Learning From Luke: Overcoming Shortsightedness

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Luke 19:1-10

In 1984, I had corrective eye surgery called Radial Keratotomy – I once was (legaly) blind, but then I saw much better after the procedure. However, I didn’t follow directions regarding aftercare, and so my eyesight fell back into myopia. I’m not as restored as I could have been…

To Overcome Shortsightedness, What Do We Need To Have?

* The Inability to See ~ Luke 19:1-4

• 1 Jesus is nearer than we think
• 2/3 Q1: AWAKENING: why would a tax collector want to see Jesus? He MUST have heard about Him, especially about Jesus’ choices to hang out with tax collectors and sinners
• 4 Zacchaeus MOVED – he put in effort to find Christ

* The Need To Be Seen ~ Luke 19:5-6

• 5 Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name; HE’S CALLING YOU, TOO
• 6 Q2: ATTRACTION: why would a rabbi want to spend time with Zacchaeus? God sees us through Jesus – God can see past our sin; because of Jesus, our sin can be in the past

* The Plea To Amend ~ Luke 19:7-8

• 7 The watching world won’t understand at first; they judge Jesus because He DOESN’T judge they way they do
• 8 Q3: APOLOGY: when the world rejects our change of heart, how will WE respond? Zacchaeus’ response is repentance; he thinks differently about how he’s going to use his wealth

* The Acceptance of Grace ~ Luke 19:9-10

• v9/10 Q4: ACCEPTANCE: when will we realize that “salvation” isn’t the choice to do better? It’s the reception of Jesus! This PROMPTS us to change after – change is not demanded before the Spirit brings us to life

Steps of Repentance:

• Awakening – the Spirit has worked in us before we even know it (God chooses us first)
• Attraction – we are drawn to Christ as He draws near to us (Christ influences us next)
• Apology – we reject our old ways, and resolve to make a change (We respond to Christ)
• Acceptance – we realize our new life in Christ supersedes our life of self (we surrender to God’s influence)

#Learning From Luke, Overcoming Shortsightedness, #YearC, blind, short-sighted, inability to see, need to be seen, awakening, attraction, apology, acceptance, grace

The Road To Resurrection: Short Sighted

The Road To Resurrection: Short Sighted

John 8:48-59

I broke my glasses last week, and took the opportunity to get a new eye exam. I now have a new eyeglass prescription – takes some getting used to!

The Spiritually Short-sighted Can’t

Keep The Whole Picture In Focus ~ John 8:48-53
(they can see the Big E, but not the fine print)

• 48 follow up from last week: they can’t even concede that they DON’T serve God; instead they flip the idea (Samaritan=ungodly mish-mash of pagan/Caananite and old Jewish teaching)
• 49/51 The RESULT of Actual Truth: Eternal Life
• 52 short-sighted: Jews only focused on physical reality, when Jesus has been talking about spiritual reality the whole time

=> extension cord example: the END isn’t the point – the LENGTH is!

• 53 Remember this question: it’s the setup for the entire Gospel truth!

See The Crucial Details ~ John 8:54-59
(focus on the unimportant and miss the rest)

• 54/5 notice: Jesus does what He asks US to do: Keep God’s Word (cf. v51)
• 56 cf Gen 12:3; “he saw it and was glad” =Jesus KNEW Abraham’s inner state
• 57 again, His detractors are short-sighted, only focusing on their life of flesh
• 58 Jesus’ use of “I am” is a direct reference to Exodus 3, when Moses asked God’s name, and God replied with “I AM WHOM I AM”
• 59 The Jews KNOW what Jesus meant, and thought it was blasphemy – and deserving of death. IT’S NOT BLASPHEMY BECAUSE IT IS TRUE

Just like the crowd waving the Palm Branches, we can look at Jesus with a distorted viewpoint (like a pair of glasses with the wrong prescription). If we want to understand Jesus, we have to take a longer look…