Letting Personal Injustice Go

Let’s not spend our lives complaining about financial injustices. There is a better choice. What did Jesus say to a victim of financial injustice in Luke 12:13-21?

What Life is Not

Luke 12:13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”

Wise parents will divide an inheritance so that their legacy is siblings that were treated fairly. Favoritism and greed divide families. Rabbis and pastors may be asked about family injustices. A wise pastor will follow Jesus’ example and not meddle, even if he feels that an injustice was done.

Luke 12:14-15 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Jesus’ advice was to avoid covetousness, greed, or “lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines is eternally best”. [1] If someone has swindled us, walk away and forget it. Abundant possessions do not define a great life. Being satisfied is a great life.

[1] THAYER'S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

Life is full of injustices. Let’s not waste time making ourselves miserable, haggling over money, and not living. Was Jesus telling the young man to let it go, and not let others’ greed also make us greedy? Getting justice in every financial transaction is not what makes a good life.

Rich towards God

Luke 12:16-19 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Even an honest gathering of wealth for a self-centered retirement cannot stop death, nor God’s judgment on our self-indulgence. Rather than narcissistic living, let’s think about the judgment? It is foolish to deem laying up treasures for self, while not thinking of the poor, is the pinnacle of financial responsibility (Psalm 49).
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

The wicked praise the greedy (Psalm 10:1-4), greed ambushes the greedy first (Proverbs 1:18-19), destroys families (Proverbs 15:27), causes poverty (Proverbs 28:22; Proverbs 30:14), destroys nations (Proverbs 29:4; Isaiah 56:10-11), is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5), brings dishonest gain, sheds innocent blood, oppresses and extorts (Jeremiah 22:15-17). The greedy take; the righteous give (Proverbs 15:27).

Luke 12:21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Scientific research shows that selfish species die.[2] Thriving species communicate and cooperate. Greed isolates us from our clans. Covetousness is therefore self-destructive behavior. Greed estranges us, isolates us from support, and destroys trust. Even in nature, insects and sheep know instinctively that to survive they must share and cooperate.

[2] Hogenboom, Melissa. "Selfish Traits Not Favoured by Evolution, Study Shows." BBC News. N.p., 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 31 July 2016.

In a church climate that encourages us to speak up about injustices, Jesus gives us one example when not to speak, but to just let it go. How does that fare for other injustices in the world? Must we always speak up, or is there a time to just let it go?

The greedy hurt themselves and their families. Don’t covet what they have taken! Walk away! Let it go! Be satisfied! Live a better life! Live selflessly and in so doing be rich towards God!

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tenacious Prayer

How tenaciously do we pray? May we ask for personal needs? Are we waiting to be worthy? Let’s learn to pray unceasingly. We’ll look at Luke 11:1-13 verse by verse and some of what Jesus taught on how to pray.

When Not If You Pray

Luke 11:1-2a Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you [pl] pray, say, …

When teaching his disciples to pray, the first words from Jesus were, “When ye pray...” Modern English has lost the plural you word ye and substituted you for both singular and plural. Does plural you indicate a group prayer? The first words are “Our” not “my” Father, a unifying prayer.

Luke 11:2b So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven…

God is ours, not for me alone. God does not describe himself with the metaphor of Father to cause offense, but wants us to understand perfect fatherhood through him. Father means one who “imparts life” not to all humanity, but certainly to those in "intimate connection and relationship" with him.

Luke 11:2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

The positive of the commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” is “hallowed be your name.” Hallowed means "to make holy, consecrate, sanctify; to dedicate, separate." Prayer includes praise. All churches are polluted by sin. God is not. Let us glorify his name.

Luke 11:4a And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us…

When we sin we miss the mark, which is what the word sin in Luke’s version of the Our Father means. Sin creates a debt of injustice. Forgiveness releases others from that debt, giving up the right to justice. And so we can rightly ask God to forgive our debts.

Luke 11:4b … And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

This can mean either sore trial or temptation. We live in a world where there are many enticements to miss the mark of right living. We want to stay faithful, not misuse God’s name, take rest days, honor parents, not kill, remain faithful in marriage, not steal, lie or covet.

Bold and Audacious Prayer (vs 5-13)

Luke 11:5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

We could translate verse 9 as, “So I say to y’all, Y’all ask and it will be given to y’all; y’all seek and y’all will find; y’all knock and the door will be opened to y’all.” God encourages us to persist in bold and audacious prayer, like the midnight visitor.

