Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 6:43-49)

"Ang maayo nga kahoy wala nagapamunga sang malain, kag ang malain nga kahoy wala nagapamunga sang maayo.

Ang tagsa ka kahoy makilala mo sa iya bunga. Wala sing may nagapamupo sang bunga sang higos ukon ubas sa tunukon nga kahoy-kahoy.

Ang tawo kaangay sina. Ang maayo nga tawo nagahambal sang maayo kay maayo ang iya tagipusuon. Pero ang malain nga tawo nagahambal sang malain kay malain ang iya tagipusuon. Kon ano ang sa tagipusuon sang tawo amo man ang nagaguwa sa iya baba."

"Ngaa nagatawag kamo sa akon, 'Ginoo'? Wala man kamo nagatuman sang ginasiling ko sa inyo.

Ipakita ko sa inyo ang halimbawa sang tawo nga nagapalapit sa akon, kag nagapamati kag nagatuman sang akon ginasiling.

Pareho siya sang isa ka tawo nga nagkutkot sang madalom kag nagpatindog sang balay sa pundasyon nga bato. Sang nagbaha ang suba, nag-awas ang tubig kag gin-agyan yadto nga balay, pero wala gid maano ang balay tungod kay mapag-on ang iya pundasyon.

Pero ang tawo iya nga nagapamati sa akon ginasiling pero wala nagatuman, pareho siya sang isa ka tawo nga nagpatindog sang balay nga wala sang mapag-on nga pundasyon. Pagbaha sang suba, gin-agyan sang tubig ang balay. Natumba dayon ini kag nawasak."

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Meditation: 

Why does Jesus set figs and grapes over against thorns and brambles? The fig tree was the favorite of all trees for the people of Palestine. It symbolized fertility, peace, and prosperity. Grapes, likewise, produced wine, the symbol of joy. Thorns and brambles were only good for burning as fuel for the fire. There's a proverbial saying that you know a tree by its fruit. Likewise a person will produce good or bad fruit depending on what is sown in the heart. Charles Read said: "Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny." Character, like fruit, doesn't grow overnight. It takes a lifetime. Jesus connects soundness with good fruit. Something is sound when it is free from defect, decay, or disease and is healthy. Good fruit is the result of sound living – living according to moral truth and upright character. The prophet Isaiah warned against the dangers of falsehood: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20). The fruits of falsehood produce an easy religion which takes the iron out of religion, the cross out of Christianity, and any teaching which eliminates the hard sayings of Jesus, and which push the judgments of God into the background and makes us think lightly of sin. How do we avoid falsehood and bad fruit? By being true – true to God, his word, and his grace. And that takes character! Those who are true to God know that their strength lies not in themselves but in God who supplies the grace we need to live as his disciples. The fruit of a disciple is marked by faith, hope and love, justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. Do you cultivate good fruit in your life and reject whatever produces bad fruit?

Jesus told another story about the importance of building on the right foundation to reinforce his lesson about sound living. When Jesus told the story of the builders he likely had the following proverb in mind: When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm for ever (Proverbs 10:25). What's the significance of the story for us? The kind of foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can survive the storms that are sure to come. Builders usually lay their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain, such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster! Jesus prefaced his story with a warning: We may fool humans with our speech, but God cannot be deceived. He sees the heart as it truly is – with its motives, intentions, desires, and choices (Psalm 139:2). There is only one way in which a person's sincerity can be proved, and that is by one's practice. Fine words can never replace good deeds. Our character is revealed in the choices we make, especially when we are tested. Do you cheat on an exam or on your income taxes, especially when it will cost you? Do you lie, or cover-up, when disclosing the truth will cause you injury or embarrassment? A true person is honest and reliable before God, themselves, and their neighbor. Their word can be counted on. What foundation is your life built upon?

"Lord Jesus, you are the sure foundation and source of life and strength for us. Give me wisdom and strength to live according to your truth and to reject every false way. May I be a doer of your word and not a hearer only."

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 6:39-42)

Pagkatapos sadto ginsugiran sila ni Jesus sini nga paanggid, "Wala sang bulag nga sarang makatuytoy sa iya kapareho nga bulag, kay sila nga duha mahulog sa kanal.

Wala sang estudyante nga labaw pa sa iya maestro, pero kon natudluan gid siya sing maayo kag nakatapos sang iya pagtuon, magapareho man siya sa iya maestro.

"Ngaa ginahimutaran mo gid ang gamay nga puling sa mata sang imo isigkatawo, pero wala mo gani ginasapak ang imo puling nga daw truso kadako?

Paano ka makasiling sa iya, 'Abi, kuhaon ko ang imo puling,' kon indi mo gani makita ang imo puling nga daw truso kadako? Hipokrito! Kuhaa anay ang puling nga daw truso kadako sa imo mata, agod masanag ang imo pagkuha sang gamay nga puling sa mata sang imo isigkatawo."

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Meditation:

Are you clear-sighted, especially in your perception of sin and the need for God’s grace? Jesus' two parables about poor vision allude to the proverb: Without vision the people perish! (Proverbs 29:18) What does the illustration of a blind guide and a bad eye (the log in the eye) say to us? A bad eye left untreated and a blind guide can cause a lot of trouble that will only end in sure disaster! We can only teach others what we have been taught ourselves. And how can we help others overcome their faults if we are blinded by our own faults? We are all in need of a physician who can give us vision, insight, and clarity for overcoming the blindspots of sin and ignorance in our own lives.

True disciples of Christ are those who listen to the voice of their Master and who submit to the skillful help of Jesus, the Divine Physician, who heals us and removes the cancer of sin from our lives. If we are to be guides and teachers for others, then we need good vision, both spiritual and moral vision, and a clear map that shows us the right path and destination for our life's journey. Jesus tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life – no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). If our destination is heaven – our true home and union with God – then there is only one way to get there and that way is through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the cross of Christ sin is pardoned and the sinner is made whole, darkness and corruption give way to light and truth, death is defeated and new life in Christ is restored. The cross of Christ frees us from condemnation and guilt and shows us the way of perfect love and unity with God and with our neighbor.

If Christ has truly freed us from guilt and condemnation, then why is judgmentalism and a critical spirit so rampant today, even among Christians? "Thinking the best of other people" is necessary if we wish to grow in love. And kindliness in judgment is nothing less that a sacred duty. The Rabbis warned people: "He who judges his neighbor favorably will be judged favorably by God." How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually "off the mark" because we can't see inside the other person, or we don't have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself. Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you (Mark 4:24). The Lord knows our faults and he sees all, even the imperfections and sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts. Do you trust in God's mercy and grace? Ask the Lord to flood your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may only have room for charity, forbearance, and kindness towards your neighbor.

"O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for thy name's sake." (Prayer of William Barclay, 20th century)