We live in a world where people believe in many other gods and religions with each religion claiming to be the truth, yet somehow inclusive. In contrast, Jesus said he was the truth and there was no other way to the Father except through him. In today’s text, with those present at the funeral service of a widow’s only son, we witness Jesus stopping death in its track by raising up the dead son back to life. Jesus shows love and wisdom in caring for the widow by restoring her only son to her. In the bigger picture, Jesus is sovereignly providential. Jesus helps.

Webster Dictionary 1828 defines providence as “Effected by the providence of God; referable to divine providence; proceeding from divine direction or superintendence; as the providential contrivance of things; a providential escape from danger.” How much are we indebted to God’s unceasing providential care!

After leaving Capernaum, Jesus, his disciples and the large crowd went to the city called Nain soon afterward (v 11). This city was small and insignificant – about 26 miles from Capernaum. Through divine providence, Jesus intentionally headed towards Nain as he planned to meet the widow and the recently deceased son. Jesus is the only one that is able to provide the very thing the widow needed – the power to raise the dead. He cared for her need and had compassion for her. Jesus knew this because he continuously works and prays for others (Ro. 8:34). He also provides every good thing and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). In other words, Jesus provides every common and special grace. From raising the dead (physical) to our saving sinners (spiritual), God provides through Jesus Christ in his love and care for the lost. And it is God who causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28). God’s providence is perfectly demonstrated on the cross as Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice to be the propitiation for our sins.

Luke describes God’s providence through Jesus’ resurrection power in this text. And it is no small thing that Luke refers to Jesus as Lord (v 13). Jesus is Lord and God. Christ, in his human nature, accomplished perfect obedience, has won salvation for us, and has been given universal dominion as a reward. Luke’s thorough investigation into Jesus’ lordship was based on overwhelming evidence – the raising up of the widow’s dead son being one of many. To believe and be saved, we must believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus is Yahweh. Without Jesus’ providence, we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

We must accept Jesus as our objective salvation because he is sovereignly providential in His lordship.

Oftentimes we mistakenly associate intricate theological knowledge with great faith. The centurion didn’t have access to a library of books to learn systematic theology. He had only heard of Jesus, yet he knew exactly who Jesus is with real and genuine faith. Jesus was astonished and amazed, meaning Jesus was pleased by His faith. There is no reason for Jesus to be surprised by anything since he is God who is omniscient. Yet how wonderful to know that a plain and sincere faith is the faith that our Savior desires.

How do we know that the centurion’s faith was genuine? In verse 2, it says he was highly regarded by the elders. The centurion’s faith was a working faith, that was not just in word but in good deeds. For example, he built their synagogue. Socially the Jews and Gentiles could not mix, the Jews despised the Gentiles, let alone respect them. While the Jews looked down on foreigners there was also anti-semitism spreading among the Romans. So this Roman commander had no reason to be kind to the Jews. Despite the social climate, this centurion was different because he was transformed by his faith (Luke 6:27-29, James 2:18). His faith was working especially in this situation of need and trouble by humbly turning to Jesus for the healing of his slave.

The Jewish elders say the centurion is worthy because he helped them build the synagogue (Luke 7:4). Contrarily, the centurion says he is not worthy. This is what makes the centurion so special. He is a man of humility. He knows he is not worthy of Jesus Christ. Faith and humility are always interconnected. In other words, pride makes faith impossible (Luke 18:13). Those who are humble, realize their sinfulness and ask for forgiveness. Graciously, God always answers repentance right away with forgiveness. We are all not worthy and should have faith in Jesus with humility (Luke 7:44-45).

The key to obtaining humility is to listen to the words of Jesus. At the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3, Luke 6:20). Without this, we cannot move forward in our faith. Humility is realizing we are nothing before almighty God. God is superior to us in all aspects and we desperately need Him. Jesus himself is the perfect example of humility who gave up everything in obedience to God the Father. So humility makes faith possible and until we are humble our faith is not practical and only until then God is pleased.

Sometimes, in our pride, we attempt to handle our problems on our own. This is the opposite of faith. Unless we are humble can we understand that only Jesus is Lord and faithfully turn to Him (Luke 8:23-24). The centurion, based on his own position, addresses Jesus as Lord because He understands the authority that Jesus has over all things (Philippians 2:9-10). When we are humble, we worship Jesus as Lord and God (Luke 5:8, Luke 24:52). We also trust in Him, His power, and goodness (Romans 8:28). When we trust in our Lord, we can have peace and joy in the face of all our problems. Because who is greater than our Lord? What problem is greater than our Lord? Nothing. So we can smile in any trial because Jesus is Lord. This is our obedience and sanctification and our Christlikeness.

