Each tree is recognised by its own fruit

Context

We are still in the sermon on the plain as Jesus speaks to his disciples and us about living for the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of this world. The two kingdoms are not compatible and the way of Jesus is very counter-intuitive to humans. He has spoken about living and loving; judging, leading and rebuking. Now he continues to include bearing fruit before finishing the sermon on the famous parable of the wise and foolish builders. Thus he ends his sermon with a call for us to decide which life are we going to choose.

Observation

Structure

• 43-45 Listen to the fruit
• 46-49 Look at the fruit

43-45 Listen to the fruit

“Each tree is recognised by its own fruit” These verses talk about good versus bad fruit and type ‘A’ versus type ‘B’ fruit. If you’re going to be an apple tree then you want to be producing good apples – otherwise you are not a happy apple tree.

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” You can tell a lot from what a person says and the way it is said. The things we love the most come flying out of our mouths to betray our hearts. A disciple of Christ cannot be one simply by name but must be one by nature and working to change the heart for Christ.

46-49 Look at the fruit

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’…” Interestingly, Jesus moves straight from a lesson on our speech showing where our heart is at, to a speech on how our mouths can lie about where our hearts are at! This is not a contradiction, rather the other side of the coin. Not only will our mouths convey what is in our hearts but our actions will support what our mouths say.

“…comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.” This is the outward working of the gospel. We come in contact with the message of Jesus and hear the gospel, then we put it into practice. The whole sermon on the plain conveys a changed life affected by the grace of God.

“They are like a man building a house…” This is a famous parable repeated in Matthew 7:24-27. The one who hears Jesus words and puts them into practice is the wise builder. He builds deep and strong on a rock foundation. He knows who God is and how he is a saved sinner. He does not live like the world lives but in response to the compassion and kindness that God has shown to him/her. He does not love like the world loves but modelled directly from the love of the Father. He does not presume to judge others or condemn where he himself stood except for the grace of God. He does not lead our of his own wisdom but only after carefully listening to his Master. And he does not dare rebuke while there are issues to deal with in his own life. His mouth declares his love for God which wells from his heart – the heart that was purchased by God. And he puts into practice everything that Jesus has said in this sermon, even though it goes against his instincts and against the ways of this world.

The fool just goes his own way. He doesn’t regard Jesus’ words for long at all but proceeds to build his life on whatever is fleeting – riches, full stomach, laughter and applause from men.

Meaning

The instructions from Jesus in the sermon on the plain are founded on the logic of God not of men. To build your life on Jesus is to stop and listen to him and trust him enough to put all of his words into practice. Being a disciple of Christ cannot be faked and mimicked. It is so radically different from this world that the fruit of following Jesus will be plain to see.

Application

Topic A – The depths of discipleship. The good builder made such a huge foundation to build his house upon which is paralleled with the extent that we stop and listen to Jesus and put his words into practice. Are there shortcuts that you are taking in your walk with Jesus?

Prayer of the week

Our Lord and our God, please continue, by your Spirit, to train us in righteousness. We thank you that it is by grace that we are saved. Help us to put your words into practice so that people around us will see that we trust you, we love you and we want to be known as your disciples. Amen.

When morning came, he called his disciples

Context

Since chapter 3 of Luke, Jesus has been making a splash (pardon the pun) in the country area of Galilee and from 4:31 he has been collecting both followers and critics. We read about Simon, James, and Levi following Jesus when called and the Pharisees recognised that Jesus had disciples who walked with him in ministry. We come to a short section where Jesus names his twelve disciples before beginning a long recorded sermon to crowds of people.

Observation

Structure

• 12-13 Jesus carefully chooses his ministry staff
• 14-16 A motley crew of names

12-13 Jesus carefully chooses his ministry staff

“…Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray…” Jesus’ prayer life was inspirational and one we must certainly pay attention to. The sentence here in verse 12 describes a proactive Jesus intentionally pulling away from people with the purpose of praying at length. He did not spend hours in mindless meditation but talked to God in prayer. This was not an isolated case as Luke 5:16 clearly states (see also 9:18 and 28). His prayer life made a big impression on the disciples such that they asked him how he does it (Luke 11:1). And Jesus passed on his golden rule of prayer to the disciples in Luke 18:1 which was to always pray and not give up!

