Luke 12: 8 – 12 A Warning About the Holy Spirit

Luke 12: 8 – 12 A Warning About the Holy Spirit

"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."

This passage troubles me. Jesus holds out his harshest criticism, the harshest of punishments – denial of God’s forgiveness – his very mercy and love - for those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Why such condemnation?

Jesus goes on to remark on the role of the Holy Spirit in the coming of his Kingdom. The Holy Spirit is to be the apostles’ teacher and guide in time of trouble, and Jesus knows that there is trouble ahead. Jesus understands the important role the Holy Spirit will have in the formation of his church. From the Holy Spirit will come courage, wisdom, knowledge, faith, etc., all vitally important in the continuation of his mission after Jesus has ascended to heaven. Without the Holy Spirit, the gifts the Spirit brings and the apostles' acceptance and belief in those gifts, Jesus mission might have come to a quick end because of the power of fear and doubt. Instead the power of the Holy Spirit helped to found Christ’s great movement - to preach the coming of the Kingdom, reliance on God’s mercy and justice, and love for one another. Come Holy Spirit!

Luke 12: 4 – 12 Be Not Afraid

Luke 12: 4 – 12 Be Not Afraid

I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

In this passage Jesus speaks about a condition that we all, unfortunately, have vast experience with in our time – fear. Fear is one of the most powerful of emotions. When improperly manipulated it causes us to do great harm to ourselves and others – even in extreme instances start wars. Jesus tells us that there is nothing in this life that we should fear. He says that flat out: “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more”. Then he says it again most eloquently in the parable about the smallest, most insignificant of birds – sparrows. If God cares for the physical wellbeing of these small creatures, how much more will he care for us whom he created in his own image? Who are we to fear? Jesus tells us we should fear “the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna”. What the heck does that mean? I guess Gehenna is what we would call Hell. I have to say right now that I am not high on Hell as a place of unending fiery torment. That concept just doesn’t square with the God of mercy and love and justice that I believe in. It sounds too vengeful, too mean. I prefer to think of hell as eternally being apart from God and knowing that it didn’t have to be that way. But I digress. Back to the topic at hand – who we have to fear. (I think) this is the person (or thing) that has the power to keep us from eternal life, from our place in the Kingdom. The person we should fear is that who will keep us from claiming our rightful place with God, who tells us we are not worthy of God’s love and mercy, who encourages us to despair, lose hope, be inattentive, squandering our time and energy in this world. When I get right down to it I have to say that I believe that person is most likely ourselves – our self doubt, our actions or inactions.

Luke 12: 1-3 Into the Light

Luke 12: 1-3 Into the Light

Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees. "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Maybe it’s just me but I hear Jesus speaking against hypocrisy a lot. How do I define hypocrisy? My off the cuff definition would be – saying one thing in public and doing another thing in private. At its most basic it is lying, but even more foolishly, it is not just lying to others but to yourself. The first is bad enough – it could involve abuse, manipulation, fraud, cheating, etc. But the second – lying to yourself – is even worse. If you lie to yourself you are really lost – in false pride, in delusions, in ignorance. If you cannot even admit to yourself your true motives and situation, how will you ever straighten your life out? In this scripture, Jesus sounds a warning saying that everything hidden will be made known and everything we say and do in the “dark” will be brought out into the daylight. That should give all of us “pause”. It’s not easy to look at our lives in “full daylight” and then seek God’s mercy. In spreading the good news about the Kingdom, Jesus always asked his listeners to start with themselves, to look at themselves, and repent. This seemed to be a necessary first step to moving forward. We are all going to arrive at that moment of facing up to ourselves, to our actions and intentions sooner or later. Unfortunately, such a moment is not a once in a lifetime event but the first of many. Struggling is part of the human condition. And it’s an ongoing condition. I think Jesus knows this and doesn’t give up on us. It’s the hypocrisy that he has no patience for.

Luke 11:45 – 54 Off the Hook?

Luke 11:45 – 54 Off the Hook?

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them. Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute' in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter." When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

When I first read this passage I thought Jesus was speaking about lawyers. Upon reading it again I thought instead he was referring to the religious authorities of his day. Anyhow, Jesus had just laid the hammer down on the Pharisees, a religious group that was “full of themselves” to say the least. Now he moves on to their teachers, the religious authorities, those who believe they know the truth about the Scriptures and God, and use that control to ensure their status and power in society. He condemns them for “imposing heavy burdens” on average folks and for “taking away the key to knowledge”. Are you getting the impression that Jesus dislikes having worship of his Father turned into a power play used to exclude and include people? I am. Jesus faults these “scholars of the law” for taking advantage of their positions. He judges them especially harshly for placing barriers in the way of ordinary people who want to know about God. Jesus has a great relationship with his Father without the assistance or the interference of the religious authorities of his day. Although it is clear from his familiarity with scriptures and the law that he has studied them and learned from many teachers, he has clearly moved beyond them. His faith, a mature faith, is based more on his relationship with the Father and not on what experts and authorities have told him. Of course it is easier to just take what someone tells you on faith than it is to put in the work a relationship demands. I think in this passage Jesus is laying down a challenge - to those who seek and to those who think they have found God.

