How Long Is That Trip Going To Take!

We can take distance for granted. You hop on the highway and at 70mph it only takes an hour to get to where we need to go. A 400 mile trip takes 6 hours, right? Or if you are out West, it only take 5 hours at 85mph. And that is if you observe the speed limits. And we all stick strictly to the speed limits, wink, wink.

So if you have looked at a map of Okinawa you have discovered that the main island is only 66 miles long. The whole chain of hundreds of islands which make up Okinawa Prefecture (their equivalent of a state) is over 600 miles long. We are on the main island. Sixty six miles long. Not that far, right?

Well, that was before we arrived. Sixty six miles. It shouldn't take us more than 1 1/2 hours to get from bottom to top. We should be able to see everything easily.

And then we arrive. The main road North and South where we are is three lanes each direction. And this is the populated section. When we get away from the population the road narrows to two lanes, and then to one.

And the traffic lights. Did I mention there are 1.4 million people on this island with what seems like 1.6 million cars! And I think maybe a million traffic lights.

Being from Florida we are familiar with Snowbirds and the traffic they bring. We are all happy when they head back up north. We can breathe as we drive. The lines are gone.

Jesus was walking with two disciples after His resurrection. They were still struggling with trying to understand the events of the previous week. Jesus opens the Scripture to them in answer to a question. He explains from the Old Testament how the events of Jesus' life fit with Scripture. But I don't know if the journey that day seemed long or short.

This I do know, after Jesus revealed Himself to them and then disappeared, something about their journey became evident. They said that their hearts had been warmed as Jesus had talked with them on the way. (Luke 24:32) We have no indication that they noticed the warming at the time. They only noticed it when the significance became evident. Jesus had changed everything.

Many of us have experience this shift in time. We have been talking with someone as we traveled and then we remark, "Where did the time go?" You arrive at the destination without really being aware that time has passed.

We have also experienced the "are we there yet" of kids, who seem to make every minute traveling seem twice as long.

I don't know whether it will be a short or long journey here on the Island, but I do know that traveling it with my wife, and with the LORD's presence will make the journeys seem short.

Day 89

Memorize: News of Jesus' resurrection

Luke 24

Key Verses: 1, 6, 10, 27, 32, 45, 51

The women come to the tomb to finish what they could not do because of the haste of the burial and the Sabbath day restrictions. When they arrive the tomb is open. The two heavenly beings who greet them speak the most hope-filled words in the human language: He is not here; he is risen. This is the difference between Jesus and every other religious figure in history. Jesus’ tomb is empty because death had no power over Him. You can’t kill God!

I love that women are the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Only Peter and John respond by running to the tomb to check it out for themselves. Jesus appears to two as they walk away, probably returning home after the Feast. Jesus is not known until they begin to eat together. He took time to explain the Scriptures more carefully and how they related to Him and the events of the preceding days. Something about what Jesus said made their hearts burn. We too can experience that burning as we listen to Jesus. They return to the eleven (Judas having left) and relate their experience. Jesus shows up and eats with them.

It takes an opening of the mind by the Holy Spirit for someone to understand the Gospel in a way that leads to faith. They knew these things, but it only made sense when Jesus opened their minds. Our modern minds have been closed by the evolutionary gospel preached by our world, a gospel that excludes God from the mix. I am appalled the gymnastic mind games that must be played in order to believe the humanistic worldview that is propagated by our educational systems.

But Jesus is able to open our minds, to clear away the clutter, and teach us to think thoughts in line with His thinking. He knows it all, so it makes sense to model our thinking after His. Jesus came from heaven, returned to heaven and will come again from heaven to earth to take us to heaven for eternity. Since we will spend eternity with Him, let’s begin now to think like Him. These early disciples spend time worshipping and learning. We should do the same.

Day 88

Memorize: Acceptance of penitent thief

Luke 23

Key Verses: 4, 9, 22, 31, 34, 43, 45,

Pilate, the Roman authority for that area passes the buck to Herod. He doesn’t want to take responsibility for this miscarriage of justice. Pilate finds no basis for the charges, and should have let Jesus go, but he yields to political pressure. He tries three times to reason with the religious leaders, but in the end he gives up and surrenders to their will. It is so sad when political leaders don’t have the guts to do the right thing.

As they lead Jesus away to be crucified Jesus speaks to those who are in the crowd. He warns them of very difficult times ahead. If they are willing to kill him based on nothing, they will certainly not hesitate to kill them as well. When trees are green, fruit is coming. When it is dry, who knows what the future holds. Jesus offers some of the fruit when he prays for forgiveness for those who are crucifying Him. What a rare commodity, to pray for those who are killing you.

