Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 2
Luke 6:24-26
April 8, 2018
Well with Easter falling last week, it’s now been a while since we were in Luke’s gospel, so allow me to pull you back into the flow.
Everything in Luke’s gospel UP TO THIS POINT
Has been focused on the genuineness of Jesus.
• Luke has been giving facts about who He is and all the scrutiny thus far has really been pointed at Him.
• All the attacks, all the questions, all the accusations have been regarding His character and His identity and His behavior.
• But as we said last time, in Luke 6:20 that focus changes.
Jesus steps out from under the microscope and points it directly at us.
He begins to reveal the truths about what it means to be a disciple.
And the truths He reveals are very penetrating.
It all started after Jesus spent the night in prayer and then selected the 12 men whom He would call as apostles.
Following that selection we read:
Luke 6:17-19 “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”
Very simply put, Jesus frenzy was in full force.
• But Luke also is very careful to make sure you and I recognize that not everyone in this crowd is the same.
• We know the apostles are there, but Luke also mention “a large crowd of His disciples”. These would have been the people who were following Him.
• But in addition to them Luke reveals more of the crowd as “a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon”
• So we have in this crowd, both submissive disciples and also curious onlookers.
What they have in common is that they have all gathered
To be healed and to listen to what Jesus has to say.
And as we said last time, we certainly don’t condemn any of them for that.
• If Jesus were here in the flesh today, and was working this type of miracles there are many even in this room who would go for the same purpose.
• And certainly Luke doesn’t indicate that Jesus was put out by it for according to Luke He healed every single person there.
But after they were all healed and now ready to listen Jesus gives a sermon to penetrate and confront them to their very core.
In Matthew’s gospel is referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount”
Some have read Luke’s gospel and referred to it as “The Sermon on the Plateau”
(since verse 17 says He “stood on a level place” to deliver it.)
It is certainly clear to us that they are recording the same sermon.
But it is also clear that Luke and Matthew
Each take very DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS from what Jesus is teaching.
• Whereas Matthew focuses on the attitude of righteousness (i.e. what you
must be to follow Jesus)
• Luke seems to focus more on the cost involved in following Jesus.
• Matthew spiritualizes the beatitudes referring to such people as “the poor in
spirit” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”
• Whereas Luke simply refers to them as “the poor” or “the hungry”
When placed together we understand what was going on here.
Jesus most certainly was speaking of spiritual poverty as a requirement for salvation. You must be poor in spirit to be saved.
It just so happens that those who were poor in spirit
Were also the actual poor.
WHY?
Because those who realized their need for Jesus also followed Him
And in following Him it resulted in poverty.
There is no conflict here between the two,
We just are receiving two different applications to the same sermon.
• Matthew wanted you to hear what Jesus said regarding the necessity
of righteousness.
• Luke wants you to hear what Jesus said regarding the cost of
discipleship.
That being said, Luke allows us to focus on the variances in the crowd.
This is a crowd of disciples and this is a crowd of curious evaluators.
Jesus is addressing them all.
We saw the first two weeks ago.
#1 TO THE COMMITTED
Luke 6:20-23
Luke is clear that Jesus was “turning His gaze toward His disciples”
And spoke directly to them saying “Blessed are you who are poor”
And “Blessed are you who hunger now.”
He wasn’t addressing everyone in general,
He was addressing here those who had left the world behind
In order to follow Him.
They had sacrificed for their faith.
They had left the comfort and security of life
In order to find forgiveness and salvation in Jesus.
Their decision to follow Christ had caused them to leave things behind like:
• Houses
• Lands
• Parents
• Fishing businesses
• Tax Booths
• Etc.
But Jesus was very clear to them that
Although following Him had been costly, THEY SHOULD NOT WEEP.
They should rejoice.
They are “blessed”. (Happy)
• They may have lost an earthly inheritance, but when they realize what they have gained in eternity they will rejoice.
• They may have sorrow now, but when they realize their heavenly reward, they will laugh.
• They may be hungry now, but when they see the spread God will present before them in eternity, they will be fully satisfied.
• They may be hated now, but when they understand the reward of that, they will leap for joy.
