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 Luke 13:1-5: A lesson from tragedy.(please click here for todays passage)

Early this morning (22 March as I write) we heard the terrible news of  terrorist bombings in Brussels, leaving many dead and more injured. Suddenly and tragically the end came for people who were just going about their business. Some would be going to work; others, perhaps, were excited about the start of a vacation. In an unexpected moment or two everything changed.

What Jesus said here,making reference to a couple of tragic events that must have been ‘on the news’ in His day, is still relevant. We are not to imagine that those personally affected by these incidents in Belgium were worse than other people. But we should heed the lesson to repent and get right with God, because we never know when the opportunity might be gone forever. As suddenly as a disaster can strike, we can find that we die and are ushered into God’s judgment hall. So the message of the last paragraph of chapter 12 holds good today: make the effort to get right with an offended God.

‘Pardon from an offended God, pardon for sins of deepest dye…’

Such pardon is available to anyone and everyone who will turn to Jesus in repentant faith.

 Luke 12:54-59: ‘…try hard to be reconciled…'(please click here)

As an example of being able to read the signs of the times, Jesus talks about the person who does everything he can to reconcile with his enemy before the case comes to court. He knows that if he ends up in front of the Judge the outlook may not be good. He can read the ‘writing on the wall’ and what he sees there in bold print makes him want to act decisively, in order to stave off dire consequences.

‘You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now. You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make’ (56-59) The Message.

Jesus was calling people to reconcile with God before it was too late. Jesus came to say that this is possible and to make it possible by His death on the cross.

By the way though, do you need to ‘try hard’ to mend some broken fences? Is there someone you need to get right with? Determine to act today before the situation spirals out of control and ends up somewhere you may regret. Not only should we keep ‘short accounts’ with God, but also with one another. Don’t let a ‘root of bitterness’ grow up. That’s one poisonous plant. If some word of forgiveness needs to be spoken, get on with it in ‘the living years’.

Selwyn Hughes told the story of a man who was wounded and bitter. He became more and more sick, and eventually he died. His doctor said that, although it couldn’t be written on his death certificate, he died of ‘an undrained grudge’.

Prayer: Lord, you know I have been hurt, but help me to let it go, for Jesus’ sake, and by His grace.

 Luke 12:54-56: What’s the weather doing? (click here for todays passage)

Quite often, Jilly will say to me, ‘It looks like rain’, and I will reply, ‘Well there’s none forecast.’ Then Jilly will say,’But they look like rain clouds to me.’ More times than not she is right! I rely on the weather forecast online and am often wrong!! People can learn to predict the weather by looking around them at what they see. It seems to me that farmers are particularly adept at reading the book of nature. They make great, instinctive meteorologists.

Jesus spoke about the need to similarly read the times. It’s been said that a prophet is someone with a Bible in one hand, and a newspaper in the other – a person who can understand the contemporary scene in the light of Scripture. In the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles  12:32, we read about the men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do . May The Lord help us to be in their number. Stay close to God and get His perspective on the news. That amounts to wisdom.

 Luke 12:49-53: The cost of discipleship.(please click here for todays passage)

This short section of Luke shows the cost of discipleship to the disciple. It may involve being divided from people you love; those who love you. You belong to a different world; you are a citizen of another Kingdom, essentially speaking another tongue. If people who know you well now turn against you, or at least think you (and possibly treat you) a little strange, you should not be surprised. You have been born again from above. You are a new creation.  You are not the same person you once were. Jesus sounded a clear warning in these words. It’s not that He intentionally splits people up, but the cleavage is an inevitable result of differing responses to Jesus. In the worst case scenarios the division may entail family members cutting off their relatives, betraying them to malignant authorities, and even killing them ( Matthew 10:21). I once heard that in certain cultures, when a person is converted their familly will carry out their funeral, because as far as they are concerned that individual is now dead. So if you ever feel estranged from your unbelieving relatives, don’t be surprised.

So the cost of discipleship to the disciple is an obvious theme here. But do you ever consider what it has to say about the cost of discipleship to the Master Himself? (50). At Easter we tend to focus on the pain of Jesus ON the cross. But what about His agony BEFORE the cross, as He approached it? He was to be totally immersed in unimaginable suffering, and throughout the years of His ministry that knowledge hung over Him.

‘We may not know, we cannot tell, what pains He had to bear. But we believe it was for us, He hung and suffered there.

It cost Jesus to make our discipleship possible; it will cost us to be His disciples. There is no genuine Christian experience without a high price tag. You can’t have discipleship on the cheap.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you were not understood by your own family. Thank you that you understand the grief I feel over this sense of misunderstanding and estrangement. I also take encouragement to see how your brothers later on turned to you. Thank you Lord. Bless my relatives, and may they too have a revelation of the risen Christ.

Luke 12:35-48: Get on with it!(please click here)

Many years ago I read some words in a book about the second coming of Jesus that went something like this:

‘Waiting for that momentous event is not a matter of sitting in our gardens in our deck chairs, scanning the horizon with our telescopes. No, it is a time for distinctive Christian action.’