Luke 11: 37 – 44 Keeping Up Appearances???

Luke 11: 37 – 44 Keeping Up Appearances???

After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you. Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."

Yikes! Here we find Jesus angry and not pulling any punches. He goes after the Pharisees, a prominent religious group of the time, listing out their sins . . . putting more store in empty rituals, neglecting justice, pride, rapaciousness, lying to themselves and others, etc. However tempting it would be to relate these flaws to the Church or to any organized religion (and it is) I must own up to the fact that (I think) I am meant by Jesus to be his “church”. (I’m not sure I even know what that word actually means . . . Any ideas???) When Jesus was on earth the last thing on his mind was to form some giant structure of dos and don’ts. Jesus dealt with individuals. He asked individuals to repent, to seek the Kingdom of God, to be generous and forgiving. He gave us the example of his life, how he treated people to inspire us. He chose ordinary fallible people to help him in his mission and spread the word. He eschewed pride and injustice. So let me not take false refuge in anger and inaction. I(we)are the true church. By my/our actions or inactions I/we represent Jesus Christ on earth.

Luke 11:33-36 Parable of the Lamp.

Luke 11:33-36 Parable of the Lamp.

"No one who lights a lamp hides it away or places it (under a bushel basket), but on a lamp stand so that those who enter might see the light. The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is sound, then your whole body is filled with light, but when it is bad, then your body is in darkness. Take care, then, that the light in you not become darkness. If your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is in darkness, then it will be as full of light as a lamp illuminating you with its brightness."

This passage is all about “light” Jesus uses the word light, lamp, eyesight. This last, eyesight, seems especially important. If our eyesight is sound, our whole body operates in the light. But if our eyesight is bad, our body lives in darkness. Where our vision/perspective comes from is very important, making our eyesight key among our senses. It gives us a sense of where we are, who we are with, etc. Without it we are lost.

How do we look out onto the world? Do we look out onto the world in fear and anxiety, anger and mistrust? Jesus seemed to look out onto the world with eyes of mercy and trust and love. As human beings I believe our eyes reflect a lot of what is going on inside us. What we hold within must ultimately shine through our eyes and be shown to the world. Jesus’s basic goodness and love shone out through his eyes onto all who met him. He seemed to be all-knowing and at the same time both compassionate and loving. No wonder people were drawn to him. I think the idea of meeting Jesus, looking into his eyes, being known for just who you are, and at the same time being loved, must have been an incredibly powerful and humbling experience. To be known, forgiven, loved . . . oh boy, I think that experience would be the experience of a lifetime. No wonder people followed him. Any of us would have basked and grown and unfurled in the light of that gaze. But how do we experience that light/love today? I’m not sure. Through faith and trust in him?

Luke 11:29-32 The Sign of Jonah

Luke 11:29-32 The Sign of Jonah

While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah." Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

In this passage, Jesus speaks of Jonah, the Old Testament prophet who moaned over the task given to him by God to the point where his traveling companions tried to do him in – sacrificing his life so that they might be saved. He was swallowed by a whale and then regurgitated three days later. Obviously, Jesus is familiar with this dramatic story. I wonder if the crowds following him know what he was speaking of. What was the task Jonah despaired of? I looked it up and found that he despaired of being taken seriously by the Ninevites when he preached the need of repentance to them. He didn’t want to do it and ran away. Ultimately after surviving the run in with the whale, he came around to preach God’s intended message even though he thought it useless. For those in Jesus’ audience who needed more information, he spells it out, “This is an evil age.” That is plain speaking indeed. Not only is it evil, but it sees no urgent need to change its ways. “It seeks a sign.” So a miracle or some other type of shocking event might be enough to jar them out of their complacency. What if God or Jesus had complied and performed a miracle? Would our world be any different today? I hate to sound cynical, but I don’t think so. Our culture bombards us with messages that we need and deserve things that we really don’t need or deserve, and since the consequences of these actions are often far off, (debt, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.) we cannot marshall the will power to deny ourselves. What’s my point, you ask? Around our country and the world poverty, injustice, environmental degradation, war, etc. abound. Lack of food, clean water, medical care, fair wages are the norm for many while power and wealth rest in the hands of the few. Jesus message of the need to reform, of living a life of humility, of service to others, of love for God and neighbor, is easily lost in the noise. Apparently, Jesus’s words, his example are all we are going to get. Gulp.

Luke 11:27 – 29 True Happiness

Luke 11:27 – 29 True Happiness

While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

This very short passage is entitled “True Happiness” in my bible. A woman heaps praise upon Jesus calling him blessed along with the one he came from. Jesus answers that true blessedness is found in the one who hears God’s word and keeps it. One without the other will not do. Simply hearing, listening, is not enough. It must bear fruit in action. Understanding, Acceptance and Action. Word and then deed. Simple and straightforward. Amen

Luke 11:14 – 26 Power

Luke 11:14 – 26 Power

He was driving out a demon (that was) mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that (I) drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. "When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, 'I shall return to my home from which I came.' But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first."

