Vineyards were common in the days of Jesus in that part of the world.The vine appeared on Jewish coinage, and was often carved on the door of a synagogue.The vine was interwoven in the life and thought of Jesus’ hearers.
In John 15:1a, 5a, we see the above statements – I am the true vine and you are the branches. It indicates the most intimate and vital union between Christ and His disciples; the branch draws its very life from the vine. It is intertwined with it and partakes its very nature from the vine.
In Christ’s prayer in John 17, the Lord prayed, “That all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You” (vs21). The spiritual union with Christ is one of the wonders of the Christian life!
The apostle Paul referred to this union as “In Christ” in his 13 epistles no less than 160 times – hence the significance of being “in Christ”, union with Christ.
There is a union of wills – a fusion of our will with God’s will. The conflict of life is principally a conflict of will – man’s will in conflict with God’s will – and victory comes when man’s will is surrendered to God.
There is a union of purpose. When united to Christ we are no longer divided personalities suffering the dichotomy of the fleshly and the spiritual nature. We live to fulfil God’s holy purpose for our life.
But this union is conditional – Christ said, “If you abide in Me” (vs7). There are many things that can interpose themselves between the vine and the branches. There are forces and influences that would break the union and rob the branch of its life-giving power from the vine. This is vital for us to recognise and acknowledge – for it explains why Christians and the church lack life and power. These forces may be manifested in uncontrolled temper, undisciplined desires, debilitating lethargy, careless talk and these often “spoil the vineyards of our lives and also spoil the tender grapes (the tender ‘grapes’ of life)”.
But perhaps one force or influence that is so prominently responsible for ‘damaging the vineyards’ of the church and God’s people is our intellectual pride. The impulse to trust and follow the leading of human reason in religion, rather than be content simply to take God’s word for things. The impulse to exalt reason over revelation, and the sense of outrage which is so widely felt when the authority of reason in religion is challenged? Note that such a spirit springs from sin.
The impulse to indulge oneself in believing something other than what God has said is an expression of the craving to be independent of God, which is the essence of sin. Our sinful arrogance prompts us to aspire after independence of God in the realm of knowledge. We want to be intellectually autonomous, intellectually self-made men.
When the fires of spiritual life burn low in the church, the sinful lust for intellectual autonomy reasserts itself. Only a new outpouring of spiritual life can clear the spiritual vision and bring home to the minds of Christians the power, the authority, and the meaning of “God’s Word written” and enable them to see their mental sins, their intellectual compromises and betrayal of truth, for what they are and give them strength of mind to repent and cast out the sinful ways of thinking.
And so in the same John 15, Jesus shared that the Father is the vinedresser. Union with Christ the Vine also involves a purging. To abide in Christ involves a purifying of heart and life. We must be weaned from all lesser loves, cleansed from selfishness, and sanctified by His Spirit. Too many Christians seem content with spiritual mediocrity.
The vine was more extensively pruned than any other tree, often to the very stump, But the more the dead branches were cut off and the greater the pruning or purging, the more vigorous and fruitful the growth. When life is purged of dead things then it will manifest its most virile life in Christ.
And here comes the most difficult part; it is hard to accept pruning and purging by God the Father! Even for the godly Job, he questioned why God was targeting him; even his closest friends accused him of terrible sins which caused his sufferings, which progressed from bad to worse, and his pain and agony grew in intensity when eveh his wife told him to curse God and die. We know that Job was not aware of a spiritual enemy in the being of Satan; we too must acknowledge that we are not aware of many things about God and His ways. But is it not enough to know that He is always good; always gracious, merciful, loving and true? When we look at the cross and Jesus’ crucifixion on our behalf for our reconciliation with God and to allow us to be adopted as children of God, with an eternal hope and future, dare we doubt the goodness and love of God?
But no, we still persist in questioning God and we continue to doubt His goodness and intentions. We think we know better; when Scripture is shared with us, we claim we know all of these truths – we have fixed our unchangeable conclusions that God is the One who caused all our pains; He is the One who ignore our prayers and pleas; almost everyone is ‘guilty’ of causing our troubles except our own shortcomings and intellectual pride and arrogance!
Yes. purging and pruning is painful; it is even more painful when we resist the loving hand of the Vinedresser. When we reject His loving hand of discipline, we interpose the vine from the branches; and as branches separated from the vital life and power of the Vine, we wither, dry up, and die spiritually, and as we die, we continue to raise our hands of rebellion and arrogance against heaven and the Lord. Unless we come to the conclusion of doubting Thomas – “My Lord and my God”, there is not much that can come out of all this. All the counselling, all the bible study, all the prayers may not yield what God desires when we continue to interpose between the Vine and the branches.
But when there is true recognition and repentance from the depths of our hearts and the preparedness to accept whatever God allows in our lives, not just now, but from now on until we see Him ‘face to face’, then the union of the branch with the Vine would be productive and fruit would emerge. There is a rich spiritual fertility that results from union with Christ – a mature tree is a fruit-bearing tree; this is the fruit of the Spirit that produces Christlike character (Galatians 5:22-23) and there is also the fruit of service unto God (which may not be obvious to those around, including Christians). God works from inside out and those who continue to abide in the Vine would enjoy the nutrition of life and power from Him and the fruit would appear by and by. It will not be artificial fruits which we can attach to the tree but they do not have life in themselves.