That quote pretty much encapsulates the teaching in today’s passage. Do you know what Jesus has given you to do? Well get on with it! That is a primary way to be ready for His return. Faithfully do your job (41,42). Privilege brings responsibility, and the more light you have received , the more will be demanded of you (48). If The Lord has shown you much, what are you doing with that light? What will you do with the much He has shown you? As a Steve Green song says, ‘You want to, now will you?’ This simple, heart- searching song contains the thought that ‘The truth that burns inside you like a host of fiery coals,contains the power to liberate a thousand captive souls. But if the truth will ever set you free depends on you. You want to, now will you?’

What are you doing with all you’ve been given? Do you even want to do anything with it? Jesus is coming back to the world, and it’s time to get on with it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in best moments I want to live the truth you have revealed to me. But at times, I admit, I lack the will and desire to live up to what I know. Please forgive me; fill me with your fire, and help me to behave as one who will be held accountable at the last.

Luke 12:22-34: A life that is rich toward God.

When I was a teenager I was very small and looked incredibly young for my age. On one occasion,when I boarded a bus and asked the driver the price of the fare, he replied, ‘For you sonny, a penny!!’ I was mortified because I was old enough to pay full price and wanted to do so. But all my worrying about my height didn’t change a thing (25). I couldn’t add a ‘single cubit’ to my stature, as this verse can read, by fretting. My dear Uncle Alf used to say to me, ‘Don’t worry, you will grow.’ He didn’t promise me I’d be tall, but he did know I would be taller, and he was right. But worry didn’t achieve that.

In the last reading we began to think about what being ‘rich toward God’ (22) will look like. It brought us into contact with the very challenging issue of Christian stewardship. What is my attitude with regard to my stuff? Here are some further insights. A life that is ‘rich toward God’ is:

a.) A committed life (31). It has at its core a dedicated priority – the Kingdom of God. It has decided that God will always come first. With that decision firmly settled it can therefore also be:

b.) A trusting life (22-30). And a trusting life is anxiety-free. If we become ‘bird watchers’ and observers of nature, we will see that the Heavenly Father takes care of even the most insignificant creatures.  I’m sure you will see the ‘how much more’ arguments going on here (24, 28). These are arguments from the lesser to the greater. As someone put it, we must not think that God cares more for His aviary and His garden than He does for His kids! Jesus was not advocating a lazy outlook on life. He wasn’t saying that we are not to work or be provident. The Bible, as a whole, is in favour of these things. But He was saying that in a life where God comes first we can, as a general principle,expect legitimate needs ( not greeds) to be met. (Someone said that God is prepared to take full responsibility for the life that is wholly yielded to Him.) Worry is totally unproductive, as (25) shows – whichever way we take it, it adds up to that essential point. It doesn’t get you anywhere good. Worry will not add years to your life ( but some think excessive worry could shorten it.) The Lord wants us to live at rest (Matthew 11:25-30), in attitude of relaxed confidence in Him. We can if we put Him first. I will now add a third thing about a life ‘rich toward God’. It will be:

c.) A generous life (32-34). The details of this will probably work out differently from person to person, but a life that is God -focussed first and foremost, will also be other people- focussed. We will take account of needs and want to give and share.

Such a committed, trusting, generous lifestyle is a hallmark of Kingdom people.

Prayer: Lord help me to live this kind of life – the life you desire for all your people.

Luke 12:22-34: A life that is rich toward God.(please click here)

When I was a teenager I was very small and looked incredibly young for my age. On one occasion,when I boarded a bus and asked the driver the price of the fare, he replied, ‘For you sonny, a penny!!’ I was mortified because I was old enough to pay full price and wanted to do so. But all my worrying about my height didn’t change a thing (25). I couldn’t add a ‘single cubit’ to my stature, as this verse can read, by fretting. My dear Uncle Alf used to say to me, ‘Don’t worry, you will grow.’ He didn’t promise me I’d be tall, but he did know I would be taller, and he was right. But worry didn’t achieve that.

In the last reading we began to think about what being ‘rich toward God’ (22) will look like. It brought us into contact with the very challenging issue of Christian stewardship. What is my attitude with regard to my stuff? Here are some further insights. A life that is ‘rich toward God’ is:

a.) A committed life (31). It has at its core a dedicated priority – the Kingdom of God. It has decided that God will always come first. With that decision firmly settled it can therefore also be:

b.) A trusting life (22-30). And a trusting life is anxiety-free. If we become ‘bird watchers’ and observers of nature, we will see that the Heavenly Father takes care of even the most insignificant creatures.  I’m sure you will see the ‘how much more’ arguments going on here (24, 28). These are arguments from the lesser to the greater. As someone put it, we must not think that God cares more for His aviary and His garden than He does for His kids! Jesus was not advocating a lazy outlook on life. He wasn’t saying that we are not to work or be provident. The Bible, as a whole, is in favour of these things. But He was saying that in a life where God comes first we can, as a general principle,expect legitimate needs ( not greeds) to be met. (Someone said that God is prepared to take full responsibility for the life that is wholly yielded to Him.) Worry is totally unproductive, as (25) shows – whichever way we take it, it adds up to that essential point. It doesn’t get you anywhere good. Worry will not add years to your life ( but some think excessive worry could shorten it.) The Lord wants us to live at rest (Matthew 11:25-30), in attitude of relaxed confidence in Him. We can if we put Him first. I will now add a third thing about a life ‘rich toward God’. It will be:

c.) A generous life (32-34). The details of this will probably work out differently from person to person, but a life that is God -focussed first and foremost, will also be other people- focussed. We will take account of needs and want to give and share.