One of the thieves recognizes this grace and personally asks for forgiveness. He receives it, even as he is dying justly for his crimes. No moment is too late for forgiveness. No soul too far from God’s reach, if they will but turn, they will find Him just a breath away.

The visible signs that happen when Jesus yields to death give a glimpse into what that death accomplished. All of time shifted at that moment. The curtain in the Temple that symbolized the separation between a Holy God and a sinful people was torn. Jesus opened the way for the Holy God and His sinful people to be reunited, like in the Garden of Eden. Nothing would separate them again.

Those that gathered to watch this even were torn with grief. Those immediately around the scene grieve and then leave. Those closest to Him stood a little further away and stayed. They didn’t know what these things meant, but they did know what Jesus had meant to them. They couldn’t just walk away and forget, going on with their lives. They didn’t know what to do.

A man named Joseph, a man who was seeking God, received permission to bury Him from Pilate. This he did hastily, since religious restrictions prevented a delay. Of course Jesus didn’t stay in this borrowed tomb. Isaiah 53 talks about this. Jesus, as a poor man, would never have afforded a tomb of His own. His body would normally been placed in a family tomb for about a year, while the body decayed. Then the bones would have been gathered and placed in a large clay pot and stored in the tomb, making way for other bodies to be buried in the future.

Day 87

Memorize: Mockery of the trial

Luke 22

Key Verses: 3, 16, 24, 32-33, 60,

Satan enters Judas, a place prepared by deception and rebellion. Satan can’t just jump into an unprepared heart. Christians don’t need to worry about demon possession. We have the Strong Man, Jesus, residing in us.

Jesus is reading Himself for His last meal with His disciples before He is gives Himself over to death. He knows full well what is ahead and He tries to prepare His disciples for the coming days. This traditional meal had a ritual that was practiced which had meaning to those who ate it. Jesus adds new meaning to the old. He becomes the object of the object lesson. Instead of looking back to the Passover which took place over a thousand years earlier, Jesus switches the focus to what will happen to Him in the coming hours and days. The disciples don’t understand it until after the Resurrection.

Notice that Luke talks about two cups and the bread. We don’t do two cups as part of communion today. The first cup was just part of the larger ritual meal, with multiple elements. If you want to understand more about these elements I encourage you to partake in a Seder Meal next year around Easter. You can read a bit more at http://www.crivoice.org/seder.html if you are interested. Jesus takes some of these elements and infuses them with greater meaning, their intended meaning. All of the Old Testament rituals, including the Passover meal, pointed to Jesus. Now that Jesus has fulfilled there is no NEED for us to celebrate the Seder, but it can bring some insight into the meal Jesus celebrated.

Luke’s emphasis in recounting the Last Supper is on Judas’ betrayal, not on the specifics of the meal, so he does not finish the words of consecration following the cup, “Do this in remembrance of me,” or some of the other details that are included in the other Gospels. What I want to note is that Judas is not the only one at the meal who loses focus on what is important. The others start arguing about who is the greatest. Peter (Simon) must have been one of those getting off track and Jesus looks into the coming hours and sees his betrayal and offers him reconciliation. He reminds all of them of His provision for them before as they went out in His Name.

They begin to fall apart even before Jesus is betrayed by Judas. They can’t stay awake to pray. The disciples deny by falling asleep. Judas denies by betrayal. The religious leaders deny by arresting Him. Peter denies three times. The soldiers deny by mocking and beating Him. The elders deny by condemning an innocent Man.

Day 86

Memorize: Temple destruction is foretold Luke 21

Key Verses: 4, 7, 9, 12, 18, 20, 27-28, 33,

God doesn’t like leftovers! He doesn’t want us to be generous for show. He expects us to give everything, with abandon. This widow is contrasted with the rich. What I find surprising is that the rich have not changed. If you look at the percentage of wealth given, the rich give almost nothing to help others. It is the poor, middle class who do most of the giving. I am appalled when I hear about the lack of giving by those in leadership in our nation, a few percent of their millions. They call for sacrifice, but they do not lead by example. Hypocrisy.

Disciples ask when Jerusalem is going to be destroyed and what they should look for as signs that it is about to happen. Jesus starts His answer by giving a caution about deceivers claiming special knowledge. The greatest danger is that we get sidetracked from the high calling in Christ Jesus. It is too easy to get caught up in the things of this life, human wisdom. Jesus warns us. Then He gives a quick list of signs that signal Jerusalem’s destruction.

