Jump Start # 80

Luke 17:32 “Remember Lot’s wife.”

  Most can recall the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” Our verse for today has to fall into second place, with only three words. Jesus spoke this as a warning. The chapter concerns the coming fall of Jerusalem. Jesus is giving His disciples advanced warning as to what to do. Prior to our verse Jesus said, “On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back.” The reason is that the advancing Roman army will come upon them suddenly and they would not escape. They were to flee the city quickly. The destruction took place in A.D. 70. The temple was destroyed and thousands of Jews were slaughtered. The followers of Jesus escaped. They had instructions.

  Our passage is part of those instructions. The Lord reaches back to an event in Genesis. Three words. Three words that the disciples understood very well. “Remember Lot’s wife.”

By saying this, Jesus affirmed the truthfulness of the destruction of Sodom and the story of Lot and his family. This wasn’t made up nor an allegory, but a real historical event.

  What do we “remember” about Lot’s wife? God was put out with Sodom and was going to destroy it. Abraham begged God to save it for the sake of the righteous. If only 10 righteous people could be found it would have been spared. Ten could not be found. The angels told Lot, his wife and daughters to flee the city and not to look back. We remember that Lot’s wife looked back and she was turned into a pillar of salt. She did not make it. Lot became a widower and her daughters lost a mother in that moment of disobedience.

  Here are some things we remember:

  1. Here was a person who obeyed God partially. The angels gave two instructions: (1) flee; (2) don’t look back. Lot’s wife fled. But she didn’t obey the other instruction. Sometimes we will partially obey God and feel like that is better than not obeying at all. We justify ourselves by saying, “I did do some of the things God wanted.” Remember Lot’s wife!

2. Here was a person who “looked” only one time. ‘I only did it one time’ is the theme song of the guilty who are surprised that they are in trouble. Now, had she looked 15 times, or 8 times, but she only looked once. It is not the volume of disobedience that makes it wrong, it is the heart that doesn’t trust God to obey. One time fornication can destroy a marriage, introduce a disease or pregnancy. One time is all it took. Remember Lot’s wife!

3. Here is a person who was married to a righteous man who obeyed. The book of Peter tells us that Lot was a righteous man. Lot made it. He didn’t look. Having a mate or parents that take God seriously is a great advantage to your life, but you must follow their example and do what the Lord said. Remember Lot’s wife!

4. God means what He says. God didn’t make up the rules as they went along. They were told in advance. The words were not difficult to understand. It has everything to do with faith. Eve knew in advance, yet she ate the forbidden fruit. This story is repeated over and over, even in our lives. The Bible is simple and plain. We know. Maybe we think we can get away with it. Maybe we think God won’t care. Remember Lot’s wife takes care of all of that.

  Three simple words. A very old story. Something very real for me today. Do I take God seriously? Do I do what He says? This is what this is all about. Remember?

Roger

Jump Start # 77

Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in Heaven.”

  Luke records the return of the seventy disciples from the limited commission. Jesus had sent out these seventy to preach and do miracles. This is called the “limited commission” as opposed to the “great commission” which is found at the end of the Gospels. It is limited in location, they only went to the cities of Judea. It was limited in time, it lasted only a short while. And it was limited in the message, full salvation would not appear until the Lord had been crucified and resurrected. That was still to come.

  The seventy have returned from their mission. Luke states that they “returned with joy.” I expect they left with a bit of fear and uneasiness. When Jesus sent them out, He didn’t go with them. They had not preached before. They had seen miracles, but they had not actually done any themselves. But now, it was mission accomplished. The work was a success. They were thrilled and excited, especially that they could cast out demons. Possessed by demons was a terrible state. The demon took over and controlled the person, often young children. Nothing could be done. Through the power of God, these demons were cast out and cast into torment never to bother a person again. These seventy were doing what no one else could, except Jesus. They were doing what the Lord had been doing. Jesus says in this context, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” Now, not only did Jesus have this power and authority, but He could pass it on to His disciples. Indeed Jesus was all authority and all power.

  Success is a great feeling, whether on the ball field, the court room, the work place or as parents, and here, spiritually. 

When things are right and we were a part of that, it makes us feel good. It gives us a sense that we are part of something big. I believe the Lord knew they would be successful. There is no way that Christ is going to fail, especially to Satan. His disciples may not have known that, but Jesus did.

