As we finally put the plucking grain on the Sabbath issue to rest (Deuteronomy 23:24-25) I love that Jesus didn’t argue with the Pharisees, but pointed them to scripture to where David actually broke the law of the Sabbath (1 Samual 21:1-6). Gods law was never meant to impose hardship on His people, but man added to Gods law which added the hardship by leaps and bounds!

So when I was a new believer I was always amazed when I would hear a chapter, verse or study on the radio and then hear it again in church, it happened a lot back then. At first, I chalked it up to coincidence, but I know now that "coincidence" is not a kosher word. Now I know that this had to have been The Holy Spirit reaching out to me to get the lesson. Or has this ever happened to you? You have read a passage multiple times and then BAM The Holy Spirit reveals something new that blesses you? This happened to me with v17, I thought that this was Luke's version of The Sermon on the Mount, but in v17 it says “When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area” WOW thank you Holy Spirit! This version is actually given on a plain, not a mountain! But as you move down to v20 you have all of these people around Jesus, but when he starts to teach he turns to the disciples and gives them the Beatitudes again. Do you think that the disciples were like, here we go again blessed this woe that? Or were their hearts open to listening, really listening to Jesus and His words?

I admit that during the NTC that I too am guilty of glossing over what I already “know” but if this happens to you I challenge you to allow the Holy Spirit to take what you “know” and have it sink deep into your heart! Because like Jesus said in V40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.