Time with Jesus - Monday, 02 April
2012
Hi all,
Jesus told the people many
parables. Most are easy to understand. Some make us scratch our heads wondering
what He meant. Much of the mystery associated herewith is our tendency to chop
up His statements so that they mean something different to what He intended. A
case in point is the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow in
Luke’s gospel. 1 One day Jesus told His
disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 "There was a judge in a certain city," He
said, "who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying,
'Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said
to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see
that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant
requests!'" 6 Then the Lord
said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out to Him
day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on
the earth who have faith?" Luke 18:1-8
NLT
A number of us have been
brought up during a time of the “faith” movement. Sadly, we have been led to understand
that “faith” is a noun. Something like an egg, a car or a baseball. But faith
is not a noun. It’s more like a verb than a noun. It’s an action word. It’s not
static. It’s a way of life. Now let’s look at the way the KJV translates Habakkuk
2:4. It states, 4 Behold, his soul which
is lifted up is not upright in him: but the
just shall live by his faith. Hab 2:4 KJV. A different rendition, the
New Living Translations puts it this way. 4 "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their
lives are crooked. But the righteous will
live by their faithfulness to God. Hab 2:4
NLT
In the NLT the word, “faith”
has been translated as “faithfulness”. In Habakkuk we see that the operative
word is faithfulness to God. The meaning of any passage of Scripture must be derived
in term of its context. Habakkuk thought that the Babylonians would completely
wipe out the Jewish people in Judah. God’s answer to Habakkuk was that those
who were faithful to Him would survive. The truth of this is statement can be
read in Hab 3. His song celebrates the fact that no matter what happens when
the Babylonians invade; those who are being faithful to God would be preserved
by God. History confirms that this is what took place.
In the light of this, let’s
have another look at Jesus’ parable. What was the parable all about? Jesus was
referring to the widow’s persistence. She kept on “hammering on the door of the
unjust judge” until she obtained justice. She was being faithful to what she believed;
the parable is all about her persistence; her faithfulness to what she believed.
So how should we read Luke 18:8? In the KJV, Jesus ask the question, “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find
on the earth who have faith?
Now change the understanding
of verse 8 to be in line with the context of the parable. Now His question must
be, “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will
He find on the earth that have this kind of faithfulness? Suddenly the
parable makes sense. He wasn’t talking about “faith” as a noun. He was talking
about people being faithful to Him. May I suggest that Jesus’ question is
better understood as, “But when the Son of Man returns, how many
will He find on the earth who are as faithful to God as this widow was toward
the justice of her cause?
Faithfulness to Him and His
Father is what Jesus is looking for. It’s not some nebulous noun that makes no
sense. Rather He is talking about a way of life; of men and women being
faithful to the Living God. Will He find it? It’s up to you and me!
Today’s meditation asks the
question, what will Jesus expect to find when He returns.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
What Will He Find?
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When Jesus Christ comes back
again, what is it He expects?
Do you think He’ll shake His head
and ask what happens next?
What will He be looking for when
He surveys the earth?
A mass of false Messiah’s, or
folk with second birth?
Religion based fanatics who
murder folk at will?
Determined that to spread their
faith, they are compelled to kill?
Perhaps He’ll find a people enthused
by God Most High,
And hundreds of His followers
who are prepared to die,
If that is what is needed? What
“faith” will be expressed?
Will people be excited or will
they be distressed?
What “faith” will He be looking
for? Will He find men of prayer,
Or many, many millions who simply
do not care,
About their daily lifestyle? Do
you think they’ll be glad,
Or will this world continue to
be a world gone mad?
Will He find faith upon the
earth? But does this “faith” mean?
What is His definition? A world
that’s squeaky clean?
A people who had come to Him
when they were just a lad,
And from that very moment had
kept on being bad?
That’s not the understanding of
what His words imply.
But living as His follower
until the day they die.
A better word is faithfulness.
A “faith” that carries on,
Regardless of the circumstance or
where the world has gone.
The word means stick-ability. It’s
never turning round,
To see if there’s a better way
that someone else has found.
It means that they will carry
on regardless of the odds;
And not go off a-whoring in lust
for foreign gods.
It isn’t being perfect. He
knows that cannot be.
Because with our sin nature,
from sin we’re never free.
It still remains a choice we
make. It’s what we always do.
The only way to beat it is with
Jesus within you.
I’m sure that’s what He’s
seeking. It’s what He wants to find.
Not what people think is right;
correct in their own mind!
That’s no good for the Saviour;
We must obey His Word.
That’s the definition of what
should have occurred.
But is He going to find it? What
is it He will see?
I hope it is obedience in folk
like you and me.
Because friend, if He doesn’t,
what is it He will do?
I’m sure it will be horrible
for those who are untrue.
Jim Strickland – Written Monday 2nd April 2012.
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