In His Name
Open Your Bible
Luke 9:28-62, Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:18
BY Rebecca Faires
Have you ever watched kids wait for the bus? Our kids wait at the end of a long driveway, and somehow that distance makes them think they are surely out of my eyeshot. They imagine themselves in a Lord of the Flies world, where no adult can see them, and a child would willingly bludgeon his brother for fruit snacks. They act like the bus stop is a land of limbo where perfect impunity reigns supreme. But our driveway is just not that long.
Drinking my coffee, I watch from the window as my own children frantically blow through a punch list of morning offenses. They are in such a hurry to let it all hang out before they find themselves under the next authority: Miss Pitt, the bus driver. She will brook no nonsense in a moving vehicle. The world is a sinful place, though, and Miss Pitt isn’t always looking in her giant rearview mirror, telling them to sit back down.
My kids aren’t outliers. We all enjoy the luxury of being out from under authority, to cut loose and do what’s right in our own eyes. And we are the people the Christ came to save. Those of us who are giving noogies, slapping faces, and stealing cookies at the bus stop—those of us who are hiding our shame, returning to our sins, and feeling beaten down by what we’ve done. We are the people Christ came to save. We’re all in the same boat. We’re just better at hiding our misdeeds than children are.
The day after Jesus’s transfiguration, He came down from the mountain, into the adorable, unwashed fray of regular humans, and He immediately encountered our brokenness. “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you?” (Luke 9:41). He knows that we are trying to hide from authority, but this is exactly why He came. He came down from glory to heal a broken world.
Even in the midst of His longing for our redemption, Jesus was about the business of healing, saying to the man in the crowd, “Bring your son here” (v.41). While the crowd and the disciples worried about who was supposed to be able to cast out demons, Christ had fixed His eyes upon the redemption of all things. He knew about the glory of God and was not confused by squirrely, bus-stop shenanigans. He knows that we are broken and full of terrible nonsense, but Jesus understands who He is, who His Father is, and who we are. He is not surprised that we are getting it wrong; that’s literally why He came.
Jesus came to save the lost and the broken. He shows forth the glory and greatness of God. Be astonished today, not at the misdeeds of man—that’s not surprising at all—but at the greatness of God’s love and grace for us. His name is great, and He is greatly to be praised (v.43).
49 thoughts on "In His Name"
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My sin is expected and shouldn’t be surprising. I’m chosen and forgiven. That’s dumbfounding.
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How prepared are we to do the work God has called us to do?
While I do believe that this message has many undertones, the one the stood out most was Luke 9:40 “And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” I imagine they could not, as they were not in alignment with God, truly believing in the power and authority they had. Whenever we fail to walk in that authority God is then forced to “bear with” us, finding someone else that is willing to complete the assignment we were called to do. May we continually seek truth for ourselves so that we are prepared to show up not only for ourselves but the people that are waiting on us to get it together.
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I try to take this word into my daily life. It is hard to show and admit your sins to God, but perhaps in doing so makes your relationship with God stronger.
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What I will take into my day: We shouldn’t be surprised by the broken misdeeds of the people in this world. We should Glory in God and that he sent Jesus into our mess to heal the world and our relationship with Him.
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It’s amazing how I can read a passage over and over again and still miss key details. I knew Jesus was visited by Moses and Elijah while on the Mt. of Transfiguration. This morning I caught the detail that while the three disciples slept, Jesus chatted with Moses and Elijah about His own death. Really? That’s what you wanna talk about, Jesus?
So I ask myself, “why these men?” Moses represent the Law. He was the one who wrote it down and instituted it with the people. Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law. Elijah is one of the greatest prophets of Israel. The first word of prophesy in Scripture concerns Jesus’s plan for redemption. So it makes sense that Jesus is sharing his plan of redemption with the Law and the Prophets. Wow. To be part of THAT conversation!
Then as the devotion pointed out, after that the disciples missed the point. They argued about who would be greatest in the kingdom, missing the point that Jesus valued humility. They forbade others from commanding spiritual wickedness to leave, missing the point that the power is in the NAME and not in the club they were in. They condemned a whole city, missing the point that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it. We also must be careful in our zeal not to miss the point-
Thank you for sharing!! I noticed that about the disciples too but I also noticed that Jesus continued to call the disciples and he would rebuke them and teach them even though they were not perfect and at times they’re hearts were not in the right places. That sounds a lot like me, I’ve been struggling with being the “perfect” Christian and this was so eye opening!
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He came down from glory to heal a broken world. Each of us is broken. I am broken, but He has redeemed me. One day we will be fully restored. We will see Him face to face. In the meantime, we are invited to know Him by faith. To know His forgiveness and His love. Lord, I have received your forgiveness. I am held by your love. May I be your hands and feet, showing your love to people every day.
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The Lord is our redeemer and healer. Faith is His Gift. How do I serve Him?
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