Kingdom Prayer: The Gospel of Luke With N.T. WrightSample
![Kingdom Prayer: The Gospel of Luke With N.T. Wright](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F33560%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The two stories after the prayer of the Pharisee and tax collector play on the same themes. The Kingdom isn’t for those who we might typically think it is. It’s for the children, Jesus says. This isn’t so much a literal categorisation as a call for humility. To approach God like a child means coming without the intent to impress, as those in the parable about the banquet, nor with a complicated motive. The suggestion is that children intuitively understand generosity and unconditional love.
Luke then takes this image of humility and puts it into practice. The rich young ruler knows and follows all the commandments. Even with the social temptations his position affords him, he is apparently committed to keeping the commandments, and thus being justified in his own eyes. But he is unable to part with his riches. This is the divine reversal again. No matter how assured one is by the standard measures, God justifies the humble and the poor.
Riches are the shackles which tie people to the present age. They say, as they did to the rich young ruler, I live here and now. They block the ruler from anticipating the New Age coming to birth, literally, right in front of him. He’s unable to see that God’s new world is full of even more lavish promises, but only for those who don’t insist on grasping them for themselves here and now. Of course, this has a clear social function in line with John the Baptist’s preaching about generosity and social care. It also serves a spiritual function in the formation of the soul.
Reflection:
What are some practical reasons that riches are a roadblock in the Kingdom? What spiritual reasons are they a potential roadblock to faith?
Scripture
About this Plan
![Kingdom Prayer: The Gospel of Luke With N.T. Wright](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F33560%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
When God’s Kingdom comes, what does it look like? In Luke, Mary prays a powerful prayer, praising, and predicting the return of a God who feeds the hungry, exalts the poor, rescues servants, and keeps His promises. Jesus...
More
Related Plans
![Let There Be Light](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48513%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Let There Be Light
![Fearfully Made – a 3-Day Devotional for Young Girls](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48518%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Fearfully Made – a 3-Day Devotional for Young Girls
![7 Prominent Themes of the Psalmists in 7 Days](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48529%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
7 Prominent Themes of the Psalmists in 7 Days
![28 Days in the Psalms](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48509%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
28 Days in the Psalms
![Fearless Motherhood](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48394%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Fearless Motherhood
![What Does the Bible Say About Water Baptism?](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F47916%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
What Does the Bible Say About Water Baptism?
![Kids Bible Experience | What Is Truth?](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48341%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Kids Bible Experience | What Is Truth?
![MORE THAN CONQUERORS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48381%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
MORE THAN CONQUERORS
![Godly Masculinity - Wisdom for Young Men](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48339%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Godly Masculinity - Wisdom for Young Men
![The Bicycle and the Bible](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F48510%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)