The Beatitudes & Jesus Pronounces Woes

The Gospel Meditation

Luke 6:20–26

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 was preached by Jesus on a mountain. The “Beatitudes” in Luke 6 was preached by Jesus on a “level place.” (See Luke 6:17)

2.         There are 9 beatitudes in Matthew 5 and 4 in Luke 6. In Matthew, there are no “woes.”

3.         In Luke each beatitude has a contrasting woe:

poor vs rich, hungry vs full, weep vs laugh, reject vs accept.

4.         In Luke there is a large crowd gathered to hear Jesus preach. In Matthew there are only the twelve who hear Jesus.

5.         This is only the second sermon Jesus is presented as preaching in this Gospel, the first was at Nazareth.

6.         In our passage is both a promise of true blessing, or ultimate well-being, despite appearances.

7.         Jesus looks to a judgment that will be coming at some future time, and then the so-called tables will be radically turned. Here is the promise of eternal bliss in heaven and the awfulness of eternal separation in hell.

8.         It has long been suggested that Jesus presented complex realities in forms that could be easily memorized. And these presented in ways that people of that era could relate to.

9.         The Book of Revelation seems to incorporate much of what we find in our passage, especially in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

The Twelve Apostles

Gospel Meditation

Luke 6:12–19

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.   After a period of non-stop ministry, Jesus retreats to the mountains and spends much time in prayer. It was time to identify those whom He would call “apostles” meaning ‘appointed representatives,’ to be ‘sent out’ to do the work to which they were being called.

2.   There were 12 of these: Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, Philip, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, Judas son of James (named Thaddeus in both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel accounts), and Judas Iscariot. Matthias would be chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. (See Acts 1:12–14)

3.   Jesus, after naming the Twelve, comes down with these now apostles, out of a mountain, some say Mt. Hermon, others Mt. Tabor, and is greeted by throngs of people from all over Israel to be healed of their diseases and to be freed of “unclean spirits” or demons.

4.   Let it be noted that they came, not so much for the words Jesus spoke, but to be made well.

5.   Everything would change now; a kind of graduation had occurred, now about one year into Jesus’ ministry.

The Resurrection

Luke 24:1–12

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus is only 10 verses long. Mark’s is 8, Luke’s 12, and John’s is 10. Arguably, the most incredible event in history and each account amazingly brief. Yes, the account of the crucifixion is absolutely incredible, and again the Gospel writer’s accounts are short.

2.         “Just the facts” Joe Friday of the fifty’s television series Dragnet, says. And this is what we find in our Bible, too, just the facts. Why is this?

3.         Here I think the Holy Spirit of God was directing the writing. Any attempt to “puff” the resurrection would likely come off as over-much, an attempt to glorify by human means an event that simply needed to be stated.

4.         Then, it was a group of women who first were made aware of the rising of Jesus. And in Judaism, in that day, women had no credibility and were largely ignored regarding anything religious.

5.         Then we find an interesting discrepancy among the four Gospel authors in terms of the angel, or two angels, or one man, or two men who met with and spoke with the women at the graveside. Interesting indeed, and there was no attempt to reconcile the accounts.

6.         And even more incredible is that the story of the women about finding the tomb empty, along with the speaking with the angel, angels, man, men, was discounted by the apostles. It all has the ring of authenticity.

The Triumphal Entry & Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

Luke 19:28–40

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.              The final week, often referred to as The Passion Week, of Jesus’ ministry begins with His entry into Jerusalem. He comes in on a young donkey, a colt, that had never been ridden. Many think Jesus had arranged for the colt to be available via his friends who lived in Bethany, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, just 2 miles from Jerusalem.

2.              Two of Jesus’ disciples, no names are provided in any of the Gospel accounts, throw their ‘cloaks’ or outer garments, on the back of the colt, then put Jesus on the animal.

3.              Descending from the Mt. of Olives (Olivet) heading for Jerusalem not more than 2 miles distant, a whole multitude (meaning lots) accompany Him into the city rejoicing with shouts of praise. Their words state that these disciples understand that Jesus is the King or the Lord’s Messiah.

4.              Among the crowd are some Pharisees who shout out to Jesus that He must “rebuke” His disciples (students). In response, Jesus says that if these follower of His would not do so “the very stones would cry out.”

5.              As this large group nears Jerusalem, as the city came into view, Jesus began to weep, and amidst the weeping He is heard to express sorrow for what would come to the city since it would experience utter devastation, to the effect that the destroyers “will not leave on stone upon another.”

6.              This “word of knowledge” came to Jesus, and it would be fulfilled forty years later (or one generation) away. And so, it would at the conclusion of a four-year war with Rome, the city would be destroyed, along with the Temple, in 70 A.D.