Bible Text: Luke 6:12-16 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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August 14, 2022
“Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part Three”
Luke 6:12-16

 

     Today we come to the final name in the list of the Disciples, Judas Iscariot, who is always recorded last among the Twelve: (Luke 6:16b) “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor,” (Matthew 10:4) “Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed [Jesus],” (Mark 3:19), “Judas Iscariot, who betrayed [Jesus].”

Judas’ surname Iscariot, “is most likely the Greek translation of a Hebrew phrase meaning, “man of Kerioth,” telling us that Judas came from Kerioth, a group of villages about 20 miles south of Jerusalem [John MacArthur Commentary (Luke 6-10), pg. 75].

Judas was not a Galilean like the rest of the disciples, but instead a Judaean, and so, he probably never really fit in with the other eleven, and was seen as an outsider.

Judas’s call by Jesus is not recorded in the Scriptures; but Jesus clearly knew Judas would betray Him, and that is why he was chosen (John 6:70-71), speaking to the twelve Jesus says, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.”

The OT predicted this betrayal (Psalm 41:9), “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared My bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”  God chose Judas to help fulfill God’s plan, that the Son of God would die for our sins; but He wouldn’t stay dead, because, as God, He has power over sin and death.

1Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Notice that Paul says, “of first importance” is the simple yet sovereign truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, was buried, and on the third day He  came out of the grave alive [demonstrating eternal life], and all of this was according to the Scriptures (2Timothy 3:16-17), “All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed, originating from God] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Repeatedly in the OT (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 52:13-53:12) the birth, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of God’s Son, the Messiah is foretold.  No orthodox Jew should be unaware that the Messiah was Immanuel [God in the flesh], named Yeshua [Hebrew], Jesus [Greek], meaning God’s Salvation, or Savior, just as the OT declares.

In the NT, Jesus, Paul, and Peter, quote from the OT passages foretelling the birth, ministry, betrayal, death, burial and resurrection of God’s Son; but the specific event of Jesus’ betrayal is recorded in Matthew 26:23-24; Mark 14:1-2, 10-11, 17-21; Luke 22:20-22; and John 13:12-30.

Let’s take a look at the narrative in John’s Gospel account.

     See John 13:12-20…  Jesus provides an example of humble service for the Twelve.  Jesus the Lord and Savior, washed the feet of His disciples [foot washing was the menial work of a slave].  Jesus even washed the feet of His betrayer, Judas Iscariot; if God in the flesh was willing to do this humble service to His disciples, one of whom was a traitor, should they not also be willing to serve others in this way, with the same attitude?

What attitude is he talking about?

Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

     Jesus is telling His disciples that Judas is going to betray Him, and He is going to be taken from them; He tells them now so that when it happens they will know that Jesus is God, for He divinely knows what will happen in the future.

Jesus is reassuring the apostles that He is going to send them out as His messengers in this world, and neither Judas’ betrayal or even His own death will alter that.

See John 13:21-25…  Jesus becomes troubled in His spirit, thinking about Judas’ treachery, the cross on which He will bear our sin, being separated from the Father.

The disciples look around at one another, trying to figure out who Jesus is talking about, who would dare betray the Lord?  Which one of them could do such a thing?

They all want to know who the betrayer is, but it is Peter who finally acts, he gets John’s attention, since John is sitting up against Jesus at the table; and Peter asks John to find out who the betrayer is, and so, John asks Him, “Lord, who is it?”

See John 13:26-27…  From the context, it seems that Jesus quietly told John, “the one whom I give the morsel [the dipped bread], is the betrayer.”  The unleavened bread would have been dipped into a mixture of bitter herbs, vinegar, salt, water, along with crushed dates, figs, and raisins.  Note: For the host [Jesus] to single out anyone at the table by offering them drink or food from His own hand, was a special honor.

Even here, near the end of Passion Week, Jesus is showing loving kindness toward Judas, His betrayer, by washing his feet, then honoring him at the table.

It would seem that John didn’t have time to tell Peter who the betrayer was, for Jesus immediately dipped the bread and gave it to Judas.  As soon as Judas took the bread (verse 27), “Satan then entered into him.”

It would seem Judas’ heart was now hardened and there was no turning back; He had crossed the line and was willfully going to serve the Devil; so Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

See John 13:28-30…  John wrote this account of the Last Supper, some 50 years after Christ’s death and resurrection;  in verses 28-29, John is looking back, giving an account of what the disciples thought at the time.  They didn’t know what was meant by Jesus saying, “What you do, do quickly.”  Perhaps Judas, as the money keeper, was going out to get something else for the dinner, or to give money to the poor (which would traditionally happen at Passover; like we often do at Thanksgiving and Christmas).

John 13:30 tells us that after receiving the dipped bread, Judas “went out immediately, and it was night,” darkness had definitely come into Judas’ heart.

Acts 1:18, “Now this man [Judas Iscariot] acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

See Matthew 27:1-10…  Judas betrayed Jesus, knowing He was innocent, and so, Judas’ felt guilty for handing over an innocent man to be executed; but his remorse (verse 3) was not repentance; the word used here means to regret something you have done, but this is far from being repentant for sins against God..

Judas never sought Christ’s forgiveness, nor did he come to Jesus’s defense, but instead, Judas served his master, Satan himself; and in the end Judas killed himself and was buried in a field bought with the 30 pieces of silver he was paid for betraying Jesus.

The chief priests knew the money paid to Judas was “blood” money (money used to wrongly convict an innocent man); it was unlawful to put this in the Temple treasury, so they used it to purchase a plot of land that was to be used for burying the indigent, i.e., those without family, friends, or the resources necessary for a proper burial.

Could Judas have repented of his sins, believed in Christ like the other disciples, and been saved, yes!  But he didn’t!  Like many orthodox Jews, he believed the Messiah was going to set Israel free from Roman oppression and set His Kingdom up on earth; but when that didn’t happen, Judas chose to get out of it what he could.

Matthew 26:16; Mark 14:11; Luke 22:6, tell us Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver ($10-20).