(B)
THE AWESOME AUTHORITY OF JESUS
As we study the Gospels, we note that the authority to which Jesus laid claim was absolute and unqualified. He appealed to no human authority; but put his teaching forward as diving in origin, and hence eternally valid in its own right.
“They were astonished by his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).
Jesus declared, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me” (John 7:16). In other words, Jesus was saying that his teachings are the teachings of God the Father. He added that he has not spoken on his own authority, but the Father who sent him has himself given him a commandment – what to say and what to speak (John 12:49-50).Therefore, “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Mark 13:31).
Jesus told his hearers that their eternal destiny depended on whether, having heard his words, they kept them (Mattews 7:24-27); for “the one who rejects me and does not receive my words…the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48).
As we study the Gospels, let us be mindful that we are not just seeking to increase our knowledge of the Gospels, but we are actually confronted by the authority of Jesus and his teachings. And Jesus expects us to receive his words and teachings and to do them – for there is eternal consequence and judgment based on how we respond to his teachings (for they are the very teachings of God).
Jesus spoke and taught with authority from God (he himself being the second person of the Godhead). We must therefore come before his teachings and words with reverence and humility; there is no place for us to reject what he has said and what he is still saying in the living Scripture.
(C)
THE ROYAL BRIDEGROOM BRINGING A RADICAL CHANGE AND NEW AGE
LUKE 5: 33-39
In verses 33-35, Jesus was questioned about fasting: ‘The disciples of the Pharisees and John the Baptist fast and pray – why Jesus’ disciples go on eating and drinking?’
Note Jesus’ reply: “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”(vs 35-35)
The Law of Moses demanded that God’s people fast only once a year , on the day of Atonement. The Pharisees, claiming to be devout, fasted twice a week. Fasting was designed both to indicate humble mourning at sin and intensify spiritual experience. Even John’s disciples prayed and fasted frequently and they asked why Jesus and His disciples did not fast.
Jesus’ reply depicted himself as the anointed Messiah, the ideal Bridegroom for His people. The ‘Bridegroom’ in the Old Testament and New Testament:
In Genesis 2:24 Adam and Eve, created in the image of God, are brought together as husband and wife – this relationship is to mirror the true relationship with God for which all humanity is created (Ephesians 5:22-33). Thus God is presented as the husband of His people in Isaiah 54:5 and Hosea 2:7,19, as well as in Jeremiah 3:14. God’s King is depicted in Psalm 45 as an ideal bridegroom to His people. God, as bridegroom to His people, promises His people that He has prepared a perfect wedding feast for them, where all that spoils this fallen world will be restored (Isaiah 25:6-9; Amos 9:13). The marriage banquet of heaven is the grand consummation of Christ’s gathering with His followers in eternal fellowship and felicity (Revelation19:6-9).
Jesus’ reply is a claim at least to royalty, possibly, divinity. His arrival as the Bridegroom for God’s people means that fasting is as inappropriate to His disciples as it would be at any wedding. In Isaiah 25, the inauguration of the Messianic banquet necessitated celebration (25:8-9). He is the Lord and Messiah we have waited for; hence we need to rejoice and be glad.
But in verse 35, in the context of intensified hostility, Jesus was already conscious of the cross, even at this stage of HIs ministry when He used the phrase “is taken away from them” – implying forcible removal.
Next we see three parables spoken by Jesus in verses 36-39. The first parable (v. 36) speaks of the radically new nature of Jesus’ work – Jesus cannot simply be ‘tacked on to’ the old. The second parable (v. 37) indicates the need for radical change in the structure of Israel’s religion. The third parable (v.39), which is unique to Luke, warns of the inevitable hostility to Jesus’ radical new work.
He has come as God’s anointed King, the Bridegroom of God’s people, He has come with God’s authority to declare sins forgiven (note the preceding chapters of Luke we have studied which feature His arrival with the announcement of the angels to Zechariah, Elizabeth (regarding the arrival of the messenger John), and Mary, as well as the declarations by Anna and Simeon at the temple; and His miracles, healing and declaration of forgiveness of sins with the calling of the sinners).
All these have implications for the temple, the priesthood, the religious establishment, and all the people. Now that the Anointed One has arrived, the old ways are redundant. Jesus and His work cannot simply be tacked onto the old, nor can He be poured into the existing system of Israel’s religion. Jesus is well aware that the religious leaders, who had grown so used to the Old Testament way of relating to God, were not going to like the implications of His manifesto and agenda. They are more concerned for their own man-made additions to God’s Law, and for their own religious reputation gained by keeping up appearances. But it is time to change!
Now that Jesus has arrived, nothing can ever be the same again for the Jews – His work, fulfilling all the Old Testament promises, requires new structures. Jesus had come as the long awaited Messiah to inaugurate a new age!
“The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Christ as the “last Adam” and “second Man) brings a whole new and infinite dimension to man. Paul here said that as Adam was the inaugurator of humanity, so Christ was the inauguration of eternal life. As Adam was the progenitor of everyman’s humanity, so Christ is the Progenitor of our spiritual sonship. As Adam was founder of the human race, so Christ ushered in the new order of a spiritual race. Christ, the last Adam, once and for all answered the ultimate question of death and gives life eternal to those who believe in Him. As we study the Gospels we need to see this clearly – He is the Mediator and the One who fulfills God’s eternal plan of salvation. In Luke 5, Jesus has not yet gone to the cross. After His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, the work of Christ is complete and we see the effects in all its comprehensiveness.
