My Daily Pause

The Sermon on the Mount – Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834–1890)

If they hate you, do them a good deed.

If they curse you, bless them.

If they abuse you, pray for them.

If they strike, turn the other cheek.

If they steal from you, give it and more to them.

Luke 6:27-36 may be the most difficult teachings from Jesus. I don’t know of anyone that truly exemplifies the principles in every way. Even Paul got upset when he was popped in the mouth for his beliefs! (Acts 23:1-3)

I can’t even say that I’ve heard a sermon that didn’t hedge these teachings a bit. They are taught by making them conditional to the situation or softened by saying they are not absolute commands.

It does seem to me that if we could master them, there would be very little sport in abusing Christians.

As Christians, we need to address this passage just like any other – so where do we start?

Let’s Flip this Around

We can think about it another way.

What if we just started treating others better? (And those we like don’t count! Luke 6:32-33) We need to treat those we don’t care for so much a little better – especially fellow Christians and people close to us that we are trying to influence to be Christians.

Since it is the most used weapon, the logical place to start is with our speech. Look at these:

• The tongue is a small member that can cause big trouble – James 3:5
• Corrupt speech is sinful – Ephesians 4:29-31
• Mind your own business – 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12
• Babbling is ungodly – 2 Timothy 2:16
• Lay aside the evil thoughts – 1 Peter 2:1

If we all made an effort to prevent the other person from having to turn the other cheek, we would be rewarded with the same benefit.

Does that principle sound familiar? (Luke 6:31)

We can go a long way toward helping others obey the “Love Your Enemies” verses (Luke 6:27-36) by controlling ourselves. I am convinced that this is why Jesus spoke the golden rule (Luke 6:31) right in the middle of teaching us how to react to our enemies.

The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple – 1860 – William Holman Hunt (1827–1910)

This week’s study came from the first four chapters of Luke.

Even during his youth and the weeks we know about the formal start of his ministry, Jesus was influential. We can pick up at any point in his life and learn something from the Master Teacher.

It is a good thing John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way! Jesus had so much to teach, a teacher was needed to get everyone up to speed.

Study and Dedication

In the one little peek we get into Jesus’ youth, we see that he has begun a lifetime of dedication to God. He even snuck out of his parents traveling party to study and read with the men in the temple.

Following his example is how we get on the right path of obtaining as much perfection as we humanly can. Read along to see …

How Jesus Grew in Wisdom and Stature

The Need to Know the Full Gospel

John had to overcome a big problem trying to teach the Jews: They thought that their bloodline from Abraham was enough to save them.

He did his best to help them with that, but sadly human nature causes most people to hear only what they want to hear and not what they need to hear. They even go so far as to ignore some parts of the Bible on purpose! This is the same thing as …

Scoffing At the Truth

Spreading the Gospel in the Face of the Challenges

John showed us that material possessions and even food and clothing are the least of our worries. He took his job of making way for the savior very seriously. Through his example, we can know…

How to Be Steadfast like John

Facing Temptations

Before Jesus began his ministry in earnest, he spent at least forty days in the wilderness alone. In order to know us better, he subjected himself to the same physical challenges we have to face daily.

But –

What if Jesus Turned the Stone Into Bread?

Choose the Best

I am pretty sure that Zig Ziglar said in all of his presentations that he has…

… got to say ‘no’ to the good so I can say ‘yes’ to the best.

It turns out that this is a key concept of many ultra-successful people. Guess who else was teaching this during his ministry?

How Do We Decide What is Better?

For Next Week

Beginning today, the New Testament portion of the My Daily Pause reading plan takes us through Luke 5 – 8. Join me in reading the passages (Linked at the top of the web page and updated automatically every day) and spending a little time with God.

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha – 1618 – Diego Velázquez (1599–1660)

Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best. – John C. Maxwell

I’ve got to say ‘no’ to the good so I can say ‘yes’ to the best. – Zig Ziglar

John Maxwell and Zig Ziglar, experts on leadership and motivation, both use(d) this quote extensively. Many others can be cited using the same idea with Google and a little time.

The basic idea is that most wildly successful people achieved extraordinary things because they were able to say the simple word ‘no’ on a routine basis. It doesn’t seem very intuitive, but the concept is simple:

There is not enough time to address most, much less all, of the worthy needs that request our attention throughout our life.

