To the "lost" people of the crowd, He said that there will be a celebration at their being found and rescued (15:7, 10, 22-24)! To the Pharisees, He said, "you don't understand" (15:31). What was it that they didn't get? Why were they missing the point of His stories that seems so obvious? It wasn't because they weren't educated or experienced. They were listening for something else. They weren't listening with the desire to know Him, but instead they had "growling" and "grumbling" ears.
These two audiences that Jesus was speaking to are good representatives of my duplicitous heart: wanting to know God but wanting to do it on my own terms. One part of me desiring to follow Christ completely no matter the cost, the other part desiring to protect myself and get the "good life" through personal effort.
"Movement toward that desire [to be formed exactly like My Son] requires the power of My Spirit, to divide and expose the two roads within you (Luke 12:51) and lead you to wish forward on the right one - the narrow one - to follow in My Son's footsteps.... You are about to discover that the deepest desire in your heart is not for blessings. Your deepest need is to be loved with forgiving and empowering grace. Your deepest desire is to love." (66LL)Father, I am grateful for Your Spirit who exposes my wrong desires and who is also revealing the deeper desires that You have placed in me for Your Son.
1 comment:
Staci, I love how you point out that we can be BOTH types - the law-following, self-righteous Phariees, on the one hand, while also the sinners who see their need for God's deep and amazing grace, on the other hand.
I often read this story and identify with one or the other, depending on what I'm struggling with in life. But if I am really honest with myself, like you said, Staci, my heart is "duplicitous" and even in the most humble times, when I recognize I am a sinner, identifying with the people of bad reputation, recognizing my deep need for forgiveness and grace...that even then, there are deeper, Pharisaical ways in me that want to EARN God's approval, or even worse...to CLAIM goodness of my own accord, by what I do.
Lord, help me see the depths of my Pharasaical heart and let it not defeat me, but constantly make me run towards the cross, recognizing the depth of my need for Your grace.
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