Insights into Luke 5-7 We learned from the Chapter 1 that Luke, “the beloved physician”, wrote this Gospel to Theophilus, or “the lovers of God” of which we are among as we love and follow Christ.

 

Insights into Luke 5-7      We learned from the Chapter 1 that Luke, “the beloved physician”, wrote this Gospel to Theophilus, or “the lovers of God” of which we are among as we love and follow Christ. As we continue, please reference those Chapters in your Bible as this email will not repeat the text but add the context and historical setting and other significant meanings of the passages. It is highly recommended that you follow along with the most accurate Greek to English extraction today, The Pure Word, but please feel free to use your preferred version of the Scriptures as well. Luke Chapter 5      v. 1-11: Being surrounded by the multitudes pressing into him to hear the word of God Jesus got into Simon’s boat on the Lake of Gennesaret (sea of Galilee) and sat down and taught the multitudes. After teaching He tells Simon to go back into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. Despite his unbelief (since he is a fisherman and knows that there aren’t any fish in the daytime) and even though he was exhausted (as he was fishing all night and was already cleaning their nets to put them away), he consented, believing it was a waste of time and require that he clean his nets again. We should always obey Jesus no mater ‘what we think we know’ or how exhausted we may be. This shows the contrast between the results of the efforts we make on our own vs the results of the efforts as directed by the Lord. Why would we waste all our time, money and effort trying to do something yourself when we can be directed by the Holy Spirit who will make our efforts fruitful towards His kingdom? Because of the success of obeying Jesus was beyond their wildest dreams (the ships were starting to sink being filled with fish) Simon Peter fell down on Jesus’ knees saying “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. O Lord!”. No man that has stood in the presence of the Lord can be proud. When they brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed Jesus.     v. 12-16: Luke provides us with a list of miracles that Jesus is accomplishing starting with a leper who had faith in Christ and asked to be cleansed if it be Jesus’ will. Our prayer should always be to ask what the Lord desires and that His will be done. Jesus touched him and cured him of an incurable disease. Leviticus had a method that a person should go through when they were cured of an incurable disease (leprosy). This law was therefore meant to bring glory to Jesus who cured the man and then told him to present himself to the priests and make the offering and procedure written in the law. The priests at this point should have immediately recognized that Jesus was the Messiah! The report spread and great multitudes came to hear and be healed. Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.     v. 17-26: Jesus attracted the attention of a hostile crowd (Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees) to find some fault. A paralyzed man (with palsy) was lowered from the roof to be healed. When Jesus saw their faith, he forgave the sin of the man, and the scribes and Pharisees heard that and said that only God can forgive sin. To let them know that He had the power to forgive sins (in other words: that He is God) He also healed the paralyzed man, and all were amazed and glorified God. Jesus took care of the most important thing first which was to forgive the man’s sin and then healed him physically.      v. 27-32: Matthew (also named Levi) the tax collector, was called by Jesus to follow him. It was extremely rare to find an honest tax collector. Because of their reputations, tax collectors were not allowed to enter the synagogue. Matthew gave Jesus a great feast in his own home where there were a great number of tax collectors and others with them. The scribes and Pharisees complained and asked why Jesus was eating with the tax collectors and sinners. Jesus said he ministered to the spiritually sick and they is why he came. He went on to tell them that the disciples don’t fast because the bridegroom is with them, but the day will come with the bridegroom will be taken away and then they will fast. It was their custom to have a two-week party (one week before and one week after) a wedding ceremony. The invited ‘children of the bridechamber’ (relating to Jesus’ disciples) would eat and drink with the bridegroom. This is the custom Jesus was referring. Jesus also explains to the scribes and Pharisees with a parable that He is not trying to ‘fix’ the current religion system by augmenting it, but He has come to bring a new system (the New Testament) by showing examples of not combining old with new cloth and not putting new wine into old wineskins. He did not come to reform the old system. Luke Chapter 6     v. 1-5: On the next Sabbath the disciples plucked the heads of the wheat fields (corn) and ate them. This was legal under the law however it wasn’t legal on the Sabbath day. When questioned, Jesus tells the Pharisees that human need transcended the law and reminds them of how king David himself when hungry took of the showbread of the temple and ate. He also tells them that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Because of all that has transpired till this point they should already know that He is the Messiah, that He has come to bring in a new Testament of God to follow, and that they aren’t listening and are still trying to find fault.    v. 6-11: On another Sabbath Jesus healed a man with a right withered hand. Even before he healed the man Jesus asked the on looking scribes and Pharisees whether it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy? They wouldn’t answer because they knew that there was only one answer which was to do good. Jesus then heals the man which outraged them because He had done this again on the Sabbath.    