Let’s not be afraid to pray, hiding from God like Adam and Eve. God knows our sins and still encourages us to come to him boldly and often. He wants to hear from us and is ready this minute to forgive and give us what we need.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Too Busy for God

Hard work is a Christian ethic. But sometimes we need to just sit and listen, especially when the one doing the talking is Jesus. Let’s read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42.

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

The certain village is elsewhere called Bethany. Martha seems to be the homeowner, possibly widowed, and thus the hostess. Her brother and sister also lived there, though Lazarus appears to be absent during this episode. Details may have been obscured due to potential persecution from religious leaders in nearby Jerusalem.

Luke 10:39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.

Sitting at the feet of a teacher was the ancient practice and expression picturing a student. She kept on listening to what he taught.

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

How many times have we been at a church service when a meal was planned for afterwards, only to find out that one or more ladies stayed in the kitchen the whole time preparing the food instead of sitting in the service worshipping and learning? Have you ever wondered why?

Luke 10:41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!

Martha, Martha! I smile as I recall those words. She was certainly not the lazy sluggard of Proverbs 24:30-34. I can’t imagine she would have tolerated a yard overgrown with weeds or failed to maintain any garden walls. Her problem was not laziness but being an obsessive-compulsive work-a-holic.

It bothers me that in volunteer organizations some people want to dictate that others work more. It seems to me that only drives people away. Rather, ought we not be more thankful for the help we do get, and perhaps if we are more grateful, more would want to help.

Luke 10:42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Oh, how we get our priorities all mixed up in churches. Even missionaries come home and tell us about all the wells they dug, people they fed, houses they built, and all their wild and perhaps dangerous adventures, but sometimes not enough about people that were changed by Jesus Christ.

Standing in line for communion, a lady’s mobile phone went off. The pastor, having a little fun said, “Tell them that we don’t do takeout.” [1] Our lives are filled with distractions. Find time to sit at the feet of the Master. Turn off the media and listen to God.

[1] thanks to https://lectionarylab.com/

In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Priest and Levite were too busy loving God to love their neighbor. At Martha’s house, she was too busy loving her neighbor being the good host, to love God by listening to Jesus. We cannot neglect either loving God or loving neighbor.

We sit at Jesus’ feet when we hear Gospel preaching or read the Gospels at home. As we read the whole Bible at home, let’s make sure we regularly include something from the Gospels. Perhaps sometimes temporarily put aside our loving service to others and just sit at Jesus’ feet?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Who is My Neighbor?

After World War Two the Allies helped former enemies Germany and Japan rebuild. The hatred did not last forever. Thanks in large part to Allied aid, former enemies became close friends and two of the world’s strongest economies were given life.

Let’s look at how even enemies can become good neighbors? Let’s examine the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 and see how it applies to us.

Who is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

How often do people come to us with feigned questions, setting a trap? Reporters do it to politicians often. Was this just another trap or a sincere question?

Luke 10:26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

How often do reporters tell people they didn’t answer the question? Do we always need to? Naive people may think that we do. Jesus felt no compulsion to answer, but asked another question.

Luke 10:27-28 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man actually gave a good answer. Most of us could give an answer like that, but is that all we need? Is there more?

Luke 10:29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Conservatives don’t want to hear that illegals are our neighbors. Liberals don’t want to hear that unborn babies are our neighbors. Neighbor literally means someone near but, Jesus explains neighbor as any person “irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet”.[1]

[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/4139.htm

A Despised Samaritan

Luke 10:30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.

Religious fellow citizens ignored the man, but an enemy helped him. It’s a similar disappointment that we all find when confronting the disappointments of church life, where some people in the world seem to have better conduct than Christians. In the end we realize that only Jesus is completely faithful.

Luke 10:34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

We are saved by faith, but faith without works is dead, completely useless (James 2:18-26). Love is visible in action. We do good works because we love God and our neighbors. Good works are like a bright light on a lamp stand giving glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

Why is it that bad people sometimes do better than good people? That is the story of the Good Samaritan. When we speak out against sin, we ought to do so knowing that we have all failed. The Good Samaritan teaches us that, sometimes non-Christians do good and Christians don’t.

Salvation in Pictures

Origen said Adam is the injured man. The journey is to paradise. The robbers represent hostile powers. The priest and Levite are the law and the prophets. The Samaritan is how we treat Christ. The wounds are from disobedience. The donkey pictures Jesus carrying us to the church. The manager is the pastor, and like the Samaritan Jesus will return.

