Luke 6:17–19

Luke 6:17-19 

English Standard Version 

  Here it is, the Gospel in miniature -- Jesus comes down to be with us, so that we might be healed.  It's a picture of the promise and fulfillment.

  Whenever we go out into the world and love people where they are, working for their healing, we're painting yet another picture of the Gospel, holding up a picture for the world to see the beauty of God's love, so they might understand that Jesus comes to us where we are, so that we all might be healed.

Luke 6:12-16

Luke 6:12-16 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus bathes his ministry in prayer.  There are so many times in the Gospels where he goes to spend time alone in prayer, and it guides his life.  

  How about you?  I don't bathe my life in prayer.  I need to.  I should.  Jesus did, and he was probably the most in-demand person in the world at the time, so it's hard to argue that I'm busier than he was, and I certainly can't make the case that I don't need it as much as he did.  I get spiritually lazy, and the clouds obscure the north star, so I lose my way.

  May we take the time to seriously examine how we spend our days, that we may make the time (we'll never find it) to bathe ourselves in prayer, that our choices and our hearts may be formed and led through prayer.

Luke 6:6-11

Luke 6:6-11 

English Standard Version 

  How would you react?  If you were constrained by a rule, but had the opportunity to be merciful, to change a life, what would you do?  It's wild to look back and see how the Pharisees acted, always seeming to choose the wrong action, but what do you think they were like in the time?  They're easy villains now... but I have to imagine they wanted to do the right thing.  They thought they were protecting the faith by protecting the rules, and looking to punish those who violated the rules, especially those who broke the rules publicly.  They wanted to protect the church, but instead they were turning people away due to their hardened hearts.

  It's a reminder to me to pray for a softer heart.  I see things every day that try and harden my heart, that make me want to pull back from others.  Jesus calls us to soften towards the world, as brutal as it can be.  To love, to be merciful, and to let the Holy Spirit lead us.

Luke 6:1–5

Luke 6:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  Here, Jesus is showing the Pharisees about how the rules are intended to expand life, not restrict it.  Mercy and the rules are colliding, but Jesus is telling the people that mercy wins out.  The rules are not to be ignored, but picked up and examined, to ensure they're fulfilling the purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God into every corner of our lives and every corner of the community of God's people.  It's not a club to use to beat someone over the head with, but rather an invitation to let God rule our hearts, minds, and relationships.  

Luke 5:36-39

Luke 5:36-39 

English Standard Version 

  When Jesus comes, he brings news of the new Kingdom, breaking in and requiring transformation.  If we try and accept his teachings into our old ways of thinking, then it doesn't fit.  The Kingdom changes us.  

  The Pharisees were intent on fitting Jesus into their old ways of thinking, and so they didn't know what to do with his teachings.  They eventually rejected him, because they were unwilling to change.

  So are you willing to set down your old ways of thinking, to trust Jesus completely, even if what is new is uncomfortable?  May we trust in the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 5:33–35

Luke 5:33-35 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus gives us a glimpse into the coming Kingdom of God -- it is to be a feast, one where we celebrate the presence of the Kingdom of God.  It's a helpful reminder for us in the church -- how do we celebrate more, giving thanks to the risen Christ for transforming our lives and giving us a reason to hope?  How can our lives be one long celebration of what Christ has done for us?  God is good, and we are the recipients of so much goodness, so much grace.  Jesus points out there that there is a time for mourning, and a time for fasting... we all know this reality.  But joy will still come in the morning, and there is hope that breaks like the dawn!

Luke 5:29–32

Luke 5:29-32 

English Standard Version 

  Remember, Levi's life has been transformed.  He has left everything, and what does he do first?  He hosts a banquet, practicing hospitality.  If we don't know what our next step is as a Christian, hospitality is a good place to start.  Who can you host for a meal, for a coffee, for a chat?  Who can you open your life to?

  Jesus goes in to Levi's, and everyone else wonders why he's spending time with the broken, but Jesus reminds them that's exactly who he has come for -- those who are broken in some way.  We all qualify for this, but some see it better than others.  So may we humbly remember that we are all broken, and give thanks that Jesus comes to us.  It's also a good reminder that when you see other people in the world who you are certain are broken, that we should be careful about judging them, because Jesus has come for them, too.