We see this explained clearly in Hebrews chapters 8,9, and 10 in “the New Covenant”.
But let us highlight some verses:
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15).
“But he (Christ) has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9: 26b-28)
(D)
JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH (Luke 6:1-11)
The Sabbath:
This is one day in seven set apart to mark our God’s people as those who looked forward to the New Creation. Sabbath simply means ‘rest’. In Genesis 2:1-3 God rested, or ‘Sabbathed’ on the seventh day. It is a mistake to think that God’s seventh day rest was inactive. Genesis 2:2 says that God rested from all his work that he had done – it does not say ‘God finished work’. So God did not stop working, nor could God have been tired! Rather, God’s rest, or ‘Sabbath,’ was the purpose for which He created the universe. This Sabbath rest is then described in Genesis 2:5-25. It involves God and humanity living together in Eden, His perfect world. Following the Fall (Gen.3) Adam and Eve were expelled from God’s perfect rest and consigned to live in a world under God’s judgment (Gen. 3:14-24).
Under Moses, the Sabbath day was established in order that God’s people might rest from physical labour. On the Sabbath, they were to enjoy the relationship with God for which God had rescued them, and to look forward to the ‘rest’ of His New Creation.
The Pharisee’s accusation against Jesus and his disciples in Luke 6 is on the basis of the interpretation of the Law. Jesus appeals to the prevalent set by David in 1 Samuel 21 – here not only does it underlined the claim to the Davidic throne, but also, because it is taken from a period in Israel’s history when God’s true king was being persecuted by a false pretender to the throne, it exposes the Pharisees’ hostility. The situation in which Jesus and His disciples find themselves is remarkably similar to that of David in 1 Samuel. Jesus points out that when God’s King was in need in the Old Testament, the requirement of the Law was superseded by the King’s need for food. The Law, with its demands, was therefore to serve the King, the anointed. The Pharisees should realise that a similar situation was confronting them now that Jesus the true Bridegroom was present.
Everything that the Sabbath anticipated is to be found in Him – the Sabbath was made for Jesus. He is the rest towards which the Sabbath looked. Now that He has arrived, all the Sabbath legislation is to be re-interpreted in the light of Him. God’s KIng supersedes the Law and the Law serves God’s King – new wine requires new wineskin!
With reference to the second Sabbath incident, the old garment and old wineskins of the religious establishment need replacing. On the Sabbath the people of God were meant to be looking forward to a New Creation where the Lord restored all that is broken in the fallen world. Jesus has self-evidently come as Bridegroom (Luke 5:34) and Son of Man (Luke 6:5; see also Daniel 7) to save.The Pharisees are so intent upon protecting their man-made rules that they are neither willing to do good nor to ‘save life’ on the Sabbath.
Hebrews 4 highlighted God’s displeasure with Israel and the latter’s not entering the promised land, the place of rest in God, and the death of all those who disobeyed God with unbelief in the wilderness. The promised land is a type of the ultimate rest (Sabbath) in God in the new heavens and new earth, the rest promised to all those who believe in Jesus and continue to trust and obey Him until they enter into this wonderful hope of eternal rest in the Lord. This is the rest similar to that which God mentioned after creating the world and resting on the seventh day. It depicts a state of relationship and a fellowship with God which He intended for man. Unfortunately, this rest was disrupted by man’s rebellion and sin against Him in the garden of Eden. Yet God is still working towards re-establishing this rest for man, a rest which is even more beautiful and wonderful, in the eternal heaven and earth to come (where there no longer will be illness, evil, death, and suffering – the snapshots of these are seen in Jesus’ healing, driving out demons, raising the dead, in the Gospels – pointing to the ultimate reality in the eternal future).
We who believe in Jesus have this hope and rest (sabbath) to look forward to, even in a midst of a broken world with broken relationships. To realise this ultimate rest (sabbath), we must not regress to unbelief and disobedience. But even in the present context, we can already enter into this rest; it is provided for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. To those who are weary and heavy-laden, He will give rest. We need only to come to Jesus, share His yoke, and find that His burden is not heavy (Matt. 11:28). This rest in Him will continue to carry us through our pilgrimage on earth until we enter the ultimate rest in God.
We see in Hebrews 4 a clarification of the Sabbath rest for God’s people:
“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did, but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’
And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” And again in the passage above, he says,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today’.This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also rest from their own work, just as God did from his. Let us therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:1-11)
When Moses gave the command to keep the Sabbath holy (and the Pharisees kept that diligently, but also by adding more statutes and rules to the Sabbath), the keeping of the physical Sabbath was in fact looking towards the spiritual Sabbath which was not given by Moses or Joshua, but by the ultimate Son of David, the Son of man, the divine Son of God who is Lord of the Sabbath! This spiritual Sabbath (rest) is in a relationship of love in Christ, a relationship of obedience to Him, which begins when we are ‘born again’, regenerated – it is a rest in Him, to be still in Him, for He is God. The questions we need to ask is not whether we should do this or do this on the Sabbath; the question we need to ask is, “Are we resting in God; are we trusting Him, are we keeping a posture of obedience and fellowship with Him on the Sabbath? – doing all for His glory and honour – continuing to do this all the rest of the days of our life until we enter the ultimate rest (Sabbath) in the new heavens and new earth, with the Triune God!