But before all these signs happen the disciples themselves will be tested. It would be easy to sit around and be a sign watcher, and not live the life Jesus calls us to live. Jesus is concerned that His disciples will get sidetracked by the coming persecution, a persecution that will brings death to most of them. But Jesus says that even in death there will be protection. He says that not even a hair on their heads will be hurt, a figurative way to say that the destruction of this physical world will not impact eternity.

Jesus returns to the signs by telling them that Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies. Fear will abound. But they don’t need to fear. Jesus is coming back. His word will happen. We are to be watching, aware of our surroundings, the happenings in the world, with our priorities heavenward. If we don’t keep focused, we will get weighed down. Even if we are killed in the process, Jesus will protect our eternity. We can’t lose the most important thing, eternal life, by the destruction of this physical world. Even if we are killed for our faith, Jesus has secured heaven for us.

Day 85

Memorize: Christ repeatedly outwits Pharisees Luke 20

Key Verses: 2, 14, 18, 25, 34, 38, 44, 47

Jesus knew that there are those who are in rebellion against the authority of God. We see it in the news and in our own lives. The religious leaders were rebelling against God’s authority and Jesus caught them in their rebellion. They hadn’t listened to John’s message and they would not listen to Jesus’ either. The parable of the tenants is directed at these leaders. They are the tenants in the story. They are not giving to God what is due Him. Down through history these leaders rebelled against the servants God had sent to redirect them back to true worship. Now the Son was here and they would kill him.

The only way to survive is to yield to Jesus, fall on the stone. We must be broken. We must submit to God’s authority in our lives, no holes barred. Every area must be open to His inspection and dominance. We can’t be half sold out followers. Half sold out is not sold out. Not sold out is not a follower.

They set a series of traps for Jesus in order to have a ruse to arrest Him, but Jesus doesn’t fall for any of them. Their money had Caesar’s likeness on it, so it belongs to Him. We have God’s likeness on us, so we belong to God. Jesus says it is not either or, but both and. We pay taxes and we yield to God. Something is due to both, so give to God what is due Him.

They try with a standard trick theological question. Jesus gives them insight into Heaven: no marriage. The life in heaven is a different quality of life, so a different set of relationships exist there. All are alive even after death. Moses speaks in the present about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Just because death has stopped our physical life does not mean that we go out of existence. We continue.

Once Jesus has silenced their questions, He has a question of His own to challenge their narrow theology. David says that the Messiah would be called to sit at God’s right hand, the position of authority in Heaven. The God of the universe calls Messiah an equal. The Messiah must be more than a human being. He must be God Himself. We sing this in our Christmas hymns and Easter songs. “God with us” and “God in flesh appearing,” but we rarely pause to listen to what we are singing.

Maybe it is time we yield to the authority of God in our lives. Or we will be like the religious leaders, making a show and acting important. When we put on pretenses, we show that we are not putting God in His proper place in our lives. Be careful of our attitude, and be careful of religious leaders who put on an air of importance about themselves.

Day 84

Memorize: Entry into Jerusalem triumphant Luke 19

Key Verses: 2, 10, 25, 30, 40, 46, 47

The profession of tax collecting has not changed that much. People didn’t like them then, and they don’t like them now. Back then they would skim off the top of every inflated collection some for themselves. Today they just represent what so many of us despise: a government that is too big and too expensive. But Jesus doesn’t let this reputation get in the way of someone seeking to know Him. He seeks out, invites himself to lunch, and then accepts his act of repentance and offers salvation. Jesus is willing to welcome the bottom of the barrel. He looks at the heart. When the heart is right, actions follow.

The parable of the money that follows illustrates this principle. The ones that followed through on their stewardship were rewarded. The one that did nothing, got nothing. Faith that is real faith follows through in our actions. Faith is more than words. Faith changes the very way we live. Jesus was pointing at the religious leaders of his day who looked down on this tax collector. Jesus said he would be rewarded, but the religious leaders would not be rewarded, because they did nothing with what they were given.

As Jesus gets ready to enter Jerusalem He sends two of His disciples on ahead to get his limo ready. Well, it was more like the Gremlin of His day. Jesus uses every opportunity to build His disciple’s faith. And as the crowd builds and welcomes Him to Jerusalem, they are ready to make Him king. The Pharisees hear the shouts and are incensed, but Jesus rebukes them. As He sees the city, His heart is broken over their unbelief. He predicts the city’s destruction that happened in 70AD.

Even as the leaders are plotting to kill Jesus, He continues to teach right in their midst. He does not run from what He knows will end in His death. He continues to be faithful to fulfill the Father’s will for His life. He calls out their sin and disrupts their corruption of the Temple courts. Jesus calls them to return the Temple to its rightful place and purpose in their lives.

