Thoughts From Luke - Day 61

                                                    Luke 12:49-59

 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
⁵⁴ He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. ⁵⁵ And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
⁵⁷ “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
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            The Old Testament, which Jesus referred to as "the scriptures", was around at the time of Jesus' appearance on the Earth. In it, there were over 300 prophecies of the Messiah available to the people, especially the scribes and Pharisees and teachers of the law, pointing to Jesus being the chosen one. Even today, the Jews, who believe the Old Testament have complete passages like Isiah 53 and Psalm 22 which clearly identify Jesus and yet they miss Him. Why is that?

            First of all spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Jesus says to them, "How can you look at the sky at night and predict what the weather will be like tomorrow, yet you can't look at the scriptures and see that the Messiah has come"? It seems so clear doesn't it? If spiritual things were discerned with the brain, things like Scientology and Mormonism would have no followers. They are completely idiotic. Yet brilliant people believe them and give their lives to them. The Bible says that the god of this age, Satan, has blinded people's hearts and minds to the truth. Therefore, for people to understand the truth, a work of God, this fire that Jesus is talking about, the Holy Spirit, has to open one's mind. My favorite preacher, Andy Stanley, I feel is missing it lately on this point. He is such a keen mind and a gifted communicator (just ask him), that he feels that he can reason people into Heaven. Lately it's like, if something doesn't make sense, it's not important. Just accept the death and resurrection of Christ which are historical facts and follow the Guy who predicted them. The problem is at some point it requires a leap of faith - you have to admit that you are a sinner and deserve death because of it. You have to believe that Jesus is God, came from Heaven, lived a sinless death and died the death for you that you deserve. You have to take it as a free gift, not by works, be born again by the Spirit, and enter into a new kingdom even though your feet never left this planet. All that is spiritually discerned. No apologetics can convince you of that. Salvation in its essence is spiritual, not mental.

          Secondly people don't believe it because they understand the implications - it will rock their world. Relationships will end. If you are gay, that will have to end. If you are living together, that will have to end. If you are dating an unbeliever that will have to end. If you are a Muslim or Jew you will be kicked out of your family or worse. If you are working at a job that isn't God honoring, you will be out of work. If you have a peer group that routinely behaves in ungodly ways, you will have to leave the group, if they don't kick you out first. This is why Jesus repeatedly says, "count the cost". It's sort of like, as today is New Years and people are making resolutions, everyone could be thin if they wanted to. My partner at work lost 80 lbs. this year by switching to a Vegan diet and exercising. He was getting diabetes with some sequellae, and decided to lose weight. He counted the cost and did it. I could get thin but I am not willing to give up certain things, therefore I remain plump. Most unbelievers remain that way because they don't understand or don't want to believe the sequellae of being an unbeliever, eternal hell and judgement (55-57), and therefore the cost of receiving Christ is too great.

          Where does that leave us who are believers. I think we need to pray more for God to open the blinders of people's hearts and pray for people specifically. I do think we need to reason with people but also let them see a living example of how the truth works. Lastly, although it is unpopular and leads to self-centered salvation, we need to talk about sin, hell, and judgement. Jesus certainly did. He talked more about hell than Heaven. People need to understand that there is a cost involved in rejecting Christ both here (divorce, depression, anxiety, fear, lack of hope and purpose, fear of death) and eternally. We have to encourage people to "count the cost".