Imagine being inspired by Jesus and awaiting his return to see if you are one of the Twelve chosen. I never realized that there was a selection process to being a disciple. I thought Jesus just went along and selected the later-to-be-apostles by saying ‘Come, follow Me.’
That he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Jesus pulled an all-nighter. I wonder if he prayed for wisdom to make the right choices in selecting His Disciples.
And when day broke, he summoned his disciples; and from these he chose twelve (whom he also named apostles): Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James, the son of Alpheus, and Simon called the Zealot; Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor.
I always liked that my parents named me Andrew which is a name of one of the Twelve Disciples. My name was the persistence of two generations as my father was named Andrew after the first born, a junior with the exact same name of his father, died as an infant. My Dad was the second Andrew of his family. My Dad waited until his third son and last of six children was born and made me a junior too, which I also am fond of being.
So then the Twelve make the cut, are selected as Disciples and immediately get the full treatment of what it is going to be like to be a Disciple with Jesus Christ as the leader.
And coming down with them…with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people… and the crowd were trying to touch him, for power went forth from him and healed them.
First, the Blessing Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
Blessed shall you be when men hate you, and when they shut you out, and reproach you, and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Then the Woes:
Woe to you rich! For you are now having your comfort.
Woe to you who are filled! For you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you!
Then what I call the Merits:
What merit do you have—if you love those who love you?
What merit do you have—if you do good to those who do good to you?
What merit do you have—if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive in return?
And along the way so many Spiritual Truths that even I could not write them down fast enough in my journal as Jesus spoke them!
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
And to him that strikes thee on the one cheek, offer the other also.
From him who takes the cloak, do not withhold the tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of thee, and from him who takes away thy goods, ask no return.
And even as you wish men to do to you, so also do you to them.
For your reward shall be great, and you shall be children of the Most High, for he is kind towards the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you shall not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Give, and it shall be given to you.
For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.
Then in due measure Jesus talks ‘the blind leading the blind’ and only if a disciple is perfect can he be anything like Jesus and warns of being a hypocrite.
Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is above his teacher; but when perfected, everyone will be like his teacher.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam from thy own eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the speck from thy brother’s eye.
And then challenges the Disciples and the multitude of people by asking of them: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not practice the things that I say?”
Right off the bat, as I am reading through these I begin to deny, rationalize and justify my lack of perfection in living up to the standards of the Beatitudes, Opposite to the Woes, and these Spiritual Principles.
Why can’t I, at times, weep and laugh now and later too? Isn’t the energy of the Universe and God’s Love unlimited? I mean this is the New Testament, isn’t it?
Not only am I full at times but rarely do I feel the pang of real hunger.
I don’t think I am like the annoying and righteous Christians that purposely go around judging people to make themselves feel superior. Or am I?
do like to love and do good things to my friends and literally protect my boundaries when enemies attack me. I do pray for my so-called enemies, as I don’t feel resentment or hatred towards anyone for any substantial period of time, but I don’t necessary love them like I do myself, God or my good neighbors, family and friends.
I do think I forgive and give and live by the Golden Rule of ‘do unto others what you would like them to do to you.’
I remember this being made very clear to me in a succinct and subtle way by my mother. Her only dating advice to me was to treat girls, at the time, women now, as you would like other guys to treat your sisters. I think I have lived up to that for the most part knowing I may have broken a few hearts and my heart was definitely broken a few times.
Man Making Heart Shape with Hands Near Chest
And my thoughts come full circle back to denying, rationalizing and justifying my thoughts, words, and behavior in relationship to Jesus’ high and perfect standards.
I would say that I feel Jesus is in my heart, that The Holy Spirit permeates my being and I have an intimate and ongoing relationship with God.
I am sensitive, not at all perfectly, to other people’s situation, feelings, and emotions. I am increasingly sensitive to the perceptions and assumptions of our secular world. Verse Two of the Serenity Prayer frees me in the words of “taking, as You (Jesus) did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.”” Acceptance is a powerful tool in living each day one at a time.
I am a sinner and the only person I can change, with God’s blessing and power, is myself.
Here’s a big difference I have with the secular world that I cannot accept:
Evil cannot be inspired. I get upset when I hear a news report of a terrorist or some other evil person being “inspired” to do bad things. Inspired comes from God breathing in the breath of life into each one of us. God is inspiration and evil cannot and does not come from God. Only good people doing good things to help others can be inspired.
Jesus words about the good man and evil man confirm this in my opinion.
“For every tree is known by its fruit… The good man from the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and the evil man from the evil treasure brings forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
The good treasure of his heart versus from the evil treasure—evil can’t be in any heart, or any soul. Evil can’t reside where good resides just like darkness can’t be present where there is light. Evil is not ever inspiring, it comes from Satan.
And all the above was only Chapter 6 of the Gospel of Luke!
A quick reference guide to the four gospels
Here is the short and sweet version of Chapter 7 with the long and bitter version is below in the notes, bitter because when the truth is applied to my thoughts, words, and actions; what I see is too bitter to swallow at first, but over time Jesus sweetens it and me to myself and the world.
