When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be A favorite Christian song, You Raise Me Up, was written in 2002 by Brendan Graham.
Source: Genius. https://genius.com/Josh-groban-youraise-me-up-lyrics
Scripture: Luke 5-6
Publisher’s Comments:
In this edition of the Bible Insights Newsletter, we continue our reading in the book of Luke. As we begin Luke 5, we read that Jesus is attracting large crowds wherever He goes. And who wouldn’t want to see Him! In this chapter, He heals and calls certain men to follow Him. Luke 6 introduces us to His twelve disciples. We also read of His Sermon on the Plain, which included blessings and woes. Our prophet focus is on Haggai. We hope you enjoy the quick read and then either read the entire chapters of Luke 5 and 6 in your Bible or listen to audios of the chapters below! God Bless!
Alda
Don’t have a Bible? Here are audios of Luke 5 and 6:
Luke 5:1-16 (Jesus Calls the First Disciples)
Luke 5:17-39(Bringing People to Jesus)
Luke 6:1-26 (Sabbath Conflicts, Sermon on the Plain-the Beatitudes and Woes)
Luke 6:27-49 (Jesus Continues His Sermon on the Plain)
Bible Insights Newsletter (2nd Quarter 2023)
Jesus Draws the Crowds
Have you ever been to a concert? A top-name singer comes to town and everyone wants to come listen to him sing and play whatever musical instrument he’s known for playing. The lines of people waiting to get in are huge! Everyone is clamoring to get as close a seat as possible. They know the singer is worth all the effort!
The first part of this lesson introduces the reader to some of the men who “left everything and followed Him.” Can you imagine the faith they had in this man named Jesus! Luke further provides us a glimpse into the healing powers of Jesus. The second part of the lesson includes Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Let’s continue to read Luke’s account of Jesus’ ministry and the men who followed Him.
Luke 5:1-11
The Crowds Keep Coming
There were no stadiums. There were no acoustics. There were no microphones. There was one man and a huge gathering of people who had come to listen to Him - “to hear the word of God.”
At this point in time, we know the crowd is pushing their way toward Jesus, not wanting to miss His words nor anything He might do to heal people. Word travels fast. They had, no doubt, heard of Jesus making well Simon’s mother-in-law who had been feeling sick. The crowd had also heard of Jesus casting out demons. They were not going
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
to miss this opportunity to hear and see this man who Simon Peter would call “Lord.”
As the crowd became more persistent, Jesus saw two boats “by the lake of Gennesaret.” The lake of Gennesaret was another name for the Sea of Galilee. Jesus climbed into one of the boats (both owned by Simon), getting Simon to push the boat out a little from the shore. It is from this boat that Jesus taught the masses of people. Can you imagine what that was like for the crowd? The Son of God teaching these huge numbers of people is jaw-dropping.
Jesus Begins Building His Team
Who was Simon Peter? Well, to begin with, he was a fisherman. At the time Jesus approached him, fishing was his trade. It’s how he made a living. However, Jesus came along and changed Simon Peter’s life, telling him that his daily catch would not be fish, but people.
How did he get the name Simon Peter? When he was born, he was given the name Simon, which was a name frequently used in the Bible. The web site, thebibleanswer.org, lists nine men named Simon, all found in the New Testament. However, as He changed the direction of Simon’s occupation, Jesus changed Simon’s name. In Luke 6:14, we read “Simon, whom He named Peter.” Did you know that the name Peter means “Rock” in Greek? Pastor John MacArthur, in his book Twelve Ordinary Men, said this about Jesus changing Simon’s name to Peter: “because He wanted the nickname be a perpetual reminder to him about who he should be.”
Simon Peter would vacillate between being upright and noble to being sinful. He was bold. In Luke 9:20, Simon Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. He would become not only the leader of the twelve apostles, but also of the early church (in Jerusalem).
The importance of a solid team can’t be overstated. For Jesus, He would have an “inner circle” of men who would come from various backgrounds but who were considered to be common. There was nothing special about these men. Yet, it was a group of individuals who, at the time, would learn under the tutelage of Jesus, and then go out into the world to spread the good news. Jesus now begins building His group of men who, after He was gone, would be the chief spokesmen for the Gospel.
