A Biography of Jesus (BOOK EXCERPT, PT 4)

The Book Stop Blog is featuring excerpts from A Biography of Jesus by Tom Cowley and available from Paraclete Press.

A Biography of Jesus by Tom Cowley

Dwelling With Him Daily

The richness of a relationship with Jesus has great value.

NEAR the conclusion of the Judea/Perea ministry, Jesus began predicting his death to his disciples. He also laid groundwork for the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that would soon be available to his followers. And he warns his disciples, “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come . . . so watch yourselves” (Luke 17:1–3).
After Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, he replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21). Followers of Jesus are people dwelling with his spirit in their hearts.
When Peter expresses the concern of the disciples and the plight of Jesus’s followers in Luke 18:28, “We have left all we had to follow you,” Jesus again predicts his death and resur- rection (Luke 18:31–34). Jesus promises his disciples they will receive much more in the age to come: eternal life. We are told, however, that the disciples did not understand this message.
Author Brian D. McLaren offers this thought in his 2001 book, A New Kind of Christian: “The lowest available risk that I see is the risk of journeying on in faith. You see, I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus meant it when he said the Spirit of God would be with us, guiding us, to the very end. So I believe that he will guide us through the winds and currents of change, no matter what storms come. In fact, I believe that he is the wind in our sails, leading us into the change, because that’s his way.”
refer to: Luke 17 and 18
Questions: Why do you think the early disciples had trouble understanding or believing Jesus’s teachings about the future? Do you have similar difficulties?


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