The humble see Jesus as Creator (Luke 7:7). When God spoke, the universe was made. The centurion knew Jesus could heal just by speaking because he knew Jesus is the Creator. Jesus can make something out of nothing. He is the source of all things. We need this understanding. This doctrine must be more than knowledge but true understanding through humility. Why else would our prayers be answered except for the fact that Jesus is the Creator? Our own words are powerless if Jesus were not behind them.

Lastly, the humble understand that Jesus has all authority (Luke 7:8). In the hierarchy of this world, the centurion places Jesus above everything, even above nature, angels, demons, and disease (Matthew 28:18, Matthew 8:27). Jesus never had to ask permission from anyone or anything. There is nothing in this universe that Jesus must adhere to or abide by. He stands alone at the top, even death cannot resist his authority. When he commands the dead Lazarus to come out, even death cannot resist a single moment. When we are humble then we experience the blessed authority of Jesus over all things in our life.

Life is full of difficulties. Many of us are overwhelmed and tired. Look at Noah, God told Noah to build a giant ark. How many of us would complain that it is too difficult. Yet by faith, Noah did it (Hebrews 11:7). When we are humble, we see that God is able and put our faith in Him. Humility amplifies our knowledge of God and produces a faith that pleases God.

The immediate context is following the completion of the Sermon on the Mount, which included topics covering the kingdom of God and love. Afterward, Jesus went to Capernaum, which is located in northern Galilee. This city was the home base of his ministry for about two and half years. It was here Jesus when he was met with Jewish elders and friends a centurion had sent after hearing about Jesus and all that he was teaching. The centurion’s faith caused Jesus to marvel at it.

Why did Jesus marvel at this man’s faith? First, we need to look more into the centurion’s background as a Gentile is related to the overall them of the Gospel of Luke as it pertains to reaching the Gentiles. The one thing we know for sure is this man’s title as a centurion. “Centurion connects to the word century which connects to the number 100.  Technically they had a hundred men under them, although that number was flexible and many had more and some had less… Not only could they lead by command, they could lead by example because that’s really how you lead in life and death situations.  Not only that, they could follow orders.  They were the soldier’s soldier” (John MacArthur).

And another person to consider is the centurion’s slave that was dying, whom the centurion highly regarded. According to the historian, Josephus, oftentimes slaves were hired and mentored by the master. This slave was about to die and the centurion heard about Jesus and sent the Jewish elders to ask him to save him (v 3).  Just as everyone comes to faith by hearing the word of God and the gospel, the centurion also demonstrates living by faith after hearing about Jesus. And it was this act of obedience through faith brought on by hearing Jesus is stunned.

What does it mean by hearing? There’s a key difference between hearing the voice of God that leads to obedience vs merely listening without understanding (1 Cor. 2:14; Matt. 13:23; Jn. 10:3). Thus, when Jesus often spoke in parables to the crowd, only those that had true saving faith were able to hear and obey, whereas the rest heard and remained in their unbelief. In other words, what hearing truly means is to hear by faith and obey. Elisabeth Elliot once said, “we must quit bending the word to suit our situation. It is we who must be bent to the word.”

People whose hearts are dull cannot hear (Matt. 13:15). They cannot see or understand the pure spiritual principles of the gospel (Albert Barnes). Sin is what ultimately makes the heart dull. The kind of man God looks for is the opposite – the contrite in spirit (Is. 66:2).

How can we hear and improve our hearing?

• Read and meditate on the Bible every day. Christians know it is not most important to fill our stomachs, but rather to fill out spiritual hungry first and foremost.
• Pray throughout the week. We pray for ourselves and others (esp. pastors/leaders).
• Confession of sins daily
• Reduce media intake
• Not forsaking assembling together. Prioritizing the church is vital.
• Worship God with all our hearts. Passion and Scripture go hand in hand in worship.

Why is it so important to hear the word of God? Judas Iscariot heard so many words of Jesus, but he often disobeyed because of his sin and unbelief. In contrast, the Apostle Peter remembered the word of Christ and wept in repentance (Matt. 26:34, 75). As a result, he regained strength as he lived a life of repentance and faithful obedience to the Lord. This is what it means by hearing. Similarly, the centurion heard by faith and also applied it in his life through obedience.

Church discipline is a serious topic for the church. It is necessary though unpleasant. God disciplines us in our own personal lives and also has means of discipline in the church. Although we might not want to talk about it, discipline is still part of the gospel and God loves the church so He disciplines the sinner for the church’s sake.

