out of context

Have you ever come in to a gathering and heard the tail end of what was being said? It seemed someone meant one thing.  Then another said something and you realized you had totally misunderstood what was going on?  I have.  It can be embarrassing, if I speak out in my ignorance of what was actually going on.  In the Bible that would be called speaking out of context.

Apparently that happened to someone when reading a verse out of Luke 10.  A friend asked me to read his book and see what I thought.  Well, I was reading the introduction… which is setting the stage for what the author was going to say.  He cited a scripture as a premise (the assertion that serves as a basis for an argument or logic) used in the book.

• ·         The direct quote: “Jesus said that when we see healing happening we will know that the Kingdom has come near (Luke 10:9).  What if we don’t see these things?  Does it mean that the Kingdom is not near?  If so, the Kingdom is not near most of our churches.”

 That statement didn’t sound right, so I looked it up.

• ·         Luke 10:9 Heal the sick that are there and tell them the kingdom of GOD is near you.

Questions came to mind?  Who is talking to whom?  So I turned to the beginning of Luke 10 and began reading.

• ·         Luke 10:1 After this the LORD appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of HIM to every town and place where HE (JESUS) was about to go.

Then in verse 2 JESUS began giving these 72 instructions in how to prepare the way for HIS coming to these towns.  I continued to read HIS instructions to them.  When I got to Luke  10:10,11 that author’s premise was blown out of the water, made null and void, shown in err as wrong. 

• ·         Luke 10:10,11 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into it’s streets and say, even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you.  Yet, be sure of this the Kingdom of GOD has come near you.

If we were to use the authors logic applied to verse 9 for just verse 10,11 without going on to verse 12 it would sound something like:  Jesus said when people will not welcome you we will know the Kingdom is near.  So, if we  see this, does it mean that the Kingdom is near?  If so, the Kingdom is near most churches.

It is ironic…but  there is an element of truth to that last statement… we are in a time where the truth is not generally welcomed and the clear indication is that our LORD’s coming is very near.

Hugs

Sharon

PS: (It is going to be very hard to finish that book that I promised I would read.  Please pray for me that my mind will be open to the truth therein, but protected from any lies.)