Devotional - March 16, 2022
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
An audio recording of last Sunday's service can be found on our website: https://www.citrusspringscongregational.org
Bible Study at 10 am. on Wednesday
Choir practice Friday at 11:00 am.
Luke 18: 31-34
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
We all know what it is like to see a hero defamed. Or, at least we have seen the human side of someone we held in high esteem. It can deliver quite a blow to our ego as well as theirs. What happens next depends on us. After getting past the initial shock of the event, we move toward compassion, grief, and acceptance. We feel for the person defamed, but then we accept the situation and go on. Yet, some respond in a very different way. They may have become enmeshed with the defamed person and end up suffering right along with them. There are no clear lines between the person and them. The same dynamic can occur with an ideology or group. In our text today, the disciples are still holding fast to their expectations of Jesus. They do not want to hear what He just said. They are still looking for Jesus to save their world (view), not His. They do not see what Jesus sees, which is you and me. Their outlook is common, it is the same as ours most of the time. We think about ourselves and what is best for us. In verse 34, Luke explains their state of mind. Yet, God was not hiding anything from them. Why would Jesus say it, if God did not want them to hear it? No, the disciples were blocking the message, but who can blame them? At this point, they may not have understood who Jesus was, but they loved Him, trusted Him, and followed Him. And they knew, He loved them too. They did not want any harm to come to Him, especially from the Jewish authorities or Rome. When they heard Jesus say these things they may have thought He was expressing some fears about the future or dismay at what was currently happening to them. No one asks Him to be specific about where it was written or how their current situation was fulfilling prophecy. They choose instead to ignore His teaching. As amazing as that sounds, we do it too. I know some of you have decided to read through your Bibles this year and have found it challenging. It takes a lot of discipline to read the portion assigned each day, but it also can be challenging to hear the message therein. We realize how much we have forgotten or remembered differently. If you are not on a reading plan, take some time during Lent and read through a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or another book in the Bible. It does not take long before you read something that does not sit well with you or challenges your worldview. Rather than pass it by, make it a topic of prayer; a discussion point with God. Much later, after Jesus' resurrection the disciples will understand (Luke 24: 13-35), and many times, we will too. So, stay with your struggles with God, continue to work on them, study and pray to God about them. Sometimes we, like the disciples, are our own worst enemy when it comes to growing in our faith and belief in God.
Let us pray... Holy God, during this time of Lent, may Your Spirit be strong in my life. For many reasons, I confess I have looked away from some of Your teachings or situations. Be with me as I look toward them, seek to understand them, and deal with them. Be with my loved ones and friends, bless them in accordance with their needs. Bless our church that we can continue to serve You, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
