Monday 30th  November 2009

Luke 6.6-11 cont.

6 Now it so happened on another Sabbath he went into the synagogue to teach, and there was a man there whose right hand was shrivelled up.

7 But the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might have something with which to accuse Him

8 He (Jesus) already knew how they were reasoning, so He said to the man having the shrivelled up hand: “Rise up and stand in the middle”. Getting up he stood there.

9 Now Jesus said to them: “I ask you is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good things, or to do evil things, to save life or to destroy it?”

10 And looking around at them all He said to him: “Stretch out your hand”? He did so and his hand was restored.

11 But being filled with rage they talked with one another as to what they might do to Jesus.

Again we do not know much about this man. It is possible that he may have been planted there by the Pharisees to trick Jesus into breaking the Sabbath laws. There is no evidence to say that this is what happened. There was a book known as the gospel of the Hebrews, which describes the man with the withered hand as a mason, who prays for help in such words as this: ‘I was a mason seeking a livelihood with my hands: I pray thee, Jesus, to restore me mine health, that I may not beg meanly for my food.’ This book no longer exists and we only have the quotations which come from some of the church fathers (early and influential theologians). If this man had been a mason, then his plea to Jesus was that he might earn his living again. He was a man who did not want to rely on the generosity of others, but a man who wanted to work to provide for himself. He sees in Jesus that opportunity. He sees in Jesus a hope he had not had before. Whatever, his status, there was an excitement that his circumstances were about to be changed. As we come to Jesus let it also be in the same excitement and faith filled excitement that He is able to change and will do far more above all we hope or imagine. Jesus was not about to disappoint this man and He was not going to allow the Pharisees and their petty laws to prevent this man being restored instantly. Jesus cuts right through the reasoning of the Pharisees with a question that meant they could not answer it and still maintain their hard stance concerning the observance of the Sabbath. As we keep our minds open to the leading of the Holy Spirit we will find that He will always lead us to do what is good and, above anything else, to be ministers of salvation.

Sunday 29th  November 2009

Luke 6.6-11

6 Now it so happened on another Sabbath he went into the synagogue to teach, and there was a man there whose right hand was shrivelled up.

7 But the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might have something with which to accuse Him

8 He (Jesus) already knew how they were reasoning, so He said to the man having the shrivelled up hand: “Rise up and stand in the middle”. Getting up he stood there.

9 Now Jesus said to them: “I ask you is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good things, or to do evil things, to save life or to destroy it?”

10 And looking around at them all He said to him: “Stretch out your hand”? He did so and his hand was restored.

11 But being filled with rage they talked with one another as to what they might do to Jesus.

In these early chapters of Luke we cannot help but notice that he dwells on the encounters that Jesus has with the religious authorities. In particular how the authorities (Pharisees and scribes) were disturbed by the way in which Jesus seemed to have little regard for the law. Here we have another instance of Jesus not adhering to the strict letter of the law, which, as we have seen, forbade any work to be done on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees and scribes found Jesus actions completely unacceptable. However, as yet, Jesus was still to be found openly in the synagogue, both teaching and healing. Here we have another occasion where it is clear that a man was there who had need of being healed. Such an action by Jesus would be regarded as work by the Pharisees, thus making Jesus a law breaker. The Pharisees were there with the deliberate intent of confronting Jesus with His disrespect for the Sabbath laws. Jesus was not unaware of their intent; after all He had faced their opposition on a previous Sabbath. Jesus is never caught unaware of any situation. He is the Lord of all and He knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. Whatever we face, and whatever the circumstances, Jesus is never taken by surprise. There are many situations that happen to us which we do not see coming and are a total surprise to us, leaving us shocked. Yet Jesus does know, therefore, He is able to guide us through, as David said in Psalm 23: [1] The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  [2]  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, [3]  he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. [4]  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. With our life in His hands we are assured that He leads us and holds us during all times and circumstances and He is able to meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Saturday 28th  November 2009

Luke 6.1-5 cont.

1 It just so happened that as He was going through a grain field His disciples plucked the ears of corn and rubbing it in their hands they ate it.

2 But some of the Pharisees said: “Why do you break the Sabbath law?”

3 Answering, Jesus said to them: “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him

4 How he went into the house of God and took the sacred loaves, which is only lawful for the priests to eat, and he ate them, giving some to those who were with him?”