v. 12-19: Jesus again goes to a mountain to pray, and He continued all night in prayer to God. In the morning Jesus called his disciples and chose twelve whom he named apostles. Jesus prayed before important decisions were made so we should do the same. Jesus came down with his apostles and great multitudes came from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coasts of Tyre and Sidon to hear Him and be healed. The whole multitude sought to touch Him for power went out from Him and he healed them all.    v. 20-49: Jesus teaches the people in what appears to be an abbreviated version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5); however, there are enough differences to suggest that this is not intended to be the exact same message. We are to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us and bless them that curse us. This is impossible for us to do unless the Holy Spirit is within us, and we are led by the Holy Spirit. Whatever you would want to be done to you, you must do to others (perform positive actions instead of refraining from doing negative ones). Be merciful even as your Father in heaven is merciful. Do not condemn. Forgive. Give and it shall be given unto you. Paul says if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. Jesus teaches many things in parables: (paraphrasing here) Do not judge for with the same judgment that you use against others it will be used against you. First remove the plank out of your own eye before you try to help to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. A good man heart brings forth good treasures of his heart. Don’t call me Lord unless you follow and obey me as Lord. Those that hear and do my word are like a man that builds upon a rock. Paul tells us that if we judge ourselves, we won’t be judged of God. Luke Chapter 7     v. 1-10: Luke is going to provide us a series of miracles Jesus performed. He starts with a centurion who came to Jesus begging Him to heal his servant who was sick and dying. Centurions are special men who have the highest character which elevated them to these positions of Roman authority. They are always mentioned favorably when mentioned in the New Testament. (The gospel was first preached to the Gentles in the house of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion in Caesarea where the Holy Spirit was also first poured out on believing gentiles after Paul preached to them.) The elders of the Jews said that this Centurion was ‘worthy’ to have his request answered (‘worthy’ was a title given to people outside the Jewish faith that showed kindness to them) because he loved the Jewish nation and built them a synagogue. In those days slaves were merely possessions and for a master to care so much for his slave was not the ordinary. Jesus went with the Jewish elders to go to the Centurions house and was met by a messenger saying that he was ‘not worthy’ but that Jesus should only say the word and his servant would be healed. In that culture it was illegal for a Jew to enter into the house of a Gentile so he knew it would cause a strain on Jesus to enter his home. This showed tremendous faith on the part of the gentile and Jesus said to the Jewish multitude that followed that this gentile had more faith than anyone He has seen in Israel.      v. 11-23: The next day they arrived at Nain (about 25 miles away) and they were bringing out a dead man, the only son of a mother who was also a widow. Without the son, she would probably have no-one to take care of her. He was placed in the limestone sarcophagus (meaning flesh-eater) and Jesus saw the woman and had compassion on her and said to her “Do not weep”. He raised the man from the dead and presented him to his mother and fear came upon all and they glorified God and said that “God has visited His people” (these are some of the first words that Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, when John was born). John the Baptist (from prison) sent messengers to ask Jesus if He is the messiah. John already knew from the baptism of Jesus that Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah, so I believe what he was actually asking was when Jesus was going to setup his earthly kingdom and overthrow the Roman empire. In response to the question, Jesus cured many of unclean spirits and the blind and then told the messengers to tell John what they have seen and heard, saying “blessed is he who is not offended because of Me”. Jesus said to his disciples to “believe me” or at least “believe me for my works sake”.     v. 24-35: Jesus explains to the people that John the Baptist is more than a prophet but His messenger who prepared for his way. He says that there is no prophet greater than John the Baptist but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist where we have a relationship with God. . Because the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God and Jesus relates them as children. They try to find fault with everything whether the fault exists or not. They accuse John the Baptist of having a devil because he led an esthetic life and you accuse Jesus of being evil because He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Basically, what do you want?     v. 36-50: One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dinner, and he accepted. A woman who was a prostitute heard He was there, and she brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and as she was weeping she washed His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair and kissed His feet and anointed them with the oil. As a host, Simon was required to have the servant wash the guests’ feet when they entered. The host was also required to kiss each cheek, greeting the guests. They were to also anoint the guests’ head with oil to represent the joy they were going to share that evening. They then gave two cups of coffee, the first being bitter, which represents washing away all the past bitter experiences, and the second cup was sweet to represent the sweet time they can now share since the bitterness was washed away. Knowing their thoughts Jesus tells Simon a parable about which debtor loved the creditor who forgave their debts: one that owed little or one that owed much? Simon says, “the one who owed much” and Jesus turns to the woman and explains how the host would not even do the most basic hospitable acts required of every host for any guest; yet this woman washed my feet with her tears, gave them a kiss, anointed them with oil. Jesus says “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little”. Jesus tells her that her sins are forgiven and that her faith has saved her. Jesus is continuing to introduce a new relationship with God not based on the laws of the Old Testament but on faith and following the will of God through the Holy Spirit.