Following Jesus

We are taking our time walking through this book to understand and experience the person of Jesus as Luke shares the results of the research and testimony that he has gathered from people that knew and interacted with Jesus.

Luke wrote this book so those who did not grow up in the Jewish religion and culture could understand the significance of who and what Jesus has done for humanity.

Luke wants everyone who reads this book to understand that this Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, is their Saviour too!

Last week we looked at the end of chapter five, where the religious leaders question Jesus about why he and his disciples don’t fast.

This question opened the door for Jesus to share a few parables to help those religious leaders see that the things of old have passed away.

New things are happening because the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus, was with them.

God used this passage to make us think about paradigms that exist in our own lives.

We talked specifically about our evangelistic paradigm.

I read a piece of research that I didn’t get to share last week, but I wanted to share it with you today.

Many of us grew up on the door-to-door kind of ministry that comes to mind when evangelism is mentioned, but that won’t work anymore.

That model was developed in the ’50s and ’60s.

It worked well, then.

If you consider people’s willingness to accept Jesus as their savior on a scale from 1 to 10, one being unwilling and ten being ready to ask Jesus to be their savior, most people in the 50s and 60s were about a seven.

Today, most people in the united states are about three.

When that door-to-door was pioneered, people just needed a little nudge.

Today, people need time to think, process, to grapple with the idea of their being a God and their need for one.

The author of the research joked that if people were at a seven today, he could win them with just a tweet.

People are simply in a different place today.

That is the case for various reasons, but the point is we must stop seeing evangelism as a program or event and as a process.

As we read chapter five of Luke, we see the Pharisees struggling to understand who Jesus is and what he is about.

Some have ill intentions, but some are genuinely curious, but they need to process because their paradigm is changing.

The same is happening in our culture in America.

The younger generations are not simply accepting their parent's religion, which is a good thing!

Rather than just saying they believe because their parents did, these generations are looking at scripture, comparing that with what they see in the church, and letting God shape their beliefs as they do this.

When we think about evangelism, we must think of it as a process.

One that takes time and personal investment.

We have to spend time with the people God has placed in our lives, love them well, and give them space to ask hard questions as they process.

I am convinced that this will make the church stronger than ever because we will know why we believe what we say.

God wants us to invest in people, not programs.

This is how we are going to make Jesus known.

Life Group Question: What is your reaction to this new idea of evangelism compared to the “old way?”

This study is going to help each of us to know Jesus better than we ever have, which is preparing us for the hard questions that are going to come as we invest in people.

Today we will continue that study by looking at the last two of five controversies Jesus is involved in at the beginning of his ministry.

Luke shares these stories so the reader can see why the religious leaders disliked Jesus.

To recap, the first three which start in Luke chapter five.

His claims to have the authority to forgive sins.

His was relating to sinners.

He didn’t live as piously as the religious leaders thought he should.

And today, we are going to look at the last two that are found in Luke 6:1-11.

He claimed to have authority over the Sabbath.

He healed on the Sabbath.

Let’s read this passage together and learn about who Jesus is from Luke.

Luke 6:1–11 CSB

1 On a Sabbath, he passed through the grainfields. His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat? He even gave some to those who were with him.” 5 Then he told them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts and told the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand here.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at them all, he told him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored. 11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

A couple of background pieces of information are helpful in understanding this passage.

But before we even get to that, I want to point out that through all of these issues that the religious leaders have with Jesus are rooted in legalism.

They are upset with Jesus because he isn’t following the law as they think he should.

Do you remember what Jesus told the religious leaders when he was rejected in Nazareth?

Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah the following words.

Luke 4:18–19 CSB

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Luke 4:21 CSB

21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

Jesus didn’t come to appease the religious leaders.

He came to reveal to them that they had missed the point.

God didn’t give the law for them to try and obey it perfectly.

He gave the law so that they would see their need for God’s mercy and grace.

Jesus is showing through his words and actions that he is the fulfillment of the law.

In the first five verses of Luke chapter six, Jesus tells them plainly that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

If you flip back to Exodus 20:8-11 you will see what these men are all in arms about.

Exodus 20:8–11 CSB

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

The Pharisees' issue was not that they were picking the grain.

This was permitted under the law.

Let’s go look at this because I want you to see how ridiculous it is.

Deuteronomy 23:25 CSB

25 When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Passing by a field and harvesting some of the grain with your hand was standard practice and completely acceptable.

This is precisely what the disciples were doing.

They weren’t breaking God’s law!

They were going against the traditions and rules that the religious leaders put in place to try and keep people from breaking the law.

Life Group Question: What traditions or rules did you grow up with that have hindered the ministry of the church rather than building it up?

Possible example: Read the room

Baptist view of dancing...

These rules were developed and treated with the same weight as the Law that God gave.

This law was later compiled in work known as the Mishnah.

In Shabbath 7.2 of the Mishnah, threshing grain is forbidden on the Sabbath.

Do you see how ridiculous this is?

They were upset because the disciples rubbed the grain between their hands to remove the husk before eating it.

The religious leaders considered this work because they used their hands as tools to remove the husk.

So look at the response from Jesus.

I want us to pay special attention to this because it is significant for us today.

Jesus stands in the disciple’s defense.

Luke doesn’t say that Jesus was eating the grain.

He says that Jesus’ disciples were and that the Pharisees were questioning those disciples.

Life Group Question: How have you experienced God standing in your defense?

Jesus steps up and answers on their behalf!

The disciples were walking, doing life with Jesus.

If they were doing something wrong, Jesus would have told them, but he didn’t.

They were not in the wrong, but outsiders thought they were.

As you are walking with Jesus, living in an abiding relationship, there will be onlookers who are going to try and convince you that you are doing something wrong.

Life Group Question: What is the best way to respond to those who stand against what God has spoken for us to do?