This parable does not encourage a naïve lack of caution in regard to our enemies. It does not say that we allow our enemies to live among us unchecked, nor allow a false religion in, nor allow Samaritan terrorists or criminals into our land, nor give arms to our enemies.

The law and prophets do not heal our wounds. But, a stranger that our world often considers to be an enemy can. Who are our despised Samaritans? Who would we find it most difficult to help? Jesus teaches us that who our neighbor is crosses all lines.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois

Sent

The term Apostle can refer to the twelve disciples of Christ. Broadly it means anyone sent on a mission with a message. Let’s look at 70 or 72 others who were “apostled” by Jesus and what their mission was in Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.

70 Apostled? (vs 1-2)

Luke 10:1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.

“The Lord now chose seventy other disciples and apostled [or ‘sent’] them.” Among them were James, Mark, Luke, Barnabas, Philemon, Onesimus, Aquila, and other early church leaders were “sent” in pairs for safety and mutual encouragement, into the spiritual harvest. There an urgency to reaping the harvest of the kingdom.

Mission Instructions (vs 2-11)

Luke 10:3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.

5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.

8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’ …

Mission instructions included pray for helpers, beware of wolves, don’t take money, bags, extra sandals, don’t waste time in chit-chat, bring peace and fertile ground will reveal itself by peaceful responses, stay put, eat everything, hospitality is deserved pay, heal, tell them about the kingdom and if unwelcomed move on.

Eat, Heal and Tell (vs 8-9)

Luke 10:8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’

Missions in three steps: eat, heal and tell. 1) Meals are good mixers. Not everyone is hospitable, but we ought to be. 2) If we can’t heal physically, we can heal hearts with kind words and encouragement. 3) Tell the stories of Jesus using the wisdom that God gives us.

Who Listens to You? (vs 16)

Luke 10:16 Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”

Jesus Christ was despised and rejected and so will we be, but the more people we talk to, the more we win. He said that, “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” People don’t reject or accept us but Jesus. What a blessing to be listened to when we talk about Jesus.

What is Our Joy? (vs 17-20)

Luke 10:17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”

18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

The disciples had joy in doing the work of God. This is how it is meant to be. We may lack joy because we are not taking a rest day, or not where God designed us to be. The ultimate reason for joy is having our names written in heaven.

Just as Jesus apostled 70 disciples to go, eat, heal and tell, so he apostles every one of us. We are rarely sent far away. Most often our mission field is right here in our own backyard. Let us pray for an opportunity to tell about that which gives us true joy.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cheap Talk and Lame Excuses

Should we forget everything to follow Him, or is it a question of priority? What priority does God have in our lives? Let’s learn about excuses in Luke 9:51-62.

Denying Jesus in Others

Luke 9:46 Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48 Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”

Luke 9:49 John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.” 50 But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

These verses are important to be included too, because they teach us not to condemn other denominations that believe in Jesus. As a lifelong Christ follower, I notice that even the best churches have major flaws, but we have the most important thing in common, a saving faith in Jesus.

Denying Jesus

Luke 9:51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53 But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 So they went on to another village.

How should we think about those who reject our Christian message? Jesus rebuked the disciples for desiring to punish them. They did not yet understand God’s grace and praying for enemies. Fires of judgment is reserved for the end of the age. Jesus’ first mission was to save, not condemn.

Cheap Talk

Luke 9:57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

Christians are pilgrims in a foreign land with no place to lay our heads, traveling to a sacred place. Freed from slavery, we wander in a worldly wilderness not yet having reached the promised land. We don’t always know our immediate destination, but we do know who is leading us.

Lame Excuses

Luke 9:59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”

There is nothing wrong with burying a parent, but if it’s no excuse to delay following Jesus. What “good thing” are we using as an excuse to delay following Jesus? We can arrive at family events after church, tell sports’ managers that church comes first, be rested for Sunday mornings.

Are “family values” always “Christian values.” Jesus seems to challenge that idea. Burying a parent and saying goodbye to family are good actions. Jesus did not suggest severing family ties, but wanted to teach a valuable lesson. Many family values are Christian values, but they are not always the same.

Looking Back

Luke 9:62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Some modern farmers are returning to plow with animals finding greater return on investment and happiness. To plow a straight furrow, a farmer can’t remove his hand from the plow or look backwards. As farmers in God’s field, we keep our eyes on Jesus and our hands on the plow.

Honoring parents has a very high priority in the Bible, but can family distract us from an even greater priority, Jesus? Let’s plow a straight line to God without wavering.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

2 Kings 2 or 1 Kings 19; Psalm 77 or Psalm 16; Galatians 5; Luke 9:51-62