“When morning came, he called his disciples…” A night of prayer resulted in clear action by Jesus just as Luke 4:42-44 gave him clarity. How often do we go swiftly from one event to the next and one day to another without stopping to talk with our God about all that is happening? Although we see that Jesus prayed often and regularly, these were moments too of special reflection and conversation with God.

“…chose twelve of them…” I want to focus on the word ‘chose’ rather than the twelve. 1 Peter 1 describes Christians as people who have been chosen by God (1 Peter 1:1-2; Romans 8:33; Ephesians 1:4, 11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). This is a special truth for Christians to know that God has chosen you and called you. If you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are saved and this is because God has chosen you. This doctrine (election) is not given to for the sake of those not chosen but rather for those who are. It is a blessing, not a curse. Jesus chose these men as his disciples and we know, as Luke points out, that one is a rebel. So being chosen as a disciple is not the same as chosen for salvation. All who hear the gospel have the invitation given to come and be saved. Judas included. That Judas resolved to betray Jesus cannot be blamed on Jesus.

“…whom he also designated apostles.” There were more disciples than 12 (Luke 10:1) and the word simply describes a student. Anybody who becomes a student of Jesus or a follower of Jesus is a disciple. This was the command of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, to be disciple makers! But these 12 were designated as apostles. This word means ‘commissioned messenger’ and the New Testament paints them as unique followers of Christ who were given powers to heal for the purpose of spreading the good news of God’s kingdom. It was not a position that was passed down to the next generation but died out with John as the last remaining apostle. Judas removed himself from the position and was replaced by Matthias and then Paul was divinely designated an apostle by Jesus also. Church history distinguishes between The Apostles and the common use of apostle to just mean messenger. Acts 1:15-22 helps us to see that a primary qualification of an Apostle was that they were with Jesus from his baptism til his resurrection so that they would bear witness of Jesus as the risen Lord. Paul also saw the risen Jesus and taught that he had been called by God to be an Apostle on par with Peter (Galatians 2:8; 1 Timothy 2:7). Jesus’ clear intention for these 12 men was that they bear witness to the ends of the earth of the gospel (Luke 24:45-48). Although Luke uses the title throughout his gospel account, the title was not likely given and attributed to these disciples until after the resurrection. Note that the word apostle is not special by itself. It is used in the bible for more people than just these twelve but over time, these twelve were known particularly as The Apostles – chosen directly by Jesus, as Paul was.

14-16 A motley crew of names

Here is the list of men Jesus called to be his twelve disciples and some notes on each person. We know a great deal about a few of these men from the bible but other names require church history for expansion. This study will focus on what the bible teaches us about each man. Church history and tradition has its place to be sure, but putting our emphasis on what the bible tells us helps us stay clear on the bible’s message and not on human history.

1. Simon (whom he named Peter),
   1. Jesus gave Simon this new name which means rock (Matthew 16:18; John 1:42)
   2. Luke refers to him as Simon up until this point but Peter from here on until 22:31 and 24:34. I’ve often enjoyed the thought that Jesus referred to Simon Peter from his worldly name (Simon) when sin was at his door but his born again name (Peter) when he is being forgiven and called.
   3. He lived in Capernaum (Mark 1:29) but came from Bethsaida (John 1:44)
   4. Peter was recognised as the leader of the Jewish Christians (Acts 2:14, 37; Galatians 2:7-8)
   5. His journey with Jesus gave him special privilege as he watched Jesus be transfigured to reveal his glory (Matthew 17:1-8), was the first to confess Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 16:16) assigned leadership by Jesus (Matthew 16:18) prayed over by Christ (Luke 22:31-32) and personally sort after for forgiveness (Luke 24:34; John 21:15-17).
   6. Peter wrote the books of 1 and 2 Peter and tradition tells us that he authorised Mark’s gospel.