(E)
ETERNAL WELFARE AT STAKE
Luke 6:11 – “But the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were furious (with murderous madness as in some translation) and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”
Ever wonder why those who were supposed to know the truths became furious when the truths were presented to them? And have we ever thought of the consequences for such individuals who rejected the Lord Jesus and God’s plan of salvation and the ultimate eternal rest (Sabbath) in Him?
The problem of authority is the most fundamental problem that the Christian church ever faces. This is because Christianity is built on truth – that is to say, on the content of a divine revelation. Christianity announces salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, in and through whom that revelation came to completion but faith in Jesus Christ is possible only when the truth concerning him is known.
But if the truth is rejected or perverted, faith is overthrown (2 Timothy 2:18) and men come under the power of a lie (2 Thess. 2:10-12), with terrible consequences.
We may find it hard to take seriously the idea that one’s eternal welfare may depend on what one believes, but the apostles were sure that it was so. Theological error was to them a grim reality, as was the spiritual shipwreck which comes in its wake.
It is even sadder and more tragic when those who are supposedly trained in the truths, and are expected to be able to teach, preach, and uphold the truths (like the teachers and Pharisees), refuse to accept the truths but decide to uphold their own version and understanding of truths in order to preserve their position and stature in the religious establishment. The consequences would certainly be disastrous as they also influence and affect those under their care and purview.
(F)
JESUS CHRIST, GOD INCARNATE, IS CLOTHED IN HIS GOSPEL
As we study the Gospels, we see the focus on the passion week, the mission and purpose of the God-man, the accomplishment of God’s eternal salvation plan in the cross, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Son of God, the Son of Man.
We would realise, in the Gospels, that the object of faith is not merely God, but the triune God – more specifically the triune God revealed in Christ – not only Christ as the facilitator of union with God or one among many intercessors or as the Supreme example to follow in order to become united with God, but as the saving God incarnate as he is clothed in his gospel.
Those who recognised this in the Gospels received healing, saving, restoration, and eternal life; those who missed this and rejected the God incarnate received condemnation, judgment, and spiritual death, even those who supposedly are teachers of the Law and Scripture, and those who felt themselves secure because they thought they belonged to God’s people.
A saving union with God occurs only through union with Christ, who is God with us and also us with God. To be in Christ is to live in God, not just before him, because Christ is the divine Lord and human servant of the covenant. He voluntarily, in love, took our nature upon himself to impart to us what was his, and to become both Son of God and Son of man in common with us. United with him, believers now enter into the holy harmonious relationship that he enjoys with the Father and the Spirit!
In the Gospels, we see many, including the Pharisees, asking who he is, as they noted his healing, miracles, his authority over sickness, nature, death and his ability to forgive sins. But sadly, many were looking at him as a mere man, and did not see him as God incarnate, as the God-man.
They did not see him as prophet, priest and king – through his threefold office, the ultimate aim of our redemption is completed, namely our being re-created in the consummated image of Christ.
As Adam fell not only for himself, but for his posterity, Christ “did not rise for himself alone; for lhe came that he might restore everything that had been ruined in Adam.”(1 Cor. 15:21)
As Prophet, Jesus reveals the Father like no other prophet before him, because he was with the Father in eternity and shares the same divine nature. In fact, it is to him that all of the prophets pointed.
Jesus Christ is also the KIng, although for now this kingdom is spiritual rather than geo-political, as it was in the old covenant. We acknowledge God as the ruler in the face of the man Christ – he is the only head of the church, and that which may be accurately identified as the church finds its unity in his sole headship. For now, this kingdom of Christ is always opposed, often with brutal intensity, but its conquest is already secured by the victory of its king. This truth is essential for us Christians today; in the face of opposition, brutal and intense at times, we must recognise that in Christ, victory and conquest has already been secured – it is difficult to perceive this because his kingdom is spiritual and not seen in the visible and his work is hidden from our physical eyes and perception – but the faithful and those with eyes of faith in him would see and discern this total reality – and hence they need not lose heart, for they know that the ‘already and not yet’ would soon give way to the consummation and reality in God’s timing. Thus the just and righteous shall live by faith (in him, our object of faith and worship).
Scripture also places the spotlight on his priestly ministry. The entire gospel consists mainly in the death and resurrection of Christ. But Christ’s saving work does not begin at the cross; his incarnation and thirty-plus years (recorded in the Gospels) are not merely a prerequisite for his atoning death. Assuming our humanity and fulfilling all righteousness in his active obedience are essential for our redemption. From the time when he took on the form of a servant, he began to pay the price of liberation in order to redeem us. “The Word was made flesh” (John 1:14) should not be understood to mean the Word was turned to flesh or confusedly mingled with flesh; rather the Son of God became the Son of man – not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. His divinity is so joined and united with his humanity that each retains its distinctive nature unimpaired, and yet these two natures constitute one christ. Scripture repeatedly attributes both human and divine characteristics to the one person, Jesus Christ.
God has descended all the way to us and accomplished everything we need in his Son. After his ascension, Jesus promised his disciples that he would return at the end of the age (Acts 1:11), but Jesus also promised them that he would be with them and us, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). This is accomplished only by the power of the Spirit, who unites us with the ascended Christ. In this way, Christ is personally present on the earth in power, and one day he will return to the earth to judge and to reign over the whole earth forever.
