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“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

Luke 2:25–26

Those of us who have children or grandchildren who are young (and a few who are not so young) know all about the countdown to Christmas. The excitement builds as the days tick off on the calendar and we get closer and closer to the big day. When it gets to the point where there are only one or two days left until Christmas and the presents are wrapped under the tree, the excitement can almost be felt.

Imagine what it was like for those who were awaiting the promised Messiah. The Jewish people were living under terrible conditions when the prophesied time approached. Not only had they been conquered by the Romans, but the puppet king Herod the Great was a bloodthirsty tyrant who ordered people murdered on a whim. In addition, the spiritual condition of Israel had greatly declined so that many no longer followed the God of their fathers.

But for those who still believed there was hope. The promise had not yet been fulfilled, but they believed that God would do what He said—and He did. For us who look back to the birth of Jesus, we also have a promised coming. He told us before He left that He would return. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). The fact that He has not yet returned does not make His Second Coming any less likely, and we can wait for Him with confidence.

“And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

Luke 2:27–32

When the aged Simeon, who had been promised that he would see the Messiah before he died, met Joseph and Mary in the Temple with Jesus, he immediately recognized the infant as the Saviour of the world. Imagine what it must have been like for him to gently cradle the little baby for whom he had waited so long in his arms. Simeon recognized the truth of the Christmas story—that Jesus came to offer hope of forgiveness and salvation, and he issued a heartfelt prayer of praise and worship.

While it is always right for us to be grateful and praise God, there is certainly no more meaningful time of year for us to remember and worship God than Christmas. This is the time when we remember most of all the amazing and enormous sacrifice that Christmas represents. The Bible reminds us, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Though many of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day rejected Him because He was not offering them political deliverance from Roman oppression, Simeon recognized that the point of Jesus coming was to bring salvation into the world. And even as we celebrate Christmas, we should focus on the real purpose for the birth of Christ.

“And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:33–35

I love the Christmas season and the special joy that it brings to those of us who know the Lord. It is a time when we celebrate with family and friends, exchange presents, sing songs, and spend time together. Yet even as we enjoy this wonderful time of year, we should never forget that the greatest gift of Christmas—the Son of God sent into the world to be our Saviour—came at a very high cost.

Man turned against God, violating the one instruction issued in the Garden of Eden. Even in the only perfect setting the world has known, Adam was unwilling to obey. As a result, death entered the world and is the only future of which all can be certain. Yet in mercy and grace, even before the Fall, God had already ordained a plan for our salvation, despite the fact that it would require the death of His sinless Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

It is only the amazing love of God for us that can explain why the high cost of Christmas was paid. And it is that love that should motivate us to follow the example of the Lord. In explaining his lifetime of devoted service to Jesus, Paul wrote, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (2 Corinthians 5:13–14).

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Luke 2:36–38

Though Christmas follows Thanksgiving on our calendar, it is truly a time when we should be expressive in our appreciation. When the elderly lady named Anna, who had faithfully served God all of her, life held the baby Jesus in the Temple when He was brought for His dedication, she immediately broke out into thanksgiving and rejoicing—because she knew that Jesus was the hope of all those who were looking and praying for redemption. The same is true today. He remains the only hope of a world in desperate need of salvation. And those of us who have received that salvation should be filled with rejoicing.

When Jesus was born, the angels of Heaven could not contain their joy. Multitudes of angels filled the sky near Bethlehem to glorify God and praise Him for providing the hope of peace to a world in need. And yet, salvation is not for the angels but for us! How much more then should we be singing and rejoicing over the goodness of God toward us! His praises should fill our mouths and our hearts without end, and even more at Christmas as we celebrate and remember all that He has done for us. The wonderful carol Silent Night puts it this way:

Silent night, holy night,
wondrous star, lend thy light;
with the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Saviour is born,
Christ the Saviour is born!

“And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

Luke 2:39–40

Joseph and Mary were not casually selected by God to be the earthly parents for His Son. They were faithful and obedient to God’s commands, even at great personal sacrifice and hardship. When all the things that we associate with Christmas—the long trip, the birth in a stable, the shepherds, the wise men, and the trip to Egypt—were finished, the real Christmas story began. The new family went back home to Nazareth, and simply continued to obey God just as they had done throughout the process. Though Jesus was perfect God from His birth, He was also human and He still needed to grow up and mature, and He did so with a constant example of obedience from His parents as they daily followed the law of God.

God’s plan for our lives is not mostly composed of large events and miracles, but of daily devotion and obedience to His Word. Ellen Sturgis Hooper wrote: “I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty; I woke, and found that life was Duty.” Events like Christmas only happen occasionally, but each day we have the opportunity to live as Jesus lived in submission to the will of His Father. Rather than wishing for wondrous experiences and angelic visitations, we need to be content to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and live as He lived. This is God’s purpose for our lives: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.”

Luke 2:41–42

Joseph and Mary had the only perfect child in all of human history. Yet Jesus was not only God, but also man, and as such He laid aside the power and glory that were His right and subjected Himself to the physical limitations of human form. As part of that emptying of Himself, He became not just a man but a baby, who would need to grow and learn and develop. And in that growth, Jesus had wonderful parents to guide Him.

Despite the fact that many Jewish people in the time of Christ were only paying lip service to their faith, or had completely abandoned following the God of their fathers, Joseph and Mary continued to obey the law given to the Children of Israel through Moses. Part of their obedience was making the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the major feast days on the Jewish calendar. The Bible tells us that they did this every year. I’m sure there were competing obligations and important tasks that they could have chosen, but instead they continued to obey God’s command.

In doing so, they set a good example for Jesus to follow. In the same way, we need to be aware that all of us are role models for others. We usually think of this only in terms of people in positions of authority—pastors, teachers, or parents. But no matter our role, there are people who are watching our lives to see and copy our conduct. There is a great responsibility on our shoulders to make sure that we are leading people in the way that they should go. Paul wrote, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

“And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.”

