Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Chronicles 10-12; Luke 6
Devotional Thought:
In Luke 4-5, the multitudes are amazed at the miracles and teaching of Jesus. They found themselves searching for Him when He was not present in the city. Even the religious hypocrites were wrought with curiosity and amazement. However, in chapter 6 their curiosity turns to hostility. The religious leaders had come to view Jesus as the most dangerous man in Israel, the biggest threat to their religious power and prestige. Their fears were very real and well founded. Jesus was the most influential teacher the world had ever seen or ever will see, and He was confronting the ritualism, legalism, and prideful hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They found it offensive that Jesus had come to save sinners and was associating with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and other riffraff of society. When Jesus convinced these sinners they could be free from the power and penalty of their sins, some of them responded with repentance and faith. But when He confronted these leaders of the religious establishment, they were unrepentant because they believed the lie that God was pleased by self-righteousness, legalism, and ritualism. These religious hypocrites had no tolerance to the truth that Jesus was teaching. By teaching the truth, Jesus exposed error to those who taught it, those who embraced it, and to anyone else who might have been attracted to it. The Lord never minced words when addressing false religion, or the wicked false teachers who promoted it. His bold preaching of the gospel, which was incompatible with the Jewish religion of His day, (5:36-39) forced people to choose between the salvation of grace and the self righteous system of the Judaism of their day. It is always a sad day when a person’s self righteous piety strangles out the opportunity for him to meet a legitimate need of someone else. Jesus asked a simple question regarding the man with the withered hand “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it?” (vs. 9) When Jesus healed the man’s hand, “…they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.” (vs. 11) Doing right is not always popular and many times down right dangerous. However, doing right is always right and it pleases God! Jesus ends this chapter with a special teaching to His disciples regarding doing right when it would be tempting to do wrong. He teaches His disicples how they were to treat those who mistreat them. “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” (vs. 27-28) We have a responsibility to help people see Jesus in us; therefore, we should not want them see how we feel or what we think. The best way for people to see Jesus is to show forgiveness and mercy. Selfish and carnal people cannot and will not show mercy or extend forgiveness, because they are too self-centered. “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” (vs. 35-36) Have you embraced this truth in your life?
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to live each day with this truth in my heart. Please help me to extend this truth to those around me, and to help them see the merciful, forgiving, and loving God that I serve.
• Lord, thank you for promising me that I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Therefore, I know I can obey this truth with your help.
• Lord, please help me to teach and demonstrate this truth to my family, church family, and community in which I live.