Monthly Archives: December 2019

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE _ IS JESUS A DEVIL?

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IS JESUS A DEVIL?

“Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, ‘Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil-mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick on your exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure.'” Luke 11:17-20.

Talk about twisted thinking! In their eagerness to discredit Jesus, these opponents forgot to think logically. In fact they were teetering close to being taken over by demons themselves. Who thinks up an accusation like that except Jesus’ arch-enemy? To be saying what they said without considering the implications of their accusation meant that their brains had been overtaken by the deceiver.

Jesus’ reply was masterfully simple and wise. One wonders whether they were dumbstruck by His reply or just plain obstinate in sticking to their opinion. How can a divided kingdom or even a divided household stand firm? Division is the opposite of unity. Since unity (ECHAD), which represents the very image of God, is what holds the universe together, then division will tear it apart.

Anyone with a little bit of understanding knows that division in the ranks, be it in an organization, or in any group, human or animal, will cause it to disintegrate. Division in the function of the body is called sickness and will bring about death if not treated. How then can Jesus be driving demons out using Satan’s power? The idea is ludicrous.

Just the opposite is true. What Jesus had just done and what He was doing across Israel was a witness to something very different. He was getting rid of the illegal occupants in people’s lives and restoring God’s rule in human bodies and human spirits. For too long Satan had had his way with people, deceiving them into believing that he was in charge.  Jesus was setting the record straight by evicting him from the people who belonged to God, not to him.

The very fact that the demons gave way at His command was evidence of who was really in charge. This was building up to an even greater victory over Satan, already accomplished from eternity’s perspective but to be effected in time when His enemies, under the influence of His great enemy, would have Him killed, thinking that was the end of Him!

What a blessing that I am part of that living proof of who is actually in charge. Through the same ‘finger of God’, the Holy Spirit, all who believe in Jesus have been rescued from the kingdom that is causing the world to fall apart, and are now a part of the kingdom over which Jesus rules, and are being restores to perfect oneness with God.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – REACTIONS TO JESUS

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REACTIONS TO JESUS

“Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise. But some from the crowd were cynical. ‘Black magic,’ they said. ‘Some devil trick He’s pulled from His sleeve.’ Others were sceptical, waiting around for Him to prove Himself with a spectacular miracle.” Luke 11:14-16.

Why was it that people reacted to Jesus’ miracles of mercy by attributing them to demons? Is the human mind so warped that good is so unrecognisable that it must be interpreted as something the devil does? Was this the influence of the religious leaders of His day, that they were perverted enough to refuse to acknowledge the work of God in healing and restoring broken people?

Perhaps experiencing the goodness of God was foreign to them and they could not accept the character of the God Jesus was revealing to them. They kept asking for more ‘signs’ instead of seeing God in the ones Jesus was doing all the time. Because of their unbelief, no amount of signs would convince them that God is good.

What about me? What does it take to make me aware of the goodness of God in the ordinary events of my life? Part of the repentance that must be ongoing in my life is to change my mind about who is in charge of the circumstances of my life. That does not mean that God makes bad things happen. It does mean that God uses every experience, good or bad, to reveal Himself to me and to reshape my reactions and my character to be more like Jesus.

It’s entirely up to me to choose how I will view my everyday experiences – whether I see them as devil-inspired and spend my time rebuking him(!) or whether I recognise the hand of my God working in all things for my good and conforming me to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28,29).

In this process of becoming a disciple, I am learning to think God’s thoughts instead of my own. The Apostle Paul calls it ‘renewing my mind’. I become what I think. If I think that the devil is pushing me around, I will be fearful, sceptical and insecure, but if I know that God is in charge, working everything for my good, I will have peace and security in Him. Stress will be exchanged for rest and unbelief for trust.

Goodness in the world has only one source, the God who is good. Evil in the world is not from God but He uses it to do His work in His children and to reveal His glory against the dark backdrop of sin on the canvas He is painting. 102

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – CAN WE ASK TOO MUCH?

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CAN WE ASK TOO MUCH?

“If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing – you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think that the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask Him.” Luke11:11-13.

Again Jesus uses an exaggerated contrast to teach me the scope of God’s generosity to His children. Fathers give their children the simple things they ask for because it is within the scope of what they are able to do. They are generous to their children as good fathers because they are able to meet that need, and they do it because they love their children.

But what about our heavenly Father? How does He respond to the children to whom He gave spiritual birth through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus?  According to Romans 8:32, “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything He wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?”

