Read | Luke 6:17–46
After coming down with them, he stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well. The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.
Then looking up at his disciples, he said:Blessed are you who are poor,
because the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
because you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
because you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you, insult you,
and slander your name as evil
because of the Son of Man.“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.
Woe to you who are now full,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are now laughing,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you
when all people speak well of you,
for this is the way their ancestors
used to treat the false prophets.“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
He also told them a parable: “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
“Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother’s eye.
“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
Notice how intentional Christ is with the people he interacts with in the story. What can his intentionality teach us about obedience in relation to others?
Focus
View this work of art, The Sermon on the Mount/The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, connected to Sunday’s sermon passage.
Observe what you see in the image, from colors to composition to recognizable elements, without trying to understand what it is supposed to mean. Then read about the work, using these details to help you interpret the work of art. Ask God what he might be saying through the image and listen for his insight in your thoughts and feelings; then take a moment to respond through prayer to what God showed you in this image. How might what God is showing you connect to the concept of obedience?
Commentary:
José Aguiar (1895-1976) grew up in the Canary Islands and later made his home in Madrid, where he studied law and became a renowned painter and muralist. He painted many frescoes and murals in churches across the Canary Islands and on the Spanish mainland. This mural can be found in the Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria on the island of Tenerife.
The mural is called by two titles and seems to conflate two separate events in the gospels—the Sermon on the Mount and the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Aguiar does not idealize the scene, painting the crowd surrounding Jesus in such a manner that highlights their physical and spiritual desperation. They are a mixed multitude. Some are presented as impoverished and piteous, some are in need of bodily healing, others seem well-off physically but are clearly spiritually desperate. They all surround him, clinging to him, trying to get a glimpse of him, opening their hands in supplication. Under their feet and in the very far foreground, the loaves and fishes wait for the hungry crowd, yet very few are focused on the food. Instead, they are transfixed by the provider of their sustenance, The Bread of Life.
This work highlights the way Jesus cares about the holistic human being. He provides for healing not just of our souls, but our bodies. His provision is spiritual and bodily, natural and supernatural—all we have to bring in return is our need for him.
Art Source: Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes/Sermon on the Mount, José Aguiar, 1962. Public domain via Wikimedia commons.
Pray
Pray for insight into how to obey God in how you show up in your deepest relationships.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.