Today's Meditation - Monday, October 5, 2020

 Today's Meditation

Read Luke 6:39-49

³⁹He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. ⁴¹Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. ⁴³“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; ⁴⁴for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. ⁴⁶“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. ⁴⁸That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

    In a span of ten verses, Jesus gives a quick lesson on a variety of subjects in this section of Luke:

• We've boiled the first lesson from verse 39 down to a short quip, "It's like the blind leading the blind."  And we use it in a variety of circumstances, particularly when no one (in a group of people) knows what is going on or what they are doing.
• The second lesson from verse 40 reminds us that we should always look to mentors in life to teach us, that we are never beyond learning.  I recently saw a post online that suggested that older people also look to the youth for guidance or we (us old people) miss out on what that generation can teach us.  When I was younger, I looked up to those with experience to teach me, but I had also hoped to teach them what I thought and knew.  I try to remember this now that I am older and continue to learn from the youth, while at the same time, imparting some knowledge/wisdom to them.
• Jesus takes two verses, 41 and 42 to talk about the speck/log in a person's eye.  I could write an entire sermon on this lesson (and I probably have).  But boiled down, we are often blind to our own prejudices.  We are quick to criticize others while not seeing the same issues in our own lives.  In fact, what we often criticize in others are the very same issues we struggle with ourselves, but refuse to fully see or acknowledge them.  Attend to your own difficulties before you point fingers at someone else.
• Jesus takes longer to explain some of his lessons the further he goes in this section of Luke.  In Verses 43-45 Jesus uses a variety of metaphors to get his point across; basically, "You reap what you sow", as we might say today.  If you expect rewards, you need to put in the work that is required.  Another example might be that if you want people to be nice to you, you need to be nice to others.  There are probably countless examples of this teaching by Jesus.  Can you come up with a few?
• Verses 46-49 is the longest lesson here and within it is the parable about realizing that the lessons of Christ are sound and worthy of listening, understanding and acting upon for all of our lives - the house build upon a solid foundation or the house build without one.  Which house/person/life will withstand storms and which will crumble?

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less