The people respond to His message. They wanted what He was offering, at least they thought they did. A few days later they would be calling for His crucifixion, but this day they hung on His words.

Day 83

Memorize: Faith must be persistent Luke 18

Key Verses: 1, 8, 14, 17, 25, 30, 41

The point of this parable is that we need to stay in prayer and not give up. It is not that we need to bug God in order for Him to finally break down and give us what we want, but that we need to be persistent and not give up. To be persistent is to exercise faith. When we know God’s heart, we can pray with confidence knowing that in His time, the answer will come.

Our attitude of humility must be a constant state in our lives. Spiritual pride will kill us. When we are real with God we realize just how much we need forgiveness. Pride just does not have a place in our spiritual life. Little children just don’t express pride. They trust, even when trust is not warranted.

The rich ruler thought his standing with God was secure. But his pride got in the way. He was not willing to leave his stuff behind. His stuff had a powerful grip on his soul. Peter understood that the necessary step was to leave everything. That is hard for most of us. Our stuff gets a grip on us. But just as a camel entering a city after dark through the narrow people-only door would have to have all its cargo removed to fit through the door, so we must be willing to leave everything about which we boast. Everything. Notice that if we leave these things Jesus says that we receive many times as much in this age, and eternal life later. This is not a promise of unlimited wealth in this life, but one of unfettered care. No matter what we give up, we will be compensated many times over.

This blind beggar was willing to swallow his pride and cry out in faith. He could have stayed in the background, but he declared his faith openly and publically. The miracle drew praise from the crowd, praise of God. Eyes were focused on God’s goodness and power. This is where our eyes need to be focused, not on anything that we feel is of importance.

Day 82

Memorize: Response of ten lepers Luke 17

Key Verses: 2, 10, 18, 21, 24, 33, 37

One thing is for certain, we don’t want to be responsible for someone else’s fall. We need to work to forgive others. And I mean work to forgive. We are allowed to hold people accountable for their actions, but if they repent, we are responsible to forgive them. This is hard. Remember, forgiving is not the same a forgetting. When we forgive we agree not to throw it in their face. Forgetting would mean we offer them the knife with our back turned. Forgiving means every argument doesn’t end by bringing up the past. Forgetting would turn us into a doormat.

We must remember that we are servants who have been forgiven ourselves. Our job is to forgive. That is the minimum required. We don’t get special commendation when we forgive. That is what servants do. We do our job. And then we express thanks for that forgiveness, like the one leper who returned in praise. What Jesus points to is the fact that non-Jews are accepting His message, but the religious leaders are not. The non-Jews are being forgiven.

Forgiveness is an inside deal. It is something that happens between us and the Lord. People can’t see forgiveness directly. It can only be seen in our actions. So it is with God’s Kingdom. Until Jesus returns, God’s Kingdom is an internal thing, something that happens inside people. When Jesus returns, at that moment it will be visible. If we are not watching for His return, we will be taken by surprise. Noah and Lot both were watching for God’s arrival in judgment, so they were not taken by surprise. Others were.

Jesus’ return will be visible, just like you can tell when there is a dead animal in the wilderness. You can see the birds circling above in anticipation of a meal. So we must have our priorities set correctly. Lot’s wife turned back to look at the city. Her disobedience led to her death. Nothing in this world is worth turning back for. It is all temporary, transient, tempting. We need to be watching and aware of our spiritual surroundings so that we don’t get lured into thinking this world offers the answer to our problems. Only Christ has permanent answers.

Day 81

Memorize: Entrance into Abraham's bosom

Luke 16Key Verses: 4, 8-9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 25, 26, 31

It might be helpful to read verse fifteen first. It will help you understand that the primary audience for this parable was the Pharisees. Otherwise it almost seems as though Jesus is condoning, even encouraging deceit. But the main point of this parable is to point out the Pharisees’ self-justification. Their hearts were set on money and the implication is that they were being dishonest in their dealings. This dishonesty prevented them from gaining anything of real value, especially eternal life. If we are not honest with money, which is so temporary, how can we be trusted with something of infinite value? We must make a choice.

Luke continues to show how Jesus confronted the Pharisees. They were in violation of the Law and He calls them to account. I guess some in the audience had divorced and remarried. Not a good thing in Jesus’ eyes. The Pharisees were like the rich man in the ending parable. Luxury and callousness had been the hallmarks of their lives. They cared only for themselves.

Jesus knows that many of the Pharisees would not become His followers. Their priorities were ill conceived and poorly executed. And He knew they would not believe even when He rose from the dead. Their eyes were too fixed on the things of this world, their power, position and wealth. Jesus says all these are just temporary and transitory. They will not last into eternity.

