thrown to the wolves?
I am working my way through Luke. It's slow going because I keep getting stopped by verses that have me wondering and thinking and applying them in new or different or deeper ways. It seems I keep finding things "for the first time".
Anyway, today I began reading Luke chapter 10.
I am familiar with the passage and thought, easy peasy review.
"Nothing new to see here folks".
Jesus is sending 72 men in pairs to the places He is about to enter with instructions to heal the sick and tell the people that the kingdom of God is near. They aren't allowed to take anything extra with them and are to rely on the hospitality extended by people of peace and shake the dust off their feet by those who refuse to receive them.
They go, empowered to do wonderful things. They return, jubilant because it went really well. Jesus tells them to rejoice, not because the demons were subject to them because of His name, but because their names are written in the book of life.
I knew the "big lessons" and was thankful for the reminders:
the harvest is plentiful
the laborers are few, so pray for laborers
some will accept, some will reject the message
attitude check-do I rejoice more over success in His name than I do over being His
but today I didn't get to those reminders,
today verse 3 got me good
"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."
Wait.
What in the world!
"Go your way;"
Big Gulp, and I don't mean the gas station fountain drink.
"behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."
These men were not wandering and stumbling about. Jesus was intentionally sending them out "there" to places they would not necessarily choose to go on their own.
background info gleaned from Google searches:
"Sheep are a prey animal. When they are faced with danger, their natural instinct is to flee not fight. Their strategy is to use avoidance and rapid flight to avoid being eaten."
Lambs are the smallest of the sheep.
Lambs are the most vulnerable.
Wolves are predators.
They live, travel and hunt in packs.
They are not hesitant about attacking as a cooperative group.
Why in the world would Jesus tell these men they would be like lambs in the midst of wolves? How is that imagery confidence building or reassuring at all?
It isn't comforting at all if your focus is on the wolves.
Everything changes when we focus on the lambs and the Shepherd.
My proximity to the Good Shepherd makes all the difference in the way I live. When howling pierces the air, particularly when it is dark, I ask God to give me ears to hear His voice and a mind to focus on it. When I feel surrounded,that an attack is imminent and my confidence is faltering, or that I must have been mistaken when I heard Him say to go or do, because if I'd been right the wolves wouldn't be near, I have to choose to set my eyes on the Shepherd, not the "danger". I have to depend on Him, not myself.The truest danger is losing sight of and wandering from the Shepherd.
Sometimes I get distracted and I forget.
Sometimes I am full of fear and doubt creeps in.
Sometimes I am hesitant to look away from what is right in front of me, (wolves) even though I know that what is seen is temporary and what is unseen (Shepherd) is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Sometimes it is easy to trust that Jesus will lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Other times it is a struggle.
Alway the time, every single day, I have to practice living by what I know to be true and not by what I am feeling.
When I take my eyes off of what surrounds me and focus on Jesus,
when I tune my ears to listen for His voice, above the howls and threats,
I find peace and confidence.
Not because I am brave or strong,
but because He is faithful and trustworthy and near.
The truth: He is my Good Shepherd.
And Truth trumps feelings every time
(sometimes it just takes a little longer to get this place of rest.)
Anyway, today I began reading Luke chapter 10.
I am familiar with the passage and thought, easy peasy review.
"Nothing new to see here folks".
Jesus is sending 72 men in pairs to the places He is about to enter with instructions to heal the sick and tell the people that the kingdom of God is near. They aren't allowed to take anything extra with them and are to rely on the hospitality extended by people of peace and shake the dust off their feet by those who refuse to receive them.
They go, empowered to do wonderful things. They return, jubilant because it went really well. Jesus tells them to rejoice, not because the demons were subject to them because of His name, but because their names are written in the book of life.
I knew the "big lessons" and was thankful for the reminders:
the harvest is plentiful
the laborers are few, so pray for laborers
some will accept, some will reject the message
attitude check-do I rejoice more over success in His name than I do over being His
but today I didn't get to those reminders,
today verse 3 got me good
"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."
Wait.
What in the world!
"Go your way;"
Big Gulp, and I don't mean the gas station fountain drink.
"behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."
These men were not wandering and stumbling about. Jesus was intentionally sending them out "there" to places they would not necessarily choose to go on their own.
background info gleaned from Google searches:
"Sheep are a prey animal. When they are faced with danger, their natural instinct is to flee not fight. Their strategy is to use avoidance and rapid flight to avoid being eaten."
Lambs are the smallest of the sheep.
Lambs are the most vulnerable.
Wolves are predators.
They live, travel and hunt in packs.
They are not hesitant about attacking as a cooperative group.
Why in the world would Jesus tell these men they would be like lambs in the midst of wolves? How is that imagery confidence building or reassuring at all?
It isn't comforting at all if your focus is on the wolves.
Everything changes when we focus on the lambs and the Shepherd.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep...For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John 10:11-18
My proximity to the Good Shepherd makes all the difference in the way I live. When howling pierces the air, particularly when it is dark, I ask God to give me ears to hear His voice and a mind to focus on it. When I feel surrounded,that an attack is imminent and my confidence is faltering, or that I must have been mistaken when I heard Him say to go or do, because if I'd been right the wolves wouldn't be near, I have to choose to set my eyes on the Shepherd, not the "danger". I have to depend on Him, not myself.The truest danger is losing sight of and wandering from the Shepherd.
Sometimes I get distracted and I forget.
Sometimes I am full of fear and doubt creeps in.
Sometimes I am hesitant to look away from what is right in front of me, (wolves) even though I know that what is seen is temporary and what is unseen (Shepherd) is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Sometimes it is easy to trust that Jesus will lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Other times it is a struggle.
Alway the time, every single day, I have to practice living by what I know to be true and not by what I am feeling.
When I take my eyes off of what surrounds me and focus on Jesus,
when I tune my ears to listen for His voice, above the howls and threats,
I find peace and confidence.
Not because I am brave or strong,
but because He is faithful and trustworthy and near.
The truth: He is my Good Shepherd.
And Truth trumps feelings every time
(sometimes it just takes a little longer to get this place of rest.)
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