The Jesus Lifestyle, Part 4

Hello everyone,

Today, I'm going to finish my exegesis of the sermon from Luke 6.  We will look at verses 43-49 and then sum it all up.  Jesus has been teaching his disciples, his way to live.  It is a radically different way to live, and Jesus has a few thoughts on how to live before he concludes. 

In verse 43, Jesus starts talking about plants and trees. Saying that a good tree produces good fruit, and bad tree produces bad fruit.  Fruit-bearing plants produce after their own kind. Figs and grapes don't grow on weeds. We learn from this that who we are and the fruit that we produce comes from our hearts.  The good that we have within our own hearts produces the good fruit that comes out of us.  The bad that we have in our hearts produce the evil that comes out of us. 

We had a pear tree when we moved into our house. Sadly, this tree produced pears that rotted before they reached any size, and then fell off the tree. When we cut the pear tree down, we saw that it was rotten on the inside. Jesus was correct. My rotten tree produced rotten fruit. 

Obviously, we are more complex than trees, and have both good and bad within us.  What is brought to the surface from our hearts is the fruit that we produce.  (Let us hope is that we produce more good fruit than bad; If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will produce His fruit, and it is all good. Gal. 5:22-23.)

In verse 45, Jesus tells his audience that it is out of the abundance of the heart, that the mouth speaks. It is clear, our mouth is connected to our heart. Since these two body parts are connected, we should examine what comes out of our mouth.  It will show us what is in our heart. Someone who has only negative to say is drawing from the bad that has filled their hearts.  Someone whose speech is generally encouraging and uplifting, draws from the good that is stored up in their heart.   

In verse 46, Jesus asks people why they would refer to him as Lord, but then don’t obey him.  It is a good question, because if they are not really obeying him, then he is not really Lord. (The double use of Lord adds to the emphasis.)  He gives this parable to show the difference between those who call him Lord and do what he says, with those who call him Lord but do not do what he says.  

Think about some of the things that Jesus has just said in this sermon. There are many difficult teachings in it, like loving your enemies and examining ourselves rather than examining and harshly judging other people.  These difficult teachings are the kinds of things that he is calloing us to put into practice. 

So here is his parable to illustrate his point:  Two men build houses.  One digs deep and lays his foundation on rock, while the other builds his house on the ground without laying a foundation.  One is anchored on rock, while the other is anchored on nothing.  When the storm came, the house on the rock stood, while the house without foundation collapsed. 

The application is obvious.  Obedience to Jesus' hard teachings is like the man who builds his house on the solid foundation. The man who builds without foundation, has no spiritual roots and is  disobedient to Jesus.  His life gets completely destroyed by the storms that inevitably hit us all. Again the application is obvious.  When we live the way that Jesus described in Luke 6, we are a different people, more able to withstand the storms of life, but Jesus' way is hard.  It includes:

• Loving your enemies.
• Doing good to those who mistreat you.
• Blessing those who curse you.
• Praying for those who abuse you.
• Turning the other cheek.
• Treating others the way you want to be treated. 
• Being merciful.
• Not judging or condemning. 
• Forgiving others.
• Giving without expecting anything in return. 
• Examining ourselves first, before helping others. 

Jesus’ call here is challenging, but obedience to this message can make all the difference.  It is a stark contrast between what Jesus calls his followers to be like and what the Pharisees of his day were like.  It is also a stark contrast between what Jesus calls his followers to be like and what many religious people are like today.  

Self-righteous and arrogant behavior in the name of Christ is actually pretty easy to accomplish.  Sadly, that kind of religion turns many people off, and they never really get to know the true Jesus.

Jesus has laid out a different kind of lifestyle.  One that is challenging, but rewarding, as it is the path to weathering the storms that life will undoubtedly bring to us. 

Tom