-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
There are some verses in scripture that make me really nervous, and in our reading of Luke 13 today is one that’s right up at the top of my list. I would even venture to say that if there aren’t any scriptures that concern you, or make you want to do better, then that should in and of itself be extremely concerning because we have all fallen short.
Before we get there though, I did want to touch lightly on the Jeremiah 35-36 portion of our reading today, because there’s one of those “one-off” stories that I like so much hidden in there, because it reveals something to me that I didn’t previously understand or give much thought to.
The Story of the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35)
God told Jeremiah to go invite all of the house of the Rechabites into the temple in one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink. They all declined, and cited the words of an ancestor, saying “Our father told us we were told never to drink wine, or build a house, or sow seeds, or plant a vineyard, but that we were to live in tents like an alien in the land where we rest”. So, an entire generation (or more) of this family had obeyed, never drinking, never owning a house, never farming, just dwelling in tents and herding animals, presumably. This seems like a pretty big ask, but it’s what their ancestor had told them, and they’d listened and obeyed faithfully.
God knew about these guys, and had them summoned. God tested them, to see if they were remaining true. When they passed this test, the reward is staggering, I don’t know if you’ve thought much about it. This statment: “…Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.” (Jer 35: 18-19, REV). God is upset with Israel because they have not kept the commandments that were given to them from God, but as a result of the house of Rechab’s faithfulness, they “will not lack a man to stand before” God, forever. Consider the statement of Gabriel, when he introduced himself to Zechariah: “I am Gabriel, and I stand before God.” This is one of the highest honors imaginable.
Moving on to the Luke 13 reading today. The examples of “accidents happen” in Luke 13:1-5 are somewhat eye opening, but don’t in and of itself make me especially nervous, except for the repeated “repent or perish!” statements. The parable of the barren fig tree in v6-9 is a little more concerning to me because while I feel like I’ve repented pretty good, how much fruit am I bearing? I don’t always see the fruit that I’m bearing, so I’m always concerned a bit about “meeting performance standards”, as it were. This one should make us all pay a little closer attention, because it’s clearly laid out to us that we are expected to bear fruit, that steps will be taken to assist, but if we don’t then we’ll be cut down.
The story of the infirm woman in v10-17 is pretty important to me because: I believe in keeping the Sabbath. This is one of the verses that was shown to me in my youth as a proof text that we didn’t need to, but I note that Jesus never said that it was an option, he only clarified that it was OK to do good deeds during it. He still kept the Sabbath, just as it was intended, and since he did it, I’ll do it (without standing in judgment on whatever anyone else decides to do, that’s above my pay grade). Is a servant greater than his master? Not me, I’m not even fit to be a servant, but God is merciful. This isn’t the bit that worries me though, and makes me lay awake at night.
Here’s the part that scares me. In Luke 13:22-30, Jesus tells us of “The Narrow Door”. When asked by someone in one of the many cities and towns he was passing through, “Lord, will just a few be saved?” Jesus replied with the following (in v24-28): “Exert yourself intensely to enter in by the narrow door, for I say to you, that many will seek to enter in and will not succeed. When once the head of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ Then he, answering, will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets,’ and he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you who practice unrighteousness.’ There will be sobbing and gnashing of teeth, when you will see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, but yourselves cast out.“
That’s the part that keeps me up sometimes at night, because I’ve got a painful and deep understanding of my impurities, of all the terrible things I’ve done in the past, of all the improper things my innermost being thinks at times, and of the times when I don’t discipline my eyes enough to not gaze upon things that displease my God. I’m really trying to be the servant that pleases his master, but I know of the thousand thousand ways in which I fall short. I thought at one point after my repentance that I was becoming holy, but God has revealed to me my innermost failings, and although many of my sins have been removed from me, I still fail daily. I try daily to do better, but I know in my heart when I’ve fallen short. Every time I am impatient, every time I gaze twice in a direction my eyes shouldn’t be pointed in, every time I am ungracious in my heart to another one of the people God has created here, I am poignantly aware that I am falling short. I am still trying, and I would rather try and fail than to give up. To God be the glory, no matter what.
There are myriads upon myriads of people who have lived far better than I have, who have from their youth been loyal servants to the living God, who are just better people than I’ve been. If some of these people will be told ” …I do not know where you are from. Depart from me…” what possible chance do I have, to enter into the kingdom, to pass through the narrow door? It terrifies me, as it should terrify us all. Not everyone who thinks they are going to make it into the kingdom is going to.
Here is one of the realizations that I have come to: it’s not about me. It’s about God. I’m going to do the best that I can in the time that I have left in this life to honor God. Not because anything I could ever do would make me worthy of entry into the kingdom, but because I want to please God. He saved me, literally. Why me? No clue, I certainly wasn’t worthy of the effort, but He did. I really want to enter through the narrow door. I want to see you there. We all need to exert ourselves intensely, to constantly strive to improve, to be holy, to seek righteousness, and to humbly confess that even if we are allowed to enter through that narrow door: it is solely because God is merciful, and not because any among us deserve it. To God be the glory.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Are there any other verses that come to mind that make you a little concerned when you consider them?
- What does reading this chapter in Luke make you want to do differently in your life?
- Do you think that your salvation is already assured? Why, or why not?
PRAYER
Father God, you have been gracious to me beyond my deserving, merciful to me beyond my understanding, and shown me more grace than I can put into words. Thank you. Please continue the good work that you have begun within me, be faithful to complete it, and help me enter into the narrow door if it is your will. In Jesus name, amen.
