Luke, Chapter 8 part 1

I know I am breaking the book of Luke up more and more, but the way Jesus teaches in this book allows for a deeper focus on some of the smaller passages. Today is one of those cases with the parable of the sower. This has long been one of my favorite parables of Jesus. I feel that is fully illustrates exactly what is possible as far as the effect of his message.

11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. – Luke 8:11-15

First of all, we must see what happens when the sower throws the seed. It lands on the ground, of course. It does not defy the laws of gravity and go floating off into space. That tells me that the Word is given to everyone. Now there are arguments as to how the Word and message of Christ’s offer of salvation reaches everyone, but that is for Christ to decide, not me. The point is that everyone has access to it. It is not reserved for the wealthy, the elite, or the educated. This sower in the parable throwing it around randomly is a great metaphor.

Second, it is more important what we do with the Word once we do it. This has been a struggle for me as I try to find which category I fit into. I am pretty sure I do not fall into the category of those that here it, but it is snatched away. I don’t think I am in the second group either because I do endeavor to mature in the faith. The third category is more interesting. There are many days where I strive to learn and follow the Truth, butt his life beats me down. It feels like as I get older, there are more of these days, especially now. I don’t feel like I am in the fourth group because despite my efforts, I feel more isolated from society every day.

It is my prayer that I am maturing and following the path God wants me to follow by laboring in this place. It is also my prayer that you are doing the same with whatever God calls you to do.

Luke, Chapter 7 part 2

Why is forgiveness one of the hardest parts of the human construct? Think about those who have wrong you. How easy is it to forgive them? What are the struggles you go through as someone causes you pain, then seeks your forgiveness? It is difficult, isn't it? Forgiveness is a directive that is easy to talk about, but it is much harder to put into practice. I think it is because when we forgive, we have to admit that we were somehow wrong in a way. We were wrong in harboring our anger.

The second half of Luke chapter 7 deals with the concept of forgiveness and how difficult it is. John the Baptist specifically taught a gospel of salvation through the forgiveness of sins. He didn't have the power to forgive sins, but he was a messenger preparing the way for the one who would have that power. He was a powerful influence, and was one who set everything up for Jesus' ministry to be so successful.

29(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) – Luke 7:29-30

This is where we begin to see a divergence between Jesus and the Pharisees. Their fear of change gave way to their jealousy of Jesus. It is funny, but it was the so called outcasts of society: the prostitutes, tax-collectors, and the like, that understood the message, yet the Pharisees did not. This would eventually cost both John and Jesus their lives.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – Luke 7:44-47

Ultimately, love is the greatest message that Jesus gave us. We are told by him to love one another. It was His love for mankind that led to His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus is the purest example of love, and this passage is a great indication of that. Love is what allows him to forgive sins, but as we see, the Pharisees did not see that. Their view of love was tainted, like so many other views of love these days. I admit that is one of the hardest things in life. Love in its purest form, as illustrated by Jesus' life, is awesome. Unfortunately, humanity has tainted it so much that it has become the root of much bitterness for me. We must value and cherish something so beautiful, but instead, mankind has made a mockery of it.

Luke, chapter 7 part 1

Yesterday was a very powerful writing experience. It was an instance in which I felt the Word of God truly speaking to me. Of course, it does speak every time we read it. It is simply a matter of how well we are listening. As I listen to today's passage, the first 17 verses of Luke chapter 7, we see that it is a message on Jesus' mercy. It is also a strong lesson in faith.

We have two similar stories with different backgrounds. First we have the servant of the Centurion being healed. Here was a man that was well outside the establishment. In fact, as a soldier for Rome, he was most likely despised by the people of Israel. The very idea of Jesus coming to work in the life of one of the oppressors of Israel was ludicrous in this day. Still, what Jesus said in his sermon during chapter 6 struck a chord with this man. He suddenly gained faith and saw the heart of the message: that Jesus was meant for all, not just a select group.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." – Luke 7:6-8

Here was a man of great power, yet he deferred to, what to him, was a crazy preacher from a dusty part of the world. Jesus had such a profound effect on people like this, yet others, such as the religious establishment waiting for his arrival as a Messiah, missed the message. This gentile, someone who wasn't even a Jew, saw and had faith. Sometimes all it takes is just one hearing of the message for it to sink in.

