Day 24 - Luke 17

I would love to get any feedback, thoughts, questions on these posts, especially on the last one about the difference between hell and hades. Just saying:)


Read Luke 17 (find it here)


In many ways, today's chapter is pretty straightforward. But there are some misconceptions that Jesus confronts that are definitely still common in today's culture.

Jesus is very blunt in verse 2 that a person who tempts "little ones" (children) into sin would be better off dead.

Gulp. Ok. 

Even though that may have sounded truly harsh, Jesus follows that up with something that sounds ultra-gracious. Jesus says that believers should hold each other accountable and forgive every time a fellow Christ-follower sins against you as long as they ask for forgiveness, even if it happens SEVEN TIMES A DAY! (v. 4)  Here again, the average person may forgive twice, maybe 3 times, but that's not how Christ-followers are challenged to live by Jesus. 

How many times do we sin against God? Does God have a limit of 2-3 times per each offense? Of course not! So why should hold people to a standard that even God refuses to?

The disciples knew they didn't have the capacity to forgive like this (probably like you're thinking, too).

There are two keys to achieving the ability to forgive others. (This is my way of explaining verses 6-10)

One is that you must place your faith in Christ.  No matter how much faith you have in yourself, how much "will power" you think you have, how much you discipline yourself, you cannot be like Jesus without Jesus (makes sense, right?).  Take a small step (small as in mustard seed size) in giving God control of your heart by following Jesus' example in how he showed patience to his disciples. Capture negative thoughts and only let encouraging words escape your mouth.

Secondly, you have to stop treating God like he's a treat-bearing master and you're a dog.  Say what? What does that mean?  If you do something right, don't expect a blessing as if God told you to sit and you didn't poop on the floor.  This idea treats God like a vending machine or ATM. We give God something that he wants and we get what we want in return. Is God personal to you or is he a machine that you're looking to get something from?

Luke says this by suggesting that a master doesn't thank the servant for doing what he was told. (v.9) Do citizens get plaques and trophies for not killing people? Do cops pull over people to give them a prize for not speeding? Of course not! Not killing people or speeding is what you're supposed to do!

Actually, we should thank God for giving us the morals, laws and precepts that are for our own good.

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Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan, the half-breed that was the only one to care for the attacked man on the road (Luke 10)? That parable becomes a reality, in a way.  Jesus heals 10 men of leprosy and gives them the command to "show yourselves to the priests." (v.14) They were to do this because a priest was the one who could classify them as clean and worthy to be accepted by society (unclean people were rejected, relegated to leper colonies and avoided at all costs).

The ten men went to the priest without any hesitation. Only one returned to thank Jesus for what he had done and, yes, he was a Samaritan. (v.16) It isn't that the others weren't healed but Jesus wanted to make a point that somehow Israelites expect God's healing (as if they specifically deserve it) but Samaritans (or foreigners) are truly thankful for it.

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The Pharisees wanted to know, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” (v. 20) In other words, when will God reign and render the evil in the world powerless and obsolete? Jesus says it (the Kingdom of God) is "already among you." (v. 21)

Really? Last I checked evil is everywhere! 

But the truth is, everyone wants the peace but everyone wants it on their own terms. They want the peace without the Prince of Peace (a name attributed to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6). Its about our will power, making people follow our discipline and rules.  Its only when people all buy in to something that is greater than any one person that people can actually get along.  That greater thing is Jesus, the Prince of Peace, God in the flesh.

But even the name of Jesus has been damaged by church folk.  Many of those outside of the church will just go about their lives without ever knowing the true loving, compassionate, sacrificial God that is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

The only way to change someone is to allow God to change you first.  Then you'll quickly notice that you still won't be able to change anyone. That's God's job!  Just give people the clearest picture of Jesus through your life and move, GET OUT THE WAY! Its you that will hold a grudge, its God that will forgive.  Show less of you and more of God in your lifestyle.

Noah (the arc & great flood, that guy) and Lot (the last guy to escape Sodom before it was destroyed) were both part of societies that didn't know that God's coming was imminent. Christ-followers know that God is coming back soon.  But do the people around you know that?  If not they will be caught by surprise when the Son of Man is revealed. (v. 30)


Do whatever you have to do show the people around you that life is much more than clinging to possessions and comfort.  Tell your family members (as depicted in verse 34) and those you work or go to school with (as depicted in v. 35). Don't let them be left behind!

Jesus is asked again, "when will this happen?"  All Jesus says is, (remember he doesn't know exactly when) "soon." (v. 37)

So....what are you waiting for?!


Questions

1.) So people who tempt others into sin are better off dead, we read that. But here's my question. Does Jesus make a difference between people who knowingly tempt others and those who don't know but tempt others by their example? Does that make you think about what kind of example you're projecting to others? Why or why not?

2.) Jesus also tells us to forgive other believers whenever they ask for it.  What about those who don't ask for forgiveness, how should we treat them?

3.) Sharing your faith is one of the most daunting things for the majority of Christians.  They imagine themselves having to present an intellectually-based theory on why people MUST have Jesus when the strongest indicator of faith is your lifestyle.  What can you do (before you say anything) to prove there's something different about you in order to share Christ?