Monthly Archives: January 2026

LUKE’S GOSPEL…FAITH AND AUTHORITY – 15

Bible Study, ,

“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I found this story both intriguing and enlightening, adding another layer to my understanding of faith and prayer. 

Let’s take this report apart, layer by layer. 

First, the man who asked Jesus for help was a pagan, a Roman soldier who happened to be serving his emperor in Israel. He probably had, with a background of idolatry…many gods from Greek and Roman mythology, little or no knowledge of Jewish monotheistic religion. 

Why did this man ask a Jewish rabbi to do a miracle? How did he know that this was possible?

Perhaps, in his round of duties, this centurion had encountered Jesus somewhere, either in person or by hearsay. He was obviously impressed by Jesus’ authority. What Jesus said happened, even unusual things like demons fleeing and sick people, and even people who had physical defects like blindness and paralysis, being cured and restored. 

This pagan Roman had enough sense to weigh up the evidence and conclude that Jesus had a connection with divine power which was much more than human. Unlike the religious leaders, he had no prejudice to blind him to a realistic conclusion. 

When his servant became deathly sick, the centurion’s thoughts turned to Jesus. Perhaps he might also be in line for a miracle. As luck would have it, so he might have thought, Jesus happened to be in town. Bring a pagan, he showed his respect for a Jewish rabbi by sending some Jewish leaders to Jesus with a humble request for help. The Jews assured Jesus that he was worthy of help because of his benevolence towards the Jews. 

As Jesus approached his house, the centurion came out to meet Him. Again, he showed his respect by making room for Jewish scruples…not to enter a Gentile home for fear of being defiled. He expressed both his feeling of unworthiness and his confidence in Jesus’ words by his understanding of how authority worked. 

This is where the issue of authority and faith meet.

The centurion knew what authority meant because he carried authority in the Roman system in keeping with his rank in the army. He was the link between the authority to which he submitted and the soldiers under him. His authority did not extend beyond those who answered to him, but his word was law for them because of the chain of command. 

This man recognised that Jesus both had authority in His domain and understood His chain of command in the spiritual realm. He also knew that authority was conveyed through words. Just as he spoke the instructions he received to those under him, so he recognised that Jesus spoke the words He received from His authority to the sick and oppressed, and stuff happened. 

Here is the real source of faith. To have faith in Jesus, to recognise, accept, and trust in His authority to do what He has said, is the essence of faith. Hence, the burning question for the religious leaders was always…”Who gave you authority to do what you  are doing.? What is the source of your authority?” They could not deny that Jesus had authority but they refused to believe that His authority came from God. 

Faith, then, is absolute confidence in the power of Jesus to do what He said He would do because He had authority to do so. This takes the effort and guesswork out of faith. Faith, then, isn’t something that we must work up but simple confidence in Jesus’ words because of His authority. 

This brings me to faith and prayer. If faith is confidence in the authority of Jesus’ word, it stands to reason that His word is the all-important factor in prayer. He will always do what He promised.  This means that our prayers are powerful as they line up with what He has promised. 

“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Real faith, then, is not a hit-and-miss hope that He will act when I pray. Faith is firmly anchored in Jesus’ authority to do what He has promised. 

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…WHY? – 14

Bible Study, ,

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬-‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How true to human nature!  We hear…we listen…we agree…and then we carry on with our lives as though the counsel was never heard! No wonder then, that Jesus asked the question that has no answer…

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

We respond like someone who has been warned that there is a precipice ahead but continues on to disaster because he did not heed the warning. 

Jesus told His story on the grounds, not that storms might happen to us in life but that they will happen. No human is immune from the disasters that are an inevitable part of life. The issue is…what have we done to prepare for such events? We cannot start building strong foundations for our lives in the middle of a storm!

The stability of the superstructure depends on its foundation. To change the metaphor, a huge tree depends on the depth and strength of its root system to survive storms. 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ NIV

The roots of our lives, the strength of a building, depends on what lies beneath the surface. Our foundation must be far deeper than mere “faith”. Some people use the expression, “Have faith…” as though faith in itself is sufficient protection against adversity. Faith must have a solid, immovable structure to which it clings to be of any benefit. 

