Week of June 26, 2023
The Real Threats
Make a quick list of those things that make Americans anxious. From this list, what would your rank as your number one perceived threat? In this week’s reading from Luke 12 (and accompanying Scripture), we’ll reflect on those forces that Jesus considers to be the real threats to spiritual life.
June 26 | Luke 12:1–3; Matthew 23:23-28
As Pastor Mark mentioned a week ago, Jesus severely criticized the religious leaders of his day for putting on an outward show of godly living while being consumed with greed and evil desires. What makes such hypocrisy a constant threat to people of faith? What are areas of your life in which your mind and heart aren’t especially aligned with your outward actions? What does the Holy Spirit use to move us toward greater integrity of thoughts, words, and deeds?
June 27 | Luke 12:4–7; 1 John 4:18
On an initial read, it seems strange that Jesus first says that we should be afraid of our heavenly Judge but then to turn and speak of God’s personal care which casts out fear. Two possibilities here: one is that Jesus is referencing Satan who without the saving work of Jesus would have the power to throw us into hell. The other is that Jesus is speaking of a healthy fear of God, leading us to humble ourselves and seek his mercy. One author puts it this way: “Having authority or capacity to do something is not the same as using it. One who could kill bodies and then raise and consign them to a pit of perpetual fiery torture (“this one” is a terrifying cosmic power) will not necessarily carry out such horrific acts, might not exercise the nuclear option, certainly not as a first response, on his creatures. Green catches well the spirit of Jesus’s logic: “In hostile situations of life imperilment, God is the only one who should be feared, but the character of God is such that one need not fear him!”
What would you consider a healthy fear of God? An unhealthy fear? What does the Apostle John mean when he states that God’s perfect love drives out fear? Why is it that believers in Jesus need not fear hell?
June 28 | Luke 12:8-11; John 3:17-18
This Scripture regarding blaspheming the Holy Spirit has led to much spiritual anguish (needless!?) over whether the person has ever dishonored or cursed the Holy Spirit. Probably the best response to this is that if you are worried about it, you almost certainly have not committed that sin. Most theologians believe that Jesus is speaking of a total rejection of himself by rejecting the Spirit’s gift of faith.
How do we respond to those who have seemingly rejected the saving power of God? What doubts seem to undermine faith in your mind and heart? What strengthens your faith in Jesus?
June 29 | Luke 12:13-21; 2 Timothy 6:6-11, 17-19
In a land of overflowing closets, garages, sheds, and storage units, how does the parable of Jesus speak to us? How do you decide what “enough” is regarding money, possessions, and pleasure pursuits? From the standpoint of wise stewardship of money and possessions, how do you balance saving, spending, and giving? How do you measure your faithfulness in this important area of life?
June 30 | Luke 12:22-34
F. Scott Spencer in his commentary on Luke’s Gospel writes: To sum up Jesus’s broad lesser-to-greater argument: if God graciously provides for all creatures great and small, powerful and weak, rich and poor, pure and impure, pretty and ugly, “how much more” will God feed and clothe God’s people. Jesus thus calls his followers to realize the futility of worry and the priority of relating to God in confident faith rather than cowering fear, of seeking the rule of God above everything else with assurance that the needs of daily life will be supplied (12:29–31).”
Returning to the week's opening question, what helps you to counteract your deepest sources of anxiety? What does it mean to you to “seek the kingdom”? How will seeking the kingdom lessen your worries?