Matthew 18:15-18 is Jesus’ strategy for dealing with tough situations – a sinning brother or sister. We also desire to deal with discipline purely from the word of God and not based on our personal feelings or emotions. God disciplines the sinner, we are merely the means God uses as we obey His word.

Some context for church discipline:

1. God is love and God is just. Often when it comes to a sinning brother we only apply love. We misapply Matthew 18:12 and think only positivity must be shown for the lost sheep. But God is also just and it is because he loves as well as just He wants to discipline His church.
2. Discipline is under discipleship. Discipleship has two sides, one which is instructional (formal) and the other is corrective. We normally instruct and teach but there are times when correction is necessary. Jesus corrects and disciplines out of love for the church (Hebrews 12:6).
3. When someone is in sin we should not be quiet but speak out in love. Church discipline is not excommunication. Excommunication is only the final step if there is no repentance. God is constantly disciplining, using his rod and staff lovingly like a shepherd leading sheep (Psalm 23).
4. Church discipline begins with the gospel. The gospel is not just for the moment of conversion but it should be continually conveyed to every believer every day. It is because the gospel is powerful and can change a person. The gospel must continually grow in our lives. Through the gospel working in our hearts we deny ourselves and follow Jesus Christ. The gospel message, its sanctifying power and call to repentance is the starting point of church discipline.
5. The basis of church discipline comes from the authority of Scripture. Discipline is not determined by a person’s rights or authoritative position but because the Bible dictates. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 says if a person is in sin then there can be no true fellowship. They might attend worship but no true fellowship. Hence the term excommunicated which means no communion. The Bible says it is the process of discipline that restores fellowship in the church. Christian’s are a new creature in Christ and serve as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, 20). This role applies to one another. When a brother is in sin then we must speak God’s word and be the voice of Christ to our fellow brother or sister, like Peter correcting Simon (Acts 8:20-23).
6. Jesus is the head of the church (Matthew 16:18-19) and he gives the church the power to say who belongs to the church (Matthew 18:18). For the New Testament church, we are here to preach the gospel, baptize those who repent, remember the Lord’s supper and lastly practice self discipline. We are not just here to receive new believers but to love and keep current believers and call out those who are disobedient (3 John 1:9). The apostles practiced a lot of church discipline, especially in the Corinthian church

What is biblical church membership?

Church membership doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you are saved but it does mean you are regarded as such. A true member of the church has repented and trusted in Jesus Christ. They confess Jesus Christ and call upon the name of the Lord wherever they are and wherever they go (1 Corinthians 1:2). Simply, a true Christian is a true member of Christ’s church. Church membership pertains to a local church. Biblical local church membership is like a covenant with its blessing and responsibilities. Membership includes accountability to Jesus, the leadership of the church, and to its fellow members.

A Christian is to be the salt and light of the earth. Yes, we are not perfect but we are pursuing sanctification. We strive, struggle, repent and pray to the Lord to be saltier and shine more brightly. Yet the reason why the church is called hypocritical these days is that we have failed and we have not held accountable those who are disobedient and unfaithful. This is why we need discipline. Jesus says, ‘If your brother sins, go show them their sin in private’. This doesn’t mean every single little sin. However, we want our fellow brethren to follow and represent Christ rightly.

When a believer is in sin for a long time, they are not following or representing Christ rightly. A person’s absence from the church is an example. They might have left for another church but that is not an excuse from the covenant of membership. There are only a few reasons to leave a church and break membership, the main reason being a false gospel and false doctrine. The church is different from the world and its organizations, the church is easy to enter but difficult to leave.

This is the purpose of church discipline: to restore and show love (Matthew 18:15). Church discipline repairs the fellowship, keeps its members in the flock, and sanctifies the church. The process of church discipline is a compassionate warning to show a fellow brother or sister their sin and to call them to repentance. No one loves to be shown their sin so the process of discipline is unpleasant but the result is wonderful. The goal is to bring them back to Christ! Jesus gave his life for the disobedient Christian and so in His love, Jesus tells the church to discipline the sinner so that they may be restored to Him (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 13:6). Though unpleasant, discipline must be carried out with valor, courage, kindness, and compassion.

If the person refuses to repent or reconcile; they claim they found another church. What can we do? We must do what the Lord commands. We must excommunicate with the hope that the person would eventually be restored (1 Corinthians 5:5). Always, the hope through discipline is repentance and reconciliation. While church discipline is necessary, our prayer is that we love one another and encourage one another to live faithfully for the Lord, so that church discipline might not be necessary (Galatians 6:1).

