The Questions of Jesus (Week 4) - Why won’t you do what I say?
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“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)
The tree and its fruit
[Luke 6:43-45 NLT] 43 "A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
The metaphor of the fruit tree and our life is absolutely profound. A fruit tree can only produce the DNA of that fruit tree. The external fruit comes from the internal foundation.
The house and its foundation
[Luke 6:47-49 NLT] 47 I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
The foundation of a house is the critical element to the sustaining stability of a house. This metaphor again enhances and solidifies a life built on Christ’s ways sustains.
Luke 6:46 NLT] 46 "So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?
When our actions do not align with His teachings, our words become empty.
This question serves as a mirror, reflecting the true state of our hearts. It invites us to examine whether our faith is genuine or merely happenstance. He seeks obedience/discipline that stems from a foundation of a transformed heart.
Take-away actions:
Examine your heart
Seek spiritual growth
Cultivate positive relationships
Practice compassion and forgiveness
Believe and have faith in what you received
