Luke 12:35-59
A short post today, and nothing heavy… Early this afternoon Carol and I are catching an auto-train, going from Northern Virginia to Florida – a new experience for us!
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. (vv. 54-55) Yes, I’m intrigued by geography. Today, because of the verse quoted above I maintain that Jesus is in Jerusalem or Judea, not Galilee or Samaria. All four regions would have recognized the west wind and rain in the forecast with clouds coming off the Mediterranean Sea. However, the scorching south wind would have affected Judea and Jerusalem because of the desert lands to the south, but Galilee and Samaria would have been protected from those winds by the mountains and those longer distances from those desert lands. So, Jerusalem! QED!!
See also: July 13 / Luke 12:35-48; July 14 / Luke 12:49-53; July 15 / Luke 12:54-59
I was struck by Luke 12:59 regarding Jesus bringing divisions, not “peace” as the world seeks it. I think he is talking about people who either accept him or not, and that can cause breaks in families. He was talking about a particular type of persecution: rejection by family and synagogue in his day; rejection by Muslim, Hindi, even Buddhist families today when a family member accepts Christ. Even sometimes across our denominations (Catholic- Protestant)!
The peace he brings is peace with God when we accept the gift of his love and mercy. We can rest in his arms. Thanks and praise to Him, alleluia!