God's Kingdom is coming and He is bringing His loving will to bear on the whole world and therefore these squabbles of the old world, the world where the land of Israel is the sign of God's faithfulness and covenant renewal. That is what is expected and that is the kind of justice they are looking for (we see that here in the text) as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem. That is not what God is doing, he's got much grander things going on. In His coming Kingdom which He desires to give us there is no room for people's greed for personal abundance at the cost of others. This is something that is to fade away as God's Kingdom comes just as the Torah is fulfilled in Messiah,and just as the law in ordinances becomes irrelevant...fading away for those who live by the Spirit.
Now Jesus' comment here about not worrying are quite shocking today, we thrive on anxiety as a matter of fact the very act of stopping and being silent for more than just a few minutes drives most people mad. I am one of those people. The Lord is teaching me the importance of slowing down, of sabbath rest. The world will go on without me and the Lord will provide for my needs as I walk with Him. Perhaps it was more shocking to those who heard it then however, people whose lives resemble more like those in Ghana than in Boynton Beach, FL...a place were one sickness in the family could mean homelessness and starvation rather than ...well whatever we happen to be worried about today...birthday parties, a new car or (ironically)an extravagant Christmas.
That can be a difficult thing to see, so one must have the scales removed from our eyes in because we are trained in this country more than any other to achieve ever more, those are weighted and dishonest scales through which we see and muddle through life. It has been taught that if I have abundance while my neighbor is in need of food, I have stolen from him in God's economy where love is the dynamic currency in which we transact. So store up treasures for yourself in heaven that you might be rich before God. That doesn't sit well with capitalism at all. The American dream has run rabid, it should in no way surprise us that God has caused us to revisit our spending habits and the wisdom of our business dealings in this country, not to mention our position of charity towards others. I pray we learn our lesson, myself included. We are a nation under God whether we want to say so or not, all authority has been given the Jesus Christ on earth and in heaven.
May we stop worrying about getting what's ours, all things have been given to us and so it is time for the Saints of God to truly possess them and as we have freely received, so should we freely give, knowing that this is God's will for His people in Messiah Jesus, His royal priesthood, that we should love and care for all creation giving glory to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord remove from we, your people, this spirit of anxiety and worry, this lack of trust and any spirits of greed that You might be all the more glorified. Amen
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