Today’s scripture: Luke 20:1-8 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Tammy Mills):
It seems ironic to me that we come upon this scripture in the midst of political convention season! The whole exchange between Jesus and the leaders seems very political to me. The leaders are caught in a bad place. They need a good answer, but either answer they might give won’t produce the result they had hoped for.
As I have watched the conventions I have noticed how much attention is paid to how things are said and asked! Everyone is using all their intellectual power to get the response they think will help them the most politically, the response that will help keep them in power, the response that will help prop up the status quo.
Jesus’ “non answer” to their question of authority strikes me as genius. By not getting caught up in the politics, he is able to continue his journey.
It made me wonder — just how much of my time do I spend trying to answer questions that I really don’t need to get all caught up in? For example, the girls (my daughters, ages seven and eight) and I were having a big discussion about creationism. I was spending a lot of intellectual energy to try to present both sides of the argument to them, so that they would be better informed. At the end of my theological diatribe both girls kind of looked at me like I was crazy and concluded I was way “too wordy.”
Perhaps instead of getting all caught up in political maneuvering, I should have praised my girls for having their own opinions and encouraged them to keep on thinking! Sometimes perhaps the best answer is really no answer!
Thought for the day: This week I will listen more — listen more to others, and listen more to my heart.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.