Luke 20:27-40
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.
Today’s passage is the second attempt of the religious leaders to trap Jesus into saying something they can use against him. Read Luke 20:27-40 paying attention to anything that jumps out at you as you read.
This scene would be comical if not for the sinister intentions of the religious leaders. This particular sect, the Sadducees, were generally wealthier than other religious authorities because their religion was tailored to fit their political affiliations with Rome. The Sadducees were “intellectuals” who didn’t even believe in life after death, so the complicated scenario they lay out to Jesus now is dripping with hypocrisy.
Take a moment to pause and consider your attitude toward the mysterious things of God that are beyond human reasoning. How would you assess your ability to believe in things you cannot see? Talk openly with Jesus about this.
Read Luke 20:27-40 again focusing on Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees.
In addressing the test these religious elite have laid before him, Jesus not only exposes their attempted trickery, he also makes a bold statement about the life that lies beyond the grave. To God, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are very much alive though their bodies have long since decayed. These believers looked forward to the promise of a Messiah and placed their faith in things unseen.
For the final moments of this time of contemplation, meditate again on these words from the author of the letter to the Hebrews:
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen…
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” - Hebrews 11:1-3, 6
Now spend time in silence listening to Jesus.
Is there something Jesus is inviting you to do today?
Will you?
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