Rope of Hope

Luke 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priest and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him. 48 But they did not find anything they could do, for all of the people were hanging on His (Jesus') words.

The Zip Line! If you happen to go to Destin this summer, head over to Sandestin and visit The Baytown Wharf. Among the great places to eat and enjoy, is a zip line that crosses an 8 acre lake in the center of the plaza. The zip line is anchored by two large towers rising some 50 feet above the ground. For $8 you can zip all the way across the plaza and all the way back. My kids think it is super cool. As a parent it is a bit disturbing to watch your 8 & 9 year old clip on to this one rope and watch them dangle across this huge outdoor area as they zip along. Before I let my kids do it, I went up and checked out the equipment and safety precautions and they were all top notch. Even with the faith I had in the zip-line equipment, there is something a little concerning every time I watch one of them zip across in the air smiling and waving as the leave the safety of one tower and travel to another. It's interesting the different perspectives of this same event as well: Kids are having a ball and Dad is enjoying their joy, but also concerned about their safety.


It strikes me in Luke 19:27 above, that the people were hanging on Jesus' every word, quite literally. When you think about it, we all are in a very real sense as well. What do I mean? Well, if Christ is the extension form the Father to us, and he extends Himself by His words then we are hanging on for our lives by the word of God and it looks just like my kids on the zip line. When you go back and pray through the text, it really gives the picture of Jesus offering a rope of hope for his listeners (and in turn us as readers) to hang on to for dear life. I think that is a pretty good lens for us to look through when we consider the thought, "Why read the bible, pray and follow?" It is where we meet and learn to enjoy the treasure of our "Hope of Glory", Jesus Christ. It is where we learn that we need a lifeline as there is a real danger of real wrath from a real God as well.

If you are not connected to God through Jesus, it doesn't mean that you are not hanging over danger. It just means that you don't have any hope of falling into it. If you are connected life will be in many ways like my kids on a zip line. Full of dangers, trials and fear to overcome but with a joyful rest in Christ, the Hope (rope) of Glory! It will also be awesome one day as our rope of hope delivers us safely to the other side, the strong tower of refuge as we meet Christ face to face.

Are you ready? Do you have hope? Do you have rope? Or are you free falling trying your darndest to earn God's favor?