Unexpected Arrival: Luke 12:35-59

Focus Passage: Luke 12:35-59 (NCV)

 35 “Be dressed, ready for service, and have your lamps shining. 36 Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. When he comes and knocks, the servants immediately open the door for him. 37 They will be blessed when their master comes home, because he sees that they were watching for him. I tell you the truth, the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table, and he will serve them. 38 Those servants will be blessed when he comes in and finds them still waiting, even if it is midnight or later.

    39 “Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to enter his house. 40 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”

 41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story to us or to all people?”

 42 The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? 43 When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. 44 I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. 45 But suppose the servant thinks to himself, ‘My master will not come back soon,’ and he begins to beat the other servants, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master will come when that servant is not ready and is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the others who don’t obey.

    47 “The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready, or who does not do what the master wants, will be beaten with many blows! 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.

    49 “I came to set fire to the world, and I wish it were already burning! 50 I have a baptism to suffer through, and I feel very troubled until it is over. 51 Do you think I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I came to divide it. 52 From now on, a family with five people will be divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

 54 Then Jesus said to the people, “When you see clouds coming up in the west, you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it happens. 55 When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you understand what is happening now?

    57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 If your enemy is taking you to court, try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t, your enemy might take you to the judge, and the judge might turn you over to the officer, and the officer might throw you into jail. 59 I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid everything you owe.”

Read Luke 12:35-59 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

As Jesus was teaching the disciples that they should always be ready for His return, Jesus illustrates this idea like a homeowner waiting for a thief. Luke’s gospel describes Jesus illustration like this: “Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to enter his house. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!” (v. 39-40)

Reading these two verses might make me think that Jesus will return secretly, steal His people away from the earth, and leave everyone else behind. But while this does describe the behavior of a thief, it is not the characteristic of the thief that Jesus wants His disciples focusing on.

Both the context of this illustration as well as the immediate explanation for this parable focus our attention onto the unexpected nature of Jesus’ return. Thieves try to arrive when we don’t expect them and ideally while we are away or asleep. While Jesus isn’t waiting for us to leave Him or fall asleep before He returns, He tells all His disciples that His return will be at a time they did not expect.

This tells me that while Bible study is important, the goal of our studying should be focused on growing closer to Jesus and not on uncovering a secret code or explanation for a prophecy that would lead to setting a date for His return. Rarely does prophecy make sense before it has been fulfilled, and while God may have placed clues regarding His return in the Bible and/or in the natural world, it is foolish for us to focus on uncovering them.

Discovering the true date of Jesus’ return before it happens would be just as harmful as it would be helpful. If we knew Jesus was returning 40 years from now, we might let our relationship with Him slide, thinking we have time — but unknown to us is that we only might be alive for 10 of those years. The date our lives end should remain just as unknown as the date of Jesus return because when we don’t know the dates of each, we can better focus on building the relationship with God that He desires to have with us.

Jesus’ return will surprise everyone. It will be unexpected. And it has intentionally been set at a time that is unexpected for those living in the world, but will make perfect sense for those looking back on the event.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Dim Eyes and Dull Ears: Isaiah 6:8-10


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Before we transition to focusing on prophecies that are connected more directly with Jesus’ road to the cross, there is one prophecy I must include because it frames how Jesus’ ministry was ultimately received by those in the first century. However, while it is tempting to look at this prophecy and say it was only applicable to those in the first century, as we will soon discover, the way this prophecy was written makes it applicable both looking forward and looking back. In other words, this prophecy is just as relevant looking back on the past as it is looking forward to the future, though I will say that looking forward would hopefully teach us something we could use to escape the negative angle of the prophet’s words.

As I shared in the introduction, this prophecy is found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, in chapter 6, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 8, Isaiah writes:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
10 “Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”

In this short message that Isaiah volunteered to deliver, we discover a very challenging message being sent to God’s people. Through Isaiah, God challenges His people to keep looking and listening, but know that their looking and listening won’t result in perceiving or understanding. It is as though God is actively turning the eyes, ears, hearts, and other senses of His people away from Him.

However, there is another interesting angle to this prophecy. This alternate angle is found when asking where the action is present in this prescription. Looking and listening are good first steps for gaining understanding, but nowhere on the surface of this passage do we discover any application of the understanding that is being seen and heard. This prophecy describes a people who have a hollow faith; a people who are simply going through the motions, but who are not interested in going beyond a surface set of rituals.

We can see the truth of this second angle in how the prophecy ends. This prophecy ends with the implication that if those being described really saw, heard, and understood the message, they would return and be healed.

