Luke 9

Competition

Posted on by Betsy

Competitiveness is experienced in every profession, classroom, sports field, corporate board room, and even among churches. It is easy to see someone doing the thing you do well and instantly feel threatened. Even if you are very confident in your abilities, it is hard not to look at someone entering your arena of expertise and not feel annoyed and maybe even a bit envious. You rally your gang around you and a dynamic of “us versus them” takes over. Competition can be good when it leads to improvement and innovation, but it can take a toll on the participants.

I think John was struggling with feelings of insecurity and competitiveness in today’s passage. The twelve disciples had been given the authority to cast out demons and heal people. Jesus gave this to them in the beginning of Luke, Chapter 9, and by the end of the chapter they were feeling threatened when suddenly someone else had co-opted their gig and was able to do what they assumed only they had been authorized to do.

Luke 9 (Common English Bible)

49 John replied, “Master, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he isn’t in our group of followers.”

50 But Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him, because whoever isn’t against you is for you.”

Jesus assessed the evidence by the results. The offender was effectively casting out demons in Jesus’ name. People were being healed and Jesus’ name was being taught and learned. Jesus seemed to be inviting John and the rest of the disciples to have a more generous spirit. Soon the church would be born and the power of the Holy Spirit would be cast wide. They were already experiencing the effects of their evangelism: The Good News of the arrival of the Messiah had been heard and received and was now taking on an energy of its own. It is significant to note that this event occurred after the feeding of the 5,000..Jesus’ miracles, teachings, healings, and authority were being broadcast across the land by eye-witnesses, and no one could stop its power. Indeed, Jesus didn’t want to: This was the whole point of his coming. Paul dealt with the same issue years later, as recorded in Philippians 1:18: “What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I’m glad and I’ll continue to be glad.”

This is a lesson for us today as we struggle with denominationalism. We may bristle at the actions of people outside our particular realm of thinking but if the name of Jesus is being lifted up, if lives are saved and changed for the better, and if Jesus himself would put them in the category of “not against you” then we must embrace these brothers and sisters as people who are for us. As Paul said, in every case we should rejoice that Christ is being preached.

Rejoice! By Michelle Robertson

Forever Changed

Posted on by Betsy

Can you recall a life-changing experience you have had? Was there ever a single point of time where everything stood still and suddenly and with great clarity you knew and saw things in such a profoundly different way that immediately changed your thinking, your attitude, or even your life? Good teachers and mentors can do this with people they are helping. Good parents can do this by identifying things in their children that have gone unnoticed. Going away to focus on our spiritual lives can often result in a new understanding of where we are heading and what we need to change to get there. Addicts speak of “hitting rock bottom” and arising to find help and tools to walk away from the harmful things. Teenagers see their lives changed at youth retreats. What was your mountain top experience?

This Sunday we will celebrate “Transfiguration Sunday” in the protestant church. It celebrates a moment in time when three disciples ascended a mountain top with Jesus and experienced something quite profound:

Luke 9 (The Message)

28-31 About eight days after saying this, Jesus climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.

When I said “quite profound” I really meant scary as heck. I can’t imagine what this was like for Peter, James, and John. They were already confused by who Jesus was and were quite mystified about what his messiahship was really about. One could hardly blame them for their dullness. But here in this moment, they were literally blinded by the light … a light so profound, they immediately fell asleep. I am sure that Jesus’ blinding white appearance hurt their eyes, but even more so, it hurt their heads.

32-33 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking.

I like how Peterson in this translation writes that “when they came to … they saw Jesus in his glory.” Oh, how this applies to all of us! Oh, how this applies to the unbelieving world! We are stumbling around in the darkness of sin and despair, sleeping through all of God’s revelations around us, and we need to wake up.

And then there is Peter’s reaction, who suggests they build memorials for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Of all the things wrong with this notion, (poor Peter!) the fact that he equates the three men proves that he entirely has missed the point of Jesus’ glory. This is the moment where the Law represented in Moses and the Prophecy represented in Elijah have come in submission to the One who is Lord over all of the law and the prophets combined. Jesus was being elevated in this glory moment, and Peter missed it.

Until God spoke:

34-35 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.”

By shining light on the fact that only one of these three pillars of faith was actually his Son, his Chosen, God settles one and for all what direction his children were meant to go … Jesus is the great high priest above all others. Follow him.

36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.

Peter, James, and John were treated to a mountain top experience like none other. There they met and saw Jesus for exactly who he really is.

Do you need to see Jesus? Are you wandering in a valley of darkness? Take some time today to pull away from the noise of your activities and go away and pray. That’s what Jesus did. May you meet him there and be forever changed.

Radiant Light by Michelle Robertson

Transformed

Posted on by Betsy

Today I want to start by confessing a guilty pleasure. I have loved the show “Project Runway” from the very first season. Those of you who know me in real life know that 1. I am not a fashion maven by any stretch of the word and 2. I can’t sew. My idea of high fashion is finding a great solid top to match a comfortable pair of jeans. I don’t even like prints! But I love watching ordinary people taking a piece of cloth and transforming it into something breathtaking in the span of an hour, minus commercials. When the big reveal on the runway happens, it is like magic to me.

I love a good story about transformation. To see someone change their life right before your eyes is a sight to behold. I have a young friend who spent years living on the streets when she was addicted to heroin. Now she is clean, runs her own fitness studio, and is a voice in the wilderness for recovery and hope. Her transformation story is profound and inspiring.

Today’s passage involves a moment of transformation, a big reveal, and a change that changed the world.

Luke 9 (The Message)

28-31 About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.

Jesus’ appearance changed dramatically on the mountain. His companions also changed dramatically when Moses and Elijah joined him there. Luke describes it as a “glorious appearance.” When the disciples woke up from their nap, the glory was blinding and confusing:

32-33 Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking.

Ahhh, Peter. So much like us! Have you ever blurted out something without thinking? I love Peter’s humanity.

34-35 While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.”

God appeared as a light-radiant cloud and everyone became deeply aware of him. This is something we should all be longing for … to encounter God in such a transformative way that we are deeply aware of his presence.

I think too often we are pretty unaware of God’s presence. Scripture assures us that God is with us, even unto the ends of the earth. But do we take the time to feel him? Do we take our eyes off of our worldly problems long enough to see him? Or are we asleep, like Peter, James, and John?

36 When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.

There is one major take-away here. God confirmed Jesus as his son and commands us to “Listen to him.”

Are you listening?

Do you see?

There is a big reveal waiting to happen in your life. Maybe it’s time to go to the mountain and pray.

Broken Tree by Skip Haynes