The Sermon on the Mount by Jesus focuses on man’s heart. It is the heart that matters to God. Another important thing Jesus addresses is self-deception. Jesus concludes his sermon as he admonishes his followers warning against self-deception. Those that practice self-deception fail to live in obedience to Christ and lack good fruit. Disobedience is the natural man’s practice that produces bad fruit.

What is biblical obedience and the benefits that bear fruit in the believer’s life? What biblical obedience is not is mere talk and claiming, which is disobedience. Those in verse 46 that call Jesus “Lord, Lord” fall into this category of seemingly Christian, but having lived a life of disobedience. In the immediate context, Jesus is speaking in the present tense, which indicates some that were in the crowd fell into this category. The Bible often tells of hypocrites and self-deceived people that are close to Christ in knowledge, but not truly knowing and believe in Christ (1 Jn. 2:19).

Anyone can fall into self-deception. Some of the ways people can fall are as follows.

• Those that refuse to practice self-examination, especially meditation through the Word and the Spirit
• Busybodies due to many activities
  • Keeping ourselves occupied in so many good works is not an indicator of being saved
  • Some balance out good works versus living a worldly life
• Look down on some scriptural principles
  • Example: culture pressing down on the church to prevent certain topics of discussion and at worst softening the gospel message
• Dealing with the Lord with lesser importance
  • God desires the believer’s heart. Whatever else we try to offer (often considered our best in our own eyes) is not what God truly wants.
  • How do we know we have given heart to the Lord? Matt. 22:37

Those that are not self-deceived possess genuine faith which produces obedience. The obedient man demonstrates their action based on the Word. And the start of an obedient life hinges on true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. What Jesus implies in the text is that everyone builds their house (i.e., building their religious life), and by digging deeper implying true repentance (Luke 13:8). It is by repentance we believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, without repentance, obedience is not possible. This is the only way to avoid becoming like those that say, “Lord, Lord” whom Jesus never knew when divine judgment comes.

The rain and flood will come to all; that is, death and God’s divine judgment. The only thing that will allow one to stand and fall is if one possesses genuine faith or if one remains in unbelief. The illustration given by Jesus paints a stark contrast between believers and unbelievers. Believers have built their life on the solid foundation of Christ that will withstand the flood of death and judgment. Whereas unbelievers have self-deceivingly built their life on no foundation that will come to ruin at the flood of death and judgment.

As death and judgment come to both the obedient and disobedient, the only flood insurance anyone needs is obedience brought by true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We live in some strange times. The good times we experienced just a few years ago are gone due to Covid-19. I believe we are living in the end times, meaning ever since Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we have been living in the end times. One sign of the end times is found in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, where many will fall away from the faith and follow the teachings of demons through false teachers. We see this happening now. Many false teachers attract people with a shiny superficial gospel. Their end is the dark pit and they have no hope.

In Luke 6, Jesus continues to reveal the truth about false teachers. He begins to address their character. A person’s character matters and one is able to identify a false teacher by their character. Jesus knew that false teachers would be a constant threat to the true church so he warns us of false teachers. Jesus says that a false teacher is a hypocrite and wicked. No matter how hard they try, they cannot hide who they are.

Firstly, false teachers are hypocrites. Jesus calls them hypocrites who have a log in their own eye trying to take a speck out of another’s. Imagine having a large beam of wood in your eye while pretending you are fine. How ridiculous it is, yet that is what false teachers are. A hypocrite is an actor, someone who has two faces. They are living under a feigned character. Alexander Souter says a hypocrite is one who “outwardly plays the part of a religious man to perfection, but is inwardly alien to the spirit of true religion”. The false teachers, the Pharisees were full of self-righteousness with no sign of repentance (Luke 18:11-12). The log in their eye is their remaining guilt and worldly desires, blinding them to their own sin. A true believer would repent humbly, ashamed before Holy God, crying out for mercy (Luke 18:13).

Hypocrisy is not only full of self-righteousness but also self-deception. The hypocrite creates their own reality where even though they are wrong, they think they are right. In Matthew 7:22, the crowd thought they knew Jesus and thought they did many great things in Jesus’ name but they are deceived. Jesus doesn’t know them at all. They think that their dramatic faith healings and flashy performances bring them near to Christ. They will defend their experiences vehemently. Yet they are dead wrong.

Hypocritical false teachers are also man-pleasers. They say what people want to hear. They prey like wolves on those who want to hear a soft truth (2 Tim 4:3). That’s what Jesus means by the speck. The false teacher will tell you about a small little problem you have to not offend you. Soft truth makes hearts hard but hard truth makes soft hearts.