But how does He pull the team together? Following the preaching to the crowd, He tells Simon to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon was perplexed as they had been fishing all night and came back with empty nets. How exhausting and disappointing it must have been for the men to pull up nets that had no fish in them. However, Simon obeyed Jesus. Getting the other fishermen to help, they lowered the nets into the water. What happened?! The men pulled up the nets, which were loaded with fish. The boats could barely stand the weight of the large number of fish caught. Simon, and no doubt the other men, were dumbfounded!
Why did he tell Jesus “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”? It would appear that Peter realized, at
the time of the large catch of fish, the presence of God. Having questioned Jesus’ earlier command of putting the nets back in the water (see verse 5), Peter acknowledged himself as unfit for the gift of the fish that Jesus provided.
Jesus tells Peter, as well as James and John (the sons of Zebedee) “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be
catching men.” Isn’t this an awesome statement!
Here’s the choice: On one hand are the men and women Peter and the disciples will tell the Gospel to, bringing many to Christ, to salvation. On the other hand, there might be a few actual fish caught or none at all. The advantage of serving Christ far outweighs anything else. The men “brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him."
The Continued Miracles of Jesus
When one reads of the miracles that Jesus performed, it seems impossible that all wouldn’t follow Him. Those physically impaired continued to seek Him out. Those with diseases, He didn’t discriminate, He healed them.
14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:14-15
Luke tells us that Jesus traveled from town to town continually being greeted by multitudes of people. In one town there was a man who had leprosy. Now leprosy during those days was considered to be contagious with no cure. Considered to be “unclean,” no one was to touch someone with leprosy. In fact, the leper was to live outside the city or camp so that person would not defile others (see Numbers 5:2-4).
But Jesus did not take that view. The leper discussed in verses 12-14 obviously believed in the healing ability of Jesus and Jesus reached back. “Lord, if you will, you can
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make me clean.” Jesus, reaching out to touch the man, said “I will; be clean.” And the man was cured of leprosy.
More and more people sought Him out. In the verses 18-26 we read of this seeking with another story of faith and the healing that came. To what lengths would you go for a friend who was ill or physically impaired? In verse 18, friends carried a paralyzed man on a stretcher, seeking to see Jesus. This paralyzed man was their friend who they understandably wanted him to walk again. They had heard about the healing powers of Jesus and, no doubt, sought Him for help. But they weren’t the only ones. There were so many people clamoring to see Jesus that these men carrying their friend couldn’t get in through the doors. So how did they get in? They “went up on the roof and let him down with his bed.” Now that is faith! Jesus, in response to their persistence in reaching out to Him, told them “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Only God can forgive sin. David, realizing his sin and heavily burdened by it, reached out to God for mercy and grace:
“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment.”
Psalm 51:4
To say the least, the scribes and the Pharisees were not pleased. “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
It is important to note that Jesus was God in flesh. Knowing this, one can understand Jesus’ response to the scribes and Pharisees: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then, looking at the paralyzed man, Jesus told him to “rise, pick up your bed and go home.” We’re told in verse 25 that the man did just that - he “rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home.” What did the man do along the way? He glorified God! What was the reaction of all who saw this miracle? We’re told that they were amazed and they, too, “glorified God.”
“We have seen extraordinary things today.”
Luke 5:26
Choosing the Unexpected
Starting when we’re young, we pick and choose the people we want to be friends with or hang around with. Some of them perhaps you weren’t sure about at the time you chose them, yet have turned out to be longtime friends. Jesus chose men for His “inner circle” who others questioned why. One of these men Luke tells us about in verses 27-32. His name is Levi (his Jewish name). He will later be called Matthew.
Now, Matthew is a known sinner, a tax collector whose reputation as such brought him hatred from the Jewish people. John MacArthur states in his book Twelve
Sinners and Christ
Jesus came to earth to save us! From the days of Adam and Eve, man has sinned. No one is perfect. The Apostle Paul reminds us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Jesus says in Luke 5:32: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Ordinary Men that “tax collectors were the most despised people in Israel.” However, in verse 27, Jesus tells Matthew “Follow me.” And he did! He walked away from all he had and followed Jesus. Jesus and His apostles astonished the scribes and pharisees by later eating at Matthew’s house with other degenerates. Why? Because Jesus, like a physician, could heal them. The scribes and the Pharisees, on the other hand, were too haughty, believing they themselves were indeed perfect and needed no spiritual healing.