 

• his brother Andrew,

 

1. He and his brother Simon were in the fishing trade together (Matthew 4:18).
2. He lived in a home with Simon (Mark 1:29).
3. He and Simon were both from Bethsaida (John 1:44)
4. He was a disciple of John the Baptist who pointed him to Jesus (John 1:35-40).
5. He introduced his brother to Jesus (John 1:41).
6. While not of the top three disciples closest to Jesus, he had a private relationship with Jesus (Mark 13:3; John 6:8; John 12:22).
1. James,
   1. James and John were brothers known as the sons of Zebedee (Luke 5:10) and sons of thunder (Mark 3:17).
   2. Their mother was Salome who was also Mary’s sister, making them cousins of Jesus (see John 19:25, Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 combined).
   3. He was one of the early church martyrs (Acts 12:1-2).
   4. He did not write the book called James, that would be James the brother of Jesus.
2. John,
   1. See above regarding his relationship with James.
   2. John is listed second in the list by Luke in Acts 1:13.
   3. He wrote the gospel called John as well as the three letters of the same name.
   4. He, with Peter and James, were often close to Jesus and formed a privileged close circle around him (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 5:37; 9:2; 13:3; 14:33; Luke 8:51; 9:28).
3. Philip,
   1. John 1:43-48
   2. John 12:20-22
   3. John 14:8-10
4. Bartholomew,
   1. This name/word means ‘son of Tolmai’.
   2. His actual name is quite possibly Nathanael – here are the arguments why:
      1. Bartholomew is arguably not his actual name since it simply means who he is the son of.
      2. Matthew, Mark and Luke do not mention Nathaniel, while John does not mention Bartholomew.
      3. The lists of the disciples in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) all place Bartholomew and Philip together (Philip and Nathanael were close according to John 1:43-48).
      4. All the men named in John 21:2 are apostles except for Nathanael (unless he is also Bartholomew).
5. Matthew,
   1. Matthew is probably another name for Levi the tax collector (compare Luke 5:27-32 with Matthew 9:9-13).
   2. He wrote the gospel which opens the New Testament.
6. Thomas,
   1. His name means twin and he is also known as Didymus (John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2).
   2. Although given the reputation as the doubter (which I dislike), he delivers some of the best statements about Jesus in the gospels and shows us a man who will not follow blindly but he will follow to his death (John 11:16; 14:5; 20:28).
7. James son of Alphaeus,
   1. It is difficult to know much about this James. He is not the martyr of Acts 12 nor is he the brother of Jesus since it seems Jesus’ brothers did not believe until later. Some have suggested that he is the brother of Matthew since they both are sons of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14) but Alphaeus was a common name and this is speculation.
8. Simon who was called the Zealot,
   1. James II, Simon II and Judas II each require some extensions to their first names to distinguish them from others.
   2. The Zealots were a nationalistic radical group who aggressively opposed the Roman state. So in Jesus’ crew we have a tax collector who worked with the state and a radical who strongly opposed it.
9. Judas son of James,
   1. Some say that Thaddaeus of Mark 3:18 and Matthew 10:3 are Judas son of James since they occupy the same place in the list and many disciples had two names.
   2. John 14:22-31

 

• and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 

1. If Iscariot refers to a certain region in Judea then Judas is the only non-Galilean in the group. The name does have the Aramaic meaning of “false one” but is that a meaning assigned to the word at a later date? It could also mean “Dyer” as a reference to his occupation. The region suggestion is most likely given John 6:71 and John 13:21-22.
2. John 7:71; 12:4; 13:2, 26; Matthew 26:14; Mark 14:10; Luke 22:3
3. Judas Iscariot who would betray Jesus and the group completes the list of people Jesus, after a night of vigil prayer, called his disciples.

Meaning

Dependance on God through prayer is essential in making and executing plans for the gospel. But the result of prayer is clarity, not necessarily perfection. The disciples Jesus called after prayer was a group of men with many different backgrounds who needed to learn different lessons from Jesus. Their purpose for being called was to be authentic witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Application

• Topic A: Vigilant prayer. How often do we go swiftly from one event to the next and one day to another without stopping to talk with our God about all that is happening? Although we see that Jesus prayed often and regularly, these were moments too of special reflection and conversation with God. On top of the passing conversational prayers that you may enjoy with God, consider the discipline of stepping outside of our busy lives to be with God in prayer. A special and extended prayer time could be considered every morning? Once a week? Once a fortnight?
• Topic B: Being called to discipleship. Jesus chose twelve men to teach and do life with as he trained them for gospel ministry. He then sent them out in Matthew 28 to make more disciples (see also Luke 24:45-49). We are the beneficiaries of the ministry that Jesus started here in Luke 6. 1 Peter 1:1-2 describes the process of being made a disciple of Christ and it is not through importance or brilliance or beauty but through God’s grace in calling and redeeming and refining. Do you identify yourself as a disciple of Christ?
• Topic C: The before and after of Christian growth. These twelve men began their traineeship with Jesus and went on to serve Christ with their lives (excluding Judas Iscariot). Consider the before and after shot of some of these men and praise God that he is doing his work in you and your group too. Read Ephesians 2:1-10 (especially verses 8 to 10) or Titus 3:5 and thank God for his handiwork.

