Speaking Truth to Power Reflecting on Luke 13:31:35 hello good people.

Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

What a joy and a privilege it is to have you with me as we carry on this mission to put the audible voice of God, the Word of God from the Bible into 2 million years by the year 2028.

We do that by a daily reading the selected reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.

We're in the Lenten season in Year C and we make the reading of the Bible understandable.

We read from the New Testament, the Message version relatable.

We give you a couple of points to ponder applicable by tab in an action step.

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Here's our reading from the day from Luke 13:31 35 from the message just then some Pharisees came up and said, run for your life.

Herod's got your number, he's out to kill you.

Jesus said, tell that fox that I've no time for him right now.

Today and tomorrow I'm busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick.

The third day I'm wrapping things up.

Besides, it's not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Killer of prophets, abuser of the messengers of God.

How often I've longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, her brood safe under her wings.

But you refused and turned away, and now it's too late.

You won't see me again until the day you say Blessed is he who comes in the name of God.

We're reflecting here on this passage here about how Jesus is really modeling both resistance to oppressive power and a tender compassion for vulnerable.

Here are some points to courage in the face of an empire.

Jesus response to Herod's threats Calling him a fox, for instance, and refusing to be intimidated demonstrates spiritual resistance to authoritarian power.

This isn't about individual bravery, but about collective liberation.

And today we're called to have similar courage in facing systems of oppression, whether they're political, economic or religious.

Another point is about ministry in as resistance.

Really notice how Jesus defines his work of clearing out demons and healing the sick in this context.

Both activities were deeply political and challenging systems that blamed individuals for their suffering.

Today, true healing ministry must similarly address systematic causes of suffering.

That's things like poverty and racism, environmental destruction, not just individual symptoms.

One more point to ponder is radical tenderness.

The shift from confronting Herod to lamenting over Jerusalem with maternal imagery of the hen shows how justice work must be grounded in deep love.

The metaphor of the mother hen gathering her chicks presents an alternative to the violence of the empire protection without domination, strength through vulnerability and community over control.

Let's talk about some action steps that you can take.

I would just invite you to practice prophetic resistance with radical tenderness.

So identify a fox in your community that is a system or power structure that's causing harm and research how this system impacts vulnerable people and connect with all others who are resisting that negative impact with positive by doing resistance work.

Do that and take a concrete action of resistance while practicing tender care for those who are impacted by the oppression.

Think about what you can do.

We're going to pray in just a moment, but just a reminder that we One of the things that you always can do is to go to our website, Voice of God Daily and pick up our our Bible study guide.

It's called the ABC123 Bible Study Guide and it will help you in your everyday walk in life in the scriptures.

Let's pray.

Oh God, you are a mothering God.

Give us courage to face today's foxes, the powers that threaten our beloved community who were tempted to run from conflict.

Remind us of Jesus's bold truth telling when we're tempted to respond with violence.

Remind us of your gathering wings and help us to hold both righteous anger at injustice and tender love for your people at hand.

Show us how to create spaces of safety and belonging even as we resist systems of harm.

May we, like Jesus, be about the work of healing, liberation, trusting in your protecting presence.

Amen.

Always a pleasure to be with you here on the voiceofgoddaily.com here on the Daily Bible Refresh and we hope that you'll join me again tomorrow.

We're here every single day.

We usually drop these episodes before 6:00am Eastern Time and I hope that you'll join me tomorrow and bring a friend this time.

That is the way we're going to get to the goal that we have of putting the audible word of God into 2 million ears.

That's a million people by the end of 2028.

Until that time comes, please join me again tomorrow and bring a friend.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new.

Everybody.