Jesus message to the committed was to CONFIRM THEIR FAITH
He wanted to encourage them that they had made the right decision.
Following Jesus has caused them to forfeit the world,
But in gaining Christ they have gained a far greater treasure.
But the committed isn’t the only group Jesus addresses on this day.
#2 TO THE COMFORTABLE
Luke 6:24-26
Now I realize that comfortable seems like a GENEROUS term.
One might think they should be referred to as the CORRUPT,
Or just the flat out WICKED.
Except these people weren’t trying to be corrupt
And these people weren’t trying to be wicked.
(in fact they were here listening to Jesus)
It’s not like they were doing immoral things or committing known blasphemies against God.
The PROBLEM IS NOT that they
Had some sort of obvious and glaring flaw.
The PROBLEM WAS that they
Valued their comfort more than they valued Christ.
It is true that all men are sinful and these were certainly no exception,
• It’s just that these people weren’t aware of it
• And therefore saw no need to follow Christ
• And no need to forsake the world to do so.
They determined to maintain a comfortable lifestyle
And just try to receive from Jesus the healing and the benefits
That He was currently passing out.
THE CONCEPT IS that if I can keep my life as it is and then add Jesus to take care of any additional problems I face then that’s a win-win.
I’m confident in saying that the people to whom Jesus addressed this section probably had no clue they were even in danger before God.
But according to Jesus they were in the most pitiable condition.
Whereas Jesus told the poor they were blessed, notice what He says to this group.
“Woe to you”
I told you last time that “Woe” in the Greek is an onomatopoetic word.
(It is defined by how it sounds)
OUI in the Greek
It’s like when a person falls into some sort of physical accident and you witness the full blunt of the force that hit them and you say, “Oooh!”
THAT’S THE WORD HERE.
• Where Jesus told the poor that if they could only see the reward that awaits they’d be happy,
• Jesus here tells the comfortable that if they had any idea of the punishment that awaits they’d be doubled over in agony.
Jesus can see their coming affliction and it is harsh.
Similar to what Asaph said:
Psalms 73:16-20 “When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”
Asaph saw “their end” which is what Jesus is also referring to here.
And the language is strong.
• God will despise their very form.
• They are headed for destruction.
Or what the Sons of Korah said:
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.
A similar reminder from the sons of Korah.
Just because man has it all together here
Does not mean that death holds more pleasantries for him.
In many cases those who enjoy this life
Are set up for a rude awakening come eternity.
Or what David said:
Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”
David speaks of the man who trusted in His wealth
And who would not forsake it for Christ.
That man will be broken down forever.
It’s not about what you see now, it’s about what is coming.
Jesus is telling this crowd to look past what you see with your eyes and understand what is on the other side of death.
• Those who forsook everything for Christ will be happy.
• Those who forsook Christ for everything else will be mourning.
Let’s look at them a little closer.
(24) “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
It is very important here to gain an understanding not only of what Jesus is saying, but also what He is NOT SAYING.
First of all Jesus says “woe to you who are rich”.
But the first thing we must acknowledge is that just like the term “poor”, the term “rich” is A RELATIVE TERM.
We might ask, rich how?
We might ask, rich where? (rich in Los Angeles is certainly different than rich in Mexico)
You can’t find a specific dollar amount in Scripture
That denotes one as being rich and another as being poor.
It’s more commonly understood in the terms of having excess.
Those who have more than they need are considered rich in Scripture,
Those who have less are considered poor.
But even that is a little relative
Because we have difficulty defining the term “need”.
Perhaps the best Scriptural description is found in 1 Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:8-10 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
There rich isn’t so much defined as an amount of money
As it is a love of money.
And obviously this is the case.
From a sheer monetary worth standpoint it’s not hard to find people in the Bible who would be considered rich.
Abraham, David, Solomon, Job, Jacob, etc.
The issue is not AMOUNT of money, but AFFECTION for money.
Even then, it’s not just about money so much as it is love of the world.
Wealth isn’t just measured in money,
It’s measured also in general possessions and assets, etc.
