Luke 6:12-49

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Read Luke 6:12-49

Verses chosen for meditation: Luke 6: 12, 19, 23, 31, 38, 41, 45, 47, 48 ESV

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 

 

19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

 

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

 

31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

 

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

 

41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

 

 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 

47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

 

Reflect

 

1. What do you think Jesus did to recharge himself?

 

2. What do you make of Jesus' teachings?

 

3. What should be our attitude and response to life's unfavourable situations?

 

4. What are some of the examples and principles of doing good?

 

5. What can we learn and apply from this passage?

 

Relate

 

How do we usually recharge ourselves? I believe all of us have our individual preferences for recharging, each to their own. As for me, it would be having a good 'me time'. Like many others, I view recharging as 'unwinding' oneself as the spent self needs some chilling out.

 

But there's yet another way of recharging. It has to do with spending time alone as well. The difference here is that recharging is viewed as topping up where the depleted self needs a refilling to prepare itself for what's to come.

 

Our Lord seems to opt for the latter method of recharging. Hours of refilling in his case would take the form of praying alone by himself. Even then, it wouldn't go unnoticed. The people could simply tell that power exudes from within him (v 19) after a night of prayer.

 

As regards his teachings, they were mostly directed at the disciples. They could be the same as the ones he preached on the mount or different since this round it took place on the plain. Whether the mount and the plain are one and the same place, it is still unclear.

 

But what is certain is that the gist of his teachings remains the same, with elements of counter-culturalism writ large. In the same manner, I was taken with the image painted by the late Jim Elliot, missionary to Ecuador, of a man standing confidently with his feet astride a railway track, and with his face turned against the wind. It symbolises a going - against - the - grain. Call it revolutionary, call it radical idiocy, call it whatever, but know that this is the way, the truth and the life.

 

We've heard the saying that when life gives us lemons, make some lemonade. It's to say that there's no need to feel sour about the whole matter, or throw lemons back at whoever or whatever that's causing the unpleasantness. Instead, make something refreshing out of the situation. Until we try, we'll never experience the refreshment it can bring.

 

The lemons could also refer to people. Those who are our enemies, those who hate us, those who curse us, and those who mistreat us. We can make lemonade out of such lemons as well - a lemonade of love and goodwill that comes with prayer. However, this is not Lemonade theology. More truly, it's the way, the truth and the life.

 

There are many 'Do Good' teachings and mantras out there, most of them focussing on the principle of not doing anything bad to others, which are commendable in their own right. But the teachings of the Master, our Lord and Saviour, in v31 and v38 go a step further. They encourage us to do good to others as well as to give to others. This has been exemplified beautifully by the Cross where a profound measure of good is done for all humanity and where its giving outmeasures anything that the world can offer. This is displayed by none other than the One himself who is the way, the truth and the life.

 

The above are but some core lessons from the Kingdom classroom of The Way, the Truth and the Life whose students comprise disciples like you and me.

 

Should we not then try to be an A student of this Masterclass?

 

Rest

 

Lord, you who are the way, the truth and the life, show us the way, lead us by the truth and grant us the life. May we then walk the way not by sight, but by faith. May we hold on to the truth not bound by laws, but by love. And may we look at life not as one without a future, but as one with hope.

 

Naville Chia