Mountain Faith and Valley Living

Luke 6:12-26

There have been a handful of mountaintop moments in my faith journey. These are the moments that defy time and space; moments when I encountered God in such a way that I was forever changed. These moments are surreal and transcendent and they are moments which are fleeting. As much as we might like to stay on the mountaintop, life moves on and we find ourselves back in the valley sooner or later. They key to faithful living is not seeking to replicate our mountaintop spritual highs where we meet God, but seeking ways to live in the mundane valleys of life; the places where we meet God's people.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we find people ascending mountains and encountering God. From Moses to Jesus, the mountain is a holy place of transformation. In Matthew's gospel account Jesus' most well known speech takes place with him speaking on a mountain (cf. Matthew 5-7). But in the gospel of Luke this same speech is given from the plain, on level ground. After being on the top of the mountain for a time of prayer and commissioning the 12 apostles, Jesus returns to level ground to offer his most important teachings.

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. Luke 6:17

The symobolic transition from the mountain to the plain cannot be overemphasized. We meet God on the mountain, but do God's work in the valley.  Jesus brings himself down from the mountain to offer physical healing and powerful words of hope to the poor, the hungry, the mourning, and the persecuted. Jesus cannot meet the needs of the hurting world from the mountaintop, but must meet God's people on level ground. The same is true for us. We need mountaintop moments to build and solidify our faith, but we are called down to offer love to God's people. It is in the everyday ways of serving and loving others that we can be a blessing to those who need to experience God's love.  We are called to live out our faith on the plain.

The Letter v. The Spirit of the Law

Luke 6:1-11

The ways of Jesus were a direct threat to teachings and authority of the Pharisees and other religious leaders. The disciples did not follow all of the Jewish laws from the Old Testament and at times Jesus seems to specifically break the laws in order to make a point. The sabbath was central to self-understanding of the Jewish community and there were specific rules of what could not be done in order to honor God's day of rest. But the sabbath was made to liberate humanity from the incessant demands of laboring for Pharaoh or other oppressors. The sabbath was not designed to be another rule to follow but to open up a way of faithful living.

When Jesus and the disciples pick grain on the sabbath they are technically violating the letter of the law which prohibits work on that day. Jesus makes the point that these rules were designed to give people a day off, not to keep hungry people from being able to eat. Then, when Jesus heals the man with the withered hand on the sabbath he is technically breaking the sabbath laws. Jesus knew the Pharisees were watching but he wanted to make a larger point:

 "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?"

Luke 6:9

When the sabbath laws were first enacted they were seen as a liberating gift for the people of God. Sabbath allows busy people to rest and rejuvenate, to reconnect to God and to trust in God's provisions for life. Over time however, sabbath laws, like all rules and regulations, move from being a means to an end, to an end in themselves. Following the sabbath laws, and militantly making sure everyone else does too, becomes the goal, rather than taking time for regular rest. The letter of the law trumps the spirit of the law. Jesus pushes back against this kind of thinking and challenges us all to think deeply about the spirit of the law not just the letter.

Jesus wants our hearts, not simply that we do what we are told. There are times when following the established rules no longer produces the intended effect or actually prohibits being faithful. Ultimately, the goal of faithful living is to love God and love neighbor. Sometimes following the rules helps us do neither.

New Wineskins

Luke 5:27-39

As Jesus continued to preach from town to town and gained more followers he found himself continually in conflict with other religious leaders. The Pharisees were those who strictly upheld the law of the Old Testament and called into question why Jesus was eating with sinners and why they were not fasting and observing other rituals. Jesus essentially answers that he is doing something new and it cannot be put together with the old ways but must stand on its own.

No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says 'the old is good.' Luke 5:37-39

Jesus is arguing that that can be no integration or blending between the old ways and his teachings. The new wine must be put into new wineskins: the new teachings demand new ways of living. The image that the old wineskins would burst if they held the new wine is also striking. The new ways of Jesus are so powerful that the old behaviors demanded by the old ways will not stand; hence no more fasting, eating and drinking with sinners, etc.

The ways of Jesus were scandalous for the Pharisees and a direct challenge to their authority. They could not allow Jesus' teachings and new ways to be seen as legitimate and maintain their own authority. It is from here that the Pharisees and other religious leaders begin to look for ways to destroy Jesus.

Do you prefer the old or new wine? Do you find yourself most comfortable sticking with what you know or are you open to new possibilities God might be calling you to? Since it has been 2,000 years, are Jesus' new ways now old or are the ways of Jesus continually emerging?

