The Kingdom of God is coming! What do you think of, what images come to your mind? Jesus was announcing the coming Kingdom but the expectations of the people differed from the reality of God’s Kingdom. In Jesus’ Kingdom there would be exceeding joy, forgiveness of sins, and love. Jesus was teaching there would also be serious opposition to God’s Kingdom. In today’s passage all of these realities are demonstrated in a simple gathering around a dinner table.
Yesterday I mentioned one of the greatest obstacles in seeking to make the life in Christ our way of life: Our personal expectations about God. Today we see another great obstacle: Our attitude about sin. Too often today people think of sin as something they ‘have to’ give up in order to be saved. Jesus doesn’t think of sin as something we have to give up in order to come into the Kingdom of God; sin is something we get to give up in order to enter into new life in Christ.
Sin is not just a nuisance or a simple difference of opinion about morality. Sin cuts to the core of our being and is a compelling force within us vying to be the operating system of our life. Sin is so insidious, so destructive of life, that the Apostle Paul teaches the only way to overcome the power and practice of sin is to surrender our lives to be crucified with Christ. (See Romans 6 and Galatians 2)
In our story today the Pharisee saw the woman clothed in her former sinful life; Jesus saw her clothed in righteousness. The woman saw herself clothed in joy, love and forgiveness because her sins had been forgiven.
The reality of Jesus’ Kingdom is that there is not a nickel’s worth of difference between me and the Pharisee and me and the woman. There is a huge temptation within me to think God’s getting a pretty good deal when he gets me, because my sins are few and for the most part inconsequential. There is also the reality that my sins are just as deadly, just as shameful as the woman’s sins.
The only difference is whether I will wallow in my arrogance or will I, upon receiving the Master’s forgiveness, humble myself at his feet in love and adoration, in celebration of my righteousness.
What word or phrase in these verses
attracts your attention?
Reflect on that word or phrase.
What insights come to you?
How does this passage touch your life today?
8-Jan-12 Luke 8:4-21
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