Prayer of the Week

Lord God, you saved us, not because of the righteous things we’ve done but by your mercy through Jesus Christ your Son. Increase our faith, grow our love, and complete our joy by knowing you and Jesus Christ whom you sent. Amen.

I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath…?

Context

While Jesus’ reputation for healing and teaching has grown, this has also attracted the attention of the Jewish elite, namely the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They have witnessed Jesus heal and declare himself able to forgive sins. They have heard him pardon his disciples for revelling in his presence. We now read of the Pharisees seeking out ways to trap Jesus.

Observation

Structure

• 1-5 Sabbath law lesson number one
• 6-10 Sabbath law lesson number two
• 11 Sabbath law lesson number three?

1-5 Sabbath law lesson number one

“One Sabbath…” It’s clear that this story concerns the Sabbath. Exodus 16:23-29 describes the first Sabbaths instituted (aside from God’s rest on the seventh day of creation). Exodus 20:8-11 describes the Sabbath command. Exodus 31:13-17 expand on this. It is given to the people of God as a reminder that it is God who saves and not people. It is a forced rest in order to learn and practice dependance on God.

“…walking through the grainfields…pic some heads of grain…eat the kernels.” See Deuteronomy 23:24-25 to see how Jesus and the disciples were not guilty of stealing. The crime they will be charged of is breaking the Sabbath.

“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?” Well, let’s remember where we can read that! 1 Samuel 21:1-6 describes a scenario where something holy is given to David and his men on the basis that they are hungry and this was the only thing available for them.

“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus is most likely referring to himself as the Son of Man. This is the second time Luke has included that phrase from Jesus describing himself and Daniel 7 is the best Old Testament reference to explain why he uses this phrase. It encapsulates both his humanity and his deity. Jesus is stating that the Sabbath reports to Him and not the other way round! Mark 2:27 adds another remark from Jesus where he reminds the Pharisees that the Sabbath is a gift, not a chore: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

 

6-10 Sabbath law lesson number two

“On another Sabbath…” Luke has put these two stories together for their message but clearly at least 7 days separate them.

“…into the synagogue and was teaching…” This was common for Jesus, and later the disciples, to do. Luke 4:14-15; Acts 17:2. Watching movies of Jesus gives me the impression that all he ever did was preach on hillsides and country areas but Luke shows us that he worked alongside faith seekers (AKA faithful Jews) to teach them. He taught in the very places you’d expect to hear the word of God.

“…and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.” Temple laws of cleanness did not apply in the Synagogues. This man is mentioned not because it was strange that he was there but because the story revolves around Jesus healing him.

“…looking for a reason to accuse Jesus…” We see the temperature rise in the book of Luke as the Pharisees are now on the hunt for something to say against Jesus. What a sorry state for those men’s souls – listening to the Word of Life in order to find fault instead of receive life themselves. They even had his crime predicted: that he would heal on the Sabbath.

“But Jesus knew what they were thinking…” Shall we say that Jesus can read minds or that he is insightful to people’s intentions and hearts? Either and both are possible. No doubt God knows our thoughts before we speak them (Psalm 139:2,23) but how much does Jesus know? See Matthew 9:4. The least we must say is that Jesus knew people and although the Pharisees were secretly thinking this and that, Jesus brings the conversation to the public space for all to hear.

“Get up…so he got up…” Jesus commands the man and he obeys. The man is not just someone in the crowd now, he stands with Jesus on show. Jesus will either make a good point here or humiliate himself and the cripple. Of course the former is true.