Also never listen to a preacher that claims God told them audibly or directly. The Bible is sufficient and all that God has wanted to say is written in it (Jeremiah 14:14). “If private revelation agrees with scriptures, they are needless; and if they disagree, they are false.” – John Owen.

We cannot measure the godliness of a man based on signs and wonders because we are not saved by miracles. A sinner is saved only by the hearing of the gospel (Romans 10:17). False teachers will focus on presentation and neglect the weighty doctrines (Matthew 23:23). The people need to hear of sin, hell, and repentance for there to be significance of His love on the cross and the hope of resurrection. Kenneth Copeland and Steve Furtick spit lies about Jesus and their churches are huge and wealthy, but they are not saved.

False teachers have wicked character and bear bad fruit. Jesus says a bad tree cannot produce bad fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” A true believer would be humble, righteous, and sacrificial like the Beatitudes. They would bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But the false teachers are known by their fruit. They are worldly, they seek fame and fortune. They cannot bear Biblical fruit no matter how hard they try or how much they try to pretend because they are not truly saved.

Ultimately, God is the one who knows you by your fruit and will judge you by what you bear. Jesus in the end will say to all hypocrites, ‘I never knew you’ (Matthew 7:23). The question is, what fruit do you bear? You should know what sort of tree you are by your fruit. Are you a good tree which bears good fruit? Are you truly saved by God’s grace and sincerely obey His word or are you falsely being religious? Don’t expect your false deeds to stand up in the final court (Rev 20:10).

The false teacher nor their followers are actually saved, yet they pretend they are. They are evil, their hearts are evil and they treasure what is evil (Genesis 6:5). This is all they can be because they are not regenerate. This is an extreme danger to the true church (Matthew 7:15). False teachings like CRT are invading good churches and causing disunity, disruption, distraction, and harm against brothers and sisters. The only defense we have is God’s word. We must cling to the Bible. All believers must emulate the Bereans, be noble-minded and search the Scriptures to test what we hear and learn. Then we can prevent ourselves from being hypocrites and we protect ourselves and our churches from false teachers and their wickedness.

It is the true gospel of Jesus Christ versus all other false gospels that all of us face in this world.  And it is the false teacher that leads people to hell by preaching and teaching a false gospel. The late great theologian, Francis Schaeffer, succinctly stated the reality of this spiritual warfare as follows:

“Make no mistake. We as Bible-believing evangelical Christians are locked in a battle. This is not a friendly gentleman’s discussion. It is a life and death conflict between the spiritual hosts of wickedness and those who claim the name of Christ. It is a conflict on the level of ideas between two fundamentally opposed views of truth and reality.”

Today’s passage shows that every student, after being fully trained, will be like their teachers and teach a fatalistic gospel. Countless times we see warnings of this is Scripture. Hosea echoes the same truth (4:9). Apostle Paul’s example prior to believing having been under Gamaliel echoed the teachings of Judaism before becoming a Christian. There is a myriad of examples in today’s false religions such as Mormonism that teach about Jesus and other biblical terms but falsely.

False teachers that preach Jesus present a false Jesus. But those that truly follow the biblical Jesus will demonstrate “righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:9b) and “whatever is true, what is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable” (Phil. 4:8). Therefore, we need to ask who our teacher is. Is it the Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit himself (Gal. 1:11-12)? Is the gospel what transforms and continues to be the central teaching or is it something else? Who do you look up to everyday? The Jesus of the Bible or a false Jesus presented by false teachers?

Jesus warns believers not to be misled by false teachers. If the Lord himself has not called or sent them, they will teach falsehood in God’s name by the deception of their own minds (Jer. 14:14). Today, there are many false teachers, and they all have one thing in common: self-interest.

How can we identify false teachers? False teachers can be put into the following categories and these signs should warn the believer: heretics/cults, charlatan, prophets (modern day self-proclaimed), abuser, ear-tickler (Jer. 6:14), speculator (try to decode the Bible), new age politician, and more.

In order to grow in our love, faith, and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is imperative to master the word of God through careful study and meditation, possess a discerning ear, and risk our lives for the sake of truth no matter the cost.

Church history and history, in general, is a very important topic. One reason is that history repeats itself, as we’re seeing that happen in real-time in the decline of politics in the United States. One of the signs that happen near the end of a nation is high taxes. Another sign of troubled times is the prolific spread of false teaching. When things go bad, the people look for answers and that’s when false teachers prey on the weak (Matthew 24:3-4). Unfortunately, false teachers are not easy to spot and intermingle among the faithful. On the outside, they may look faithful, yet behind those false teachers, Satan is there (1 Peter 5:8). We must be careful.