14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. – Luke 7:14-15

This also shows Jesus' compassion for a woman he didn't even know. Unlike the Centurion, she had no power or authority. It is likely she was simply a poor widow, as women had very little place in society at the time. Still, Jesus saw as much compassion for her as the man with the command of many. This shows the underlying message that Christ does not care about your station in life. It is meaningless. He cares only about a person's heart and has compassion for all. If it was not for this love, we would be totally lost. It was this love, however, that eventually became His sacrifice for our sins.

Luke, Chapter 6 part 3

Jesus’ words struck a chord with me this morning. It was a shameful chord too. The remaining part of chapter 6 of Luke that we have not gone over reminded me of just how sinful and lost I really am. It is because of that loss that I struggle even more at times such as now. Currently, I am going through a period where I feel directionless. I don’t know where I am going and I question if where I have been has any real meaning. I see little value in what I have accomplished for the last four years of my life because nothing seems to help me move forward.

This relates to the passage on judging others and love for my enemies. I tend to view those who hurt me deeply as now longer worthy of my attention. If the hurt is deep enough, it becomes a silent rage. There is a particular hurt in my life that I continue to wrestle with from time to time. As much as my anger changes nothing, I continue to think that if I just saw this person once and was allowed to unleash my fury it would set things right. I know it would change nothing. The person in question does not care. Still, I am the one hurting. I feel they should hurt for causing me pain.

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. - -Luke 6:27-29

This is likely one f the hardest teachings of Jesus to apply to everyday life. I know it is for me. It takes an enormous amount of grace to do this, but in it is the root of salvation. It takes an enormous amount of grace for Jesus to forgive us of our sin and allow us to enter into His glory, but he still does it. It is no different than this lesson. In our sin we hate God. It causes us to turn from Him. We mistreat Him when we sin. Still, does He hate us? Does He smite us because he can get revenge? No! A thousand times no! He gives us the ultimate, most pure example of love by offering us forgiveness and salvation through the blood of Christ. Are we worthy of this? We are no more worthy of this than those who hurt us being worthy of our forgiveness. Still, the gift is there. This is love in its most pure, unadulterated form.

43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. – Luke 6:43-45

The previous passage relates directly to this verse. What good am I if I store up bitterness in my heart? Look what it has gotten me: a seemingly useless existence with no job. As a result, I sit alone during the day and face every temptation I think I have beaten. I sit alone and simply store up more bitterness at the injustices of the world. What good am I to the kingdom then? What good am I if I succumb each day to the bitterness and not let God use me fully for the plan He has in mind? The choice is ultimately up to me. Do I produce good fruit by striving to move forward with the little good stored in my heart (which is the only way to store up more good) or do I continue to produce dark, bitter fruit and feel the world owes me something simply because I have certain talents.

I know one way hasn’t worked, so I pray that I have the strength, to pursue the other way. I pray God can guide me the other way, too.

Luke, Chapter 6 part 2

I wanted to separate the middle part of Luke 6 because it presents an interesting dichotomy in Jesus’ teachings. Jesus often taught about the treasures of heaven. They are obviously something that we have to wait patiently for. It is not an easy life. As with many things, Jesus showed in this passage that what is easy isn’t necessarily always what is right. This middle passage of Luke chapter 6 is a warning against taking that easy path in this life.

20Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
24"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. – Luke 6:20-26

Does this mean we always must be poor, hungry, hated, and sad in this world? Of course not! As usual, Jesus is speaking in a metaphor. He is asking us, as his disciples, to constantly hunger for more. This can be more knowledge, more time in the Word, more time with Him. We must be aware of our sad surroundings and long for the victory He has promised.

