Chapter-a-Day

A Dinner Dripping with Intrigue

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One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
Luke 14:1 (NIV)

Context is essential.

The episodes of today’s chapter lie with concentric circles of context that Luke has carefully laid.

Way at the beginning he introduces us to baby Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth. At his dedication, Simeon prophesies:

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” (2:34-35)

In chapter 9, Jesus “resolutely” sets out for Jerusalem, having predicted that:

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (9:22)

Today’s chapter begins with a simple statement.

Easily overlooked.

“Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.“

Most people read that and forget it. But wait…

Everything in today’s chapter happens in this context.

The baby Messiah who will cause “the rise and fall of many in Israel,” and who will reveal the thoughts of their hearts.

The Messiah on a mission — heading to Jerusalem to be rejected by the religious power brokers – to be killed by them.

And, He is dining with one of those very men…
….at his house.
…under his critical gaze.

This isn’t a casual dinner.
This is a set-up.
The table is dripping with intrigue and tension.

They think they’re watching Him.
But He’s the one setting the table…

He prods His enemies. He pokes at them at every turn.

“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (He knows His host thinks it is.)
He heals a man with abnormal swelling sitting in the room.

[Poke]

Watching the prominent religious leaders vying for the seats of honor at the table. He calls them out. Directly.

“But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (vs 10-11)

[Poke]

Jesus then tells a parable. A great banquet feast is given. All the high-and-mighty guests on the list beg off. The host sends servants to bring in the lowly, the poor, the marginalized, the foreigners, the outcasts.

Translation: You are leaders of God’s people. He sent me to invite you to His great banquet. You’ve rejected me, so I’m inviting others.

[Poke]

Jesus then surveys the room. Some of the powerful religious leaders have been following Jesus. They’ve been listening. Some have even tried to befriend Him. In yesterday’s chapter, it was they who warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him — begging Him not to proceed to Jerusalem.

I believe Jesus’ final words at the party are for them.

It’s decision time, gentlemen.

Time to fish, or cut bait.

They are riding the fence. They enjoy the pomp and prominence of their position. They live lives of relative ease. Their names are etched in the boxes at the top of the Temple org chart.

If you’re truly going to follow me, you have to give it all up.

Count the cost, gentlemen.
You can’t sip the Kingdom wine I offer and keep your seat at Herod’s table.

“Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

[Poke]

If you follow the tension in the room. It leads somewhere.

It is Good Friday as I write this post. On this annual day to remember Jesus’ execution on a Roman cross, I’m reminded…

Jesus was resolute in walking toward suffering and death.

Jesus prodded His enemies, and provoked their actions against Him.

Still, He didn’t run.

He went to their houses for dinner. He sat in their midst.
He gave His enemies another chance…
to hear
to see
to choose
to follow

As Jesus hung on three nails between heaven and earth.

He was not a victim.

He was the Son of Man on a mission.

A suffering servant.
A sacrifice, once – for all.

For me.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Hidden in Plain Sight

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At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’
Luke 13:31-32 (NIV)

Star Wars Episode IV was the first of the Star Wars movies made in the 1970s, and the movie that took the world by storm. Those of us who are old enough to have experienced that first taste of the Star Wars universe, watching it in retrospect is an adventure.

We had no idea Luke & Leia were twins. (We thought they were lovers!)
We had no idea Darth Vader was their father. (Are you kidding me?)
We had no idea Obi-Wan was Darth Vader’s Jedi Master.

Once I know the whole story, I see little things I never saw before.

Today’s chapter is a good example, and perfect for this Maundy Thursday post.

When Jesus began His ministry back in chapter 4, the Prince of this World tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He shows Jesus all the Kingdoms of this World, reminds Jesus that they are his to give, and offers to give them to Jesus if Jesus will only bow down to him. Jesus refuses.

On Good Friday, Jesus will be executed by an unholy trinity of the Kingdoms of this world.

Pilate representing Rome and the Kingdom of Human Empire.
Annas representing the Kingdom of Religion.
Herod representing the Kingdom of Self-Interest—politics, image, and the machinery of wealth.

In today’s chapter, Jesus is resolutely headed toward Jerusalem. He knows His mission. He knows what’s going to happen. He knows who is going to have Him executed.