Where are your priorities? How do you spend your time, talent and money? Are you reaching out to those who are in need, or building your own at the expense of others? Are you giving of yourself at church, serving in some way or just taking up space? It doesn’t have to be a “large” task like running the whole show, but there are always many small things that you could do to contribute. Maybe talk to the people who sit around you before service starts rather than simply staring at the backs of the people’s heads in front of you. Maybe you could help organize the next potluck, or get the men together to do a project for a widow who needs some repairs at her house. Or volunteer to be a helper in children’s church once a month. Find a place and fit in. Don’t just take up space.

Day 80

Memorize: Prodigal son is received

Luke 15

Key Verses: 7, 13, 16, 21, 28, 32

God likes it when we repent, turn back to Him and acknowledge our sins. The math is not what is important. 100 to 1, 10 to 1, 2 to 1. What God desires is for people to turn back to Him. It makes no difference how far someone has wandered in their journey of sin. What matters is that they return. The son who wasted his inheritance and his life recognized that he had sinned against both his father and against God. And he goes to make it right with his father. When we repent we need to repent toward God and toward those we have hurt here on earth.

The father had been waiting, longing for his son to return. God longs for us to return. When we do, that is all that God focuses on. The sin just doesn’t seem to matter. When we return it brings joy to God. It also results in our burden being lifted. But others who have been hurt by your sin might not be as happy to receive your repentance as genuine. Their pain might stand in the way of their acceptance of you. The older brother had this problem. He saw the unfairness of the father’s forgiveness and his own bitterness and bad attitude come to the forefront. He is even mad at his father for accepting his brother back into the family.

It is interesting that the older brother considers the wealth given by the father to his brother as his father’s property. Part of that is due to the break in protocol that happened when his brother asked for his inheritance. This should only happen after the father’s death, so the older brother disagreed with the father’s decision to give in to the younger brother’s impulsive decision.

The father’s joy is emblematic of the Heaven’s joy when a sinner repents. Nothing delights the Father like someone accepting the gift of forgiveness. And yet so many people reject this gift, and so many act like the older brother when someone they decide does not deserve forgiveness. If the Father accepts them, we should as well, and open our arms wide to receive them into the family.

Day 79

Memorize: Emphasis on true discipleship

Luke 14

Key Verses: 3, 11, 18, 26, 27, 34

Sometimes we get hung up on a particular religious practice. Years ago I remember the debate over the place of modern songs in worship, whether you could sing something other than traditional hymns. In Jesus’ day the Sabbath Day had many rules attached to it, some prescribed in the Old Testament, some added to keep people away from breaking those prescribed rules. The rules became the focal point of the Sabbath, not the rest and fellowship with God and with one another. The Sabbath had become an excuse for self-exaltation. Jesus again turns things upside down. Humility is what the Kingdom values.

It is amazing the excuses that people use to cover up their unfaithfulness to God, to their spouses, to their children, to their employers. This is nothing new. Finger-pointing started with the first sin. We don’t like to accept responsibility for our choices. We want to pawn off our actions, creatively pointing fingers at someone else, while all the while knowing that we really are at fault.

We must have our priorities correct. If we are out to protect ourselves, we will be disappointed. Being a disciple is about death, death to self, death to my priorities and comfort. And we have to take time to consider the price we will pay before we enter into a relationship with God. It will cost us everything. If we have lost our ability to be genuine, we are like salt that has lost its essential role in life.

If we neglect our relationship with God, substitute some other something, we will end up being absolutely useless. We will fail at fulfilling our basic function in life. We were created to be in communion with God and enjoy our place in His Kingdom here on earth. We were designed to walk with Him in every moment of our days. We were made to reflect His image and likeness. If we don’t do these, nothing else matters. Our lives are meaningless.

REVIEW: Acts

Day 78

Memorize: Healing on the Sabbath

Luke 13

Key Verses: 2, 9, 19, 24, 30, 34

The manner of death is not an indication of the person’s righteousness. Suffering in this life does not mean someone has sinned and God is bringing judgment through their suffering. God extends grace even to sinners. He does not bring immediate judgment on sin. He leaves space for repentance.

Jesus did some of His best work in synagogues, also some of His most controversial. He did so many things that were culturally unacceptable. He called a woman forward in the synagogue. This was a place where men had the primary role. He touched a woman to whom He was not related. And this took place on the Sabbath, a day when work was not supposed to happen. The guy in charge didn’t like his schedule being interrupted. But the people were ecstatic.

