Dear Luke,
May God guide your thoughts and
your heart as you ponder this decision.
Indeed, the Kingdom of God has drawn near to you, and the onus rests
upon you alone to decide whether it is worth your life. Clearly many of the disciples and followers of
Jesus thought it was so—they were willing to give up everything, to rise their
lives as sheep among wolves. They
depended completely on Jesus, going out among the towns with virtually no
provisions, trusting that everything would be provided by the power of God
working in and through others. They were
so caught up in Jesus’ vision for life that nothing else mattered—they were
single-mindedly focused on discipleship.
Oh, that I could be the same! So
much of my life seems to distract me from my discipleship that I wonder if
Jesus will recognize me at all. I will
admit that I am much afraid of the visions Jesus paints for those towns that
rejected him, as I fear that my own half-hearted discipleship, my weak efforts
to follow him, amount to rejection in some ways. Perhaps I am too harsh on myself, but I
cannot help but wonder what God thinks of my distracted discipleship.
We know from witnesses that Christ
did not seem to be patient with those towns and villages that rejected
him. In a follow-up to you re-telling of
the sending of the seventy, Jesus pronounces woe on the cities of Bethsaida and
Chorazin. They failed to repent despite
powerful deeds that were done in their bounds.
Some cities, such as Tyre and Sidon, would have repented at the sight of
such things, but not these two, and as a result judgment will not be pleasant
for them. I know that you say that fear
should not be our primary motivator, Luke, but I cannot help but catch my
breath in fear at the thought of harsh judgment in those days. Capernaum, too, is spoken against harshly,
for Jesus announces that it will be brought down to Hades rather than up to
heaven.
I’d like to shrink from such
language some days, instead preferring the softer, gentler, kinder side of
Jesus, but I cannot omit this from our record, and I cannot pretend that it is
not there. Jesus is not afraid to
pronounce judgment on those places who reject him, and he goes on to say that
rejection of him is tantamount to rejection of God, and there are real
consequences for rejecting God. I don’t
mean to rush you into a decision, but I do want you to know that this decision
is important. I know that you do not
take it lightly. Jesus equates listening
to disciples with listening to him, and I believe that those who choose to
follow him continue to point to him with their words and their actions. We can learn about what it means to follow
him by listening to his disciples, meaning that those who claim to be disciples
have an onus to follow Jesus with integrity and not lead others astray.
In some time, the seventy returned
from their mission. They came back
rejoicing at the fact that the demons had submitted to them, and I cannot blame
them for their joy, for I expect that if I was capable of exercising such power
I, too, would be filled with joy. I
cannot imagine the sight, but it must have been overwhelming to see such a
thing and realize that you were a part of it!
I wish I could have seen the look
on Jesus’ face when he heard their reports.
He must have been filled with confidence in the seventy, glad to see
them joining in his effort to destroy sin and break the Devil’s power. He goes on to teach them, telling them about
how he saw Satan fall from the heights of heaven, descending like
lightning. What a sight that must have
been—and how it must have reinforced the awe the disciples had of this
man! Jesus continued, “Nothing can hurt
you, for my authority rests within you, and snakes and scorpions that fall
beneath your feet will not hurt you, and the power of the enemy will not defeat
you. But be careful at the source of
your joy—do not focus on how the spirits respond to your rebuke, but always
remember that your names are written in heaven.” I think that Jesus was reminded them that the
purpose of their mission was not for earthly glory or for worldly renown that
might come with such deeds of power, but that a life lived forever with God was
their focus, and such deeds would bring them closer.
Jesus alternated between teaching
and rejoicing. Soon, he was rejoicing in
the Spirit and thanking God, calling him Father, the Lord of heaven and earth,
for hiding the wisdom he was teaching from the wise and revealing them to
infants out of his gracious will. Luke,
I can’t help but wonder how the disciples felt about being called infants, but
I expect they were so thrilled to be this close to Jesus that they didn’t mind,
for they trusted him completely! Jesus
thanked God for giving him all things, and he rejoiced that no one knows who
Jesus is except for God, and in the same way no one knows who God is except
Jesus and anyone Jesus reveals this knowledge to. I believe Jesus is telling us how important
it is to listen to him—for in his knowledge and power and teachings we learn
who God is, and if we feed on his truth like infants at the breast we’ll grow
in our wisdom and faith. However, there
are those who get by on their own wisdom, and they will suffer for their
arrogance.
In the affirming way that Jesus had
with the disciples, he told them privately that they were blessed to see what
they see, for prophets and kings desired to witness, to see and hear, the
things they were witnessing and did not, but these have the chance to do
so. I expect that much of it is rooted
in pride, in a refusal to listen to the voice of God around them, preferring
their own thoughts and the company of those the world considered wise. May we be more careful in choosing who to
follow, ensuring that our ears and eyes lead us toward, rather than away, from
God.
Forgive me, Luke, for sometimes I
write as though you believe as I do. I
cannot help it—I get so caught up in the power of the story and the authority
of Jesus that I forget all else. I know
that you weigh each word and phrase, and I hope that my own portray Jesus in an
honest light, that you are able to see him as he truly is. It is a magnificent thing, faith, and it will
change the way you see the world as well as your own life. It has power in us and over us, and I hope
that my own life bears witness to the power of God.
Sincerely,
Theophilus
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