Jesus made it clear that our trust must be anchored securely to Him and centred in what He has taught us. 

“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.”

On one occasion, He said to some who had believed in Him…

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus’ teaching is the solid, immovable truth to which we must anchor our faith. His teaching, in turn, is the utterance from His mouth and has its source in who He is. His words, in turn, are the words of the Father, above whom there is no greater authority, who speaks the words that Jesus speaks. 

With such a solid foundation, no storm can ever destroy a child of God. His promises support and protect us against every threat and every catastrophe, and we, His children become witnesses to His grace. 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…INSPECT THE FRUIT – 13

Bible Study, ,

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus introduced another wise principle, and the counterpart to judging. If we are not permitted to judge others, especially when they attack us, criticise or judge us, how can we react in a godly way to what they say to us or about us that is unfair or untrue? 

Jesus said, “It’s not your role to judge but it is your responsibility to inspect their fruit.” What did He mean? When people attack us for whatever reason, we can either counter attack by judging them or we can stand back and recognise that the words they speak are a revelation of who they are. needing not response but pity. 

The hallmark of a true believer in Jesus is non-retaliation. Our sinful old nature cries out for revenge when we are attacked. Our old nature reacts against unfair criticism or unjust treatment. Hence, even the law of “an eye for an eye…” which was intended to damp down this reaction to retaliate more violently than the original attack, is not appropriate. 

Consider this…

The Bible tells us that Jesus’ temptation and suffering were concentrated in one specific area, injustice. Injustice…the greatest expression of rejection. Rejection reduces a person to nothing, of no consequence in the world, fit only to be eliminated. 

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hebrews explains that Jesus’ suffering lay in His temptation. 

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Temptation to do what? Retaliate!

The Bible also teaches us that Jesus overcame His natural human nature, the part of His humanity that could have sinned and forfeited His own life and our salvation, by refusing to retaliate. In  the face of the worst injustice any human has ever suffered, He did nothing but forgave!

Peter adds that He overcame temptation in the flesh. 

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body (flesh), arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body (flesh), is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This translation, ”in the body”, unfortunately misses the true meaning of “sarx”, “flesh”. Flesh can mean either “the physical body” or “human nature” which is, in humans, the sinful nature. In the context, with the reference to “sin”,  a better translation would be that Jesus suffered in His human nature. 

Again, Peter clearly identified the nature of Jesus’ suffering…injustice! 

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How does Jesus’ non-retaliation in the face of injustice tie up with His teaching about inspecting fruit? 

When we are unfairly criticised or judged, our natural response is to take offence because we apply the spoken words to ourselves. Jesus teaches us rather to look at the source. Words are the overflow of the heart. Words expose what is inside the heart. Therefore, what another person says about us is actually a revelation of who he/she is, not who we are. Conversely, when we retaliate in response exposes what is in our own hearts. 

When we recognise this truth, we have no need to retaliate because we retaliate when we are offended. Retaliation only compounds the sin. We can brush off anything said to or about us without reacting because the words of the accuser have nothing to do with us. Words are the overflow of who the accuser is. 

So,Jesus would say to us, ‘Watch your own heart!!” 

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM – 12b

Bible Study, ,

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven… “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭37‬, ‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus continues His theme of life under God’s rule. For example, as we have already considered, hatred and retaliation continues the flow of ruptured relationships. Kindness and mercy rapidly turn the tide of alienation towards reconciliation and harmony. 

In this section, Jesus’ words hit low and cut deep…into the belly and heart of the hypocrite! The underlying driving force in the lives of humans is to be better than everyone else. This trend is seen most clearly in our determination to criticise and judge others. We pass judgment on everyone and everything as we see them, using our own estimation of what is right and wrong in another according to the way we view ourselves. I am the measure and what I think of you depends on who and what I think I am. 