5 And He said to them: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”.

It is interesting to see that the Pharisees are talking to the disciples, but it is Jesus who answers. Also, on this occasion it was not Jesus who was being accused, but His disciples; and it is the disciples whom the Pharisees target with their accusing question. We may consider that their accusation is somewhat over the top. Yet for the Pharisees the obedience of these Sabbath laws was a matter of extreme gravity, with fatal consequences for their eternal souls. In their eyes there was no hope for Sabbath law breakers. Many of us were brought up in a time when Sundays were a day when certain things could and could not be done, whether someone went to church or not. It was a day not dissimilar to the Sabbath of the New Testament, though not with so many rules and regulations. We have seen that the Pharisees regarded the breaking of these laws has a matter of losing their salvation. Many within the church also regarded in the same way those who did not keep Sunday in the same way. Jesus came to set us free from the impossible task of salvation through keeping the law. Paul wrote: through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death – Romans 8.2. In most organizations, including the church, there can be the temptation to create so many rules and regulations which bind and limit people. In the case of the church, such rules can bar the way from people coming to Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross He cried: “it is finished”, and the curtain in the temple was torn in two – free access to the Father. Salvation comes through Him and not through the observance of rules, laws and regulations. It is true that all organizations need rules, countries need laws, which are to serve people.

Friday 27th  November 2009

Luke 6.1-5

1 It just so happened that as He was going through a grain field His disciples plucked the ears of corn and rubbing it in their hands they ate it.

2 But some of the Pharisees said: “Why do you break the Sabbath law?”

3 Answering, Jesus said to them: “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him

4 How he went into the house of God and took the sacred loaves, which is only lawful for the priests to eat, and he ate them, giving some to those who were with him?”

5 And He said to them: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”.

Jesus and His disciples were not alone as they walked through the grain fields. The law of the Old Testament said that anyone passing through such a field was allowed to pick the corn, so long as they did not use a sickle: When you go into your neighbour’s field, you may take the heads of grain with your hand; but you may not put your blade to his grain – Deuteronomy 23.25. Therefore, what the disciples were doing was not against the law. However, it was a Sabbath day and there were many little laws and rules which were laid down as to what work could or could not be done. W Barclay says that the disciples broke four of the Sabbath rules.

1)    On the Sabbath no one should do any kind of reaping, which the disciples did as they plucked the corn.

2)    No threshing was to be done; they did this by rubbing the corn in their hands.

3)    It was not allowed to do any winnowing; they did this by throwing away the husks of corn.

4)    No food was to be prepared on the Sabbath; quite clearly they had done this, since they went on to eat what they had prepared in their hands.

The guilt of breaking Sabbath laws were clear for all to see and the Pharisees were quick to point this out, making the assumption that the disciples would stop what they were doing and expecting Jesus to condemn them for their illegal actions. Failing that Pharisees would want to highlight Jesus as one who was a breaker of the Sabbath laws, and one who encouraged His followers to do the same. The Pharisees knew that they had the law on their side and they believed that Jesus would not be able to deny what they were saying. Having right on our side can deny compassion and mercy. We shall see later in this chapter that the Pharisees keenness to uphold Sabbath laws was a blockage to bringing the mercy and compassion the mankind that God requires: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” – Zechariah 7.9. Jesus aslo said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. In Him we see God’s desire fully met in the law: justice, compassion and mercy for one another.

Thursday 26th  November 2009

Luke 5.36-39 cont.

36 Now He also (told) a parable to them: “No one sews a new patch onto an old coat, otherwise the new piece will tear away from it.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, because the new wine will burst the old ones and both the wine and the wineskin will be lost.

39 Instead, new wine must be put in new wineskins. And no one who has drunk the old wine has any desire for new wine, because he says: “The old is good enough””.

Continuing on with these verses we learn that Jesus is always wanting to do a new thing with us. Isaiah said: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland – 43.19. It may be new ways of worship, new ways of evangelising, new ways of serving. The new things of Jesus are to make ways where there have been no ways before and to bring refreshment into places that have been arid. His new ways bring salvation to those who had not hope of salvation, healing to bodies that have been robbed of their health and deliverance from evil for those who have been either possessed or oppressed by evil. It was in His ministry that Jesus demonstrated these new ways of the Kingdom of God, and it was these new ways that led to the clashes that He had with the authorities.

It is said that it is at an early age that the mind of man becomes like an old wineskin. This brings with it the resistance to change. Perhaps it is also true with the spirit of man also not wanting to embrace the new adventures that the Holy Spirit wants to lead us into. In Romans 12.2 Paul urges us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we will be able to prove the will of God. We are blessed that we are not the same as the world which is stuck in the same rut, instead we are able to have our minds renewed by the Holy Spirit so that we can enter into things that as yet we cannot even imagine.