You see, when God’s Kingdom gets started in a person’s life, or in a community, it starts very small. It doesn’t look like it will have much effect. But once it is unleashed everything changes. Its growth will be felt by everyone. It works almost invisibly, imperceptively. Its growth and reach are surprising, unpredictable.

Not everyone who tries to enter heaven will. We must know the occupant of heaven in order to be admitted. Mere acquaintance is not enough. Familiarity with Jesus’ teaching won’t do. Having hung around with Jesus-followers won’t work. Jesus is speaking especially to the religious leaders, those who thought they had earned the right to enter by their position and privilege. The outward ranking does not matter. There will be surprises on Judgment Day.

God’s desire is that all would come to repentance. Even the inhabitants of Jerusalem who were responsible for so many acts of rebellion were invited to enter safety, but they refused. God desires to gather us and protect us, to pull us close to Himself and comfort us. But we must be willing to come.

Day 77

Memorize: Truth of the Lord's return

Luke 12

Key Verses: 1, 5, 7, 15, 22, 31, 34, 40, 51

Hypocrisy is a powerful thing. It starts in one area of life and can easily drift to others. It is like yeast hidden in bread dough, that although you can’t see it, you can see the effect of it on the bread dough. So stop hypocrisy. Be genuine, because someday all those things will be out in the open. Temporarily sparing your embarrassment is not a worthy goal. Open, honest living is what matters. God will take care of us. He knows us intimately.

Jesus has a way of getting to the root of a person’s problems. One man had a greed problem, and Jesus pointed it out and told him where greed would take him. We must not put our hope in riches. They are transitory, temporary distracting elements in our lives. We need some money to live, but beyond that, money can get in the way of our spiritual growth. Seek the Lord. All the rest, all the needed things will fall into place. This does not mean cars, boats and mansions, but what we need. Wealth cannot save us. We need to shift our priorities to God’s priorities.

We need to be ready for service, not ready to be served! Our job in life is to serve. What a contrast to our culture. So many want a handout, but we are called to give ourselves in service. When we do this we will not be surprised when Jesus returns, because we will be waiting, serving, ready for that moment. We won’t be cruising through life wondering what new thrill will take us away from our present boredom, instead we will be active in service, excited about what the Lord is doing in and through us in our world.

Of course Jesus causes division, because He demands that we must make a choice about Him. We can’t be neutral. Jesus had to choose death, or nothing of eternal value would come out of His life. We must choose death to ourselves in order for something eternal to come out of our lives. And this radical choice will divide families. Our priorities and values will crash into those of the world’s. There will be no peace as long as the world’s values exist in people. When Jesus returns, the world’s values will disappear. Then there will be peace.

Day 76

Memorize: Thundering woes against Pharisees

Luke 11

Key Verses: 1, 9, 13, 17, 22, 25, 33, 52

One of the universal desires of humanity is to communicate with God. Many of the teachers of Jesus day had specific ways to pray, and Jesus’ disciples wondered if Jesus had His own way for them to pray. Think about all the books that have come out in recent years about prayer. People still wonder if there is some formula that will guarantee that God will hear and answer. Just so you know, there is no such formula. Jesus emphasizes relationship over formula. Father! He emphasizes boldness over obligation. Simply ask.

But before you ask for that new car, look at verse thirteen. Luke emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit as the One we need. When we have the Holy Spirit present, all other needs fall to the side. When we know we are not alone, ‘things’ just don’t seem to matter as much.

The stupidity of some of the arguments against Jesus is so laughable. Satan working against himself. What a joke! This is still true today. The desperation some people go through in their efforts to deny someone they don’t believe exists is amazing. If Jesus isn’t God, then why put up all the fuss. Why all the angry protests if Jesus was just a man? Why should it bother them if He has no relevance to their lives? But Jesus is the stronger One who is working even in the hearts of unbelievers, thus the energy of the protest. They are working against the Spirit who is tugging on their hearts. They have to drown out the Spirit’s voice, thus their loud protests!

Whatever is on the inside of us will come out. It will be just as obvious as when a lamp is lit in a dark room. Everyone will see it. I don’t know about you, but I look people straight in the eyes when I talk with them. I have learned that our eyes give us a window into what is going on in our lives. It is hard to hide our sorrow, pain, shame, joy, exhaustion, deception, or any other emotion. They all seem to show up in the eyes.

Each of the woes that Jesus pronounces against the religious leaders has to do with what they were doing. They were hypocrites. Their lives demonstrated that they were not consistent. They said one thing and did another. They said they were god-fearers, but their actions said they were in it for themselves. They were not entering into a relationship with God, and they were actively stopping others from entering by their hypocrisy.