This scripture is rich and full of possible meanings and applications. One possible application would be to argue against a blended form of worship--either be traditional or contemporary, but not both.
Another perhaps more challenging application would seem to caution against trying to change an existing congregation, but instead perhaps starting new churches is better.
What do you see?

Bold Faith

Luke 5:12-26

As Jesus continued to preach and teach in various villages and cities the crowds got bigger and more demanding. Jesus would after all heal people, perform miracles, and teach with authority, so it was no surprise that people flocked to him. People had never seen anything like Jesus before and some were beginning to wonder if he was indeed the promised messiah.  Because of the number of people requesting his help, Jesus could help some people and but everyone. The choices he made of who to heal were not haphazard but revealed a pattern. Jesus most often chose to heal people who had bold faith.

When the leper saw Jesus, he fell down before him and said: "if you want to you can cleanse me." (5:12) The man believed Jesus could heal him, was bold in asking, and he was healed.  In our same passage four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Because so many people were lined up to receive Jesus' help they could not get through the front door. Instead they climbed onto the roof, tore the roof open, and lowered their friend to Jesus. The scriptures say: "Impressed by their bold belief, he said 'friend, I forgive your sins." (5:20)  It was the boldness of their faith that impressed Jesus enough to heal their friend.

For us then, the question to consider is whether we have the kind of bold faith seen in these stories. Do you believe Jesus can heal you? Do you believe that a life of following Jesus will transform you? These scriptures suggest that there is a direct connection between faith and healing. When our hearts are full of faith we are more likely to experience healing. Conversely, when our hearts are full of doubt we cannot experience healing and transformation.

When we are struggling physically, emotionally, or spiritually we need to take our concerns to God with boldness and trust that God can heal us.  This story also suggests that we can have bold faith on behalf of others. It was the faith of the friends that inspired Jesus to heal the paralyzed man. Sometimes we ourselves lose our faith or trust and we need others to be strong for us. When others pray for us it is a gift and when we can pray for others with boldness it can make all the difference.

Followers of Jesus

Luke 5:1-11

Luke's version of the calling of the first disciples is a bit different than some of the other gospels, and the the difference in this case is particularly insightful. Rather than Jesus simply issuing an invitation, Luke portrays a conversation that takes place between Simon/Peter and Jesus.  This conversation is quite revealing about the nature of discipleship and who Jesus calls to be his followers.

As Peter is cleaning out his nets after an unproductive day of fishing he is told by Jesus to go back out: "put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." (5:4)  Now remember, Peter was an experienced fisherman who knew how to catch fish and had just finished a long night of fishing. He was probably tired and frustrated. Then Jesus, who he does not know, shows up and tells him to go back out?  With an initial protest, Peter goes back out and catches so many fish he can not haul them all in. Once Peter realizes the miracle that has just taken place and the power of Jesus he immediately fell to Jesus' knees saying: "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man." (5:7) Peter believes that he is unworthy of even being near Jesus, but Jesus tells him that from now on he will be catching people not fish.

This call story illustrates a common misunderstanding about the criteria to be a follower of Jesus. Peter believes that because he is a sinner he is unworthy. But we are all sinners and all unworthy. If Jesus only called perfect people, no one could be his follower! But Jesus calls you and me and all people to follow him. What is required and what Peter did demonstrate is trust. Peter trusted Jesus and went back out into the sea. He trusted when he had plenty of reasons to doubt or dismiss Jesus. Righteousness is a behavioral condition and trust is a heart condition. Jesus wants our hearts and forgives our lack of rigtheousness.  To be a follower of Jesus requires our trust and our willingness to follow him even when there are plenty of reasons to doubt.

It is normal to feel unworthy to follow Jesus--we all are. What is most important is not how we feel about our worth before God, but how God's amazing love and grace is given to us and how that makes all the difference. Believe. Trust. Follow.

The Power of Jesus' Words

Luke 4:31-44

After Jesus returns home and is run out of town, he continues his travels to the many towns and villages sharing the good news and healing people. When he comes to Capernaum the people are astounded by the power and authority of his teachings. One translation (the Message) says it this way: "they were surprised and impressed--his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to." (Luke 4:32) Jesus then goes on to speak words of healing over those who were either sick or possessed by demons. Jesus could speak with authority because he knew his words came from the Father. He trusted and believed in the power of God to heal and the power of God to transform lives through his powerful Word. People were surprised because they were used to quibbling.

So, do you confidently trust the authority of God to bring healing and transformation or do you quibble?