SCRIPTURE: LUKE 6
LORD OF THE SABBATH (vs. 1-16)
One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were on the grainfields and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees were asking why they were doing it on the Sabbath which is unlawful. But Jesus answered them: “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and took the consecrated bread and ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (vs. 3-5)
On another Sabbath while Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. Jesu said to the man with the shriveled hand. “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” (v. 8). So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them,. ” Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”: (v. 9). He looked around at all of them and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand”. (v. 10). He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
THE TWELVE APOSTLES (vs. 12-16)
Jesus chose the 12 Apostles as follows:
- Simon (Peter)
- Andrew
- James
- John
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Matthew
- Thomas
- James (son of Alphaeus
- Simon (the Zealot)
- Judas (son of James)
- Judas Iscariot (traitor)
BLESSINGS AND WOES:
BLESSINGS:
- Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
- Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
- Blessed 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. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.
WOES:
- Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
- Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
- Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
- Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
LOVE FOR ENEMIES (vs. 27-36)
HOW TO TREAT YOUR ENEMIES:
- Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. (v. 27)
- Bless those who curse you. (v. 28a)
- Pray for those who mistreat you. (v. 28b)
- If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. (v. 29a)
- If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (v. 29b)
- Give to everyone who asks you. (v. 30a)
- If anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. (v. 30b)
- Do to others as you would have them do to you. (v. 31)
- Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. (v. 35)
- Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (v. 36)
JUDGING OTHERS (vs. 37-42)
- Do not judge, and you will not be judged. (v. 37a)
- Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. (v. 37b)
- Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (v. 37c)
- With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (v. 38)
- Do not look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.
- First take the plank out of your eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (v. 42)
A TREE AND ITS FRUIT (vs. 43-45)
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The 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.
THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS (vs. 46-49)
A DESCRIPTION OF A MAN WHO HEARS GOD’S WORD AND PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE:
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it because it was well built.
A DESCRIPTION OF A MAN WHO HEARS GOD’S WORD BUT DOES NOT PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE:
He is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.
THOUGHTS:
The Scribes and Pharisees had transformed the Sabbath from a day of blessing into a day of bondage. When the disciples ate the grains, they were not breaking any divine law. But the Pharisees accused them of violating their religious system. Jesus also referred to David when fleeing from Saul, he and his men ate the special bread in the temple. Jesus was proving that human need is more important than human regulations and rules. When Jesus said He is the Lord of Sabbath, he meant that he had the authority to overrule the Pharisees traditions and regulations because he had created the Sabbath. The creator is always greater than the creation.. He deliberately healed people on the Sabbath to challenge them that it is always right to do good and meet human need for love fulfills the law.
When Jesus chose His disciples, he selected “ordinary’ men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities. Today God calls “ordinary” people together to build his church, teach salvation’s message and serve people out of love.
All of us may have enemies. But as believers, we must be Christlike in the way we treat them. We must be giving and forgiving and praying for them so as to change them. The best way to conquer an enemy is to make him a friend. Keep your heart right with God and the Lord will let your life produce good fruits.
The blessings mentioned are also called the Beatitudes. They describe what it means to be Christ’s follower with the standards of conduct. They contrast kingdom values of true humility with worldly values of fake piety.
The Jews hated the Romans because they oppressed them. But Jesus told the Jews to love their enemies, forgive and pray for them.
Jesus teaches us not to judge people otherwise we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. Therefor we are to love others, not judge them.
Our speech and behavior reveal the true personality of a person because they come out from our heart. The good impression we try to make will not last long if our heart is deceptive.
Obeying God is like building a house on a strong and solid foundation that stands firm when crisis comes. Be sure your life is built on the solid foundation of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.