Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“And he came down with them and stood on a level place, and a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured. And the whole crowd was seeking to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all” (Luke 6:17-19)

Chapter five opens with the first people who didn’t just want to experience healing, but answered a deeper call to follow Jesus as more than faces in a crowd. Jesus was teaching by the Lake of Gennesaret (also called the Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret). The crowd was pressing in on Him, making it hard to teach. He asked Simon (later Peter) if He could use his boat. Simon let Him, so they pushed off a little from shore and Jesus taught from there. As thanks, afterward Jesus told Simon to launch into the deep and put down his net for fish. Simon agreed, but only because it was Jesus asking (remember, Jesus fame was spreading AND Simon had just heard Him preaching). The fish in Gennesaret were night feeders, staying down low during the day. If they hadn’t caught fish all night it was doubtful they would catch any during the day. But Simon was OBEDIENT and they got more fish than they could pull up. They needed the boats of his partners James and John Zebedee to get it all. After this display, they left everything behind and followed Jesus.

Next, Jesus healed a leper, telling him to present himself to the priests as was commanded in the Law. On another occasion Jesus was teaching and healing all who were brought to Him, but a paralytic and the friends carrying him couldn’t get to Jesus. So they went to the roof and made a hole to lower the paralytic down. Jesus was impressed with the trust these men showed and told the man his sins were forgiven. The Pharisees and scribes took offense at this. Jesus told them it was easier to say sins were forgiven than to physically affect change. So He told the man to rise and the man was completely healed. Because the harder thing was true, the other (forgiven sins) was also true.

After this, Jesus saw Levi (Matthew) doing his job as a tax collector and Jesus invited Levi to follow Him as a disciple. Levi took the opportunity. Later, Levi hosted a great feast at his house and the Pharisees and scribes took offense that Jesus was eating with sinners. Jesus told them sick people need help, not well people. Jesus had come to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. Then they challenged the eating habits of His disciples. John the Baptizer’s disciples fasted and so did the disciples of the Pharisees. But Jesus’ disciples never seemed to fast (the Pharisees did it twice a week to much fanfare). Jesus told them that there was no point in fasting when the bridegroom was present. You only fasted when he went away. While he was present there was always feasting and joyful fellowship. The implication was they would fast when Jesus was physically gone, but there was no need while He was physically present.

Chapter six begins with another attack on their food habits. Some Pharisees witnessed the disciples plucking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands to open them, and eating the kernels. They interpreted this as WORK and since it was the Sabbath, that made them violators of the Law. Jesus told them they didn’t understand the Sabbath or its purpose. Heart intent mattered. On a different Sabbath this work issue came up again when a man with a withered hand was present in a synagogue where Jesus was. The Pharisees watched Jesus to see if He would heal – definitely work as far as they were concerned. Jesus sabotaged the effort, bringing into question the heart intent of healing. Wasn’t it lawful to do GOOD? Wasn’t defeating evil (sickness and disease in this case) a good thing? To save a life? Jesus healed the man and they were furious that they hadn’t caught Him in a legalistic trap.

Many people followed Jesus as disciples (at one point more than seventy). Jesus went up a mountain to pray and prayed all night. In the morning, He called all His disciples together and singled out twelve of them to be the sent forth ones (apostles). These men would be closer to Him than the other disciples, often being able to ask and receive more in-depth and specific answers as He trained them to be leaders as well as fishers of humanity. When He was done, He came down and spoke to a great crowd that had gathered (Sermon on the Plain – Luke 6:20-49). First, though, He healed them because the whole crowd was trying to touch Him. Why? Power was coming out of Him and He healed them all.

Jesus taught about who was blessed from God’s point of view and who was not, having let things and position among other people take God’s place. He taught about loving all those around us – including our ‘enemies’. The value of treating other people how we want to be treated. What a difference love makes and how it was a marker to show people God’s love. He taught about choosing not to judge others, but to walk in forgiveness (not being a doormat). We ALL need forgiveness, so why would we not extend that to other people? We can be so quick to point out other people’s faults, but aren’t we holding onto faults of our own? The right path is one of being a blessing, being an encouragement – loving one another. Jesus pointed out that who we really are as people, what is really in our hearts, is visible to others because of the fruit we produce in our lives. Bad inside means bad fruit. Good inside means good fruit. We get a harvest of what we sow. Jesus also taught that all of this is only possible when God is in His proper place in our lives. When HE is the foundation for everything we build. When HE is our Source.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Simon, James, John, Levi, Pharisees, Scribes, Jews

Key Verse(s): Luke 5:17-26; 6:46-49