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus cancelled that standard of measurement as illegitimate. He calls us, not to judge by the standard we set up but by the measurements demanded by the truth of God Himself. Instead of placing ourselves above others by judging what we think is right or wrong, we recognise that we all stand on level ground before His scrutiny. 

“All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“…There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How then, dare I pass judgment on another, even if his sin seems worse than mine? His sin, as well as mine, springs from the same source…unbelief in the truth of who God is and what God has said. 

Judging others, then, is hypocrisy in its worst form because I am trying, with my own face smeared with dirt, to scrub the dirt off my brother’s face. Judging is a subtle way of saying,”I am God!”…pride that will land us in hell. 

With what, then, must we replace judgment? If I become aware of another’s failure, how must I deal with it? 

First, Jesus said, “Don’t  judge, forgive!” Forgiveness levels the playing field.  Forgiveness wipes away the reason for my judgment. Forgiveness humbly admits that my debt is as great as the one I am judging. 

Then, Paul gives us God’s solution. 

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

First, love is the oil that keeps the gears of fellowship moving smoothly. Without the compassion that sees us both on the same side, even attempts to restore become a wall, not a  bridge. 

Paul warns against temptation. 

“But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Tempted to do what? The temptation is subtle but real. When I pass judgment on another, I do what Jesus hated most in the Pharisees…I change my status from alongside to above another. In God’s kingdom, no one is higher than anyone else. Everyone is  there only through God’s mercy and grace. Merit accounts for nothing!

When a king addresses a beggar, in God’s eyes, they are equal. 

“For God does not show favoritism.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, the counsel of Scripture is clear. Be on guard! There is only one standard for all people. If I pick others out for wrongdoing, I judge myself as well because I add my sin to theirs through my hypocrisy. God’s standards are just…one size fits all!

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM – 12a

Bible Study, ,

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that… Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬-‭33‬, ‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was a true revolutionary! His yoke, His interpretation of Torah that led to the demonstration of a lifestyle of mercy and non-retaliation, was as revolutionary as, for example, a military operation that invades enemy territory to provide medical help to those injured through war. 

“Love your enemies…” is as unpalatable to the human mind as expecting a millionaire to give his Lamborghini to a homeless beggar. This would be unnatural behaviour at its worst for the one whose natural bent is towards “You hit me and I’ll hit you twice as hard…”  

Yet, Jesus gave this instruction as part of His yoke as though it were the way the rule of God works in His divine system. God’s boundaries, His laws, are an expression of His nature. They give us a peek into who He is and how He operates, even in the hostile world over which He rules. 

In the main, the citizens of God’s world are His enemies and utter rebels against everything that He is and wants from them. He owns the world and its people, yet those who live in it refuse to acknowledge His authority. Some deny His very existence, while others do whatever they can to defy Him. 

How does God treat those who hate Him? Does He relish His right to punish and destroy? The witness of Scripture, from cover to cover, is the story of a God who loves, blesses, and acts in mercy to the worst of rebels. 

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s mercy peaked in Jesus when He gave His own Son as a sacrifice for sinners. 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s kingdom is wide open for those who accept His sacrifice and, in response, pledge to live in His kingdom in keeping with the nature of His rule. There is no place in God’s realm for those who claim allegiance but demonstrate rebellion by rejecting His standards. 

Above all else, knowing that for the natural human to live by God’s standards is impossible, God has provided the way for ungodly rebels to be transformed into compliant sons and daughters. He gave us His own Spirit to live inside us, to transform rebels into saints by the power of His word. 

In Jesus, the Father has provided, by His grace, strength to overcome the ravages of our old nature and truth to renew our minds in the ways of righteousness, holiness and peace. 

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, for Jesus to require that we love our enemies by treating them as the Father has treated us, though it contradicts our natural bent towards selfishness, is more than a pipe dream. It is the response of grateful people whose lives are being transformed by His grace. It is the expression of obedience of a son to a father, and a response of trust that what God wants He will also do in us by His grace. It is a witness to the world that it is Christ in us who guarantees that we will be like Him when we see Him. 

God treats people out of who He is, the God who is in His essence, love….and so must we, and we can because of Him!

To be continued…