Getting Through

I've been in Luke 16 for a while. It is typical of many of the teachings of Jesus where He struggles to get through to his hearers. In the chapter He tells a story about a steward who is accused of mismanagement, and foreseeing his firing the steward finds a way to avoid digging ditches or begging. Jesus gives some instruction on the use of money, leveraging the earthly in order to secure the heavenly, using money instead of being used by money. He was talking to folks who loved money, who esteemed what God detested. God provided  several centuries of foreshadowing and prophesies contained in written form in the Law and the Prophets to show what God was doing. This was proclaimed up until John the Baptist who then began to talk about the kingdom that was near. When folks heard this they started forcing their way into this kingdom based on their own misunderstanding of what the kingdom was designed to be. They were trying to get through the door expecting some earthly utopia on the other side. But, then Jesus tells the story of a rich man who esteemed what God detested and a poor man named Lazarus who was the beggar the steward tried to avoid becoming who both ended up on two sides of a great chasm. One was in torment and the other was in Abraham's comforting bosom. The one in torment wanted his brothers to be warned so they would not come to where he was. But, Abraham tells him that they have Moses and the Prophets, the message preached up until John's day, and that is enough. And even if one rises from the dead, which many believed John to be the resurrected Elijah, the message would not "get through."

In one form or another Jesus message is about "getting through." How does the Son of Man get through to people? How does God through centuries of preparation get through to the hearts of men who are bound up in earthly thinking, earthly comforts, and earthly ambitions? John came preaching the kingdom as did Jesus Himself. It was to be what men would seek first (Matt.6:33). It was to be what people would enter, not force their way into. It was to be what we were to "get." Worries and wealth choke out the message of the kingdom. Daily business crowds out kingdom business. Keeping our house in order spiritually and relationally so that the kingdom can advance is essential for the message of the kingdom to get through to us. Hearts are being walled up today. People are building barriers to relationships and to the Spirit of God. But it was also so in Jesus' day. Jesus, the Son of God, had a hard time getting through to people. The humility and trust it takes to allow Jesus to rule and reign is the key to getting through. He knocks and we have to open. He uses people to walk through our doors, but we have to be open to them.

God to Jesus on His return from his sojourn on earth: "Son was it hard to get through to my people?" Jesus to God: "Father, it was incredibly difficult to get through to them. They have a lot on their minds and a lot of personal business to conduct. Their attention span is not very long. They are distracted by many things. They have a hard time sitting and listening to Our Word. They aren't very smart because they do not study. And, there is little room for Our Word in their crowded hearts. Yes it was hard, and I cried a lot."