Nearly eight years ago, I wrote a poem about the problem of evil attacking us unexpectedly, seemingly out of nowhere, which  I named "When Evil Comes".
  Some of you may remember reading it.  Well, in this brief article I would like to revisit the gist of that poetic message, and ask ourselves afresh, "what will I do when evil comes?"  and the followup question, "Have we learned anything since that tragic morning twenty years ago?"

For the past week, I've been reading through the Gospel of Luke, and have been spending some time pondering the world-changing teaching of a certain Jewish Rabbi. I have been absolutely blown away as I  began to grasp the big picture of what He was saying, and what it means for us, you and I, and every other human living on Earth today.

He, more than any person in History, spoke directly about the problem of Evil in our world, and what to do when it does come into our lives. He was a genius at understanding human nature, He was lightyears ahead of His, and our time!  Before delving into the meaning of His insight, I will first address the latter question first:
"Have we learned anything since our 9/ll?" 

There are actually those who say we should abolish Homeland Security. Let that simmer in your mind for a moment. Also, the fact that one of the most violent terrorist organizations in modern history, was only defeated a few years ago. Does anyone really thing they decided to quit?  Where is ISIS now?  That question should make your spidy senses tingle!  There are those who label every attempt to sound an alarm, as only 'fear-mongers'.  You have to ask yourself, "Why would those people want us to lower our guard?"

Have we, the American people learned from 9/11?  Remember, that horrific attack was NOT launched from far, far away!  Anymore than the blast in that Federal building. It was launched from WITHIN our OWN BORDERS, by those who dressed like, looked like, talked like US. If we learned anyhting that dark day, it should be that our greatest threat is from inside our Homeland, even from inside the halls of Congress, or the massive unelected Federal bureacracy that now  runs our Capital from basements and conference rooms. I do not think this is a partisan issue. There are those in  both major political parties, who deeply love America, and it is foolish to believe that one party is evil and the other one is good. BOTH political parties have been hijacked by those who openly advocate that an unelected, professional political class of men and women dictate to our Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, policy and agenda. 9/11 should have opened our eyes to the reality of conspiracies, that while some are merely fantasies, there are conspiracies that are so real that everyone is too afraid to admit that they exist!  One of the tactics that the friends of tyranny use, is to make those who sound the warning alarm look nutty. You've seen that tactic used. It is very effective in getting people to clam up, except when there are those sensible enough to check out the warning and see if it is a true alarm. So, have we Americans learned anything?  Some of us have learned. Most of us have not. We're going to be hit again, and the majority of Americans will be blindsided, unless people wake up from their media-induced coma.

Now, please come along with me, as we enter into the Gailean country-side, in the days when Rome was the world's only super-power. There is, somewhere, perhaps in what is now modern-day Turkey, a young doctor, who hasn't yet even heard of this Rabbi from Nazareth. The Doctor's name is Luke. He is taking care of a patient somehwhere, as this teacher is walking around the province of Galilee, speaking in all of the Synagogues. Years later, this doctor begins writing his account of this Rabbi and his teaching, with the words:

"Many people have set out to write  accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eye-witness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginniing, I also have decided to write a careful acoount for you, most honorable Theophilus, so that you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught." 