Jesus follows with a few short parables. The first of these is about people questioning the source of his power. Some said, “Only by the power of the Prince of Demons is Jesus able to cast out demons.” Jesus refutes with logic by saying “a house divided against itself will surely fail”. He and the miracles he performs “by the finger of God” are evidence that the kingdom of God is present among them. This is the proof that people were asking for. He cautions his listeners to be wary of the (destructive) power lack of faith and doubt can have in our lives. There is evil in the world. The very person Jesus just cast the devils out of is vulnerable to their return. Those devils are looking for a new home, maybe back with that same individual. We all have our weaknesses. They are hard to overcome and still harder to permanently defeat. Jesus understands our human nature very well. He knows how hard it is to overcome temptation – because he is beset by it himself. Be wary he seems to be saying. Trust in him and he will see us safe.

Luke 11:5 – 13 Asking and Receiving

Luke 11:5 – 13 Asking and Receiving

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Who among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

Jesus uses a parable to talk about asking and receiving. He gives the example of asking an acquaintance for something in the middle of the night, an inconvenient time to say the least. If you do not get what you need because of the relationship, then you eventually get what you need because of your persistence. Then follows a very famous triplet: Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you will find, Knock and it will be opened to you. First we must make an effort – to ask, to seek, to knock, before anything else happens. Putting yourself out there by asking etc. and persisting, showing you really want it, must happen first before you get anything.

Then Jesus segues to speak of fathers in general and his Father in particular . . . about a father’s loving care for his children. He closes with a question about a specific gift from his Father – something that I almost missed. Jesus says, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

I need to think about this for a minute. Jesus seems to be drawing a parallel from human fathers giving their children “good gifts”, (fish, eggs, etc.) to God our Father giving us the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit the “good gift” the Father gives to us for our well-being? What does that mean? I have long had a “thing” for the Holy Spirit, for his importance in our world and in our faith. Is Jesus saying that if I have the Holy Spirit in my life then everything about me should and would be changed? How and why I do things would change, my motivation, my understanding, my accomplishments, my goals, my thoughts, words and deeds? The passage from Galations 5:22 that lists the fruits of the spirits comes to mind: love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and self control. I think through this passage Jesus is trying to tell us how important the Holy Spirit is to him and to us as we live out our lives. Come Holy Spirit.

Luke 11: 1 – 4 The Our Father Part II

Luke 11: 1 – 4 The Our Father Part II

I want to think more about the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus’ personal prayer to his father – part of an ongoing conversation if you like. It is not only personal, but passionate, a cry from his very heart and soul. First it’s intimacy is astounding. Was this the first time Jesus addressed God as his “father” to the disciples? I don’t know. Certainly, in those days and all through the ages God was a figure of awe and fear to his people . . . definitely not a beloved, caring father. Yet even though Jesus claims God as father, he also acknowledges God’s holiness, his precedence, and his plan to bring about the Kingdom. Then Jesus switches gears, including others, in this case the disciples, in his prayer – “Give us our daily bread, Forgive us our sins” to let us know we are never alone. In the latter case, Jesus I think is letting us know that we can always change our ways, free ourselves of discouragement and move towards healing (ourselves and others) by asking for, receiving and extending forgiveness. I think the final line is a cry right out of Jesus anguish at that moment. He knows what is coming both for himself and for his disciples and he asks that they be passed over. This is a cry from Jesus’ heart right to the heart of God. It’s intimacy and immediacy is remarkable, and humbling. When I think of how I recite this prayer by rote with hardly a thought I am ashamed. But perhaps the way to do better, for me at least, is not to pray that prayer more thoughtfully, but to use it as an example to work toward my own intimate conversation with God.

Luke 11: 1 – 4 The Our Father

Luke 11: 1 – 4 The Our Father

He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

The Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father as presented in Luke is a sparse, almost spartan affair. Jesus leaves off all words that are non-essential. It is a direct prayer without any stage-setting or slow build-up.

“Father” The prayer is intimate, addressing God as “Father” – a bold start at least as far as the disciples would be concerned. Jesus’ re-introduction of God as “Father” is huge!
“Hallowed be Thy Name” Jesus acknowledges his Father’s holiness, the appropriateness of honoring and worshiping him.
“Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done” I think this is both a recognition of God’s primacy and a submission to his will. His kingship, his will. . .
“Give us each day our daily bread” Ultimately we acknowledge that we must have faith that God will provide us with what we need. . . in the form of skills, or gifts, whatever.
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive others” Forgiveness is a two-way street in God’s kingdom. We must be as generous with forgiveness for others as God is to us.
“Subject us not to the final test” What does this mean? Is it a recognition that we are only human, that we are weak? Or is it a plea right out of Jesus personal prayer at that time - a prayer that knows the cross is coming with all the agony it will mean for him and his disciples? If this is true then Jesus is encouraging us, after we acknowledge our Father’s holiness and primacy, his care for us (providing for our needs and offering us forgiveness if we forgive others) to bring God into our present and share with him our joys and sorrows, our fears and our hopes.