As I’ve told people many times, the Bible doesn’t condemn having more than you need, but for all of us who have more than we need the Bible does require us to answer 2 questions.
These questions help us determine if we have a love of money or not.
1) HOW DID YOU GET YOUR WEALTH?
And the idea behind that is was there any corruption involved?
• Did you cheat on your taxes?
• Did you cheat someone on a deal?
• Did you cheat the boss on the time clock?
• Did you take out a loan that you haven’t paid back?
• Did you fail to pay people who did jobs for you?
• Did you take a bribe?
It’s the old dishonest scales mentality.
James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”
That is what James is taking issue with here.
• This man was rich because he wouldn’t pay his laborers.
• This man was rich because he took bribes against the innocent.
Amos spoke of something similar:
Amos 8:4-6 “Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
And there are so many more passages we could appeal to here to talk about this concept, but I think you’re getting the point.
It’s people who have money because they were corrupt.
• They cheated someone
• They borrowed and didn’t repay (filing bankruptcy without repayment)
• They take a bribe
• They stole something
• I think you can throw in here things like gambling and the lottery
Those certainly aren’t legitimate ways of making a living.
There are any number of ways this occurs,
But it’s people who are living on
What they have not legitimately received.
THERE IS CORRUPTION INVOLVED.
What this indicates is a love for money
That exceeds a love for righteousness.
If you are willing to trade your righteousness or your integrity for money
Then you have a major problem.
That indicates a love of money and a love of the world.
Now that’s one question.
And we’ll assume you pass that test.
The wealth you enjoy is not due to corruption.
Then the Bible has another question.
2) WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE IT?
This speaks of the concept of
Withholding generosity and benevolence to those in need.
There are plenty of people in the world
Who received their wealth legitimately
But are absolutely corrupt in the management of it.
They are unwilling to part with it, even with those in need.
And this is a major problem.
James told those people in the passage we read a moment ago.
James 5:1-3 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!”
• Here you have a person who had more than they needed and in fact more than they ever used.
• They had so much surplus it rotted when there were poor who could have benefited from it.
Consider what John said:
1 John 3:16-18 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
You understand the issue here as well.
• This was a person who proved their love for the world by their unwillingness to part with it even to help the poor.
We could also throw in there the unwillingness to part with it in order to follow Jesus.
• Remember this was the Rich Young Ruler who refused to part with his wealth
to follow Jesus.
Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
That passage again makes our point about wealth.
It’s not any harder for a person to with $1,000 dollars to be saved
Than it is for a person with $100 dollars.
The Rich Young Rulers problem was not that he had money.
His problem was that he loved the money he had.
Love of money is the issue here.
So taking that back to the point Jesus made in Luke’s gospel.
(24) “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
These are the people who chose comfort over Jesus.
• They wouldn’t give to the poor
• They wouldn’t part with their wealth
• They wouldn’t serve at great expense
• They wouldn’t stop being corrupt
They had enjoyments in the world that they would not part with
And Jesus let them know that there is a moment of pain coming.
(25) “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
Again the point is the same.
It’s not that Jesus is against people who have had enough to eat.
• You’re going to see in a few chapters that Jesus is going to feed a multitude
with 5 loaves and 2 fish and after every eats their fill they will gather up 12
baskets of excess.
Nor does Jesus have any problem with people who laugh.
• Joy is actually a pretty big part of the Christian life.
• Joy is even a fruit of the Spirit.
Beyond that, as Jesus indicated, laughter will occur in heaven as Jesus told those who mourn now that they will indeed laugh in eternity.
So neither having enough to eat nor laughter is the problem.
THE PROBLEM IS
CHOOSING THOSE THINGS IN EXCLUSION TO CHRIST.
It is people who wouldn’t follow Christ because of the threat of hunger.
It is people who wouldn’t follow Christ because of the threat of mourning.
They had plenty right now.
They were happy right now.
They were comfortable right now.
Following Jesus might upset that and so they opted not to follow Him.
And these are the people Jesus is addressing and warning.
(26) “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
Again, don’t miss the point.
Having a good reputation is not a sin.
