Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Luke and the Lost

The phrase “sleeping with the enemy” is often used to describe a situation involving a non-adversarial relationship between two individuals or entities that would normally be unfriendly or adversarial. This frequently includes business deals between competitors, joint projects tackled by enemies, and political maneuverings that require the cooperation of competing parties. Sometimes, sleeping with the enemy involves cooperating just for the purpose of gaining inside information or the upper hand in a competitive situation. In other situations, however, opposing parties may actually work together for the good of a common goal.

In a personal situation, sleeping with the enemy could mean working with someone you dislike to organize or accomplish something important. For example, if you share a friend with someone you dislike, you might work with that person to organize your mutual friend’s birthday party.

On a political level, a politician may find it necessary to sleep with the enemy to accomplish a particular governmental goal. In such a situation, a Democrat may band together with a Republican to work on a joint resolution. Often, this type of cooperation is met with suspicion from supporters of both parties, as each thinks the opposing party is planning to deceive or betray the other. One party may even be accused of attempting to take credit for the hard work done by both parties. Sometimes, onlookers worry that the parties may try to assert undue influence on each other’s ideas and political convictions.

I think of all this as I read the next episode of “what to do with this Jesus, who has gained so much popularity because of His love for common people, that He has become a real threat to the power and organization of the religious. The religious are tired of His Truth-telling. So the religious “sleep with the enemy”, compromising greatly the very words of God they have studied and memorized for centuries. They manipulate and strike a “deal” with the abusive, cruelly controlling Roman government in order to rid the world of this “revolutionary”. The One Who loves…unconditionally.

Luke 23, The Message
Pilate
23 1-2 Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.”

3 Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?”

“Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied.

4 Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, “I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.”

5 But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”

6-7 When Pilate heard that, he asked, “So, he’s a Galilean?” Realizing that he properly came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.

8-10 Herod was delighted when Jesus showed up. He had wanted for a long time to see him, he’d heard so much about him. He hoped to see him do something spectacular. He peppered him with questions. Jesus didn’t answer—not one word. But the high priests and religion scholars were right there, saying their piece, strident and shrill in their accusations.

11-12 Mightily offended, Herod turned on Jesus. His soldiers joined in, taunting and jeering. Then they dressed him up in an elaborate king costume and sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became thick as thieves. Always before they had kept their distance.

13-16 Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers, and the others and said, “You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear that he’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

18-20 At that, the crowd went wild: “Kill him! Give us Barabbas!” (Barabbas had been thrown in prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go, and so spoke out again.

21 But they kept shouting back, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

22 He tried a third time. “But for what crime? I’ve found nothing in him deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

23-25 But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down. Pilate caved in and gave them what they wanted. He released the man thrown in prison for rioting and murder, and gave them Jesus to do whatever they wanted.

The same people who praised Him days earlier, now shout crucify Him. We are warned that people without a pure, deep, growing, abiding relationship with Jesus Christ are like blades of grass, blowing in whatever direction the winds of change direct them. Are we like that? We must pause to reflect.

Dear Heavenly Father, The gospel writer bring us to the end of the beginning of your time on earth and remind us what You went through for us. Individually. You did NOT sleep with the enemy. You are God and we are not. You remained true to Your last breath on earth in human form. So, we must follow You and be grounded in the Truth You keep telling us, and then pass it on until our dying breath. We must not fall prey to “sleeping with the enemy” in the ways we behave. Help us, Lord. There are days when we are weak, but You make us stronger still. Thank you for not giving up on us. Continue to be with us.
In Jesus Name, Amen

Luke and the Lost

For many years, we have fallen back on the way we live as an admission to Whom we serve and worship. “They will know we are Christians by our love”, right? However, worldview says to love, too. The world says to be kind…so you can get want you want. I just stayed at a lovely hotel for four days while at a training for my job. I was treated like I was important to them. They met my every need, sometimes before I even asked.

They always smiled while serving me and others who were there on vacation or for business. They asked how we were doing, listened to our responses, and then asked how they could help. These people were trained well in hospitality. I’ve always said, we, as servant leaders in God’s church could learn a lot from taking a course in hotel hospitality coupled with God’s Word to remind us of what God is asking us to be and do.

On the last morning of my stay, while waiting on my coteacher in the lobby, with bags packed ready to make the trip back to the airport, I sat and read over in the corner. I overheard conversations from hotel staff that were not of the same kind and loving attitude of the people who were smiling and helping earlier. The smiles were gone, the gossip of each other was flowing because of a disagreement in procedures. It was a slap in the face of who I thought they were. Made me sad.

Jesus told the people He was the Son of God many times, but the High Priests and Scholars, ask Him again, but not for reasons to worship Him and kneel before Him. They didn’t do the dirty work of betrayal themselves, but put men in charge of Jesus to make fun of Him, slap our Savior in the face, blindfold him and generally bully Him. Jesus knows all about betrayal, but this insulting injury is the precursor of the religious to be seen for who they really are. They have no relationship with God, the Father or His Son. They seek their power in making sure the rules are obeyed. They are out to get what they want, by any means.

Luke 22, The Message
Slapping Him Around
63-65 The men in charge of Jesus began poking fun at him, slapping him around. They put a blindfold on him and taunted, “Who hit you that time?” They were having a grand time with him.

66-67 When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought him before their High Council. They said, “Are you the Messiah?”

67-69 He answered, “If I said yes, you wouldn’t believe me. If I asked what you meant by your question, you wouldn’t answer me. So here’s what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes his place at God’s right hand, the place of power.”

70 They all said, “So you admit your claim to be the Son of God?”

“You’re the ones who keep saying it,” he said.

71 But they had made up their minds, “Why do we need any more evidence? We’ve all heard him as good as say it himself.”

Jesus, the Son of God, brings them to admitting He is the Messiah, but they use this evidence against Him, because RULES trump RELATIONSHIP for those who wish to remain in power over people. The rule, one of the top rules, was that no one claims to be God…but God. They did not believe He was God. The biggest slap in the face of Jesus the Christ, Our long awaited Messiah and Lord.

Who are we, inside, before projecting outside? Do we smile, and say we love, but with conditions? Are we so busy obeying and following all the rules of graciousness and kindness without developing our relationships with God and each other? Are we continuing to “slap” Jesus in the face or at least, make Him sad with our actions towards each other, which is the same as toward Him according to His Word? These are all questions of self reflection this morning.

Dear Heavenly Father, I do not want to just be kind, politically correct and gracious just to “feel good” or get what I want, or for others to like me more. Those are unhealthy attitudes that destroy relationships. I repent of smiling on the outside while holding a grudge on the inside. Cleanse us, O Lord. Restore the joy of our salvation that kindles the fire of our gratitude of what You have done for us so that pure, living waters of unconditional love will flow from our hearts and spill into our actions. You love us, unconditionally. Help us to love each other in the exact same way, without thought of getting anything in return. I do not want to be a “slap in the face” of my relationship with You by my selfish actions. Yes, cleanse us of anything that offends You. In Jesus Name and by His power living in us, we pray. Amen. I believe.