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What would make Jesus say, "Wow"? In Luke 7:1-17 we are told Jesus marveled at someone's faith. A centurion had a terminally sick servant. Some Jewish elders begged Jesus to come and heal the servant because the centurion had done good things for Israel. In other words, they believe he is worthy (vs. 4). But the centurion disagrees. He tells Jesus not to come because he isn't worthy (vs. 6). Who is right? What does this story teach us about the nature of true faith? 

Jesus concludes his sermon on the plain (Luke 6:17-49) with two poignant illustrations: two trees and two foundations.

The fruit of a tree reveals the root — its nature (verses 43-45). It’s the same with hearts. The heart produces fruit after its true inner nature. Houses reinforce the point further. The foundation is what matters most, not the above ground appearance. Similar to fruit, which can help identify the nature of a person’s heart, the storm (verses 46-49) ultimately reveals the eternal stability of a life. The reason you often cannot tell the difference between true faith from a false profession is that the deep foundations of people’s lives are often hidden from view. The storm, that will eventually come upon every life, will reveal what sort of spiritual house we have.

The Sermon on the Plain is not meant to serve as an ethical manual as a pathway to God’s grace. It’s an ethical reversal to expose the foundation of our life and lead us to salvation in the gospel of God’s grace alone.

Is Jesus Christ the anointed Promised One or not? In Luke's gospel we see Jesus made numerous claims that all proved he is indeed God's Promised Anointed One. These powerful claims are confirmed in two ways: (1) Jesus repeatedly predicted his own resurrection (Luke 18:33, 24:7); (2) The Apostles saw undeniable proof of Jesus' resurrection and believed in it so tenaciously they died for this belief (Luke 24:11-12; John 20:6-8, 24-28; Acts 1:3, 17:3). 

Why does this matter? Simply stated, Romans 10:9-10 tells us, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Do you believe?

Jesus orchestrated the details of his entry into Jerusalem. It is highly symbolic. Jesus presented himself as a different kind of king. In Luke 18-19, we see Jesus as the promised Messiah-king, a humble king, a compassionate king, and a sacrificial king who is also the coming king.

In Luke 6:20 Jesus begins to teach how radically different the values and priorities of his kingdom are compared to this world's kingdom. The Kingdom of God is an alternate community where radical, generous, self-sacrificing love is extended, even to our enemies. This kind of love is vastly different from the "love" so commonly demonstrated in this world's kingdom. How is this kind of radical love possible? Because of Jesus. Jesus became poor so you might be rich in him. He experienced thirst and was forsaken on the cross so you could be brought near to God. God's kingdom is marked as a community of people who treat others the way Jesus has treated them - with self-sacrificing love and mercy. 

What Jesus does in the context of growing opposition in Luke 6 is not only instructive, it’s surprising. First, he withdraws to a mountain where he spends the entire night in prayer (Luke 6:12). Second, he calls twelve men to assist him in his mission (Luke 6:13). Third, he preaches the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20).

Jesus is the Lord and object of worship. Whether fasting and praying, or eating and drinking, our worship should focus on Jesus Christ (5:33-34). The natural tendency is to focus on form rather than substance and religious structures and liturgy rather than God himself.

Jesus taught that we should love God and others rather than fixate on the strict mechanics of the law (6:1-11). Jesus exampled this on a Sabbath in the field where his disciples picked and ate grain (vv.1-5), and on another Sabbath in the synagogue where he healed a man with a withered hand (vv.6-11).

Whether fasting and praying or eating and drinking, stillness or dancing, singing or silence, at school, work, play, or gathered as a church — our worship should focus on Jesus Christ. God longs for a heart that celebrates his presence by responding to him and caring for others.

In Luke chapter 5 we get a more accurate glimpse of who Jesus is. That’s Luke’s primary pursuit, “Who is Jesus?”

1. Jesus has a holiness that provides us an accurate self-awareness (Simon-Peter in Luke 5:1-11). Jesus’ salvation transforms our relationship to ourselves (a biblical psychologically).
2. Jesus has a holiness that cleanses us before the Father (the leper in Luke 5:12-16). Jesus’ salvation transforms our relationship to others (sociologically).
3. Jesus has a holiness that can forgive sin (the paralyzed man in Luke 5:17-26). Jesus’ salvation transforms our relationship to the Father (spiritually).
4. Jesus has a holiness that overcomes what religion thinks of socially and politically unclean people (Levi the tax collector in Luke 5:27-32). On this point, Jesus provides four illustrations to the scribes and teachers of the law: (1) the physician, (2) the bridegroom, (3) the patch of new cloth on an old garment, and (4) new wine in an old wineskin.

Jesus makes all things new and better!

In Luke 5:12-26, we read two accounts where Jesus cleanses a leper and heals a paralyzed man. Luke provides this historical record to show who Jesus is. When Jesus cleanses the leper, he touches him. Surprisingly, instead of Jesus becoming contaminated (an outcome Old Testament code taught) the leper is cleansed and healed in an instant. And when Jesus sees the faith of the paralyzed man when he is lowered through the roof, Jesus tells him his sins are forgiven. Who can make the unclean clean? Who can forgive sins? The answer is Jesus — who is God with us!

In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus turns an amazing catch of fish (the miracle) into a parable about catching people for the kingdom (the universal lesson that applies to everyone). In other words, Jesus was not merely teaching the word of God as he sat in Peter's boat (5:1,3), he was demonstrating something by his actions and with his words. He showed how he means for his followers to catch people for the kingdom of God. This is what fishing for people entails:

1. Teach the word of God (Luke 5:1, 3)
2. Obey Jesus (Luke 5:4-5; Matthew 28:19-20)
3. Humble yourself (Luke 5:5, 8)
4. Leave the Results to God (Luke 5:6-7)

Here we see two pairs of brothers, four sunburnt fisherman with calloused hands longing for true spirituality who were washing their nets after a long night of failure. They weren’t there for the sermon on the beach, but Jesus caught them to be fishers of people.

Who is Jesus? That is what Luke is answering for us, and that is the most important question you will ever grapple with. In Luke 4:31-44, Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God who has authority in three domains:

1. Teaching (vv. 31-32, 42-44)
2. Demons (vv. 33-37, 40)
3. Sickness (vv. 38-39, 41)

Jesus has authority in every single realm both seen and unseen, physical and spiritual. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

In his first sermon (Luke 4:14-30) at the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus claimed to be the Servant of Yahweh described in Isaiah 61:1-2. Initially, the people spoke well of him. However, when Jesus illustrated his ministry and who the Messiah came to deliver, the people were murderously furious. Why? Jesus referenced two Gentiles (the widow of Zarephath and Naaman). Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of God has no ethnic, gender, political, or economical boundaries. In the end, there is only one boundary/distinction that matters: those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him. Jesus’ teaching revealed that he came for those who are spiritually poor, like the widow of Zarephath and Naaman. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4).