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For a Reason

March 13, 2022

Luke 6:12-26

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

20 Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Read Luke 6:12-16

  1. Jesus spent a full night praying, apparently about who to select as apostles. What was so important about these selections that it warranted praying all night?
  2. Jesus hand-selected Judas Iscariot, and we know how that turned out. Was his selection of Judas an error in judgement? A mistake? How do you feel about God choosing to you imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will?

Read Luke 6:17-19

  1. That last place name mentioned by Luke was in 5:1 (the Sea of Galilee/Gennaseret). We can assume the subsequent accounts take place in the region of Galilee. If you are unfamiliar with the geography of Israel, google “Map of Israel at time of Christ.” Find Galilee and the other place names mentioned in these verses. From how far away were people coming to learn and to be healed? What does this suggest about the scope of His ministry at this point?
  2. Have you ever been around someone who seemed to have the power of God coming out of them? What was that like? How did it impact you?

Read Luke 6:20-23

  1. Do these words sound familiar? Where else in the Bible do we find Jesus teaching these ideas almost word-for-word? (Hint: the search function at Biblegateway.com can be really helpful for this one.)
  2. How does Jesus’ teaching ‘flip the script’ on our understanding of what it means to be blessed by God?

Read Luke 6:24-26

  1. Jesus speaks directly to four of the things that most people look to for comfort and security. Name those four things.
  2. Which of those four things (and, yes, there can be more than one) do you tend to look to for a sense of security and peace? How is Jesus’ teaching in these verses threatening to you?