When talking about false teachers, Jesus spoke in a parable. Speaking in parables was prophesied of the Messiah (Psalm 78:2, Matthew 13:3). The target audience of parables is not the unbelievers but the Christian (Mark 4:11). Parables are more than just stories but Jesus placed the power and purpose of God in them. Whenever Jesus tells a parable, He is revealing something new and revelatory. The parable of the blind is specifically about false teachers and He wants us to identify them.

There are 4 characteristics of false teachers. Blind, fatally misleading (worldly), pretenders or hypocrites and lastly they are nice on the outside but wicked on the inside. The first attribute ‘blind’ means they cannot see. Spiritually speaking they cannot see even what a normal Christian can see about God, Jesus, the gospel, and the Bible. They pretend they can but in reality, cannot see anything.

Who are the false teachers? In the immediate context of Jesus’ sermon, it is the Pharisees and Scribes. To the public, the Pharisees appeared to be very righteous and wise with their long prayers and strict customs. But Jesus reveals their true state of blindness. They don’t know the true meaning and purpose of the Law and Prophets. Jesus on the other hand, came to continue and fulfill the Old Testament while the Pharisees replaced and superseded it with their oral law and tradition (Matthew 5:17-20), Mt 15:1-2, 14). If they could see the Law, then they would have embraced Jesus, the author, and fulfiller of it.

An example of their blindness is their reaction to Jesus’ birth. When the Magi came and asked where the new king was born, the Pharisees knew it was in Bethlehem because that’s what the Bible said about the Messiah’s birthplace. Even though the Magi had traveled great distances and were excited to worship the Messiah, they showed no interest. They had the knowledge but could not understand or apply the significance of Jesus’ birth. Even years later, they saw countless miracles done by Jesus and even saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead yet they still denied and rejected Him (John 21:25, John 11:45-46). This is why Jesus calls them the blind. They are sons of Satan and Satan has covered their eyes with lies and the light of the gospel is hidden from them (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). They cannot see who Jesus is, the Messiah.

What did the Pharisees fail to see?

• Jesus is the messiah based on numerous prophecies.
• Jesus must be resurrected (Psalm 16:8-11)
• Jesus is the Son of God (Psalm 2:7)
• Jesus will be a prophet like Moses, bringing God’s word and performing miracle (Acts 7:38)
• Jesus will die to save sinners. (Isaiah 53:5)
• The Messiah will be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)
• The Messiah will perform many miracles, specifically healing the sick (Isaiah 35:5-6)

To put it plainly, the spiritually blind cannot see or accept Jesus as the Messiah, Lord and Savior. They reject Jesus. This is the problem of every religion and false sect of Christianity. Some religions even think Jesus is a god, a good teacher, enlightened and even sent from God but they do not acknowledge Jesus as the true God, creator of all things, incarnate and only Savior and Lord above all creation (Colossian 3:15-17). Unless your Jesus is first in everything then your Jesus is false and fake. That is not the true Christ! You are blind. Did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? (Colossians 2:6) You must see Jesus rightly in everything you are being deceived.

Also, the spiritual blind cannot see the kingdom of God meaning the blind do see Jesus as King (Luke 17:20-21). Jesus says, ‘Do not worry but seek first the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 6:31-33). The true Christian realizes the kingdom of God is real. So when you are worried or anxious, seek the kingdom of God. It is real and the true King is there.

The blind cannot obey God’s word. They might know it, and they might even be an expert on the Bible. The difference is that they have no desire or the ability to obey (1 Corinthians 2:14). Their knowledge is shallow. I must tell you, the most dangerous false teacher is yourself. Self-help and self-righteousness will blind you to Jesus. We were also blind because of our sinful self but Jesus saved us with his selfless sacrifice.

In conclusion, Jesus says, the blind leading the blind will fall into the pit. The false teachers and their followers will end up in hell (Rev 20:10 ). Their life on earth may be great but they will have a tragic fate under the final judgment. For those who follow Jesus, though their life on earth may be miserable and full of hardship, their end will be glorious. Like the thief who repented on the cross, the believer will be with Jesus in paradise. So remember the blind beggar Bartimaeus, who saw many rich and powerful men on the side of the road to Jericho. None of them could truly help him. But when he heard Jesus coming, he cried out desperately for mercy and asked Jesus to give him sight. We must also cry out to Jesus to receive mercy and sight.

