Daily Devotion

Weekend Recharge!

Sometimes we like what Jesus says. Who doesn’t want the abundant life he promises? Who doesn’t desire the comfort of his constant presence? What weary person doesn’t long for his rest? We look forward to a resurrected life and the promise of heaven.

Most of us are familiar with the “Sermon on the Mount” from the Gospel of Matthew. But have you heard of the “Sermon on the Plain” from the Gospel of Luke? Luke tells us that Jesus “came down with [the apostles] and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17).

During Jesus' earthly ministry, crowds of people followed him. These followers were called disciples, a word that means “learner.” As disciples (mathetes), they listened carefully to Christ's teaching, committed his truths to memory, and obeyed his instruction. Later, in Luke’s Gospel, we will read about the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out in pairs to prepare the towns for his visits (Luke 10:1–24).

In today’s passage, Jesus makes one of the most profound statements of his earthly ministry. You might expect such a statement to be made in a large synagogue, before thousands, or at the temple in Jerusalem, right? Instead, this statement was made in a field with only a few people around him. Let’s consider the story in Luke 6:1–11.

The first year of Jesus’ ministry is often called the “Year of Popularity.” As Jesus taught in the synagogues, Luke says, he was “being glorified by all” (Luke 4:15). When Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons, “amazement seized [the people], and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today’” (Luke 5:26). 

Weekend Recharge!

Weekend Recharge!

If you had spoken with a Jew about Jewish tax collectors in that era, emotions would have run high and strong words would likely have followed. A Jewish tax collector was seen as a traitor—someone who had sold out to Rome and was actively helping to oppress their own people. Few groups were more deeply despised. 

Today’s story is about one of those tax collectors.