Luke 20 :: All intimacies will be with God

Luke 20

Sub-headings in the Bible aren't necessarily inspired, but I really like this one in the Message, between verses 26 and 27: "All intimacies will be with God."  Jesus is asked what is essentially a legal question about marriage, and he answers it with a glimpse into heaven.  In the next life, God occupies His rightful place in human relationships.  All people will know God and be known by Him without hindrance or obstacle.

Some may be disturbed by this passage; after all, the promise of being reunited with people we love is one of the main reasons we look forward to heaven.  I don't read Jesus as saying that human relationships don't matter.  I read him as saying that all relationships will be different because God will be central in all of them.  Matters of remarriage will not hinder relationships.  Unresolved conflicts in this life will not be relevant.  All the things that made relationships difficult in this life will be swept away.  We will still love the people we love, and they will love us--not less but more, in a way we may not have experienced in this life.

We have an opportunity now to catch a glimpse of that life to come.  When God is central to our marriages, our relationships with our kids, relatives, friends, neighbors, and even strangers, those relationship are better and more meaningful.

Luke 17 :: Vultures

Luke 17

“Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

-Jesus in verse 37

Reading this, and writing this, I have the same feelings I had when I watched The Passion of the Christ.  It was almost unbearable but I had to watch because in my soul I knew it was true.  Verse 37 is like that.  His followers are trying to find the Kingdom of God, which seems like a beautiful thing, and he tells them that his dead corpse will mark the spot where the Kingdom begins.

If Jesus is the dead body, who are the vultures?  The chief priests and the Jewish council, who already want Jesus dead?  Or perhaps Pilate and the Roman authorities, who will preside over his execution?  I think those answers are too easy.  We are all the vultures.  This analogy that Jesus uses is the offensive, gruesome truth of Christianity.  The world will gather around his dead body and find life, spiritual scavengers all.

And Jesus is clear: we are scavengers, not predators.  We fancy ourselves eagles, but no: Jesus gave his life, it was not taken from him.  We don't come to Jesus to take what we need, but rather to receive what he freely gives.  Ours is a humble role, unglamorous, but there is life there.  Jesus would, of course, reinforce this idea at the last supper.

If you can take any more of this, read on.  One of my favorite American poets, Mary Oliver, captures this idea in her amazing poem, "Vultures."

Like large dark

lazy

butterflies they sweep over

the glades looking

for death,

to eat it,

to make it vanish,

to make of it the miracle:

resurrection.  No one

knows how many

they are who daily

minister so to the grassy

miles, no one

counts how many bodies

they discover

and descend to, demonstrating

each time the earth’s

appetite, the unending

waterfalls of change.

No one

moreover,

wants to ponder it,

how it will be

to feel the blood cool,

shapeliness dissolve.

Locked into

the blaze of our own bodies

we watch them

wheeling and drifting, we

honor them and we

loathe them,

however wise the doctrine,

however magnificent the cycles,

however ultimately sweet

the huddle of death to fuel

those powerful wings.

Luke 13 :: You're Invited

Luke 13

"People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

-Jesus in verses 29-30

The Feast.  It's one of Jesus's favorite ways to describe the Kingdom of Heaven--a huge gathering and a reason to celebrate.  No expense will be spared.  God himself is the Host, and the guests of honor are the people society--and even the church--have convinced that they don't belong.


How different is this picture from the way we so often think about God and His Kingdom.  God as Party-Thrower.  Jesus, the King, serving the guests of honor at the King's table.  Music and decorations, dancing and partying in celebration that God is good.


We are not just invitees to the Feast.  We are also invitation deliverers.  What a privilege!  Our message is not "sinners in the hands of an angry God," but "sinners like us all get invitations."  When we invite people to our tables, especially those outside the regular circles of church, we reflect the Heavenly reality.  Who is God adding to your invitation list?  Who does God want sitting next to you at the Feast of the Kingdom?

