Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Have you ever read a passage of scripture and found the answer to nearly every question that you’ve ever had about Jesus’ character and mission? No? Well, now you have! Everyone reading this, whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, has a view of who Jesus is. Maybe you see Jesus as Lord, Savior, or Teacher. Or, maybe you don’t yet understand Jesus as any of those. Luke chapter six has things to teach both parties.

As we begin reading the first few lines of this chapter, we get a good picture of one of Jesus’ sharpest sides of His personality. In many ways, He is a rebel in comparison with society. Remembering back to chapter five, Jesus says:

“No one puts a piece from a new garment onto an old one, otherwise the new one makes a tear…No one puts new wine into old wineskins or else the new wine will burst the old wineskins.”

Now, please don’t confuse what I just said with the fact that Jesus was one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God, meaning that He is also one hundred percent perfect. He fulfilled every Mosaic law down to the last iota. What Jesus is saying is that He is here to proclaim the Kingdom of God; with that comes a new worldview along with new vessels in which that worldview is to be spread (that would be Christians). So, what does that have to do with Jesus’ seemingly rebellious personality? His teachings so contradicted the traditions of the Pharisees to the point of them seeking to kill him for it. Despite the Pharisees' efforts to find accusations against Him, throughout the first eleven verses Christ continues to heal the sick and allow His disciples to pluck grain for their food even on the Sabbath. When confronted by the Pharisees, Jesus simply leaves them with a completely controversial and shocking statement:

“The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

How is it that this poor carpenter from Bethlehem could not only call Himself the “Son of Man” but also the sovereign Lord of the Sabbath? Not to mention, Jesus had the power to heal the blind, the lepers, the paralytics, and many others with physical ailments to back up His claims. How infuriating that must have been for them.

We learn more of Jesus’ character in verses twenty through twenty-six. This passage, commonly referred to as the “Beatitudes,” has so much insight to offer into what Jesus’ real mission on this Earth was. In summary, Jesus gives His blessings to the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the Christian exiles saying exactly the opposite of what the Pharisees had been preaching all along. He insinuates that it’s good to be what was considered the lesser social class. He even goes so far as to then give warning to those who are “full,” those who mock, and those who were of high social class that were “spoken well of by men.” After reading this section of scripture, it’s more than evident that Jesus came to flip traditions completely upside down on themselves. In case it wasn’t concise enough Jesus then goes on to preach about loving your enemies, treating people how you would want to be treated, lending without desire of repayment, and not passing undue judgment. All of these teachings go directly against the grain of what it means to be human. It’s no wonder that the Gospel of Matthew calls us to “take up our cross and follow Jesus.” The truth of the matter is that for us to align ourselves with the personality and nature of Christ we truly must allow our old selves to die because everything that He stands for is exactly what our corrupt human nature tells us not to be.

Reflections:

• If you’re a Christian, reflect on some ways in which you’ve let your old self pass away. Spend some time in prayer and thanksgiving for this reformation.
• Think about Christ’s teachings in this passage of scripture. Which parts do you struggle with the most? For me, I would have to say it’s the part about “turning the other cheek.” Spend some time asking God for help in pruning that part of yourself.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Luke 6 

Author: Jana Whittington

Today we are going to learn a lesson that Jesus taught us that is very hard to learn.  Jesus wants us to love everyone, even the people who are mean to us. Now I know what you might be thinking: Why should I be nice to someone who is mean to me?  Well, here’s why: Have you ever done anything wrong before? Even though you have made mistakes, your family loves you, and Jesus still loves you.  So, when someone makes a mistake, we should still love them.  

What do you think, can you love your enemies? How can you show love to those who are mean to you? It’s easy for us to love our friends and family and a little harder to love our enemies, but we can still do it. 

This week when you are at home, school, or anywhere, I want you to remember to spread love to everyone.  Let’s help Jesus cover the world with love. When someone is mean to us, we want to be mean back, but Jesus wants us to love others instead. We are called to not only care for people that we like but to pray even for those who might be unkind to us. It seems contradictory, but loving our enemies has the power to change our hearts as well as theirs. 

• Prayer: God, thank You for loving me. Please help me to be more like You and love everyone, even when it’s hard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.