The Kingdom of God operates far differently from any other. Having its own spiritual logic, we can only understand it by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The parables of Jesus serve to break the mind free of mere human logic, to turn things on their heads, making room for the Spirit to point to another path, a higher standard, truth which cannot be taught, but only caught.
Having offered a dark vision of the final destruction of earthly Israel, Jesus points to the need to operate above normal human fears. Panic has no part in the Kingdom of God. Persistence in the power of the Spirit in the face of all human opposition, both internal and external, is the key to Kingdom living. When we are pressed from all sides, including inside, with conflicting demands, how do we know what path to take? We know because the Spirit of God works mystically in us to make His will known. We do what we must, what is demanded by that flaming imperative of God's own character, not simply what makes sense to us.
Jesus illustrates conviction by the parable of the Unjust Judge. It was common in the Eastern world for widows to lose everything. If no male family member kept an eye on her affairs, she went unprotected from various schemes to lay claim to property left her by her husband. All the more so under Roman Law, for the magistrates tended to care only for profit, and who could say they did not enforce the law properly? Yet, a widow who understood conviction and persistence could eventually win legal protection from even such a magistrate. Granted, it could take some time. So it is in our dealings with God. We cannot permit external circumstances and human wisdom to dictate our course of action. Even if that course is utterly futile in human terms, and we die in the process, what the Lord seeks among men is conviction. God speaks most loudly to us there. While He is, indeed, sovereign over all in this world, we cannot assume anything external to us indicates His will if it contradicts what His Spirit convicts us is right. God may well delay His response as men count such things, but there is always a good reason for His divine tolerance. What He wants from us is persistence in our convictions.
Men have too long presumed to know what God requires simply because they are smart enough to figure things out on their own. Jesus tells about two men coming into the Temple to pray. The typical Pharisee knows he has obeyed the stipulations of the Law by observing the numerous interpretive rules of the Jewish traditions. This kind of man prays more to himself than to God. He stands in the center of the Temple to be seen of men, all but dethroning God in the process. The other man seeks no attention, but like the most insignificant slave in the king's court, slips in quietly and awaits his master's pleasure in the dark corner at the back. He is the first to confess his unworthiness, makes no presumption at all. He cries for mercy, because he knows he is unable to rise to justice. That is the sort of man who finds God's pardon, who finds the protection of the Judge of Heaven. All men are sinners before God, and He crushes the proud, but lifts up the humble.
This calls to mind an incident when Jesus was approached by a gaggle of women carrying their infants, seeking the blessing of a rabbi. For the average Jewish man, children were a nuisance. The disciples acted typically, seeking to protect their Master from this imposition. Jesus rebuked the men and received the children graciously. It was a lesson to the Twelve. As infants, they are utterly helpless. They absorb whatever comes to them, completely open to feeding and shaping by whomever rocks the cradle. Entering the Kingdom is starting over as a babe in a new life, and nothing we bring with us matters.
This point is emphasized by how Jesus responds to the Rich Young Ruler. This fellow was under conviction. Having performed according to the most demanding standards of Judaism, he sensed something had escaped his attention. Jesus first wanted to make sure this fellow was not simply following protocol, but realized true goodness can only come as a grant from God. Jesus asked the man to consider what he had been taught regarding outward holiness. Jesus did not refer to the more mystical elements of the Ten Commandments, but those addressing our dealings with other humans. The man was scrupulous in his ethics. Most Pharisees were blameless by their own reckoning, and having great wealth seemed sufficient proof of God's favor. Jesus struck at the heart of the man's problem: He trusted in his wealth, not in God.
Again, Jesus points out how the Jewish leaders had turned things upside down. They claimed God, but clung to worldly possessions and position as their true god. If God was what mattered in this man's life, if the spiritual treasures of God were his concern, then surely he could let go of the worldly wealth and power? He could not. He knew it was right, but could not take that path. He would not let conviction rule his life. Jesus used a common phrase to describe the way trade goods were brought into Eastern cities. Traders would arrive with a caravan of heavily laden camels. To enter the city, they would have to unload the camels and have them crawl through a small entrance, something camels hated. It would take quite a while, during which time the gate guards could inspect the baggage for contraband. The rich were loathe to unload their possessions to enter the City of God. It might mean having to give up something. The disciples, having absorbed the same heresy about wealth being the mark of God's favor, wondered at this: If the rich are not favored by God, who is?
The answer Jesus gave reminded them it had nothing to do with anything in this life. Wealth and power bore no relation to God's favor. Indeed, nothing any man could do would earn God's favor. All that mattered could be done only by God's power. God alone, within Himself, was the deciding factor. Peter noted the Twelve had each left behind whatever mattered in his life, and was with Him even then. Most of them didn't really have much property, but they did leave their families and homes for months at a time. Jesus promised such devotion was what the Kingdom demanded, and brought its own rewards. The spiritual treasures of Heaven were theirs now, and all the more so in Eternity.
But as yet beyond their grasp was just how much more they would be leaving behind later, as the demands of conviction went beyond anything they had ever considered. They were on the last leg of their tour of Judea, the home stretch as the Passover approached. Jesus warned, when they arrived He, too, would pay the ultimate price for the Kingdom. It had already been prophesied for Him. His own nation would turn Him over to the Gentiles for horrific treatment: jeered, abused, treated with utter contempt. He would be flogged and executed. All the worst which could happen to any man in this life, especially for a Jew, but it would not hold back the plan and purpose of God. On the third day, He would resurrect. The whole thing passed over the disciples' heads.
Meanwhile, there was one more symbol of conviction. For Luke's Roman audience, the name Jericho was applied to a rather new town built by Herod. Thus, Luke says they were approaching it, where the other Gospels describe Jesus leaving the ancient site of Jericho some distance from the new. Between the old and new Jerichos sat a blind man on the side of the road. Hearing the large entourage with Jesus, he asked a passerby who it was so important to have such a crowd around Him. Hearing it was Jesus, quite famous by now for His healing miracles, the man tried to hail Him, using the royal address of the Messiah. Those at the front of the crowd tried to shush the man, but he began screaming louder. For him, that someone would care enough about Jesus to hush him meant Jesus was probably close enough, if he could make himself heard above the hubbub. No power on earth, no social convention, would stop this man from reaching out to God.
The man called for mercy, not justice. Jesus heard, stopped, and asked the man what mercy would mean for him. The blind man asked to see. Jesus granted it, noting his commitment was the key. That the man had a need was painfully obvious. The world was filled with needy people, but the need was not what made the difference in the Kingdom. The business of the Kingdom was faith, commitment, conviction. Everything else was just small change, so making the blind to see was no big deal. Upon seeing again, the man joined the entourage. Had the crowd not been noisy enough before, it now became a chorus of praise for a merciful God.
Return to Luke Index
[<-- Previous]
[Next -->]
By Ed Hurst
04 October 2008
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)