Read: Luke 7:28-35
[They] rejected the purpose of God for themselves. (v. 30)
How did you “get it”? How did the good news of the gospel first come together for you? I was strongly influenced by the youth ministry of my church. I was bored silly watching filmstrips in Sunday school, and never quite understood what the pastor’s sermons were about in regular church. But in youth group I was with friends, and we sang cool songs, laughed a lot, went on great trips together, and, above all, had the gospel explained to us by our leaders in language that made sense.
Later, I discovered our youth ministry was modeled after Young Life, and I was so taken with Young Life’s fun, relational style, I wound up spending 29 years on Young Life staff! I wanted others to experience what I experienced, so I gave my life to it.
In this section of Luke, Jesus is drawing parallels between himself and John the Baptist. On the surface they were radically different. Jesus was a party; John was an ascetic. In the imagery of the very short parable in verses 31-35, Jesus is a wedding and John is a funeral. Yet each in their own way gave clues about the coming kingdom of God. Despite this diversity of approach, Jesus pointed out, not everyone “got it.” How sad it is for those who see the signs and miss the exit, who get the invitation and don’t bother to attend the party. —Jeff Munroe
As you pray, thank God for the huge variety of ministries that help people “get it.”
About the Author
Jeff Munroe is the editor of the Reformed Journal and, in addition to being the author of the best-selling book Reading Buechner: Exploring the Work of a Master Memoirist, Novelist, Theologian, and Preacher, is also a poet, blogger, and essayist. His work has appeared in Christianity Today, The Christian Century, US Catholic, and The Reformed Journal.
