Last night Sherry and I gave away a jigsaw puzzle we had enjoyed to our kids. A few hours later, a friend said she had a jigsaw puzzle she wanted to give us. That’s an example of a great principle in life. We are designed to give and to receive. To hold on and to let go.
We saw in Part 1 that the gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as a shepherd king who brought God’s kingdom to earth. In Part 2 we saw that the gospel of Mark presents Jesus as a servant humbled below all. In Part 3: we will look at the gospel of Luke: where Jesus is the Son of Man [Hebrew: Son of Adam]. We will also see how we can reach out to people on a personal level to win the lost and build disciples. And we will see our hope that our loved ones who are saved will have eternity with us.
When I was thirteen, I somehow got the idea—probably from the educational films they showed us at school—that I had venereal disease. I was scared, ashamed, and wondering if my short life would soon end. Finally, after days of mental torture, I went to my Dad early one morning before he left for work. Through tears and sobs, I told him my problem. He simply asked, “Eugene, have you been with a girl?” I had not. He explained that what I was going through was normal for a boy my age, but he took me to our family physician, Dr. Bolgar, just to ease my troubled mind. Of course, I was fine. This is a fond memory of my Dad because of the human way he related to me. He comforted me where I needed it most.
Jesus Christ yesterday is how our Savior related to others in his earthly ministry. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus is called the Son of Man [Adam] more than 25 times. He is shown to be someone who went through all the troubles and challenges of life. Yet, he always stayed tight with his Daddy and never sinned.
Hebrews 4:15:
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
One unique feature in each gospel is the background, or genealogy, of Jesus Christ. Luke shows Jesus’ background through his adopted father, Joseph. Jesus was his son from man’s point of view. In his home town of Nazareth, they said Jesus was the son of the carpenter. Luke shows Joseph’s genealogy back to Adam, the first man. It does include a son of David named Nathan, who was a common man. Whereas Matthew shows his mother, Mary’s, genealogy through David and his son, Solomon, the king.
Luke often shows Jesus as a friend of publicans and sinners. He spent his time with common, simple people. It also shows him standing against religion and the hypocrisy of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. Luke has unique miracles that touch us on a very human level: raising the son of the widow of Nain to life; healing a woman who was bent over for 18 years; healing ten lepers and then making one of them, a Samaritan, whole when he returned to thank Jesus.
And Luke shows Jesus teaching about his Father’s kindness and forgiveness to reach every man: the parables of the good Samaritan who had compassion, the woman who lost her wedding jewelry, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son whose father ran to him with compassion. It shows the folly of pride and the worth of humility in the parable of the Pharisee who claims his own righteousness and the publican who asks God to forgive him as a sinner.
Luke describes Jesus healing the lonely blind man who sat seeking alms near Jericho. Only Luke tells us about Jesus reaching out to short and ridiculed Zacchaeus who humbled himself to climb a sycamore tree, and had the joy of dining with the master where “salvation came to his house.” Jesus was a son of Adam who brought God’s deliverance to all who believed.
Jesus Christ helps us as men and women today with his love and compassion. We are on earth and have “Christ in” us [as Colossians 1:27 says], so we can reach others on a human level. We are ambassadors in Christ’s stead, and have been given the ministry of reconciling men and women back to God through Christ [II Corinthians 5:18-20].
What are some practical ways to be like Jesus Christ, who met others on a human level?
Listen: one of the greatest qualities in having real compassion is to be a good listener. If we don’t understand the needs of others, how can we minister to them? Listening is not only with our ears, but with our eyes, our thoughts, and our hearts. We should be swift to hear and slow to speak without thinking [James 1:19]. Let the spirit of God guide you in what to say when helping others [Galatians 5:25].
Relate: Jesus related to the weaknesses of others, even though he was strong in God’s love and power. After ministering to a blind man, Jesus asked if he could see. The man said things were blurry, so Jesus prayed again. Then the man had perfect sight. It wasn’t Jesus’ fault that the man needed a second dose of love and prayer. Yet Jesus did not condemn the man for not believing the first time that he prayed for him [Mark 8:22-26].
Claim: know God’s Bible promises and preach them to others. Help them to claim the deliverance that is in Christ Jesus. There are hundreds of promises in God’s Word so that we can have the “more abundant life” that Jesus came to bring [John 10:10]. Once we listen and relate to the needs of others, it’s just a matter of introducing that person to God’s perfect solutions through Jesus Christ. There is power in his name when we pray and believe together [John 15:16; 16:23].
Act: how many times have we thought of a person and stayed sitting on the couch? When the Father puts someone on our hearts, we should act. Almost weekly, I will think of a person and pray for them—and then give them a phone call. Modern communications make it easy to stay in touch. My wife Sherry and I love to walk around our neighborhood. We have had some of the sweetest conversations in someone’s driveway or on the sidewalk. I confess that there were times as a believer when I did not obey and do what the Father was urging me to do. I know I’m forgiven for those times [Ephesians 1:7], but now I want to do His will each day [Philippians 1:6; 2:13; Hebrews 13:21].
We will be rewarded for our loving and compassionate care of others. I Corinthians 3 tells how Paul and Apollos ministered to others. They planted and watered and God gave the increase. They gave others the foundation of Jesus Christ which brings eternal life. It says that when things are “cleaned up” in the future and we stand on that foundation of Christ, we will be rewarded for the good things we did for others in love—they are the gold, silver, and precious stones that endure [I Corinthians 3:11-15].
Jesus Christ continues to maintain a relationship with us forever. When he comes back, the dead in Christ will rise and those still alive will be changed [I Thessalonians 4:13-18]. We will all have new spiritual bodies like his glorious body [Philippians 3:21] and enjoy being forever with the Lord [I Thessalonians 4:17]. We have borne the image of the earthly Adam, and we will bear the image of the heavenly, second Adam, Jesus Christ [I Corinthians 15:42-49]. As sons of Adam, let’s never get so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good. Let’s never think we are holier than thou, for we are all sinners bought back from destruction and death, fully forgiven by the precious blood of Christ [I Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 1:2,18,19; I John 1:7-9; Revelation 1:5]. God bless you.
Sherry and I love to go out to eat. A good restaurant offers a win-win situation for all involved. The diners receive a delicious meal in a delightful atmosphere. The owner receives payment and offers a valuable service to his customers. And between the two, the waiting staff has the joy of serving both the owner and his guests, and receiving rewards from both.
Similarly, we have the joy of service and receive rich rewards as we work with our heavenly Father to serve the bread of life to those who are spiritually hungry!
Gene and I spent our first Christmas Eve together in Melbourne, Australia with several friends. On this warm summer evening at Manya’s apartment, we enjoyed fresh fruit, cold chicken, bread from a local bakery, jasmine tea, and champagne. As we were singing holiday songs, Gene and Terre disappeared for a bit. They returned as…Santa and the Christmas Fairy! Bearing gifts for all!
Most Christians believe they should give money to their church. Many churches require their people to give a minimum of ten percent of their income and allow the church leadership to use that money as they see fit. Is this what God really wants?
Give with Simplicity
In my early days of fellowship with my heavenly Father, I didn’t have a lot of financial or material resources. When I first learned from God’s Word about giving, I thought, “That sounds easy to do, I will give it a try!”
Who Needs It?
All your bills are paid, all your needs are met, and you’ve got some extra money that you would be blessed to share with somebody else. Now the exciting part begins!
One Saturday, as I wrote out our bi-weekly check for a certain percentage of our income to put in the church offering as I had for many years, I thought, “Sherry, are you even thinking about what you’re giving and to whom and why?” I realized it had become just a habit, and I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t really giving with purpose.