Jesus to the centurion: “Amen I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
Jesus to the dead man: “Young man, I say to thee, arise.” And he who was dead, sat up, and began to speak.
Jesus to the crowds and us: “I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Jesus to the men of that generation (and this generation); “(You) are like children sitting in the market place… And wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Jesus to Simon the Pharisee: “Dost thou see this woman? …Her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
Let us love much and be careful that we don’t create our own wisdom amongst our peer group. Wisdom comes first from the Truth and Truth comes from the Word of God.
Is it time to choose yourself to become a Disciple of Christ? Why not be at your Beatitudes Best?
Peace, joy, and freedom is the Ultimate Love in life…
Day 60: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Choose Yourself to Become a Disciple of Christ; Be Your Beatitudes Best!
Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Luke Chapters 6-7.
Bible Notes:
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
Saint Luke, a pagan by birth and a physician by profession, had never seen our Lord. An early convert, he became a companion and co-worker of Saint Paul.
In the first four verses of his Gospel he explains why he wrote it. Paul’s doctrine that salvation is for all, not for Jesus alone, is the theme of Saint Luke’s Gospel.
Luke Chapter 6: The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath; A man with a withered hand; The choice of the Twelve; The beatitudes and woes; Love of enemies; Rush judgment and forgiveness; Self-examination; False prophets; Conclusion of the Sermon.
Pharisees: Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?
Jesus” “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus: “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? To save a life or destroy it?”
The choice of the Twelve.
That he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when day broke, he summoned his disciples; and from these he chose twelve (whom he also named apostles): Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James, the son of Alpheus, and Simon called the Zealot; Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor.
And coming down with them…with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people… and the crowd were trying to touch him, for power went forth from him and healed them.
The Beatitudes and Woes
Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
Blessed shall you be when men hate you, and when they shut you out, and reproach you, and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Woe to you rich! For you are now having your comfort.
Woe to you who are filled! For you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you!
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
And to him that strikes thee on the one cheek, offer the other also.
From him who takes the cloak, do not withhold the tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of thee, and from him who takes away thy goods, ask no return.
And even as you wish men to do to you, so also do you to them.
What merit do you have—if you love those who love you?
What merit do you have—if you do good to those who do good to you?
What merit do you have—if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive in return?
For your reward shall be great, and you shall be children of the Most High, for he is kind towards the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you shall not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Give, and it shall be given to you.
For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.
Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is above his teacher; but when perfected, everyone will be like his teacher.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam from thy own eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the speck from thy brother’s eye.
“For every tree is known by its fruit… The good man from the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and the evil man from the evil treasure brings forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
But why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not practice the things that I say?
Because it was founded on rock…
He built his house upon the ground without a foundation… and great was the wreck of that house.
Luke Chapter 7: The centurion asks Jesus to cure a servant; The centurion’s faith; His servant is cured; Raising a widow’s son; The Baptist sends two disciples to Jesus; They question Jesus; Christ’s witness concerning John; The stubborn children; A sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet; The Pharisee is shocked; Jesus’ words to the Pharisee.
Elders of the Jews to Jesus about the centurion: “He is worthy that thou shouldst do this for him, for he loves our nation and himself has built us our synagogue.”
Centurion: “Lord do not trouble thyself, for I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof; this is why I did not think myself worthy to come to thee. But say the word, and my servant will be healed, For I too am a man subject to authority, and have soldiers subject to me; and I say to one ’Go’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Jesus: “Amen I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
A dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow…
And the Lord seeing her, had great compassion on her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And he went up and touched the stretcher; and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to thee, arise.” And he who was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. But fear seized upon all, and they began to glorify God, saying, “a great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.”
Two Disciples of John to Jesus: “John the Baptist has sent us to thee, saying, ‘Art thou he who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”
Jesus answered them: “Go and report to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not scandalized in me.”
Jesus to the crowds: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear fine clothes and live in luxury are in the houses of kings. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall make ready thy way before thee.’ I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
“To what then shall I liken the men of this generation? And what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market place, calling to one another and saying, ‘We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have sung dirges, and you have not wept.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking, and you say, ‘He has a devil.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold a man who is a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners? And wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Now one of the Pharisees asked him to dine with him; so he went into the house of the Pharisee and reclined at table. And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner… began to bathe his feet with her tears, and wiped then with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with alabaster ointment.
Pharisee said to himself: “This man, were he a prophet, would surely know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
Jesus to the Pharisee: “Simon, I have something to say to thee. A certain money-lender had two debtors; the one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty. As they had no means of repaying, he forgave them both. Which of them, therefore, will love him more?
Simon the Pharisee answered: “he, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.”
Jesus: “Thou hast judged rightly.”
And turning to the woman, Jesus said to Simon: “Dost thou see this woman? I came into thy house; thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she bathed my feet with tears and has wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, from the moment she entered, has not ceased to kiss my feet. Thou didst not anoint my head with oil; but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say to thee, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
Jesus to the woman: “Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.”
Others at the table: “Who is this man, who even forgives sins?”
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