trying to find His way
“So he divided his property between them.” (Luke 15:12) In this story, this is where the real problem begins.The father in this story does what is unwise and dangerous.He grants the younger son his wishes, and likely angers the older one.As we will see, both sons become distant from their father.Why did he give in to…
“There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) Jesus compares God’s joy to a poor woman’s joy who finds her lost coin.She values this silver coin very, very, very, very much.She does not wait for the coin to turn up, she turns the house inside out.And…
“Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4) Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders in this story.As usual, He uses hyperbole (an exaggeration) to make His point.To abandon the 99 to find the 1 would be dangerous and foolish.But that is how much the…
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” (Luke 15:2) This line not only describes Jesus, it describes God.God welcomes sinners and eats with them – this is what Jesus shows us.These religious leaders show us what God is NOT like.As they see it, sinners should be avoided and punished, only they should we welcomed!Afterall, they…
“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:33) Full disclosure, I have not given up everything I have.The plain sense of what Jesus says is: I cannot be His disciple.Like the earlier part about hating one’s family, I don’t take this literally.It is…
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26). To our modern western ears, these words sound extremely harsh, and wrong.But imagine a Palestinian wanting to convert to Judaism?This is especially true for those in…
“Not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” (Luke 14:24) Jesus is speaking to the religious expert about the blessed at the feast.The man assumed that they would be the blessed, because of their devotion.Afterall, they are loyal children of Abraham, the invited guest of God.Abraham was blessed… but not…
These paragraphs are from a SubStack podcast by The Faithful Citizen entitled The Radicals You Riased: A Manifesto for the Generation Raised by VeggieTales and Rage Against The Machine. I resonate with it very much, and expresses my own desire to follow Jesus, not the church. “To the gatekeepers of American evangelicalism, deconstruction is a…
“Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” (Luke 14:23) Jesus challenges the religious experts to focus their attention on the needy.“Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…” (Luke 14:13).One of the guests brings up the feast in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15).And again, in this parable, Jesus mentions the poor, crippled,…
“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13-14) Have you ever heard a christian quote this verse and say ‘the bible says!’This teaching is not one most christians insist on obeying.Maybe once a year at a special church event where ‘the community’ is…