The chapter begins with a reference to Pilate, who was notorious for using the power of Rome to suppress enemies and showcase his power.
Jesus says, “Repent You just might be next. I know I am.”

Then the scene shifts to the religious establishment who are so busy with their laws etched in stone that they can’t hear the Living Word when it is speaking to them directly.
Jesus “humiliates” them, increasing their desire to kill Him.

The chapter ends with Jesus being warned to avoid Jerusalem, because Rome’s local puppet king, Herod, wants to kill Him.
Jesus replies with veiled insult and prophetically doubles down on His mission.

“Three days to reach my goal.”

One day do die.
One day to winnow hell.
One day to rise again.

In the quiet this morning, I find today’s chapter to whisper to me about mission and urgency. Hidden in plain sight, Luke foreshadows this trinity of kingdoms of this world under the dominion of the Prince of this World. They desperately hate one another – but they will form an unholy alliance to put the Son of God to death.

And in so doing, they are unaware that they will ensure Death’s defeat.

Once and for all.

And Jesus’ message through the chapter weaves together into a single, urgent call:
Repent before it’s too late.
Bear fruit while there is still time.
Stop hiding behind rules and start showing mercy.
Trust—even a mustard-seed worth.
The door is narrow… but it is open.
And proximity to Him is not the same as knowing Him.

Good reminders as I join the rest of the world in making an annual pilgrimage with Jesus on His mission to the cross, and beyond.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

The Weight of April

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For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:34 (NIV)

It’s April.

I shared a few weeks ago that a friend and I spent 24 hours at a monastery in silent retreat. Each of us arrived with something on which we wanted to pray and meditate. For me, it was April.

This month brings a harmonic convergence of three important milestones in my life journey.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of these chapter-a-day blog posts and podcasts. My first post was April 4, 2006. One paragraph on Mark 8. Twenty years later I’m still here scattering my chapter-a-day posts to the winds of the internet.

Around the middle of this month my first book will be published and available on Amazon. This Call May Be Monitored (What Eavesdropping on Corporate America Taught Me About Business and Life) is the fulfillment of a life-long dream.

On the last day of the month I have one of those monumental birthdays with zero at the end. Yet 60 feels more monumental than the others. At this waypoint on the journey the conversation turns to retirement, health, and golden years. It’s the back turn before the home stretch.

Hitting all three milestones in one month has me returning to three important questions:

Where have I been?
Where am I at?
Where am I going?

Which is why they were rattling around my head and heart as I read today’s chapter. Jesus is coming out of his own back turn. In chapter nine He made the “resolute” turn towards Jerusalem. He’s entering the home stretch, and He knows exactly what awaits him.

As I read the text with that in mind, I once again found a common thread running through Jesus’ teaching. How, then, am I going to live? His ways are not our ways. According to Jesus, living for God’s Kingdom looks different than living for this world.

Kingdom people don’t fear death – or suffering (vs 4-12)
The world focuses on ways to cheat death, ignore it, or prefer it to life.

Kingdom people don’t worry about hoarding wealth & stuff (vs 13-21)
The U.S. alone has over 2 billion square feet of self-storage space.

Kingdom people don’t worry (vs 22-34)
Since 2020, levels of anxiety have skyrocketed across the spectrum.

Kingdom people remain fixed on eternal perspective (vs 35-48)
The world loses itself in the temporary—rarely stopping to consider what lasts.

Kingdom people view current events through an eternal lens (vs 54-59)
The world spins with every trending topic and momentary news blast

And so, in the quiet this morning I find myself meditating on how I am doing as I complete my 60th journey around the sun this month. As a disciple of Jesus…

How am I doing at living for God’s Kingdom?

How am I no different than the world?

What changes would Jesus have me make coming out life’s back turn?

Because there are more days behind me than are ahead of me.

And that’s no April foolin’.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Socially Inappropriate

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I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
Luke 11:8 (NIV)

Like most people, almost everything I was taught about God, church, and worship was all about propriety.

Sit still.
Be quiet.
Fold your hands.
Bow your head.
Dress nice.
Take off your hat.

The problem with this is that God’s description of worship is not that.