Kingdom people are marked by love from their King, Jesus Christ. Another mark of a God’s kingdom people is mercy as the Father in heaven is merciful. Jesus exemplified the essence of true love when dealing with the enemy (Jn. 8:4, 10-11) and mercy when he did not condemn sinners but offered the good news of forgiveness.

In today’s passage, Jesus commands his kingdom people to forgive (i.e., pardon) and give. In the Greek context, the word pardon often referred to when someone was discharged from service in the military, released from prison, etc. In other words, the word referred to a person being set free. And in general, the word pardon is used governmentally to bet set free from the consequences of their guilt, whereas the word forgive is related to something more personal. Despite the minor difference, they can and are used interchangeably often in Scripture.

The Lord gives six reasons why we must forgive as kingdom people.

• Jesus’ imperative to always be ready and find any reason to forgive on all occasions.
  • Forgiveness is an all-encompassing part of the Christian life. To be Christian is to forgive.
  • Matt. 18:21-22; in the Greco-Roman world at the time, forgiveness was associated to being weak. But Jesus commands his disciples to forgive unlimitedly as this becomes a part of our innate heart after conversion. The ability to forgive others, even in the direst of circumstances, is due to the divine heart given by God to us.
• Forgiveness is a salvation issue.
  • Those that personally taste the gospel of Jesus Christ continue to hunger and thirst after it. Consequently, the person that has tasted the gospel refuses to deny forgiveness to any no matter what kind of hurt and wrong they have done.
  • It is our realization that we are a vile wretch to whom God owes nothing but still graciously forgives, which propels us to forgive no matter the person and reason.
• If we are not forgiving, God has not forgiven us.
  • Matt. 6:14-15
  • Forgiveness is important and ongoing, but we must remember it also must be done immediately.
  • There are many different forms of an unforgiving heart: retaliation, indifference, alienation, etc.
• If we are not forgiving, we are unfit for worship.
  • For the unforgiving person, God does not receive their worship. Their body might be present, but their worship is empty before the eyes of the Lord.
  • Matt. 5:22-24
  • Proper understanding of worship helps the believer to prepare prior to gathering, especially questioning whether or not we have not forgiven a brother or a neighbor or have not requested others to forgive us.
• Forgiveness pertaining to trial or temptation will end in a different blessing or curse.
  • Forgiveness in trial as you are determined to forgive will bring blessing despite possible suffering. However, if we hold onto an unforgiving heart, we will be tempted to be in sin.
• A church that practices ongoing forgiveness, it is alive and active. God wants to be known as the One that forgives.
  • We, too, should desire to be known as s forgiven and forgiving person as this reflects true Christianity. In essence, forgiveness exemplifies the gospel.

Not only are kingdom people called to forgive, but also to give as God will give also accordingly. There is no such thing as a stingy Christian as Christ is our resource who has not limits. Jesus commands Christians to give because Christianity is a surplus religion. Jesus is the greatest Giver. He did not hold back anything. As we are to be like Christ, we are also to be givers. Jesus became poor for our sake and gives the riches of heaven, which belongs to him, to his kingdom people (2 Cor. 8:7). Having Jesus’ riches and unlimited resource we are to unceasingly give.

Money is not the only means to give. We have countless other ways to give through prayer, love, passion, diligence, time, and knowledge, to name a few. Christians are called to give freely and in secret. There is no heavenly blessing and reward when we seek earthly recognition. God rewards those that give within their ability, generously, per their personal conviction, and a cheerful heart.

We can also improve our giving if we consider that we are God’s stewards of what he has given to us. We must also understand God’s perspective on giving. If we know what pleases God, we know what to do (Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 9:7). Moreover, we must understand kingdom economy (v 38).

From our words to our actions, this is what God’s mercy is all about and what Jesus meant when giving these commands to the church. And even those outside, they will recognize the church of Christ that is merciful in forgiving and giving! Let’s strive to build Christ’s church this way!

In Luke chapter 6, we have been learning that we are kingdom people who pass by this life, whose true home is heaven. We also know our real king is Jesus Christ and we live according to His laws, such as love your enemies (Luke 6:27-28). These kingdom ethics are not for our future lives in our future home but what is commanded of us today and every day continually.

In verse 37, Jesus says ‘Do not judge’ as He extends the principle of mercy in verse 36, ‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’. We’ve heard many times while sharing the gospel, unbelievers use this phrase in their defense of their sins. They claim that we cannot call them sinners and tell them to repent because the Bible says for Christians not to judge. Instead they claim, Christians should love unconditionally and ‘turn the other cheek’. Their use of this passage is wicked as they try to take advantage of Christian compassion.