Jesus and the New Covenant
In verse 33, the Pharisees seek again to find fault with Jesus: “the disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” Jesus draws a comparison with that of a bridegroom and the wedding party who are celebrating, having a cheerful joyous gathering. The disciples were celebrating the presence of Jesus. As Jesus points out, the day will come when “the bridegroom shall be taken away from them.” He is referring to His crucifixion. There will then be sorrow on the part of His people who will then fast.
What was meant by the parable that Jesus told of the
wine and wineskins? Quite simply, one cannot put new wine into an old wineskin because that wineskin has already expanded fully. If you put new wine into an old wineskin, the fermentation of the new wine will cause the old wineskin to break. Perhaps R. C. Sproul said it best: “You can’t take the kingdom of God and the arrival of Jesus and simply put it on top of the Pharisees’ traditions.” They represented the “old wine.” The new wine is that of the new covenant of Jesus.
The Pharisees were living a legalistic life. They became self-righteous. They were consumed totally with the adherence with the laws. It’s not that the laws were wrong. They had been provided by a holy God.
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However, mankind was generally not able to obey the laws fully, and even if they did, the laws could not give the people a new life that can only be found in Christ. Dr. David Jeremiah states that “Jesus came to bring a new way of life based on His work and faith in His name.”
Below is Scripture from Hebrews10:19-22 which speaks to “the full assurance of faith.” The faith we all need to have in Jesus Christ:
Insight into the book of Hebrews: When was it written? Some believe it was written between A.D. 59-63. Others feel it was written sometime between A.D. 65-68.
Who is the author of Hebrews? It is unclear who exactly is the author. Names of possible authors include Paul, Barnabas, Luke, Apollos, or Silvanus.
Who was Hebrews written for?The Jewish Christians who had been converted to Christianity. Times then, as they are today, were difficult for those who declared their faith in Jesus Christ.
What is the message of Hebrews? There are three words repeatedly used in describing the message or theme behind Hebrews: the “superiority of Jesus.” And such supremacy of the One who died for us, the One who is on our side, makes perseverance in following Jesus the right choice regardless of what persecution lies ahead in doing so.
Luke 6 - Jesus Speaks
Chapter 6 begins with the Pharisees once again trying to catch Jesus and His disciples in violating the law. And once again being disproved.
It is the Sabbath. (Note: the ESV version of the Bible states only that “On a Sabbath…” whereas other versions of the Bible, such as the NKJV, states in verse 1 of Luke 6 “Now it happened on the second Sabbath
after the first…”) The disciples are hungry. They find solace in the grains of wheat, separating the grain from the chaff, and eating the grains. However, “rubbing” constituted threshing in the eyes of the Pharisees, which was one of the prohibited acts to be performed on the Sabbath.
In verse 2, they ask Jesus in an astonished way “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” We don’t know what, if any, facial expression Jesus had with this question. But if He did have one, it was probably one of puzzlement and, no doubt, bewilderment. The Pharisees had taken it upon themselves to add 39 prohibitions to the fourth Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” As Christians, we are not to add to God’s commands. Period. These religious leaders had turned the fourth commandment into a strict smothering regulation. They went beyond what the Lawgiver intended.
Jesus says in Mark 2:27 that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” On the Sabbath day we should take care of others with burdens.
Jesus, undoubtedly, knew what these Pharisees were up to. They had made themselves to be the authorities, judge, and jury, brazen enough to question and judge Jesus, the Son of God! He reminded them of “what David did when he was hungry.”
“…he [David] entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him.”
In the case of necessity, ceremonial appointments (such as that of the priests) may be overlooked. David needed to feed his men. In the case of Jesus’ disciples, He knew they were hungry as well.
Jesus also knew the Pharisees ate fine foods on the Sabbath! Such foods were obtained and prepared by the labor of servants these religious leaders had.