In short, this prophecy is describing a scenario where a group of people think they can see, hear, and understand, but they have written off actually applying what they believe is being shared. Because they have written off any level of application, they choose not to return, which ultimately results in them losing out on healing, greater perception, and deeper understanding.

I suspect that Isaiah gave this message fully understanding and believing that the people in his generation were the ones who needed to hear this message the most.

However, when moving to the New Testament, we discover that Jesus pulls this Old Testament prophecy into that generation when answering a question from the disciples. In Matthew, chapter 13, which interestingly enough is a chapter full of parables, we find Jesus’ disciples come to Jesus and ask Him a question about His teaching in parables. In verse 10, Matthew writes:

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

From the way Jesus frames Isaiah’s prophecy, we see a glimmer of hope. While some people might look at Isaiah’s prophecy and conclude that there is no hope for those who God actively chooses to give dim eyes and dull ears, Jesus frames the blindness and deafness of this prophecy not to God, but to those specific individuals. Jesus also draws attention onto this prophecy being for a specific, likely self-selected, group of people, and not for humanity at large. This means that it is entirely up to us whether we will be included in the group who misses out on healing and blessings, or whether we avoid that group in favor of being healed and blessed.

Jesus finishes off His answer to the disciples by describing how many people throughout history wanted to witness what the first century disciples of Jesus were able to witness.

However, while we are living over 2,000 years removed from when Jesus walked the earth in the first century, and while it is easy to wish we could have been alive back then, I am certain that God has placed you in history at this exact moment for a reason. While we might not know all the reasons for why God does what He does, Isaiah’s prophecy includes a powerful promise.

The promise found in Isaiah’s prophecy, which is also echoed in Jesus’ interpretation of this prophecy, is that when we apply the teaching of Jesus that we can understand, while also actively seeking to learn more, we will be blessed with more knowledge and wisdom. Those who actively discount Jesus’ message, Jesus’ teaching, and God’s truth found in the Bible, believing that they know and understand better, are the ones who will ultimately be found to have dim eyes and dull ears.

With the choice being ours to make, let’s together seek to hear, understand, and apply the truth God shares in the Bible, and seek to discover why God’s way is best by living out His plan for our lives rather than judging and discounting it from the sidelines. By living out God’s plan for our lives today, together we will grow into being the people God created us to be, and we will ultimately be welcomed into God’s kingdom, specifically into the New Heaven and New Earth, when Jesus returns.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to ally and align your life with His. Accept the gift that Jesus made available for us, and choose to let this gift, and God’s truth, change your life. Intentionally apply God’s truth into your life to gain more knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, rather than letting your eyes become dim and your ears dull.

Also, as I regularly challenge you in one way or another, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself, in order to grow your personal relationship with God. Through a personal relationship with God, He will open your eyes, strengthen your ears, and teach you His truth that is relevant for your life today. Through regular prayer and Bible study, we are able to open our hearts and minds to God’s Holy Spirit and let Him lead and guide us forward in life.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year of Prophecy – Episode 21: While Isaiah may have believed one of His messages from God was directed specifically at the generation he lived among, Jesus pulls Isaiah’s words and applies them in the context of the first century. Discover what we can learn from this universal and challenging prophecy that is relevant for us living today!

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Forgiving Families: Luke 17:1-10

Focus Passage: Luke 17:1-10 (NIV)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Read Luke 17:1-10 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

This journal’s passage contains one of Jesus’ famous statements on forgiveness. However, too often, we are quick to generalize and broaden Jesus’ words when we should instead keep them as specific as He spoke them.

In verses 3-4, Jesus says, “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

The difference I see in what this passage says when compared with how we see it is important. Jesus says “brother” (some translations, like the NIV, include sister); and we immediately generalize His use of this word to mean spiritual “brothers” (fellow Christians), neighbor “brothers” (those living near us), or teammate “brothers” (those we work/play with). However, Jesus says “brothers”, and while all the previous descriptions could work, the most often ignored is the biological family “brothers or sisters”.

The reason I think this passage refers first to the biological family is this: If someone sins against you and you then rebuke them, afterwards, if they repent and the relationship persists, then all is well; but if they repeatedly sin against you, you still must rebuke them, but they will be less likely to repent, and the relationship will likely end. But biological family members (“brothers and sisters”) often have arguments, fights, disagreements, but ending the relationship technically isn’t possible because of the biological connection. One could disown a family member, cutting all communication with them, but ignoring the other person does not break the connection that is still there.

