Lenten Reading February 16, 2016

Reading Guide for Lent

Each day read the Gospel passage for the day and the Psalm passage for the day (you can read them all at once or do one reading in the morning and one in the evening) and use the reflection questions to help process the passage.

The 6th day of Lent

Tuesday February 16th, 2016

Gospel Reading:  Luke 6

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6      One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. ²Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

³Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” ⁵Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.

⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

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

Blessings and Woes

¹⁷He 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, ¹⁸who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, ¹⁹and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

²²Blessed 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.

²⁵Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Love for Enemies

²⁷“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

³⁹He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰Students are not above their teacher, but all who are fully trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say, ‘Friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

⁴⁶“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷As for those who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But those who hear my words and do not put them into practice are like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

The Holy Bible : Today's New International Version. 2005. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Reflection Questions:

1. How is Jesus showing authority in verses 1-11?  Over what does He have authority?
2. Read verses 20-26 of Jesus’ sermon.  Is this what you would expect Him to say?  Is this the way you live?  (Are you seeking a blessed life or a life of Woe, according to what Jesus says here.)
3. Starting in verse 27 what other surprising things does Jesus teach?  Make a list of the instructions.  Are these easy things to do?
4. This passage ends with a story about building a house.  Are you building your house on a solid foundation or with no foundation?
5. Do you call Jesus Lord? (vs. 46).  Do you do what he says?  Pray. 
6. Make sure you read the Psalm for today.

Psalm Reading:  Psalm 119:1-16

Note:  Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, meaning every 8 verses begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and is a very long Psalm (176 verses!)  Today we will just look at the first 16 verses (the Hebrew letters Aleph and Beth)

Psalm 119

א Aleph

¹Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the Lord.

²Blessed are those who keep his statutes

and seek him with all their heart—

³they do no wrong

but follow his ways.

⁴You have laid down precepts

that are to be fully obeyed.

⁵Oh, that my ways were steadfast

in obeying your decrees!

⁶Then I would not be put to shame

when I consider all your commands.

⁷I will praise you with an upright heart

as I learn your righteous laws.

⁸I will obey your decrees;

do not utterly forsake me.

ב Beth

⁹How can those who are young keep their way pure?

By living according to your word.

¹⁰I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

¹¹I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

¹²Praise be to you, Lord;

teach me your decrees.

¹³With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

¹⁵I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

¹⁶I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

Reflection Questions:

1. The Psalmist is writing about God’s words and laws (Scripture).   How do this poem teach us what to do?
2. What is the best way to live a good life according to this Psalm?
3. List all the words that describe how to relate to God’s words (law, commands, word, statues, precepts, ways ect.).
4. How can this Psalm also relate to obeying Jesus’ sermon in Luke 6:20-49?