The
Foundation of Our Faith
[Luke chapter
6, verses 37-49] (chapter 6 part 3)
For today's
Bible study we will be going over the third part of the gospel of
Luke chapter six. When we concluded last week's study, we were in the
middle of the revered Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had just finished
teaching that we are to, “Be merciful, just as your heavenly
Father is merciful”. At this point in Matthew's gospel, it
reads, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.”
Merciful people – that is, compassionate, kindhearted people who
are filled with empathy – will be shown the same degree of
favorable judgment and benefit of the doubt that they showed toward
others, and they will receive it from Christ himself, in person. Now
that's
what I call something to look forward to! On that note, let's begin
the 3rd
and final part of Luke chapter six.
“Do not
judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not
be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be
given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and
running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you
use, it will be measured to you. He also told them this parable: Can
a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A
student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained
will be like his teacher. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out
of your eye', when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own
eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's
eye.” (Luke 6, verses 37-42)
“Do
not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will
not be condemned.” Wow, that's an entire sermon right there!
Although this is inspiring, there's far more to it than that when we
consider just what Jesus meant. There will be no haters, bigots or
racists in heaven. Forget about it! If anyone judges, despises or
mistrusts others because of race, creed or nationality (I would
personally include sexual orientation with that as well, but that's
just me), they will be judged with the same degree of intolerance
they showed others. OK, what else? Class warfare and economic
inequality will not exist in heaven, either. Meaning, the same degree
of intolerance anyone shows to homeless individuals or families,
Jesus will direct back toward themselves. Those who refused to hire
an ex-convict trying to restart their lives after finishing their
sentences and paying their debt to society will similarly be refused
entry into heaven after their lives on earth are over and done with.
“What goes around comes around.” That, in my humble opinion, is
exactly what Jesus meant by not judging and condemning!
“Give,
and it will be given to you.... For with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.” I believe it is fairly likely that this is
the origin of the 20th century truism, “What goes around
comes around”. Have you ever noticed that mean and grouchy people
seldom have any friends? Neither does a jerk or an arrogant person.
There's a reason for that! If you want to be treated well, treat
others at least as well, if not better. “A student is not above
his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his
teacher.” At first glance, this statement seems to be
self-explanatory. But I think what Jesus was also saying here is that
we had each better choose our teachers well. He was indirectly
talking about himself. Correct and sound teaching produces a well
grounded and very capable graduate. But filling someone's head full
of incorrect or corrupted teaching sends the graduate down a road
that will end in failure. So this is something to be avoided at all
costs!
“How
can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of
your eye', when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
This right here, Jesus was saying to the crowd and his apostles, it
what it looks like to God when you judge or hold in contempt anyone
else. If you must insist on being judgmental, Jesus told them all
that day, then you can start with yourselves. And, starting with
ourselves is what we must do every day for the rest of our lives in
order to better follow Christ. But, not as an obligation but rather
as a choice and as a way to maintain our personal integrity before
the Lord. Jesus was telling them, but not in so many words, “If you
seriously want to be my follower, and particularly if you want to be
my apostle, always judge yourself first before judging the world
around you, and the people within that world.” And now let's go
over the second half of this week's lesson, beginning at verse 43.
“No
good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each
tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from
thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things
out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil
things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the
overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me, 'Lord,
Lord', and not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who
comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is
like a man building a house, who dug down deep and and laid the
foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent shook that house
but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who
hears my words but does not put them into practice is like the man
who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the
torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was
complete.” (Luke 6, verses 43-49)
“No
good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit....
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his
heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up
in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Have you ever noticed that 'gamers' have no backup? I'm not writing
about video game players here, I'm writing about opportunistic
individuals who busy themselves with 'gaming' other people to their
detriment. The con artist, the shady salesperson, the crooked Wall
St. trader and many computer hackers are four examples I can think
of. How do we test whether someone's fruit is good or bad? Compare
what they tell you to what actually is. If everything checks out,
that's indicative of good fruit. But if someone tells you all about
all the good things they do, while in actuality their lives are a
train wreck, that smell you just got a whiff of is rotten fruit.
“Why
do you call me, 'Lord, Lord', and not do what I say? I will show you
what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into
practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and
and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent shook
that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”
“If you put what I've been teaching you today into practice”,
Jesus was telling the crowd, “you will have chosen well”. As
before, Jesus was indirectly talking about himself. Jesus then tells
everyone in equally stark terms what the fate of those who do not
follow his teachings will be. “But the one who hears my words
but does not put them into practice is like the man who built a house
on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck
that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Those who refuse to obey Jesus Christ, who refuse to believe in the
Bible or who scoff at God, will be consumed by their own insistence
on having everything their way all the time. But it is the wise
judges, along with those who decline to judge anyone at all, whose
foundation is the act of living at peace with everyone – as far as
that is possible – and with God through Christ, they will be able
to ride out the storms of life due in part to their meekness and
humility, but mostly due to their internal strength, which has been
given to them by Christ. Those who refuse to do these things will
ultimately be destroyed. Let's ponder these things this week and find
our own ways to put these things into practice as best we can, and
next week we'll begin chapter 7.
No comments:
Post a Comment