In Living I am Choosing

Many are the times in the New Testament when Jesus brought healing to someone in need only to face accusations and be questioned by the crowds and the religious leaders. It makes me wonder if maybe that is in part why Jesus did so many healings as he walked from village to village teaching. It gave him opportunity to teach many things.

On one such occasion, he was accused of being empowered by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus pointed out that Beelzebub’s kingdom would not last long if he empowered people to cast out his own demons. “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.” Luke 11:17 Maybe that is part of why it is so important to Jesus that his followers learn to live and work together in unity. It’s bad enough when Christians fuss and squabble with each other. But when Christian leaders attack each other, they are tearing down and destroying God’s kingdom rather than building it up. “A kingdom divided against itself will be ruined,” Jesus said. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23 This was Jesus prayer for all of his followers.

Jesus teaches a second principle that we often miss. We need to be careful in what and whom we put our trust. He tells of a strong man guarding his own house keeping it safe… that is, “until someone stronger comes along and takes away his armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.” Luke 11:22 If we put our trust in ourselves, at some point we will come up short. If we join forces with God’s kingdom, we will also fall under his protection.

Being an excellent preacher, Jesus’ sermon had three points. The third point he made was that empty houses don’t stand empty very long. When we are freed from the evil in our lives, we need to begin to replace it with God’s goodness. If we don’t, the evil spirit “goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:25-26 We can’t believe and act on nothing. Either we are filling ourselves with God’s goodness, or we are open to Satan’s wicked schemes.

A wise woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Luke 11:27 She was saying, “Preach it, Jesus! You tell them.” And, “I wish I had a son like you.” And Jesus used even that to encourage his followers. Rather than being puffed up with pride, he went right back to his final comments. “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28 I think he was finishing his third point. Hearing what he said is not enough. That might empty the house of the evil spirits. But it is in obeying God that we fill our lives with his goodness and do not leave room for the evil to move back in.

I can’t just turn and walk away from Jesus’ sermon and say, “Okay, that’s nice. Jesus wasn’t acting as a servant of Beelzebub.” I have to look at what it means to obey God’s word for me here, now, today. What am I filling my house with? Whose protection am I under? Am I working for or against God’s kingdom? There is no middle ground. As long as I am alive, I am choosing – good or evil.

Lord, please show me where I am divided. Show me where I am not fully yielded to you. I want to be part of building your kingdom, not destroying it. Help me to keep filling my house with your goodness. Help me to clean out the things that hinder me from totally and completely following you.

Is Anyone Listening?

There have been times in my life when I felt like my prayers weren’t going past the ceiling. When those times occur, I don’t spend so much time praying because if feels like a worthless activity. Because of those times, it is of great interest to me to listen in on Jesus’ answer to the disciples when they ask him to teach them to pray.

Jesus spent a lot of time praying to the Father. And sometimes we find Peter, James and John with him – sleeping while he is praying. But here, the disciples are waking up and realizing that it is not a spectator sport. So when Jesus finished praying, they ask him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 I’m sure Jesus thought, “Glad you asked. It’s about time!” Here in Luke 11, we get a really good look at what happens when we knock on heaven’s door with our prayers.

Jesus starts out with what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”, though this is not the version we memorize. It contains acknowledgement of God’s holiness, asking for our daily bread, asking for forgiveness of our sins as we forgive others, and asking to not be lead into temptation.

Then he tells a story about a man knocking on a friend’s door asking for bread because some guests have arrived and he has nothing to give them. The friend tells him to go away because he is already in bed and doesn’t want to get up to help him. But the man persists and finally, the friend gets up and gives him the bread. Jesus follows this by saying, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you fill find; knock and the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:9-13

We quote these verses often when we put our requests before God’s throne. It sounds like we can ask for anything and know that God is listening. But how often do we bring our list just like a list we prepare for Santa Clause at Christmas time? “Okay God, here’s the big gift I want – please heal my friend from cancer. And then God, I would like you to make my mean neighbor quit pestering me and I would like that new car so I can get back and forth to church better, and Lord, I know you want to prosper me, so if I could have a bigger house that would be cool too. Oh, and by the way, take care of the people around the world who are starving.” And we go on and on requesting and even sometimes demanding. Even when we are praying for our friends and neighbors, we present it like an ongoing list. We totally forget about honoring God with praise and thanksgiving. We forget that he is a holy God and that he already knows all these things. And we forget to thank him for the daily bread he provides (not just food, but strength, health, encouragement, etc.) We also don’t want to talk about the forgiveness we need – to be cleansed as we come to him. That would be to admit we make mistakes and are not perfect.