Luke 2:43–45

In the days when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem for the Passover, it was not safe to travel alone, so often a large group of people from one city or region would join together to make the trip to the Temple for the feast days. This was the case when Jesus was twelve and His family joined with friends and relations to go to Jerusalem. After the week-long observance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the group headed home, but Jesus stayed behind. It was not until a full day had passed that Joseph and Mary realized Jesus was not in the group.

Often we think that just because we are regularly in church and carry on the outward forms of Christianity, we have a close relationship with God. Yet tragically, many Christians go through much of their lives without evidence of His presence and power. They assume that He is there (and of course the Holy Spirit never leaves a true believer) without stopping to realize that something is missing.

We should be so reliant on God for our daily lives that we cannot miss Him even for a moment without noticing. The devil tempts us to replace God-dependance with self-reliance. He does not mind if we do good things in our own strength, but he knows that it is only God’s power that can stand against him. As the old hymn “Brethren We Have Met To Worship” puts it, “All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down.”

“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Luke 2:46–49

When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the very first one was that nothing and no one else was to be allowed to take His place. God alone is worthy of our complete commitment and devotion, and He will not share our affections. The history of the human race, from the time of Adam and Eve until now, is filled with people who have allowed all manner of things to take His rightful place. Any time that God is not completely on the throne, we are living in rebellion, no matter how much our outward lives may appear to conform to the Christian life.

Even as a twelve year old boy, Jesus was committed to putting God first. He believed and demonstrated throughout His life that obeying His Father was the priority that mattered most. And if we are to be like Him, we must do the same. Jesus made the cost of truly following Him clear: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37–38). Nothing can be allowed to take the place of our love for God if we are going to be obedient Christians.

“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

Luke 2:51–52

We could spend the rest of our lives describing the wonderful attributes of Jesus and never run out of things to say. But certainly one of the most striking traits of His—all the more because it is in an area that is so difficult for us to master—is the humble obedience that Jesus demonstrated. The Lord of Heaven and Earth became a little baby and grew up in the home of imperfect parents. He never sinned, but they did. Joseph and Mary both needed a Saviour. Yet despite their failings, Jesus lived in submission to their authority the entire time He was in their home.

Why did Jesus obey His earthly parents? Even more, why did He obey His Father’s will knowing what it would mean? It is because despite His power and honor and glory, our Saviour is humble. In his great passage describing the process by which Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins, Paul points this out: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

If we are to be like Jesus, we must be willing to humble ourselves rather than insisting on getting our own way and having our rights respected and honored. Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying, “You are either a stumbling block or a stepping stone.” That statement is true, but the problem is that in order to be a stepping stone to lift up others, you have to be willing to be walked on sometimes. Jesus did that in order to provide our salvation, and we must do the same to help point others to Him.

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;”

Luke 3:1–3

Few people in all of history have had a ministry with the impact of John the Baptist. In a time of great darkness, he preached a powerful message of the need for repentance and the coming of the Messiah. And many believed the preaching of John. He was a vital part of preparing the world for the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. He would eventually lose his life because of his powerful preaching against sin in high places. In describing His cousin’s work Jesus said of John the Baptist, “He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light” (John 5:35).

Truly our world is desperately in need of powerful proclamations of the truth. We need people like John who will cry out against sin and for righteousness. We need to point people to Jesus. But if our message is to have power as John’s did, it must come from the same source. John had power on his preaching because the Word of God came to Him. We do not hear words from God as John did because we have the completed Bible (which he did not have). But that is the source of power. If we proclaim our ideas and opinions, we will not make an impact. It is only when we say, “Thus saith the Lord” that we can shake the world.

“As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”>

Luke 3:4–6

John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Isaiah foretold the message that he would preach announcing the arrival of the Messiah, and Malachi declared that the messenger would be a powerful witness: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:4). The powerful ministry of John the Baptist had one central focus, and on the day Jesus came to him to be baptized, John announced to everyone that the Messiah had come: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

In our day, we need the same work to be done—not to announce that the Messiah is coming, but that He has already come and offers salvation to those who believe. We need to share the gospel with power and conviction so that people will realize their need of a Saviour. Oswald J. Smith said, “The world does not need sermons; it needs a message. You can go to seminary and learn how to preach sermons, but you will have to go to God to get messages.” If like John we are focused on declaring the message God has given us, and are willing to be humble, we can have a great impact on the world. Remember that it was John who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

Luke 3:7–9

In the middle of a fiery denunciation of sin and a ringing call to repentance, John the Baptist said something wonderful and amazing that reveals so much about the love and nature of our Heavenly Father. There were many among the Jewish people who did not believe and truly worship and obey the God of their fathers, but who still thought they were fine because of their heritage. Yet, as John pointed out, no one is a Christian because of the faith of their parents or grandparents. It is only through individual and personal faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we become part of God’s family.

The wonderful mercy and grace of God extends the offer of salvation freely to all who believe. Salvation is not limited to those with the right pedigree and family heritage—it is freely available to all. Salvation is not given to those who are good, but to those who acknowledge their sinfulness and need of a Saviour. Salvation is a demonstration of God’s love because it is given to those who do not deserve it in any way. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).

“And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

Luke 3:10–14

The message that John the Baptist preached was a ringing call to repentance. He demanded that the people who came to hear him make a choice—they could continue as they were, or they could recognize that the Messiah was coming and prepare to meet Him by repenting of their sin. There is a great deal of confusion in our day regarding repentance. There is nothing we do to earn or merit salvation. We do not quit sinning in order for God to take us into His family. However true repentance is more than just saying we are sorry for our sins. True repentance changes the way we live.

There should be evidence from our behavior, both the things that we do and the things we do not do, that shows our repentance is real. When John the Baptist told the people “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8) he was not telling them to earn their repentance by their works, but to show that what they declared with their mouths was real by their actions. For each group who came to hear him, John described a course of action that would go directly against their normal tendency and demonstrate that something major had changed in their hearts and was on display in their behavior.

