Challenging gospel this week. As we come to the end of our exploration of the gospel of Luke, you would be forgiven if you thought the lectionary compilers simply ran out of steam and are just throwing random passages at us. For this gospel seems incongruous and almost outside of our comprehension. But remember that Jesus was talking to first century Jews, not 21 st century Americans. To really appreciate this passage, we need to
reset our expectations to align with the people of that time and place.
The first thing we need to understand is that the Jews regarded time as being divided into two parts; the present age and the age to come. The present age was flawed and full of sin, while the age to come would be the age of the Lord where everything would be perfect. But for the new age to arrive, the world would first need to endure the ‘day of the Lord’ which would bring about destruction and chaos. The day of the Lord would
be a time of great turmoil and upheaval which was necessary to bring about the new age of the Lord.
This was part of their worldview and everyone of that time understood that, so it is not at all surprising to them when Jesus says “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.” The people of that time understood
this terrible day of the Lord to be the birth pangs of the age of the Lord.
This also harkens back to the old testament when Malachi tells us “See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” From the old testament to the teachings of Jesus, the day of the Lord was a fixed idea in the minds of the people. So, while we may find the imagery startling, they looked at it as the natural course of events. It was a necessary part of
moving into the new age, the age of the Lord where heaven would literally break forth on earth.
First however they would need to endure and survive the day of Lord. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.” Believers will be tested through persecution and trials. Being a follower of Christ will NOT be an easy thing. “You will be hated by all because of my name.” Jesus does not sugar coat things; it is a warning to all that there is no such thing as a casual
believer. You cannot believe just a little bit. For you will be tested. And when that day of the Lord comes, it will be challenging.
But Jesus also offers words of comfort. “make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” When the day of the Lord comes and we are tested through persecution, Jesus will be with us, giving us the words to say and the wisdom to withstand the onslaught. I don’t know about you, but knowing that I am not alone in such a situation is quite comforting. So is the knowledge that I don’t need to rely upon myself to mount a defense. The words I need will come from God when they
are needed, so there is nothing for me to worry about.
I learned that long ago when I first began to offer healing prayer for people. Some of you have had that experience as well. It is dauting if you think you must rely upon yourself to come up with the right words of prayer and comfort. Before my first scheduled prayer experience in the chapel, I recall a very sleepless night worrying how I would do this. What I found was really so simple. I learned that, if I just got out of my own head and stopped relying upon only myself, the Holy Spirit would provide the
words. I have a friend who says that, in situations like that, we are merely the garden hose through which the Holy Spirit pours out the water of blessing and comfort. I rather like that analogy because a garden hose is simple and uncomplicated, and that is what I strive to be. It also emphasizes that the garden hose is merely a vessel; that it is the Spirit and the recipient who matter.
Getting out of our own way is such a simple thing, but my experience tells me that it is very hard to do. We seem to fall back into relying upon ourselves more than we do on God. We think that it is us, rather than God who is in charge. Or perhaps we recognize that God is in charge but feel that He needs a little advice or help from us. That is decidedly not the case. God does not need our help, but we certainly need help from God. It is comforting to hear Jesus remind us that, good times or bad, God is with us to give us wisdom and the words we need to speak.
But the Lord Jesus goes even further. In this passage where he speaks of the calamities that await, after telling us that he will be with us and we need not rely upon ourselves, we hear “But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Words that inspire peace and comfort.
There will be wars and insurrections. There will be earthquakes and famines. As followers of Jesus we will be tested and persecuted. But through it all, we are reminded that the God of Love will be with us to offer wisdom and protection. Even if it costs us our earthly existence, we are reminded that the age of the Lord to come will be worth it, for we will then truly rest with the Lord forever.