Luke Chapter 6

• Jesus’ response to the accusations of the Pharisees in Luke 6:1-10 gives rise to a couple of interesting considerations. It seems that there is value by looking at both what Jesus said as well as how He delivered his message in these verses.

WHAT (Jesus says)

In one context, it appears that there is something to be learned by understanding (or at least trying) what Jesus is saying through His response to the Pharisees in 6:1-10. Jesus’ message appeared to be a rebuke against the Pharisees for having an extremely narrow, legalistic, understanding of the Sabbath. More importantly, perhaps their flawed understanding of the Sabbath was indicative of the Pharisees’ flawed understanding of God, Himself, and what He desired of his believers.

It seemed that Jesus’ message to the Pharisees was that they were misguided in thinking that mere adherence to the law, done in isolation and without understanding, was pleasing to God.

In 6:9, Jesus presented the following question to the Pharisees, “’I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?’" Presumably, this was rhetorical and meant to illustrate the ignorance of the person that would choose to say that it was unlawful to do good or to save a life if such acts were to occur on the Sabbath.

Part of the flaw with such an absurd response is that at best such strict, legalistic adherence requires little if any thinking on the part of the believer. At worst, such a response would indicate that the believer does not truly understand God, and therefore may not understand what he really believes in.

• HOW (Jesus said it)

In another context, I found it useful to observe how Jesus responded. I thought it was interesting that Jesus chose to chastise the Pharisees by rhetorically asking, “’Have you not even read what David did…’”, thus highlighting the importance of not only reading the Bible, but also understanding it and applying its lessons in appropriate circumstances.

• Key Takeaways: At least one key point taken from the preceding analysis was that God neither designed nor intended for us to be one dimensional, robotic practitioners of faith. Instead, it seems we are supposed to think and appropriately apply God’s teaching as presented in the Bible.

• From 6:12-19, titled, "Choosing the Twelve", as mentioned previously, I wonder how Jesus chose his disciples, especially the Twelve.

• In reference to the night before Jesus was to choose his Twelve Disciples, 6:12 states, “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” By the way, I just noticed that v12 speaks to The Twelve Disciples. I wonder if the author had a sense of humor there.

In any case, this incident once again highlights the critical emphasis Jesus placed on prayer. Choosing his Twelve Disciples must surely have been one of the most important decisions Jesus made in his time on earth, and we see Him praying the entire night before making his choices.

• 6:20-26, titled, "The Beatitudes", brings up some interesting points. 6:20 states, “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say…”

What I find interesting is that it is clear that Jesus is speaking to a crowd of His disciples. Yet, in 6:24-26, Jesus begins to say to this very same crowd comprised entirely of disciples, “Woe to you…”

One question arises from trying to understand the meaning of “Woe to you…” It seems that this statement refers to the fact that some of His disciples will not receive salvation. While this issue appears to be clearly addressed in Matthew 24:42-51, titled, “Be Ready for His Coming”, it appears to be the first time this issue is addressed in Luke.

Then again, what are the theological boundaries of salvation? Are believers in Christ entitled and thereby assured of salvation or is salvation impacted by our actions here on earth?

• 6:46-49, titled, “Builders and Foundations” really resonates with me and most fully captures my sentiments at the current time. This analogy is quite clear so I will not attempt to explain it. Suffice it to say that at this point in my life, my foremost desire is to have a well built foundation in Christ.