“And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.”

Luke 3:15–17

The ministry of John quickly attracted a great deal of attention. People flocked to see and hear him, recognizing that God was doing something very special. There was a great deal of expectation regarding the coming of the Messiah. Many of the people were aware of the prophecies given to Daniel concerning His coming, and the timing that marked the years from the decree to rebuild the temple until the arrival of the Messiah. Beyond those prophecies, the fact that their nation was captive to Rome led the people to long for a political deliverance more than a spiritual one, and they were eager for that to happen.

It was only natural for people to wonder if John himself were the Messiah, but he quickly crushed that speculation. John did not want to be elevated—he wanted to elevate Jesus. So he humbly declared that he was not to be worshiped and that he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes. How different that attitude is from so many Christians in our day! So often we are tempted by pride to lift up ourselves, rather than giving all the honor and glory to Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said, “It is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian church have had a decided tendency to dishonor God and to flatter man.”

“And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.”

Luke 3:18–20

In January of 1956, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Nate Saint died in the jungles of Ecuador trying to take the gospel to the Huaorani (Auca) tribe that had never before been reached. The story of their martyrdom echoed around the world. It was not until later that it became known that they had guns and could have defended themselves, but chose instead to die so that door to the gospel would not be closed. Several of their wives continued the mission work, and eventually the tribe was reached and many were saved.

Most of us have not yet had to suffer any serious repercussions for our faith. America has long enjoyed a level of religious freedom that is almost unknown in human history, but we are not promised that our faith will never cost us anything. Indeed, the Bible declares the opposite. From his prison cell in Rome where he was awaiting execution, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

If we are not willing to pay the price when things are relatively easy, how will we respond if real persecution becomes a reality? The early church experienced great power and wonderful results, but they also faced great opposition. They did not regard hardship as evidence that God had abandoned them or that they should adjust their message to avoid trouble. “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41).

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21–22

Because we have finite minds, we cannot fully grasp how it is possible that Jesus was both completely God and completely man at the same time. But this is what the Bible teaches us. It is important for us to understand that here on earth Jesus voluntarily laid aside some of His rights and privileges, yet He remained completely divine in every respect. But while a divine Saviour who was sinless and perfect was necessary to provide the sacrifice for salvation, we could never hope to copy His perfection.

But Jesus was also a man who lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is a role model we can follow. In speaking of Jesus, John the Baptist made a powerful declaration: “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34). There was no limit to the power of the Holy Spirit on the life of Christ because there was nothing to hinder His work.

The Bible tells us that we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit by the things we do or fail to do. While the Holy Spirit is God and as such has no limits on His potential power, our conduct determines the extent to which He is able to work in our lives. The Children of Israel failed to receive the full blessings that were available to them because of their sinfulness. “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41).

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”

Luke 4:1–2

There is a widespread idea today that if we are doing what we should, everything will work out wonderfully—we won’t get sick, we won’t have money trouble, and our families will enjoy peace and harmony. Yet the Bible paints a different picture. While there are blessings for obedience, the Christian life is far from being simple and painless. There are times when doing exactly what we should do leads us to difficulty and hardship. Jesus was not out of place when the devil came to tempt Him. He was exactly where the Holy Spirit had led Him.

The temptation of Jesus happened at a time when He was physically weak and alone. There were no disciples to encourage Him; there was no human support at all. Yet in that moment, Jesus still had full confidence in His Father. The presence of the Holy Spirit gave Him all of the help and spiritual strength that He needed to deal with what was coming.

We are never alone, even if we are separated from all our family and friends. The Holy Spirit is still there when things get tough. And in those moments, our faith is more important than ever. The devil knows this, and he attempts to get us to question God’s goodness. One of his main tactics against us is to bring suffering in hopes that the pain and trouble will make us turn against God. “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life” (Job 2:4). When we live with an awareness of the Holy Spirit, we realize that we are never alone.

“And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

Luke 4:3–4

The devil devised three specific plans to try to divert Jesus from the course His Father had set. In each case, Jesus responded the same way—by quoting a principle from the Bible that overrode the temptation and kept His focus on what God wanted rather than what He wanted. We need to understand the way Satan works. He is happy for us to sin and violate God’s law, but he is just as happy if he can get us to do good things in the wrong way.

There is nothing wrong with food. God wants us to eat and enjoy the things He has made to sustain our lives. There is nothing wrong with using miracle power to feed hungry people. We see that happen many times in Scripture. So Satan’s attack is subtle, attempting to get Jesus to meet a legitimate need for something that is good and necessary, but to do so without regard to God’s plan for Him. Jesus responded with the words of Moses regarding the manna that fed the Israelites in the wilderness to make the point that spiritual life matters far more than physical life.

We need to have a personal, powerful, meaningful, daily relationship with the Bible. Job did not have much, if any, of the written word of God, but he said, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). When we focus on the temporal and physical, it is easy for Satan to draw us away from God’s path and God’s plan.

“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Luke 4:5–8

Though there were many laws and instructions given to the Children of Israel to govern their daily lives, the most important were the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The first of those ten highlighted the nature of God and that He alone is to be worshiped. In the New Testament, Jesus would reiterate the importance of this command by declaring that loving God was the most important command of all.

When Satan tempted Jesus to receive the honor and glory of the world by worshiping Satan, Jesus refused by citing the importance of keeping God first place in our hearts and lives. Throughout their history, the Israelites had struggled with the worship of idols. In our more sophisticated times we no longer carve images of animals to pray to, but there are still many things to which people give their lives and devotion and time to the exclusion of love and worship of God.

Jesus warned that in the end times proper love of God would be in short supply. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Rather than trying hard to do right and overcome temptation in our own strength, if we will love God first, we will be less likely to fall into sin.