As shared, Christ’s supreme reign is not visible in the daily news; we live by promise, on the basis of already-accomplished events, recorded in the Gospels. We live in an intermission in which the powers of the age to come break in upon us by the Spirit’s mysterious work. We lived in an ambiguous tension between the “already” and the “not yet”. Let us persevere to live by faith, by promise, with the certain hope in him that he would judge and he would make all things new when he comes again.
(G)
JESUS CHRIST – THE GOD-MAN (divine-human person)
“The Word became flesh” in John 1:14 means more than that he encased himself in a physical body. It means he took to himself, and entered right into, everything that contributes to a fully human experience.
In the Gospels, we see Jesus as a healthy first-century male before his death at thirty-three – because of that he can now enter sympathetically into all human experiences, those of girls and women, sick individuals, the aged, no less than those of young males like himself. Thus he is able to give to all the help toward right living that we all need.
“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18 and also 4:15-16).
The church has always known this – that is why such ideas as that Jesus was not really human (though he appeared to be), or that the incarnate Son had no human mind or will, have always been condemned as heresy.
This understanding is significant: It means what whoever we are, whatever our gender, whatever age, how healthy or unhealthy we are (physically, mentally, emotionally), whatever the circumstances and situations we are in, – Jesus is able to identify with us; he is able to empathise; and he is indeed able to help us in our struggles – and Christians have been constantly asking Jesus to help them in their difficulties since the day of the apostles, and constantly declaring that he does.
The Jesus of the New Testament experienced everything in the unity of his divine-human person, and his experiencing of life was more vivid than ours because his sensitivity had not been dulled at any point.
The true Christian claim here is that incarnation made direct entry into human frustration and pain possible for the Son of God, who then out of love actually entered in person into the agony of crucifixion and the greater agony of God-forsakenness (Mark 15:34) in order to bear our sins and so redeem us. Never ever forget this truth and never let this claim be played down.
(H)
THE RADICAL NEW WORK OF JESUS’ AND ‘THE NEW WINE’ (Luke 6:12-19)
In the previous chapters of Luke (chapter 1 to 6:11), we see the radical agenda of Jesus rocking the religious leaders and establishment. They failed to see who Jesus really was, and also the radical work and the inauguration of the new age in God (seen in the reference to him as the ‘new wine’ versus the ‘old wine’; the Bridegroom; and the Son of God and King; and Lord of the Sabbath).
It is in this context 6: 12-19 that Jesus now summons and appoints His twelve apostles – a new leadership for the people of God – the foundation of HIs new people (the ‘building blocks’ of the Apostles). He goes on from verse 20 to verse 36 to describe what it looks like to become part of His family, and then how to live as a member of that family.
It is crucial to realise that Jesus came as God-incarnate, the Messiah, in fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament’s prophets, to inaugurate a “new creation” to ‘replace the old creation in Adam’, and begin a new humanity of God’s people (as seen in the establishment of the New Covenant to replace the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13; Ephesians 1:3-14).
This is what the “new wine” represents as versus the “old wine”; this is what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees that they could not tack the “old” onto the “new” -Jesus and His work cannot simply be tacked onto the old, nor can He be poured into the existing system of Israel’s religion – the Anointed One has arrived, and the old ways are redundant.
It is helpful to note that Jesus’ appointment of twelve Apostles is both highly significant and profoundly provocative. He has just exposed the absolute failure of Israel’s leadership and the need for ‘new wineskins’ – now He appoints twelve new leaders.
His night of prayer on the mountain emphasises the divine commission of the Twelve. This commission mirrors Moses’ appointment of leaders for God’s people at Mount Sinai. Note the comparison and contrast with the twelve tribes of Israel (the twelve sons of Jacob were the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel). At Mount Sinai, Moses chose leaders from the twelve tribes as heads over them (Deut. 1:9-18) – the symbolic significance of the twelve tribes as representing the people of God in the Old Testament context is now compared and contrasted with the twelve Apostle (leaders of the people of the New Covenant and New Testament context).
Note also Revelation 21:12-14: “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
This is a description of the New Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb, the Holy City. Further verses in Revelation 21 reveal that “the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk in its light…..Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. This is in fact the description of the new heaven and the new earth with God dwelling among His people. And notice that the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles are represented there in this city – this reveals the progressive revelation of the salvation plan of God – although the old is replaced by the new – both are in God’s progressive revelation of His salvation plan, and those who were faithful in the Old Covenant and those who are faithful in the New will be among those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”.
This is seen picturesquely in Romans 11: “For if their rejection (the Israelites) brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have been broken off and you (the Gentiles), though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive tree, do not consider yourself to be superior to those olive branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you…..they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either….Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God is able to graft them in again.” (11:15-23).
The careful recording of the appointment and naming of the twelve Apostles has a purpose; it is designed to give real confidence as to the identity of the ‘eyewitnesses’ on whom Luke’s account depends. That those twelve were known by name, and were deliberately appointed with divine authorisation for the specific task of Apostleship, is important for confidence in their testimony. If any group in the early church was responsible for the transmission of Jesus’ teaching it was this group. They were the ‘fresh wineskins’ (Luke 5:38) – the new leadership – of the people of God – it indicates that Jesus’ saving work will involve establishing a whole new foundation for God’s people.
