5Then he said, “The Son of Man is no slave to the Sabbath; he’s in charge. Luke 6:5
Observation:
Way too much in this chapter to settle on one verse, but this one sets up the rest by saying the Son of Man is not a slave but the Master of all commands and rules! He then goes on to list all the areas that would infuriate the religious leaders who had made it impossible for anyone to obey all of them. Jesus’ standards broke all their rules.
- Healing on the Sabbath.
- Blessings when you speak truth and are cut down for it.
- Never be satisfied with where you are spiritually.
- Expect suffering in life.
- Don’t live for approval of others.
- Look for the best in others; do not criticize.
- Love your enemies and do not mistreat those who take advantage of you.
- Be generous in your attitude and treatment of others when they are down and out.
- Get rid of your” I-know-better-than-you” mentality.
- Stop saying “yes” and never doing anything to obey that “yes”.
I can see why the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus. The more rules they added, the more Jesus reversed them! It makes me think of the of the rules we have today. Each church seems to have its own set of dos and don’ts. You cannot even find many of them in scripture literally or in principle. The list above is much harder to live out because they concern the heart, not the ability to keep rules. You cannot fake these for long as truth always comes out when we least expect it. I need to realize as hard as they are, Jesus set me free to live out His Word. He set me free to live completely contrary to the world and to prepare me for my eternal home where these commands will be natural. If I am not comfortable with them here, will I even have an opportunity to live with them in heaven? Hum??
Father, this entire chapter is stuffed with what you expect of us, as well as, promises of Your rewards if we obey! Being treated well, if I treat others well. Being given grace because I give others grace. Being able to stand against the storms of life if I build my life on Your Word. And following Your example of freedom to do good. I realize today when I say, “What would Jesus do,” I am saying,” What would love do?” Jesus, help me to live in the freedom You died to give me!! Forgive me when I allow myself to be bound by chains of worldly thinking and behaviors. I need You, oh, I need You!!
Journey with Joyce 