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DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
He's NOT Happy
A.BACKGROUND
... We don't all have the luxury of knowing when we'll die. But if we did, it would add extra weight to everything we said and did. Some would get to work on their "bucket list". Some would write up specific instructions or pass along life's lessons. Jesus, only 33, definitely knew his time was up. So, he used every moment to impart wisdom, advice, and warning to the disciples, followers, and mass audience. Including us. That urgency is what we've felt from Luke 9 up to today.
C. BROADER SUMMARY.
The verses linked above are awfully tough. But let's see them within the context of the previous chapter or two. Jesus wants us focused. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God... where your treasure is, that's where your heart is" (Luke 11:31 and 34), are both about focus, priority. This urgency is a result both of wanting to do well whatever we do (faith, work, family, sports, you name it), AND the bare fact that we all have limited time. In verse 39-46 he berates religion for losing its focus and losing sight of what's important. Then, in Luke 12:4-12 Jesus gets very real. "Don't be afraid of those who can kill the body. Fear him who has the power to throw you into hell" (vs. 4-5). Short of that finality, don't worry about anything - that's repeated, often. Then, we get the disturbing verses 49-53 where Jesus declares that, sad but true, your faith-life will drive some people away. That can take many forms: misunderstanding, opposition, ostracism, persecution, or death. All true. All real. Even today.
D. KEY POINTS
1. HELL. Thanks to Dante, dramatic paintings, and fundamentalist preaching we have an image of hell: Eternal punishment, torture, hell fire and brimstone, extinction. Every which way, it is awful, eternal, and complete banishment from God and loved ones in heaven. You can find Bible verses for most images. The idea of hell developed over time from simply a place of the dead to an empire of the tormented ruled by Satan. Another day we can delve into hell at length. Today, we can emphasize certain points. One, God is just and perfect, and as the creator, can do with our imperfections and injustices as God chooses. The Biblical references to God as Judge, King, Lord, refer to God's ultimate right to forgive, punish, torment, excuse, atone. We face the same with coaches, bosses, teachers, and parents. They have the right to exercise authority over us, and that can control behavior. Jesus is simply saying the obvious: worry about who has ultimate authority over you. I'll come back to hell another time. For now, I'll offer only this mystery: I believe that God's grace and goodness and forgiveness are far greater than most religions have ever grasped.
2. BE PREPARED is about as basic and universal a piece of advice as you can get. We face the need for preparations many times in a day: weather, work assignments, travel, health, presentations, meals, laundry. Jesus says, "be dressed ready for service... for I (the Son of Man) will come when you don't expect me (vs 35,40)." Jesus is speaking apocalyptically and practically. Apocalyptically means the end of the time/history/world. The idea is that at some point God will intervene in this world, end history as we know it, Jesus will return (the 2nd coming) and usher in the real Kingdom of God. Evil and all its minions are defeated, God's ways rule, and eternal life is enjoyed by the living and the resurrected dead. So, Jesus wants us ready for his return and that earth shattered, world-as-we-know-it ending. Don't be caught surprised. Practically, to BE PREPARED applies not just to mundane things but to our own life's end. We should live our lives in eternal readiness, spiritually and personally. Our end will come either when our body gives out, or God takes over. Both will benefit from preparation. That preparation ranges from living a Christlike life all the way to wills, living wills, and health proxies. Spiritual readiness (ready to "meet your maker"), personal readiness (at least with others and oneself) practical readiness (goodbyes, "house in order").
3. NO point #3, the first two are heavy enough for one email.
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