Day 75

Memorize: Seventy preach and report
Luke 10

Key Verses: 2, 11, 15, 20, 22, 29, 40

Jesus tells us to pray for workers and then tells us to go. I think that is because we don’t have to have an advanced theological degree to serve. I serve by setting up chairs and talking to the kids as they arrive. I hold a plate for a mom as she walks through the potluck line with her small children. I give an unused appliance to a woman to help her start a business. We are all called to serve. These 70+ people are given some very practical instructions about their task. These instructions are not universal. They applied to this specific place, time and mission.

As they go, the listener’s reaction to the messengers is their reaction to Christ. These same people return rejoicing. They saw God do great things through their hands. But Jesus returns their focus from the demons fleeing to eternity. Knowing Jesus gives us entry to knowing the Father. We can’t skip Jesus. We can’t reject His role in our salvation. Without Jesus, it is impossible to have a relationship with God.

There are always going to be people who make up excuses for not obeying Jesus. The Parable of the Good Samaritan places what is needed into clear contrast with disobedience. We can say we are a Christian, but it must change the way we behave. We need more than mental assent to the Truth; we must obey it. There has to be follow through. To be a good husband requires more than just saying “I love you.” Ask any wife! Those words have to be turned into action or they are empty, worthless words. Just saying we are a Jesus-follower means nothing unless we are actually following Jesus.

Mary spent time with Jesus while her sister Martha was busy with preparations, preparations which distracted her from time with Jesus. Do you ever get distracted from the important and get sidetracked by the urgent but unimportant? That seems to be the theme of many people’s lives. The urgent but unimportant seems to take over, and as a result nothing important gets done. Focus on the important and everything else will fall into place.

Day 74

Memorize: Instruction given on discipleship

Luke 9

Key Verses: 3, 10, 17, 22, 23, 25, 33, 44, 48, 54, 62

Jesus gives the disciples power and authority and sends them out. This time they are sent without provisions to give them the opportunity to put their faith into action. Part of that culture was taking care of the visitor or traveler. For the first time they face the possibility of personal opposition because of the message they will bring. They will be on the front lines telling and demonstrating the power that is connected to the message. Lots of things could go wrong.

Even when Jesus wants to take his disciples away by themselves and provide them a period of refreshing, the crowds come and Jesus welcomes the crowd. This opens the door for Jesus to feed over 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. Jesus did not do this miracle to feed the 5000, but to show his disciples that He would provide for them. Just as they went out and spread the message and their needs were met, so Jesus will continue to meet the needs of His followers. It is thought that the twelve baskets of food left over show that all Israel will be able to share in Jesus.

Jesus often asks questions to get His disciples to think carefully about a subject. Often we just float through life without really doing much critical thinking, just like the disciples. Jesus calls us into a life of thinking and acting with depth and purpose. Jesus tries to help His disciples to recognize that his upcoming death was only the beginning. But they don’t really seem to understand. Gaining heaven costs everything here on earth, for Jesus and for us.

Three of the disciples get a glimpse of Jesus in His heavenly glory. They get a look beyond Jesus earthly human body to the Deity who always was and is. They want to camp out on the mountaintop, but a voice from the cloud told them to listen. Sometimes we just talk too much and forget to listen. This is especially true in prayer. Prayer is dialogue, not monologue. Listen. As Jesus lays out His coming death, they are arguing about which of them is the greatest. Jesus takes a little child and elevates him to the highest place in an attempt to get His disciples to listen and understand.

The cost of following Jesus is everything you are and have. We give up our desires and adopt His. We become open to His voice of direction and willing follow His whisper. We move in an opposite direction, and once going in that direction, we never turn back.

REVIEW: John

Day 73

Memorize: Rejection by the Gerasenes

Luke 8

Key Verses: 3, 5, 15, 18, 25, 28, 34, 44, 50,

Women play a vital role in Jesus’ ministry, a very counter-cultural move for Jesus. That is because Jesus elevates everyone to the same level. We are all equal in Christ. This would have been offensive to many in that day. Men often didn’t have much to do with women in social settings, and yet Jesus does.

The seed is the message that lands in people’s hearts. The message is the same, it is the heart’s reception that changes. Some people respond to the message and some don’t. Some grow and reproduce, some don’t. The heart determines the growth of the word that is heard. Perseverance is essential to producing a crop. If we want to be fruitful in life, we have to stick to the task. We can’t give up, even when hard times come. We must continue to believe and act.

If we put into action the things we do know, and continue to trust Him, then more will be given to us. If we sit on what we get, we will lose it. We must be careful how we listen. We need to listen with a willingness to obey. If we pick and choose what to obey, then we are in charge, not the Lord. We have to choose which family will be first in our lives. When we become a Jesus-follower our loyalty shifts from the earthly to the heavenly. This doesn’t mean we neglect our earthly family, just that our priorities get shifted. Eternity rises to the top of the priority list.