Luke 12 :: Top Down Living

Luke 12

My wife drives a Jeep. It's our family's third Jeep, and over the years we've learned a few things about Jeep life. One of the most important is this: driving with the top down is awesome, but you better get a weather forecast. My first Jeep got soaked so many times that I ripped out all the stinky, mildewed carpet and waterproofed the interior, complete with drain holes. You would think I have learned my lesson, but as I write this, dark clouds are gathering outside, and my wife's Jeep windows aren't even attached to her Jeep.

In every teaching in this chapter, Jesus includes a reference to the future. Don't have a secret agenda, because a time is coming when secrets will be made public. Don't be obsessed with your physical existence, either its worries or its comforts, because none of that will matter most in the end. Acknowledge me in your conversations, your relationships and your public life. In verses 2, 5, 8, 20, and 31, and the whole middle section on watchfulness, Jesus keeps telling us to live today with the end in mind. A day is coming when the whole world will know that God is Sovereign and Jesus is King, and you will either be prepared for that day or you will be caught with the top down, so to speak.

Jesus has given us a gift his first listeners did not have. We know how the story ends. We don't know when, but we do know how. Do our lives reflect it? Do our bank accounts, our time investments, our thoughts, and our relationships reflect the Kingdom of God or earthly priorities? If Jesus called an end to this era today, would we be prepared, or would we be caught with the top down?

"Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself." -Jesus in verses 30-31

Luke 9 :: Who is this man?

Luke 9

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” -Jesus in verse 20

This is not only the central question of chapter 9; it is the central question of Luke's gospel. I can imagine what it was like for the disciples on that day when Jesus started asking who people thought he was. I suspect there was passion and urgency in his voice. Are people figuring it out? Do they understand I am their only hope? Who is writing me off, demonizing me, or trying to use me? Who thinks I am less than I really am? And what about you guys? Surely you, who are with me all the time, know that I am the Messiah, the Son of God. Well, at least Peter knows.

Jesus said many profound things, and did many profound things. But his primary mission was not to teach us how to live better, or even to heal the sick. His mission was to reveal himself as the Son of God, and to rescue mankind from eternal separation from God. It is not coincidence that Jesus foretells his crucifixion and resurrection immediately after Peter's response. Guys, here is what this is all about. We're not just traveling around doing miracles. This journey leads to a cross in Jerusalem, and then to an empty tomb.

I pray that we always keep asking the question, "Who do you say that Jesus is?", and keep helping people discover the answer that brings life and hope. How we, our friends and neighbors answer that question makes all the difference in the world.

Luke 8 ::

Luke 8

^"Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left."

-verse 37

Just about everyone who comes to Jesus hopes he'll change something about our lives.  We hope our marriage will be better, or our relationship with our kids or our parents.  We hope something will change at school or at work, or that he'll show us a solution to a mess we've made; that we'll feel more secure, or simply know that we're loved.  And when we come to Jesus, we are not disappointed.  As with the people in this chapter, Jesus shows us he cares and demonstrates that he has the power to do things in our lives we could not do for ourselves.


But when we have what we came for, Jesus isn't done.  He wants to help us with that thing we did not ask for.  He starts to meddle.  He wants to change our lives more than we want them changed.  He starts to give us what we need, not just what we want.  And like the Gerasenes, we have a choice: to accept all the change Jesus brings, or ask him to leave.


When Jesus comes to town, it affects your business, your budget, your personal life, the way you spend your time, and the darker places in your heart.  Are you willing to let him stay, and do what only he can do?

Luke 6 ::

Luke 6

We have a huge back yard.  When we first moved into our house, the yard was in terrible shape, and I only had a small push mower.  It took me forever to mow the grass the first time, and I vowed that I would never do it again.  I got a riding mower, with which I can mow the back yard in about 30 minutes and barely break a sweat.  That's been my habit now for four years.

Sunday my riding mower broke down.  I wore myself out trying to fix it--unsuccessfully--and the lawn was still waiting to be mowed.  With a sense of dread, I started the old push mower and started to eat the elephant of my back yard, one small bite at a time.

