March 22, 2016: Teaching

Luke 20:1-8

One day as he was teaching…

Does Luke 20:1 require anything of us? A young boy I met in Lynnwood, Washington, knows the answer and is eager to share it with all of us.

In the days just before his death, Jesus taught the good news of the gospel (Luke 19); in the days just after his death he compelled his followers to do the same (Luke 24). And that is precisely what my young friend from Lynnwood wants to tell us.

Some time ago I preached in the congregation where this boy and his family are members. After church I gathered with some folks to field questions about life in the seminary where I teach. During this time a sharp little boy named Aaron raised his hand and asked, “If you really, really want to be a pastor so you can tell people about Jesus, do you have to wait until you’re grown up?”

I said to him—oh, who cares what I said to him. He had said it all! One day, as [Jesus] was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news… Aaron knows what to do with that verse, and he isn’t going to wait to grow up to do it.
So what are we waiting for?

Prayer: Give us the courage and urgency, O God, to go and tell the good news of Jesus!

Today’s devotional was written by Tim Brown, president and Henry Bast professor of preaching at Western Theological Seminary. This Lenten series comes from Words of Hope, whose mission is to build the church in the hard places through media. To learn more about the organization or subscribe to Words of Hope’s daily devotions, visitwww.woh.org.