13“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 14And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
As a reminder, however, as to who the day belongs to, Jesus tells the Pharisees that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man With a Withered Hand
Sometime later, on another Sabbath day, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue. Amongst those listening to
The Son of Man is Given Dominion Daniel states in 7:13-14:(Continued from page 4)
Jesus is a man whom the Bible says has a “withered” or shriveled hand. Now who do you suppose is also nearby listening to Jesus? If you said the Pharisees you’d be correct! Again, they are trying to catch Him on the Sabbath day, not grasping who Jesus is!
Jesus knows these religious leaders are watching Him! Would He actually heal someone on the Sabbath?
Jesus tells the man with the withered hand to “Come and stand here.” The man obliges. Jesus, now turning His attention to the Pharisees, asks them “is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” (See verse 9) Looking around, Jesus tells the man with the withered hand to “stretch out your hand.” When the man did, the hand had been restored!
Instead of rejoicing in seeing this miracle, the Pharisees became angry! Why would they behave like this? They were once again upset that Jesus did this on the Sabbath! Their infatuation with both control and power was being threatened by Jesus. They refused to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior who had come to save the world. In the end, their actions answered the question Jesus asked in verse 9.
The Choosing of the Twelve
Now Jesus would go quite frequently to a desolate place to be alone and pray to His Heavenly Father. After praying all night, Jesus gathered all His disciples together, choosing twelve men “whom He named apostles.” They were:
Peter
Andrew
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James (the son of Alphaeus)
Simon (called the Zealot)
Judas (the son of James)
Judas Iscariot (who became a traitor)
The Sermon on the Mount
Jesus and His twelve disciples made their way down from the mountain. He stood in the plain, surrounded by not only His disciples but crowds of people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. These people had heard of
His healing, of His preaching. They wanted to touch Him, to be healed. They persevered as they knew He had the power to drive out illnesses and demons (see verse 19). The Matthew-Henry commentary put this truth out: “they were all, one way or another, better off because of Him.” Indeed.
The Beatitudes
Jesus begins His sermon to the multitude of people. They were no doubt expecting to hear cheerful, happy statements from Jesus. What they heard, instead, was truth. Truth as to what was to come (using both Luke 6:20-22 and Matthew 5:3-11):
• Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
• Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
• Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
• Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
These may seem upside down in this world we live in, but they aren’t in God’s Kingdom. In their book, What’s in the Bible?, R. C. Sproul and Robert Wolgemuth said this of the Beatitudes (the word “Beatitude” means blessing or a guide), “God’s blessing gave the people a future heavenly hope, but it was also in the present: the here and now. Imagine the impact of Jesus’ words on those who listened.” Imagine the impact on all of our lives if today we would follow the teachings of Jesus, reading the Beatitudes and realizing that current suffering will be no more in the Kingdom of God. Put your faith in Christ, stay obedient to God, and have that personal relationship with Him, our Heavenly Father.
Warnings
Woe:
This word is defined as “deep distress or misery, as from grief.”
Some synonyms: sadness, sorrow, despair, torment.
After declaring the Beatitudes, Jesus then delivers some admonitions to those who perhaps thought their achievements precluded any harsh judgments. He spoke “woes” to people who were giving themselves pats on the back, so to speak, for what they thought they pulled off. He declared “woe to you who are rich,” “woe to you who are full now,” “woe to you who laugh now,” and “woe to you, when all people speak well of you.”
Spiritual Riches are the real wealth. The reality of wealth attained is that it is temporary. The possessions associated with wealth are fleeting. They are
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nontransferable to one’s eternal life. To those consumed with “having it all,” personally partaking in the finer things of life while overlooking the needs of the poor, “woe to you who are rich.” Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet, Amos, exclaimed the disgust God had with the way the wealthy were living - full of pride, having “houses of ivory” - all the while tormenting and deceiving the poor. “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,” cries out Amos.
Lesson to be learned: the poor, who are without yet continue to place their faith and trust in God, will be the true winners at the end, for “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Jesus further says “Woe to you who are full now” to those whose cups runneth over with pride. They are on full display with their physical
In the jesuswalk.com website, the author speaks of those laughing as ones who are not grieved by the state of society. They do not grieve for the detestable things that go on in the world. There is no remorse. How sad that is!