About halfway through, the thought occurred to me that I was in terrible shape.  As much as I hated push-mowing, it was actually what I needed.  If I spent more time behind that mower instead of behind a cheeseburger, I would be better off.  The riding mower was pleasant, but it helped to make me weak.

Jesus wraps up chapter 6 with the story of the wise and foolish builders.  Foolish builders are riding-lawnmower types: time after time we choose what pleases us at that moment, what is easiest or most self-gratifying, what fits our lifestyles and doesn't make us uncomfortable.  Wise builders let Jesus push them out of personal comfort.  They serve others, they "put themselves out," they delay personal gratification, they make time for the important.  It may not be obvious which camp we fall into until "the mower breaks down."  Inevitably we are faced with a challenge that either exposes our weakness or reveals our strength.

How is Jesus challenging you to pursue strength instead of ease?  How are you building?

Luke 5 :: is Jesus all about me or all about himself?

Luke 5

In chapter 5 we see Jesus meeting the deepest needs of people he met. What's more important to a fisherman than to catch a boatload of fish? What could mean more to a leper than to be touched, to be healed? Jesus gave the paralyzed man new legs, and shared a table with social and religious outcasts.

But in every instance, Jesus has another purpose beyond meeting the need of the individual. The fishermen would be called away from fishing and become fishers of men. By touching the leper and eating with tax collectors, he makes bold social statements. He even uses the healing of the paralyzed man to make a point about his authority to forgive sins.

Here's the dilemma: I'd like to believe that Jesus wants to meet my needs, but are there always strings attached? And I already know that not everyone gets healed, not everyone gets the boatload of fish. Is Jesus all about me or all about himself?

I think the answer is actually "both," which is one of those paradoxes of faith. Undoubtedly Jesus cares deeply. Story after story in Luke will bear that out. But he also has an agenda that is greater than any individual or any group. His mission is to draw the world to himself. The goal is universal recognition that he is the Son of God; for every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that he is Lord.

I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus cares about me and my family and friends. But that is not to say that in the Kingdom, I am the center of his universe; he is supposed to be the center of mine. "To God be the glory" and "Your will be done" are often more difficult words than "God, I need you to deliver for me," but they are the words of the spiritually mature.

Luke 1 :: At Home With Luke

Luke 1

Luke makes special note to his motivation for writing his account of the Good News.  He explains to Theophilus that his desire is to present a detailed account of the "harvest of history" or the fulfillment of things that were promised.  Luke is the third book of what we call the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew and Mark being the other two, which share many of the same stories.  He is clear that others had written before him and that he was taking their writings into account, as well as his own investigation.  His plan is to start at the very beginning.  His preface is more formal than that of the other writers.  He uses phrases that are not used anywhere else in the NT, but are used by other classical writers of his time.  Luke is an educated and well-read man.  His account of the gospel can be read with a great deal of confidence behind it.  Claiming to write a detailed account of this history would have brought scrutiny to his writings.  Critics would have ripped him if they thought anything he said was untrue.  They would have tweeted about his errors, blogged about his discrepancies and probably destroyed any credibility he might have had.  That did not happen, and we have copies of his writings still today.

Presuming Luke to be a doctor (historical assumption), we discover brutal honesty and straightforward accounts of the physical liabilities that faced Elizabeth and Mary.  Elizabeth is old and Mary is young.  Elizabeth has tried for years to conceive and Mary has never been with a man - in the "biblical way."  Luke doesn't sugar-coat their situation, but simply states the facts of the situation.  Luke is the only one of the synoptics to tell of the angel visits to Elizabeth and Mary.  I find this fascinating because if they were simply legend and not actual events, of all people, Luke would have not included them in his account.  But he does.  Luke has no interest in the inclusion of fable into his narrative.

So as we kick off our reading through Luke today, we can approach with confidence and understanding that what we read is what happened, to a degree that we might not have other accounts.  Luke is the most like us and is an ardent defender of the outsiders.  His passion for "all people" is contagious and seen from the very beginning.  It often feels like Luke is writing to people who don't believe or who are critical of the story being told.  I feel at home listening to his story.

(Family Questions will come in another post today)