Luke 22:7-13 | Unclear Plans
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Better Understanding
Better Understanding
Engage
It can be very easy to not understand God’s plans when we look at things in our life. We pray, but God still allows us to go through hard times. We cry out and loved ones still die. When we have those experiences, most of the time we aren’t bold enough to directly call God’s wisdom into question. But, those experiences can trouble our faith. We can start to think we need to orchestrate everything, for anything good to come. That it is all going to be on us. And then we can start using the end justifies the means rational in how we make decisions.
In our passage today, the Disciples are given instructions that are very strange and they decide to follow these strange instructions. They had to act on faith that their Master knew what he was doing and had a purpose for it. Today we are going to look at that purpose and consider ourselves how to be faithful when we don’t understand the path God has put us on.
We will get our passage from Luke 22:7-13
Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
Our message is entitled “Unclear Plans”
Let’s Pray
A Strange Errand
A Strange Errand
Tension
It would have been a lot easier for Jesus to have told the disciples: “Go down first street in Jerusalem, take the first left and 777 Temple Drive will be on your right.” He could have even said something like “Go speak to Ezekiel, the guy with the guest chamber for rent”. Instead it almost appears like Jesus sends his disciples on a scavenger hunt. Or some strange covert mission: “Go find the guy with the pitcher of water”.
This on its own is a little odd. Jewish culture typically had the women carrying responsible for carrying the water. This guy they were looking for would probably stand out. Not many other guys were going to to running about with a pitcher.
Then lets add another strange thing to this request, and I liken it to this. A few years back our family thought it would be a nice idea to go camping over a long weekend, probably Memorial Day. It was a couple weeks out and as we went from website to website it became very clear, very quickly that we weren’t going to be able to make last minute reservations. Every campsite within a 4 hour drive was completely sold out. We needed to plan months in advance in order to get reservations for that weekend.
The disciples here, are preparing for the Passover. The city is bursting at the seams with pilgrims, this is a lot bigger of a deal than a Memorial Day weekend camping trip and it’s the day of the feast. How likely is it to go find a vacant room?
The disciples on this mission apparently learned their lesson. This is the same Jesus who they questioned when he told them to feed the multitudes in Matthew 14. And so with five loaves and two fish, the multitude ate.
Hand Picked for the Job
Hand Picked for the Job
Truth
Not all of the Apostles went on this mission. Luke 22:8
And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
This was important for a couple of reasons. Tradition stated that only 2 men could accompany the lambs to the temple to be sacrificed. This was probably a very helpful rule. All of Israel had to make a sacrifice and if you only had 2 hours to do so it would be very crowded on the temple mount. Having only 2 men per family bring the sacrifice cut down some on the mob of people waiting in line.
I could imagine being Peter or John and feeling the need to set Jesus strait. Your plan is terrible Jesus, let’s consider an alternative. They could have even gone rogue and found a place on their way. On such a desperate errand I could imagine seeing a vacancy sign in a window would be a temptation. They could have just popped in, make their reservation and reported to Jesus not to worry, they found a place.
It is very tempting for us to circumvent God’s instruction with our logic, when we don’t understand God’s reasoning. David did it. David set out to retrieve the Ark of God and here is what we read in 2 Sam 6 starting in v3
And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
God have very specific instruction for carrying the Ark, In Numbers 4:15 we read:
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
and in Exodus we find instruction given by God on how to transport the Ark
And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
See when David chose to move the Ark, he decided that a cart was certainly a lot easier and quicker than carrying it on the shoulders of the sons of Kohath. What he failed to account for is God had a reason for this silly rule about how to carry the ark. God had already warned that if anyone touches the ark that they would die, for that not to happen at this point would be God not keeping his word.
A cart is going to be subject to bouncing around with the bumps in the road not only risking the ark falling off the cart but transferring the impacts of travel to the Ark, causing wear and tear. People holding the Ark on poles is a much smoother ride.
David didn’t follow God’s instruction, and Uzzah didn’t survive the trip.
Jesus, in our passage is being cryptic for a reason. Take a look at Luke 22:3-6
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
What was Judas’ plan? He needed to give an opportunity to betray Jesus without the multitude hanging around complicating things. What better time to come and apprehend Jesus then when the people of Israel were in their homes eating the Passover meal. The streets would be empty.