  Our verse today puts everything into perspective, the greatest joy is having your names recorded in Heaven. We remember in the judgment scene in Revelation 20, that those whose names were written in the book of life entered Heaven. This is what Jesus has in mind. In the grand picture of things, casting out demons is great, but being a part of Heaven is greater. The people who had the demons removed, returned to a normal life. They went to work, raised families and have since all died. We can’t even give a name of someone that the seventy helped. But Heaven lasts. It’s forever. It is for eternity.

  This perspective that Jesus revealed is needed for us. We dwell among the temporary. These “Jump Starts” that I write won’t last very long. Houses don’t last forever. Cars certainly don’t. Jobs, money, looks, pets, they are all temporary. They are the now. We enjoy them. We use them. But too often, we define life by them and put all of our energy and time in them. They don’t last. But having your name in Heaven does.

  The Lord is talking about the greatest book of all, the book of life. You need to have your name there. You can’t put it there, God does. He does that as a result of our faith and obedience to Him. Hebrews 5:9 says that Jesus is the author of salvation to all those that obey Him. The way this is written it seems that the disciples would know that their names were there. Shouldn’t it be the same for us? Is your name in God’s book? You’ll want it there. It brings you great joy knowing that it is there. No matter how dark the day, knowing your name is in God’s book, makes all the difference in the world. It means you belong to God and you are going somewhere, you are going to Heaven!

 Roger

Jump Start # 76

Luke 19:5 “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’”

  So many of us fondly remember singing the song about the “wee little man who climbed up in the Sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.” Zaccheus is one of a host of people that got to meet Jesus personally. The Gospel records these events, and supplies us with many of their names, as if a footnote, to verify these things.

  Zaccheus is a curious study. He had many things against him. First, his size. Luke tells us, “he was small in stature.” You can imagine the jokes and the teasing that would never seem to end. Those with big noses, large ears, red hair, real tall, real small, know this world all too well. You’ve heard it all of your life. It gets old but it never seems to stop. And deep inside it hurts. Secondly, Zaccheus had become a tax collector, and not only that, but a chief tax collector. A Jew working with and for the Romans. Despised. Viewed as cheats. Considered traitors. He was collecting funds for a government that kept Israel under it’s thumb. And thirdly, Luke tells us that Zaccheus was rich. He was good at his job. Maybe this was to compensate for the jokes about his size, or the rude comments about his job. Sometimes we hide behind possessions to make us feel like we are someone. That hasn’t changed today.

  But on this day, our little tax man has heard of Jesus. The Lord was in the area and was coming through Jericho. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He had an appointment with the cross, but He made time for Zaccheus. The impression we have from the text is that the streets were lined with people. Zaccheus couldn’t see, so he climbed up to get a view. Was this like the President passing by, he just wanted a glimpse? Maybe he heard that Jesus was a friend of the outcasts. He had healed lepers, been to the home of Simon the leper, and among the chosen apostles was a tax collector, Matthew. This was worth seeing. This man was different. He was more than talk, He was the fresh air that many had been looking forward to for a long time.

  While passing through Jericho, Jesus not only saw Zaccheus up in the tree, but He stopped, He spoke, and then He invited Himself to his home. Jesus called him by name. Zaccheus must have thought, ‘How does He know me?’ ‘How does He know my name?’ This was acceptance. This was more than Zaccheus even imagined. Rarely did Jesus invite Himself to someone’s home, but He did here. Maybe He thought that Zaccheus would never do it, thinking that the likes of Jeuss would never come to my home. Jesus proved otherwise.

  When the critics raised their ugly voices, Jesus defended Zaccheus. He said, ‘Today, salvation has come to this house…” Great expression! Who came to Zaccheus’ home? Jesus. Jesus is salvation. But also, Jesus brought salvation. Jewish tax collectors could find a place in the kingdom of Christ. This encounter affected and changed Zaccheus. He promised to make things right. He was given hope, salvation and more than that, someone really cared about him.

  Before we leave this, there is a parallel lesson for us. As we journey life, are we content with just a passing glimpse of Jesus? All I want to do is just see Him? The Lord wants more. He stops right in front of you, and calls you by your name. You see, Jesus knows you, too. He wants to bring salvation to your house. Are you willing to change? Are you hurrying to get down out of your tree? Had Jesus not stopped, had He not spoken, Zaccheus would not have changed. Zaccheus was looking and he found more than he expected. You always will with Jesus.

 Roger