Luke 13:31-35 In the Scripture today, Jesus is on the Way to Jerusalem. As Jesus travels on the way, I imagine Jesus encounters many people, like a man who was lonely, a woman who was hungry, a young person who was laden with debt, and an elderly person who was trembling with anxiety. When Jesus sees these people, Jesus stops; Jesus stops and looks them in the eyes; Jesus sees the depth of their pain and, suddenly, within him wells up a desire like mama hen to care for all her chickens. Jesus is filled with a desire to gather all her chicks in and let them know how deeply cared for they are. And so, Jesus stops on the Way and begins to heal the people around him, casting out demons, proclaiming the truth that no matter who you are, whether you are a blind beggar on the street or have a serious condition like leprosy or have not-so-popular job like tax collector, you are still the beloved of God and nobody else can tell you otherwise. Not your family. Not a stranger. Not a government official. While Jesus is healing the people, Jesus starts telling them about God’s kingdom, because he sees how oppressive Herod’s kingdom is. Herod was appointed by the Romans as king of a section of Jewish territory, with those from the temple serving as his local administrators. Together, their focus is on confiscating land, […]
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