“And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Luke 4:9–12

God has given us many wonderful promises in His Word regarding His protection of His children. Many of us have experienced that protection first hand. I am so thankful for God’s guarding and protection over my life as I travel, preach, and do His work. Without His protection, none of us could survive. “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22).

At the same time, there are people who do foolish things and claim that they have faith that nothing bad will happen. God does not expect us to be presumptuous because we have access to divine resources and protection. It may be that God will rescue us if we do something foolish where He has not led us, but it is wrong for us to claim that we are acting in faith when we are not doing something God has directed in His Word.

There are times when faith demands a response from us that defies human explanation or ability. But that kind of response must be grounded in the Bible. No amount of feelings or declarations of our words can be a legitimate basis of faith. We are only living by faith when we are acting in obedience to what God has commanded.

“And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:20–22

When Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth for the first time after He had started His public ministry, the people were eager to hear Him. The news of the miracles that He had performed in other places had reached them, and they were not sure what to expect. On the Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and read from the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. In no uncertain terms, Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy. The people were shocked to hear what Jesus said. He had grown up in their town, thought of as the son of Joseph, and they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. In fact by the time He finished His first sermon, they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off the mountain at the edge of town.

But there is a powerful lesson for us in the very beginning of Jesus’ words. His declaration that the people were seeing and hearing the fulfillment of Scripture is a declaration that what God says will always happen. The promises of God always come true. He has never failed to do what He said, and our generation will not be the first to trust the promises of the Bible in vain. There is a great need in our day for God’s people to take Him at His Word. The Bible makes no mistakes, and we should believe and do all that it says.

“But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.”

Luke 4:25–27

In His sermon in Nazareth, Jesus highlighted two stories from the Old Testament when God reached out in miraculous ways to meet the needs of people who were not Israelites. The stories of Elijah with the widow in Zarepath and Elisha with Naaman tell us something very significant about the nature of our Heavenly Father: He acts in grace and mercy. There was no reason for these two foreigners to receive the miraculous power of God to meet their needs—except for His grace and mercy.

Nothing we can do will ever be worthy of God. Our best efforts fall hopelessly short of His standard. The prophet Isaiah declared, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). It is not our goodness but His grace that brings us the hope and help that we so desperately need.

Jesus’ message was not well received by the people of Nazareth. In fact they tried to kill Jesus at the end of His sermon. Often we do not like to think of God’s grace as being undeserved because it makes us face the reality of our sinful failure and our inability to make our own way to God. But the real message of grace should fill our hearts with joy and gratitude.

“And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.”

Luke 4:31–32

After He was rejected by the people in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus moved to the city of Capernaum, which became His ministry headquarters. There He continued His practice of going to the synagogue each week on the Sabbath day to teach the people. It was easy for them to recognize that what Jesus was preaching was different than what they had previously heard from other rabbis. The parallel account in Mark highlights this truth: “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).

It was a common practice in those days for the rabbis to teach more about the teachings of rabbis and the arguments they had over what various parts of Scripture meant, than to actually focus on the Word of God. Jesus was different. He was not interested in the opinions of man. He declared the truths that the Holy Spirit of God had inspired to be written down and explained how they applied to daily life and what God expected of His people.

There is enormous power and authority when we stand and say, “Thus saith the Lord.” Our ideas and opinions do not carry the weight to bring conviction of sin to the hearts of the lost. Noted author and skeptic Mark Twain said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that bother me. It is the parts I do understand.” Though the Bible may not be accepted or appreciated, its power cannot be denied. We need to tell the world what God has said. His Word, shared in His power, is the means He has given us to reach the lost.

“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.”

Luke 4:33–35

Demons are real, and they are active in our world today. Though it is a mistake to obsessively focus on the demonic, it is also a mistake to ignore it. The devil has many agents at work, and they have a real impact on the world. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it is still true now (although sometimes they manifest themselves in different ways to a modern world). There are some twenty different references in the Gospel of Luke to Jesus dealing with people who were possessed by demons. Several of these confrontations took place in synagogues—the equivalent in our day of churches. Not everyone who comes into church is a believer, and we need to be discerning as we deal with people. John wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

When the demon interrupted Jesus as He taught, the Lord responded by casting the demon out of the man. The point of this story is not that we should go around looking to cast out demons, but that the power of God is greater than the power of Satan. The devil is a created fallen angel, and though his strength is greater than ours, it pales in comparison to God’s power. The Christian who is indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit will overcome the devil.

“And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.”

Luke 4:38–40

In the time of Jesus they did not have the advanced medical care that we are blessed with in our day. As a result, even relatively simple diseases and infections could easily become life-threatening. The arrival of Jesus in a town meant that there was hope for people, no matter how sick they might have been or what their problems were. Peter’s mother-in-law had such a serious fever that she had been completely incapacitated. A few words from Jesus, however, took away the fever and restored her strength.

It’s not always God’s will to heal. (For instance, God did not give healing to the Apostle Paul, although 2 Corinthians 12:8 tells us that Paul prayed earnestly for it.) But as Jesus went about healing people, He revealed the power of God that is able to heal. His was not the healing of “professionals” who go into town and a hold a meeting but never go to a hospital to heal the people there. Instead, it was the supernatural healing of God.

Sometimes God does choose to supernaturally heal His people, and He encourages us to pray for healing: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). But whether or not it is God’s will to give physical healing, the spiritual healing He has given through salvation is the greatest miracle ever.

“And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.”

Luke 4:42–44

The people in Capernaum would have been delighted for Jesus to stay with them. In fact, they begged Him not to leave when it was time for Him to go. They realized that they had benefited greatly by His presence. Yet even at the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus made it clear that the priority of His life and work would be to reach as many people as possible with the gospel. Jesus recognized that He had been given this mission by His Father and as a result, He planned His life around what God had in mind for Him to do: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).

