trying to find His way
These paragraphs are from a SubStack podcast by The Faithful Citizen entitled The Radicals You Riased: A Manifesto for the Generation Raised by VeggieTales and Rage Against The Machine. I resonate with it very much, and expresses my own desire to follow Jesus, not the church. “To the gatekeepers of American evangelicalism, deconstruction is a…
“Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” (Luke 14:23) Jesus challenges the religious experts to focus their attention on the needy.“Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…” (Luke 14:13).One of the guests brings up the feast in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15).And again, in this parable, Jesus mentions the poor, crippled,…
“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13-14) Have you ever heard a christian quote this verse and say ‘the bible says!’This teaching is not one most christians insist on obeying.Maybe once a year at a special church event where ‘the community’ is…
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) This story is not about where we sit at parties.It is about what it means to follow Jesus, how we live as God’s imagebearers.Jesus is describing what God is like, as He shows us in His incarnation.Jesus…
“Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?’ But they remained silent.” (Luke 14:3-4) Jesus is in the home of a prominent (important) religious leader.The religious experts are all watching Jesus and the prominent leader carefully.Notice how quiet they are, which is very unusual for…
“I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” (Luke 13:33). The Pharisees are not worried about Jesus’s safety; they want Him gone.But Jesus presses on demonstrating God’s good news kingdom, the power of God’s love.Jesus knows that sharing God’s love will eventually get Him killed.Herod may…
“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.” (Luke 13:28) Jesus is describing the moment when some people realize they are not saved.Weeping and gnashing of teeth describes an angry, shocked surprise.It is not…
“Away from me, all you evildoers!” (Luke 13:27) Jesus is asked about how many will be saved, or will enter the kingdom.Jesus redirects them away from how many, to how we ourselves enter.The kingdom is not about ‘getting in’, it is about ‘doing good’.Those who do not enter are “evil-doers”, literally “workers of unrighteousness”.They may have…
“What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like a mustard seed.” (Luke 13:20) Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to some yeast.On the one hand it is small, insignificant, almost invisible.And yet it packs a punch, and impacts much and many!Most people have a hard time seeing…
“…Whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years.” (Luke 13:16) Her physical condition is described as “crippled by a spirit”. (Luke 13:11)Is arthritis a crippling spirit, or is cancer being bound by Satan?Is there a spiritual element to all our physical conditions?The creation story suggests that all suffering is the result of the curse.Jesus comes to…