SCRIPTURE: Luke 20:1-8
Sometimes when people question God, their motives are impure.
Like when we shout to God ‘what are You doing about evil in the world?’, to which God replies ‘what are you doing?’
Jesus sees through the religious leaders – they are not genuinely looking to hear from God.
They dismissed John the Baptist, and they dismissed Jesus, because they didn’t like what He had to say.
They question jesus, because they don’t like how he questions them!
I wonder how many people still today dismiss the core message of Jesus because they don’t like it.
There may be a lot in the bible we don’t understand, but let’s start with the parts we do understand, and don’t like.
‘Love your enemies, care for the poor, deny yourself for others, seek God’s justice, forgive those who wrong you.’
‘It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.’ (Mark Twain)
If we focused on love, justice, peace, forgiveness, etc. we would become the answer to our own prayers.
We would see God at work way more than we ever did before.
I fear that many people who have given up on God or Jesus have done so for self-centred reasons.
To be free to pursue their own desires and dreams unhindered by God and His calls for goodness and love.
God still leaves many of our questions unanswered today, like Jesus did.
One day we will stand before God with our questions, and He will silence us with His.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord forgive us for being selfish and evasive. Help us to be honest and real with You, and with Your help strive to live and love more like You!
Observation/Application
Let the main thing be the main thing.
Don’t get caught up in useless trivia or arguments which distract or become a stumbling block for the Christian life.
The religious leaders of Christ’s day wanted to trap Christ because He wasn’t ‘authorized’ by the ‘church’ of the day nor was John the Baptist. Yet both proclaimed the Word and it could not be stemmed by institutions. God’s authority will prevail – it has and always will.
Listen and do.
Listen to the Voice and walk in its way.
Lord, help me always to be a stepping stone and never a stumbling block.
He is the answer.
Always.
The Lord is my shepherd;
*I’ll walk with him always.
He leads me by still waters;
*I’ll walk with him always.
Always, always,
*I’ll walk with him always.