As Jesus exits a boat a demon possessed man shows up. The demon recognizes Jesus and His ultimate role on Judgment Day. He thinks Judgment Day has arrived, because the Judge has arrived. The demons are sent into the pigs, which then opens the door to the message spreading. When the towns people come to see for themselves, the man is completely changed. He gets a new mission in life. No more living in a graveyard. He is sent to the town to share his testimony.

The next two accounts show faith in action. The woman touches Jesus clothes in faith, and she is healed. Jairus risks everything as the leader of a synagogue to beg Jesus to come heal his daughter. She dies, but Jairus still believes Jesus words. Jesus brings her back from the dead. Both this woman and Jairus had to ignore the crowd that would deny them grace. The woman could have let the social stigma of her condition prevent her from touching Jesus. Jairus could have listened to the negative reports and stopped believing. But both continued to believe.

Day 72

Memorize: Healing the centurion's servant

Luke 7

Key Verses: 4, 7, 8, 15, 19, 29, 35, 39, 47, One thing I would never expect to read in the Scriptures is for Jewish leaders to be begging Jesus for help. This Roman soldier heard about Jesus and needed help, help that could only come from God. I am sure he had tried all the usual ways of helping his servant, but nothing had worked. Here the non-Jew has faith in Jesus when the Jews don’t seem to believe. Jesus has the authority over all realms here on earth and He demonstrates that authority and the servant is healed. Then a dead son is raised to life.

Remember that John the Baptist was put in prison and did not directly witness much of Jesus ministry, so he wants to confirm Jesus’ identity. Jesus tells the messengers about the things He has done which reflect His character. His fruit is shining forth. Those that believed John’s message believed in Jesus. Those who didn’t wouldn’t.

This illustration of the children playing is wonderful. Some children are never satisfied with any activity. No matter what option is presented, they complain. So it was with these religious leaders. They didn’t like John’s message of austerity, nor Jesus’ message of abundance. They just would not be satisfied. But you can look at the fruit coming from people’s lives and tell what is important to them. Those who repented were living differently than the religious leaders. Their lives had changed. The fruit of wisdom was evident in their lives.

The woman weeping at Jesus feet had the fruit of repentance while the Pharisee did not. She recognized her need for forgiveness, but he didn’t. She received forgiveness, he didn’t. She trusted what Jesus said, he didn’t.

Day 71

Memorize: Choosing the twelve disciples

Luke 6

Key Verses: 1, 5, 10, 13, 27, 35, 41, 45, 49Doing work, either harvesting grain or healing someone, was not acceptable to pious Jews in Jesus’ day. But for Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law was about to happen. When Jesus rose from the dead, the need for all the old rituals would vanish. This made the religious leaders furious. Their whole existence, their place in society, their self-definition was about to be thrown out as obsolete.

Jesus prepares for the next phase of His ministry by choosing twelve men to a special task: being His devoted students. And right after He does that He holds a large gathering of people from all over that region. He stands in a large flat place and speaks to the crowd. He tells of blessings and woes that come. What is funny is that the blessings don’t sound so blessed. I mean, how much fun is it to have people hate and insult you? But Jesus says these are blessings. And woe to the rich and comforted, well fed and laughing, because in Jesus way of thinking, these are not good things.

Jesus’ kingdom is opposite of the earthly values that thrive in this world dominated and infected by sin. That is why it is so hard to love your enemies. We want to do just the opposite, don’t we! Jesus calls us to be different, to go against these natural instincts. We are to mirror God’s mercy in our lives.

If we don’t mirror God’s character in our lives we act in very strange ways, ways that are obvious to other people, but to which we are oblivious. It is as obvious as having a twelve foot long 4x8 sticking out of our eye. There is no way to ignore it, but ignore it we do.

The stuff on the inside will come out. If we are rotten on the inside, it will come out in our actions. If we are bitter, angry, resentful, jealous… or whatever else on the inside, it will come out. People will see it, because it will be obvious like the 4x8 sticking out of our eye. The good things will come out as well. Kindness, compassion, love, patience, forbearance…. Whatever is in there will come out. So clean up the inside. Whatever character is on the inside will manifest itself in fruit that is consistent with the character.

The foundation is what counts in a storm. Two identical houses, one without a foundation, are hit by the storm. Only the house with the foundation remains after the storm has passed. Storms are going to come into our lives that will test our foundation. Are we anchored to something solid enough to hold us in those storms?

REVIEW: Acts