knowledge and prevent others from entering into knowledge of deliverance?
Thank You, Father for the courage to stand for You when it’s easier to deny You. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May we have the wisdom to seek You and Your righteousness and reject the darkness of evil. Holy Spirit, please guide us into a life of conformity with Your truth and to speak Your Word boldly, even in the public square. Lord, help us to embolden others and may we gain strength to persevere from each other in the community of the faithful. May we see that time is dwindling and our witness is more imperative, day by day. Help us to be like the men of Issachar who understood the times. May we live as wise people for Your glory. Amen.
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
How
truly tragic that the crowds were so blind!
Jesus was grieved by it all. He’d
understood from the assignment in being sent by the Father that He’d be sent to
people who wouldn’t welcome Him. He’d be
sent to people who would reject Him as the Son of God, reject His message of
repentance and deliverance, and even reject God Himself.
That
wasn’t surprising. After all, Israel had
a long and storied history of rejecting the Lord and wanting to be kingmakers
of human kings. What Jesus didn’t know
was how it would feel as fully human to be tempted—since no one can tempt
God—and worse, to see how it is to be tempted by the idea of rejecting what is
plain to see in front of you.
It
was grievous on two levels. First,
temptation is really hard to resist for any human. This Jesus sensed and knew now by
experience. But the kicker was that the
very thing ministering to His need to resist temptation and helping Him to
overcome it—time with the Father in prayer and in obedience to Him, full of the
Spirit—was the very thing the crowds were rebelling against. They didn’t want the only known cure…and that
was sad beyond imagining.
So, Jesus told those gathered about the importance of acknowledging what is before your very eyes—the truth—if only they’d see it.
Luke 11:33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
That would be the only way to resist temptations throughout each person’s life, including His own. He was full of life, the Light of the world, and was the light of men.
Sin had created a death cult in which way too many men preferred darkness to light. And that is why they die.
Think about it:
In what ways does our culture create a “death cult” by rejecting the truth and refusing the things that bring true life?
What issues in our modern world exalt death and the things that bring death (physical and spiritual)?
Why is rejecting the only known cure for something a genuine sign of human hubris?
In what ways do acceptance and normalization of sin exalt ourselves above God?
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the life You have and the life You give. Thank You for the forgiveness we need and that You would offer it while we were yet sinners. We agree with the Apostle Paul who wrote, “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation”. Lord Jesus, let us boast in You because the gift is not like Adam’s trespass. “For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Romans 5:10-15) Thanks be to God! Amen!
= = =
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
All in a day’s work, Jesus thought as Luke 11:14 “He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.”
Crowds can be easily amazed, but their hearts are not so easily changed, Jesus noted. This isn’t just a bunch of magic tricks as a sideshow crafted to astonish. There is something far more important at stake. The healings aren’t being done to impress the crowds or even really, for the healing itself…but for what they point to: Deliverance! Jesus surveyed the crowd, resisting a temptation to roll His eyes or sigh as,
Luke 11:15 Some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
Jesus
choked back indignation at the insult.
Oh, if only they knew!
Crowds! They can get it so wrong! Crowd behavior is something about which He
knew, but He simply could not understand.
Only a sinner could understand such things by experience. Indeed, it angered Him with the kind of
righteous anger that only the Son of God could feel.
Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
It needed to be said. The logic pointed clearly to their rebellion. Their denial. Their rejection of Him, of His Father, and of His mission to save them. Yes, it was only going to get worse, but those who sow division needed to know they’ll only reap disaster. Don’t they get it?
Jesus’ eyes pierced through the darkness of their thoughts as He inspected the crowd all the way to each person’s core of innermost thoughts. He was sad and stated bluntly,
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23)
He watched as each person’s face betrayed what was in each person’s mind and heart. He didn’t need to see it. He already knew.
Think about it:
Have you ever been troubled by the two versions: Luke 11: 23 “Whoever is not with me is against me,” and Mark 9:40 “For whoever is not against us is for us?” How do you reconcile the two?
Is there a distinction between an individual’s negative reaction to Jesus as the “sent One” (i.e. rejection) versus serving His purposes but for wrong and self-serving reasons?
