Luke 11:53-12:12
Dear RTB’ers,
In yesterday’s reading Jesus connected his listeners, the Pharisees and lawyers, back to the Old Testament, “…so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.” (Luke 11:50-51a). Today He takes us forward to the New Testament: “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12) Many weeks down the road we will read in Acts 3-4 of an incident that has Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. Jesus’ words are fulfilled in the following verse, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… (Acts 4:8a). Peter then goes on to connect the healing of a lame man, not with their own power, but by the power of Jesus’ name. The summary statement from the leaders of the Sanhedrin is telling: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) I am confident that Holy Spirit words are available to us today when we are sharing our faith. Take advantage of every opportunity, folks. What we have to offer about our life in Jesus is greater than any other gift we could ever give!
Blessings!