Luke 18:1–8

Luke 18:1-8 

English Standard Version 

  Every once in a while, I can cook a pretty good meal.  But if you go to a restaurant with a professional world-class chef... how much more consistent will the food there be?  How much better will it be?  Any person who cooks regularly will get it right every now and again... but a trained chef is in a different league.

  Jesus is telling this parable as a lesson for us -- broken and sinful people every once in a while get something right.  In this story, the judge doesn't fear God or respect man, but he eventually grants this widow's request.  

  How much more, Jesus is telling us, will God look to serve us?  If a broken and sinful man can get it right, then God is so much greater than that.  Jesus is telling us this so that we won't lose heart.  He wants us to persevere.  Jesus knows that waiting can cause us to lose heart, so he encourages us to be patient, to persist, and to keep praying.

Wheel Bearings and the Gospel

Luke 17:34–37

Luke 17:34-37 

English Standard Version 

  I remember the Peanuts cartoon where Snoopy is perched in a tree, waiting for a victim to come by... when Linus comes by and tells him that he's looking the wrong way.  Snoopy didn't make a great vulture.

  When you see a group of vultures circling in the sky, you can conclude that something has died.  It's not a lovely visual, and I wish Jesus would've picked something happier as well, but this is what we have.  We all know what a group of vultures mean.

  In the same way, Jesus is telling us that when the end times come, it will be very obvious.  We won't miss it.  There aren't going to be signs that are unclear or ambiguous about whether Jesus has returned.  It'll be clear.  

  Since we don't have to worry about that, we can instead focus on how to live in the here-and-now.  I think that's why Jesus is telling us that the end times will be clear -- once we stop worrying about that, we're free to focus on living faithfully today.  

  So what does it mean for you to be faithful to God this morning?  Maybe even leave the afternoon and evening for later.  What can you do now to serve Christ, to be a faithful disciple, to invite Christ into this day, into this moment?  Perhaps it is to stop and pray now, or to pick up a book and read, or to make that call you've been putting off.  There's something that could wait if you get distracted... but you can also take the next step now.  Glorify God this morning.

Parable on the Pharisee and the Tax Collector