Luke chapter 6

vs 11

Yes, healing someone of a debilitating injury is obviously worth hurting them for. It's incredible the lunacy of it all. And yet, this lunacy is worldwide. There's a heartwrenching article in the latest Serving Together about a very similar situation. Human life, health, safety and happiness is all well and good, but even those things must fit into their cultural context, or people get upset.

Jesus, of course, says "screw that, people need healing".

vs 12

As you do. I mean, we all do that all the time, don't we?

vs 13

Obviously, Jesus has a plan. And so he's calling out his best and brightest (or at least the ones he knows will do whatever it is he has planned for them) to be his inner circle. His cabinet. His head mooks. The ones that get their own individual special weapons.

vs 14-16

Simon Peter (wields a rock). Andrew (bo staff). James (nunchuku). John (katana). Phillip (screwdriver). Bart (who knows anything about this guy?). Matthew (guitar). Thomas (sai, to complete the ninja turtle crossover). The other James (throwing knives). Another Simon (AK-47). Judas (camera) and the other Judas, who always wears black.

Do you get the idea that this list is meant to meant to be able to remembered?

vs 17

So, notice that Jesus has a large crowd of disciples - not just the twelve head mooks. And also note that a bunch of other people are here. Always good to know who the audience is. Notice where they are from too - not just Jews, but all the way from Lebanon.

vs 18

Notice that the people hadn't just come to get their ills healed - they were actually also interested in hearing what he had to say. I mean, if someone comes and heals all these problems, wouldn't you want to know what he thinks about why they do it?

And look, he did heal some people.

vs 19

And others tried to get their hands on him to get healed too.

vs 20

And now he starts a famous discourse. Notice that it is aimed at his disciples primarily. So, we assume that many of them were poor. Interesting thought, isn't it? Don't often think about what Jesus' big group of disciples is like demographically. The Sermon on the mount (or level place) might tell us a lot about that.