(I)
THE FAMILY PROFILE OF GOD’S PEOPLE (Luke 6:20-26)
The words ‘poor’, ‘rich’, ‘hungry’ and ‘full’ must be read according to their context in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus has already used the term ‘poor’ and placed it firmly within the context of Isaiah’s prophecy. The ‘poor’, the ‘captives’ and the ‘oppressed’ in Luke 4:18 do not refer to all who are materially disadvantaged anywhere, but to those who recognise their spiritual poverty, the result of sin and God’s judgment.
The context, in verses 20-26, is again the key to correct understanding. Verses 20-22 are bracketed by the phrases ‘Looking at his disciples’ and ‘because of the Son of Man’.
Hence, in verses 20-24 the ‘you who are poor’, the ‘you who are hungry’, and ‘you who weep now’, and ‘the hated, excluded, insulted and rejected’ – these descriptions all refer specifically to Jesus’ disciples, who come to face the same kind of rejection that Jesus himself has already experienced (4:29; 5:30; 6:11).
Once again, Jesus is not making a universal promise to all materially poor people everywhere. Nor does God’s favour rest on all sad, hungry, or dispossessed people. This promise of God’s favour is for those who recognise their spiritual poverty (cf the Beatitudes in Matthew Gospel) and follow Jesus; in following Jesus they will experience rejection and exclusion, with their Master.
The ‘woes’ of verses 24-26 must also be read carefully in the light of their context. Verse 26 is a key indicator to who Jesus is speaking about and referring to. The Jewish establishment is in the process of rejecting Jesus (6:11). They are the ‘false prophets’ of Jesus’ day. They may well be popular (vs.26), wealthy (vs24), well-fed and happy (vs25), but if they reject Jesus they are just like the false prophets of old in the Old Testament.
Thys Jesus ‘woes’ are not universal statements condemning all who have money, food, happiness and friends. This is a condemnation of the unbelieving establishment figures who reject God’s true King ( the Bridegroom and Lord of the Sabbath), preferring all that the world has to offer.
Notice the contrast between present and future experiences which runs right through verses 20–26. The juxtaposition of ‘now’ and ‘for you will be..’ is found in verse 21 (twice) and verse 25 (twice). Verses 22-23 contrast present experience with future blessing. Verse 24 makes clear that those who make present wealth a priority over self-denying discipleship have received all they are going to get from God. The present experiences of a true disciple will mirror the past experiences of genuine prophets (verse 23). True disciples, like the prophets of old, should expect to experience real material disadvantage. There will be great contrasts between the Christ-rejecting world and the genuine disciple. Present experience, however, is no reliable barometer for future blessing. Appearances can be deceptive. God’s favour is reserved for those who follow the Son of Man (vs.22). His condemnation rests on those who reject Him (vs. 26). The understanding of this teaching is essential if believers are to remain confident as genuine disciples of Christ.
Christians who are genuine disciples must be prepared for suffering, reviling, insults, rejections, and even hatred from those who are followers of evil and the world’s false values and systems. They may also receive such negative treatment from supposedly fellow-believers just like Christ receiving such treatment from the Jewish establishment. So when such treatment is meted to us as we seek to follow Jesus sincerely, do not be surprised or taken aback. The Apostle Peter himself wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 TNIV).
But realise that this would increasingly be so as we approach the end-times. The book of Revelation reveals that true disciples of Christ would have to endure intense persecution, suffering and hate, particularly with the appearance of Antichrist, the false prophet and the manipulations of the evil one. In the midst of present experiences, cling to the future hope and look to the joy when His glory is revealed with His second coming. Do not fret or despair in such trying situations – realise that God’s blessings are upon those who undergo suffering for His sake.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. (1Corinthians 4:16-18).
(J)
SUFFERING: THE MEANING AND VALUE
We have noted in Luke 6 that the Lord Jesus told his disciples to expect suffering as they follow their Master, for the disciple is not greater than the master – and if Jesus had to undergo and endure suffering, even from the religious establishment, then the disciples cannot expect less.
Christian endurance means living lovingly, joyfully, peacefully, and patiently under conditions that we wish were different.
Suffering covers all forms of loss, hurt, pain, grief, and weakness – all experiences of rejection, injustice, disappointment, discouragement, frustration,and being the hurt of others’ hatred, ridicule, cruelty, callousness, anger, and ill-treatment – plus all exposure to foul, sickening, and nightmarish things that make you want to scream, run, or even die. Suffering in some shape or form is everyone’s lot from earliest days, though some know far more than others.
Suffering is specified in Scripture as part of every Christian’s calling. Suffering must be expected, and even valued, by all believers without exception. Suffering is to be expected, and we must prepare for it.
The world, of course, does not find value in suffering – it has no reason to. But Christians are in a different position, for the BIble assures us that God sanctifies our suffering to good ends. Our suffering produces character (Rom/5:3). Our suffering glorifies God (2 Cor. 12:9-10). And our suffering fulfills the law of the harvest. Before there is blessing anywhere, there will first be suffering somewhere. Jesus first announced this law when he declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone, but if it does, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
The formula “Truly, truly (or I tell you the truth) points out the importance of the announcement. The principle in nature that death is essential for further life was applied by Jesus to himself by inference. Wheat reproduces its own kind, and Jesus regarded his passion (death) in the same light. HIs death would produce life for many; and he (the sinless God-Man) suffers, not for his own sins and failures, but for the sin of fallen humanity in Adam in order to bring about new life and new creation for all those who follow him and believe in him.