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” (Psalm 47:1)
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth…” (Psalm 66:1–2)
“…let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1–2)
“Let them praise his name with dancing…” (Psalm 149:3)
“Praise him with timbrel and dancing…” (Psalm 150:4)

This past Sunday, I yelled in church. More than once. I shouted out praise.

People were uncomfortable. I did it anyway. It wasn’t about them.

The further I progress in my journey, the more I have come to embrace just how significantly His ways are not our ways. Which means if I’m going to do things God’s way, I’m going to have to break out of my comfort zone.

And then there’s prayer.

In today’s chapter, right after teaching His disciples the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus tells one of His strangest parables. It’s one of those you rarely hear taught because, it’s uncomfortable.

A man shows up at his neighbor’s door at midnight after everyone is asleep. He needs to borrow some bread for unexpected guests. The woken neighbor tries to beg off, but the man will not stop pounding and begging until the neighbor finally relents and gives the man bread to shut him up.

Jesus says the man had “shameless audacity.” But this is another case of the original Greek word not having a good English equivalent.

The Greek word is anaideia. It is literally translated “without shame,” but here’s the twist… in Greek culture, anaideia is almost always negative.

It’s not polite boldness.
It’s not admirable persistence.

It leans more toward:

The person who keeps knocking when everyone else would slink away.
Brazen nerve.
Thick-skinned insistence.
A refusal to be embarrassed.

Jesus is essentially saying: “This guy gets what he needs not because he’s polite, but because he refuses to feel shame about asking.”

That feels like yelling out loud in church.

In a culture built on honor and shame, this is almost scandalous. The man at the door is violating social norms:

It’s midnight
The household is asleep
The request is inconvenient

And yet… he just keeps knocking.

Not a gentle tap.

Not a “sorry to bother you.”

This is persistent, socially inappropriate, borderline annoying knocking.

And Jesus says:

That’s the posture that moves the door.

And in the quiet this morning, that makes me extremely uncomfortable. Shame has always been my native language. It seeps out of me as pessimism. I was taught to be timid in asking for things.

“Be content with what you have.”
“Take what you’re given and be happy.”
“Don’t ask for too much, it’s rude.”
“You don’t deserve it anyway, so just don’t ask.”
“Don’t expect too much, you’re probably not going to get it anyway.”

Jesus paints a picture of prayer that feels almost… scandalous:

Not polished.
Not proper.
Not carefully worded.

But:

Bold
Relentless
Unembarrassed

The kind of prayer that says:
“I know it’s late.”
“I know this is inconvenient.”
“I know I’ve already asked.”
“But I’m still here. Still Knocking. Not going away.”

Heaven’s door doesn’t open for the well-mannered.
It opens for the ones who won’t stop knocking.

For me, there’s something quietly intoxicating about this.

A permission slip… to be a little undignified with God.

To knock like you mean it.

It’s like shouting in church.

Undignified.
Uncomfortable.

And exactly the point.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

A Good Question for the Week

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…but few things are needed—or indeed only one.
Luke 10:42a (NIV)

Most mornings as I sit in the quiet and meditate on the chapter there is one thing that jumps off the page. Other mornings, like this morning, there is a flow and a thread that runs through the episodes.

Today’s chapter contains four episodes. Each episode has its own lesson, but together they have a cohesive thought to send me into another work week.

First, Jesus expands the mission. Not just the Twelve now—others. Seventy-two unnamed, ordinary people.

He sends them out with almost reckless simplicity:

  • No purse
  • No bag
  • No sandals

In other words: No safety net but Me.

And what happens?
They come back breathless—“Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”

Jesus smiles, but gently redirects their joy:

“Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus is saying, “Your identity isn’t in your power… it’s in your belonging.”

I love measurable wins—success, influence, outcomes.
Jesus whispers, “Tom, that’s not your truest scoreboard.”

My worth today is not in what I accomplish but in the quiet, unshakable reality that I am known and named.

In the second episode, Jesus grieves the towns that were centers of His ministry. They saw and heard everything… and they shrugged.

Jesus compares them to Tyre and Sidon—ancient enemies of Israel. It’s a shocking reversal: The outsiders would have responded… but you didn’t.

Familiarity can numb the soul.

I don’t drift from God because I lack information.
I drift because what was once electric becomes… ordinary.

The danger isn’t rebellion. It’s indifference.

