Day 11: Luke 6:20-49

Prepare your heart for God’s Word…

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,  for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,  for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

In this passage, we have Luke’s equivalent of the Beatitudes. Jesus shares a litany of unlikely blessings painting a picture of his upside down kingdom. In contrast to the way of the world, notice who are blessed:
The poor, the hungry, those who weep, the hated, the excluded and the insulted. 

It seems like the absence of worldly comfort and provision creates space for divine blessing. Where are you feeling poor, hungry, mourning, or feeling rejection. 

Open yourself to Jesus’ promised blessing. 

Luke’s Gospel continues…

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 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.”

39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

41 “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? 42 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 eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

This section might give one of Jesus’ most timely commandments. “Do not judge.” Judgement and disdain are like the water which our culture swims in. Our conversations, social media feed, news cycles and relationships have normalized judging others. Yet the way of Jesus declares- “Do not judge. Do not condemn. Practice forgiveness knowing the measure of judgement, condemnation or forgiveness will be returned to you.”

With this commandment in mind, who are you tempted to judge?

Sometimes, we judge people because they demonstrate what we don’t like about ourselves. Take a moment, and consider if you have a plank in your own eye.

Ask your Healer, Jesus, to remove this from you so that you can see clearly.

This chapter of Luke concludes with the following verses.
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a 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.”

Jesus finishes this chapter with another analogy- this time of a builder. Who is the wise builder who dug down deep for a firm foundation? The one who hears Jesus’ words and puts them into practice. This is how we build our lives on a firm foundation.

This analogy comes after a chapter focused on extending forgiveness, practicing humility and embracing dependence upon the grace of God.

Today, look for opportunities to put into practice Jesus’ words- especially that of forgiveness. Look for opportunities to speak words of grace and mercy, and in doing so, remember that you are building your life upon a foundation which is firm and true.

Ask God to provide moments to practice forgiveness today.