Would those whose hearts harbored rejection of Jesus (through jealousy or stubborn rebellion, etc.) have known their thoughts would reap consequences of kindling wider rejection and plotting to divide and scatter?
Thank You, Father, that unity among believers attests to Your Son as the Sent One. We pray, Lord Jesus, that Your Church would be of the same mind, united in love and fidelity to You and the truth contained in Your Word, as You have taught us. Holy Spirit, please quicken our hearts to the areas we’ve strayed, and correct us with Your holy discipline. May we no longer be divided over the earthly and the superficial. Rather may we all be turned from darkness to light, from our evil ways and evil desires to crave the holiness and righteousness that You, Lord Jesus, died to give us.
= = =
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
From
Martha’s home, Jesus went off by Himself.
He needed to remove the distractions and spend some time praying to His
Father. It wasn’t just prayer and it
wasn’t just worship. It wasn’t just an
unburdening or even telling His Father something He didn’t already know.
No, it was something more for Jesus to pray: It was vital to His relationship with His Father, a relationship of complete abiding to continue long after the work in Jerusalem was done. It was strength for the journey, work in the spiritual realm, and most importantly the best way to truly be with His Father during the time Jesus would spend on earth– a perfect taste … an exquisite reminder … of what He knew intimately before the Incarnation. This time of sweet communion was something He knew He would miss when He took on flesh, but He didn’t really know how it would feel until He was walking in Adam’s sandals and felt the pain of what sin did to man’s relationship with the Father. He knew what had been lost.
Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
They’d been watching Him in the distance, analyzing what He was doing and how He was doing it. They noted that He always came away from His time of prayer energized and joyful. They spoke to each other in a low voice while He was praying, so as not to disturb Him, but they wondered to each other at how His prayers seemed to do so much more than theirs. Maybe they weren’t doing it right. So they asked Him to teach them to have powerful prayer, too!
Luke 11:2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ‘”
That’s it? That’s all You’re doing? Surely there must be something more! We could say those very words and still not see the power You see or the know the refreshment You obviously get. “Why doesn’t prayer work for me?” each man asked of himself.
Luke 11:5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘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.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Asking. How hard is that? They looked at each other quizzically yet satisfied that this was the answer they would get.
Jesus smiled at the progress. What they still needed to know in order to pray like the Master prays would be deeper understanding of Who to ask, for Whom to seek, and on Whose door to knock, so He added.
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Still work to be done with these “simply humans” before the journey’s end, but they’re making progress. Think about it:
How happy are you with your prayer life?
Do your prayers seem like a list? Wish list? Shopping list? Health record? Family tree? To-do lists?
In Luke 11:12 we find the only egg in the Easter story. In what way is this far more instructive than finding one filled with candy in the grass?
If we believed in God’s goodness more, would our prayers be more powerful?
Lord God, Your Word tells us You are good, You are faithful, You are loving, and You are generous. Your Word tells us all we need to do is ask You because of those beautiful attributes of Your character. You are our Father in heaven and we praise You! Increase our faith so we might believe as fully as possible on this side of heaven. Increase our trust so that we might have confidence. Increase our dependence upon You because all good gifts come from You. Help us to view prayer rightly and to see Your power displayed for Your glory alone! Amen.
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Jerusalem
was still days ahead even if less than 2 miles as the crow flies when Jesus and
His disciples arrived at Bethany. Jesus
valued friends and Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha had been foremost
among them. Martha’s house was a special
place, kind of a home away from home. A
resting place in the presence of friends for a weary traveler. He sat down to rest in the care of such
friends.
The
truth is that Mary and Martha enjoyed Jesus’ friendship as much as did
Lazarus. When Jesus came to visit, they
wanted their appreciation of Him to be evident.
Mary and Martha were wired differently and showed their appreciation in
different ways. Mary just wanted to be
near Him. Martha wanted to serve Him.
Out of the corner of His eye, He could see Martha was moving beyond joyful serving to feeling annoyed with a sibling rivalry kind of annoyance. Finally, Martha could handle it no longer. She blurted out,
“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40)
The
minute she said it, she regretted that her serving had turned from joy to a
sense of compelling. She hoped Jesus
didn’t get mad that she’d put Him in the middle of sibling issues. Jesus looked at her as only a truest of
friends can…with a compassionate smile, a tender beckoning, and a gentle correction.