I need to pay attention to what I’ve grown used to—grace, truth, the quiet nudges. I need to let them surprise me again.

Speaking of familiar, the third episode is the well-worn parable of the Good Samaritan.

A lawyer wants Jesus to define the limits of his responsibility. Jesus blows up the boundary lines.

A man is beaten on the road and left half-dead.
A preacher passes by…
An upstanding church member…
Then stops…one of those people… a Samaritan.

Samaritans and Jews had centuries of hostility. This isn’t just unlikely—it’s offensive. Jesus casts the enemy as the hero.

And notice the verbs:

  • He saw him
  • He felt compassion
  • He went to him
  • He bandaged
  • He carried
  • He paid

Love is not an attitude.
It’s an action, a movement toward.

My neighbor today isn’t theoretical.
It’s the inconvenient interruption right in front of me.

The road to Jericho winds its way through my day.

In the final episode, Jesus is having dinner at Mary and Martha’s house.

Martha is busy.
Mary is present.

Martha’s frustration spills out:

“Lord, don’t you care?”

Ugh! How many times have I whispered that question?

Jesus responds with tenderness, not rebuke:

“Martha, Martha… you’re worried and upset about many things, but only a few are needed – or indeed only one.”

“Many things” vs. “one thing.” The Greek carries the sense of fragmentation vs. wholeness.

Martha is pulled apart.
Mary is centered.
I can be very productive… and very divided inside.

The invitation isn’t to do less for Jesus.
It’s to be with Him first.

Before the emails.
Before the noise.
Before the long task list of responsibilities…

Sit down at the table.
Listen.
Let my soul breathe, and center.

And the through-line of these four episodes is an important question for my day and my week: Where is my center?

  • Is it in what I do? (the seventy-two)
  • In what I’ve grown used to? (the cities)
  • In where I draw my boundaries? (the lawyer)
  • In how busy I keep myself? (Martha)

Or…

Is it in being with Jesus—and letting everything else flow from there?

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

The Mountain

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About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
Luke 9:28 (NIV)

This past spring a friend invited me to climb a mountain. It wasn’t a tall mountain, mind you. The rugged trail to the summit was few miles and the ascent was gentle enough that it didn’t wear me out too much. But, it was a mountain. The view was spectacular. As an Iowa boy living my life on the rolling plains, it was a rare opportunity and experience.

A year or so ago I listened to The Bible Project’s podcast series on mountains in the Bible. In case you didn’t know it, mountains are a whole theme across the Great Story, and in today’s chapter we encounter one of the most crucial examples. it’s a strange one—but once you see the connections (because in the Great Story, everything connects), it opens up in all sorts of ways.

To unpack it, we first have to travel back to our chapter-a-day trek through Exodus. In Exodus 19, Moses and the recently freed Hebrew slaves arrive at Mount Sinai and God makes a covenant with the Hebrew people.

  • Moses ascends the mountain
  • A cloud envelops it
  • God’s voice thunders
  • His face shines when he comes down
  • The Law is given

Sinai is fire and fear.
Distance. Boundaries. “Do not come too close.”

It’s holy, yes—but also heavy. The people tremble. Even Moses feels the weight of it.

Now, let’s compare that to what happens in today’s chapter.

  • Jesus ascends the mountain
  • A cloud envelops it
  • God’s voice speaks
  • Jesus’ face shines like the sun
  • And… Moses is there

Did you catch that?

Moses—the man of Sinai—now standing beside Jesus.

The Law stands next to its fulfillment.

As I meditate on the two, I find four absolutely delicious echoes.

1. The Cloud

Same symbol. Same presence.

At Sinai: terrifying mystery.
At Transfiguration: intimate revelation.

The cloud hasn’t changed.

But the way we experience it has.

2. The Voice

At Sinai: commands carved in stone.
At Transfiguration: “This is my Son… listen to him.”

That’s not just a statement—that’s a handoff.

From law → to living Word
From tablets → to a person

3. The Shining Face

Moses reflects glory.

Jesus radiates it.

One borrows the light…
The other is the light.

4. The Conversation

Luke tells us what they’re talking about:

They speak of Jesus’ “departure” — the Greek word is exodus.

Oh, that’s not accidental. That’s poetry with teeth.

