Maybe reading scripture does us the most good when a passage doesn’t seem to fit our lives. Sometimes a passage appears to speak directly to our situation without any effort on our part. When we toss and turn, stew and fret, we can turn to Philippians 4:6 and read, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Almost immediately, we can begin to feel peace start to pry its way into our agitated souls. We don’t need a commentary or a scholar to explain it to us. The verse works its own healing.

            The Bible can confront us directly as well. If our eyes come across James 3:5-6 and read “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire,” we might feel the sting of recognition. We might realize how our words have hurt someone. We might feel a knot of guilt at the memory of our temper tantrum. We use that guilt correctly if we make amends and begin to change. In any case, we easily understand how the verse applies.

            When we read today’s text in Luke 21, however, we may have trouble seeing what the words might say to us. When we hear Jesus warn the disciples, “They will arrest you and persecute you,” it sounds like a problem from a far-off time in a different situation. We know in our heads that the world has persecuted Christians. We know that Christians in some countries still face persecution. We understand that some Christians have died for their faith.

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