From the Pastor's Desk . . . .
Surprises
“And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:30
Many find Jesus’ words in the reading from Luke’s gospel full of surprises. Shouldn’t Jesus, in order to attract people, lower the threshold and make Christianity easy? Should He not stand at the main entrance and say, “Come right in and be comfortable; no great effort is required of you to be a Christian”? Instead He says this: “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24).
Some expect Jesus, the Lord of love, to say, “Come to Me anytime—whenever you feel like it; My door is always open.” But the Savior does not misrepresent Himself as always at our beck and call, as one unconcerned whether we come to Him today, tomorrow, or the next day. He tells us that if we spurn His grace, thinking we can come to Him on our own terms and at times most convenient for us, He will say, “I don’t know you.”
A third surprise is that the ones to be seated at the table of grace in Christ’s kingdom are not necessarily the ones we might logically expect—those who took His acceptance of them for granted because of longstanding membership in His church. If they lack faith and love, they’ll be on the outside looking in, while strangers from east, west, north, and south will fill the places.
Our Lord’s words of warning take nothing away from His promises of salvation to those who rely on Him, their Savior: “Come to Me...I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28); “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16); “My peace I give you” (John 14:27). Jesus invites you and me—sinners that we are. That is the greatest surprise of
all.
By Pastor Edwards
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