Luke 19:11–15

Luke 19:11-15 

English Standard Version 

  Who here loves waiting?

  Most of us don't get terribly excited about the prospect of waiting.  We want things now, and the modern economy does a fantastic job of reinforcing immediate gratification.  The challenge for the economy now is to perfect same-day delivery, because next-day simply wasn't good enough.  We've got to get faster!

  Jesus is talking about a ruler who has gone away, and his followers were charged to wait faithfully.  This is the mission of the church -- our ruler has come, and yet he has departed, and we're charged to wait faithfully.

  What will we do while we wait?  How will we serve in the meantime?  What gifts has God given us, and how will we use them while we wait for Christ's kingdom to come in fullness?

Luke 19:5-10

Luke 19:5-10 

English Standard Version 

  Going through these section by section, it stands out how much grumbling there is in the Gospels.  People are always grumbling at what Jesus is doing and how he is doing it with.  Here is Jesus, healing people and changing lives dramatically... and rather than applause from everyone, he hears grumbling.  Remember that when you're pressuring yourself to keep everyone happy!  

  The people are grumbling because Jesus is granting legitimacy to Zacchaeus by dining with him while he's still a sinner, but it's a remarkable pattern that Jesus is establishing.  Jesus doesn't wait for Zacchaeus to change his life before dining with him.  Jesus goes in to eat with him, and then his life changes.  

  He does the same with us, too.  May we receive Jesus and fully acknowledge our broken state.  We are not worthy of the King, but he makes us worthy by coming to us.  Such is his unconditional love.  We are broken, but we are his and we are precious to him.  He has come to seek us out, and may we celebrate as he finds us, in whatever state he finds us.

Luke 19:1–4

Luke 19:1-4 

English Standard Version 

  The Gospels give us lots of stories about a variety of people -- some very rich, some very poor, to demonstrate the desperate need that all people have for grace.  Modern America would have some of us think that we're isolated from need... but the Bible knows better.  It understands humanity better than we do, because it was inspired by the same God that created humans in God's own image.

  Zaccheaus is one of the ones who is very rich, but he has recognized that his wealth has not filled the hole he has in his life.  He needs God, and so he goes looking.  He cannot see Jesus due to the crowd, but he is so driven that he climbs a nearby tree in the hopes of getting a glimpse of Jesus.  In a society where it was considered shameful to run and show your legs (thus part of the scandal of the parable of the Prodigal Son when the father runs to his son), I can't imagine they'd look kindly on a man climbing a tree.  But Zaccheaus doesn't care.  He needs to see Jesus.

  Zaccheaus doesn't realize that all along, Jesus has been looking for him.  Tomorrow, we'll read about the surprising way that Jesus calls out to Zaccheaus.  Who is seeking who?  God is seeking you.  God is on the move, reaching out to you before you can even form the thoughts and motions to seek him out.  This is how God's love works -- God reaches out to us, and we respond to God.

  Thanks be to God for such wondrous love as this.

Luke 18:40-43

Luke 18:40-43

English Standard Version 

  How would you answer Jesus' question?

  Sometimes when we pray, we can be very vague and non-specific.  When you're praying for something, ask God directly for it, whatever it may be.  One of the things we see throughout the Psalms, the prayerbook of the Bible, is that the Psalmist can be very upfront and honest with God.  Sometimes, I read them and think that perhaps something could have been worded differently... but then I remember, who am I to judge?  That was on the Psalmist's heart, and so he prayed it.  

  May we take after the Psalmist, and may we follow the example of the blind man.  Just because we ask, that doesn't mean that we'll receive, but we should be direct when we pray and ask God specifically.  May we pour ourselves out honestly before God at all times.