It also is possible that Jesus said “brother” because He knew families are prone to having the most fights, disagreements, and arguments of any of the relationships. As the saying goes, “You can pick your friends, but not your family.” This means that while forgiveness is important in friendships, it is significantly more important in families.

Jesus came and died for you and your brothers and sisters. If God loves them that much, we should be willing to work out our differences.

Also with how this passage is worded, it implies that forgiveness isn’t necessary if the other person doesn’t repent. I see forgiveness being an internal decision, whereas working on the relationship is an external decision. If there is no way the person who sinned can repay their debt, then we should forgive, regardless of whether they asked or not because this frees us from the trap of bitterness. Only if they come to us and repent should we then be open to working on the relationship.

Forgiveness and repentance is important in friendships, and it is really, really important in families.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Trusting God with His Mission: Luke 10:1-20

Focus Passage: Luke 10:1-20 (NCV)

After this, the Lord chose seventy-two others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go. He said to them, “There are a great many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers. So pray to God, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest. Go now, but listen! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Don’t carry a purse, a bag, or sandals, and don’t waste time talking with people on the road. Before you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ If peace-loving people live there, your blessing of peace will stay with them, but if not, then your blessing will come back to you. Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don’t move from house to house. If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat what they give you. Heal the sick who live there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ 10 But if you go into a town, and the people don’t welcome you, then go into the streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dirt from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the kingdom of God is near.’ 12 I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be better for the people of Sodom than for the people of that town.

13 “How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles I did in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon, those people would have changed their lives long ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed. 14 But on the Judgment Day it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will be thrown down to the depths!

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever refuses to accept you refuses to accept me. And whoever refuses to accept me refuses to accept the One who sent me.”

17 When the seventy-two came back, they were very happy and said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used your name!”

18 Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Listen, I have given you power to walk on snakes and scorpions, power that is greater than the enemy has. So nothing will hurt you. 20 But you should not be happy because the spirits obey you but because your names are written in heaven.”

Read Luke 10:1-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During Jesus’ ministry, He wanted to teach His disciples how to travel and do ministry following His return to heaven. While I don’t believe the disciples understood this reason at the time Jesus send them out on a mission trip, I believe they realized this later on.

Within Jesus’ send-off message to His followers, He describes how they should travel and how they should act. Luke tells us that Jesus instructed them to: “Don’t carry a purse, a bag, or sandals, and don’t waste time talking with people on the road. Before you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ If peace-loving people live there, your blessing of peace will stay with them, but if not, then your blessing will come back to you. Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don’t move from house to house.” (v. 4-7)

As I read this, I wonder if Jesus’ instructions to these disciples carry over to today. If I head out on a mission trip, should I avoid taking any money, any supplies, and not even a change of clothes? Also, if I am welcomed into a home, should I stay there until I’ve worn out my welcome and they kick me out?

Part of me takes this portion of Jesus’ instructions and attributes it to the time period and culture of the first century, but even as I do this, there are several things in this passage that are themes that apply to ministry an every point in history.

First, Jesus told His followers to not waste time talking with people on the road as they traveled. This does not mean that we should avoid God directed encounters with people, but it does mean that we should be extra intentional about what we spend time talking about. When we have a conversation with a stranger, while we might not want to immediately dive into deep theological matters, we should be extra intentional about the focus of our conversation and let God’s love shine through our words.

Next Jesus instructs His followers to bless the places they stay with a message of peace. This is done on the front end, before we really know the hosts, managers, or owners of the places we are staying. This teaches me to first assume love, acceptance, and peace from others instead of approaching a situation with the expectation of hostility or defensiveness. We are able to create the mood of our conversations through the expectations we bring to our interactions with others. God knows that our blessing will return to us if the person we offered it to rejects it, so we are called to freely bless those who are willing to help, because this is what God is like.

Thirdly, Jesus tells His followers to stay in the same house and accept the hospitality we receive. In today’s culture, I believe this means staying in one place as long as possible to give the impression of stability and certainty in those who hear about us. Staying in one place also helps people who hear about our ministry find us when they come looking. A restaurant that is constantly moving from place to place is likely to lose as many customers as it gains, and it is very hard on the managers and staff. A restaurant that has been at a certain place for a really long time implies that it is successful, well managed, and well liked. Our ministries should be consistent, stable, and long-term – and we should make it easy for God to send people our way by having a consistent location.

While some of Jesus’ instructions to His followers is redirected later on in Jesus’ ministry, the thing we should always remember, regardless of the point in history we live, is that we must depend 100% on God for help with the mission He has called us to. While He has challenged us to work and share His message with others, He wants us to depend on Him for help, direction, guidance, and strength to carry through with His work.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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