Crazy Answers

“Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” — Luke 17:37

This week the Lord brought me to one of those verses that makes me scratch my head.

The disciples asked Jesus a simple question: “Where, Lord?”

And Jesus answered with what sounds like a riddle:

“Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

Seriously?

If I had been standing there, I probably would have looked at the other disciples and said, “Did that answer your question? Because it didn’t answer mine.”

Jesus had a habit of doing that. He often answered the question people asked by addressing the issue they hadn’t considered.

The older I get, the more I realize I do the same thing the disciples did. I want details. I want explanations. I want God to tell me where He’s taking me, how He’s going to do it, and when He’s going to show up.

But many times, God doesn’t give me the information I’m looking for. Instead, He gives me a truth I need to hear.

This verse caught my attention because I’ve spent a lot of time looking at things that have died.

Dreams that didn’t happen.

Plans that fell apart.

Abilities I once had.

Seasons of life that have changed.

Sometimes I find myself circling those losses like a vulture circles a carcass. My mind keeps returning to what used to be. I replay old memories. I revisit old disappointments. I wonder what life would look like if things had turned out differently.

The strange thing is that vultures are naturally drawn to death.

And if I’m not careful, so am I.

I can become so focused on what I’ve lost that I stop noticing what God is still doing.

I can spend so much energy grieving yesterday that I miss the grace God is providing today.

Maybe that’s part of what Jesus was getting at.

The disciples wanted to know where His return would happen. Jesus essentially said, “You won’t have to search for it. The evidence will be obvious.”

Likewise, when something in my life has died, I don’t have to keep staring at it to prove it’s gone.

I need to decide whether I’m going to build my home there.

That’s not easy.

There are days when I miss who I used to be. There are days when I miss the strength I once had, the opportunities I once enjoyed, and the future I once imagined.

But Jesus keeps calling me forward.

Not because the past doesn’t matter.

Not because the losses aren’t real.

But because He is still the God of resurrection.

The grave never has the final word when Jesus is involved.

So when I read this crazy answer from Jesus, I hear a question hidden inside it:

“Why are you standing around the dead things?”

Lift your eyes.

Look for life.

Look for what God is growing right now.

Look for the places where hope is taking root again.

The vultures may gather around what is dead.

But followers of Jesus are called to follow the One who brings dead things back to life.

And that’s where I want my attention to be.

So here is my Personal Prayer for this week…

“Lord, keep me from living among the carcasses of yesterday. Help me cherish the memories You have given me without making them my dwelling place. Teach me to recognize where Your life is flowing now. Let my eyes be fixed not on what has died, but on the living Christ who is making all things new.”