Luke 7:18- 35  John the Baptist seems to have had a moment of doubt.  He had known since before his birth the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He had witnessed the Holy Spirit coming like a dove and filling Jesus at His baptism.  He was a chosen prophet of God.. but in a time of persecution and imprisonment.. his faith faltered just a bit.  So, he sent two of his disciples to go to Jesus and ask Him if He was the Expected One... 

Sometimes we feel strong in our faith and stand firm in the Truth... but sometimes we are tempted to question what we have known, heard, and seen.  Jesus did not condemn John's questioning.. He simply answered the question with proof.. "He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind."  Everything that Jesus did was fulfilling the prophecy for the Messiah. (Isaiah 35:5 and 61:1ff)  The messengers took this back to John.  What a blessing that must have been to them as well as to John in those final days. 

Jesus spoke well of John saying that he was more than just a prophet, but the one who had been sent to prepare His way. He deserved to be honored for he completed the work that the Father had created him to do... "yet... " Jesus continued, "he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.. "  The people who heard this believed that this was a "just" statement.  They had believed John's message and they were coming to believe in Jesus. 

The Pharisees and lawyers were a different story.. they "rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John."  Jesus called them a generation who acted like children.. condemning John for his ministry.. and condemning Jesus for His. They ignored the Word of God, they did not hear the Truth being spoken for they had hardened their hearts. 

Father in heaven,  help us in our moments of doubt and fear, to turn our eyes back to Jesus.. to see, to hear, and to know Him by His Word and by His Works.  Help us, Father, to grow in faith and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we exalt Your Holy Name and live according to Your Word and Your Spirit as we walk in difficult times.. and in peaceful times too.  Lord, You know us completely and You alone can bring us to the fulness of Christ in whom we abide.  Let Your will be done we pray, Amen. 

 Luke 7:11-17   "And  it came about soon afterwards that He went to a city called Nain..."  We know that Jesus did and said only what the Father led Him to do or say.  This trip to Nain was no coincidence.. it was not by accident that Jesus entered the city just when they were carrying out this dead man... "the only son of his mother .. a widow." 

Jesus "approached".. Jesus "felt compassion for her".. Jesus said words of comfort "Do no weep."  She had no idea what Jesus was going to do.. we don't even know if she knew who He was.  But, when He stopped the procession, when He touched the bier.. when He spoke to her dead son.. and when this beloved son sat up and spoke.. she knew! "And Jesus gave him back to his mother." 

Imagine this! Oh the sorrow... to lose a child.. to feel the loss of the only one left. And Oh the joy!  This son restored to life right before your eyes.  "And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God!"  

Eyes were opened that day.. not just the eyes of a dead son and his grieving mother.. but all those who followed Jesus to Nain and all those coming out of the city.. "a sizeable crowd" that accompanied her.  "And the report concerning Him went out all over Judea, and in all the surrounding district." 

There was much talk about Lazarus being raised from the dead.... but this first display of the power of Jesus to raise the dead seems to be less well known.  He raised the daughter of Jairus, He raised this young man, and He raised Lazarus.  How many more did He raise that we do not have a record of?  How many did He touch before they died that would not have made it without His intervention.   Jesus has not changed and His authority over life and death has not changed either.  His compassion is so great and His power is without end. We can trust Him to complete the Father's plan for each of us. The older I get the more I realize that only He has control of my life and my death.. and my eternal home-going. I know I can trust Him with my own life and with that of my family.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Father, we rest in You.. in Your precious promises.. that You will never leave us or forsake us. You have written down the days of our lives since before we even came from our mothers' wombs.  We are on the road, on the way to our eternal home with Jesus holding us close the whole way.  Thank You Father for such a great Savior. Thank You that He lives in us who believe.. and we live in Him forever.  Jesus, the Vine and we the branches.. abiding together as we keep our eyes on eternity with You .. Praise God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

 Luke 7:1-10  Luke tells his readers about Jesus returning to Capernaum.  A centurion, whose  slave was on his deathbed, sent "some Jewish elders" to Jesus to ask Him to " come and save the life of his slave." 

The Jewish elders "earnestly entreated Him.. "  They spoke of the worth of the centurion.. "He is worthy for You to grant this to him.. " they pleaded.  He was a good man,  he loved Israel, he built the synagogue. Jesus listened to this plea and started toward the home of this man. 

 But, before He got there the centurion sent some "friends".. who had a different message for Jesus. "Lord, do not trouble Yourself further , for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed." 

Two evaluations.. one declaring that this man was worthy... his own personal declaration of  unworthiness.  Jesus heard both of these and "marveled" more at the man's humble evaluation of himself than all the praises of the elders. The centurion understood the authority of Jesus and he put his faith in Him.. not in his own worth or power.  "and when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health." 