And in the new creation, God’s dwelling place will be among the people, and He will dwell with them. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”(Revelation 21:4).
Jesus came into this world to accomplish this task – to make everything new. No longer will there be unnecessary pain, hatred, death, and suffering so rife, especially in today’s world. But to do that, he, the last Adam, has to take the place of sinful man on the cross, as a substitute, to die for fallen humanity and to bring new life and new creation when he rose again, and ascended, and will come again to rid this world of all evil, and to establish his new creation and new humanity for eternity. This is the Gospel message!
(K)
THE FAMILY LIKENESS (LUKE 6:27-36)
The command to ‘love your enemies’ comes twice in this section of Luke 6, like a pair of brackets (vv.27 and 35). Verses 35-36 provide a clear summary of this key principle. The issue is one of family likeness. Jesus’ point is not that loving enemies makes a person a child of God, but rather, that love, goodness, and generosity are all characteristics of God. He shows kindness to those who are not only ungrateful but also evil. Mercy is the nature of God. So those who are adopted to be children of God after regeneration should manifest the characteristic and nature of God – that is, to be kind, loving, generous and merciful to others, including ‘enemies’. This is perhaps one of the most difficult characteristics to adopt and manifest in our lives as Christians. It is particularly difficult if we have suffered much at the hand of those who hate the Lord Jesus and His disciples; also it is equally difficult to be merciful and kind to those to whom we have shown love and generosity in the past when they subsequently turned against us, not for our shortcomings as far we are aware, but because of ungratefulness, misunderstandings, envy, jealousy, or a mixture of all these, on their part.
In verses 27-28, Jesus instructs His disciples on how to respond to the hostility of the world. The context is important: ‘enemies’, those who hate, abuse and curse the disciples of Jesus, are enemies of the gospel and of gospel people. These verses must be read in light of Luke 6:11. In verses 29-30 Jesus explains what it looks like in practice to ‘love your enemies’. His commands are profoundly counter-cultural. Jesus encourages weakness in the face of hostility, vulnerability in the face of opposition, generosity in the face of need, and a readiness to sit loose to possessions. The Christian disciple will frequently experience intense opposition; the hatred of the world will be directed towards Jesus’ followers, but the response modelled by Jesus is to be mirrored by His people. As children of a merciful Father, they are to show a true family likeness; it suggests a deliberate action focused entirely on the absolute good of the other, to the disadvantage of self.
But some may conclude that such a response is ‘ridiculous’! Surely, there must be some qualifications; but Jesus offers none! His repeated comparison with those who are not His people – ‘even sinners’ (vv. 32,33 and 34) – emphasises the logic of His teaching even as it drives home the challenge. The essence of the Father’s character is generosity, goodness, and love. His love is shown to the ungrateful and evil. He shows mercy simply because He is merciful. Membership of His family demands an exhibition of the Father’s character. Failure to grasp this is a failure to grasp the seriousness of the call to discipleship.
Acts 7 records such a response and exhibition of God’s character in the life of a particular disciple:
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep (died). (Acts 7:59-60)
Imagine asking for forgiveness for those who were stoning him as he succumbed, with the injuries, pain, and hostility unleashed against him – surely this is something unexpected, and unnatural from a human point of view.
Notice a similarity with the response of Jesus in Luke23 as He hung on the cross: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’…..Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:34,46)
Some noted the probability that Stephen’s response in the face of opposition and death must have positively affected Saul, who was present, the very Saul who later was called Paul, one of the foremost apostles of Jesus.
Jesus’ response at the cross caused a positive response on the part of a centurion: ‘The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’ (Luke 23:47).
Somewhere else, Jesus had taught that if we are kind to those who are kind to us, what is the difference between us and even gentiles (who are also kind to those who are kind to them)? The implication is surely that Christians are expected to be different, to be like their heavenly Father.
Is it not true that when we are hurt and treated badly by others, we often respond under our breath, ‘I hope that person or persons get their just desert, and go to ‘hell’? Are we any different from the people of the world, if, as believers, we respond without any likeness to our heavenly family? Of course, Stephen could respond in a similar way like Jesus because he was filled with the Holy Spirit of God – but this is the end-result for us as believers as we are increasingly transformed to be like Jesus and take our place as genuine children of the Father – but we need to ask God to mould us into the likeness of the Father and not resist the work of God’s Spirit within us. We must not allow the down-drag of sin in our fallen makeup and system to dominate our response that is contrary to the family’s DNA God has implanted in us – it goes without saying that this is a constant battle between the desires of the flesh against the desires of the Spirit within us.
By carefully describing the present and future of His people, Jesus guards new disciples against false expectations. Just as Jesus was hated, excluded, reviled and rejected, so too will His disciples be in the present. Right expectations of God’s favour will guard Jesus’ disciples against dashed hopes. Because hostility for following Jesus is a mark of discipleship, so HIs persecuted people can afford to leap for joy, even as they experience hostility. They are favoured by God. God’s favour rests on His persecuted church, as Christians follow Jesus and name His name. Those who suggest that earthly wealth, health, popularity, promotion, pleasure and possessions are the expected norm for Christian disciples are neither teaching nor following the Jesus of the New Testament.