In his last statement, Jesus says, “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 Is he guiding the disciples in thinking about what it is they are asking for? He didn’t talk about the power to cast out demons or the provision for daily needs of food and a place to sleep. First he assures his disciples that God is listening. He will hear what you ask for. But he also lets them know that God is thinking, caring and loving, and he will do what is best for his children. We can be confident in that. And finally, he is suggesting that the disciples ask for the Holy Spirit knowing with confidence that God is there ready to give it to them.

Of all the things God can give us, the Holy Spirit is what we should be asking for. Why? It is the Holy Spirit that will give us wisdom and guides us through whatever else occurs in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that will help us know how to pray and what to ask for. It is the Holy Spirit that will fill us with joy and thanksgiving and an understanding of God’s holiness.

Studying the Lord’s Prayer with Jesus as my teacher has revolutionized my prayer life. When I understand how much God loves me, my relationship with him becomes more of a friendship rather than a harsh judge and a cowering slave or rich man and poor beggar. We spend time talking together. And just like I would get worn out with a friend who only came to me when they needed something, I realize that I have much more to say to God than giving him a list of needs and wants. I can thank him and praise him noticing things in his creation like a beautiful sunrise, a melodious bird song, an intricate branch on a tree. I can thank him that I have great accommodations while I’m in this world – a warm place to stay at night, food to eat, friends and family that love me. I can ask his forgiveness and ask him to remind me who I need to forgive and draw from his strength and love to do so. And we can talk about people in my life who are suffering and I can ask him to bring healing to them – restoration to relationships, healing from diseases, and comfort in pain. I can listen for his voice especially during that time of sharing together, but throughout the day in the midst of things happening and people I cross paths with. Many times when Jesus spoke into people’s lives, it was ‘along the way,’ and I believe that is still true.

Those prayers don’t have to go past the ceiling because God, through his Holy Spirit, is sitting right here with me, listening to me and speaking to me as I make room for him in my life.

Student or Servant?

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” Luke 10:38 Martha seems like a hospitable woman. I wonder what opening her home meant – was it that Jesus and his disciples were going to stay there several days? They would need places to sleep and food to eat. Someone needed to take care of the physical needs of the travelers and Martha apparently ‘signed up’ for the job. Or did she feel obligated? Some people, by nature, are very hospitable. They know just what to do to make everything perfect for their guests. They fuss and plan and do all the extra things that make people feel special. They spend two days preparing exotic foods and then thrive on people’s expressions of pleasure.

Because Martha likely had such grand plans, she needed help and was not happy with Mary for choosing to sit at Jesus feet listening to his teaching. She came to Jesus and asked him to get after Mary for not helping. And of course the Lord said, “Mary, your sister needs help - you had better go help her in the kitchen.” Not!

“’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord said, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41-42 Did we read that right? Did the Lord actually tell Mary it was okay to not help Martha? I wonder what Martha thought at that moment. Why did Jesus say Mary had chosen the better thing? I wonder if Martha threw up her hands and said, “Fine – you all don’t need to eat!” Or if she pondered and realigned her plans to make them more reasonable so she too could sit down and learn from Jesus.

I wonder if Jesus was thinking that he wouldn’t be around much longer and he needed as many people as possible to understand his teachings so that they would be prepared to go on after he was taken from them. I wonder if he was thinking that after he was done teaching, they would all go to the kitchen and work together to prepare a meal. After all, he could cook – he made fish and bread for the disciples (John 21:9) And then, I wonder why this is recorded and what I am to learn from it.

There are many things in that simple response from Jesus. First, Jesus is giving women permission to learn just as the men did. In their culture, women were not allowed to be students of a rabbi. But Jesus made no differentiation when he was teaching. He accepted women as students.