Wednesday 25th  November 2009

Luke 5.36-39

36 Now He also (told) a parable to them: “No one sews a new patch onto an old coat, otherwise the new piece will tear away from it.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, because the new wine will burst the old ones and both the wine and the wineskin will be lost.

39 Instead, new wine must be put in new wineskins. And no one who has drunk the old wine has any desire for new wine, because he says: “The old is good enough””.

In our throwaway society the idea of sewing to mend a garment is quite rare. Years ago it was a regular thing to darn socks that had a hole in them. In doing this the new wool had to be joined to a good firm piece of the sock in order for the new not to pull away from the old. I can remember doing this, occasionally sticking the needle into my fingers instead of the sock! The whole idea was to prolong the life of the sock, however, eventually the darning part would most likely tear away from the old part of the sock, making the whole thing irreparable. We are even less familiar with wineskins. In the New Testament days these were animal skins that were sewn to make a container for wine. The new wineskins would be capable of being stretched, therefore, new unfermented wine expanded the new wineskin would stretch with it. Old wineskins were hard and had lost the ability to be stretched; therefore, if new wine was placed in them, when it expanded the wineskin would burst, destroying the wine and the wineskins. Jesus uses these two illustrations to show that the old order of the Pharisees and scribes could not contain the new wine of the Kingdom of God. Everybody could see that the teaching of Jesus was radically different to anything they had heard before, they could also see that He had a power and authority that amazed them. It was increasingly obvious that old style Judaism could not contain the newness of God’s Kingdom. When we are born again the very newness of our life in Jesus cannot be contained within the old way of life we had lived before. Being born again brings the new life of Jesus, the fresh energy of the Holy Spirit and an ever expanding horizon into the purposes of our Father. There is a danger that we believers start to look back and say that the old is good enough. As born again believers, filled with the Holy Spirit we need to be always embracing the new things of the Spirit, because where the Spirit is, there is freedom – 2 Corinthians 3.17.

Tuesday 24th  November 2009

Luke 5.33-35 cont.

33 Now they said to Him: “The disciples of John often fast and pray, as do the Pharisees, but your (disciples) carry on eating and drinking”.

34 But Jesus said to them: “Is it right for the sons of the bridegroom to fast whilst the bridegroom is with them?

35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them (violence implied), in those days they will fast”.

Fasting continued.

It is obvious that there was a distinct difference of opinion in the practice of the scribes and Pharisees from that of Jesus. The former, also including the disciples of John the Baptist were still very much in the old way of doing things, of which fasting was an important part. Jesus brings in the new order of things. His statement that it is not right for the friends of the bridegroom to fast while the bridegroom is with them is a clear reference to His being the Messiah. In His immediate presence there would be no need to fast. His disciples had instant access to Him; therefore, they did not need to put time aside to be with Him. Instead they would enjoy His presence as they lived together and listened to Him and watched Him, all the time learning from Him. However, Jesus does seem to have fasted. As we have seen, He did so in the wilderness, when He was tempted by the devil. It also seems that He did so in John 4 when the disciples brought food for Jesus to eat (Jesus had just been talking with the woman from Samaria). They urged Him to eat, but Jesus replies: “I have food to eat…my food is that I might do the will of Him who sent me and that I might complete His work”.

This is the true meaning of fasting: it is to do what Jesus did, to be occupied with doing the work that God has called us to do. This may require those times when we go without food for the purpose of receiving continued instruction from Him, for receiving His redirection, for being empowered again for the task He has given us responsibility for. However, if going without food would cause medical problems, then advice should be sought. The important thing is to put time aside for being with our Father, rather than not eating. Fasting times are a kind of heavenly planning meeting where heavens directives become earthly actions.

Monday 23rd  November 2009

Luke 5.33-35

33 Now they said to Him: “The disciples of John often fast and pray, as do the Pharisees, but your (disciples) carry on eating and drinking”.

34 But Jesus said to them: “Is it right for the sons of the bridegroom to fast whilst the bridegroom is with them?

35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them (violence implied), in those days they will fast”.

The fasting that occurs in the Old Testament was usually in response to some kind of disaster and was a means of national repentance – 2 Chronicles 20.3: And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. A fast was also a time of being humble before the Lord- Ezra 8.1: Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

In the New Testament people fasted for various reasons. Anna fasted both day and night as she served the Lord – Luke 2.37. Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. He also told the disciples that casting out certain demons requires fasting as well as prayer. In the church we know that Paul fasted immediately after his conversion; the prophets and teachers fasted before they chose the first missionaries; and the choosing of elders was preceded with prayer and fasting.