The way we respond to those who persecute us is to be modelled on the character of our Father in heaven. We are to be marked out as entirely different from ‘sinners’. Individual Christians will regularly face discrimination, We must respond in love, kindness, mercy, blessing and prayer.
It is interesting to note verse 11 of Revelation 12 (Revelation is the last book in the Bible):
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”. Here is a clear revelation that victory over the devil is achieved by Christ’s victory at the cross (the blood of the Lamb of God) and by the word of the testimony of Christians as well as the courage not to shrink from death. By implication, the positive response to the gospel from unbelievers will be along the same line as that of Saul who became Paul (at Stephen’s martyrdom) and the centurion’s response as well as the response of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus. The response to the gospel is along the line of recognising the forgiveness of Christ on the cross, as well as the godly response of Christians, even to the point of death. Indeed, the church is founded upon the blood of martyrs. Even unbelievers, during the Roman era, as they saw the loving response of Christians in the face of persecution and death (in the lions’ den and on the cross) responded with “These people know how to die”. The seed that falls onto the ground and dies will bring forth much fruit.
(L)
LUKE 6:36-49 : The Pattern of the Saviour’s teachings: “The New Wine”
We have seen in the earlier chapters of Luke Jesus’ assertion that He has come to bring in a kingdom that needs fresh structures – the new wine in new wineskins – He is the Messiah, the Bridegroom, the Prophet, the Priest, and the King – He is Lord of the Sabbath and He has come to bring true and ultimate “Rest” (Sabbath) to a ‘new people of God. The old order of the leadership of Israel cannot be tacked on to Jesus who brings the new order (as in the old covenant versus the new).
The people of Christ’s kingdom are His disciples. They are led by the twelve Apostles through their teaching (6;12-16); the true people of God who are ‘blessed’ even as they are reviled ‘on account of the Son of Man (6:20-26), and a radically counter-cultural people whose ‘DNA’ is that of the heavenly Father.
Throughout the previous section, Jesus has had one eye on the current leadership of Israel (the false prophets) and the other eye on the disciples and how they should respond to the enmity and persecutions that will come upon them as they had come upon the Master in increasing intensity.
As we come to verse 36 onwards, we see the Lord Jesus’ warning about the false teaching of the religious establishment (and by implication also the false teachings in today’s context); and by contrast, the assurance about the true people of God.
In essence, Jesus is telling His disciples to choose their teachers with an eye on their fruit ( the fruit of the tree,6:36-45) and to build their house (spiritual foundation and building) with an eye on the future (and eternity).
In the previous study, we have noted that the disciples of Christ are to be merciful, loving, generous, gracious as children of God, manifesting the character and “DNA” of God Himself; they are to be radically counter-cultural, loving even their enemies for the good of the latter, just as God loves sinners and seeks to save them.
In verse 37, the command to ‘judge not’ is not an instruction against discernment – Jesus is about to warn His disciples that they need to be discerning about ‘blind’ teachers. Rather, Jesus is speaking against judgmental, condemning, unforgiving hearts. This has particular reference to HIs disciples’ attitude to their persecutors (v. 22-23). As with the instruction in verses 27-35, these attitudes are the ourworking of the family DNA; behaviour that is in line with the family character will be richly rewarded (v38).
Jesus has been speaking against the Pharisees and teachers of the law, even as He has been instructing His disciples. Jesus is warning His followers, the true people of God, against the judgmental hypocrisy of the religious establishment (6:6-11). If His disciples continue to follow the Pharisees, they will end up like them. When the blind lead the blind there is only one outcome -falling into a pit. The Lord was warning His disciples to keep away from the phoney religious teachers, helping them to recognise the fruit they produce, while at the same time teaching them what it looks like to be a true child of the Father and a son of the most High. These warnings and teachings of Jesus are ever relevant – also in these last days. Both blind guides and false prophets are to be found in the world and the Church.
J.C.Ryle, the late author of “Holiness”, wrote:
“If a man will hear unsound instruction, we cannot expect him to become anything other than unsound in the faith himself…..the amount of evil which unsound religious has brought on the church in every age is incalculable.”
To those who make a break from false teachings and false teachers, future blessing is guaranteed (6:38), good fruit is assured, and their firm foundation will not be shaken on the Day of Judgment. Jesus’ disciples are being encouraged not to indulge in endless self-analysis, but to listen, carefully, attentively and obediently, to HIs teaching – His fruit will follow. If we indulge in negative introspection and feel that we have not met the required instructions of the Lord in our past, and succumb to the attacks of the evil one who questioned our true conversion and our genuine discipleship, we need to understand that Jesus’ teaching and instructions are meant to challenge Christian disciples to genuine Christ-likeness; the teaching is not design to produce endless guilt-ridden soul searching. The power of Jesus’ teaching and membership of God’s family will produce godly fruit in His followers.
We must stress that simply listening to the words of Jesus is not sufficient; obedient action is required; repentance is a vital part of the gospel.
Repeatedly, Luke underlines the importance of acting on Jesus’ teaching (3:3; 5:32; 15:7). Jesus in the last section of this teaching urged His disciples to establish their lives on solid foundations, by listening to His word and acting upon it. Salvation comes to those who hear His word and act upon it.