Secondly, he was giving permission to Martha to not go crazy with preparations for them. A simple stew would have done nicely. She didn’t need to make twice baked cheesy potatoes to go with the slow roasted meat with savory sauces and a seven-layer salad with homemade dressing. She didn’t need to put chocolates on all the pillows. Sometimes it is more important to visit with the guests rather than separate ourselves by all of our outrageous preparations to impress them. Being a student of our guests may be the best way to serve them. As we listen to their story, we have opportunity to encourage them and fellowship and pray with them. That likely will have far more impact than a chocolate on their pillow or flowers on their nightstand.

Thirdly, he was giving permission to Mary and Martha to pursue their hunger for Jesus’ teaching. In fact, he was saying it was the better choice and protecting Mary’s desire to learn. He was saying that a woman’s self-esteem does not need to come from housework and meal preparation. It can come from knowledge of God’s Word.

While this message seems to be aimed more at women, there are lessons here for men as well. Even in a society where women have achieved many rights and are no longer considered here to serve men, there are many subtle leftovers from previous generations. What are our expectations of women when we open our homes to guests? Do they have ample time to fellowship with the guests or are they saddled with all of the preparations and clean up? Are they encouraged to dig into God’s Word and become knowledgeable followers of Christ?

Lord help us all to find the balance between serving physical needs of our guests and being students of them in order to learn what pleases them and what pleases you.

Just Being Neighborly

An expert doesn’t usually get where he or she is at by accident. They diligently study and develop their skill sometimes because they have a passion for their area of interest and sometimes just to be better than everyone else at what they do or know. One such person approached Jesus with a question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25 Obviously this person is a Pharisee because he believes in eternal life. In fact, if we look at Matthew 22, we see that Jesus had just silenced the Sadducees by his wise answer when they tried to convince him that there would be no resurrection. So it is likely that this Pharisee was trying to get Jesus to prove once and for all that the Pharisees are right on the argument of whether or not there is a resurrection.

Jesus in his wisdom doesn’t give the man an answer but rather asks this expert to quote the Law and then interpret it. The Pharisee answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 And Jesus replied, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” Luke 10:28

This Pharisee had the head knowledge of God’s Law and he even had it connected to eternal life. But his next question shows that he is not an expert at taking that knowledge to his hands and feet. “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29 This is an interesting question because the man obviously knew the law – he was an expert – and Leviticus 19:13-18 is a very specific list about how to treat a neighbor. In fact, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” is a direct quote from Leviticus 19:18. It appears that this expert in the law may have also been an expert at figuring out how to make some people ‘not his neighbor’ when it suited him.

Again, Jesus in his wisdom responded by using a story that we know as the “Good Samaritan”. It is a story of a man who became a victim of robbers who beat him and left him for dead. Three different persons happened upon him – a priest, a Levite, and finally a Samaritan. In all fairness to the priest and Levite who walked by on the other side of the road, they were not to be around dead people – it made them unclean and they needed to stay clean to perform their duties. In this case, they apparently assumed the man was dead and were avoiding contact. They were following the part of the law that was more convenient for them at the time – keeping themselves holy. The Samaritan, however, was full of compassion and went to the side of the injured man and began to bind his wounds. Not only that, but he placed him on his donkey and took him to an inn and paid to have them care for him until he got better. Then Jesus asks the expert the question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Luke 10:36. And the expert in the law responded, “The one who had mercy on him.” Luke 10:37. And Jesus tells the expert to “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:37

I wonder how often I have walked by a suffering person and have been too focused on my ministry to extend mercy. How many times have I said, “I’ll pray for you,” and went on my way when what they needed was for me to pray with them right then? How many times have I been too busy with my ministry to take the time to help or encourage a fellow traveler?

So much of Jesus’ healing and encouragement to others happened ‘on the way’ to something else. His compassion took precedence over his agenda or plan for the day. Matthew 14:14 tells us that even after John the Baptist was killed and Jesus wanted to be alone for a while, when the crowds found him, he had compassion on them and responded to their needs.

It is too easy to rationalize our way out of helping another. Jesus does not accept that as our best effort. He wants us to learn to ask the question, “What would I want the other to do if I were in their situation?” And he doesn’t want us to rationalize why we can’t help them. I don’t think he wants us to fix everything wrong everywhere in the world. That assignment is too big for one human being. But he wants us to notice when we walk by someone that is in need. He wants us to stop and help before we go on our way. And just maybe, our taking the time to do that will bring another traveler face to face with Jesus and give them the option of eternal life as well.