The truth is.. we are all unworthy.. no matter how many "good" things we do, that is not what matters to Jesus.. for He sees our hearts.. Yes, He taught us to see what kind of fruit our lives are producing.. but He also taught that the "mouth speaks from that which fills [the] heart."  The centurion spoke of his unworthiness.. and of the authority of Jesus.  This lesson is for all of us.  

Lord God, our heavenly Father, we are not worthy of this great grace that You have lavished on us.. that while we were sinners, Christ Jesus died for us.  You have loved us. You have drawn us to Yourself by Your own choice. You have delivered us from darkness. You have given us a place in Your family.  You are good to us.  We are so thankful. Our hope is in Jesus, our faith is in Him alone for life.. for healing.. for eternity.  All praise to God our Father and to Jesus Christ the Beloved Son, and to the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Amen. 

 Luke 6:39-49  Luke includes a series of parables that Jesus taught to His disciples and others who gathered to listen.  Each quote is presented to teach an important truth.. and then we are reminded again in verse 47 that we need to hear and "act upon" them... laying a firm foundation for our lives. 

Verses 39-40 teach about leading and following.  "A blind man cannot guide a blind man.. "  That is a very observable truth.  Matthew 15:14 tells us that Jesus was speaking about the Pharisees "they are blind guides of the blind". They put their traditions before the Word of the God.  Their teachings were not founded on the truth but on their own interpretations.  Jesus said, "A pupil is not above his teacher..."  but.. the purpose of the teacher is to "fully train" his students so that they will "be like" their teacher.  In John 13:16  Jesus said this again using the word "slave" instead of pupil... "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is the one who is sent greater than the one who sent him."  Jesus had just washed the disciples feet.. "For I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you."  The contrast is significant.  The Pharisees didn't follow the Truth and could not teach effectively what they did not live out. They were "blind" and those who followed their examples would also be blind.  But.. Jesus taught the Truth and lived according to it.. desiring to "fully train" His disciples to be just like Him. 

Verses 41-42 teach about judging others but not looking first at your own soul. "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"  This is a very dramatic illustration.  We easily picture a speck and a log.. and we recognize the pain and discomfort of anything in our eyes!  What we miss is the blindness that occurs when we focus on the failures of others rather than our own.  Jesus isn't telling us to not care about our brother or sister.. but that we must first and always come to Him to restore our own sight.. to see as He does.

Verses 43-45 This lesson helps us to examine our sight and that of others.. to open our blind eyes.. "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit."  Jesus tells us that He is talking about our hearts... "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good."  As a good tree produces "good fruit" -a good heart produces "good". The evidence is the "fruit".. "for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart."   Each tree, He says, "is known by its own fruit".  If there is good in our hearts, then we will speak what is good and true and right. But, if there is evil in our hearts, what comes out of our mouths will testify clearly that we are indeed a "bad tree".. an  "evil man".

Father in heaven, we pray as the psalmist did.. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." (Psalm 139:23-24)   My heart is Yours.. my eyes are Yours, fill me, Spirit of truth, and lead me according to the Words of Christ that I might act upon them.. building a firm foundation on the Solid Rock.  I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Luke 6: 27-38  Jesus said that if we hear His words and "act upon them"  that we will flourish and stand firm.. we will not be shaken when the storms come because our foundation is firm.  These words that we find in verses 27-31 are His instructions that we need to hear and do:

Verse 27 "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.. " 

Verse 28 "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Verse 29 "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either."

Verse 30 "Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back." 

Verse 31 "And just as you want people to treat you, treat them as well." 

Oh boy! Even as I write these words I am convicted.. for I don't want someone to take what is mine.. I don't want to give to everyone who asks of me.   Surely Jesus didn't mean all those scammers and crooks and evil doers that inhabit our world today?  Did He?  How do we love those who hate us and do good to those who hurt us?  Help me Lord!   

I can rationalize through verse 31.. the "golden rule".. after all I treat people fairly.. I think.. and I want others to treat me that way.. but, do I really do it the way Jesus is saying?  And then He says:

"And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount." 

Jesus wants us to do MORE than just what "the sinners" do.. He wants us to do what He would do... "love your enemies.. do good and lend expecting nothing in return.. "  Just like He loved us while we were still sinners.. while we were in the enemies camp.  He gave Himself fully.. and He gives and gives and gives.. and never expects a return for He knows we have nothing to give that He Himself has not given us in the first place.  Every breath.. every heartbeat.. everything.. is from Him and for Him.

Jesus tells us to "be merciful" just as our Father is.  He tells us not to judge or condemn.. but to pardon others.. He tells us to "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." 

Father in heaven, I am so weak, so poor, so helpless to do these commands of Jesus.  I need Your Spirit, Lord to come and take control of my life so that I might walk in the ways of Jesus.. loving enemies, giving to those who ask, being merciful and patient, forgiving and persevering in doing good. Help me not to grow weary in doing good.. not to be afraid of truly loving the stranger, the needy, and even the wicked.  Help us to show Your love as You have shown Your love to us.  We come to You in the name of Jesus, who gave Himself for us that we might become righteous like He is.. May it be done in us.. in me today I pray.  Amen. 

