The Gospel of LUKE
One 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.
Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
He 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.”
Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,
who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured,
and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
Looking at his disciples, he said: “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 people 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. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
“But 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 everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
“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.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.
They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice 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.”
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!
Content source: New International Version (NIV) of the Holy Bible
Image source: Our media Team
Too many lessons in this chapter, but I'd want to consider vs 45
You cannot produce what you haven't stored up, so a man's output(character) is traceable to his input.
There is a saying..
So if want to change a character(output) of our person, we need to start from our thoughts.
Proverbs. 4:23 buttresses my point
Also Proverbs. 23:7 simplifies it
So we have to start checking what fills our thoughts and this can be done by studying and internalizing God's word through meditation. So the more I study and do God's word, the more like God I become and hence my output or outlook or character is changed.
So,
Go for The Word
"Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from Briers". Jesus was teaching us how to identify the true men of God and That of the false ones. Every true man of God portrays the life of Christ that is how He carried Himself.
God shows us in this chapter that he made us free (not debauchery) and that the custom of man does not please God.
In this passage Jesus shows us that He is the lord of all, the growing opposition of religious leaders to the ministry of Jesus finds its fullest expression in the observance of the Sabbath, the most sacred institution among the Jews, by claiming to be greater than the Temple and Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was claiming divinity.
In another order of ideas Luke emphasizes the fact that Jesus prayed on the eve of difficult situations, and in the midst of those circumstances he healed a great multitude, he also taught the Beatitudes and the poor expressions, hunger, weeping and hating, they have spiritual implications, Jesus does not praise poverty, hunger, sadness and reproach in themselves. These sufferings bring blessings only when they are endured because of the son of man.
Hence, the poverty of spirit, the hunger for justice, those who now mourn for sin, and social ostracism for Christ's sake, are a source of blessing, "poor" the term alludes to the humble person who relies on help of God in the midst of his poverty ... the essence of the Christian life is love, whose general principle appears in verse 31, this love manifests itself when responding to injustice and personal insults, not with revenge or resistance passive, but with positive and aggressive acts of kindness, destined to redeem the aggressors
The Lord teaches us here that we must love those who curse us. Currently this practice is forgotten ... many people think of revenge ... and the truth is that on several occasions the Lord mentioned that we must forgive, that we should love those who abuse us ... but anyone can love whoever we are. love ... there is no sacrifice ... but love the one who hates you ... there is sacrifice!
Whosoever will listen to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ will not be a cast away on that day. Jesus teaching indeed is a sure guide for us to enter into the kingdom of God if only we abide by them and do what He says.
This is what He said to those who will hear His word and put into practice. I pray may God help us to be doers of His word in Jesus name. Amen
Thanks @reliquary
We have to endure to the last for the sake of inheriting the kingdom of heaven. We should not be sad at what people say to us,only focus on Jesus for the big reward waiting for us
Vs 12 tells us that even Jesus who was God personified knew the importance of quiet time, so therefore we should learn from him.
Vs 40 tells us that a student or servant is not greater than his teacher or master,but that someday he too will be called a master or teacher if he be prefect or undergo thorough training. That's to say there is time for everything, a time to be a slave, student, learner, disciple, servant etc and also a time to be a master, lord, teacher etc.
So as Christians we should know our place,learn fast if you are a learner, servant, student etc so that we will someday lead, teach, educate or train others don't keep too long at one phase. Move forward.
See you at the top.
Sometimes people make fun of us when we say that we are Christians, they say any number of things against us, but in this we must rejoice because our reward is great when we are humiliated for their cause.
Many people are more aware of the traditions and if someone fulfills them or not ... instead of being aware of their life with God ... They are dedicated to murmuring if someone goes out of protocol, instead of consecrating himself to the Lord .. God does not like murmuring, nor that we are judging others ... let us devote ourselves to consecrating each day more to the Lord.