Moses led the first exodus—out of Egypt.
Jesus is about to lead a greater one—out of sin and death.

Same word. Bigger story.

But the best is yet to come when it comes to what this means for me today as a disciple following Jesus.

Peter, bless his enthusiastic heart, wants to build tents.

“Let’s stay here. Let’s capture this. Let’s make it permanent.”

Oh, I feel that sentiment. I’ve felt it on several spiritual mountaintops.

I love those Sinai moments.
Those Transfiguration moments.
Those flashes of clarity where everything feels bright and certain and… safe.

But then the cloud clears.

And Jesus?

He’s alone.

Moses fades. Elijah fades. The moment fades.

Because the point was never the mountain.

It was always Him… and He never stays there.

If Sinai and the stone tablets say “Obey and live,”
and the mountain of Transfiguration says “Listen to him”…

Then the question quietly slips into my morning like a hand on my back:

Am I still trying to live by laws carved in stone…
or am I actually listening to the voice?

Because it’s possible—oh, dangerously possible—to admire Sinai, respect the law, nod at the glory…

…and still not follow the Son down the mountain.

And he always comes down the mountain.

Toward people.
Toward pain.
Toward Jerusalem.

And when I listen to the Voice…it’s always calling my name.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

My Part in Jesus’ Ministry

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/0iBqoJftHHXlLWv864Nh2S?si=BDrIa68XRYm7Ylk2FGLVQQ

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Luke 8:38-39 (NIV)

I regularly get addressed as “Pastor Tom” by people locally, even though I have not been on a church staff for 33 years. I do regularly teach among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers, however, and so many people place the label on me. I’m fine with that. I consider it an honor.

When I was a child I had a very narrow definition of God’s purposes and callings. This came, in part, from the denominational paradigm in which I was raised. Humanity was spiritually divided into two camps: clergy and laity. Ministry was a profession and only those in the profession could do certain spiritual things. Laity, or “everyone else” was a catch-all. A layperson might attain to more-or-less spirituality, but you were still not in the rarified air of being a “minister.”

This was childish thinking — and it took me a while to outgrow it.

In today’s chapter, I was struck by all of the people around what Jesus is doing…

  • There’s the twelve, who are without question Jesus’ officially designated disciples.
  • Within the twelve only Peter, James, and John are allowed to go into the house of Jairus to witness the raising of his daughter. These three would regularly be Jesus’ “inner circle” within the Twelve.
  • There were several women in Jesus’ entourage. Luke names three but states there were “many” others supporting Jesus’ ministry operationally and financially.
  • Jesus’ family were also present, and Jesus seems a bit dismissive in today’s chapter, but they will have a large part to play in the Jesus Movement later on. His brother James will lead the Movement in Jerusalem and write the book of James.
  • The demon-possessed man Jesus heals begs Jesus to let him follow, but Jesus sends him with a mission to tell everyone in his hometown all that Jesus had done for him. Proximity to Jesus was obviously not required for participation in His mission.

As I meditated on these things in the quiet this morning, I was struck by the fact that all of these people had a part to play in what Jesus was doing. Jesus needed the support of the ladies in His entourage. He needed people to spread the word about what He’d done for them. He needed disciples, but He also needed a few disciples that He could entrust with more than others.

They all had a purpose.

Each one had a part to play in what God was doing.

Along my journey I’ve continued to observe individuals who still see the Kingdom of God through the binary lens of professional ministry and everyone else. Being in the “everyone else” camp causes some people to feel diminished regarding God’s purpose for their lives — like they’re sitting in the cheap seats in the Kingdom while others get called onto the field. I’ve observed that some feel it exempts them from even considering things of the Spirit.

Dr. Mary Neal had an extraordinary Near Death Experience she shares in her book To Heaven and Back. She was physically dead for several minutes and experienced going to heaven. In that experience she shared how she was shown how things she had said and done had a ripple effect in the lives of people all over the world. Even her mistakes and failures had redemptive impact in the lives and stories of others in ways she could never have fathomed.

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that every one is a part of the “body” of Christ. We may be different parts. We may operate in very different systems required to make a healthy body function. Like each person in today’s chapter, everyone has a part to play in what God is doing. Peter had a part to play. So did Joanna. So did the man healed from demon possession. Each was very different, but all were part of God’s operation.

