Tag: Jesus' teaching

At the Feet of Jesus

Old Testament: Judges 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 110

*New Testament: Luke 10

Raspberry pie filling had poured on my shoes as I finally wrestled the large, heavy aluminum pan filled with pie onto the countertop. It was then that I noticed that this extra-large catered size pan had spilled raspberry filling from the car into the house and through the kitchen. I caught myself wondering if the restaurant staff had booby-trapped this massive dessert and I still had another to bring in. My friends were empathetic, but they were frantically searing ribs on the grill. This last minute pickup for a large rehearsal dinner had turned into chaos. Yes, it is hilarious now, but at the time, it was a little overwhelming. So I can completely identify with Martha in Luke 10.

Jesus was accompanied by his disciples and often with large crowds. Imagine the bustle in the village of Bethany as Jesus enters the home of Martha. Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. Jesus had been revealing some amazing spiritual truths. He confirmed that eternal life could be inherited by loving the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds while loving our neighbors as ourselves.(v.25-28) He explained that love is expressed by mercy in action through the parable of the good Samaritan.(v.30-37) His teaching was amazing and we can understand why Mary did not want to miss a minute of it. I imagine Mary had helped Martha with preparing for Jesus’ visit, but he was there now and he was teaching so Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

We can all learn from Jesus’ words. There are so many things to do – good things to do – but these good things should never take the place of just being with and listening to Jesus. We all need to choose to be in Christ’s presence “which is better” and it will not be taken away from us.

-Rebecca Dauksas

Reflection Questions

  1. What is the one thing that is needed?
  2. What most often distracts you from what is most important? What does this reveal about your priorities? How can you work towards fixing this?
  3. What does it look like to sit at the feet of Jesus today? How can you do it more consistently?
  4. What do you find most amazing about the teachings of Jesus? What does this tell you about Jesus and even about His God and Father?
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Give so that you get?

Luke 16

Friday, December 23, 2022

I love the parables of Jesus.  But I’ve got to admit, this one about the shrewd manager threw me for a loop.  Take a minute to read it. 

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” (v.8)

Is Jesus commending this shrewd manager for cheating his master out of his money by canceling debt without his master’s permission? Can that possibly be true?  The rich master found out that his money manager was misusing his money, so he fired him.  The manager did not want to be homeless and live on the street begging, so he granted favors to the master’s debtors before his exit from his employment. The purpose of his deceit was to guarantee that he would have some “friends” from whom he could ask for future favors. Give so that you get. Sounds shrewd, right?  Sounds like the master and Jesus seems to think so.

But, is his behavior ethical?  His former boss commends his shrewdness, and it looks like Jesus is using him as an example that we should follow.  Perhaps we need to take a closer look at this parable. 

First, do not be confused about who the rich master is.  In other parables, a master is considered to be God, but in this one, that is not true.  God would not be commending us for being dishonest and a thief.  So, what is the point?  What is Jesus teaching?

“For the people of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” (v8) Jesus is comparing us, the people of the light, with people of this world.  People of the world look out for themselves, and people of the light are not doing this.  So, how do we as people of the light look out for ourselves without being dishonest?  It actually is simple, but we often find it very difficult.

“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. (The shrewd manager’s game plan).  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.  Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14). (This should be our game plan!)  Throughout His ministry Jesus told us to give to the needy, love your enemies, and do good without expecting anything in return.  As a result, your reward will be great, and you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

By doing these things, we are being shrewd by laying up treasures in heaven.  We are taking care of ourselves by taking care of others.  However, our focus is not on this present world, like the shrewd manager, but on our future at the resurrection of the righteous. This requires us to walk in faith, believing that God will indeed remember that we have been seeking “first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). 

Jesus shares another parable in this chapter, The Rich Man and Lazarus. So how are these two parables connected?  The Rich Man was not just rich, but very rich.  He had the finest clothes and he ate huge meals each day.  Just outside his gate lay Lazarus.  It is not that the Rich Man did not know that Lazarus was there, literally begging for some scraps off the Rich Man’s plate.  Nevertheless, the Rich Man ignored the cries of Lazarus.  Then the expected happened.  Both men die.  Because the Rich Man claimed Abraham as his father, he expected a great reward when he died.  Instead, he experienced great pain and torment.  And there in the midst of his pain and agony he saw Lazarus enjoying the peaceful and happy company of Abraham.  So, the Rich Man cried out to Abraham to have Lazarus come to him, dip his finger in water, and cool his burning tongue. How ironic! This same Rich Man refused to give Lazarus scraps off his overflowing table.  The Rich Man wanted grace and mercy, without giving grace and mercy.  The big takeaway is that the Rich Man was not shrewd enough to lay up for himself treasures in heaven.  What do you think?

-Kayla Elwell

Questions for reflection:

  •  What is the difference between “give so that you get” and “give and you will get”?
  • What is the difference between being repaid and being blessed?
  • What is your motive for giving? Is storing up for yourself treasures in heaven a good motive for giving?
  • What does God expect from you when confronted with others in need?
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