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Luke 24:13-49

“Because God Said So…”

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Luke 24:13-49
“Because God Said So…”

By Dr. Dan Wuori

Have you ever argued with your mom or dad? I hope not – but most families have little arguments now and then.

When I was little, sometimes my parents would tell me to do things I didn’t really want to. They’d tell me it was time to go to bed. Or that I needed to clean my room or take medicine that a doctor had given me. And when I asked them why, they’d tell me something I really hated…

They’d say, “Because I said so.”

Oh, that made me so grumpy! You can’t argue with “because I said so,” can you? But sometimes you’re just not in charge – and so you just have to go along with it.

Guess what? “Because I said so” never goes away. Even when you’re a grown-up you’ll have people you just have to listen to. It could be your boss at work or a police officer. Grown ups still have lots of people they have to listen to.

In this week’s Gospel story the people are upset about Jesus’ death. They just can’t understand why Jesus had to die – especially in such an awful way.

Jesus comes to them and he tells them something that surprises them. He tells them that everything that happened to him was a part of God’s plan. It happened “because God said so!”

All throughout the Bible there are stories – not just about what happened to Jesus – but about what was supposed to happen to Jesus. We have a special name for these things. We call them prophecies. (Can you say that word with me? Prophecies.) Prophecies are parts of the Bible that tell us what’s going to happen even before it does. But they’re not just good guesses – they’re messages from God – things that he’s already decided and is letting us know about in advance.

God has a plan for you too – and so Jesus teaches us all an important lesson today. Sometimes things happen in our lives that are hard to understand. They can make us feel confused, or sad, or even angry. But when things like that happen, we have to understand that they are a part of God’s plan. They happen in our lives “because God said so” – just like they did in Jesus’ life – but the good news is that God knows we are strong and never gives us more than we can handle.

Will you pray with me?

Dear God,

We know that you have a plan for each of us. When things get hard, help us to remember that you do things for a reason – and that even when we can’t know them – you are watching over us and keeping us strong.

Amen.

Copyright 2009. Used by permission.