It begins with…
A loving gesture
A kind word
Peace in my posture
Joy in my smile
A gentle response
Patience with that annoying person
Faithfully doing what I’ve been asked or have promised
Doing a good deed when the opportunity presents itself

If I focus on these things, God will use me in ways I can’t even fathom for purposes I may never realize this side of heaven.

No theology degree or ministerial certificate required.

Take it from Pastor Tom.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Surrendering Expectations

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When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
Luke 7:20 (NIV)

Life for John the Baptist has not turned out like he expected.

Jesus said John was at the top of the list of all-time greatest human beings, but John’s life is at an all-time low.

John is rotting in King Herod’s dungeon. According to the historian Josephus, John is languishing in a prison overlooking one of the lowest places on the Earth. Just east of the Dead Sea. The wilderness prophet who wandered free loudly proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the World, is alone, isolated, and silenced in the dark.

Why?

He simply told the truth about Herod’s marriage. It wasn’t lawful. John dared to publicly criticize the King.

And, princes of this world find ways to silence their critics.

So there John sits in the darkness, wondering what on earth is going on. This is not what he thought would happen. This is not the way it was supposed to.

What did John proclaim about Jesus just a few chapters back?

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”

“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Herod is one of the brood of vipers, and there appears to be no wrath pouring out on him. John is the one who’s been snake-bit.

And where in the world is Jesus with His ax and holy fire wrath for Herod?

Jesus a hundreds of miles to the north wandering among small, rural villages on the north shore of Galilee.

He’s not in Jerusalem cleaning up corruption.
He’s not sitting on an earthly throne.
And there is no sudden justice. No holy fire falling.

So, John sends his disciples to Jesus.

“Are you the One, or not?”

At least, that’s the surface question. The questions hiding in the subtext are the important ones.

“Will you get me out of this prison?”
“Will you please deal with evil like I told everyone you would?”
“Please help me understand. This is not how my life should look!”

Jesus reply is chilling. He answers subtext with subtext.

Jesus sends John’s disciples back with a loose paraphrase of the words of the prophet Isaiah, including this from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

Jesus echoes Isaiah — but noticeably leaves out the part about freedom for captives or prisoners released from dark dungeons.

John wants fire from heaven. Jesus is on a mission of mercy.

John’s story is not going to end the way he’d like, and Jesus is not the type of Messiah John expected.

And in the quiet this morning, those are the two sobering realities that I, as a disciple of Jesus, must embrace.

As I follow Jesus, I have no guarantees regarding what my story will look like on this earthly journey or how that story will end. I’d like to believe it will be a long life full of blessings. It could be full of hardship and tragedy. I am called to trust the story, and know that God will be faithful no matter what the chapters of my future contain.

I, like John the Baptist, must also surrender my expectations of who I want Jesus to be. Faith is not about shaping Jesus into who I expect Him to be—but allowing Him to shape me into who I am meant to become. In that relationship and my resulting transformation, I begin to know God for who He is — not what I desire or what I’ve heard others say about Him.

And so, I enter another day — and whatever God has written for me and my story.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Promotional graphic for Tom Vander Well's Wayfarer blog and podcast, featuring icons of various podcast platforms with a photo of Tom Vander Well.
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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Chapter-a-Day

Into the Quiet

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OzBLIP40Q6e4bL1kEPSaT?si=pS1sy9xGQo2BihyLItGDng

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Luke 6:12 (NIV)

This past week I fulfilled a long time desire. A friend and I drove to New Malleray Abbey in northeast Iowa and spent 24 hours in a personal retreat. The Abbey is home to Cistercian monks and they welcome guests to stay with them. It’s not on a mountain, but northeast Iowa is about the closest thing we have to it.

For a small donation, I was given a simple room—bed, desk, chair, bathroom. Seven times a day at set hours, the monks gather for prayer, beginning with Vigil at 4:30 a.m. and ending with Compline at 7:30 p.m. We attended each during our stay. Otherwise, we were in our “cell” in complete quiet.

No phone.
No television.
No internet.

My Bible, my journal, and silence.

There was no set agenda or program. My friend and I discussed before we left what we intended to do in the quiet. I went into the time with some things on which I wanted to pray. Three things on which I wanted to meditate.

