Red Letters
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus speaks to his disciples and to those he meets along the way. His words are both comforting and jarring, encouraging and challenging, gentle and harsh. They are words that proclaim the kingdom of God. And they invite the listener to not only embrace this kingdom but to devote their lives to advancing it.
In some Bibles, the words of Jesus are denoted by being printed in red. The Red Letters grab our attention and remind us that the Teacher himself is speaking. As we join Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem over these next several weeks, we will focus on the Red Letters found in the gospel of Luke and open our hearts afresh to what God wants to say to us this Lenten season.
Red Letters About Perseverance in the Face of Rejection
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem begins and ends with a call for his disciples to be on mission. But being on mission is not always easy. When Jesus’ disciples are sent to Samaria to announce the coming of Jesus, they face intense rejection. When they ask Jesus if they should “call down fire from heaven to destroy the city,” Jesus instructs them to “shake off the dust” from their shoes and move on. He is reminding them that judgment will come, but it won’t come through them. When we are rejected, we often feel justified in getting angry and rejecting others in return. But that response rarely advances the kingdom. When Christ reached Jerusalem, he experienced the ultimate rejection. But, instead of raining down judgment, he says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they have done.” Life on the road with Jesus will lead to lots of encounters along the way. And we are bound to experience rejection. Jesus calls us to respond in a way that keeps the mission in full view, allows us to keep moving forward and leaves the rest up to God.
Red Letters About Doing and Not Doing
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem begins and ends with a call for his disciples to be on mission. But being on mission is not always easy. When Jesus’ disciples are sent to Samaria to announce the coming of Jesus, they face intense rejection. When they ask Jesus if they should “call down fire from heaven to destroy the city,” Jesus instructs them to “shake off the dust” from their shoes and move on. He is reminding them that judgment will come, but it won’t come through them.
When we are rejected, we often feel justified in getting angry and rejecting others in return. But that response rarely advances the kingdom. When Christ reached Jerusalem, he experienced the ultimate rejection. But, instead of raining down judgment, he says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they have done.” Life on the road with Jesus will lead to lots of encounters along the way. And we are bound to experience rejection. Jesus calls us to respond in a way that keeps the mission in full view, allows us to keep moving forward, and leaves the rest up to God.
Red Letters About The Banquet
Tables and banquets were commonplace in Jesus’ culture. They were a place not only where people gathered but where the wisdom of teachers was imparted. For Jesus, the table had even more meaning. The table represented the kingdom banquet to which everyone was invited (including the Gentiles). So, Jesus uses the image of the banquet to impart some important truths about the kingdom. His words remind us of the attitude all who are invited to the banquet should have and of the diversity of those at the table. The parable of the feast teaches us that God’s invitation to come to the party and enter the kingdom should take priority over everything else in our lives. Most surprising in Jesus’ parable is WHO is at the banquet. The original invitees who made excuses for their non-attendance have been replaced by individuals from a totally different social circle. It’s a profound reminder that ALL are invited to the table regardless of their background, their past, their status in society, or any other categories that divide culture.
Red Letters About Good Money Management
Money is a big issue for lots of people. It certainly was for the Pharisees. So, Jesus tells a story about an unethical manager who squandered the wealth of his master. The master dismisses the manager but gives him time to get all the accounts together before he leaves. The manager uses the time to generously forgive some of the debts of those who owed the master money in the hopes of procuring favor from them. When the master finds out, he commends the manager’s actions because his generosity, even with money that was not his, helped others. Jesus uses the story to remind the Pharisees (and us) that the resources we manage are not ours. They belong to God. And God is pleased when we use his resources to serve others. In fact, when we use God’s resources to help those in need and advance the kingdom, we benefit as well. Not only do we experience spiritual blessings but, when we are faithful with small things, we will be entrusted with even more. That doesn’t necessarily mean our bank account will grow, but it does mean that our kingdom impact will grow. Jesus is reminding us that money can easily take the place of God in our life. That’s what happened with the Pharisees. And Jesus’ message to us is, “When it comes to managing money, don’t act like a Pharisee.”
Red Letters About the Joyful Pursuit
Jesus attracted the company of tax collectors and sinners. He spent time with them. He ate with them. And, the religious leaders criticized him for it. From the perspective of the Pharisees, presence equaled endorsement. For them, the fact that Jesus spent time with sinners meant that he was endorsing their lifestyle. In response, Jesus told three parables: the lost coin the lost sheep, and the lost son. Jesus’ message was clear. God doesn’t avoid the loss or the messiness of their lives. God joyfully pursues the lost. Our culture (even the church culture) is less concerned about who we eat dinner with or hang out with than those in Jesus’ day. Our avoidance of entering into the messiness of the lives of others is mostly self-imposed. It takes time to pursue relationships. And it’s just easier if those we pursue share our beliefs, our interests, and maybe even our stage of life. The pursuit of that which is lost can be demanding, but Jesus says that’s where the joy is. It’s seeing others not as messiness to be avoided but as treasures waiting to be found. It’s seeing others the same way that God sees us. It’s joyfully pursuing others the same way that God joyfully pursued us.
Red Letters About Power and Corruption
The Pharisees tended to see themselves as the rulers of Israel rather than custodians appointed by God. So, Jesus tells a parable about an absentee landowner who entrusted his fields to tenants who were to work the fields and bring in the harvest. Wealthy landowners actually controlled much of the rural Roman Empire and the tenant farmers who worked the land were normally quite respectful to the owners. In this story, however, the tenants act as if they are the ones with the power, and they exploit it mercilessly, including killing the landowner’s son. The characters in the story are easily identified. The owner of the vineyard is God; the vineyard is Israel; the tenant farmers are the religious leaders; the servants are the prophets and priests God sent to Israel, and the son is Jesus. Jesus is challenging the corrupting power these leaders have amassed and is helping them to understand the role brokenness plays in the life of a leader (God uses leaders whose hearts have been broken). Jesus reminds them that everyone has a choice when it comes to brokenness. You can submit your will to God and be broken of arrogance and self-centeredness or you can refuse to submit and experience the crushing consequences. The choice is yours: broken before God or crushed by the world.
Red Letters about Thanksgiving and Suffering
In the midst of a meal where Jesus is investing new meaning in the bread and the cup of Passover and using it as a reminder of his impending sacrificial death, Jesus gives thanks. But this isn't the first time that Jesus gave thanks in the middle of bleak circumstances. It seems that Jesus wants us to learn that thanksgiving always precedes a miracle: the miracle of joy, enough, life, hope.