41
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset
about many things, 42 but few things are needed– or indeed only one. Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Just as Jesus taught that it’s not a matter of how much you know (since there will be no doctrine comprehension exam), and it’s also not just a matter of doing what you know (as completed checkmarks on a to-do-list)…Jesus now offers a fuller instruction to Martha. She was already a theologically sound woman, but she needed to know about the power that is available when one knows how to be. How to be with Jesus. How to be in His presence. How to be refreshed and how He is just as honored by her being as He is by her inclination toward serving.
He doesn’t love her because of what she does. He loves her because of who she is.
And in her life, the best memories will not be made in studying the writings or even the to-do items accomplished. Memories are best made in the being…and that’s what both she and Mary will need to carry on when He completes His journey to Jerusalem. It’s preparation for them because Jesus knows the Cross awaits Him there. He just wanted to be…with friends who loved Him and wanted them just to be…with Him.
Think about it:
How hard is it just to be in the presence of Christ?
What things can you do to be in His presence?
In what ways is it harder to rest in Him than doing things to serve Him?
What types of things make human relationships difficult?
Sibling rivalries bring a different kind of difficult relationship. Why is that?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your wise instruction to Martha and Mary and to us today. Thank You for not condemning us for our actions. Thank You for loving us and desiring our presence with You. Thank You for Your sacrifice on the Cross to make it possible for us to be with You where You are. We praise You and thank You. Amen.
= = =
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Jesus deeply desired that people understand and acknowledge the truth. It made His heart hurt, surely grieving Him to the core, knowing that the truth would be rejected over and over again throughout the ages before He’d come a second time to judge people according to this very truth. “Simply human? Got it,” thought Jesus, “but it’s not the same as innocent or ignorant. This was rebellion, plain and simple. They know the truth and reject it.”
Living by the truth is much harder when people refuse to acknowledge truth as the starting point.
These were among the thoughts in Jesus’ mind as He headed toward Jerusalem with the hot dusty wind leaving a cake of dust on His sweaty face. Finding a welcoming place to stay at night and to wash, He then went to the place where people gathered, and He sat down to teach them. After all, He knew the truth firsthand and wanted them to know it too. He smiled to Himself as one of those gathered, an expert in the law, stood up to ask Him a question. “It’s a test,” He thought suppressing a laugh. “It’s always a test which is not the same as expressing a genuine desire to learn.”
“Teacher,” the expert asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Luke 10:25)
Jesus’ expression remained welcoming but thoughtful. “OK, expert in the law,” He thought while inwardly chuckling, “Let’s play your game, let you shine, and then let’s ask the questions that will truly teach you.” He asked,
Luke 10:26 “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
The
expert eagerly answered 27 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
(Jesus smiled and His eyes twinkled. This expert answered with the easy answer. Sure, he was well educated for grandstanding, but this expert’s life could experience some greater evidence of love and truth.)
29
But the expert in the law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
(Jesus smiled again. It was completely predictable, this self-justification. But herein lies the true teaching, so Jesus tells a parable, kind of like a story, or a little riddle, but easily enough understood for those with eyes to see. The beauty of this teaching was the way truths were peeled away like many layers of an onion. The core truth was what He wanted the expert to acknowledge.)
Luke 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
With the parable concluded, Jesus reframed the expert’s question “And who is my neighbor?” with the bigger question in Luke 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
It’s not just a matter of testing what you know or showing off what you know. It’s a matter of doing what you know to do. Think about it:
In what ways do we fail to practice what we preach?
Why does God presume we already love ourselves?
How is loving a neighbor to that standard of loving others as we love ourselves already a challenge?
How are loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and loving them as Christ loved us (John 15:22) revealing a whole new standard?
Why do you think that people were chronically testing Jesus?
How does this differ from God’s testing us to prove that our faith is genuine (1 Peter 1:7 NASB)?
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the gentle ways You teach us, ways that do not condemn, but also do not sugarcoat reality of the depravity of the human heart. Thank You, Lord God, for not lowering the standards of righteousness to meet us somewhere in the middle between Your holy and righteous standards and our sinful behavior. Thank You for higher, better, and uncompromising standards of conduct and especially, Lord Jesus, for the forgiveness You purchased on our behalf at the Cross because we fail to meet these standards at every turn. Thank You Holy Spirit for quickening our hearts and helping us to see our neighbor in order to love and serve others. In Jesus’ Name, we offer thanks to God our Father. Amen.
