Father, I am sorry that we have taken Your perfect gift of Creation and defiled it. At its core it is still “good”, but we have piled upon it the refuse of our lives. We have buried so much of it in hate, violence, and perversion. Forgive us of our sinful ways. May we embrace the salvation freely extended to us and with Your goodness in us may we begin the reclamation of what is rightfully Yours. May the “good” be restored. Amen.
Luke 7:24-35 (<<click to read the passage)
To say the least, children can be very entertaining! Their imaginations run wild (and quite often they do, too!) I hear all kinds of things on my elementary bus. One kindergartener likes to call me, Mr. Chicken (I think he just has a thing for chickens!) A first grader calls me, Mr. Pickles…I have no idea. I hear a lot about the Tooth Fairy and have been asked if unicorns are real.
One problem, especially for my younger kids is that they get carried away in their little worlds and it is easy for them to zone out to the realities of this world.
Kindergarteners tend to live in their little worlds. It is hard for them to stay out of trouble on the bus because they really only see the here and now. The “big picture” is totally beyond their comprehension. I want them to be safe – staying seated in their seats, not leaning out in the aisle or over the back of their seat, not standing on the floor in front of their seat because it makes a great stage upon which to play or a great table upon which to draw or color. Their mile-a-minute minds potentially put them in harm’s way.
Being a child is all well and good and sometimes we may give up too much when we grow up but eventually, we have to put aside childish things. Paul in his infamous “love” chapter of 1 Corinthians wrote,
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)
In the last portion of yesterday’s passage, Jesus compares the people of that generation to children. The Amplified Bible’s translation is right on target (the bracketed portions really clarify what is being said).
“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation [who set aside God’s plan], and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you]. … Yet wisdom is vindicated and shown to be right by all her children [by the lifestyle, moral character, and good deeds of her followers].” vs31,32,35
The people of that generation, and really Jesus was pinpointing the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, were just pretending that they had a right relationship with God. They were going through all the motions of reality but they were zoned out to the realities of God’s Kingdom. They couldn’t stay out of trouble in their interactions with Jesus because they really only saw the here and now in their lives.
Lord Jesus, help us to grow up. Being a child is fun in its time but if we stay in that mode, we miss out on the wonderful things that maturity has to offer. It may be tough having to grow up, but it brings rewards to the fullest!
Mar 5th, 2020, Thurs, 12:10 pm
