A.
BACKGROUND
... Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" is his longest speech in the Bible. Only John's Gospel version of the Last Supper has more teaching. Jesus' teaching style is two-fold, mostly. First, short and to the point. Second, parables that teach a truth through a story. Of course, the best way to teach is by example, which he does for three years day in and day out. Today we gt an example of a parable and an example from his daily life.
B.
TODAY,
... Luke 6:46-7:10.
C. SUMMARY. Jesus asks his outdoor "congregation" what is the difference between those who hear what he says and apply it, and those who don't? He compares them to people who build a house well, with a good foundation, and those who build shoddily or hastily, with no foundation. Each homeowner and home are subject to harsh storms. The folks without a foundation find their house swept away. The strong foundation house withstands the storm. Chapter 7 opens after the Sermon on the Mount ends. As he enters a town a delegation of Jewish leaders asks him to heal the slave of a Roman Centurion. The Roman treated Jews respectfully, so they appeal on his behalf. Agreeing, Jesus heads toward the house but is again me by a delegation sent by the Roman Centurion. He says he's not worthy to receive Jesus, but understands authority. He asks Jesus to just "say the word" and the slave will be healed. Jesus marvels at such faith.
D. KEY POINTS:
1.
FOUNDATION. Jesus' point is that applying, living his teachings will keep you strong in the face of life's hardships. Note, both the well-built house and the poorly built house face threatening storms. The song "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is true of everybody! Thus, the real question is, how to prepare? Getting fired, getting sick, getting disappointed, getting hurt, getting attacked or ignored or abused - the list of outrages is endless. Jesus used his life to help us build a foundation strong enough to withstand the storm. Here's my list of "foundation materials": Trust in God, faith in Jesus' teaching, confidence in yourself, willingness to really apply Jesus' teachings, support of community (family, church, friends), bedrock (look at that word), values (look at that word, too!). And I would add, it helps to have faith/belief/confidence/trust in eternity. Heaven. That there really is something after this when all the ups and downs, hurts, injustices, sorrow - they all get sorted out to your advantage.
2. Speaking of FAITH! The Roman Centurion story is interesting on so many levels. Here's the hated enemy, a powerful soldier of the occupying army, the oppressor. Yet he defies stereotype and history to befriend the Jews. And he truly loves his slave. The Jews overcome their rightful indignation at Rome's abuse to see this roman as an individual. He goes to bat for them; they go to bat for him. The innocent in the middle is the anonymous slave, who benefits from the "loving kindness" and openhearted-ness of Romans and Jews. Together, they show their faith by reaching out to Jesus, asking for help, and trusting in the efficacy of his word. Interestingly, this real-life story connects to the earlier parable. In the parable Jesus invites us to put his word into practice as a defense against life's storms. In the real-life story, the Roman and the Jews are willing to count on Jesus' word (Ch. 7:7)
3. Our CHALLENGE is to take 2,000-year-old words and live by them. Start somewhere and build from there. Let's say you obey "thou shalt not kill", mostly easy enough. Move on to "thou shalt not covet". Maybe you "love your neighbor" well enough. Try "love your enemies". Maybe you "feed the hungry" in various ways. Are you ready for embracing the leper, the prisoner, the lonely? Baby steps are still steps.