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Jesus
saw them returning in pairs and could hardly contain His smile when each pair
arrived. It was the smile of a parent
who sees his child do something for the first time, that smile of
accomplishment because He knew they could do it, and the smile of a man who
loved His disciples! He was gratified
that they’d learned.
Luke
10: 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name.” But He didn’t want them to get the wrong idea
so He replied first with encouragement, 18″I saw Satan fall like lightning
from heaven.”
Jesus
saw their triumphant faces and so He emphasized where the power truly came from
and the matters truly worth rejoicing over. It’d be way too easy for them to think that it
was their accomplishment alone, but “simply humans” can’t do that kind of
thing. It’d be easy for them to get big
heads and turn arrogant which leads to unloving behavior…which of course, would
ruin their whole ministry so Jesus said,
Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Correction aside, Jesus was really pleased. It was a joyful report! They’d been tested, and they passed.
So
Jesus prayed aloud 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit,
said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little
children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
22 “All things have been committed to me
by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows
who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal
him.” 23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed
are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and
kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear
but did not hear it.”
Think about it:
When you think about Jesus, do you picture Him as smiling and laughing, or only profoundly serious?
Why do you think Jesus praised the Father in front of the disciples, letting them hear His prayer?
In what way did that reinforce where the power for ministry comes from?
Verse 23 suggests that the larger group of 72 (Luke 10:17) were not the audience for the blessing, only the Twelve. Why do you think that is?
Thank You, Father, for the wisdom in giving blessing where blessing will be received with open hearts and bear fruit for the Kingdom. Thank You, Lord, for joy and pleasure and knowing You experience those things too. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for revealing things about Yourself to Your disciples then, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, revealing and teaching things about Yourself to us today. We praise You that we are generations entrusted with the precious Gospel and given power to proclaim it faithfully so we can bring glory to You. Keep us mindful from where both the power to proclaim and the gift of salvation arise! Amen.
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Jesus
knew that heading to Jerusalem meant heading to His death. He knew it was going to be hard on His
disciples and that they’d feel lost without Him. They must be prepared! Of course, He’d been talking about this very
thing for a while now, but those “simply humans” couldn’t understand right
now. He knew that.
But
He loved His disciples and therefore, wanted to use every moment that remained
to train the disciples to lead after He had returned to His Father and to lead
to the next generations. There was much
work to do and initially there would be very few to do it. That few would be decreased dramatically
before there would be an infusion of many more.
Jesus
endeavored always to train them up, send them out, bring them back and do a
debrief. That way He could train them in
an ongoing way, overcome any problems that arose, and answer any questions they
had. He knew that ministry can be
confusing and it’s good to have friends.
It gets lonely and it can be dangerous, so He sent them out in
pairs.
Luke
10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two
ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am
sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or
sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Their welcome would be every bit as risky and uncertain as was His own. Some would embrace the message His disciples brought, but others would reject them and become unworthy of peace they came to bring. Peace that was painful—as peace often is–and would be bought with a price, a price so high that no man who is simply human could ever afford to pay.
Think about it:
Why is it important to have succession planning for a mission that spans longer than any worker’s season?
In what way does this make mankind more dependent upon God?
If every task could be accomplished by one able-bodied person, would God even be necessary for the work to happen?
Father
God, we thank You that Your plan of redemption is taking centuries to
accomplish. We thank You that in Your
wisdom, You chose to save many generations and not just a few. We thank You that we are building upon the
faithfulness of generations of evangelists from 2000 years ago and beyond! We thank You, Lord Jesus for not leaving us
alone, but for asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit, this beautiful gift
of Yourself to lead us and guide us after You left the earth! We praise You that the Holy Spirit can
indwell many believers simultaneously and so multiply Your fruit upon this
earth. May the words of our mouths bring
glory to You and salt to the earth. Be glorified
in us today! Amen!
If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2019 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this great look at the Easter story to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular,
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM Godwhich can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.