Such a committed, trusting, generous lifestyle is a hallmark of Kingdom people.

Prayer: Lord help me to live this kind of life – the life you desire for all your people.

Luke 12:13-21:’How much did he leave?'(please click here)

Two ladies were talking about a rich man who had died. ‘How much did he leave?’ asked one. ‘Everything!’ replied the other. As the saying goes, ‘There are no pockets in a shroud.’ (20).

This is admittedly a disturbing story. I don’t think it is necessarily saying that it is wrong to have possessions, but it gives a clear message that you won’t find your true life in anything material (15). You just won’t! Learn from others. Draw on the lessons of the past. Think about how the writer of ‘Ecclesiastes’ in the Old Testament, tried everything; had everything, but found no satisfaction in any of it. He could have written the song,’But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’ Consider the lottery and pools winners who have admitted,or shown,that their lives were not enhanced by their winnings.

I think this passage is not so much about the amount of stuff you possess as your attitude to it all. It raises two important questions in particular:

a) Are you looking for life in material things?

b) Do you find your security in what you have? The Bible teaches elsewhere the wisdom of a prudent preparation for the future ( e.g. Proverbs 30:25). But what we have here in the ‘rich man’ is someone who presumed upon a future that he was not going to have. He made his plans without reference to God. (Look at James 4:13-17 and you will see a shiny, bright commentary on this farmer and his attitude.) He was also only interested in keeping his ‘treasure’ for himself. There is no evidence that he thought about sharing or giving.

This section also teaches us not to covet what we do not have. How carefully, then, we must live in a materialistic world in which clever advertisers are constantly sending out seductive messages that ( if we heed them) will cause us to want what we don’t have and will never need. They are like the sirens luring the unguarded onto the rocks by their spellbinding ‘music’. ‘If only you had this…if only you had that…you would be happy.’ It’s a lie. Someone said that materialism is like drinking sea water ( salt water) – the more you have, the more you want.

You have to come away from this parable asking, ‘What does it mean to be ‘rich toward God’?(21). I think there may be a clue in that when this man prospered, there is no record of him thanking God for the blessings, nor asking Him how to use it. A steward does not ‘own’. He or she takes care of the property of another, and they can’t use their boss’s property how the see fit. They have to be in touch with him and listen to his instructions.

From a Christian perspective, good stewardship involves thanking God for all you have and seriously praying for direction in its use.

Prayer: Lord I thank you for bountifully blessing me in ways I do not deserve. I want to say how grateful I am for  all your gifts. If you did not give me another thing I would still have multiplied reasons to thank you. Help me to live gratefully, and wisely and prayerfully, so that I may be rich toward God. This is my true desire.

Luke 12:8-12: Going public.(please click here for todays passage)

I was chatting recently with my colleague Phil, about how many Christians today seem to be suffering from a loss of nerve when it comes to speaking about Jesus. I wonder, what would happen if believers across the UK came out of hiding; stopped wearing camouflage. There are people out there who are attracted by Jesus, and would like to have a conversation about Him. David Watson, a famous evangelist in his day, once observed that the problem with many Christians in the west is that we are like the great Canadian rivers in winter – we get frozen at the mouth!

It strikes me that acknowledging Jesus before men needn’t take a lot of words, but it is about publicly identifying yourself with Christ. The psychiatrist and author, John White, said that fundamentally witness is about honesty: ‘This is who I am. I am a Christian.’ I want to be able to say, and mean it, ‘I am not ashamed’, and demonstrate it by stepping out from behind all my hiding places.

If you go public with your faith you need to take on board verse 4, because it is still a dangerous thing to identify with the crucified Jesus (John 15:18-20). The previous paragraph flows into this one. Let’s be sure of God’s Sovereignty and Fatherly care and concern. Sparrows do fall to the ground, but never behind God’s back (Matthew 10:29).

By the way, don’t be tempted to use this passage as an excuse for a lack of preparation to preach (11,12). Jesus was giving a very specific word about a very definite set of circumstances which had to do with arrest and trial. As a great preacher once said, ‘We can’t pull the wool over people’s eyes. They know when we haven’t prepared.’

Prayer: O Lord, I’m with the psalmist on this one, please open my lips that my mouth may speak forth your praise (Psalm 51:15).