That is why we have the woes here too. The woes are presented to show us that if we are satisfied with our present state, we will be sorely disappointed in our eternal state. What we think is satisfying here pales in comparison to the kingdom of God. If we think we are great here we are truly nothing in the sight of God. Jesus is trying to show us how our earthly lives, while not needing to be full of pain and suffering, pale in comparison to what is ahead.

Maybe this is why I have felt so unfulfilled lately. I know that I don’t fit into this world very well. It is probably a large reason why I have struggled to find regular work despite the gifts I have been given. This world seems like nothing more than a dark, forbidding, hopeless place on a lot of days for me. As we are taught here, however, we must remember the ultimate reward. Suffering here will melt away when Jesus’ promise is fulfilled.

Luke, Chapter 6 part 1

This chapter of Luke shows, in my opinion, one of the best examples of how mankind can completely lose touch with reality. It features my favorite bumbling characters, the Pharisees, completely missing the point of one of Jesus' lessons.

1One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

 3Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 5Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." – Luke 6:1-5

On the surface, it is ridiculous that the Pharisees got all uptight about something like this. And it is ridiculous. This was probably the least amount of work you could do. Since Jesus was a threat to their power though, it was a punishable offense. Instead of listening to the message behind His words they looked for any small excuse to accuse Jesus. It doesn't stop there, either. As we continue with the story, Jesus performs another healing miracle. Instead of being in awe and wondering how this man had this power, they felt threatened. He worked on the Sabbath according to them. Performing this miracle had to be a greater crime than their own hypocrisy.

Jesus wasn't changing the rules here. We are still supposed to honor the Sabbath to this day. What he did was change ideas and values. Honoring the Sabbath has no value if we enforce traditions simply for the sake of enforcing them. That is what the Pharisees were trying to do. They were so short sighted that they refused to grow. Our lives are about growth, spiritual or otherwise. Without growth up to the last moment of our lives on this earth there is little point in living. This is why I struggle with stagnation. If I am not growing I see little point in continuing.

12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. – Luke 6:12-16

This is a critical moment in Jesus' ministry. He had plenty of disciples, but these 12 ordinary men were specially chosen for a destiny that would change the world. In this moment, they became more than mere followers of Christ. They became representatives of his ministry. Later they would become leaders and teachers of the Word. What makes this even more amazing is that they were ordinary men. They had no special backgrounds or skills. In less than 3 years with Jesus they were trained to start a movement that continues to grow 2,000 years later. They were often rebuked, doubted,a nd even denied Christ, but they still accomplished amazing things in His name. That is simply extraordinary.

 

Luke, chapter 5

Why would a man like Jesus need help? Why would Jesus need to pray? Why would Jesus tell people to be quiet about His ministry? Those are just some of the questions addressed in Luke, chapter 5 as we see today. This chapter deals with some of the early events in his public ministry, such as the calling of his disciples. In this, it is not so much an admission that Jesus needed help. Instead, we see that He is intrusting mankind with the dissemination of His message. Yes Jesus could have simply changed minds supernaturally, but by placing the responsibility in mankind's hands He allows for us to come to Him of our own free will.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

   Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. – Luke 5:8-11

This is an important passage because Simon, later known as Peter, would go on to become the leader of the disciples. Simon is an interesting character. He knew his shortcomings at times, but other times he was reckless in following those shortcomings. His love for the Lord was unmatched, but it too caused him to be reckless. His calling is a metaphor for the work he would accomplish in his life. Peter would eventually go on to lead the disciples in spreading Christ's word throughout the globe. His efforts are still bearing fruit to this day each time the Word of God is testified.

15Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:15-16

Why would Jesus need to pray? He was already fully God, but this shows how he was fully man too. Because of this, He also had to rely on strength from the Father instead of His own strength. In the physical limitations of the human body He couldn't possibly hope to cope with the enormity of what He had to do. This shows us how much we need to rely on prayer. This also links in with the final passage on fasting. Fasting allows us to focus our minds and our spirits on that sustaining prayer. Without, our spiritual lives are directionless.