Holy Week-- Tuesday

Luke 19:47-20:32 Dr. Luke gives us Holy Week bookend texts! God bless Luke for showing us what Jesus is doing Sunday through Wednesday before He goes to the Cross. Together we read Luke 19:47-21:37 beginning with 'Every day He was teaching in the temple.' (19:47) and 'Every day He was teaching in the temple, and at night He would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called.' (21:37) In the temple Jesus is revealing the Good News (20:1). The Good News is the Gospel of His salvation for us and the abundant life we live in community. Jesus is ushering us into the most revolutionary part of God's Kingdom-- God with us through His Son Jesus! The people flood into the temple every morning to hear Jesus teach, to listen intently to Him within their hearts, and they know with certainty this is the Son Of God! Years ago I saw certainty in a young woman lifeguard. I watched as that marvelous lifeguard put everything she had within her to rescue a drowning child. I didn't even breath once and she had that little girl to the top of the water. That's exactly how salvation in Jesus Christ takes us when we yield ourselves to Him. And here is a temple filled to overflowing with people, young/old/in-between, who have yielded to Him. What is it to yield? It is like that child sinking slowly to the bottom who is helpless unless someone comes to rescue her. And what of the Rescuer? To that Jesus tells the Parable of the Vineyard which indicates that Almighty God has sent His only Son to gather the inheritance from the Vineyard but the Son is killed. (20:9-16) In this way Jesus let's us know that the Rescuer, Jesus, will be killed and God will destroy the tenants of the vineyard who killed Him. And the people listening hold that new information within their hearts and minds for in just a few days they will see or hear of Jesus' arrest, unjust charges, the beating almost to death, and how they'll hang Him on a tree to die. They will not know of His Resurrection yet and the awesome gift of Holy Spirit but they'll remember His words and His words, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Luke 20:33) And like the little girl rescued, they'll know they've been rescued in His Presence. He is within them. Holy Spirit's fire-lit salvation is with them in His words.