Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 20-22
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Luke 13:32-35
Jesus: You can give that sly fox this message: “Watch as I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I’ll reach My destination. But for today and tomorrow and the next day, I have to continue My journey, for no prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.”
O Jerusalem! O Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and you stone the messengers who are sent to you. How often I wanted to gather in your children as a hen gathers in her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing to come to Me. Look now, your house is abandoned and empty. You won’t see Me until you welcome Me with the words of the psalms, “Anyone who comes in the name of the Eternal One will be blessed!”
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
It’s interesting to see Jesus’ boldness in the middle of all the political and religious turmoil in Judea. When you think about the historic time in which Jesus lived, Judea was a powder keg waiting to explode. The Jews lost their nation when the Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom and then the Babylonians finished the job and drove the Judeans into exile almost 600 years earlier. The nation never ruled itself independently from that time until the United Nations gave Israel the strip of land they now govern after World War II.
That’s a long time to feel God’s punishment for their disobedience. But He warned them through the many prophets He sent their way to change and follow His decrees, but they wouldn’t. Through all that time, both as a nation and as the vassal of some other kingdom, the Jews continually revolted against their leaders, just as they revolted against God. They would not be ruled by anyone.
Consequently, the Greeks kept a strong military force in Judea after they conquered the Persians and took over the country. Then the Romans kept a stronger military force in the country after they conquered the Greeks. Here Jesus stood in the midst of all the political turmoil in which the Zealots were trying to build Israel into an independent nation again. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were at each others throats trying to gain control of the temple. The Essenes fought both of those primary Jewish sects to try to reform their religion and bring back real worship into the temple again as keepers of the ancient scrolls.
The upheaval across the country was tremendous. Everyone walked on eggshells because Herod wanted to show the populace that he was in charge as the Judean king. Pilot kept an iron fist to make sure everyone knew that Rome still held the reins over the tiny country. The various sects within the Jewish faith argued their sides in the Sanhedrin and levied fines and imprisonment for infractions of their laws to ensure the citizens of their country knew it was the temple they must obey.
And in the middle of all of this uproar, Jesus comes on the scene and tells His followers things like this. Tell Herod, that old fox, that I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do until I get to Jerusalem. He might think he can kill me, but he doesn’t have a chance. I have a purpose to fulfill and I’ll be in Jerusalem in three days after I’ve completed my mission of healing and driving out demons for the next three days first.
No one talks to the king like that…unless of course you are God’s Son. Oh, yeah, He is. As many times as the Pharisees or Herod or the scribes or the townspeople tried to do Jesus harm, they never could. The Father had His hand of protection firmly over His Son ensuring nothing happened to Him until He gave Himself over to those guards in Gethsemane. Until Jesus allowed Himself to be taken and beaten and crucified, no one could harm Him.
Jesus said we could have the same boldness when we talk about the kingdom of God, though. He said if we will allow His Spirit to inhabit us and give Him control of our lives, He will give us the words to say when we face kings and authorities and are dragged into court on account of Him. We don’t need to be afraid of the times. It will get tougher for Christians in the coming years. The Bible predicts it. But we don’t need to cower or fear. Jesus promised He will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us to the very end.
So like Jesus in those days of political and religious turmoil, don’t be afraid of unrest that goes on around you. There will always be political and religious upheaval as long as people fail to follow God. That’s just the way it is. We live in an evil world that will continue to create chaos and turmoil until Jesus returns. But don’t worry, it won’t be much longer. All the signs are coming together. As Galatians says, “…when the set time had fully come…”. He’ll come back to get us.
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