In Luke 4:42-44, we see Jesus having to make the same kind of decision:

Lots of people wanted Jesus to stay in Capernaum to teach and heal them. (We also know that many there did not accept him – Matthew 11:23-24) It would have been easy for Jesus to stay right there until all were healed and he had won over all the nonbelievers.

Certainly there was disappointment whenever Jesus moved on, but the best use of his short time demanded that he …

…must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also – Luke 4:43

A little Later in the Gospel of Luke, (Luke 10:38-42) we see Jesus demonstrating this again with Mary and Martha. Martha was busy with “the good”, Mary chose “the best.”

It is a very common mistake, especially in the context of our church participation, to get caught up in the programs. There are programs to feed the poor, care for the elderly, visit the sick – all excellent ideas – helpful and loving ideas. But we see Jesus often stop short of being helpful and loving in favor of teaching.

He pointed out sins …

He informed the lost of their condition …

Sometimes he passed through towns without healing anybody …

Using Jesus’ example, we know we need to get to work – but choose wisely!

Doing good work is a key part of our faith, (James 2:26) but our primary and first instruction is to teach and save the lost. (Matthew 28:18-20) This is the assessment we should make every time we are asked to commit to something “good.”

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness – ca. 1890 – James Tissot (1836–1902)

I’m glad he didn’t –

He would be a completely different kind of savior if he had.

Every time I read through the account of Jesus’ temptations, (Luke 4:1-12) I have to think back through the reasons Jesus did not turn the stones into bread. It seems like such a simple and harmless act – plus his fasting period was coming to an end.

Speaking of fasting …

Fasting is one of those biblical ideas taken to its extremes by the various denominations. It is a rather simple exercise intended to bring the person closer to God, but it has been exploited to the point of being meaningless to most people. That, and the lack of a New Testament requirement for it, has caused the original intent of fasting to become obscure.

Fasting is a period of sacrifice to the point of discomfort to remind us of our humanity and our need for God.

So what would be different if Jesus had turned the stone into bread?

He would have been turning away from God

If fasting is intended to be a time of drawing nearer to God, then Jesus was doing everything he could to show God he needed him. Using his ability to perform miracles for a selfish purpose voids that dependence.

We often do that when we allow worry and fear to drive our response to challenges.

He would have understood us less

Jesus came to the earth in the flesh so God would know exactly what our lives are like. He suffered physical discomforts. He was tempted to sin. He had to learn how to survive.

Turning that stone into bread is something a person could never do. Jesus would never know what human suffering is by taking advantage of such an easy solution.

When we are trying to be helpful, we often risk diminishing others’ suffering by saying we understand what they are feeling. We should be careful when we do not share a similar experience.

His humanity would have suffered from doubt

The devil tempted Jesus by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:3 my emphasis.) In other words, “prove to us both that you can really do it!”

If Jesus had allowed himself to be manipulated in such a way, imagine all of the other events in his ministry that lose their impact with the introduction of a little doubt!

This is what happens to us when we respond to false criticism and irrelevant detractions. We lose our influence and our power to lead.

Jesus already commanded all the devil had to offer

When we really look closely at the temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-12) we see that Jesus was never tempted with anything that he did not already possess.

In a spiritual sense, the same is true with us!

When faced with temptations and challenges, remember what Jesus showed us is possible.

And be glad he didn’t turn the stone into bread…

The beheading of John the Baptist – 1608 – Caravaggio (1573–1610)

John the Baptist went to prison for telling Herod what he needed to hear. (Luke 3:19-20)

It is nothing new to see God’s word challenged in the government. Men have a terrible habit of letting power go to their heads.

Right now, we see laws based on morality changed or challenged every week. It is not hard to understand why: Allowing the country to slide further and further into an amoral atmosphere is exciting! We are liberated!

And … anyone that points out God’s way gets the same treatment as John. Maybe not physically, but certainly verbally.

The lesson for us to take away from the life of John is one of steadfastness in the face of outside challenges. We are not excused from teaching God’s word just because things are getting challenging.

Jesus praised John for his steadfastness. (Matthew 11:7-19) He did that to reassure us that it is definitely worth it to stick with God. In the end, we want Jesus to include us in that praise when he introduces us to the Father.

The key to growing steadfast is:

• remain committed
• show consistency when we apply God’s word
• teach as many as are willing to hear.

Work hard now – the reward comes at the end.

But, Compared to what John went through – we don’t really have it that bad do we? We’ve got this!

Question: When was the last time you were beaten or thrown in jail for teaching what the Bible says?