Judas lived for three years with Jesus, the Son of God; traveling with Him, listening, watching, being trained to be a witness of Christ to the rest of the world; but instead, Judas sold out His own master, the Savior of the world, for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave; and for that reason he is the most notorious traitor in all of history.

Judas is also an example of God’s gracious and unending love; for Christ knew all along that Judas would betray Him, yet He loved him; at the very end, Christ washed Judas’ feet along with the feet of those who would believe in Him.  And at the Last Supper Jesus offered him the honor of the dipped bread; and the next morning even called him “friend,” in the garden when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Judas’ hardened his heart toward God’s Son and he died apart from the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who loved Him deeply and was heavily burdened in His heart that Judas chose to serve God’s enemy, the devil.

It is said, the same sun that melts the wax, hardens the clay; and while the other disciples were being softened toward the Lord, Judas was clearly being hardened.

No wonder Hebrews 4:7 declares, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden

your hearts.”  The truth is, Christ only reveals Himself to those who will believe in and follow Him, for He knows who they are.  It is by God’s plan, purpose, and power that we are eternally saved.

Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” 35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” No!  37-39, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If you love the Lord, you will seek to obey His commands (John 14:15), “If you love me, you will obey what I command,” 21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 23-24, “If anyone loves me, he will obey My teaching. He who does not love Me will not obey my teaching.”

Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

In the church we celebrate the Lord’s victory over sin and death, not just on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, but every time someone receives salvation through Jesus Christ; every time a believer is baptized, every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper; every time we come together to pray, study God’s Word, and to worship and praise the Lord.  

We are saved by faith and we live out our faith, by obeying God’s Word.

James 2:14-18, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” 26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

 

Our faith is based in our belief that Jesus not only died as full payment to God for all our sins, but He also rose from the grave to demonstrate eternal life (Romans 3:10-12, 23-24; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 10:9-10, 13; John 14:6).

 

     God turns no one away, He accepts everyone who repents of their sins and believes that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both Lord and Savior: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming again, to take all those who belong to Him to live with Him in heaven, forever.

 

It just doesn’t get any better than the Good News of the Gospel of Christ.  Amen?

 

 

Pastor Mike

    >’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 6:12-16 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
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July 31, 2022
“Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part Two”
Luke 6:12-16

 

Last week we studied about six of the Twelve Disciples, whom
Jesus named as apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and
Bartholomew. Today we will study about five more of the Twelve
Disciples: Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who
is called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

 

Next time we will study about Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

 

Read Luke 6:15-16…

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;

16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor.

 

The first apostle in our list today is Matthew.  We read about his calling in

 

Luke 5:27,

27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi
sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

 

where he is called Levi, using his Hebrew name, as does

 

Mark 2:14;

14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in
the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up
and followed Him.

 

but here in

 

Luke 6:15

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Simon who was called the Zealot;

 

he is called Matthew, his Greek name.  Several of the
Twelve had two names, e.g., Simon>Peter;
Bartholomew>Nathanael; Judas, the son of
James>Thaddaeus; Thomas>Didymus.

 

Matthew, as a tax collector, would have been hated by his
own countrymen the Jews, who would have considered
him an enemy of Judaism; tax collectors weren’t allowed to
worship in the Temple or synagogue, nor were they
permitted to testify in court, for the Jews considered them
to be liars, swindlers, and traitors.

 

See Luke 3:12-13,

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they
said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have
been ordered to.”

 

where people were coming out to John the Baptizer at the
Jordan River, “And some tax collectors also came to be
baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we
do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you
have been ordered to.”  You see, Tax collectors bought a
franchise from the Roman Governor, in order to collect
certain taxes (for many different things) for Rome.
Anything the tax collector was able to get above what was
required to be paid to Rome, he could keep for himself;
therefore tax collectors practiced extortion, larceny, and
loan sharking (loaning out money with very high interest
rates), of which nonpayment ended with prison.

    

When Jesus called Matthew, he obeyed and followed Him;
in fact, Matthew was so excited to follow Christ that

 

(cf. Luke 5:29)

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there
was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were
reclining at the table with them.

 

he held a special dinner at his house and invited his friends
to come and meet Jesus.  There were many tax collectors
and “other people” at that dinner, to which the Pharisees
and scribers complained to Jesus’ disciples

 

(Luke 5:30),

30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His
disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax
collectors and sinners?”

 

30 Why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and
‘sinners’?

 

The word “sinner” is used by the Pharisees of anyone who
refuses to follow the Mosaic Law as it was interpreted by
the Pharisees, and for Jesus to sit at a table (in the ancient
world a sign of intimacy) with such “sinners” was too
much for the Pharisees (the teachers of the law) to keep
quiet about.

    

Jesus responds to them

 

(Luke 5:31-32),

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”

 

In Luke 18, Jesus told the people a parable that illustrates what
He means in

 

Luke 5:31-32

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are
well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.”

 

means

 

(Luke 18:10-11,

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I
thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

 

Luke 18:13-15),

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he
who humbles himself will be exalted.”

15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He
would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began
rebuking them.

 

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this
to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people:
swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”  “But
the tax collector, standing some distance away, was [not] even
[willing] to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

    

When Matthew left his profession to follow Christ, unlike
the other disciples who could have returned to fishing or
farming, Matthew could never return to tax collecting, for
Rome would never allow it, and most likely, Matthew
would be arrested and sent to prison for abandoning his
post as a Tax Collector for Rome.

    

Matthew believed in Jesus as the Messiah and followed
Him for three years; and then after receiving the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost, Matthew was sovereignly equipped and
moved to write twenty-eight chapters about the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, this is the Good News of Jesus
Christ according to Matthew.

 

 

Next in this list is Thomas,

who it is often called the “doubting” disciple; but honestly, that is
just not true

 

(see John 10:22-33;

22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at
Jerusalem;

23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the
portico of Solomon.

24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him,
“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell
us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the
works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me;

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and
no one will snatch them out of My hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and
no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.”

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.

32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from
the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”

33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make
Yourself out to be God.”

 

John 11:1-16).

