The world: Do as I say, not as I do. Jesus: Do as I do and as I say.

Luke 6:39-7:10 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. ⁴⁴ For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

⁴⁶ “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

7 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

² And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. ³ When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; ⁵ for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” ⁶ Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; ⁷ for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ⁹ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” ¹⁰ When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

There are many people who look at Jesus life, the things He did, and try to model their own lives after Him. They are compassionate, reaching out to the outcasts and sinners of society, like Jesus did. For us to model our lives after Jesus, to do our best to do what He did is a good and noble endeavor, yet in today’s text Jesus says:   “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”  If we would truly model our lives after Jesus, then along with doing the things we see that He did, we would do all that He says. Jesus is not like some people who would say, “do as I say not as I do.” Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12)   We are to do what Jesus did and we are also to do all that He says. After saying we would do what He did, Jesus says:   “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”(John 14:15)    Unlike people who say do as I say, not as I do; Jesus never asks anything of us that He Himself would not do. He does though command that we do what He says.

In today’s text Jesus follows up His question saying: “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”   Whether we do wrong things, or do some of the right things, or even if we do the right things for the wrong reasons, we build our lives on something that will not stand. When we respond to what Jesus says, to His words and act on them, doing all that He said, we build our lives on the solid foundation of Christ and not of self. Jesus says: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Regardless of what may come against us, if we have built our lives on the solid foundation, doing all that Jesus did and all that He said, if we love Him, we too will overcome. Romans 8:35-39 says:  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The end of today’s text reveals a key for how we can do all that Jesus did and said. It says:  A centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. In Matthew 8:13, in telling of the same account, Matthew adds one vital missing piece, Jesus says:  “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” What we see then from this is that it was not what Jesus did, it was what He said. The faith of the centurion and the authority of Jesus were both vital to the result, but Jesus Himself, Jesus the man, did not go to the place where the slave was sick. The power and the authority for healing were carried to him by the Holy Spirit. In the same way it is the Holy Spirit who gives us power and authority to do the things that Jesus did. That’s why He says in John 14:12-14:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”    Just as by the power of the Holy Spirit the slave was healed by Jesus authority where He was, so too, will Jesus do the things we ask in His name, even from the place of heaven, with the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Look at what Jesus continues to say in John 14. In verses 25-27, in the Amplified translation, it says:  “I have told you these things while I am still with you.But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”    The Holy Spirit is our Helper, not only giving us the power and authority of Jesus, but also being our Counselor, our Teacher, Our Strengthener and our guide. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can do the things Jesus did and it is only through the Holy Spirit, not in our own strength, that we can do the things that Jesus said.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You that You have not only called us to do the things You did and also to do all the things You said, but by the power of the Holy Spirit You have given us the ability to do it all through You.   Amen.