Friday, November 30, 2012

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Friday, November 30, 2012          I Was Accused of Being Possessed by Satan

Page 104-105   Matthew 12:22-37; Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:14-15, 17-23, 33-36

When Jesus went to Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and read the Scriptures. He was not well received and the people responded, “How can this be?” Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Jesus responded, “No prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” (Luke 4:22-24)

Our passage for today has a similar theme, except this time it is Jesus’ family with doubts about his prophetic authority. We know that some in Jesus’ family did not become believers until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Many times it is our own family and those closest to us who can be the most resistant to our witness for Christ.

As I ponder Jesus’ experience with his family, I recall once again the words of Brennan Manning in his memoir, All is Grace, “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because none of us is as we should be.”

Brennan’s simple phrase reminds me to allow God’s grace to extend to me, for I am certainly not as I should be; and it reminds me to be patient and extend God’s grace to all others, including my family.

Many of the people Jesus encountered had specific, identifiable issues that shaped their lives. Some of these issues were illnesses, others were demons, and others were physical limitations. The rest of the people had their issues as well, but they were just not as obvious. They saw what Jesus did for others though, and hoped that somehow Jesus could touch their lives and fix what was wrong. Jesus is concerned that these people are building their faith on the signs of the coming Kingdom, rather than on the values of new life in God’s Kingdom.

Those who were jealous of Jesus’ growing fame tried to discredit him by saying Jesus was in league with the Lord of the Flies, the literal translation for Beelzebub, the slang reference for the evil one. In response to these allegations, Jesus affirms “I am casting out demons by the power of God” (Luke 11:20). The literal translation for ‘power of God’ is ‘finger of God’, and is also used in Exodus 8:19, when the Pharaoh’s magicians said they could not do the miracles Moses performed because Moses was using the finger of God.

Becoming a Christian is not just a matter of stopping the inappropriate behaviors we call sin. As a follower of Jesus, I am called to proactively fill my life with the things of God. Becoming a Christian is a call to fill the spaces formerly occupied by sinful actions with new acts of grace, mercy, love and justice. This is not an impossible assignment. The Apostle Paul affirms that the Finger of God is at work in the lives of His children: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Monday, December 3, 2012         I Denounced the Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

Page 105-106   Luke 11: 37-54