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of
Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and
wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he
whom You love is sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end
in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be
glorified by it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days
longer in the place where He was.

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea
again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now
seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If
anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees
the light of this world.

10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him.”

11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out
of sleep.”

12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep,
he will recover.”

13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He
was speaking of literal sleep.

14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,

15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you
may believe; but let us go to him.”

16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow
disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

 

Bethany was near Jerusalem, a dangerous place for Jesus
to be at that time, nearing His final entry into Jerusalem,
when He would be arrested and crucified.  Thomas (called
Didymus, meaning twin) understood the danger, and yet
he was willing to go with Jesus even if it meant his own
death, he was not a coward!

    

When the disciples were in the upper room, that last night
with Jesus, before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus
explained that He was going to leave them

 

(John 14:1-7);

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also
in Me.

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

4 And you know the way where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are
going, how do we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me.

7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

 

Thomas feared he would not be able to go where Jesus
was going, and he did not want to be separated from the
Lord. 

    

Just before going to Bethany (as we read earlier), Thomas
declared he was willing to die with Jesus, he doesn’t want
to consider being without Him; but Thomas, like the other
disciples, didn’t understand about Jesus‘ death and
resurrection, let alone His return to the Father in heaven.

    

After Jesus’ death, Thomas was broken hearted and
probably feeling abandoned, because His Lord was gone.
When 10 of the Twelve (Judas being dead) told Thomas
that the Lord had appeared to them it was probably more
than he could bear; he said he wouldn’t believe it until he
saw the Lord for himself. 

    

One week later Jesus again appeared to the 10, and this
time Thomas was present and he genuinely believed that
the Lord had risen from the dead

 

(see John 20:19-29).

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear
of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to
them, “Peace be with you.”

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands
and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father
has sent Me, I also send you.”

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to
them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with
them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the
Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint
of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put
my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas
with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and
see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side;
and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

 

Without the resurrection we would have no hope for
salvation, but He did rise from the dead, as Paul repeatedly
declares

 

(see 1Corinthians 15:17-20).

are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished.

19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

Next in our list is James, son of Alphaeus,

who never said anything or wrote anything, that is
recorded in the Bible.

 

In Mark 15:40

40 There were also some women looking on from a distance,
among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James the Less and Joses, and Salome.

 

he is called James the less [mikros, i.e., smaller or minimal
in stature, age or influence].  This reminds us that Jesus
didn’t call prominent, prestigious, or powerful men to
serve Him, He chose those who would follow; and so James
the less will sit on a throne reigning over one of the tribes
of Israel in the millennium, just as the other Apostles will;
not because of who they were but because of who called
them and set them apart: Jesus Christ the Lord Who uses
ordinary people to do extraordinary things

(cf. Hebrews 11:1-40, Hall of Faith).

 

 

Next in this list is Simon, the Zealot…

Simon is only mentioned in the New Testament, where the names
of the disciples are listed, other than the, there is no information
given about him.

 

We do know that, as a Zealot, he was an activist and militant
extremist who was passionate and zealous for the Law of God for
Israel, until he met and followed Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

 

There were several dominant groups within Judaism at the
time of Christ:

 

The Pharisees [separated ones], were religiously pious
fundamentalists, legalistic separatists, keeping strict observance
to the traditional and written law

 

The Herodians were mostly a political group that supported King
Herod Antipas, the Roman Empire’s ruler over much of the land of
the Jews from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39.

 

The Sadducees, were a powerful religious-political group in
Israel; they confronted Jesus, and later opposed the preaching of
the apostles.

 

The Essenes were mystics, who lived in caves and practiced
severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.

 

The Zealots [like Simon] were anti-Rome terrorists; in fact, one
group of zealots was known as the Sicarii [sword]; they were
assassins who didn’t give a thought to murdering a Roman, or
any Jew who sided with Rome.

 

The Zealots held up in a an almost impenetrable fortress
called Masada, situated on top of an isolated rock plateau
overlooking the Dead Sea.  From there they deployed their
guerrilla-warfare against Rome, until the Romans
conquered Masada in 73 A.D., only to find that the Zealots
had killed their wives, children, and then themselves, so as
not to become slaves to Rome (960 died, and it is said that
two women and five children escaped by hiding in a cave). 

 

 

Next in our list is Judas, the son of James… 

Depending on the translation you are using, it may say
Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus, Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus, or Judas, son
of James.   Let’s refer to him as Thaddaeus, from here on out, so
as not to confuse him with the other Judas who betrayed Jesus.

 

We don’t know much about Thaddaeus, but we do know he
asked a great question

 

(John 14:22),

22 Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose
Yourself to us and not to the world?

 

In other words, why are you showing Yourself to us and
not to the rest of the world?  Why aren’t they able to see
and to know that You are the Messiah?

 

The Bible records

 

(John 1:10-11),

10 He [Jesus, the Messiah] was in the world, and though the
world was made by Him, the world didn’t know Him.

 

11 He came to His own [the Jews], and those who were His own
did not receive Him [i.e., they rejected Him].

 

 

Jesus only reveals Himself to those who believe in and
receive Him; only those who are willing to repent, believe,
and follow Him

 

(Mark 1:14-15),

14Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel [the good news].’ [and
then come]

 

Mark 1:17,

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 

What is the good news?  Please turn in your Bible to

 

1Corinthians 15:1-4,

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand,

2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important
event in all of Christianity, without it Christianity is nothing
more than just one of the many religious programs or
organizations that are based on human philosophy and
tradition.

 

1Corinthians 15:17,

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins.

 

1Corinthians 15:20,

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins,”

 

1Corinthians 15:19-20,

19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men
most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who are asleep.

 

Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples about His coming
death and resurrection,

 

(Mark 8:31-32),

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer
many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him
aside and began to rebuke Him.

 

Peter’s first sermon was about the death and resurrection
of God’s Son

 

(Acts 2:21-24,

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME
OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a
man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs
which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you
yourselves know–

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of
godless men and put Him to death.

