Review of Luke 6

by Pastor Adekoya

FOCUS: FROM THE SABBATH TO THE LORD OF THE SABBATH!

In Galatians 3 verse 19, Paul tells us that the reason for the law is sin and that the arrival of Christ is the expected end of the law. In other words, the law was given to guide the fallen, natural, carnal man until Christ would come and resurrect us onto the newness of life where we worship the Father in spirit and in truth!

The episodes in Luke chapter 6 from verse 1 down to verse 11 show us how that before God, love is superior to the law as love is the fulfillment of the law! Justice, liberty, kindness, affection, compassion, are all superior to religious and pharisaical adherence to the law. So, whatever law that forbids man to observe any of the above mentioned virtues is weightless before God.

Jesus shows His superiority over the Sabbath and that, following Him and obedience to His commandments are far more superior to observing the law. Of course, the Pharisees knew that there was nothing wrong with what the disciples were doing but only the day they were doing it – the Sabbath day, even when they were hungry! This shows us how strict, limiting and imprisoning the law could be. Thank God for the love liberty in Christ Jesus!

They regarded what the disciples were doing as working with their hands (which was against the law of the Sabbath) even though they were only plucking the ears of corn to eat. We know, however, that the Pharisees were always looking for faults with Jesus, His teachings and lifestyle. The response of Jesus referring to what David did when he was hungry shows that God cares more about our well-being far above adherence to religious laws that only gratify the outward man but cannot save the soul.

The scribes and the Pharisees would rather watch a life lost than to offer help in any way on the Sabbath day! But, again, Jesus shows that even though the essence of the law was to guide the carnal man in doing what is good and what is right before God, the law does not forbid (as far as God is concerned) any one doing good even when it is against the law! Which means God regards our good works over our religious obedience to the law. And again, as said earlier, God places priority on our well-being than on anything else. A loving and caring Father He is! That is why Jesus would heal even on a Sabbath day.

All these are to show that both the Sabbath and all the laws are not in any way the focus but Jesus. And that the arrival of Jesus puts an end to the law given to police the human soul, to follow Jesus: the Savior of the human soul. It is therefore religious madness to regard obedience or adherence to the law over and above doing good, showing compassion, expressing love, as Jesus doing good on the so-called Sabbath day got the scribes and the Pharisees mad. (vs. 11)

PRAYER IS A NECCESITY…

Jesus, though He was God in human flesh, filled with the Holy Ghost at Jordan, yet He would always create time to commune with God, showing us that as partakers of the Divine nature, the importance of prayer to maintain our spiritual sanity and spiritual walk with God cannot be overemphasized. Jesus was always so busy that He would always create time to pray!

Following the sequence, Jesus prayed all night and when it was day, He chose the Twelve disciples (apostles). We can assume that Jesus would have consulted with God to choose the right Twelve among the many that were following Him. Obviously, Jesus had at this time had more than Twelve following Him. A disciple was not just a student or a learner under a rabbi but an addicted follower. That the ministry of Jesus commanded so much crowd at all times makes it right for us to conclude that Jesus prior to this time had more than Twelve as His disciples. But I believe He would have chosen the Twelve in the night in prayer, before the day when He called on them! This shows us that we can always take charge of our day right from the night.

Jesus of course made no mistake in choosing any of His disciples even when he appointed Judas who was the traitor. He shows rightly correctly!

Interestingly, Jesus’s disciples who He named apostles are made up of Brothers, Colleagues in the same field and even social and professional rivals, but all under Jesus, they all forsook their backgrounds and differences to work together as one, following Jesus. As it is today Jesus is calling all: from every family; from all walks of life, forgetting our historical background and differences, laying aside ALL to follow Him.

It means so much to me to keep emphasizing and reemphasizing on the fact that Jesus always commanded the multitudes in His Ministry. He attracted multitudes from all walks of life, all tribes and all Nations. Here we see both the Jews and Gentiles drawn to Him as ‘a great multitude of people out of all Judah and Jerusalem and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon came but to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.’ So Jesus is popularly known as a teacher and a healer. Not just a teacher but also a healer and not just a healer but primarily and fundamentally, a teacher!

As it is this day, the multitudes are still coming to Jesus from all tribes, from all Nations, from all walks of life. However tense and intense the persecution is against the church, the church is marching on. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

Having healed all that came to Him, Jesus began to teach a sermon that is almost the same with the popular sermon on the Mount, from where we get the beatitudes. However, this seems to be the same sermon but in a different environment and to a different set of people. Matthew, in chapter 5 verse 1 recorded that Jesus was on the mountain or made His way to the mountain, sat with His disciples joining Him before he began to teach. But here, we see Luke telling us that Jesus was in a place lower to where His disciples was, having to lift up His eyes on the disciples to teach.

His amazing and astounding teaching was but in all communicating the blessedness of the gospel. In other words, the gospel is what brings prosperity to the poverty-stricken souls of men. The gospel is what satiates the hunger and quenches the thirst of men. The gospel is what brings joy to those who are weeping. Blessed indeed is that soul which recognizes his bankruptcy and will only depend on the benevolence of the blessed Savior for salvation. Blessed indeed is that soul which recognizes that nothing else satisfies other than Jesus and will therefore press to be fed of Him!

On the contrary woe awaits that soul which feels so nourished, rich and self-sufficient needing no a Savior.

This message of Jesus puts variance between those that fully rely on Jesus having accepted their helplessness and those who rely on their religious ability to meet up or match up with God’s standard. Oh, what a blessed assurance do the former have in Christ Jesus while woe awaits the latter!

Still on the message of Jesus…

For a good tree brings not fault corrupt fruit neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit… And why calling me Lord Lord and do not the things which I say?

It is obvious that only the soul that is taken over by the Spirit can bring forth such fruit or the characteristics and the attributes Jesus spoke of in His teachings.  Without doubts, the natural man cannot meet up with the standard of God. Again, how wretched therefore is that soul which sees no need for a Savior. But blessed indeed is that so who sees himself so bankrupt to embrace a Savior.  His foundation till eternity is founded on the rock and, there’ll be no occasion for falling!

Amen!