For those who speak Minnesotan, this passage deserves a double uffda! 

For context Jesus has entered into Jerusalem and aside from chasing out the money changers, the verses between those for Palm Sunday and this reading are filled with speaking. Either Jesus is teaching or there is discourse between Jesus and his opponents. No words of comfort are shared and maybe the least comforting are found in this passage. Why?

As Kris mentioned yesterday there are times when things don’t go as planned, there are times when bad things happen to good people, to quote the well known book. It would be great if the Bible was only filled with stories that contain “happily ever after” but we know that’s not how life works. We endure times of struggle, at times significant struggle, and we need our faith to reflect the reality in which we live.

We have mentioned this before but it is important to read the bible not only from the perspective of when it happens but also how it speaks to the gospel writer’s audience. Luke’s community had lived through the fall of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem. Maybe this is something they thought could never happen but it most certainly left them rattled. Maybe they needed to be reminded that this trauma wasn’t an indication that God had abandoned them. Maybe they needed to hear that following Jesus was going to be difficult but that it would lead to eternal life. At times maybe we need to hear that too.