Day 8 - Luke 6:1-19

Let me be honest with you, I was starting to wonder how many (if any) were following along with me through the Bible.  It's human nature, I think, to question like that.  But for some reason, right before I went to sleep, I checked my Facebook page and saw a comment from Christyn Parker (an exceptional young lady) that completely eliminating my wondering and energized my heart. Here's the quote...

Everyday I just can't wait to read T.J's blog , it is the best part of my day because it is my quiet time and my time to read little bits and pieces of the greatest book ever! It is amazing what he is doing and I just want to let him know that I am thankful he is doing it because now I am actually reading my bible and it helps me think a lot more clearly! Love ya T.J.

I don't think I've had a better compliment this year (heck, within the last six months maybe)! Thank you so very very much, Christyn!

Now where were we?

Read Luke 6:1-19 (find it here)

There's a few things you have to know about the Sabbath in Luke's time period and in Jewish culture. It was super strict and enforced by "religious leaders" and "Pharisees."  Actually, there were 39 categories of activities (not 39 activities, but categories of activities!) that were prohibited on the Sabbath.  Here's another thing, they are NOT found in the Bible. The only time they are mentioned is when Jesus calls them out or breaks one of the rules. God DID NOT command these to be followed as laws, but they were still enforced. However, in Exodus 20, as part of the 10 Commandments, God did command the Israelites not to work, so the religious leaders tried to define what they did and did not consider work.

Examples of prohibited activities included planting, harvesting, kneading dough, cooking, washing clothes, knitting, writing (which I'm following by not writing on Sundays, hehe), putting out or starting a fire and building anything.

So that is why Jesus' disciples are called out by the Pharisees in verse 2 and why Jesus was "watched closely" in verse 7. Jesus asks in verse 9, "Is this a day to save life or destroy it?" He says this because within those 39 categories was the REQUIREMENT to work on the Sabbath if your neighbor (or fellow human) was in need or in danger of death.  So, he's turns THEIR rules against them.

The Pharisees felt disrespected and began to concoct plans of what to do to Jesus.

Jesus went off by himself again and prayed, but this time Luke says he prays "all night." (verse 12)  It was an important decision to pick 12 men who would become his pupils, his friends, his family.

Here's an example of the men he picked (did you notice that ALL of his disciples were there when we came down from the mountain?):

• Simon Peter, James and John were fishermen (simple, uneducated men)
• Matthew (Levi) was a tax collector. They were employed by the Romans to collect taxes, but they were infamous for taking too much just to fill their own pockets.
• Thomas' greatest characteristic (or at least the one he's most known for) is being a doubter
• Simon was a zealot, which is a fancy word for a 1st century terrorist. No lie, zealots were known to carry daggers, be literal backstabbers and incite riots and revolts!
• Judas Iscariot had questionable loyalties and was a thief (wait to see what John's gospel says about him)

These are the men that Jesus chooses to reach the world with the gospel: 3 fishermen, 2 thieves, a doubter, a terrorist among 5 no-name guys (who were barely if not mentioned at all in the Bible) and a guy who refers to himself as "the disciple that Jesus loved."

When the disciples were surrounded by all the other people (in verse 17), only the 12 were referred to as "disciples." Everyone else were known as "followers."  Since Jesus was a rabbi, it was customary for a rabbi to get many "applicants" for disciples. Like prestigious colleges, only the brightest would think of being accepted by a popular rabbi but Jesus, unlike all other rabbis (even though he was wiser than them all) accepted the opposite of what other rabbis were looking for.

Interesting, eh?


Questions

1.) Since God created the earth and everything in it in six days, God rested on the seventh day. What, by your definition, activities would be considered work?  Do you take a day off and just rest?

2.) Jesus prayed all night in order to discern whom to call as his disciples, pupils, friends, family.  Do you put that much thought into whom you pour your life into and share all your deepest fears and feelings? Why or why not?

3.) Since Jesus called a terrorist and two thieves to be his disciples, does that make you feel more confident in being a Christ-follower? What in your life makes you feel like you wouldn't qualify as a good disciple or follower?