A Different Meal
She noticed the couple beside her did something quite unusual.
Reference: Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? (Luke 7:31 NIV)
Explore: A friend of mine went out for tea at a lovely restaurant, but noticed the couple beside her did something quite unusual.
After the couple had ordered their food, they set up an iPad and watched an episode of their favourite show. They were considerate of the other patrons by using head phones – placing an ear phone in an ear each – and just sat back and watched.
My friend couldn’t believe our society had come to this. She initially thought, “Just get take away!” But I thought this was quite ingenious.
Maybe they had children and could never watch their favourite show at home. Maybe they had house-mates whom they just wanted to escape from.
Or, as my friend suspected, maybe they just had poor communication skills!
Sure, you would never have seen this 20 years ago. But maybe it’s only because they didn’t have the technology to do so back then!
Application: We can analyse each generation, but I think there are some basic human similarities across all the ages.
When Jesus addressed the people in Luke 7, He could have been speaking to my own generation right now in the 21st century. There are those who judge others, no matter how great they are.
But there’s also hope in each generation. There are also those who are chosen to be disciples and there are those who are chosen to lead others to the Messiah.
Sure, as a generation, we still have a long way to go, but let’s just work at stepping up to be all God has called us to be.
Prayer: Lord, it’s easier to look at others and judge rather than being our best. May we rise to the challenge of living at our best for You. Amen.
How can you stand out from your generation?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.