Daily Gospel Devotional: August 31

Luke 19:11-27…

Waiting and working…

Many thought that since Jesus was heading for Jerusalem (cf. Luke 9:51) this meant the kingdom of God was about to be ushered in. The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem did present Israel with their Messiah, but it would not be until sometime later that the kingdom of God would be established. Indeed, we still await the coming of that kingdom.

Jesus had spoken to His disciples about His rejection, suffering, and death at Jerusalem (Luke 18:31-34), but they did not understand at that time. What Jesus had said to Zacchaeus (Luke 19:9-10) only intensified their expectations. In light of the Old Testament teaching it was understandable why (Isaiah 40:9 / Jeremiah 3:17, 33:16 / Joel 2:32, 3:16-17 / Micah 4:2 / Zechariah 8:3, 9:9, 13:1, 14:4, 14:8). They anticipated the immediate commencement of the kingdom (cf. Acts 1:6-11). While Jesus taught that we should desire the kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10 / Luke 18:1-8), He told this parable to correct wrong conclusions about the way people held these convictions.

In the story a wealthy man was going away to be anointed as king, and would be gone for a while. For the meantime, he gave some of his servants a sum of money, instructing them to do business until he returned. The citizens of the area were not fond of the wealthy man and sent word that they did not want him to return at all.

When the man returned as king, he sent for the servants to give an account of what they had gained. One did very well, obtaining a tenfold return. Another also did well, securing a fivefold return. Both were rewarded and made rulers in proportion to their faithfulness.

A third servant had no increase at all because he hid the money away, and so in a sense lost money that could have been earned. This servant personifies the problem which our Lord is addressing, the lack of faithful obedience. The wicked servant lost the rewards that could have been his, and they were given to the servant who had proven most diligent. If he was truly fearful of his master, he would have used the time he had to be obedient, not complacent.

The master’s final act was to deal with the rebellious citizens who rejected him. These enemies represent those Jews who would reject Jesus as their Messiah.

The departure to a distant land and later return of the king signaled a time delay in the arrival of the kingdom of God. Jesus had to go up to heaven to be crowned king (cf. Philippians 2:9-11), and the delay of the kingdom provided a time for the king’s servants to be tested. Their faithfulness in serving Him will be the basis of their rewards in the kingdom.

Christians must live with intention and also with investment. Christ could return tomorrow, but His return may not be as soon as we think or hope. We need both a short-term and a long-term view of life and ministry, living for today by having an eye for tomorrow.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Daily Gospel Devotional: August 30

Luke 19:1-10…

Short sighted…

Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus but he can’t, partly because of the crowd, but also because he was short. He was also hated. The tax collectors were despised because they were collecting money from other Jews and giving it to the Roman government. More than that, they were allowed to exact a tribute on top of the tax that they could keep for themselves. They got rich off their own people’s backs. Furthermore, Zacchaeus had other tax collectors under him, and so no doubt, he was among the wealthiest men of the region.

It may have seemed quite undignified for him to climb that tree, and certainly it invited more scorn. Jesus had healed a blind man on the way to Jericho, proving He was the Messiah, and the crowd loved it (Luke 18:43). But when Jesus carries out His messianic mission, saving vile, guilty sinners, like the chief tax collector, the praise of the crowd turns to protest.

Still, Zacchaeus did what it took to see Jesus. He was looking for the one thing that touches the heart of a righteous God toward an undeserving sinner, which is mercy. Zacchaeus had sought the Lord, but the Lord had also sought him. The Scriptures clearly teach that no one who truly comes to Jesus for mercy, on the basis of faith, will be turned away. They also teach that anyone who comes to Christ for salvation does not come on their own initiative, but is drawn by God. Zacchaeus didn’t offer restitution in order to be saved; he offered it because he was being saved. The heart that is moved by God will also move its hands. A saving faith leads to a living faith.

Children can identify with Zacchaeus because they know what it’s like to be too little to see what’s going on. But adults also know that feeling of being at the edge of the crowd, of being an outsider, of not being able to get a clear view. Yet too often what obscures our vision of Jesus is our tendency to blame external factors rather than internal affairs. Perhaps we have anger because of what God seems to be “doing for others”. Maybe we suffer from laziness, because God “doesn’t seem to be helping me”. Sometimes it is embarrassment, because God “makes me admit my problem before people”. Or pride, because God “couldn’t possibly think I’m worse than that other person”. All these things cause us to be “short sighted” (cf. 2 Peter 1:5-9).

We should learn from Zacchaeus. His testimony stands tall.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Daily Gospel Devotional: August 29

Matthew 20:29-34 / Mark 10:46-52 / Luke 18:35-43…

Seeing the point…

Sometimes we can become so focused on minutiae that we miss the meaning of something. We miss the forest for the tress; we choke on the hors d’oeuvres, as it were, and miss the main course. Instead of being enriched by the added details we are bogged down in the incidental. And sometimes we might think that we are going deeper when we are actually becoming shallower.

Here is a case in point. In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus healing a blind man. Mark gives his name (Mark 10:46). Yet Matthew mentions two blind men (Matthew 20:30). Mark and Matthew refer to the old Jericho, while Luke is speaking of the new Jericho, a mile or so south of the old town. Luke says He was approaching Jericho. Matthew and Mark say He was leaving Jericho. It is possible because you could be approaching the new Jericho leaving the old Jericho. We could get all worked up over some supposed contradiction between the stories instead of seeing them as complimentary. The biblical writers simply focused on different details.

The big picture is that this is actually the last of Jesus’ public miracles before reaching Jerusalem and the time of His crucifixion. The first miraculous sign Jesus performed was in the north at Cana in Galilee (John 2:1-11), and here, the last is in the south of Judea. He had filled Israel with signs and wonders, testifying to His divinity and role as Messiah. The blind beggars called out to the Messiah (son of David) and were healed.

The crowd will try and crowd you out. But don’t let the religious crowd stop you from getting to Jesus. Using your intellect and being diligent to study are good and necessary things. However, the key to spiritual understanding is obedience and trust. Don’t be blind about how to understand spiritual truth. Get the big picture into your heart before you concern yourself with getting the details into your head.

Do you see the point?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©