24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of
death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

 

Acts 2:32-34,

32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and
having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He
has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself
says:

‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,

“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

 

Acts 2:36).

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God
has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you
crucified.”

 

Without Christ’s death (full payment for all our sins), and
His resurrection (demonstration of eternal life), we have
no hope of forgiveness or eternal life. 

 

Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave to set us
free from sins’s curse and condemnation, apart from that
there is no salvation

 

(John 14:6),

6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father but through Me,”

 

(John 3:16),

16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.

 

Acts 4:12,

12 There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men by which we must
be saved.

 

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.

 

We are all sinners, but only those who trust in the saving
work of Christ on the Cross and the evidence of the empty
tomb, are forgiven sinners.  Like the men we have studied
these past two Sunday’s, the Apostles of Christ, what you
are before coming to God is not important, for God makes
you a new creation when you trust and believe in Jesus
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior. 

 

God takes the weak, foolish, dull-minded, intelligent,
apathetic, zealous, and the seemingly insignificant from
among mankind, and turns them into willing workers,
supernatural servants who bring the light and the salt of
the gospel of God into this darkening and decaying world.

 

2Corinthians 5:17,

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come.

 

Galatians 2:20,

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up
for me.

 

1John 5:1-5,

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love
God and observe His commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments are not burdensome.

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is
the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.

5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

 

 

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 6:12-16 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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July 24, 2022
“Jesus Calls the Twelve: Part One”
Luke 6:12-15

 

Last week we ended our study in Luke 6:11, where the
Pharisees were angered by Jesus healing a man on the
Sabbath and rebuking them for not knowing that it was okay
to do so; Jesus even cited an event from the Old Testament
when David and his men broke Sabbath laws by eating the
consecrated bread.  Jesus made it clear that breaking Sabbath
rules was permitted for acts of mercy and necessity for the
Sabbath was made for man to pause and worship God; man
wasn’t made for the Sabbath in order to keep rules and
perform rituals.

 

Today we pick up with the Lord calling twelve specific men out
of all those who were following Him, to become apostles.

    

Read Luke 6:12-13… 

12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to
pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him
and
chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

 

After the interactions with the Pharisees in chapter 6, Jesus
goes off to have some quiet time with the Father, as was His
normal practice.

 

In the morning He called His disciples to Himself.

 

It was never Jesus’ intent to proclaim the kingdom of God by
Himself.  He only ministered for three years and never
traveled outside of Palestine.  Jesus, from the very beginning,
began training the men who would continue His work.  The
men He chose were the committed few among the unbelieving
many.

 

Multitudes were able to hear Jesus speak and to see Him heal
and perform wondrous signs.  Jesus had an audience wherever
He went, to the point where He had a hard time being alone
with the Twelve, let alone with the Father for prayer.

 

The crowds flocked to experience the authority of His voice,
the unique message He brought, the miracles He performed,
and His expressed love for the common people who were sick,
diseased, demon possessed, sinful.

 

Out of all the crowds who followed Him, Jesus chose to Himself
twelve common men as His apostles; men who would take
God’s message of salvation to a lost world.  The apostles were
ordinary men, and as far as we know only one of them was
materially prosperous (Matthew, the tax collector).  None of
the Twelve was highly educated or had prominent social,
political, or religious status.

 

Details about some of these men remain unknown because
neither Scripture nor secular history records about them.  And
yet, the apostles, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
received God’s divine revelation and were responsible for
writing most of the New Testament.

 

Read Luke 6:14a… 

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew
his
brother; and James and John; and Philip and
Bartholomew;

 

Jesus had previously called these men to follow Him, now He
sets them apart as apostles [apostolos, lit. messenger, sent
out].

 

These men had left their homes, families, and occupations
(fishermen, farmers, tax collector) to follow and live with
Christ for three years, in order to learn from His words and His
actions; being sovereignly chosen by God for just this purpose

 

16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and
appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that
your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the
Father in My name He may give to you.

 

These men were personally taught by God the Son, that they
would realize the presence, provision, pleasure, and power of
God, even so, it appears they constantly were found lacking in
their spiritual understanding of who He was, why He had
come, and what they would be called to do on His behalf.
They didn’t understand His teachings anymore than the rest of
those who followed Jesus.

 

There are several lists of the apostles in the NT

 

(Matthew 10:2-4;

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The
first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother;
and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax
collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who
betrayed Him

 

Mark 3:16-19;

16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He
gave
the name Peter),

17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother
of
James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which
means, “Sons of Thunder”);

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus,
and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot;

19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

 

Luke 6:14-16;

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his
brother; and James and John; and Philip and
Bartholomew;

15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon who was called the Zealot;

16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who
became a traitor.

 

 

Acts 1:13,

13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the
upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and
John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

 

Matthias added

 

Acts 1:26

26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to
Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

 

Peter is always listed first, and was clearly the leader of the
Twelve, with whom Jesus spent more time than with any of
the others.

 

What do we know about Peter?

 

No other name, apart from Jesus, is mentioned more often in
the NT than that of Peter. And no other person in the NT
speaks as often or is spoken to as often as Peter; and no other
disciple is as severely rebuked by the Lord in the Scriptures.

 

Peter always wanted to be close to the Lord: walking on water
(cf. Matthew 14:25-31); in the Garden falling asleep while
praying, then later swinging his knife at the high priest’s
servant (cf. Matthew 26:36-51); Peter told the Lord

(cf. Matthew 26:35), he would die before disowning Him; but

after His arrest (cf. Matthew 26:69-75) Peter denied even

knowing Jesus.  And yet, God used this imperfect and
impetuous man mightily for the cause of Christ.

 

The next three names in that first group are Andrew, James,
and John; and in the other lists of these men they alternate in
their order, with James or Andrew always being listed second
in the group; however, Peter, James and John formed the
inner, inner circle of Christ’s men, and were often singled out
from the other nine during special events: Transfiguration,
Raising the dead back to life, Praying in the Garden.

 

What do we know of Andrew?

