The most important part of Luke chapter 4 is the temptations of Jesus. In each case, it is the word of God which He uses to combat the temptations. And that is the point for us. WE can turn to God’s word for the answers to our own temptations; and as Paul tells the Corinthians:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

In chapter 5, there is so much going on; and we have covered most of it in previous posts that you can find by the search function. But one point sticks out for this writer at the time of this particular reading. In verses 29-32, there is an encounter with the Pharisees over the fact that Jesus eats (thereby associating with) sinners. Jesus tells them “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Those people are the very types of people who Jesus always went to, and for the reason He gave. That brings up an important point. Where do we draw the line ourselves? On the one hand, we should not be going to bars with people who are getting drunk. And there are certainly parties that Christians should not attend, in order to avoid temptation — not to mention the “appearance of evil.” But how much do we as Christians “shut out” those who are “of the world?” Perhaps too much sometimes.

We must remember that we are “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). We must not be “of the world,” but we must be “in the world” in order to fulfill that duty. We are not called to help save fellow Christians who have not gone astray. Therefore, we should not limit our associations with others too narrowly. We are not part of an exclusive club with “cliques.” We are part of a kingdom into which God wants us to help bring others.

 /Bob’s boy

Bible Reading Schedule for this month
Click links below to read or listen to audio of one of this week’s chapters in Colossians and Luke

Luke 2, Luke 3, Luke 4, Luke 5, Luke 6

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All of my comments in this blog are solely my responsibility. When reading any commentary, you should always refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word.