 Luke 6: 24-26  Luke summarized Jesus' teaching into 4 blessings and 4 "woes".  

"Woe to you who are rich... Woe to you who are well fed...  Woe to you who laugh.. Woe to you when all men speak well of you."  Woe - alas.. is an exclamation of grief according to the Bible lexicon.   A sadness for those who have not given up anything to follow Jesus and have His kingdom. 

The "rich" are those who have abundant resources..  Jesus says that these have received their "comfort in full".  They don't recognize their need.. their poverty.. their dependence on the Father.  James wrote, "... let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away." James 1: 10-11.  Do we find our consolation in our bank accounts or in the One who we call out to when in need of help?  Do we recognize the need that others have... a need that we can meet with a willingness to share what God has provided? Or do we hold on to the things we have more than we hold on to Jesus?

Are we "full"?  Jesus says that we will then "be hungry".   To be full.. satiated, filled up, maybe even to the point of gluttony?  What is it that makes Jesus grieve over our satisfaction?  Matthew wrote, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied," (5:6)   Have we filled up on the physical desires so much that we do not desire the spiritual food?  Jesus found satisfaction in doing the will of the Father, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work." John 4:34.  May we be full of the Spirit.. may we hunger for righteousness.. may we find satisfaction in doing the will of the Father. 

"Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep."  Again this points to our satisfaction in the things of the world and our lack of surrender.. laying down everything.. for the Lord Jesus who alone can give us true joy. 

The final woe that Luke shares is "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets."   Jesus says we are blessed to be hated, ostracized, and insulted by others for His name's sake.. just like the prophets were.  Who do we want to be identified with.. the true prophets of God.. or the false prophets who come with lies and deceit?   In our humanity we don't like to be ridiculed, left out, or treated badly.  But, in Christ we have something greater than human approval.. we have a "reward... in heaven"  Something greater.. something worth the suffering, something that will give us a greater joy than any accolades from those in this world.  It will be worth it all!

Father,  Jesus told us that if we hear His words and act on them we will not be shaken.  May we have ears to hear and act upon these truths.  Enable us by Your Holy Spirit to recognize our poverty and not be full of material things that will rust and rot away.. those things that will never satisfy our true needs.  Help us to hunger for You, to hold on to Your promises which give us a hope and a future worth waiting for.  Help us to not worry or fret for our physical needs, knowing that we have a heavenly Father that provides all that we truly need. We give You thanks for all You have provided and we put our trust in You for every day that You have planned for us.. in this life and in the eternal glory that You have promised! Keep us on the solid Rock, Jesus Christ our Lord, for we come in His Mighty name. Amen 

 Luke 6:20-23  Luke gives us  the teaching of Jesus...recording them here as He came down from the mount with His newly appointed apostles.  Luke directs these words towards those who were His disciples.. His students, those who believed that He was the Messiah.  As verse 47 tells us, those who heard these words had to make a choice as to what they would do.. act upon them.. or not.  Those who act upon these words, Jesus said, would not be shaken.. while those who did not, would be ruined.  These recorded words and our response to them are a matter of Life or death. 

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."  Like Matthew, Luke records this foundational belief for coming to God... our own poverty, our helplessness, our destitution.. our complete inability to make ourselves worthy of His Kingdom.  We come as beggars. We are distressed and needy and can not find life for ourselves. We must look to the One who has  Power and  Grace.. The One who loves us and desires to give us all that we need.  Then we will see Him... the One who satisfies our hunger, who heals our broken hearts and returns laughter into our lives. The One who sees when we are hated and insulted and thrown away for His sake.  We see the One who gives blessings in the darkest points of our lives.. and we find that He is Good! 

How do we act upon these Words?  Whether we are brand new believers or have walked with Jesus for many years.. we must have this same foundation of faith.  We are poor beggars.. and He is the One who provides all we need.  "The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want."  The sheep are utterly dependent upon the shepherd for their lives.  So we are.. utterly dependent upon our God for every breath, every heartbeat, every bite of food.. for all we need.  He is a good, good Shepherd and we are in His hands.  

Does the Lord leave us when we are weeping?  No.. for He sees our tears.. and as the psalmist writes in  Psalm 56:8 "Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; and they not in Thy book?"  He turns our mourning into laughter.  "Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold your reward is great in heaven;" Luke 6:23

Father in heaven, help us to "act upon" these Words of life. May we trust You for all that we need, recognizing that we are poor beggars and all we have is from Your gracious Hand.  May we trust You when we enter times of mourning or times of trouble.. when we are scorned for our faith in Jesus.. or when evil surrounds us.. knowing that You see us and that You have a place prepared for us where we will find rewards that are far greater than anything we can imagine.  Thank You for hearing our cries and for restoring our souls.  Our hope is in You and we know that You will not disappoint us because You love us dearly.  May Your will be done in our lives today we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.