 

He is not mentioned anywhere in the synoptic gospels except
where the lists of the Twelve are given. We know he left
following John the Baptizer to follow Christ.  He confessed
Jesus as the Messiah and shared that with Peter, introducing
his brother to the Lord

(cf. John 1:37-42).

 

Andrew loved to bring people to the Lord: when Jesus was
feeding the 5,000

(cf. John 6:5) and asked, “where bread might be acquired so
that these people could eat,” Andrew answered (cf. John 6:9)
by bringing a boy to Jesus who had five barley loaves and two
fish. Jesus took that small portion of food and feed everyone.

In another situation when some God-fearing Gentiles asked
Philip if they could meet Jesus, Philip went and told Andrew,
and Andrew took these Gentiles along with Philip to see the
Lord (cf. John 12:20-22).

 

Andrew was not well-known like Peter, James, or John; but
Andrew was often referred to as Peter’s brother.  He is an
example of those who humbly work quietly behind the scenes,
not needing the limelight or recognition, but willing to be the
support person in ministry so that others could do what they
had been called to do.

 

What do we know about James?

 

James is never really separate from his brother John during
the three years of following Jesus.  They left their father’s boat
to follow Jesus at the same time (cf. Mark 1:20), and their
father had hired servants there with him, evidently he was
well off, it is possible that James and John were in the fishing
business together with their father .

 

James was the first of the Twelve to die for the sake of Christ;
and is the only one of the Twelve whose death is recorded in
the Scriptures

 

(Acts 12:1-2),

1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on
some
who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them.

2 And he had James the brother of John put to death
with
a sword.

 

What do we know about John? 

 

Like his brother James, early in their ministry, he was zealous
and wanted to call down fire upon the Samaritans

 

(Luke 9:52-54);

52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they
went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make
arrangements for Him.

53 But they did not receive Him, because He was
traveling
toward Jerusalem.

54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they
said,
“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down
from
heaven and consume them?”

 

on another occasion John reports to Jesus that he and some of
the disciples saw a man driving out demons who wasn’t one of
the Twelve

 

(Mark 9:38),

38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting
out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him
because he was not following us.”

 

so “we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”  And
of course, Jesus rebuked John, telling His disciples to let the
man do whatever brings glory and honor to the Father.

 

God’s Word is very clear that we are not to break fellowship
with people because of their race, gender, status, appearance,
culture, etc.

 

(Galatians 3:28);

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.

 

but we are not to be in fellowship with those who teach false
doctrine or continue living unrepentant immoral lives
(cf. Romans 16:17-18; 1Corinthians 5:9-11).

 

John’s transformation is seen in his love for the believers and
his desire for unbelievers to know the truth that it might set
them free now and forever in Jesus.

 

John was a recipient and proponent of the love of God, which
permeates all his writings: The Gospel According to John,
123John, Revelation of Jesus Christ to John.

 

 

John taught on God’s love more than any other writer in the
NT, that: God is love

(cf. 1John 4:8, 16); God loves His Son

(cf. John 3:35; 5:20); God is loved by His Son

(cf. John 14:31); God loved the disciples

(cf. John 13:35; 16:27; 17:23); God loves all of humanity

(cf. John 3:16); God has a special love for all believers

(cf. 1John 3:1); believers are commanded to love one
another

(cf. John 13:34; 1John 4:11), and to love our neighbors as
our self, for this fulfills all the commandments

 

(John 14:23;

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he
will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make Our abode with him.

 

1John 4:11-21

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.
12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another,
God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit.
14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the
Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God
abides in him, and he in God.
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which
God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love
abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have
confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also
are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is
not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is
a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has
seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one
who loves God should love his brother also.

 

1John 5:1-5

1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is
called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.

3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame,
and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;

4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into
the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the
stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from
whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]

5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.

 

1John 4:11-13).

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.

12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another,
God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit.

 

John so closely identified with Christ’s love that he referred to
himself multiple times as the disciple whom Jesus loved
(cf. John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20).

 

John was banished to the island of Patmos where he died in
the service of His Lord, as the last of the apostles, after
receiving the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus called James and John “Sons of thunder,” i.e., they had
zeal, passion, and were most likely aggressive in their
character.  This is expressed well in several passages

 

(Matthew 20:17-28;

17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the
twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said
to them,

18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man
will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will
condemn Him to death,

19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge
and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with
her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him.

21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him,
“Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may
sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are
asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to
drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My
right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those
for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two
brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
men exercise authority over them.

26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to
become great among you shall be your servant,

27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your
slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

 

Luke 9:52-56).

52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went
and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements
for Him.

53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling
toward Jerusalem.

54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said,
“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from
heaven and consume them?”

55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not
know what kind of spirit you are of;

56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but
to save them.”] And they went on to another village.

 

Philip is the next disciple mentioned here, and he is always
listed first in the second four-man grouping of the Twelve.

 

What do we know about Philip?

 

Philip lived in the same hometown [Bethsaida] as Peter and
Andrew; they were all fisherman and probably knew each
other long before Jesus called them.

 

From the synoptics [Matthew, Mark, Luke] we don’t learn
much about Philip, but John gives us some insight

 

(John 1:43),

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found
Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

 

Philip is the first person to whom Jesus says directly, “Follow
Me.”

 

The first thing Philip does after meeting Christ, is to go find his
friend Bartholomew [also known as Nathanael] and tell him

 

(John 1:45), “

We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and
about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph.”

 

It would seem that Philip studied the Old Testament, for he
immediately knew this was the Christ, and he went to share
this good news with his friend.

 

We learn more about Philip from John’s account

 

(see John 6:5-7).

5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large
crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy
bread, so that these may eat?”

6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He
was intending to do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is
not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

 

Philip seems to be the bread buyer of the twelve; he knew
how much they normally needed and how much it cost.  200
denarii equals about 8 month’s wages; one denarius equalled
one days wage for common labor (cf. Matthew 20:2), and
there are 24 work days in a month (4 weeks, 6 days a week) X
8 months = 192 denarii].  But Philip clearly didn’t understand
the supernatural nature of Jesus, as perhaps Andrew did

 

(see John 6:8-14).

