August 18, 2024

Passage Read: Luke 7-8
Meditation Verse: 8:18

Thought

Jesus speaks sometimes in parables and sometimes in clear teaching. The parables obscure the meaning of His teachings, so that people have to meditate and pray and seek out God for an explanation. But the clear teachings shouldn't need much effort to understand; effort is only needed to obey the teaching. In both cases, the responsibility is on the hearer, whether they put in the effort needed to understand and apply Jesus's teaching. So Jesus warns His listeners to be careful how they listen: to the one who puts in the effort to receive and apply Jesus's teachings, he will receive more. But to the one who didn't understand and doesn't bother to figure out, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.  Even though he hangs around Jesus and hears things He says, thinking that he is good with God and God is good with him, but since he doesn't really care to know what Jesus is asking of him and he's not putting in any effort to conform his life to Jesus's commands, then one day he'll discover that he's not included in Christ, but is cast out into the outer darkness of hell.

Application

The measure of saving faith is our determination to know and understand Jesus's teachings so as to do them. If we don't fear the Lord and work at understanding and doing what He asks, we're not actually saved! If we leave it to others to tell us what to do and then don't even bother to do what they make plain to us, we're even more certainly lost! God makes us "work" for our understanding. There is a gate that we must pass through in order to show our faith. Like the woman weeping and anointing Jesus's feet, showing through her effort and actions that she loved Jesus, so we too must show our love for Jesus, if we have any! Or rather, our love for Jesus should show in how we treat Him and His Word. Just because I know some things that Jesus teaches does not mean I believe in and am saved by Him. It's what I do with His teachings that show my faith—or lack of it! If I am not determined to know and practice His teachings, and putting in the effort to do so, I am not saved; I don't truly believe in Him.