What was true of Jesus should be true of us as well. We should plan and shape our lives around what matters to God rather than what matters to us. And nothing is more central to God’s purpose and will for our lives than telling others about salvation in Jesus Christ. When the Jewish rulers called the disciples before them to try to make them stop preaching about Jesus, they had to admit the effectiveness of God’s people carrying out God’s plan. “Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine…” (Acts 5:28).

“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.”

Luke 5:1–3

There are a lot of “experts” who have advice for different methods to build churches. They can tell you what kind of music will be most effective in drawing a crowd, how long the sermon should be, how bright the lights ought to be, and many other things. Yet far too often, they and those who listen to their advice forget the most important thing. God’s plan to build churches is the plan that we find in the Scriptures—the preaching of His Word.

The crowds who came to hear Jesus were impressed by His miracles of healing and casting out demons, but most of all, they wanted to hear Him declare what God had to say. More important than our décor, our lighting, or our service times is the content of our message. Everything we do and say to reach people must be founded on the Bible.

This was the directive Paul gave Timothy in his final letter to his young protégé: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). We must allow the Bible to fill our hearts and minds, and then we must share what God has to say with the world.

“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.”

Luke 5:4–6

We don’t know how old Peter was when Jesus called him to be a disciple, but we do know that he had spent his entire life as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. Even today fishing is a major industry on the small lake in northern Israel, with many different kinds of fish being caught commercially. In Peter’s day, most of the fishing was done in small boats using nets that would be thrown into the water and dragged back into the boat over and over again throughout the night. It was a tiring and backbreaking way to make a living, but it was Peter’s livelihood.

When Jesus finished his sermon delivered from the borrowed boat, He sent Peter back out onto the sea. It had already been a discouraging night for Peter, as his best efforts had produced nothing, and now the time for fishing was past. Yet he was willing to obey Jesus and do something that had no hope of success according to human reasoning. He agreed to let down the net again “at thy word.” His faith was in the word of the Lord.

In return for his obedience, Peter found himself hauling in the greatest catch of his life. God is able to do anything. His power has not weakened. But too often we go the way we think best, leaning on our own understanding rather than trusting and obeying the Lord. As a result, we miss seeing His power at work in our lives.

“And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Luke 5:7–8

In all the times I have been fishing, I have never caught so many fish that their combined weight threatened to sink the boat I was in—let alone so many that it was too much for two boats to handle. But that was the position that Peter found himself in when he launched out into the deep at Jesus’ command. When he saw the power of God on display in this unique way, Peter’s response is instructive. He did not cheer and congratulate himself—he knelt and repented. Peter realized just how far short he had come of God’s purpose.

Too many Christians are self-satisfied and somewhat proud of what God has done in their lives. It is easy for us to start thinking that we deserve His blessings and even think that the success we may experience is due to us rather than to Him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paul asked the members of the church at Corinth who were tempted to be lifted up in pride: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

We realize that we are saved by grace through faith alone apart from any merit we have, but sometimes we forget that our work for God must be done the same way. The more we see God at work, the more we should bow down in grateful humility, recognizing that it is His power rather than ours that brings results.

“For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.”

Luke 5:9–11

One of the most important truths any of us can learn is that God has a purpose and plan for our lives. We are not cast randomly out into the world to struggle through as best we can. The God who created everything also designed a purpose for us. In the pages of His Word He has revealed the vital truths that will, if we follow them, shape our paths. Peter, James, and John had successful careers in the fishing business, but Jesus had something else in mind for them. He wanted them to be part of His work. And because they acknowledged His right to command their lives, they left behind everything they had known to follow Him.

A. W. Tozer wrote, “Most of our problems are not circumstantial. Most of our problems are perceptual. Our biggest problems can be traced back to an inadequate understanding of who God is.” There on the Sea of Galilee these fisherman had just seen an amazing demonstration of the power of God as both of their boats were filled to overflowing with fish. Yet it was in that moment of great success and a financial windfall beyond what they had dreamed that Jesus called them to abandon what they had known for a new course in life. They were willing to follow Him and start catching men, and the entire world was transformed as a result. The great need of our day is the same—people who are willing to be fishers of men.

“And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”

Luke 5:12–14

Leprosy was probably the most dreaded disease in Bible times. When someone contracted leprosy, his life as he had known it was over. He became an outcast, forced to leave home and family and exist on what he could beg from others. A leper was commanded to cry out, “Unclean, unclean” in warning whenever anyone approached to keep them from becoming infected. It was a lonely and painful existence.

Yet when this leper came to Jesus, he found that not only was Jesus willing to heal him, but He touched him as well. How many years had it been since the leper had felt a kind touch before the Lord reached out to him in mercy and love? Despite all that he had endured, this man still had faith in God and he recognized the power of Jesus to heal his incurable disease. To him there was no question about Jesus’ ability to heal, it was simply a matter of Him being willing to do so.

There are so many things that we need God to do for us. Yet sometimes we fail to see His power simply because we do not believe in it. We may believe that God did great things for others, but we do not believe in our hearts that He will do the same for us. But all things are still possible for those who believe.

“But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”

Luke 5:15–16

Prayer was a vital resource to Jesus—so important that He frequently drew apart from others in order to have time to spend with His Father in prayer. There were many occasions when He gave up sleep or eating in order to pray. More than once Jesus interrupted His ministry, leaving behind people who were wanting to see and hear Him and be healed, to go alone to pray. If Jesus needed time to pray, how much more important is it for us to spend time with Him in prayer?

The vital necessity of prayer is a reality that is far too often ignored in our day. Though we pay lip service to the power of prayer, the lack of time we spend in prayer reveals that we are not truly convinced that God will hear and answer when we call out to Him. As a result, we deprive ourselves of so much that God is able to give to us—and our work for Him suffers as a result. The poet and hymn writer William Cowper wrote:

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian’s armor bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

The strength to overcome the obstacles we face, the power to triumph over temptation, and the resources—both physical and spiritual—to do God’s work are supplied through prayer. The strength we have in ourselves is far too little to meet the challenges we face. Each day should find us on our knees begging God to work in our lives. Only then will we be equipped to do great and mighty things for Him.