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to
Him,

9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was
much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number
about five thousand.

11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He
distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish
as much as they wanted.

12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up
the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”

13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with
fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by
those who had eaten.

14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had
performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come
into the world.”

 

Bartholomew [Jewish/English] was likely his surname
[Aramaic, Bar means son of + Aramaic, Tolomai ]; Nathanael
was his first name.     So he was Nathanael, son of Tholomew.

 

We only know of him from the four lists of the twelve

 

(Matthew 10:3;

3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax
collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

 

Mark 3:18;

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus,
and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot;

 

Luke 6:14;

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his
brother; and James and John; and Philip and
Bartholomew;

 

Acts 1:13),

13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the
upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and
John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

 

and from John’s account.  Nathanael was from from Cana, it
would seem he was prejudiced against Nazareth, as were most
Jews, considering it a place for uneducated, uncouth, near-do-
wells

 

(John 1:46).

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out
of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

 

Our preconceived notions often blind us to the truth, our
prejudices can keep us from experiencing God’s presence,
pleasure and power; but Nathanael’s desire to know God’s
truth seemed to override his societal and cultural prejudice
against Nazareth

 

(John 1:45-49).

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have
found
Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets
wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out
of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him,
“Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus
answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when
you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of
God; You are the King of Israel.”

 

Jesus looked into Nathanael’s heart and saw an honest and
true descendant of Abraham, spiritually as well as physically;
for he was not a hypocrite nor deceitful, like the Scribes,
Pharisees, and religious leaders of the day; he was a genuine
Israelite by Abraham’s standard; in fact all the true disciples of
Jesus Christ are what is in mind in

 

Galatians 3:26-29,

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you
are
all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
descendants, heirs according to promise.

 

The question is, are you a spiritual descendant of Abraham,
and an heir according to promise giving to him, concerning the
eternal blessing that comes to all who are children of God
through faith in Jesus Christ?

 

2Corinthians 13:5,

5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves!  Or do you not recognize this about
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you
fail the test?

 

1Timothy 2:3-4,

3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all men [women, and children of age] to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

What truth? 

 

Jesus said (John 14:6),

“I am the [only] way [to God], the [only] truth [of God], and
the [only] life [with God]; and no one comes to the Father [i.e,
no one is acceptable to God; no one is considered righteous,;
no one gets into heaven except through Me [God’s Son].”

 

Still not sure?  Ask God to forgive your sins and to save you.

God turns no one away

(cf. Romans 3:10-12; 23-24; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1; 10:13).

 

Acts 4:12,

“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among mankind by which
we must be saved.”

 

1John 5:11-13,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has the
life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have
the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have
eternal life.

 

 

 

 

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

 

 

 

Bible Text: Luke 6:1-11 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
Sunday AM video
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July 17, 2022
“Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”
Luke 6:1-11

    

Read Luke 6:1-5… 

1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”

3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”

 

The Pharisees are accusing Jesus of breaking the law.  First, let’s have
a short refresher on the Law of God that was given to Moses.  There
were ten commands given to Moses in

 

Exodus 20:1-17.

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,
on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and
keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or
your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with
you.

11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea
and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his
ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

 

Eight of the Ten Commandments are NOT TO DO Something:

 

Don’t have other Gods.
Don’t serve idols.
Don’t misuse God’s name.
Don’t commit murder.
Don’t commit adultery.
Don’t steal.
Don’t lie.
Don’t covet;

 

One of Ten Commandments is TO DO Something:

 

Honor your parents.

 

One of the Ten Commandments is purely ceremonial:

 

Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. Sabbath
commemorated God’s rest after creation

 

(Exodus 20:9-11),

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is
a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or
your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your
cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
and made it holy.”

 

Sabbath observance was specifically given to Israel.  Sabbath
observance is never commanded or even recommended to Christians;
and it is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not repeated
in the New Testament.

 

God did not require Adam, Noah, or even Abraham to observe the
Sabbath.  Keeping the Sabbath was a binding ceremonial obligation for
Israel that didn’t even begin until Moses brought them out of Egypt.

    

In our reading today

 

(Luke 6:1-5),

1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”

3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”

 

Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what David did (a story they knew very
well); David and his men broke ceremonial law in order to meet their
physical needs, but God did not discipline the priests, David, or his
men, for eating the sacred bread meant only for the priests.

 

Jesus’ disciples were hungry on a Sabbath, so they picked grain to eat;
this didn’t violate God’s Law; however, the Pharisees taught that
although eating grain on the Sabbath was lawful, but rubbing the
heads of grain between your hands was considered work, and
therefore was unlawful.

 

In Matthew’s narrative of this event he records Jesus as saying

 

(Matthew 12:5),

“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in
the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?”

 

They killed animals for sacrifice.
They touched [lifted the] dead animals up onto the alter.
They offered double sacrifices for the Sabbath [twice as many
animals].

 

Even the most orthodox and legalistic Pharisee would not consider the
priests guilty of violating the Sabbath, for doing the work of the
priesthood.  Similar to pastors, Sunday school teachers, singers,
musicians, ushers, refreshment servers, etc., who “work” on Sundays.

 

Sacrifices offered at the Temple were symbols of the debt owed to God
for sin; these looked forward to the time when the eternal sacrifice
(the Lamb of God) would be offered.  Sabbath observance was a time
to remember God’s finished work at creation, to pause and reflect
(Selah) on what God had done.

 

Sacrifices and Sabbath rituals were never meant to supersede God’s
merciful plan to offer forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who
trusts in God’s plan, purpose, and provision, fulfilled in and through
God’s own Son.

 

To the Jews, the Temple (the ultimate place of worship) was second
only to God Himself (Who alone was worthy of worship).  Jesus tells
them

 

(Matthew 12:6),

“That something greater than the temple is here,” i.e., He is Messiah,
Immanuel [God in the flesh].

 

Even so, Jesus kept all of the Law of Moses, commanding others to do
the same.  He attended Jewish festivals and He ate the Passover lamb;
but all of these were purely ceremonial, they had no lasting value
toward righteousness.

