So, here's the difficulty...

There are several lines of thought when it comes to how we should handle many of the difficult words and promises of Jesus.  Perhaps the most prominent goes something like this...

'Jesus is setting the bar higher than we can achieve because He wants us to aim that direction and then grace washes over us to make up the difference.'  

I like that thought, really I do.  It makes sense to me.  It soothes me.  It comforts me.  It rubs my back when I am up late at night thinking too much and obsessing about what God wants me to do or be or say.

But.

Sometimes what Jesus says is so pointed, so laser-like, it causes me to wonder...

Luke 6:32... 'If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?'... (35) 'But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting ANYTHING BACK.  THEN YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful just as He is merciful.'

OK, now I'll save some of the rest of this passage that is even more troublesome for our meeting on Sunday.  Let's just deal with this little snippet for a moment.

First, an aside.  There is a passage we will deal with in coming weeks in Luke 17, and the related passage in Matthew 18, where Peter asks Jesus, if someone sins against me how often do I have to forgive him?  Seven times?  Jesus tells him either 70 x 7 (490) or 77 times, we aren't sure what the number is here.  Randy Harris says, shoot, 490?  77?  I think 7 times is WAY too many if somebody REALLY sins against me.  That seems terribly generous.

And I agree with Dr. Harris.  Therein lies the problem.

To my way of thinking 7 times is way too much!  Can I even wrap my puny brain around what Jesus may really be saying here?  Is it really so much that I cannot ever achieve perfection, or is that my pathetic excuse for the fact that I am not even in the same zip code to what Jesus is talking about here...

Give to an enemy with NO expectation of getting anything back?  Are you kidding?  Never mind that I am not going to do this ALL THE TIME.  How about, WILL I EVEN CONSIDER DOING IT ONCE?

Now you know why I've been stuck in Luke 6/7 for over two months now in my personal study.  Because if I believe God's word is true, I am forced to ask, how does my life HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT?  Oh honey, you don't even HAVE that kind of time.

Til Sunday then...