Week Three - Day 5
Today's Reading -- Luke 18:15 to Luke 20:46
Their are varied costs to conforming one's life to the will of God, and we hear about them as Jesus approaches and enters Jerusalem, "the city" he earlier declared "that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!" (13:34). For Jesus, the cost will be his betrayal and painful death (13:31-34). This is the third time that Jesus pulled the apostles aside to tell them what was ahead, but "they did not grasp what was said." It makes a person wonder what the apostles thought was going to happen once they all reached the walls of Jerusalem. Did they expect that the populous and the religious leaders would fling wide the gates and invite them to take over the city? Perhaps they thought Jesus would win them over one-by-one. I can't imagine the typical Christian today thinking that anything bad was about to happen, not with Jesus on their team.
Of course, being a part of a team also carries a price to the individual members, and requires the commitment to work towards common goals and expectations. For a disciple that means not hanging on to possessions that get in the way of a relationship with God (18:18-30); squaring yourself with those whom you've wronged (19:1-10); knowing to whom the riches you are entrusted with ultimately belong (19:11-27); being willing to follow Jesus into unsettled situations (19:41-48); and being able to let go of prior convictions in order to attain something purer and more holy (20:1-46). That's a long enough list for one day.
Come to think of it, that's a long enough list for a lifetime, which is the length of the commitment that a true disciple must be willing to make.
Of course, being a part of a team also carries a price to the individual members, and requires the commitment to work towards common goals and expectations. For a disciple that means not hanging on to possessions that get in the way of a relationship with God (18:18-30); squaring yourself with those whom you've wronged (19:1-10); knowing to whom the riches you are entrusted with ultimately belong (19:11-27); being willing to follow Jesus into unsettled situations (19:41-48); and being able to let go of prior convictions in order to attain something purer and more holy (20:1-46). That's a long enough list for one day.
Come to think of it, that's a long enough list for a lifetime, which is the length of the commitment that a true disciple must be willing to make.
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