Psalm 118 Deuteronomy 23-24 Luke 19
Like the entrance into Jerusalem
on that trip Jesus and his disciples made into the city with the people lining
the streets singing his praise today’s song is one of praise. We are reminded
of the goodness of God and that his love is everlasting. Even when surrounded by
those that bring us distress the Lord is the one who is all around us. Because
we trust in the Lord, we will not fear to taking refuge in the Lord brings us
peace. We can even look upon that hate us because of our faith in God with satisfaction
because God will always be more worthy than men or political leaders.
We live full lives because the
Lord is exulted in our lives when we live to point to him. The day would come
and has come when the stone, Jesus, came as the cornerstone of our faith and is
rejected by so many. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord and
we are to praise God in the house of the Lord. Our path is lighted by God and
to God we give thanks because his love is everlasting.
Moses continues to remind the
people of Israel that justice and fairness is to become a way of life with them
not only with one another but with the people that they will interact with as
the take possession of the land before them. Each of the instructions is about
the way to treat others and that God will care for them just as he did when he
brought them out from Egypt.
As Jesus and his disciples
approach Jerusalem they travel through Jericho where they are greeted like they
will be as they approach Jerusalem. The crowds gather until people crowd the
road and we find a short man climbing a tree to see Jesus. As Jesus passes by
he calls him down from the tree to share a meal with him. One more time Jesus
is setting an example for his disciples. The man’s life is changed and he
repents of the sin in his life. Jesus tells those around them that salvation has
come to that house that day.
As they start up the mountains, he
tells them another story about workers that receive responsibility for a
portion of their master’s business. They each take different risks and receive different
rewards. Great responsibility comes with the opportunity for greater risk. The poorest
choice is to protect what we are given out of fear we won’t be able to return
what we have been given. Again, he is reminding them that life is about to change,
and they will be given responsibility for a part of the Kingdom. What they do
with what God gives them responsibility for will be what they are accountable
for.
As they approach the city the
people line the roads again and praise him as a king. There are so many reasons
this frighten the leaders of Israel. It threatens not only their power but
because Jesus is one of them is likely to put them in direct conflict with
Rome. When your main consideration is maintaining power, not matter how poorly you
have handled what you have been given responsibility for, anything that threatens
that brings fear.
Jesus weeps as he looks over
Jerusalem and thinks about how they have made the symbols of power, the city
and the temple, their focus rather than the God that has made it all possible.
He once again reminds the disciples that what is before them will one day be
destroyed completely and that only God will be worthy of their praise. God has
been right in the middle of them, and they have been rejecting him and are
about to attempt to destroy him.
Jesus enters into the city and
then the temple and drives those that have defiled the temple out. He then spends
the next few days teaching at the temple while the religious leaders plot to destroy
the very blessing they have in their possession. All the while the people are
hanging on every word of Jesus and learning from him, because he teaches as one
that has authority.
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