like lambs

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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HE SENT US OUT, HE WILL NOT GIVE US UP.

Luke 10:3-7

Luk 10:3 Go! Notice I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves.
Luk 10:4 Do not carry a money bag, luggage, or extra sandals, and announce yourselves to no one on the road.
Luk 10:5 Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house!’
Luk 10:6 And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will stay on him, but if not, it will return to you.
Luk 10:7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, because the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house.

like lambs

A baby lamb is almost comical in its appearance. The thought of one of these little creatures fending for itself is inconceivable. The lamb was the perfect simile for Jesus to use to talk about his workers. He sent them out, but he did not give them up. He would provide for them. He would make sure that there would be peace-loving people who would appreciate their message, and welcome them into their homes.

Jesus’ instruction was that he was sending them out like lambs surrounded by wolves. He warned them not to act like wolves, feeding on everyone possible, and taking advantage of people’s guilt to trap them into giving them money. No, they were to take from only those who had a volitional desire to give. We need more lambs in Christ’s service.

LORD, help us to trust you to provide for your ministry through us.

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the workers are scarce

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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KEEP PRAYING FOR MISSIONARIES

Luke 10:1-2

Luk 10:1 After that, the Lord designated seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Luk 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is bountiful, but the workers are scarce. Since this is so, keep asking the Lord of the harvest to keep sending out workers into his harvest.

the workers are scarce

When I was growing up, my denomination’s missions department had many missionaries on the field. Now, there are just a few of us. But in this passage, Jesus had just commissioned and sent seventy-two into the field, so in what sense could the workers be scarce? Jesus saw the greater harvest — the harvest for his kingdom in all the world. He knew that there would always be more work than workers.

His instructions to his disciples are always relevant. He wants us to keep praying for more workers, and keep asking him to send them. He does not want our excuses. If we are willing to keep seeking and supporting new missionaries, he will keep calling them to the field.

LORD, forgive us for failing to keep asking for workers in your harvest. Flood your fields with those whose heart is for the harvest.

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wanting to follow

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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IS SOMETHING HOLDING YOU BACK?

Luke 9:57-62

Luk 9:57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Luk 9:58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Luk 9:59 Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Luk 9:60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead ones bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Luk 9:61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
Luk 9:62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

wanting to follow

Jesus had no shortage of people who wanted to follow him. Luke recounts a story of a day when Jesus was walking along the road when three of these would-be followers came to Jesus one by one and offered their conditional allegiance.

The first seems genuinely non-conditional. The man said “I will follow you wherever you go” but Jesus saw the ambition in his eyes. He thought Jesus was going to great places, not a cross.

The second and third want-to-followers each had something they had to take care of first. Jesus told them both that their preconditions would disqualify them.

Perhaps you also want to follow Jesus — someday, once you have your life more sorted out. That day will never come until following Jesus is your first priority.

LORD, release us from all forms of conditional allegiance.

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the bad Samaritans

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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OUR LOVE NEEDS TO BE AS BLIND AS HIS

Luke 9:51-56

Luk 9:51 Then when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,
Luk 9:53 but the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem.
Luk 9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from the sky and consume them?”
Luk 9:55 But Jesus turned and reprimanded them,
Luk 9:56 and they went on to another village.

the bad Samaritans

Jesus was shunned by these Samaritan villagers because he was a Jew, and he had plans to visit Jerusalem. They were not good Samaritans. They were bigots, and regarded the Jews as inferior, and did not want to have anything to do with Jewish prophets.

But when James and John wanted to punish these bad Samaritans, Jesus reprimanded them. Our task as citizens in God’s kingdom to come is not to punish those who hate us. Our task is to seek those who will listen to our message, because God loves the world. As far as it depends on us, the world needs to be one — not split into factions. The only limit to our preaching his word should be set by the bad Samaritans, not us.

LORD, forgive us for our racism and bigotry. May our love and concern be as blind as yours.

Posted in love, prejudice, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

rival respect

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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THE CHURCH IS A FRANCHISE, NOT AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB

Luke 9:49-50

Luk 9:49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone expelling demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple along with us.”
Luk 9:50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”

rival respect

The disciples were called by Jesus and actually being taught by him personally — so they had assumed that they would have exclusive rights to his name. Not so. Jesus had many followers, and he made no attempt to set aside the twelve as an exclusive club. There would be many others in the franchise.

In the same way, it is wrong to assume that other Christians and other churches are illegitimate since they do not follow our strategies, or come from our traditions.

LORD, show us how to respect and appreciate other Christians from other backgrounds than our own.

