Why Not

"What you destroy with your words will profit you nothing."

HAPPY the man who never goes by the advice of the ungodly, who never takes the sinners’ road, nor joins the company of scoffers (Psalm 1:1, Moffatt). Who are you scoffing at, O man of God? The church at Laodicea had left God to the point of being spewed out of God’s mouth (Revelation 4:16). They had much goods, were rich, yet in their hearts and from their mouths were lukewarm. Not cold to God, but not hot either. They were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Compromised. Consider now the church pictured in Luke 10. First, we have Jesus’ instructions to the Learners sent out to the surrounding towns and villages. He says, “When you enter a house, extend your hand in peace,” then, “Show how stable you are by staying in one place.” They were to “accept the hospitality of the host.”

But Jesus’ instructions don’t stop there. He says, “But when you enter a town and are rejected …” (Translations, the Remedy) Because they would show the love of God, the goodness of God, would heal the sick and yet be sent packing. There were those who would see people healed and rescued and get upset. Going forward in the chapter, we have the parable of the man going to Jericho. The Remedy substitutes “church” and “pastor” and “church leadership” for the King James words we are familiar with, and there it smacks me in the face.

“When a pastor came down the road and saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side and walked on by. Likewise, a member of the church leadership team came by and saw him, then crossed to the other side and walked on by.” (Luke 10:31-32)

Oh, Laodicea, you do not recognize yourself. You have so surrounded yourself with your ways, your doctrines, your methods of operation that you walk right by the man, beaten and left for dead, and justify it. You are hot for the church and cold for compassion. Being lukewarm, you don’t recognize yourself. Where Jesus saw lost sheep, where He hung on the tree and bore good fruit, the fruit of lives saved, of people with names and faces and hearts, beautiful glorious hearts, you lie in the thorns and call it harvest.

“For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Luke 6:43)

There is no picking cherries from a fig tree, no reaping corn in a wheat field. No grinding the wheat and making millet. Stop picking apart the seeds then asking them to grow. What you destroy with your words will profit you nothing and in God’s eyes echoes like the mocking and derision that was spat at the Savior. They parted His garments and cast lots for His robe, dressed Him like a King and railed on Him. They didn’t believe, and by making meal of the grain, neither do you. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, Isaiah prophesied, and now the lives of those He died for are in ours.

“And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.” (Matthew 27:29-30)

“And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there;” (Matthew 27:35-36)

Are we the Good Samaritan or the thieves? We’re the church who could not cure a desperate man’s son and God is asking us why not (Matthew 17:16).


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com