Luke 5:27-28

Luke 5:27-28

English Standard Version 

  This is a reminder in the way that Jesus sees.  Tax collectors were reviled in these days, as they were Jews who were seen as people who turned their back on their own community and worked with the invading army.  Most were corrupt, as they had Roman soldiers to enforce their collections, whatever they wanted to take, as long as they remitted enough to Rome.  

  Jesus saw that, but he saw through it to the man, and he called him, regardless of his status and the way he was viewed in society.  Jesus called him because he loved him.  As a response, Levi left everything -- his life was completely transformed.

  Jesus sees us in the same way.  He sees past all the warts and scars and bad choices, and he loves us, wanting to transform our lives so that everything centers around him.  We wouldn't be the top of the list if someone was making a list based on the world's standards, but that's not how Jesus sees.  He sees us as treasured and beloved creations that he knit together in our mother's wombs, and he loves us.

Luke 5:24–26

Luke 5:24-26 

English Standard Version 

  Extraordinary things.  We don't expect to see them very often -- in this jaded world, we are suspect of most things extraordinary.  

  But Jesus does extraordinary things to prove that he is not ordinary.  He has authority in a way we struggle to comprehend -- over life, over death, over brokenness.  Jesus has come to heal and restore in a way that doesn't simply bandage the wounds, but instead heals them completely, restoring us.  Jesus has come that we may glorify God, free from the bondage of sin and death, and restore us to hope and wholeness.

  So may the Holy Spirit help us to see in new ways, that the extraordinary ways that God is at work in the world will be apparent to us, even if it means that we have to go to new places to see where God is moving.

Luke 5:21–23

Luke 5:21-23 

English Standard Version 

  This is a very helpful reminder to us.  Note -- the Son of God, perfect in every way, walked this earth and healed people, doing dramatic miracles in public for all to see.  Others stood around and criticized him.  So why do we get so discouraged when people criticize us?  Of course we'll be criticized... Jesus wasn't immune from it.  

  So do not be alarmed when you find opposition in this world.  There are plenty of people willing and able to try and tear others down.  Focus on your ministry, on sharing the love of Christ in word and deed, and let Christ console you on the days when it's tough to keep moving forward.  He knows what it's like to suffer and find resistance in the community.

Luke 5:17–20

Luke 5:17-20

English Standard Version 

  I always wonder what obstacles I let stand in the way of me spending more time with Jesus.  I have plenty of reasons why I find other things to do.  None of them are better, but they seem more pressing, more urgent.  I get so tied up, so focused, and I suddenly grow aware that far more time has passed than I thought.  

  These men don't let anything stand in the way of getting their friend in front of Jesus.  They tear up a stranger's roof, lowering him down in front of Jesus, because they're focused on their goal.  Jesus looks up and sees their faith, and offers forgiveness, reminding us about the power of community.  We don't find our way to Jesus on our own, but others help us find the way, and in their determination, may we be inspired and energized to pursue Jesus with passion and devotion.

Luke 5:14–16

Luke 5:14-16 

English Standard Version 

  Jesus' ministry continues to grow, but Jesus refuses to budge off this commitment to a robust prayer life.  Even as he grew more popular and people demanded more of him, he found a time and place to pray on his own.  He had to go to desolate places, but he was willing to do so, because that fed his soul.

  It's a reminder to us -- if Jesus, the most popular person in the 1st century, wasn't too busy to make time to pray, then we ought to ensure we do likewise.  

Luke 5:12-13

Luke 5:12-13 

English Standard Version 

  I wonder how much of society has moved from the front porch to the back patio.  We certainly have more space behind our house... but we're more isolated as well.  It was true when we lived in the suburbs, too -- we rarely sat out front and talked to our neighbors.  

  We're isolated in different ways.  It's strange how often you can be surrounded with people and still be isolated.  In Jesus' time, this leper would have been very isolated, and so it's remarkable that Jesus reaches out and touches him.  It violates all the social norms... and yet Jesus longs to break down the barriers that isolate us, to build a community of broken people.  So may we join the effort -- giving thanks at the ways Jesus includes us, and looking for ways to include others.