Resource Manager Posted September 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 26 September 2012 1 Chronicles 9Ezekiel 22Luke 19 "BUT HIS CITIZENS HATED HIM" We read today in Luke 19 that Jesus told “a parable … because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” [Luke 19:11] Jesus was the centre of attention of the ordinary people, he had a triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt. [Luke 19:30-38]. The crowd rejoiced but how many thought about his parable? It was about a nobleman giving money (minas) to ten servants, one had ten minas, a lot of ‘money’ to use in serving the ‘nobleman’ for a mina was the equivalent of about 3 months’ pay for a labourer. One labourer did nothing with the mina he received, he simply kept it safe. He is full of reasons (excuses) as to why he did not make use of it! We humans are good at doing that. The nobleman of course represents Jesus. Those who believe in him, cannot be’ passive’ in their belief, if belief is ‘real’ it will result in action. Those who serve him faithfully and increase their ‘minas’ are put in positions of “authority” [Luke 19:17] when he establishes his kingdom. The ‘money’ he gives represents the abilities and opportunities his servants experience. We read in Luke 12:48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him (or her) much will be required.” But there is a larger class of others who are not interested in being his servants, we read, “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us” [Luke 19:14] People give tacit or active support these days to those who speak disparagingly of the Bible. As the message of Christ and his coming kingdom spreads throughout the world people are faced with a choice to “love” or “hate” to be “for” or “against” – there is no neutral position in God’s eyes, an attitude of ‘hate’ is filling the world today. The parable ends [Luke 19:27] “But as for these … who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.” We recall our thoughts yesterday on the near total lack of ‘faith’ and world-wide traumas to occur as Jesus is about to return – what of our own faith? Let us recognise it is impossible to be neutral.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 27 September 2012 1 Chronicles 10Ezekiel 23Luke 20 "WHO PRETENDED TO BE SINCERE" What a lot of pretense there is in the world. So many create an ‘image’ to project before others! While politicians are probably the best example of this, let us not practice any self-deception, for such is our own human nature; the spirit of the age cannot help but have some influence on us. The ‘medicine’ to correct this is the daily reading of the word of God. But like the medicine for physical health it depends how and what we take! Do we only read the parts we like or that we feel are relevant to our own perceived needs and interests? Our reading must include meditation on those parts which illustrate how deceptive human beings can be toward each other – and take special note of the antidote ‘medicine’, such as in the book of Proverbs. Today’s reading in Luke 20 is about the insincerity of “the scribes and the chief priests” [Luke 20:19] Wary of the potential reaction of the people who thronged about Jesus, “they watched and sent spies , who pretended to be sincere that they might catch him in something he said and so deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.” [Luke 20:20] In their insincerity they said something they did not really believe! They said, “Teacher we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.” [Luke 20:21] Can we say things which are “true” and yet say them with an insincere mind? Can we, as many others, put on a “front” for some purpose to gain some advantage; quite often it is a material advantage? Sadly we have sensed that this sometimes happens in countries in which we are doing missionary work – but let us not deceive ourselves that it never happens here. These wily men came to Jesus with what they thought was a clever question, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?” [Luke 20:22] and the verses which follow show how he silenced them with his answer! But let us ponder his answer ourselves and ask ourselves the question – ‘Are we rendering to God the things that are Gods?’ What do we have that belongs to God? Do not we ourselves belong to God? Paul told the Corinthians, “You were bought with a price” [1 Corinthians 6:20] and that price was the blood of God’s only Son. Let us realise the position we are in as a result! “We are God’s fellow workers” [1 Corinthians 3:9] and we should more and more reflect the sincerity and character of Christ as we “work” for Christ and the Father and reveal them in our own small and humble ways to those around us; the more they sense our sincerity the more at least some will listen.. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 28 September 2012 1 Chronicles 11Ezekiel 24Luke 21 "DO NOT BE TERRIFIED" How natural it is to be terrified when all the things around us are falling apart: The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was a recent example of this. When Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, the disciples were very anxious to know when, what sign there would be when it was about to happen. Our reading in Luke 21 shows how Jesus then went on to describe far more trouble that the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem – these troubles would not be an indication of his imminent return. He said, ‘when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, but the end will not be at once.” [Luke 21:9] He said they would be persecuted, but “this will be your opportunity to bear witness” [Luke 21:13]. He promised them, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” [Luke 21:15] When he then said, ”By your endurance you will gain your lives” [Luke 21:19], it seems evident that he means eternal life – and isn’t that true for us too! The nation was going to come to a tragic end and “be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” [Luke 21:24] Gentiles means – non-Jewish nations. And it happened in AD70 – but not for ever – only “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”– and the next verse tells us that then, “there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world… For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming …” [Luke 21:25-26] Are the sun, moon and stars literal - or symbolic of the ruling powers being in great chaos? Maybe both – but Luke 21:33 indicates a symbolic meaning for “heaven and earth will pass away.” Jesus told the parable of the fig tree in Luke 21:39-41 and the fig tree is symbolic of Israel [Joel 1:7], when “they come out in leaf … you know the kingdom of God is near.” “That day,” says Jesus, will come, “suddenly like a trap ... upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth” [Luke 21:35] “but stay awake at all times praying …” [Luke 21:36] and “do not be terrified.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 29 September 2012 1 Chronicles 12Ezekiel 25Luke 22 "THIS SCRIPTURE MUST BE FULFILLED" Today’s chapter of Luke [Luke 22] tells us of the arrest of Jesus, it is quite detailed and we pondered the probability that some in the crowd that came to arrest him and brought him to the High Priest’s house later believed and joined the early believers on the Day of Pentecost or soon after. Luke and the other gospel writers would have had their testimony corroborated and maybe amplified by such. We note how John ends his Gospel account by stating, “Now there were many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Jesus was totally conscious of the Old Testament books that God caused to be written and preserved. Apart from his exchange of thoughts with those in the Temple at the age of 12, the initial evidence of his great consciousness of them was in his temptations in the wilderness – in refuting those temptations. How conscious have we become of them? Do we use them in the same way? In the final hours before his arrest he tells his disciples, I tell you this scripture must be fulfilled in me … for what is written about me must have its fulfilment.” [Luke 22:37] And so, tragically, it happened but also wonderfully; for its fulfilment was in his sacrifice for our sins, made effective when we decide(d) to belong to Jesus, becoming his brother or his sister. There are a great many other Old Testament prophecies, such as those we will soon come to in Ezekiel about the latter day climax of events in the Middle East. We must put these alongside the last days predictions Jesus made which we read and commented on yesterday. In Ezekiel 25 today there is a prophecy that has been fulfilled. “Thus says the LORD: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice … I will execute great vengeance upon them …” [Ezekiel 25:16-17] These people have disappeared from history, there is no mention of them in the New Testament. Maybe we might conjecture that the Palestinians are the modern equivalent, they occupy the same territory! What fate awaits them? So – “scripture must be fulfilled” – we are living in awesome days. Let us accept the challenge of Jesus to “search the Scriptures” [John 5:39] but not be like those to whom he said this! He told them, you “refuse to come to me that you may have life.” [John 5:40]-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 30 September 2012 1 Chronicles 13; 14Ezekiel 26Luke 23 “I FIND NO GUILT IN THIS MAN” Pilate was the most powerful man in Israel in the days of Jesus. But he was strangely helpless in carrying out his own desire to let Jesus go free, though he said “I find no guilt in this man” [Luke 23:4] and “nothing deserving of death has been done by him” [Luke 23:15] “I will release him” [Luke 23:16 and again Luke 23:22] After all these declarations, it is strange how Pilate gives in. When we compare the different gospel records we get a clearer picture, one issue being that Jesus was claiming kingship. Pilate queried him on this, but said Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this world (i.e. age)” So Pilate, the most powerful man in Jerusalem was indifferent to truth and justice and gave in to the demands that Jesus should be crucified; the biased and prejudiced jealous Jews got their way. There is a parallel today in what happened. Like the voices of the prejudiced religious leaders of that age, so today we have the insistent voices (and writings) of the atheistic and agnostic intellectual leaders – and they are getting louder! The great majority argue that evolution is true, there is no God. They are no better that the Jewish leaders in the time of Jesus who blindfolded their minds to the heavenly power of Jesus. When you add all the real evidence together the intelligent spiritual mind becomes certain that Jesus is the coming king, that he did rise from the dead! Just as the resurrection of Jesus astonished the Jewish leaders – and those of them still alive died in the later destruction of Jerusalem, so the return of Jesus will astonish the world – and those who do not believe and are not ready for his coming will perish, but only after many have seen the folly of their beliefs. Is there a danger that some who read this are being held captive by the spirit that surrounds them, as Pilate was? But we can say, we are not judges like Pilate was deciding some case before us! O yes we are! We are deciding our own case – and we know there is a case to be made out against us – but we have a Saviour and if we have a genuine relationship with him then we are sure of support from him. The support available is even more wonderful than that, for the disciple John wrote inviting us to “reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, he knows everything.” [1 John 3:19-20], So as we “judge” ourselves and develop our relationship with our Lord Jesus, may we be ready for his coming. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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