The Narrow Way

(#25) Lessons from Luke 6:17-26

Photo by Jakob Braun on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

“The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you. And give you peace”.

The No Surrender Way

At the age of twenty-two, Hiroo Onoda took a pledge that would define his life: to surrender under no circumstances and to never take his own life. As a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army, he was deployed for guerilla warfare in 1944 on the Philippines island of Lubang, tasked with resisting American forces.

Onoda would spend the next thirty years living out his commitment to this no surrender pledge. Even when he learned of the war’s end in early 1974, his resolve remained unbroken. It wasn’t until a Japanese tourist discovered him that he reluctantly agreed to come down from the jungle. His former commanding officer, still alive, was sent to persuade him to surrender. On March 11, 1974, Hiroo Onoda formally surrendered to the President of the Philippines. He would later write a book named “No Surrender, My Thirty-Year War”.

(Picture Below: President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos & Hiroo Onada).

The Imperial Army of Japan exhibited this ‘no surrender’ mentality in various ways during World War II. Substack writer, Jason Clark posted about the story of Shoichi Yokoi and his almost thirty years of hiding in the jungles of Guam.

On the surface, such dedication may seem noble; however, it contrasts sharply with the call of faith in Christianity. Jesus asks for total surrender - not to a cause, but to Him. He desires all of you: your pain, your idols, your sin, your weaknesses, your wealth, every part of your being. This echoes the seekers in Acts after hearing the good news of the gospel, when they asked Peter, “What shall we do?”

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” - Acts 2:37-38

Devotional: Luke 6:17-26

In this next section of Luke, let us consider what it means to surrender fully to Christ? What parts of our lives our we holding back? Do you have a no surrender will towards Jesus?

The way of the crowds

^“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, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” - Luke 6:17-19

Map of Israel at the time of Jesus

In Luke 6, Jesus has become famous, the healing of the lepers, the sick, the blind, the infirmed, our making rumors across Galilee and all of Israel. But notice, the crowds are in it for themselves, what they can get out of the relationship. Jesus uses this scenario as a teachable moment for the disciples. Have you ever been in a relationship where it’s just a one way sort of thing? It seems like the crowds our just interested in what Jesus can do for them or receive from him.

Jesus challenges the disciples with some guidance that on the surface is rather difficult to comprehend. He issues four blessings and four woes or warnings.

Our concept of blessing can be somewhat westernized, before the fall of man, God blessed creation, man, and the seventh day (Genesis 1:22, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:3). The Hall of Famers of Faith (Hebrews 11), understood God’s blessing as fortune and treasure. When you think of God’s ‘blessing’, for purposes of thinking differently, the pioneers of faith thought of God’s blessing as a treasure, they thought favor, the blessing of the womb, the land, milk and honey, fruitfulness, the Sabbath day’s rest, peace, and the blessing of life. They also thought of the blessing of God’s Word.

So here we come to the instruction from Christ to the Disciples:

Four Blessings

1. ^“Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor,
   for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20)

2. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. (Luke 6:21)

3. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:21)

4. 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. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

Four Warnings

1. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. (Luke 6:24)

2. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. (Luke 6:25)

3. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. (Luke 6:25)

4. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:26)

What do you think Jesus meant by these instructions?

See Romans 12:1-2, what type of surrender to God’s does the Apostle Paul encourage?

Do you think the disciples found this instruction difficult?

References/Resources:

• Blessing: Numbers 6:24-26

• Bless - The word ‘bless’ is repeated three hundred eighty nine (x389) throughout the Bible, with the most repeated occurrences in Genesis (x65) and in the New Testament the Gospel of Luke (x20).

• The Blessing Song by Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes.

• Map of Israel at the time of Jesus, Source: Library of Congress.

• Woe - Word is repeated in Luke fourteen times (x14), more than any other New Testament Book. Woe is associated with judgement, the prophet Isaiah used this word frequently (x23), with the verse “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”(Isaiah 5:20)