During the days of Jesus the Jews had various fasts. In particular they would fast on a Monday and a Thursday, making their faces white so that it could be seen that they were fasting. This fast was only between sunrise and sunset, after which they could eat as normal. Their idea was different to what God intended in fasting, since they wanted to call God’s attention to their fasting. This was instead of the person fasting seeking to hear what God was saying. This idea is seen as the early church prayed and fasted as the means of choosing missionaries and elders.

Sunday 22nd  November 2009

Luke 5.27-32

27 And after these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax house, and He said to him: “Follow me”.

 28 And leaving everything he got up followed Him.

29 Levi prepared a big banquet for Him in his house; and there was a crowd of tax collectors and others with Him reclining at the table.

30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled to His disciples saying: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 And Jesus answering said to them: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are ill do.

32 I have not come to call righteous people but sinners to repentance”.

The calling of Levi tells us that a person’s past is no barrier to their following Jesus. It also tells us that it is no barrier to Jesus in going to anyone, in whatever situation in order to give the invite to follow Him. Paul says in Romans 5.20 ‘where there is an increase of sin, there is a greater increase of grace.’ The word Pharisee means ‘separated one’; as we have seen the word ‘Levi means ‘joined’. The Pharisees separated themselves from tax collectors and sinners, seeing them as having no hope of salvation. Jesus sees us sinners as those whom He wants joined to Him. This was the reason for which He came. As sinners we suffered from the terminal disease of death, separated from God. Jesus came to cure us from that terminal disease so that we are now joined to Him and the Father. This is the good news. Jesus calls this most hated of sinners to be one of the apostles, a pillar and foundation of the church. He calls this man, who was known for his cheating and dodgy deals, to be a peddler of the gospel. Perhaps it is difficult for us to separate a person from their past, maybe seeing them as tainted by the life they have lived. Yet the power of the gospel is that Jesus does separate us from our past and joins us to His present and future. We do well to remember that Jesus had the apostles with Him for three years before giving them the power and authority of the Holy Spirit to go into all the world and make disciples. It was three years during which Jesus would remove the past from them, three years in which He would train them and teach them, three years of hard preparation before giving them the responsibility to be His delegated representatives. Maybe this is a pattern we could well follow.

As the followers of Jesus we need to do as He did and be ready to go into places where most people would not want to go, to those who are spiritually ill to bring the reconciliation and restoration of Jesus.

Saturday 21st  November 2009

Luke 5.27-32

27 And after these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax house, and He said to him: “Follow me”.

 28 And leaving everything he got up and followed Him.

29 Levi prepared a big banquet for Him in his house; and there was a crowd of tax collectors and others with Him reclining at the table.

30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled to His disciples saying: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 And Jesus answering said to them: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are ill do.

32 I have not come to call righteous people but sinners to repentance”.

Levi = joined.

It might be said that the calling of Levi (Matthew) is another example of the forgiveness of Jesus. As a tax collector, Levi was probably a hated figure, despised for the extortion that most tax collectors practiced. He would be loathed because he would be seen as a collaborator with the Roman occupiers. W Barclay tells us that in the Roman world, taxation was on a kind of franchise, which people bought the rights to. These people had to make sure that at the end of each year a tax collector had to hand over to the Roman authorities the amount the authorities deemed necessary. Over and above that the tax collector could take whatever he could get away with. There were two kinds of taxes. There was a poll tax which every male from 14-65 years of age and every female from 12-65 years of age had to pay. In brief there was a ground tax, income tax, there were all kinds of duties for using roads, harbours, markets; duties on transportation (on a cart and on each wheel) on animals, import and export duties. There was a purchase tax on certain articles. In cases where someone could not pay the tax collector would offer to lend them money, at an exorbitant rate of interest, thus drawing them deeper into their clutches. Tax collectors were in the same bracket as robbers and murderers and they were not allowed to go into the synagogue. Of course we do not know to what extent Levi was like this, but the event that follows would certainly suggest that he was living off the fat of his income and enjoyed the company of other tax collectors and ‘sinners’. We can only imagine what the other disciples thought when they realised that Levi was to be one of their number. The gospel of Jesus is for everyone, for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not be lost, but should have eternal life – John 3.16