In fact when Paul gives the qualifications for an overseer he will say:
1 Timothy 3:7 “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
Jesus isn’t talking about it being a sin if people like you.
What He is doing is condemning those
Who choose a good reputation over following Christ.
Jesus is pretty clear throughout His ministry that following Him will not make you popular.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Matthew 10:24-25 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”
John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
John 16:1-3 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”
Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
It’s pretty clear isn’t it?
Following Jesus is not a path to worldly popularity.
I’m always mindful here of the sarcastic rebuke Paul gave the Corinthian church when they were seeking to earn Christ’s favor and the world’s at the same time.
1 Corinthians 4:8-13 “You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”
Can you hear Paul’s sarcasm there?
• How is that Christ’s apostles are considered fools in the world, but somehow you have managed to maintain your dignity?
• Could it be that you are actually compromised?
And there is really a whole lot that could be said here regarding the mistake Christians make in trying to be faithful to Christ while being loved by the world.
That is a whole sermon series that we don’t have time to dive into here.
But the simple point being made is that
You have here some people who refuse to follow Jesus
Because they don’t want to surrender their reputation.
Remember the parents of the man born blind?
• Their son was healed but because the Pharisees had threatened to throw any Jesus followers out of the synagogue remember how they responded?
John 9:18-23 “The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
Remember these guys:
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
THAT SIMPLY WON’T CUT IT.
Don’t forget the words of Jesus:
Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
That is the point here.
You have people who value their reputation and their comfort
More than they value salvation.
And Jesus simply says, “You’d better enjoy it while it lasts.”
• To those who were committed to Him and as a result were poor and hungry and mistreated Jesus said, “Don’t fret it, you are blessed!”
• To those who were comfortable in this world but had rejected Jesus, Jesus said, “You better enjoy it now because pain is on the way.”
Does that make sense?
• It’s the view of eternity.
• It’s the cost of discipleship.
You may lose this world, but you gain Christ, does that matter to you?
Or would you rather gain this world even though you’ll never gain Christ?
That’s what Jesus is talking about.
• You cannot have it both ways.
• You either choose Him or you choose this world.
He has never allowed anyone to love both.
Now, that being said, we again have to LOOK IN THIS MIRROR
Which the Lord is holding up.
When you look in the mirror of God’s word here, what does it show you?
And friend this isn’t about me judging you, this is about Christ exposing you.
He is the One who shows us what we are.
Jesus isn’t necessarily asking: Are you rich or full or happy or popular?
What He’s asking is: Have you failed to follow Him to stay rich or full or happy or popular?
ARE YOU COMPROMISED FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR COMFORT?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your money?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your meal?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your happiness?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your reputation?
Many today absolutely do.
In fact many just determine to go to a church run by one of those false prophets who will gladly tell you that it’s no big deal.
The whole prosperity gospel today is peddling the lie that God wants you to be rich and healthy and happy and to have a good reputation.
And people are buying that because that’s what they want to hear.
But friend, you can read what Jesus said just as easy as I can.
Forsaking this world for Christ results in blessing.
Forsaking Christ for this world results in pain.
Am I a follower of Christ no matter the cost,
Or am I follower of Christ so long as there is no cost?
I know that’s harsh.
BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS.
God saw fit to warn you, which means there is time for repentance.
Are there examples of people who didn’t want Jesus at first because the cost was too great who later came around and were accepted?
Absolutely there are.
Do you remember Nicodemus?
He first came to Jesus in John 3 at night because he feared for his reputation and Jesus let that man have it.
John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Why do you suppose Jesus said that?
Because Nicodemus was coming at night. Jesus called him on it.
Do you remember Joseph of Arimathea?
He is called a secret disciple because he was afraid.
But do you know what we find those men doing after the crucifixion?
John 19:38-39 “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.”
Those men publicly anointed and buried the body of Jesus.
They started out wrong, but at some point repentance and faith occurred
And they stepped out to gain Christ.
If the words of Jesus today convict you,
Then praise God that He saw fit to reveal it to you
And repent of that and yield it all up for Christ.
Might there be a cost? I promise you.
But gaining Christ and the blessing which is to come is a far greater joy.