As I read today’s chapter, I found myself back on that mountainside. Before choosing His twelve disciples, Jesus went up on a mountain-side, by Himself, to pray through the night.

A few verses later, Luke reports that a “large crowd of disciples” were gathered to hear Jesus teach.

Jesus had a crowd of disciples.
He knew He needed to choose twelve.
He went off by Himself for a day and a night of silence and prayer.

After our twenty-four hours, my friend and I had a three-hour drive home during which we stopped for lunch. We not only processed what we had experienced in our first time at the Abbey, but we also processed what we had learned and heard in our extended time in prayer and the issues we brought with us on our list.

There were no angelic visits. No miraculous moments. But something quieter—and perhaps more enduring—took place. There was, however, a trinity of progressive outcomes.

First, there was increased clarity about the issues we each prayed about.
Like Jesus getting clarity about who the twelve should be.

This led to the second outcome. As my friend and I processed the clarity we received in our time of silence and prayer, it led to very intimate and transparent conversations with one another about them. This, in turn, created even more clarity and moved the needle for both of us.

The final outcome was that we realized how much we needed this, and we’ve already begun to discuss our next silent retreat.

One of the themes of Luke’s version of the Jesus Story is Jesus penchant for spending times in solitary prayer. He mentions it nine times. More than any of the other three gospel writers. In today’s chapter, Jesus finishes His message talking about the difference between those who hear His teaching and apply it, and those who hear His teaching and don’t.

As I meditated on this in the quiet this morning, it struck me that Jesus’ teaching was not just in His words — He was teaching with His life.

It turns out that mountainsides aren’t just for Jesus.

As I mentioned at the beginning of today’s post, my silent retreat at the Abbey has been a long-time desire.

I regret that it took me so long to do it.

It won’t be long before I do it again.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Promotional graphic for Tom Vander Well's Wayfarer blog and podcast, featuring icons of various podcast platforms with a photo of Tom Vander Well.
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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Chapter-a-Day

Every Day People, Every Day Lives

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When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Luke 5:8 (NIV)

When I’m asked to deliver a message, I often take a few moments before I speak to survey the room. I look at the people sitting there. If it’s among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers I know most of them. I know many of their stories.

In those moments I allow myself to consider the very real struggles that are represented by every face.

Fear, anxiety, and depression
Marriages struggling to survive
Bodies carrying pain
The quiet ache of loneliness
Financial pressure
Struggles at work
Children in full rebellion

Sometimes I will start with a prayer and simply name these things out loud. I want my message to meet people where they are. That’s the whole point of Jesus’ message —He meets people where they are.

Today’s chapter is filled with simple, every day people with every day struggles.

Empty nets.
Incurable disease.
Paralysis.
Social conflicts.
Religious judgement.

God has moved into the neighborhood, and He brings abundance.

An abundance of fish to fill empty nets
An abundance of healing — lepers cleansed, the lame walking
An abundance of grace — sins forgiven, feasts with sinners
An abundance of challenge — it’s the religious He confronts

What I find fascinating is the change that takes place when individuals have an encounter with Jesus.

Peter, James, and John walk away from the biggest catch of their lives.
Matthew leaves his lucrative career in an instant.
A leper and lame man become walking billboards of what God can do inside and out.

But the religious fundamentalists? They dig in deeper.

As I meditated on this in the quiet this morning, it struck me that this is exactly why I take that moment before the message. In that room are living representatives of all the people in today’s chapter. Every day people with every day struggles. And yes, there are always religious fundamentalists in the room more concerned about rules than real righteousness.

My job, as I see it, is to bring the same Jesus we meet in today’s chapter. There will always be religious rule-keepers — that doesn’t change. But Jesus truly changes people when they have an encounter with Him at the intersection of their very real, every day lives.

I know I did. And that’s a Message worth sharing.

After all, it’s why God moved into the neighborhood in the first place.

I will be done the next two days on a little personal retreat.
Lord willing, I’ll be back next Monday.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Promotional graphic for Tom Vander Well's Wayfarer blog and podcast, featuring icons of various podcast platforms with a photo of Tom Vander Well.
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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Just another wayfarer on life's journey, headed for Home. I'm carrying The Message, and I'm definitely waiting for Guffman.