 

Matthew 5:17-18,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished.”

 

See Matthew 12:7-8,

7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION,
AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

 

Matthew 12:11-13…     

11 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a
sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of
it and lift it out?

12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it
out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

 

Deeds of mercy and necessity were permitted on the Sabbath even in
the OT, and so Jesus made it very clear

 

(Mark 2:27-28),

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

Jesus, the Son of God was not the servant of the Sabbath, He was the
Lord of it; in fact, He made it and could use it for whatever He desired.

 

Read Luke 6:6-11… 

6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching;
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He
healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.

8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with
the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and
came forward.

9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do
harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.

 

Man-made Sabbath laws were many: one stated if a person became ill
on the Sabbath, only enough treatment could be given to keep him
alive; to help him improve was declared work and was therefore
forbidden.

 

Not only did Jesus continually break Jewish laws concerning “Sabbath
keeping” but His own disciples (those who repented, believed in and
followed Him) made Sunday, instead of Saturday, their corporate day
of worship and offering giving: Christ’s Resurrection, His appearance
to the Disciples two weeks in a row , and His Ascension, all occurred
on a Sunday, the first day of the week.  Pentecost, the birth day of the
church, occurred on a Sunday.

 

The earliest Christians worshiped on Sunday in honor and celebration
of the Lord’s victory over sin, death and judgment; God’s free gift of
Salvation.

 

Prior to Christ’s advent, the law brought only judgment and death, for
no one has ever been justified by keeping the Law.

 

The New Testament does not require Sabbath observance; nor are we
ever commanded to worship on any certain day, for ritualistic worship
and work based religion is not pleasing or honoring to God: The
Pharisees gave to the poor (for all to see), prayed (out loud, as if
giving a convincing speech), and fasted (twice a week); but Jesus
made it quite clear that their religious acts were without value in the
eyes of God.

 

Matthew 5:20,

“I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the
kingdom of heaven.”

 

Sabbath keeping, sacrifices, rituals and ceremonies, were only a
“shadow” of what [WHO] was to come.

 

Colossians 2:8,

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ.”

 

Colossians 2:16-17,

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ.”

 

Romans 14:5-6,

“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his
own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.  He
who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he
who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

 

The Ten Commandments (the Law) were written on stone; our
relationship with God is through Grace, written upon our hearts by the
Holy Spirit.

 

The content of each of the Ten Commandments is restated in another
context in the New Testament; that is, every one except keeping the
Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, holy.   That command was for
Israel alone, under the Law, not for the Bride of Christ, the Body of
Believers called Christians, who live under Grace.

 

The Pharisees were legalists, strict law keepers who refused to accept
the Grace of God that comes by Faith, not by works.  The Pharisees
trusted in their own traditions and their own works, rather than God’s
Son Jesus Who came to save us.

 

Jesus

 

(Luke 6:10)

10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.

 

healing this man on the Sabbath, hadn’t broken any of God’s Laws, but
to the Pharisees, He was guilty of breaking Jewish law and tradition, as
recorded in the Talmud [Israel’s sacred book of do’s and don’ts]; and
so, the Jesus hating Pharisees wanted to kill Him

 

(Matthew 12:14),

“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they
might destroy Him,”

 

(Luke 6:11),

“But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.”

    

They Pharisees wanted to kill Him, for He was an obstacle to their
control over orthodox Judaism, and He had defied their man-made
rules in front of the people.

 

Trusting in tradition, religious works, or ancestral heritage rather than
in Christ, will leave you separated from life with God.

 

Matthew 7:13-14,

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is
broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through
it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
there are few who find it.”

 

Luke 13:23-24,

“And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being
saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door;
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’”

 

John 10:9,

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.”

 

John 14:6,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me.

 

Hebrews 9:27-28,

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the
sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference
to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

 

Hebrews 10:10,

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all,”

 

Hebrews 10:12,

“He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the
right hand of God,”

 

Hebrews 10:14,

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.”

 

Hebrews 10:16-18,

“‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says
the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will
write them.’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things,
there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

Jesus Christ took our punishment, paying the full and final price for
our sins on the cross, validating His authority by the empty tomb.
Jesus is not only the Lord of the Sabbath, He is Almighty God, the
Creator, Sustainer and Judge over all, Who put on flesh and gave up
His own life for you and for me; so that we might know Him now and
live with Him forever.

 

John 11:25-26,

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even
if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.

John 14:1-3,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I
would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

Revelation 1:8,

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

 

Revelation 1:17-18,

“I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore.”

 

And what should be our response to this wonderful and glorious truth?

 

Revelation 4:11,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor
and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they
existed, and were created,”

 

Revelation 5:12-13,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And every
created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory
and dominion forever and ever.’”

 

 

 

                                   Pastor Mike Hale

Bible Text: Luke 5:27-39 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above is the
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July 10, 2022
“Jesus Came to Save Repentant Sinners”
Luke 5:27-39

 

Read Luke 5:27-29…
27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”

28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

 

Jesus says to Levi [“united” or “joined,” the original Levi was the son of Jacob and Leah, from whom came the Levites or Priesthood]; he is also called Levi in

Mark 2:14 [Levi son of Alphaeus].

 

Jesus says to him, “Follow me” and he leaves the tax collector’s booth and everything behind.  We know Levi better as Matthew, the name the Lord gave him, perhaps to separate him from his old life [Matthew 9:9, “Matthew” means, gift of God].  Matthew was a tax collector, despised by the Jews as a traitor.

 

(Matthew 9:9).

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

 

When Jesus called him, he obeyed; in fact, Matthew was so excited to follow Christ that he (cf. Luke 5:29) held a special dinner at his house and invited his friends to come and meet Jesus.  Perhaps this was a farewell dinner, for Levi, now Matthew would be leaving his job in order to follow Jesus.

 

There were many tax collectors and “other people” at this dinner.  In Luke 5:30, the Pharisees and scribers were grumbling at Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”  So, we learn that the “other people” in verse 29 are “sinners”.