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.”

Luke 5:17–19

We know basically nothing about the four men who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus. We don’t know their professions or their degree of education. We don’t know their hometowns or their family heritage. We don’t even know their names. What we do know is that they had an overwhelming love for their friend and faith in Jesus. They believed that Jesus was able to heal this man who had no other hope, and as a result they were willing to go above and beyond what people would normally do in order to place their friend at Jesus’ feet.

It must have been extremely difficult to get a paralyzed man confined to his bed onto the roof of the house where Jesus was. It could not have been easy to take apart the roof so they could lower him down to Jesus’ feet. Their actions no doubt seemed outrageous to many of those watching. But they didn’t care how difficult it was or what others thought. They wanted to get their friend to Jesus. That is a passion that should fill all of our hearts. We should be consumed with the desire to reach the lost and bring them to Him.

“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”

Luke 5:22–24

The message of Jesus was not well received by many of the religious leaders of His day. Despite the testimony of John the Baptist and the clear teaching of Jesus Himself, they did not accept the truth that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. Just as the Pharisees did not go to Bethlehem to see the Messiah—even though they knew and were able to tell Herod that Jesus would be born there—so when He began His public ministry, they did not welcome or receive Him.

When the paralyzed man was let down through the roof to see Jesus, the Lord declared that he was forgiven. Yet that claim seemed outrageous to the Pharisees who were gathered to hear Jesus. They realized that only God has the power to forgive sins, and so they knew Jesus was claiming to be God. To drive home the point He was making, Jesus asked a rhetorical question. Those who opposed Him knew it was easy to say that sins were forgiven, because there is no outward way to confirm that had happened. But to say “Arise” to a paralyzed man gives an immediate evidence of power that cannot be ignored.

The God we serve has all power, and He has offered to us something far more valuable and important than physical healing. Jesus came not primarily to raise up the sick, but to heal the wounds of sin and offer us forgiveness through His blood. That is Divine power on display.

“And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.”

Luke 5:25–26

When people truly meet Jesus, it is a transforming experience. The man who had been paralyzed and unable to walk immediately got up when Jesus told him to do so. This is such a wonderful picture of our salvation. Prior to coming to Christ, we had no power or ability to do what was right. We were crippled by sin, and unable to help ourselves in any way. But the power of Jesus to save changes everything.

We see another great illustration of this truth in the life of Lazarus. Jesus waited until His friend was dead and buried before traveling to Bethany. When He went to the grave, Jesus wept for the sorrow and grief of His friends and their loss. Then He commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead—and he did! The resurrection of Lazarus was a miracle that the enemies of Jesus could not explain. “But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus” (Luke 12:10–11).

Our lives are meant to be testimonies to the power and grace of God. There should be evidence that is clear to everyone around us that we are no longer the same as we were before we met Jesus. Too often, Christians settle into a pattern of living just like the world around them rather than walking in the new life they have been given. If we are going to have an impact on the world, there must be clear evidence that we have been given a life-changing gift that can only be attributed to Divine power.

“And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him.”

Luke 5:27–28

In the time of Christ, Israel was under the control of the Roman Empire. As was the custom in those days, much of the expense of keeping a military occupation force in a conquered land was expected to be borne by the residents of that land. The Romans had devised an ingenious system for their tax collection. They would contract with local citizens of the country who would be responsible for meeting a certain quota of taxes. As an incentive to them, these men, known as publicans, were allowed to keep everything they collected above that amount.

Of course this system was rife with corruption. The publicans could charge whatever taxes they felt like charging, with the military might of Rome available to back up their assessments. The Jews who collaborated with the Romans in this way were hated by their countrymen. Though they were often very wealthy, they were despised, even barred from entering the synagogues for prayer and worship.

Yet when Jesus saw a publican named Levi hard at work lining his own pockets and funding the Roman occupation of Israel in the process, He did not shame or condemn him. Instead Jesus called Levi to leave his old life behind to follow Him. It is tempting after we have been saved for a while to forget how desperately lost and wicked we were before we met Jesus. Even those of us who were saved as children had a corrupt sin nature and no hope without Him. The grace and mercy of God sent Jesus into the world to look for lost sinners. This truth is our hope of salvation and our source of joy.

“And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:29–32

Once Levi had made the decision to leave his very profitable tax collection business to follow Jesus, he invited a large number of his friends and colleagues to come to a special dinner at his house so they could meet Jesus themselves. When Jesus went to this large gathering of hated and despised people it angered the religious leaders. They had no interest in spending time with sinners—not realizing they were sinners too.

In our day there are a great many people who think, like the Pharisees did, that they are just fine in their current state. They have no realization that they are hopelessly lost apart from Jesus. The message of the gospel does not resonate with them because they do not recognize their sin-sick condition.

But salvation is only for the lost. Only those who are willing to recognize the reality that they are lost without Christ will be willing to receive His offer of salvation.

There was considerable warning before Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington state in 1980. Officials warned residents to flee, but not all of them listened. An eighty-three-year-old man named Harry Randall Truman told an interviewer, “I don’t believe the mountain will hurt me.” He perished in the volcanic blast because he did not take his need for deliverance seriously. We must do our best to alert those around us of the danger facing their eternal souls before it is too late.

“And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.”

Luke 5:33–35

The enemies of Jesus were constantly looking for accusations they could make against Him and His followers. Here they complained that Jesus’ disciples did not fast regularly like they did and as the early followers of John the Baptist had done. This accusation was not made in good faith. The fasting of the Pharisees was not a heartfelt, serious attempt to seek God’s face. Instead they had turned it into an outward show to impress others.

The kind of fasting to which God responds is the kind that is an expression of a sincere desire for His work in our lives that takes precedence over anything else. Dr. John Rice said, “Fasting is really putting God first when one prays, wanting God more than one wants food, more than one wants sleep, more than one wants fellowship with others, more than one wants to attend to business.” Jesus told the Pharisees that in the future, once He was no longer with them, His disciples would indeed fast.

