"Is this going to be on the test?" was our favorite phase from Wednesday's session. The passage from Luke we read this week seems very harsh, particularly following the gentle words of Jesus in the section before this passage, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." By contrast, in verses 36-59, we have Jesus making sure we are ready when the master comes, wishing to cast fire upon the earth, talking about cutting people into pieces who are caught unprepared, and declaring he has come to bring division. In the midst of Jesus' challenging words, we have Peter asking, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" In other words, is this going to be on the test? The simply truth is that Jesus means what he is saying. We need to be prepared, which means we need to get our act together. Some people in the group suggested that Jesus was having a bad day. He was weary of people not listening to him. There is certainly an urgency in what Jesus has to say. The suggestion was made that Jesus was deliberately trying to make his point by overstating the consequences. The example was a parent whose son or daughter keeps coming home after curfew. The parent confronts their child and says that, unless their son or daughter starts changing their ways and comes home on time, there will be "hell to pay" or they will be "grounded for the rest of their lives." The consequences have been overstated to make the point of concern.
The conversation then moved to seeing Jesus' words in the context of Jesus' sense the the kingdom of God was coming and coming soon. Paul had the same sense of urgency. Luther had the same sense of urgency. They believed that the kingdom was coming in their lifetime. There was no time for delay. The time to act, the time to change, was NOW. It's the reason Paul did not address the social issues of his time, like slavery. The arrival of the kingdom would make all social issues moot.
We also discussed that Jesus was using the imagery and parables of his time. He was not working with new material. There is a sense of hyperbole in the culture that would have been understood by those listening and would have been used by Jesus. When Jesus says it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, people did not take the camel and needle as literal. We do the same thing when we say we say we were so embarrassed that we could have died. You don't die from embarrassment, but the image makes your point. You were very embarrassed.
Finally, we talked about love still holding people accountable. Love does not give permission for the other person to do anything they want. This was an issue in the early church. If God loves us and forgives us, then we can do whatever we want to do. Paul argued that because you are loved, you can't help but live a different life. For example, my wife loves me. That does not give me permission to do anything I want. My experience is that, because I am loved, I choose to become a better husband, a better person. The grace of God compels me to become a better person, the person God would have me be. I never truly become that person, but I'm on my way. Holding up a mirror along the way and holding me accountable is an act of love. The relationship is not at risk, but love points out my risky behavior. Love speaks the truth, even when it is hard to hear.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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