If Jesus isn’t correcting you, then no one else has a right to either.

Look at what Jesus says to the Pharisees.

Luke 6:3–4 CSB

3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat? He even gave some to those who were with him.”

Jesus is quoting a portion of a story found in 1 Sm 21.6.

David and his men are on the run and are famished.

They go into the temple and ask for something to eat.

All that was there was the bread of the presence which was only supposed to be eaten by the priest.

1 Samuel 21:6 CSB

6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.

Notice who gave them the bread.

The religious leader.

Jesus is making the point that these rules that the religious leaders made up aren’t the law!

He goes on to say in verse 5 that “The son of man is the Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark records Jesus saying in his account: Mark 2:27-28

Mark 2:27–28 CSB

27 Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. 28 So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus is making a massive claim to these religious leaders.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

He made the Sabbath; therefore, he gets to decide what is permissible and what is not.

Luke doesn’t record their response but continues on to another story of Jesus and the Sabbath.

Let’s look at it again.

Luke 6:6–11 CSB

6 On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts and told the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand here.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at them all, he told him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored. 11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Once again, we see Jesus doing his thing.

He went to the Synagogue and taught.

As usual, the religious leaders were there listening in and watching for anything they could hold against him.

They were jealous of the authority and power Jesus had.

Jesus knows they are watching and what they are watching for and sets the stage to continue to challenge their understanding.

I think it is worth noting that Jesus isn’t just bucking the religious leaders because he didn’t like them.

Jesus loved them and is going through all this to help them understand who he is.

Several of the commentators that I read pointed out that here and in other places, Jesus, the authors say “some” of the Pharisees.

Not all of them were bad.

Life Group Question: How do our responses to people shape how they see God?

Life Group Question: Is that limited only to the one person we are talking to, or does it have a greater reach? Why is it important for us to think about that?

But, here are some watching him like a hawk, and Jesus knows it.

To try and expand their understanding, he calls on the man with the shriveled hand, asks him to come to the front, and then asks a question of religious leaders.

Luke 6:9 CSB

9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

This question isn’t as simple as it may seem.

Even though a person was not supposed to work on the Sabbath, there were emergency provisions.

For example, if someone fell into a well and was drowning, it was perfectly acceptable to save them.

Jesus is asking the Pharisees at this moment if they think it is okay for him to heal this man.

Based on previous interactions and other historical accounts, the response that would have been given had they answered was that this man could wait until the next day.

His affliction wasn’t life or death.

For Jesus, this man had lived with this affliction long enough, and it was evil, not good, to make him suffer even one more day.

Jesus is making a radical statement with this question and his actions.

He shows that his and God’s primary concern is not keeping the law.

God’s primary concern and Jesus’ primary concern are people.

Life Group Question: How can our lives and ministry communicate that people’s hearts are more important to God than their behavior?

Jesus already told them why he had come.

To preach the good news

to release the captives

to recover the sight of the blind

and to free the oppressed.

In keeping with that mission, Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand, and in doing so, the man’s hand is restored.

Jesus works in the lives of those who obey in faith.

We talked last week about how our primary goal as followers of Jesus is to proclaim the gospel.

Amen!

Proclaiming the gospel is what we are called to do, and it is what we do in response to the goodness we have experienced of God.

As we abide in him, and experience the things that only God can do, we share those experiences with others.

I had a fellow pastor that many of you know, Jason Huffman, come to my office last week.

He shared a story that we are familiar with.

Their giving was down and they had a conversation with their body about it.

That week a member called him and gave him an envelope with money in it.

I just so happened that their air conditioner died that week and guess how much money was in the envelope?

Just enough to cover the cost of the repair.

God takes care of his people!

And he takes care of his people by using his people!

In the last few weeks, Jesus has been flipping the religious leader's idea of what it means to belong to God.

In every case, Jesus is showing them that He is the son of God.

One of the commentators I read this week said it this way, Jesus was in trouble because...

He showed that he had the authority to forgive sins.

He was relating to sinners.

He didn’t live as piously as the religious leaders thought he should.

He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

We should expect similar responses to what Jesus received.

If we abide in Jesus, many will experience the love of Jesus, and others will see our works and hate us for it.

There is no doubt that the man from our story today and all the others that Jesus healed went and told everyone what Jesus had done.

They loved him for it, and how could they not?

However, there were many who responded as the religious leaders did.

Luke 6:11 CSB

11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Because we live in a fallen world, actions of love are galvanizing.

People either love you back or hate you for it.

As a follower of Jesus, we know if we are doing what is right by abiding.

The disciples were in the right when they picked some grain to eat, and Jesus stood in their defense.

Jesus will do the same for us as we walk with him.

If we are doing what God has called us to do, people's reactions are not our responsibility.

We do what God says, love people, and let the chips fall where they may.

Our job as followers of Jesus is not to please the world but to be like Jesus.

We gather around Jesus, learn from him, come to know him, and make him known.

This is what it means to be a follower of Christ.

This is what it means to be a part of the family of God.

We love God and love others.

In loving others, we proclaim the gospel.

Life Group Question: How are you preparing to have gospel-centered conversations with the people God has put in your life?

Jesus lived a sinless life and then gave himself up to receive the punishment we deserved and the sacrifice we needed.

He was dead for three days and then rose from the dead, commissioned his disciples, and ascended into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God.

Our world, communities, and families have people still convinced that God will only love them if they act the right way.

God has given us the opportunity to be the expression of His love.

Don’t rob them of experiencing what you have.

Don’t let anything take away their chance to experience the love and grace of Jesus.

Let’s pray.

Pray for the people that God is calling each of us to.

Pray for our hearts to desire to share the gospel.

Pray for more opportunities to share the gospel.

Pray for sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

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