There are some situations that are so serious they require more than just regular prayers on our part. Jesus told His disciples this after he cast a demon out of a boy when they had not been able to do so. “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). We do not earn favor with God by fasting, but it does focus our hearts and minds on Him, and it does produce results in our lives.

“And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.”

Luke 5:36–38

In the time of Christ, it was common for people to adopt bits and pieces of other religions into their own. The Romans often took the gods of conquered lands and adapted them to their own pantheon of deities that they worshiped. We see the same trends in our day with the common teaching that all religious roads lead to the same destination. There is a popular bumper sticker featuring the symbols of a number of different religions to spell out the word “Coexist.”

Jesus did not come to add a little bit to what had gone before. He certainly did not come to simply put a patch on the Old Testament sacrifice system (which was never meant to be a substitute for the ultimate sacrifice Christ Himself would provide). Instead He came with a radically transforming message of salvation—a salvation that did not depend on national identity, religious regulations, or a system of sacrifices and offerings. He came to provide the single, only hope of salvation through His own death, burial, and resurrection.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Anyone who wants to add to or take away from that message is teaching false doctrine. There are no other options for salvation. People who sincerely follow other doctrines are lost, despite the depth of their conviction. Jesus is and always will be the only hope of salvation.

“And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?”

Luke 6:1–2

The law that God gave to Moses for the observance of the Sabbath day instructed the Israelites very clearly that they were not to work, but to rest on that day. “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates” (Exodus 20:10). Over the years, various rabbis and teachers added to the rules and regulations for keeping the Sabbath until by the time of Jesus there were are least thirty-nine different categories of activity that had been defined as work and forbidden—going far beyond what God had commanded.

When the Pharisees went to Jesus and condemned the disciples for gathering and eating food as they passed through a field on the Sabbath, they accused them of doing something that was unlawful. But in truth the disciples were not violating the law of Moses, only the regulations that had been added on top of the law.

There is a great danger when we go beyond what God has said. While we must apply the principles of the Bible to situations that are not directly addressed, we should never say that God has forbidden something that He has not in fact forbidden. We are responsible to obey what God has said, and part of that obedience is not adding additional rules and systems beyond what He has given. That path leads to prideful bondage and failure to receive God’s grace.

“And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”

Luke 6:3–5

The Pharisees knew the law inside and out. They memorized much of the writing of Moses, and in addition, they were experts in the volumes of commentary and teaching on the law that had been written by various rabbis and scholars over the years. Yet for all their knowledge, they missed the point of what God had in mind with His commands. The keeping of the Sabbath is a great illustration of this. For the Pharisees, enforcing not just God’s law but their additions to it had become the end rather than the means to something greater.

They kept the Sabbath, but they lost the value the day was meant to have. In The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Alfred Edersheim wrote, “The Sabbath law was not one merely of rest, but of rest for worship. The service of the Lord was the object of the Sabbath.” God is not interested in just our outward conformity to His Word. He is looking for the heart to be in joyful and willing compliance with the command so that we can reap the blessings of obedience. Jesus pointed out the error of the Pharisees when it came to the Sabbath day: “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:” (Mark 2:27). The goal of God’s laws is not that we are devoted to them, but that we are devoted to Him above all else.

“And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.”

Luke 6:6–7

Because sin came into the world and brought suffering and death with it, we live in a world filled with hurting people. The proper response to the pain that we see around us is love and compassion. This attitude filled the heart of Jesus, and it shaped the way He interacted with people. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

In contrast, when the Pharisees saw a man who suffered every day because his right hand had no strength, they felt no love or compassion for him. Instead, they simply viewed him as another tool they could use to launch an attack against Jesus. Rather than caring about this man’s condition—which was serious and no doubt painful—they wanted to use the man’s suffering to their own advantage against Christ. It almost seems as if they had staged the moment. They certainly used the moment to accuse Jesus.

Jesus, however, didn’t see people through the lens of political value or liability to Himself. He simply loved people. While still following God’s Old Testament commands concerning the Sabbath (not the added layers the Pharisees had given), Jesus cared for the needs of others.

While it is important that we do right, it is possible to comply with the principles and commands of Scripture while truly caring for the needs of others. Our hearts should be broken instead of cold and indifferent as the Pharisees were, and we should do whatever we can to help those in need.

“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.”

Luke 6:9–11

When Jesus healed a man with a crippled hand on the Sabbath day, He was confronted by Pharisees eager to accuse Him of breaking God’s law. Jesus responded by asking a them a powerful question. The fact that it was the Sabbath did not change the moral imperative to do good. Remember that Jesus was not violating the Sabbath law given by God, but only the many layers of restrictions that teaching and tradition had added to what God actually said. Jesus never did anything that was contrary to God’s law. And we should not forget that the ends do not justify the means. As Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right.”

But Jesus was not doing wrong. He was not violating the Sabbath commandment. He was instead using the day of rest as an opportunity to do something good. We are always to be doing good. If you feel an impulse to speak a kind word of encouragement, to spend time in prayer, to reach out and let someone know you are thinking about them, or to meet a need, do it. You do not have to worry or wonder if it is God’s will for you to do good. Paul reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;”

Luke 6:12–13

It is impossible to overstate the importance of prayer to Jesus. And by extension, His example should be a constant reminder to us of the need for us to spend time seeking God’s face and crying out to Him for help. The entire night before He selected the twelve apostles, Jesus prayed alone. He recognized the choice of this “inner circle”—the men into whom He would pour His life over the next three years—would be critical.

Our world today is in urgent need of godly leadership. We see this in our homes, our churches, and our nations. Dr. Lee Roberson said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” and he was right. The truth is that far too many Christians have abdicated their leadership responsibilities. It is not just pastors and people who are in full time vocational ministry that are leaders. Every one of us is a leader in some part of our lives. There are always people watching us and drawing examples (whether good or bad) from the way that we respond to life.

