Luke 16:27-31
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Recall the first half of Jesus’ parable in Luke 16:19-26.. Then read the second half in Luke 16:27-31 and remember that Jesus is addressing this story to a group of Jewish religious leaders.
As we have seen, parables aren’t meant to be analyzed point-by-point; rather they illustrate a deeper truth – sometimes in a surprising way. In this parable Jesus makes a couple of points. In the first half of the parable, he warns against the tragic mistake of ignoring shalom and embracing the “way of the world,” and in the second half he points out the devastating mistake of remaining deaf to the Good News of God’s Kingdom.
The man, who traded the ways of God’s Kingdom for earthly gain, is now tormented by his foolish choice and wants to send a wake-up call to his still-living brothers. But Abraham explains that the Good News of God’s Kingdom is woven throughout the Scriptures and is obvious to anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear.
Stop to consider how you see the world and the Scriptures – especially the Older Testament. Are you more inclined to notice the brokenness of humanity or do you look for Good News? Talk to Jesus about this.
Read Luke 16:27-31 again noticing anything new that stands out in this reading.
God’s rescue mission and the nature of God’s Kingdom are the primary threads of the storyline recorded by Moses and declared by the Jewish prophets. When we read the Bible through the lens of Jesus, the Holy Spirit guides us through a conversation with the writers of Scripture and reveals to us the heart of God and the nature of God’s Kingdom. And the nature of God’s Kingdom is Good News for a broken world.
The apex of the story of Scripture is the resurrection of Jesus. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can enter into new life through a restored relationship with God. And we have the privilege of working with Jesus to spread the shalom nature of God’s Kingdom to the world. The Good News is obvious if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
As you end this time of reflection, get quiet and become aware of the presence of Jesus in you and around you. Consider asking Jesus to open your eyes and ears to opportunities to spread Good News today. Then get quiet again and listen.
What is Jesus saying to you today?
What will you do about that?
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