Gospel Meditation

Luke 6:43–49

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.         Here is a short collection of parables by Jesus, addressed not only to His disciples but to others also –including Pharisees.

2.         A tree is known by its fruit, of course, the good tree bears edible fruit, the other, the tree with bad fruit, does not.

3.         From the tree analogy Jesus moves to those described as good, meaning those who are His disciples and who hear and obey what He teaches. The work of the Gospel in us changes our core, or heart here, and then good fruit is produced.

4.         Jesus next presents another parable everyone would be able to understand. It is about building a solid house made with a rock foundation. And this would be the materials His followers would use.

5.         Digging deep and working with heavy stone–much more difficult than otherwise, and more costly.

6.         The parable means listening to what Jesus teaches and living accordingly. And this much more difficult especially in an environment where the Words of Jesus would not be listened to.

7.         The house without a strong foundation would be vulnerable to flooding, and this analogy applies to those who reject Jesus and His Gospel.

8.         This shoddily build house will fail and fall, and its ruin will be great.