“…which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” Certain logic would suggest a third option and that is to let it be! Save, destroy or live and let live. That’s three options but Jesus only offers two. God’s holiness only works in binary fashion as the test has always been to choose between good or evil (Genesis 2:10 Psalm 34:14, 37:27, 52:3, Isaiah 5:20, Jeremiah 4:22, Luke 6:45), life or death (Deuteronomy 28-30), love or hate (Psalm 97:10, Ecclesiastes 3:8, Luke 16:13). Loving God and loving our neighbour requires choosing good, love and life. To do anything outside of this aligns with evil, hate and death. Paul spoke about the fruit of the Spirit as virtues that there are no laws against. That is, always choose those ways: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

“He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”” Jesus’ enemy were silent throughout this whole episode. They did not verbally challenge Jesus on anything but Jesus knew what they were thinking. They did not answer Jesus’ question about what is the right response on the Sabbath. Of course the answers to Jesus’ questions were ‘do good and save life’ or ‘don’t do evil or destroy life.’ Jesus answers his own question by healing the man on the Sabbath. What has he done but good to this man. It was an easy thing for Jesus to do and he chose to do good. He could have done it the day before or the day after but his issue was not with this cripple but with the men whose religion was crippled. In healing the lame man, perhaps he could heal the lame worshippers who have misunderstood the point of the Sabbath.

11 Sabbath law lesson number three?

“But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” So, it’s not ok for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath but it is ok for the Pharisees to watch carefully to trap Jesus (verse 7) and then plot against him (verse 11). We must ask the Pharisees, ‘are you now doing good and saving life in hearts this Sabbath or is this evil and life destroying pans that you are making?’ The Pharisees fail to see that their view of Sabbath law is entirely external and does not include the attitude of the heart. Sure, they may be abstaining from work and denying themselves, attempting to keep the 5th commandment, but inwardly they are breaking the 6th and 9th (Exodus 20:1-17; Leviticus 19:18) while misunderstanding what the 5th is for.

Meaning

The Sabbath observance is to promote dependance on God, not dependance on law. It was made for man’s sake. Religion fails to see the good that things are given for and turns them into burdens and masters. The commandments are for loving God and loving our neighbours and will promote goodness and life that the Spirit grows in us from within. Observing the law as the Pharisees did does not care for God and fellow man as God intended. While the Pharisees thought they knew the law and how to live it out, Jesus knows the thoughts of man and how to point them to life.

Application

• Topic A: Does the 5th commandment still apply to Christians today? Jesus’ lessons on the Sabbath to the Pharisees give us an excellent approach to discussing this question. Was Jesus attempting to abolish the law or was he trying to teach the Pharisees how to see the law clearly? As humans, we have hearts by nature which break all ten of the commandments regularly but we know that we find forgiveness in Jesus’ name (1 John 1:8-9). The question is not whether the commandments are still applicable or not but what do the commandments teach us? The Sabbath is given for man’s sake to stop and deny himself and acknowledge that God is in charge (sovereign), God provides and the law of utmost importance is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
• Topic B: Being conscious of evil in us. Jesus brought a challenge to the Pharisees even though they had not said anything to him. He knew what they were thinking and this in itself was a problem. The Pharisees only cared about what people did but Jesus cares about what people think. One way to bring our evil thoughts to the surface is to speak with God about them. Jesus forced the Pharisees’ opinions to be public even though they did not engage verbally with Jesus. God calls on us to confess our sins and be made right with him through Christ’s blood. 1 John 1:5-7ff.
• Topic C: Souls that seek a saviour. Here is a truth: we are not to model our lives after the Pharisees in this passage. They were ‘looking for a reason to accuse Jesus’ and then ‘began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.’ Even as Christians we can practice, at times, the heart of the Pharisee that seeks to accuse and critique at the expense of hearing the truth. Of course, the bible teaches us to be discerning and when there are wolves in sheep’s clothing that is prudent. But would you describe yourself as eager to learn more from God or more often critical, cynical and sore toward people explaining the word of God?

Prayer of the Week

Heavenly Father, thank you for life and health and safety and for the leisure that we have to worship you publicly and openly in this country. Please guide our hearts to greater love of Jesus and the truth. Please guide our minds toward goodness and life and help us to discern when our hearts are bent towards evil and destruction. Thank you for forgiving our sins through the work and resurrection of Jesus. Help us to love you more each day and to care for our fellow-man as Jesus has shown us. Amen.