Providence Church

Seeing is believing, at least that’s what we’re told. We all know it’s not quite that simple. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us. Sometimes what we see is so unbelievable even when we see it, we hold our minds in disbelief. And sometimes it takes believing before you can see. When Jesus performed his miracles and taught the crowds, people saw and heard amazing things. Jesus’s warning to them was to be careful with how they responded to what they had seen.

The way we approach God and the language of prayer is often filled with much reverence, pomp, and circumstance. While the heart behind that approach is rooted in a high view of God and his majesty, Jesus’s own instructions about prayer look and sound very different. What happens when we approach God with pleading that borders on obnoxiousness? When we put aside all the niceties and just plead to be heard? According to Jesus, we are not dismissed or chastised, but instead, God responds like a Father who delights in giving good gifts to his children.

Jesus invites Mary and Martha into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a disciple. This encounter may have more to teach us about Jesus’ call to discipleship than how to have both active and contemplative faith.

The Good Samaritan ranks as one of the most well-known stories in all of scripture. The lessons it teaches are numerous and readily applicable to our world today, but its biggest lesson might be its most unexpected. In showing us a good neighbor, Jesus also teaches us the power a faith free from obligation, but full of grace and power.

There is only one place in all the gospels where we see something explicitly described as bringing joy to Jesus. A passage like that should get our attention and provoke joy in us too. Yet when we read Luke 10, it can lead to more confusion and debate than joy. What is it that made Jesus rejoice and why is it so hard for us to find the same joy in that thing that Jesus did?

Following Jesus can lead you to some unexpected places. For 72 of Jesus’s first followers, it put them out as “sheep among wolves.” Yet when they returned from their mission, they rejoiced in the power they had while out on mission. As followers of Jesus, how do we reconcile these two characterizations of our mission: one sounds vulnerable and scary, and the other sounds powerful and victorious. In Luke 11, Jesus helps us see the way the kingdom works and what are role must be as we follow him as disciples.

The Via Dolorosa (or Way of Suffering) in Jerusalem is one of the most visited parts of Jerusalem. It marks the path from Pilate’s fortress to Golgotha and the tomb where Jesus was laid. People flock to this path in order to walk the way that Jesus did and perhaps, in some way, experience the suffering that Jesus suffered on our behalf. But that “way of suffering” wasn’t always a forgone conclusion- at least not the disciples who often saw Jesus as a conquering hero, not a suffering servant. Why is the “way of suffering” such a big part of our faith and how do we live when it is much bigger than a tourist destination in Jerusalem?

When you watch a movie (or read a book), you can never replicate the first time you watch it. Once you know the entire plot line, you can’t unsee it or “unknow” it. This bit of information can either enhance or detract from your experience the next time you watch the movie or read the book. Knowing the ending necessarily impacts the way you read the story. This is true with the Bible too. Knowing the end of the story changes how we feel when we read the story. It also can make us blind to some of the more radical, jaw-dropping moments. Since we know so much more, they may not feel quite as big. In Luke 9, there are two jaw-dropping moments that happen and understanding them and where they fit in the story will help us to understand Jesus, His mission, and our place in the Kingdom of God.

Nothing can completely prepare you for the moment when you move from the driver’s seat over to the passenger’s seat so that your child can learn how to drive. It can be terrifying and no matter how good the student driver or the instructor there are sure to be moments where things don’t go as smoothly as you might like. It’s the nature of the transition. In Luke 9, Jesus begins a significant transition in his ministry where he will begin to hand over much of the work he has been doing, both the teaching and the miraculous will begin to be handled by the 12 apostles. As they are sent on mission for the first time, we hear Jesus’s instructions and exhortations. When they return, Jesus has more for them to learn on their journey as disciples.

As Luke concludes this section of teaching, he gives us one more glimpse into the power and person of Jesus. He shows us just who Jesus is- a man full of power, but also a man that took the time to care for the forgotten and the outcast.