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someone else’s child

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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WHO DO YOU VALUE?

Luke 9:46-48

Luk 9:46 Now an argument started among the disciples as to which of them might be the greatest.
Luk 9:47 But when Jesus recognised their innermost thoughts, he took a child, had him stand by his side,
Luk 9:48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

someone else’s child

earlier in the chapter, Luke had told the story of a man who pleaded with Jesus to deliver his only son from demonic bondage. Others may have felt sympathy for the boy, but this man was moved with urgent compassion over his plight, because the boy was his. Now, Jesus takes another child, and sets him beside himself, and tells his disciples that their greatness will be measured by how they welcome someone else’s child. It is not simply that Jesus wants his disciples to be humble. He wants them to value those whom the world around them deems insignificant.

LORD, give us your eyes, to see the value of every soul. To love everyone — from the least to the greatest.

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afraid to ask

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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TRUST HIM WHEN YOU CANNOT EXPLAIN HIS PLAN

Luke 9:42-45

Luk 9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus reprimanded the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Luk 9:43 Then they were all stunned by the mighty power of God. But while the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,
Luk 9:44 “Take these words to heart, because the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.”
Luk 9:45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been hidden from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

afraid to ask

This boy’s deliverance was something that everyone (except the demon himself) could celebrate. But the disciples had not category in their personal theologies to put news of Jesus’ betrayal. God has a wonderful plan for this world, and they will all like some of it. But there are other aspects of God’s plan that even his own people are afraid to ask about.

LORD, give us the courage to trust your plan, even when we are confused about why some things happen.

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how much longer?

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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KEEP LIVING THE LIFE!

Luke 9:37-42

Luk 9:37 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
Luk 9:38 Then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I plead with you to look at my son– he is my only child!
Luk 9:39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely.
Luk 9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.”
Luk 9:41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and depraved generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”
Luk 9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus reprimanded the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

how much longer?

Jesus became one of us, and he felt it. He felt compassion for a father and son — both tormented by a demon. He felt anger at the unbelieving and depraved generation he was sent to minister among. He felt frustration that he had to endure life down here. But he did endure it. He stayed with us until his plan to redeem us was accomplished. He is not a quitter.

On those days when I feel helpless like those disciples, or tormented like that family, or frustrated with my evil generation — I remember that Jesus felt all that too, and he stayed with it, he persevered through it. He overcame it.

LORD, give us the courage to persevere in living the life of your kingdom while we wait for it to arrive.

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asleep at the switch

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

Luke 9:32-36

Luk 9:32 But Peter and those with him had become quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
Luk 9:33 Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three huts, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”– not knowing what he was saying.
Luk 9:34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Luk 9:35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This one is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!”
Luk 9:36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found to be alone. So they kept silent and told no one at that time anything of what they had seen.

asleep at the switch

Luke recounts Peter’s eyewitness account of the transfiguration. We can assume this, because Luke mentions Peter by name, and he had just said that James and John were with him. Peter recalls that the three had become sleepy. When they snapped out of their stupor, the found that Jesus was being visited in a vision by Moses and Elijah. Peter’s first thought was to build huts so that they could get a good lesson or two from each of these great people of God. But the voice within the cloud (the Father God) said, no. Jesus is the one who is the unique Son of God. His word needs to be listened to.

The focus of God’s word to us is now switched to zero in on Jesus and his gospel. That does not mean that we should ignore the words of Moses and the prophets. It means that from now on, Jesus’ words are the focus of our relationship with God, and the rest of the Bible takes a secondary role of helping us live in the kingdom that he established.

LORD, help us to focus our eyes and ears on Jesus, God’s unique Son.

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his exodus

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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WHAT WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT?

Luke 9:28-31

Luk 9:28 Then about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.
Luk 9:29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became very bright, a dazzling white.
Luk 9:30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him.
Luk 9:31 They appeared in glory and spoke about his exodus that he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem.

his exodus

The subject of Jesus’ discussion during his transfiguration vision is significant. They are talking about the cross that Jesus would bear, the death he would die, but they are calling it an exodus. Christ’s death was the fulfillment of the prophetic image of the Passover lamb, slaughtered in order to rescue Israel from Egypt. The lamb’s death rescued the people from Pharaoh’s bondage, and made their exodus to the promised land possible. Christ’s death and resurrection made a new exodus possible, one that included believing Israel and believing Gentiles as well. It was this new exodus that Moses predicted in the Law, and Elijah and the other prophets predicted as well.

LORD, thank you for the promise of a new exodus.

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