Interpret the Present Time
He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” (Luke 12:54-59)
In our current culture, the world views love as tolerance of sin and not acknowledging sin as sin, but that’s the most unloving thing we can do to those who are dying in their sin. And this isn’t a soapbox message threatening hell, but it truly is a message of love as Jesus urges people to be reconciled to God before it’s too late.
Accountable in the End
Every person will have to give account for their words and actions in the end. The only difference between those who get separated as God’s sheep and the rest as goats is that the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, covers His sheep. As Christians, we not only need to take inventory of ourselves to ensure the treasure we’re storing is in heaven, just as we read Jesus mention several devotionals ago, but we need to be a people burdened as ambassadors seeking to reconcile a lost people to their loving Creator. Even though our salvation is secure, we too will have to give account for our faithfulness to what God entrusted to us.
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3) Don’t we want to be a person who shines like the stars in heaven? And the end is coming soon, so the time to work will soon run out.
Judgement
Yes, many have and will scoff and say that Christians have been saying it’s the end times for a long time, but with the knowledge that the “slowness” they speak of is God’s grace allowing time for repentance - Do we share despite the scoffing or does the scoffing silence our gospel message? This is another one of those hard questions, but one well worth taking the time to honestly answer and take assessment of in ourselves. Jesus didn’t come down off the cross and stop His mission of redemption for you and me when people scoffed at Him, and neither should we be halted in our mission when people scoff at us.
It is well observed that the world doesn’t like the word judge. They actively quote the partial words of Jesus out of context when they tell Christians that He said to “judge not”, but the Spirit Himself is convicting the world of the coming judgement and Jesus here asks, “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?”.
The thing is, it was while we were still sinners that God died for us, and He loved us and sought after us in our lost state to bring us into reconciliation with Himself. So while we may be hated in the process, don’t ever give up on sharing the gospel with people. They are indeed sinners whom Jesus died for and we have the message, the very words of life, that Jesus gave us to share.
Do you remember the person or the people who shared Christ and His gospel message with you? I bet you do because it was likely super impactful, it changed your whole life! And you now, as a follower of Jesus, not only have the opportunities that the Spirit provides but the calling to share the gospel with them, which is what Jesus commissioned His disciples before He ascended and in which you have been commissioned as His follower.
The Very Last Penny
Just as the parable of the servant who is forgiven a financial debt they could never repay, this too is giving that parable type example that we all owe a debt that we can never repay. This example of making an effort on the way to settle is the chance at redemption through Jesus Christ prior to coming before eternal judgement. Because once someone dies and faces final judgement and the books are opened in the end, one will either be responsible to pay their debt themselves because the wages of sin is death, or have their debts forgiven by Jesus because they accepted the gift of God, which is eternal life.
Being in a cultural climate of politically correctness and tolerance, this blunt honesty may seem mean, but who really can accuse Jesus of not being loving? The Son of God, who is love, is telling people who are perishing that they need redemption, which He offers, before getting to the final judgement. That is the most loving thing He can do. And if He did that loving act of sharing the truth in love, then we too need to be bold and tell the same message in love.
Let me ask you these questions to think on – Who do you know who needs to hear the gospel message today? Do you believe God when He says the time of judgement is near? Then as an ambassador of Christ, boldly share that message of love with them today. Who knows, because of your willingness to share, today could be their day of salvation!