Jesus can sometimes be down-right offensive! I often think
that the difference between us and Jesus in this area is that He offends us
with what matters; we often offend over “stuff” that has no eternal
significance!
Let me give an example.
In Luke12:33-34, after telling the parable of the rich fool,
Jesus says, among other things, “sell your possessions and give alms.” (12:33)
That is followed by “Yes: where your treasure is, there your heart will be
too.” (11:35) The Kingdom New Testament.
N.T. Wright)
Then Jesus talks about watchfulness. (11:35-48) When the
master returns, he will bless the servants whom he found awake and ready. Mixed
in all of that is the idea that “the son of man is coming at a time you don’t
expect.” (11:40) The whole idea of “being ready” or “watchful” as the servants
care for the master’s possessions seems rather intense.
As though that weren’t enough, Jesus wraps up this
conversation by saying “Much will be required from one who is given much; if
someone is entrusted with much, even more will be expected in return.” (11:48)
I happen to be reading in this part of Luke during the week
before we in the United States celebrate the birth of our country on July 4.
We’re obviously not a perfect country and some of that lack of perfection is
born in my own citizenship! But the simple truth is that we have freedom about
which much of the rest of the world can only dream.
Here are some realities about my own freedom:
- · I go to meet with fellow believers to worship every Sunday, I have never even received a speeding ticket on my way to worship, much less been arrested for assembling.
- · I work for an institution whose mission is “to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world.” I have received a “warning ticket” for speeding, but it had nothing to do with where I work or an attempt to harass me for being a follower of Jesus.
- · Earlier this week, I had lunch for a student taking a directed “studies on preaching” course with me this summer. We ate in a public place. We talked about a great sermon he listened to this week; the sermon he is working on about David and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25; and the chapter out of the textbook he is reading. No one said, “you can’t do that religious stuff in my restaurant.”
- · The lady who cuts my hair, when I told her about my wife’s illness, stopped in mid-hair cut and announced to the salon we were having prayer. My regular doctor tells me every time I see her “I’m praying for Vicki.” No one is yet to make an effort to say “you can’t do that here.”
I could go on. We’re not perfect – but “Wow!” We really have
a lot of freedom.
Here are some additional realities about our world, not my
personal realities, but my brothers and sisters in Christ.
- · 245 million believers will experience “high levels of persecution” in 2019 – a rise of 14% over 2018.
- · One in nine Christians experience high levels of persecution worldwide.
- · 4,136 believers were killed for faith-related reasons in the “to 50 countries” for persecution in 2018.
- · Christians are frequently detained without trial and church buildings are frequently attacked in the top 50 countries.
(That information is from World Watch List 2019 published by
OpenDoorsUSA.)
Then in the deep recesses of my mind and heart – that place
where we sometimes try to bury “the offense of Jesus,” I hear Him say, “to whom
much is given, much is required.”
I realize this is a complicated issue and am equally aware
that I am not smart enough to come up with a solution. But . . . “to whom much
is given, much is required.”
At our worship last week we prayed for “world refuge
Sunday.” Many refuges are in that
condition because of persecution.
Thursday, July 4 is upon us. As we celebrate our freedom,
perhaps we could at least take a moment and pray for persecuted believers all
around the world.
After all, “to whom much is given, much is required.”
