Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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19 June 10
            Dear special people.
            I’m trying to do some cleanup and straightening today…while refereeing and overseeing activities with 3 grandkids.  Whew!
            May the Lord inspire and encourage you.
                                                          Love, Dad/Ray
 
19 June 2010
Passage: Luke 19:1-27
Focus: “…bring them here and kill them in front of me.”  Luke 19:27.
            I suppose we could have a problem text here.  This is the tail end of a story Jesus told.  It seems clear that Jesus is the “king” represented in the story.  The problem is that it seems to be implied that this king is vengeful and gloating over the killing of those who had rejected him as king…which seems out of character for God as presented in the New Testament.  Let’s look at the two verses again: “He (the king) replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.  But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me’” (19:26-27).
            No matter how we slice our interpretation, there are certain Biblical facts that must be kept in view.  We don’t have to look far to find evidence of Jesus’ grace and concern for the lost.  In this same chapter, listen to His words after being condemned for spending some time with Zacchaeus—one of the most repulsive members of normal Jewish society.  He affirmed that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (19:10).  Also in this same chapter we see Jesus weeping over predominantly unrepentant Jerusalem (19:41-44).  Couple this with the theme of 2 Peter 3:9 that says, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  Then there’s that familiar passage in John 3:16-21.  Read it again. If we take it all in, it sure doesn’t add up to the conclusion that God is vengeful and gloating over damnation.  In fact, if you pay careful attention to the King as He utters these harsh-sounding words in Luke 19:27, you will discern a broken heart…and tears in His eyes.
            May I again mention a central theme that, for me, keeps cropping up all through Biblical revelation: the essential of A HEART AFTER GOD.  For whatever reason, Zacchaeus came up with A HEART AFTER GOD.  For whatever reason the people being punished in the story Jesus told did not have A HEART AFTER GOD…they rejected the true king.  If there are only two ultimate kingdoms, to reject one is to get the other.  There seems to be no neutral zone.  And if the ultimate outcomes of the two kingdoms forms a drastic contrast between LIFE and DEATH…well, there you are!
            Please allow me to incorporate that spin into verse 26:  “I tell you that to everyone who has A HEART AFTER GOD, more (incredibly more) will be given, but as for the one who does not have A HEART AFTER GOD, even what he has will be taken away.”
 
            “Half of our trouble comes from wanting our own way—the other half comes from having it.”