In this teaching on prayer in response to the disciples’ request, Jesus pins my attention on three questions:

  1. Who and what is the focus of my prayer?
  2. What is my attitude to Him?
  3. What do I expect of Him?

If I can answer these three questions from His perspective, I have grasped the real meaning of prayer and can expect to nurture my fellowship with the Father as Jesus did.

In His model prayer, Jesus teaches me that prayer is primarily about who and what I must become aware of. Prayer is not prayer if it is all about me and my concerns. Prayer is the simple act of turning my head to face the One who can bear the burden. Why can I have confidence in Him to handle whatever my issues are? He is my Father, my life-source who is as near to me as my breath. He brought me to physical and spiritual birth and He has accepts full responsibility for me as His child.

Although He is unseen, He is real, more real than the world around me. He knows me more intimately than I know myself. I can hide nothing from Him; therefore I can best nurture my relationship with Him by being transparent and direct. As a tiny child comes to its father in dependence and trust, so I come to my Father with an open heart.

Although little children sometimes think that daddy can give them the world, they ask in innocence and ignorance, but there is nothing my Heavenly Father cannot supply according to my need. I have no need greater than the Holy Spirit and He has promised to give Him to me if I ask Him. He has already given me His Spirit and, because He leads me, I know that I am His son or daughter.

And so my understanding of prayer comes full circle back to the fundamental issue of sonship. Prayer is only prayer in the environment of God and me as Father and ‘son’. Prayer is not prayer unless it is the intimate interaction between Father and son.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH GOD

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DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH GOD

“Here’s what I am saying, Ask and you’ll get; seek and you’ll find; knock and the door will open. Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in.” Luke 11:9-10.

If this story is about the reason why we pray, it is also about our attitude in prayer – honesty. Because God is spirit who lives in the realm of the unseen, it is very easy to be artificial in prayer. The temptation is to think that, because I can’t see Him, therefore He can’t see me. If He can’t see me, then He can’t know what is in my heart and He is confined to hearing my words in order to know me and what I need.

How foolish is that! God is omniscient. He knows what I am thinking and why I am thinking it. True fellowship with God can only happen on the basis of transparency in my heart. God hears my heart more than my words. How much better to express what is in my heart, even if it not what I think God wants to hear.

How does this fit in with asking for what I think I need? As much as God has issued an invitation to me to come to Him honestly with my needs, knowing full well that I don’t always know what is good for me and, therefore my requests are always subject to His greater wisdom, He has given me the gift of His Spirit who makes all the difference to the outcome of my praying. It is far more important for me to pray with open-hearted honesty that to get my requests or even my words right. The Apostle Paul assures me that, because I do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit accurately interprets my prayers to the Father.

So what is Jesus saying? Don’t play games with God when you pray. Be honest. Be direct. State your request and leave the answer to God. He is a Father. He knows what you need and He will answer according to His wisdom. His reason for inviting you to come to Him with your needs is not because He does not know but because He desires fellowship with you.

The awareness of need in your life is a reminder that you are as dependent on Him as a baby is on its mother. If you get that right, you will be making a huge stride towards the intimacy with the Father that He longs for you to initiate.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – DOES GOD ENJOY BEING NAGGED?

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DOES GOD ENJOY BEING NAGGED?

“Then He said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend travelling through just showed up and I don’t have a thing on hand…'” Luke 11:5-8

Jesus concludes His teaching on prayer with a little story which, at first, seems to have little to do with what He has just said. What is He getting at? Is it about prayer and relationship? Is it about prayer and persistence? Why would one need to nag God about what He knows we need anyway? Is Jesus contradicting what He has taught elsewhere, that our Father knows what we need before we ask Him?

This parable is not a comparison but a contrast. Is God like the reluctant friend? No, not at all. Unlike human relationships which are fickle and selfish, God, our Father, always provides for our basic needs no matter what the time of the day or night.

So why, then, do we have to ask Him? Because prayer is about having fellowship with God as our Father, not about getting God to come into our space to meet our needs because He is not aware of what is going on with us until we inform Him.

God is smart.

He knows that we are essentially independent. He is a passionate Father who longs for fellowship with His children. How else can He get us to come to Him if He automatically meets every need without our having to ask Him? Like babies dependent on their mothers’ breasts, we are dependent on God for our very breath. Our needs drive us to prayer just as a new-born child’s hunger drives him to cry out for milk.

This is where prayer begins but it should never remain at this level. Jesus was teaching His infant disciples the first principles of prayer like the ABC of Grade 1 learners. This attitude of total dependence is the foundation of prayer but we must build on it the superstructure of fellowship with our Father as mature sons, not whining and begging for “things” but sharing with the Father His heart for the world and learning to bring “up there, down here” by imitating our Rabbi in His disposition and mission.