But Jesus doesn’t give Peter and John instructions to their meeting place in a way that Judas could overhear and then communicate to the Priests. Instead Jesus sends them on a scavenger hunt and the passover meal moves forward as planned.
Strange Instructions
Strange Instructions
Application
You are undoubtedly familiar with Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
This idea of leaning not on your own understanding is a lot more difficult than it sounds. It seems like that is pretty much what everybody is doing these days. Between the cable news shows and what I see in my Facebook feed: Everybody is an economist, everybody is a sociologist, everybody is a military tactician, everybody is a historian, everybody is an expert in medicine, and unfortunately it seems lately like everybody is Judge and Jury, not ruling out executioner.
There is a good reason for this. While some of it may be that we are just proud know-it-all’s. Factual or not there is a ton of information available at our finger tips today. I have commented more than once when somebody was trying to figure something out in conversation “Why wonder when we have Google”. I have learned several programing languages, linear algebra, and trigonometry. And I apologize to my High School teachers who probably tried to teach me trig, but I didn’t learn these things in a classroom, I learned them in front of a computer as an adult. And so we can become educated enough to be dangerous in just about anything, and often we don’t vet our sources very well.
The greatest reason we have all taken to being experts in everything is that our experts have failed us so often. If we have learned anything in this politically divided world is that we can get an expert in an any field to give whatever opinion is politically expedient whether it is true or not. So how can we trust our experts?
A Faithful Source
A Faithful Source
Inspiration
The obvious unfortunately needs to be stated. We don’t serve a political party or a political leader. We serve Christ.
Unfortunately we have been relegated to a political interest group, but that is largely because we for some reason keep fighting for the salvation of our country instead of the salvation of our neighbors. That is always going to be a loosing battle.
Maybe you don’t realize it but that is the best news you are going to hear today. You don’t serve politics, you serve Christ.
In Romans 1:16 Paul writes
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The word ashamed means
to experience or feel shame or disgrace because of some particular event or activity
I have voted for men and then been ashamed by what has come out of their mouths. I have voted for men and been ashamed by their lack of action in office. I have voted for men and been ashamed of their failings as a person while in office.
But we will never be ashamed of Christ. We will never be let down by the gospel. I keep hearing a song in my head. Something a composer heard an elderly homeless man in London singing, and he recorded it.
Jesus’ blood never failed me yet
Never Failed me yet
Jesus’ blood never failed me yet
This one thing I know
for he loves me so
Jesus’ blood never failed me yet
It is easy for us to look at things that are going on today, and be filled with despair. We could even question God’s wisdom. But we can find unshakable ground in the word of God, and in the love of Christ.
We don’t always have to understand it either. Often times we find something in scripture, actually very frequently we find something in scripture that goes completely contrary to our culture and to our understanding of things. When this happens we might be tempted to build a cart. I can just imagine David rationalizing things “When they wrote numbers they didn’t have the understanding of carts that we have today.” No, that rationale doesn’t work. You and I just have to depend on the fact that God knows what is best, even when we don’t understand things.
And that is encouraging to me. There are a lot of tings I don’t understand. And there is a lot of reason for my heart to be troubled, just not getting this world we live in. Knowing that I can lean on the Lord and on the Word of God as my bedrock, no matter what comes. Jesus hasn’t failed me yet, and I can trust he won’t in the future.
Action
Action
If all that is going on in the world is tossing you and turning you. If it is robbing you of your joy. Maybe it’s because you need to just trust Jesus through all of this. I am available to talk, you can send me a message on Facebook and maybe we can clarify some things on how you can find peace.
Christians we need to not build carts. Let the word of God stand and take comfort in it. Whatever is going to happen in the world is going to happen. God knows about it. i don’t think he is worried that his plans are getting messed up by whatever crisis we are going through. Through the prophet Jeremiah God says
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Personal request. Please pray for our ministry. I am hopeful that we can be on track to launch this fall, but we have some challenges securing a meeting place. Also as I continue to ask, pray with us that God will bring us laborers to come along side us so that we can be an encouragement to each other. Finally. Like and Share, it goes a long way.