Pray and don't Give up

February 11, 2011

Read Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:7-8
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Israelites suffered many hardships under different empires, including the Romans. They knew injustice firsthand. It was the hope of the Messiah who would deliver them that kept the nation going. They longed for the day when the Saviour would free them. They had been oppressed and mistreated, longing for the day when the Messiah would come and liberate them from these barbaric rulers.

Finally God’s justice came. It came in Jesus. Their liberation would be obtained through the crucifixion of their Mighty Saviour and not through violent uprising. It would come in their acknowledging Jesus and His sacrificial way of salvation. But would these same Jews who longed for justice be able to embrace the entire message of God’s justice. That was the challenge Jesus posed to his hearers.

Prayers come in many forms. A sigh, a tear, a clench of fist, an outraged cry at our predicament – all these are recognisable outcries of our hearts when language fails us. Prayer comes quickly and frequently when we feel that we are unjustly treated and a desperate cry to God to set things right and fair.

When we feel that we have been taken advantage of, our natural reaction is to hit back. Retaliation is never a godly response. We may be tempted to take things into our own hands and orchestrate events so as to get justice. But the process and response is as important to God as the outcome. God’s way is Jesus’ way. In Jesus, love and justice meets. Jesus way is the faith way. If we follow His way, we will be marked as those who follow THE way.

Faith in the face of injustice is seen in our conviction that God is a fair judge and he shows no favouritism. The anchor of justice is truth based on God’s revelation and character. God will not deny justice to us. Faith in God means to trust in His timing and His way.

Choose the way of love and choose to wait for His perfect way. He promises to vindicate us and He promises not to turn a blind eye to our plight nor turn a deaf ear to our cries. Do we trust Him enough to suffer through and pray till justice comes? That is the godly way.

The kingdom's Gospel and People

January 24, 2011

Read Luke 10:1-16

Luke 10:15
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.

There are 2 sides to the gospel that the 70 disciples are supposed to preach in these cities: peace (v.5-9) and warning (v.10-16) with great urgency (v.1-4).

The Jews at Jesus’ time believed that the Roman oppressors would be overthrown at the arrival of the Messiah. Thus, there were many self-proclaimed Messiahs who took up arms and led uprisings to topple the Romans. The Romans’ response was to crush the revolts and crucify the so-called Messiahs on the cross as a public mockery to their efforts and beliefs. It was a display of power through violence.
Jesus warned that unless these culturally and self notions of the Messiah is replaced with that of peace (which is God’s way), Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida would suffered.

A child of peace is one who understands and is upset over the injustice and oppression but will submit to the Jesus’ way because it is the ONLY way. Jesus’ way is not to begat violence with more violence but to counter violence with gospel-proclamation, service and sacrifice, even at the cross.

What does this all mean? It means God’s people should not be indifferent about injustice and oppression. Neither should we be overwhelmed by all that is going on. We hold out Jesus as the solution in confidence; fully convicted that through gospel proclamation, peaceful service and sacrifice, we shall usher in the kingdom of God.