Daily Readings Nov 16 - 20

Day 1 – The Pharisees, Again

Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading – Luke 13:31 The readings this week find Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, and will include Jesus showing his despair over the recalcitrant city and its stubborn inhabitants. Jesus was on his way out of Perea, which was east of the Jordan, an area that was under the dominion of Herod, and heading towards Jerusalem, when some Pharisees approach him and warn him of a threat against him from Herod.

We don’t know the exact reason why these Pharisees were so keen for Jesus to be on his way. We also don’t know the truth of the Pharisees’ statement that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. (After all, Herod hadn’t even wanted to kill John the Baptist but had only done so when pressured to.) Perhaps, like other Pharisees Jesus had encountered, they were simply opposed to his teaching and were encouraging him to move on because they didn’t want him on their patch. Or rather than fearing for Jesus’ safety, their plea for him to avoid Herod may have been a ploy to divert Jesus away from Jerusalem. Or maybe they were simply being cautious, watching from the side lines, ready to jump on the bandwagon if it actually turned out that this Jesus movement was from God.

Are there times when we step back from Jesus, waiting to see what will happen, making sure things are safe and turn out okay before we join in? Often we want that sort of security before we will make a move, at no risk to ourselves. But following Jesus involves risk. As Mr Beaver said, “…Course he isn’t safe. But he is good.”

Question to Consider What do you think of what the Pharisees were doing? How do we hedge our bets about Jesus, even as his followers? Why do we do it?

Prayer Heavenly Father, help us not be timid or ambiguous in our faith. May we always nail our colours to our Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes) Day 2 – Herod, Again

Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading – Luke 13:32 Today we find ourselves reintroduced to a rather disreputable person, who has so far played a minor, but still important, part in the gospel to this point and who will play a further crucial role in the near future. Herod himself has not played a main role in the gospel of Luke up to this point; he is more a shadowy background figure, a distant threat, hovering, but, up to this point, not getting involved.

Let’s remind ourselves a little about Herod, as we have already come across him in Luke’s gospel, in a rather unfavourable light. He had divorced his wife in order to marry Herodias, who had been married to his half-brother. It was John the Baptist’s public condemnation of this marriage that saw Herod have John the Baptist imprisoned and later executed. So he had already rejected the messenger that God had sent to proclaim the Messiah. Now he was rejecting the Messiah himself.

Jesus’ response to the Pharisees – calling Herod “that fox” – showed the incredibly low, contemptuous opinion Jesus had of Herod. He was a weak ruler, only in power due to the choice the Romans had made about who they thought would be the best (read: most ruthless) ruler of Galilee and keep the population appropriately quiescent. It also showed that Jesus was not afraid to speak openly and truthfully to those in power, regardless of what the personal consequences to himself may end up being.

Question to Consider How can we speak truth to power today? What places and circumstances require us to do this? What happens if we don’t do this? Who suffers?

Prayer Lord God, you are Lord of all, you are the only one we owe our allegiance to. Make we speak this truth, that you alone are Lord, loud and clear in all we do, in all times and places. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

Day 3 – The City and the Prophets

Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading – Luke 13:33 Prophets and Jerusalem – Jerusalem and the prophets. Such a sorry story. Not the easiest of relationships, not the best of histories between the two of them. As any reader of the Old Testament will know, Jerusalem was not the most welcoming of cities to God’s messengers. Time and again, when the nation turned its back on God, God would send a prophet to them. Time and again, the people would ignore him.

God would send a prophet to Jerusalem, to his people, with the message of a call to repentance, a call to turn from her evil ways and return to her first love: God. And more often than not, the city would ignore the call, and ultimately pay the consequences, several times over. Jerusalem had a history of rejecting God’s prophets, ignoring their messages, running them out of town, sometimes going so far as attempting to murder them.

Jesus was well aware of this propensity for rejection. The notion of Jerusalem rejecting the messengers of God was not new; there were even sayings about it! And he was heading to Jerusalem regardless, with yet another call to repentance on his lips. The nation of Israel, so keen to see their country free, yearning so much to see their God return and raise them up, is warned by that unless they welcome Jesus with open arms, they will not see him as he truly is; they will not see the great work that their God is about to do.

Question to Consider What is the role of the prophets in the Old Testament? Do you think God still sends them? To whom? About what?

Prayer Loving Father, when you speak, may we listen? Whether we like what we hear, may we always be seeking to hear your word, may we be attentive, obedient, and worshipful in all we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

Day 4 – A Hen and Her Chicks

Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading – Luke 13:34 We’ve been jumping around the book of Luke and so it might not be so obvious that the imagery of the hen and her chicks is the strongest indication that Jesus has given about how he sees his impending death.

The image here is of a hen gathering her chicks under her wings in order to protect them. As N.T Wright explains: “There are stories of exactly this: after a farmyard fire, those cleaning up have found a dead hen, scorched and blackened – with live chicks sheltering under her wings. She has quite literally given her life to save them. It is a vivid and violent image of what Jesus declared he longed to do for Jerusalem and, by implication, for all Israel.”

It is a powerful image, partly because of the absolute extremity of the hen’s sacrifice, and partly because of the sheer helpless vulnerability of the baby chicks. They are completely at the mercy of the world around them, relying on their mother for food, guidance and, ultimately, protection. And yet the words of Jesus in this passage show that, as much as he wants to gather the people of Jerusalem to him and shelter and protect them, they refuse to heed his words – this latest, final, greatest messenger from God – and instead, will most likely treat Jesus the same way as the city has treated previous prophets: unkindly to say the least. And yet the love of God would rather hold them close and protect them, if only they would listen.

Question to Consider How has God protected you in times past? How did you feel? What did it mean to you?

Prayer Lord God, thank you for selfless, sacrificial love. Thank you for willingly going to the ultimate extreme for us, and continuing to guide and protect us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

Day 5 – The Road Ahead

Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading – Luke 13:35 Sometimes we can clearly see the way ahead: we know where we are going, we know the path we must take to get there and what the terrain is like, and we can see the possible pitfalls on the way. At other times, though we know the general direction we are travelling, the way is dark, the terrain invisible, and though we imagine we can foresee what may happen upon the road, we just don’t know what will really happen to us on the way, or when we reach our destination.

The imagery Jesus has used in this week’s passage shows that, though the details may not be set in stone yet, he knows what awaits him in Jerusalem. He is astute enough to understand the probable consequences lying in wait for him should he continue to proclaim the message he has been proclaiming, should he continue speaking God’s truth to the centres of power arrayed around him.

And yet he continues to preach his message, and he continues to offer the chance to repent and turn back to God.

Not knowing the way ahead and not being able to see what may befall us need not be barriers to walking the path Jesus calls us to walk, wherever that path may lead. Yes, we will need the constant guidance, strength and encouragement of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we will need to keep our eyes open and our wits about us. But it can be done, and Jesus shows us how.

Question to Consider As you look back over your walk with God, what do you notice about the road you have travelled? What do you see as you look ahead?

Prayer Heavenly Father, though we don’t know what our road ahead holds, we know you have walked it already, and that you walk again with us as we go. May we be bold and have the courage and grace to always keep walking. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes) Saturday/Sunday Notes