“Just a Minute”

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Luke 4:14-30

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204%3A14-30&version=NIV;NLT

 

When I was a little boy of about eight, I remember a time when I was playing with my little men. I must have had an exciting story developing because I was very involved when my Dad called me to dinner.

 

But, it wasn’t a good time for me to stop; so I said, “Just a minute”. My Dad called out to me again to come to the dinner table. Still not quite ready I said, “Just a minute”.

 

I wasn’t getting his message because playing was more important to me than the fact that my Mom had dinner prepared on the table, and they were both waiting for me. I’m not sure if my Dad called me a third time or not, but he did come over and knock all of my little men down. I was devastated! But I did get his message.

 

Jesus was bringing a message to the Jews, and had returned to Galilee. In this story, he was in Nazareth where he grew up. People there may have known him better as Joseph’s son than Jesus the rabbi. They knew him when he was a little boy getting into trouble for not coming to the dinner table.

 

At the synagogue, it’s not hard to imagine that his parents, siblings, neighbors and friends he grew up with, would have been there. Word had spread about Jesus performing miracles, and people were curious. It was a homecoming of sorts; a milestone for Jesus. And what message did Jesus have for them?

 

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”               NIV

 

The “year of the Lord’s favor” was the beginning of the Messianic age. Basically, Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah; but he didn’t stop there. He went on to remind them how when Elijah and Elisha were messengers of God’s salvation, that non-Jews received His message; not the Jews.

 

“Just a minute”, the Jews at the synagogue cried out. They didn’t like his message. They didn’t want to hear his message. And don’t we do the same thing today?

 

Aren’t there times when we hold up our hand to Jesus and say, “Just a minute. I’m not ready”? What keeps us from hearing Jesus’ message? Is it pride; rebellion; selfishness; a broken relationship; difficult life circumstances; busyness?

 

Whatever the reason, the next time you catch yourself saying to Jesus, “Just a minute”… STOP! Think about it! Listen for his still, small voice! Draw near to him. What is he trying to say to you? Figure it out; and then obey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The School of Hard Knocks

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Matthew 3:16-4:11

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203%3A16-4%3A11&version=NIV;NLT

 

Have you ever experienced the school of hard knocks?

 

 

Maybe you went through a nasty divorce; struggle with an addiction; suffered the death of a loved one; or was fired from your job. When “trials of many kinds” come your way, they can be the school of hard knocks where you learn from the experience and grow in your faith.

 

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.   NIV

 

In a way, the baptism of Jesus was his coronation as the King of Kings. It was the commissioning of his ministry. But instead of sending him to the mission field, the Spirit lead him immediately to a place that could easily cause him to fall; to derail his ministry before it even began. He was an easy target for temptation.

 

Verse 2 has to be the biggest understatement in the Bible. After spending forty days and nights without food, Matthew wrote, “He was hungry”. Duh!!! Not only was Jesus hungry, but he had been isolated from others the whole time. He was at his weakest and most vulnerable condition. Why did the Spirit lead him there?

 

Maybe, these forty days in the wilderness were a time of increasing his faith; of coming to maturity; of preparing him for all the struggles that lay ahead. Maybe Jesus was growing in his faith through the school of hard knocks.

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.                       Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV

 

This milestone in Jesus’ life, makes it possible for us today to approach him with confidence; to experience his strength; to persevere and grow through our own school of hard knocks. This milestone brings us hope.

 

 

 

 

Now you’re Cooking with Gas

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Mark 1:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%201%3A1-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

When I was in high school and was working on my math homework, sometimes I would get stuck and I would ask my Dad for help. What I really wanted though, was for him to just tell me the right answer. That would make it much faster and easier. But he never did.

 

He would make me work through the problem by asking me questions that made me think. Ugh! Then, at some point, a light would come on; and suddenly, I would get it.

 

Usually at that time Dad would say, “Now you’re cooking with gas”. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, or where the saying came from; but I knew it was his way of saying, “Good job, Joe Boy. I’m proud of you”. When he said that, I felt like I could conquer the world; or at least the world of math.

 

John had a mission that was inspired by the prophet Isaiah. “He was a voice shouting in the wilderness.” John was preparing the way for the Messiah by calling people to confess; to repent; to turn away from their sins; and to be baptized. Then one day, Jesus came to be baptized.

 

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”     NIV

 

John had prepared the way for Jesus. In the process, John had become very popular; but now it was time for the focus to shift to Jesus. His baptism was the passing of the mantle of ministry. It was a milestone in Jesus’ life.

 

With his Heavenly Father’s affirmation, Jesus was sent into a life of ministry. It was to be a life of trials, troubles and temptations. Yet, he went into it knowing that his Father, his Dad, loved him and would always be with him constantly at work through him and in him.

 

You probably haven’t heard an audible voice telling you, “You are my son, my daughter, whom I love.” Yet, this same affirmation; this same love; this same promise is there for you and me today. How should we respond?

 

The Best Baby Reveal Ever

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Matthew 1:18-2:2; Luke 1:5-38

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201%3A18-2%3A2%2CLuke%201%3A5-38&version=NIV;MSG

 

 

It’s popular with today’s young marrieds to have either a baby reveal, or gender reveal party.

 

Before our first grandchild was born, our daughter had a baby reveal party. We didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. We thought we were just going out for dinner. But, when she had us each open a gift simultaneously, we learned different. My gift was a book about how grandparents decide what name to be called. And my wife’s was a picture of the ultrasound of our future granddaughter.

 

No matter how unique or amazing the reveal is though, none can compare with the reveal God had planned for the birth of His son Jesus. His supernatural reveal included angels announcing the impending birth, of not only Jesus, but also his cousin. His miraculous reveal included a barren woman and a virgin becoming pregnant.

 

And after he was born, there was the little matter of a star in the sky that astrologers from the east followed in order to worship him. But that’s the kind of reveal that you would expect when the birth has been anticipated since the beginning of time; when the baby is the Son of God.

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.           John 1 NIV

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.            John 1 NIV

 

God’s best baby reveal ever does raise an interesting question. How was Jesus revealed to you and to me?

 

For me, his reveal wasn’t a one-time event, but a lifelong journey. It included various people in my life; church camp as a teenager; hearing, studying, meditating and memorizing God’s Word; sharing his love with others; even in writing this weekly devotional, Jesus has been revealed to me.

 

How has Jesus been revealed to you? More importantly, how does Jesus continue to reveal himself to you? Maybe that should be our daily prayer; to ask him to reveal himself to us… and through us, to others.