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Jesus Ropa Dopus

Don't mess with Him. Luke 11.14-54

Luke 11, Part 2 (7)

Pray Psalm 52.1, 2.

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Sing Psalm 52.1, 2.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Why do the mighty boast in sin? God’s love endures, it knows no end!
They with their tongues vain boasts repeat, and like a razor, work deceit.

Read Luke 11.1-54; meditate on verses 23-28.

Preparation
1. What did Jesus say about those who opposed Him?

2. What must we do to make sure we are “with” Jesus?

Meditation

One of Muhammad Ali’s most memorable championship fights was against undefeated champion George Foreman in 1974 in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). It’s remembered for two things. First, Ali titled it “The Rumble in the Jungle.” But more than that, the fight is remembered for Ali’s tactic, which he called “rope-a-dope”. For round after round, Ali leaned against the ropes, covering his head and body with his arms, allowing the slugger George Foreman to pound away, exhausting himself in a futile attempt to deliver a knockout punch on the former champ. Then, in round 8, Foreman barely able to throw a punch, Ali sprang off the ropes and in a flurry of ferocious punches, knocked the champion out.

I can imagine that, by Luke 11, Jesus knows what’s been going on in the background with the religious leaders. They’re taking cheap shots at Him wherever He goes, spreading vicious rumors and lies about Him, even as He calmly goes about His business of doing good and teaching truth. Here, in verses 13-54, the religious leaders are emboldened to take a swing at Jesus in front of all the people. Servant of Beelzebub. “Show us a sign!” Unwashed hands. Take that!

Bad idea.

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, sprang off the ropes and unleashed a torrent of reasoned embarrassments, not-so-subtle accusations, crippling comparisons, and withering woes against His detractors.

But this was just a temporary demonstration of His power and resolve. Jesus continued to be the target of their attacks throughout His ministry, and the wicked and wrong-believing offspring of those Pharisees and lawyers continue flailing away at Him and His people today.

But a day is coming. Jesus will come off the ropes, break through the sky, and unleash all the force of His cosmos-sustaining Word, and then all evil will hit the deck for the final time and all who are “with” Jesus, who have filled their souls with Him and hearkened carefully to His Word will join their Champion in His corner for a celebration that will never end.

Jesus ropa dopus. Maranatha!

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16.27).

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24.42, 44).

“If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.
O Lord, come!” (1 Cor. 16.22).

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.
And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness He judges and makes war…
His name is called The Word of God…
And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God” (Rev. 19.11, 13, 15).

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22.20).

Maranatha! King Jesus!

For reflection
1. Why do people seek to deny, debunk, vilify, and avoid Jesus?

2. What does it mean for you to be “with” Jesus rather than against Him?

3. When you think about Jesus coming again, how does that affect your daily walk with and work for Him?

Thus we see that Christ teaches that the prince of devils is overcome by him. And if the prince is overcome, how is it possible that his ministers should be able to stand before him? If anyone has Christ, he should not be afraid of six hundred legions of devils. Therefore let us stand steadfast in our faith in Christ, and we shall be safe even amid all the machinations of Satan. Johannes Brenz (1499-1570), An Ecclesiasticall Exposition upon Saint Luke 11.13

Pray Psalm 52.3-9.
We need not fear wicked, wrong-believing people. Jesus is Lord and King, and He is coming again to deliver a final knockout blow to all things evil. Pray for His coming, and pray for grace to remain faithful to Him, no matter what you must endure.

Sing Psalm 52.3-9.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Men more than good in evil delight, and lies prefer to what is right.
They utter words, both harsh and strong, with their devouring, deceitful tongue.

God will forever break them down, uproot, and cast them to the ground!
He from their safety tears them away, no more to know the light of day.

The righteous see and laugh and fear, and say, “Behold, what have we here?
Such are all who at God conspire, and wealth and evil ways desire.”

But as for me may I be seen in God an olive ever green!
Ever in God, most kind and just, shall I with joy and gladness trust!

Thanks evermore to our Savior be raised! His faithfulness be ever praised!
Here with Your people, loving God, I wait upon Your Name, so good!

T. M. and Susie Moore 

Susie and I are in the process of moving to Pennsylvania, so, for the next four weeks, we’ll take a break from writing our daily Luke studies and review an older Scriptorium work, the book of Ruth. This is a beautiful study in the redeeming grace of God, and, while you may have been with us the first time around with Ruth, we hope you’ll benefit from the next four weeks as we work our way through this beautiful study again.

You can download all the studies in our Luke series by
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by
clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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