Wednesday, December 3, 2014 Luke 20: 19-26
Mollie and Blake Brookshire
We’re dog people.
Sometimes we find ourselves wishing our human peers were a little more
predictable and easy to read – you know, like dogs. Wouldn’t it be great if we all involuntarily
wagged our tails when we were happy? In
addition to the bonus of taking the guesswork out of expressing or interpreting
our emotions, it would also go a long way to expose the patronizer, hypocrite,
and liar in us all. When considering how
we communicate (or fail to communicate) with each other in face-to-face dialog,
not a lot has changed since the first century when Christ walked the earth.
In today’s gospel reading, the parable was addressed to an
audience who had asked Christ a bear of a loaded question. Christ is found here enduring a deposition of
sorts by the Pharisees (Jewish nationalists) and Herodites (those loyal to
Roman rule) – read natural opponents as it pertains to an argument over paying
taxes; they begin with false-flattery, calling him their “Teacher” and
extolling Christ’s integrity. Then he is
given a logical dilemma aimed at entrapping him, and with guaranteed likelihood
of upsetting one faction, he would in all certainty be arrested if he played to
one side. Imagine if Christ were today asked to settle the debate over
predestination and free will to an audience of free-will Baptists and strict
Calvinists. Tough crowd.
Sometimes we look back to the Sermon on the Mount and wish
it called us to love our kind neighbors and ignore (or maybe proselytize) our cruel
ones. But we’re called to be light in
the darkness, a city on a hill. That’s
hard.
Maybe you’re like us; one of us loathes the office Christmas
party and the other dreads the compulsory visit to that one very-extended
family member’s house. Maybe you will
also come across someone this holiday who patronizes you, treats you unfairly
or simply wants to mine you for some nugget of gossip they can take with them
‘til next year, which leaves you as barren and exposed as an abandoned strip
mine.
Looking back at the context for Luke 20, it seems noteworthy
that this parable was taught just after Christ and his entourage made their
triumphant arrival into Jerusalem; specifically, Jesus was making a daily
pilgrimage to the Holy City from the Mount of Olives, where he hung out with
the likes of folks such as Simon the Leper and the woman with the alabaster
jar. Was it poor planning by the
disciples or was there possibly some intentionality behind the plan to reside
outside Jerusalem and walk back each day?
Regarding Christ’s first day at the temple on this visit, Matthew’s
gospel says he “left them [the chief priests and teachers of the law] and went
out of the city of Bethany, where he spent the night.” Throughout the gospels, Christ is described
as going to a quiet place; the gospels do not say he went out looking for a
quiet place. This implies he knew where
he was going – even though he was a visitor to this place. It’s this kind of intentionality about
planning our prayer life that prepares us for the slings and arrows of the evil
one – not simply developing thick skin.
Many of us will be traveling for the holidays, and a routine of prayer
can be greatly disrupted in the process.
Others of us will be as busy as ever, and simply finding the time for stillness
will be a challenge.
It is comforting to know that our Father is with us wherever
we go – even when we struggle to worship as a visitor in a church outside the
congregation that makes us feel at home, or we often try and fail at praying
outside of the comfort of our evening walk, favorite armchair or daily
commute. God is with us (even at the
office Christmas party), and it is up to us to plan our discipline of prayer
around the challenges that the season presents – just as Christ planned for his
time in silence while preparing for what would be a brutal week of rebuke,
torture and ultimately his death.
Daily Challenge: Find that spot – that temporary sanctuary –
where time in silence with God can fit in the busy season approaching. And when joy finds you this Advent,
smile…it’s the closest thing to a wag.
Prayer: Father God, help us to long for and make time for
silence with you this Advent. In the
name of Christ, our redeemer, we pray, Amen.
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