Lesson to be learned: During times of detestable actions in this broken world, many will not laugh, but mourn, crying tears of sorrow. However, those that find despicable actions laughable will one day “mourn and weep,” wishing they had been righteous in their days. Such uncaring, repugnant behavior toward sin does not go unnoticed before God. He grieves. We should grieve too.
Sometime early on in the sixth century BC, having seen enough abomination, God told the prophet Ezekiel:
“Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
The Matthew Henry Commentary states this: “A work of grace in the soul is to God a mark upon the forehead, which He will acknowledge as His mark; and by which “the Lord knows those who are His.” (See 2 Timothy
The fourth woe Jesus states is “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” How many of us seek praise from everyone? We want a trillion likes on our Facebook page. We want everyone to like us at school and at work. This is not what we should be striving for.
needed - the bread of life. Jesus tells the people in John 6:26-27:
26“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves.27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal.”
Jesus says in John 6:35:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”
He goes on to say in John 6:51:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
The third woe Jesus states is “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Who is Jesus talking to? Is it those who are in high spirits all the time? Is it those who are party animals, enjoying the entertainment around them? Is it those who are so carefree that they have little or no feelings for those around them?
Lesson to be learned: we are not here on earth to be liked by everyone. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world.” Do not engage in a popularity contest. Instead, pursue your faith in Christ regardless of what others might say. It’s for eternity.
What to Do About Enemies
Jesus continues His sermon on the Mount by addressing our actions to those who don’t like us. We are to remember that not everyone will like us. That’s a given. But Jesus, in verses 27 through 36, tells us, as Christians, to love those who show hatred to us.
He points the people to what we call the “Golden Rule” in verse 31. To paraphrase: Treat others the way you wanted to be treated. If we all lived according to the Golden Rule, the world would be a better place.
Judging Others
In verse 37, Jesus says we are not to judge or condemn. As Christians, we should discern, but not have an arrogant demeanor about us. We are to forgive others and give accordingly. The measure of giving “will be measured back to you.”
15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world.
1 John 2:15-16
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Parables
What is a parable? A parable is not just a story. Sproul and Wolgemuth said a parable “delivered a parallel truth.” Jesus used parables throughout His ministry in order to connect with the crowd the message He was conveying. In Luke 6:39-49, Jesus talks about:
• A blind man leading a blind manJesus was referring to the Pharisees who had lost their way. Joel Ryan, in his crosswalk.com article, reminds us that the Pharisees were power hungry, influencing those in the political realm. They were hypocrites, “spiritually bankrupt, legalistic, and self-centered.” Yet, here they were trying to lead God’s people - the blind leading the blind. Jesus would change that.
• Looking at the faults of others - in this parable, Jesus tells the people to address the sins in their own lives before pointing out the sins in others. We should not hold ourselves above others. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Let’s be honest about our own sins, confronting and addressing them before judging others.
• A tree and the fruit it produces - in verses 43-45, Jesus speaks of the impact a good tree has versus that of one that isn’t good. He speaks of figs and grapes that come from trees and vines, not from “thorn bushes” or a “bramble bush,” respectively. The same can be said of a good person versus that of an evil person. The heart of a
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
and not do what I tell you?” In so doing, the person mocks Jesus. We must not only hear the words of Jesus but follow them as well Show Him that you not only respect Him, but will do His will too! In verses 47-49, Jesus speaks to the need to not only follow Him, but to also put into action the Word He preaches. In so doing, the person addresses both his or her soul as
disregarded the one with authority. In verse 46, Jesus asks the people “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’
well as eternity. Jesus equates such to a man building a house with the foundation sitting on the rock. The house is confronted with all sorts of troubles and turmoil. But it withstands such because it is well built. A house with no foundation will not stand against the trials it faces. People who listen and do according to the will of the Lord have as their foundation Jesus who is the “Rock of Ages.” Isaiah 26:4 says
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
James 1:22 tells us to “be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
In today’s unprecedented times, listen to the words of Christ, trust in Him and do all that He asks.
3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 (ESV)
The