It is true though, Christians are to be merciful and not judge. This means they don’t take revenge when they are wronged. It’s one of the reasons Christians are often attacked. The public is fearful of attacking Muslims because Muslims could potentially retaliate with violence. But Christians, by the power of Jesus, withhold judgement and forgive instead. Forgiveness is the brilliance and glory of God’s mercy. It is neither simple nor easy to forgive, but instead of revenge, the believer practices God’s mercy towards one another and others.

‘Do not judge’ means we must not be judgemental. Subjectively the word ‘judgemental’ is not a positive term, however, objectively we make decisions or judgements every day. We have to determine what is right or wrong, what is good or bad. Jesus allows good judgements such as righteous judgement instead of judging by appearance (John 7:24, John 10:38). In a righteous judgement, Jesus even condemned the Pharisees (Matthew 23:18). The whole Bible itself is called the ‘Canon of Scripture’ which means it is the book by which we measure truth, in other words it is a judging book. Christians must discern truth and make righteous decisions in every thing that they do.

So what does Jesus mean by ‘Do not judge.’? It does not mean we cannot have an opinion or discernment of truth. That means we would have nothing to say about anything. We would be powerless against sin, but Jesus clearly says we must confront sin (Matthew 18:15). Based on the context of the mercy, Jesus is saying our judgement must not be cruel, heartless, angry or unfair. For example, unfair judgement is being harsh on others but gentle on yourself, showing favoritism instead of fairness (Matthew 7:3).

Types of Judging To Avoid Wrongful judgement: this can happen when you do not have enough information and you are quick to judge. This is also happening a lot more in our society with sensationalism dominating our media and social networks. People are coming to outrageous and inflammatory conclusions based on headlines and small pieces of evidence. The Salem witch hunt is a tragic example of wrongful judgement based on fabricated stories of children. Erwin Lutzer rightly comments, “If they are angry or savor a critical spirit, they will be likely to jump to conclusions”. Jesus says this is wrong but the Christian should be patient and seek for the truth.

Self righteous judgement is also wrong. Thinking you are better than others is wrong. Jesus never sinned and healed so many people, yet the Pharisees judged Jesus to be a servant of Satan because they had their own standard and judged wrongly according to their own self righteousness (Matthew 12:24). In Luke 18:10-12, again the Pharisee judges himself wrongly and remains unforgiven. Martyn Lloyd Jones says the spirit of sinful judgement is a self righteous spirit. The self righteous hold others in contempt because they think they are not like them. To avoid self righteousness you must practice honest self examination by looking at the 10 commandments and the gospel. We must realize it is far easier to point out the sins in others than in ourselves.

Foolish judgement is when we judge what we cannot know. We must judge sinful and wrong teachings, however we must not and cannot judge their motives. If we judge someone’s motives then it leads to condemning them. God judges the heart. It is impossible for men because we cannot truly look into a man’s heart and therefore cannot judge accurately. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says we must wait until God ‘brings to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts’.

We also must be careful of making non-essential judgements. There are some judgments that are essential and of great importance. However not all issues have the same weight. In the church there are so many arguments and criticism over non essential issues. For example, singing style, what to eat, how to dress or certain minor theologies.(Romans 14:1,4). Instead we should seek God’s wisdom (James 1:5) and not cause division over non-essential matters.

If you practice unrighteous judgment towards someone it eventually leads to condemning them. Jesus follows “do not judge” with “do not condemn”. To condemn means to deliver sentence. Both judgement and sentencing belong to God. We can discern what is wrong or right according to the Word, but if you judge and condemn, then we withhold forgiveness. This is opposite of the gospel we are commissioned to share (Luke 9:54-55).

One way we often condemn the unregenerate is to give up on them. We say that a certain person has no hope. We’ve tried but they haven’t responded to the gospel. So we treat them differently and leave them to their sin. This is sinful judgement. Until someone dies we cannot condemn them. In Christ there is always hope for the sinner. Remember the dying thief on the cross.

Conclusion

Jesus says those who judge and condemn will be judged and condemned by Him. Matthew 23:37-38 the Pharisees judged and condemned Jesus but ultimately they were the ones judged and condemned by Him. A wrongful judgement of Christ and an unrepentant heart let do the downfall of Pilate and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:25). Today, we must learn to be wise and make righteous judgements. Our church should be built on the practice of kindness and mercy. Our church specifically has been accused of being unloving or judgmental in the past. A few have left our church for that very reason. Their accusation may not have been fully accurate but it must cause us to reflect and meditate on our thoughts and actions. Let’s be quick to repent and receive guidance according to what Jesus says in Luke 6.