A vital part of leadership is ensuring that the things you teach and believe are communicated to the next generation. That is why Jesus spent a whole night alone in prayer before selecting the twelve men who would continue His work after He returned to Heaven. Paul instructed Timothy: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

“Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.”

Luke 6:14–16

He was undoubtedly the most gifted military strategist of all of America’s generals during the Revolutionary War. He was loved by his soldiers, and courageously led them into battle rather than remaining behind as many officers did. He rallied the American troops to victory in the crucial Battle of Saratoga even though he had been ordered to remain in his quarters. This man they called the “Black Eagle” was so feared by the Indian allies of the British that just the rumor he was coming was enough to lift the Iroquois’ siege of Fort Ticonderoga. Yet we do not know him for any of his heroic actions. We know him as Benedict Arnold—the man who betrayed his country.

Though we look down on traitors like Judas or Benedict Arnold, the sad reality is that too often we also join forces with the enemy. We tend to take sin casually, not realizing what it truly says about our loyalty and allegiance. Paul wrote, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). We must never forget that even though our eternal salvation is settled forever, as long as we live here on Earth we are part of a spiritual battle. Satan will tempt to allure us to abandon our allegiance to the Lord, and though he no longer controls our lives, when we sin, we are doing his bidding.

“And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”

Luke 6:17–19

It’s hard for us to imagine with the conveniences of modern communication and transportation what it was like in Jesus’ day. The news that a rabbi in Galilee was performing miracles and healing people no doubt took some time to spread. But because the news was so spectacular, when it did spread it drew crowds—not just from across Israel but surrounding countries as well. Before long, there were massive crowds coming to hear Jesus and wanting to be healed of various diseases. We are not told how many people were in the “multitude” Luke describes, but Jesus healed every one of them.

Yet, the work that Jesus did took a physical toll on Him. Each person He healed in His ministry exacted a price. And over time, the costs of ministry started to add up. At one point Jesus took His disciples away from the people just to try to find time to rest and eat. “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31). Any time we set out to do something of value for God’s kingdom, we need to be aware of the impact it will have. While we need to be willing to bear the cost of ministry, we must also have time for renewal.

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.”

Luke 6:20–21

Given our choice, none of us would select poverty, hunger, and weeping for our condition. We prefer to have enough money, food, and joy rather than sorrow—and there is nothing wrong with that. Yet at the same time we need to recognize that there is something far more important than temporal comfort and pleasure. In fact, there are many cases where it is the very things that we lack that bring us lasting and eternal blessings. The missionary martyr Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

God wants us to ask Him for things we want as well as our bare necessities; but we must remember to keep our focus on Him and what matters for eternity, rather than on things that only matter for a little while. When we do that, the problems of greed and covetousness will be eliminated, and we will be blessed as a result. The Christian whose affections are set on the eternal will avoid much temptation.

Paul wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11–12). All of us should strive for the spirit of contentment that acknowledges God’s goodness and love in providing what He knows we need.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”

Luke 6:22–23

Charles Spurgeon had a powerful and effective ministry that began while he was still a teenager. There is no question that his incredible gifts and the enormous growth of the church that he pastored were testimony to the work that God did in and through his life. Yet for most of his ministry, Spurgeon suffered greatly from gout and Bright’s disease, and he died at just fifty-seven years of age. The enormous physical pain he endured could have driven him to question and doubt God, but instead it led Spurgeon to trust Him more. He said, “I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere as I have upon the bed of pain.”

Hardship, affliction, and suffering are not pleasant, but they are often the necessary tools God uses to shape us into the men and women He needs us to be for His work. Each trial offers us an opportunity to learn more of God’s grace and depend more fully on Him for our needs to be met. The Christian life is promised to be victorious, but it is never promised to be easy. In addition to realizing that our hardships can be used by God, we must also remember that they are not permanent. Psalm 30:5b says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” There is a day of joy and victory coming for every believer who is faithful even during times of testing and tears.

“But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

Luke 6:24–26

Some of the most dangerous times any of us face in our Christian walk are the moments of great victory and success. When it seems like everything is going our way, we are tempted to become proud and assume it is our doing than remembering that all that we do is accomplished only through God’s grace and strength freely bestowed on us. This foolish pride in our success leads to a great fall. Proverbs 1:32 warns: “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

Rather than making us proud, success should make us humble and grateful. Andrew Murray wrote, “The humble man has learned the secret of abiding gladness. The weaker he feels, the lower he sinks, and the greater his humiliations appear, the more power and the presence of Christ are his portion.” There is no real and lasting success possible apart from God’s help, and there is no faster way for us to lose His blessing than to attempt to take the credit and glory for ourselves.

When Saul was anointed king over Israel, he was humble; but his position lifted up his view of himself, and he stopped caring about obedience to God. “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17). As a result of Saul’s pride, the throne was taken from him and given to David.

“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.”

Luke 6:27–29

During the Revolutionary War, a Baptist preacher from Pennsylvania who was a friend of George Washington made a seventy-mile trip on foot to Philadelphia. He came to plead for the life of Michael Wittman who had been sentenced to die for treason. Miller’s initial request was refused. Washington said, “I cannot grant the life of your friend.” Miller then told Washington that Wittman was not his friend, but rather a man who had opposed and obstructed his ministry at every opportunity. Washington said, “You walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? I will grant the pardon.” Miller took Wittman home, no longer an enemy, but a friend.

As we live in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity, we are going to have more opportunities to love our enemies. Loving them certainly does not mean that we stop proclaiming and defending the truth. A doctor performing surgery to remove a malignant tumor does not hate his patient, even though he is literally cutting him open with a knife.

We must be filled with the same love that Jesus showed to those who put Him on the cross. Jesus was not overpowered or caught off guard by the cross. He was a willing sacrifice for our sins. He said of His life, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:18).