Radical Discipleship

Luke 6:27-42

I. Context:

-Jesus has become more popular at this time, continuing to speak and teach about God -the religious leaders have grown wary of Jesus and are constantly challenging Him -around this time, Jesus has chosen 12 men among His many followers to become his closest associates -he began to teach them and other sincere followers what it means to be a serious disciple of God

II. Discussion:
A.

The Unusual Audience

To whom did Jesus direct his message? (vv. 17, 20) -we can read from these verses that Jesus primarily directed His teachings to His disciples and followers; it is safe to presume that the message is primarily for believers Why is this important? -its important to note the audience to dispel wrong interpretations of works salvation (v. 35; cf. Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14-26) PERSONAL APPLICATION: What statements catch your immediate attention? How do you react to them? PERSONAL APPLICATION: What do these make you think of Jesus?

B.

The Unusual Teaching

Enumerate the different person-to-person situations Jesus discussed. How did Jesus teach His disciples to treat others in each case? -if you have enemies, love them -if people hate you, do good to them -if people curse you, bless them -if people mistreat you, pray for them -if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also -if someone takes your coat, give them your shirt as well -give to everyone who asks you -if anyone takes anything from you, do not demand it back -lend to your enemies without expecting to get anything -be merciful -do not judge, do not condemn, forgive, give -v. 31 summarizes Jesus point well: Do to others as you would have them do to you; this is a positive rendition of the Golden Rule

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Are these things easy and doable? How can a person do these things consistently? -if we are to be very honest with ourselves, these things are very difficult if not impossible to do because they demand that we strip ourselves of the self -furthermore, if we consult Romans 3:9-19, we see the wickedness in the human heart that hinders us from doing anything good in Gods sight -What is the hope for us? Salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) -unless we submit our lives to Jesus Lordship and Salvation, and allow the Holy Spirit to indwell us, we will never have the ability to please God with our good deeds (Romans 14:23) Consider the political situation of the time. Why do you think Jesus stresses loving ones enemy? -during this time, Israel was under Roman rule -v. 30 actually has its context on Roman soldiers occupying their land and demanding limited amount of goods from the people -I believe Jesus stressed loving ones enemy because He sees that this is one of the most difficult attitudes the disciples had to overcome -they feel strongly for their nation and people and so are bitter and angry towards the Roman invaders -in addition, I believe Jesus dealt with this to put forward a challenge to His disciples, because when this is overcome, they will truly learn what it means to love unconditionally -Jesus is giving them a glimpse of what He was about to do on the cross(1 Pt. 3:18) PERSONAL APPLICATION: Who are your enemiespeople who raise feelings of hostility in you? What difference can Jesus make in these relationships? What makes people feel they have certain rights to criticize and condemn their neighbors? -pride and lopsided/ wrong view of self -Roy Hession says: It is often self who tries to live the Christian life...It is self, too, who is often doing Christian work. It is always self who gets irritable and envious and resentful and critical and worried. It is self who us hard and unyielding in its attitudes to others. It is self who is shy and self-conscious and reserved...As long as self is in control, God can do little with us.... -but as Christians we have to remember Jesus call, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). What positive attitudes and actions does Jesus substitute for judging others? -instead of judging, Jesus recommended forgiveness and generosity

Why? -forgiveness and generosity cannot come from a proud heart -compare this with Jesus model prayer in Matthew 6:9-15 -forgiveness restores relationships and teaches humility; generosity is one way of concretizing the genuineness of ones forgiveness
C.

The Unusual Teacher

What does this passage tell us about Jesus as a teacher? About his methods? -Jesus is on a league of His own, unique, unusual, radical -He goes against established teachings of men to reveal Gods truths Note: Example is Leviticus 19:18- The LORD clearly taught forgiveness, and love of neighbour, but the Pharisees added, hate your enemies -Mark 7:13 -as a teacher, He is primarily concerned with the conditions of the hearts of men first as they relate to God and consequently to other men (Luke 10:27) Based on Jesus teachings, what can you conclude about His observations of human nature? -Jesus clearly understands the sin nature of men and women (Romans 3:23) -He also knows that we have the tendency towards self preservation even at the expense of other people (Matthew 16:25; Romans 7:14-25) -He consistently deals with these concerns and issues and note that He does so with believers. Why? -because as earlier stated, apart from the salvation of Jesus, we have no power from the Holy Spirit to overcome our old selves (Romans 7:24-25) Personal Application: Have you ever felt freedom in Christ? Have you ever found freedom in Christ? As a Christian, how do you respond whenever you fall to sin? (John 10:28; John 13;10)

Prepared by: Frederick Paulo Tomacder Based on the book: Jesus: One of Us May 17,2012