February 23, 2016

The Narrow Way, the Wide Welcome, and Dealing with Dropsy

By: Anthony Mathenia Topics: Uncategorized Scripture: Luke 13:22-14:6

The Narrow Way, the Wide Welcome, and Dealing with Dropsy (Luke 13:22-14:6)

The Narrow Way (13:22-30)

When Jesus is asked how many will be saved, he doesn’t exactly answer the question, but raises the more important issue: “What about you?” Jesus’ response to him is in two parts: (1) though this man is a jew he might not be saved, along with many other Jews, and (2) many that the Jews would never fathom being saved will be. Those who are found knocking at the door and who are denied entry are those that knew Him socially, knew His views, were interested at times to hear His sermons, but failed to meet the requirement for entrance into heaven. Christ must know us personally, and not merely nationally or by familial association, but through a direct mutual relationship. As they see their fathers and the prophets inside, and then notice even non-Jews from every corner of the earth, the so-called people of God are left astonished both at their lack of entrance as well as the entrance of those they never imagined would be allowed in. The “last” in their estimation have been promoted to “first.”

– The Jews were unable to enter because of their refusal to abandon their own self-righteousness and put their hope in Christ. Are you trying to squeeze any of your self-righteous baggage through the door with you, or are you abandoning all hope in self and casting all confidence for your salvation on Christ alone?

The Wide Welcome (13:31-35)

Christ was on a mission to accomplish His Father’s will, and Herod, or anyone else, was not going to hinder Him. He was headed for Jerusalem where He knows what kind of suffering and rejection He is going to experience. When Christ called for Jerusalem, the Israelites, to find their shelter and salvation in His redeeming protection, they refused. He called again and again, even though He knew that in the end they would reject Him. Knowing their ultimate refusal of Him did not lessen the sincerity of His call. Christ desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). However, because they have set their will to reject Him, rejection is what they will receive with they hear “I do not know you.” Though God is omniscient and knows all things, the knowledge Jesus is referring to is a relational and intimate knowledge of our persons. He knows those whom He has foreknown for salvation. One day, when we are in heaven, God’s sovereignty and our responsibility will appear perfectly harmonious, but until then we must never doubt Christ’s infinite willingness to save sinners.

– Do you believe that Christ’s invitation is wide open to all who will come to Him? What does it reveal about the character of Christ that He continues to extend an invitation to those who continue to reject Him?

Dealing with Dropsy (14:1-6)

The Pharisees invited Jesus in order to watch Him closely and see what He would do with this man suffering from dropsy. Since the Pharisees and experts of the Law refuse to answer Jesus’ question about whether or not it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus answers his own question by making the man well. The rules that they had made for themselves slander the character of God by demanding that the salvation of a soul must wait. The commandment to remember the Sabbath (i.e. the Lord’s Day, Christian Sabbath, or Sunday) is not about setting up rules defining what not to do, as much as it is about what we are to do. We should ask ourselves what would promote godliness, Christlikeness, and holiness in our lives. We should seek to worship with greater intentionality and give more attention to the means of grace, both privately and with other believers.

– Is this your approach to the Lord’s day? Do you find yourself using it as a help in your spiritual journey? Or do you try to meet a few religious obligations so that you can maximize the remainder of the time for doing other things? In what ways, practically speaking, can you use the Lord’s Day with greater intentionality toward benefiting your soul and promote godliness?