That is how the account concerning the Rabbi and His Deeds and Teaching is introduced. As a fact-finding mission, to give an accurate account, a true testimony.
But that scroll is in the future now, as Jesus liberates a man is liberted from an evil spirit in the synagogue in the small village of Capernaum, one of the fishing villages on the Sea of Galilee. The Nazarean Rabbi performs healings, and then as the sun sets, and the Sabbath officially ends, huge crowds seem to come out of nowhere, and on this Sunday, hundreds, maybe thousands are loosed from the bondage of evil. You can read the account yourself in the Bible- in the New Testament book of Luke, the fourth chapter. Jesus tells them he must announce the Glad News!  What is He referring to? One need only skip back to where He addressed His own town people in Nazareth, "The Spirit of the LORD ( The God revealed in the Old Testament to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses ) is upon me, he has annoited me to announce Good News to the Poor." Luke 4, verse 18. Jesus  called His students ( disciples ) to learn from Him, and when He heals a paralyzed man, this unusual Rabbi does something the Bible tells only GOD Himself is able to do: He forgave a man's sins.  Luke 5 verse 17-26. In the following accounts, a tax-collector is forgiven, and follows this Rabbi. At the end of chapter five, Jesus plainly reveals that His teaching ministry is going to break barriors. He is going to depart from tradition. He gives notice that He is going to shake things up!  It will no longer be business as usual. The Establishment has strayed from God's Norms. The professional religious leaders have corrupted God's plain teacing, and Jesus was going to bring 'fire on the Earth'.  Jesus ended by saying, "No one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. 'The old is just fine, they say'."  Jesus chooses twelve representatives. We use the Greek word these days for them. Apostles. Literally 'Ones who are Sent'.  After that mountain top experience, Jesus and His twelve hand-picked Representatives descend from that mountain, and there is a thick crowd on the plain below. Jesus does something phenomenal next! He "heals them ALL!"  If you had been there that day? If you had anything wrong with you?  You would have been totally healed. Remember, Luke is a physician. He wanted people to pick up on the reality that EVERYONE there was healed. Wow!   What happened next? The historical record is very clear.... "Jesus turned to His disciples and spoke directly to them, "God blesses you who are poor..."   Why?  
"Because God's Kingdom belongs to you."   We popularly recognize this as the sermon on the mount. I've heard many messages preached on this text down through the years, even preached on it myself. But it has been greatly distorted and misunderstood. Many Commentaries have contributed to people missing the whole point Jesus was making. First of all, He was not naming off a series of talking points that were unrelated to each other. You cannot properly understand this Sermon message, until you ponder what Jesus had just been dong and saying before that Sermon. ( And obviously, the one mentioned here was not given ON the Mountain.)  And if you understand what the word "poor" means, when Jesus used the word, it wasn't in the narrow financial sense we have come to have today. God's Word in another place defines poor as "lacking food or clothing". If you had a piece of bread, and a garment, you were not considered poor.  In America, we are spoiled so rotten that the majority of us have no concept of what God meant here by "poor". You see, anyone who has an article of clothing and food in the belly, is defined as "rich".  Like I said, we Americans are spoiled, and I mean, many of us, rotten! What is it to possess God's Kingdom?  The Bible defines it diffrently than much of our religion does...Jesus said it was where God was, and His will was being done. Where God is having His way, that is where His 'Kingdom' or verbally- His reigning- was occuring. The Sermon on the 'mount' is about right NOW, as well as the future. The Kingdom of God is now on Earth, although not recognized by many, like a mustard-seed, Jesus comapred it to. It's presence must be discerned these days. Why do the poor have the Kingdom?  Because they have so little to cloud their sensitivity to God's generosity. To be poor, is to be lacking ( not just in food or clothing, but in everything, ) and to more impotantly KNOW, and ACKNOWLEDGE your personal neediness. To such little sparrows, every tiny blessing is keenly felt and appreciated. 
To be "hungry" is also a wider word than we Americans may consider.  It means to sense our personal lack of fulfillment so poignantly, for God, for His will being done in us, for all of Creation, all of its desperate need for God, its creator and sustainer.
Weeping likewise. How do I know this for certain? I've been reading God's Word since I was saved by Jesus at the tender age of sixteen...Daily from that time, these fourty-six plus years, I have saturated my soul, my mind and spirit with His Word. After a few years, some of His teaching got into my thick skull!!  
Now we will look at the center of Jesus' teaching. The HEART of what God says to us today, TODAY, NOW.

Luke chapter six, verses 20 to 23 suddenly shock and awes the perceptive reader. I must go for now, but will be back to finish this. I hope you come back and rejoin me, here in Galilee.