 

The word “sinner” is used by the Pharisees of people who refuse to follow the Mosaic Law as it is interpreted by the Pharisees, and for Jesus to sit at a table (in the ancient world a sign of intimacy) with such “sinners” was too much for the Pharisees (the teachers of the law) to keep quiet about.

 

Jesus responds (Luke 5:31-32) to the very heart of why He has come, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.

In Matthew 9:13, concerning this same event, Matthew adds Jesus’ words, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

The self-righteous Pharisees were unwilling to admit their need for forgiveness

 

John 5:39-40,

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

 

Jesus came to save all who genuinely acknowledge their need for the Savior, for everyone is alienated from life with God because of sin (cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23)!

 

What separates Christ’s teaching from the Judaism taught by the Pharisees is the alarming doctrine that God saves sinners as sinners, not after they attain some level of righteousness or acceptance by religiously keeping the law and/or traditions of men (cf.Romans 5:8).

 

When Jesus said to Matthew, “follow me,” there wasn’t any hesitation; in fact, Matthew brought all his sinning friends together for a special dinner, so that they could be exposed to the Savior who had come not to the healthy, but to the sick; not to the righteous, but to sinners.

 

Is there anyone who is not a sinner?  NO!

 

Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

 

In other words, there is no one who is considered righteous by God, apart from the salvation that comes to those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

 

Is there anyone who, if they asked God to forgive them, He would turn away? NO!

 

(Acts 2:21;

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

 

Romans 10:13).

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

 

quoted from Joel 2:32, c. 500 B.C.).

 

We are all sinners, but only those who come to God through Christ have their sins forgiven; all sins, past, present, and future.

 

Jesus (cf. John 14:6) is the only way to, the only truth from, and the only life with, God; when we repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness, being granted eternal life, as a child in the family of God!

 

If you know you are a sinner, and you want to be right with God, there is indeed hope for you, because Jesus came to save repentant sinners.  However, the only way to be healed of sin’s penalty is to personally call upon Jesus Christ, by faith, repenting of your sins, believing in and trusting Him to save you.

 

Jesus came that we might be saved and called by His name [Christians = adherents of Christ; those who believe in and follow].  As Christians, our purpose is to bring other sinners, like yourself, to the Savior, where they might repent and believe in God’s Son for the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life.

 

Matthew 28:18-20,

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

Read Luke 5:33-35… 

33 And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

35 But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

 

The Pharisees fasted twice a week, with false humiliation and contrition, not that it impressed God’s Son, as His words express:

 

Matthew 6:16-18,

16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

 

The Pharisees were the greatest of hypocrites.

Jesus confronted them

 

(Matthew 23:25-28),

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 

 

Luke 18:9-14,

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

The OT Law, given through Moses, only required religious fasting one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement.  The NT does not teach fasting for religious purposes as a doctrine to be followed or an act to be practiced.

 

Although Jesus doesn’t state any disapproval of the practice of fasting, neither does He say anything to commend its practice.  The main point here being the true reason for fasting.  The Pharisees fasted religiously, to be showy and bring attention to themselves, for all to see; However, John’s disciples (Luke 5:33) were fasting as they mourned John’s arrest, imprisonment, and subsequent execution.

 

Fasting for the purpose of seeking God’s will is definitely recorded in the Scriptures

 

(Acts 13:2-3),

2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

 

(Acts 14:23),

23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

 

Jesus changes the subject (cf. Luke 5:34) but continues to rebuke the Pharisees likens Himself to a bridegroom and His followers to that of the attendants or guests of the bridegroom, at a wedding party.  Why would the guests [His disciples] be mourning, when in fact it should be a time of celebration.

 

The Pharisees had let their religion get in the way of receiving God’s blessings through Christ.  The Pharisees practiced ritual without reason; for them, everything was a matter of law keeping and rule following, they lived for the letter of the Law, unable to comprehend the Spirit of the Law, because they didn’t believe Jesus was God.

 

Read Luke 5:36-38…

36 And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

 

The old covenant (Law) and the new covenant (Grace) can’t be combined or merged: i.e., a patch of new cloth must be shrunk before use, so that it won’t shrink and tear away from the old garment; likewise, new wine can’t be placed in old wineskins, for it will ferment, expand, and cause the skins to burst.

 

Jesus is talking about much more than repairing garments and bursting wineskins.  He is teaching about the difference between the gift of Grace He brought and the burden of the Law taught by the Pharisees.

 

New wine must be poured into new wineskins, i.e., Christ’s teachings on Grace must be placed in new hearts and minds in order to be accepted.  Unsaved hearts and minds cannot contain the truth.  Jesus uses the metaphor of a new patch being sewn on an old garment, and of new wine being poured into old wineskins, to illustrate how any attempt at a relationship with God apart from the Gospel [to repent, believe, and follow Christ] will leave your heart, mind, and soul torn and empty, instead of healed, and filled with life from God.

 

Read Luke 5:39…

39 And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

 

The Pharisees’ hearts were hardened by their own ritualistic observance of manmade religious law (diet, dress, behavior, rituals of worship, etc.) that was expressed in every aspect of Jewish life.

 

Jesus came offering for anyone and everyone to become a child of God

(Mark 1:15, 17) to repent of sin, believe in Him, and be saved; for salvation cannot be attained through ancestral heritage, works, law-keeping, rituals, sacrifices, or religion.

 

(Mark 1:15,

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

 

Mark 1:17)

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

 

Jesus fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law, all the teachings of the Prophets; God’s plan, purpose, and provision was made complete in Him.

 

It is belief in Jesus Christ alone that brings salvation

 

(Ephesians 2:8-10),

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

The proof of salvation is displayed through a new life in Christ

(cf. 2Corinthians 5:17).

 

The Pharisees were comfortable with Judaism’s religious adherence to the Law, so they rejected Christ’s authority and His offer of forgiveness by God’s grace through faith in God’s Son.  Don’t be like them!  We are all sinners, but only sinners who repent and believe in Jesus Christ to forgive their sins, will be saved.

 

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

 

 
Pastor Mike
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