“Why Do You Call Me ‘Lord, Lord’?” Luke 6:46-49

I enjoy watching and listening to advice shows. There used to be a show on the radio about organic lawn care, which I thought was interesting. I also enjoy watching cooking shows, and Kim likes watching shows on home design and refurbishing. We watch these shows quite a bit, actually. I learn a lot from them.

Not that I actually do what the shows suggest. Granted, I have learned that parchment paper is a great tool to use in keeping things from sticking to the pan when baking. I use it all the time. And I’ve learned a few other things. For the most part, though, I watch and listen without really doing anything about it.

It can be frustrating to tell someone something, only to see them ignore the advice or disregard it completely. This is particularly true when we have an expertise about the subject or the project.

Jesus raised the same point in today’s passage. There are several times in the Bible when someone will refer to Jesus with a title, and Jesus will either ask them why the title, or pointedly tell the person that the title can be misplaced. It seems to be that in those cases, Jesus was trying to get the questioner to look deeper and consider the impact of the title.

In this instance, Jesus raises the question of what His lordship really means to us. In raising the issue, Jesus then goes on to address the importance of doing more than listening to Him only. He tells us that if we call Jesus “Lord,” then we should be willing to do what He tells us.

Central Truth: How we respond to God’s voice has consequences.

When Jesus speaks:

We respond (46)

This passage comes at the end of Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s account, the sermon takes place more on a plain than a mount, and the message is much shorter. In both cases, the sermon concludes with the warning to listen to Jesus’ words and put them into practice.

In Luke’s account, Jesus asks the pointed question, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?”

In the language of the day, there was no way to express a comparison or a superlative. In our language, if we compare things, we add “er” to the word or alter the word—the better one, the poorer one—or add “est” for a superlative—the best, the greatest. In Jesus’ day, when a person wanted to demonstrate a comparative, they would repeat the word—Lord, Lord, as opposed to a higher lord or greater lord. The term, “Holy, holy, holy” means holiest.

So when Jesus says, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’” He’s asking us why, if we acknowledge the higher position of His lordship, we fail to obey that same lordship. It’s like me listening to an expert cook, then choosing to cook the same dish the way I want to, not the way he or she suggested I do it.

One of the reasons we come to Jesus as Savior and Lord is not just because we realize we need redemption from our sins. We also recognize that Jesus’ way is the right way, Jesus’ words are the words of life. Since we realize this to be true, then it only stands to reason that we should be willing and eager to obey Him.

And yet, we don’t always do so. There are many reasons why this is so, but it all comes down to the fact that we fail to obey because we’ve stopped listening to His voice or we’ve decided to listen to Satan’s voice instead. And that’s frustrating.

To be sure, Satan is an expert in the art of temptation. He knows us and our weaknesses, and he knows how to push the right buttons. He can make it look so good, so pleasant, so worthwhile, so that even when Jesus speaks to us about the need to resist Satan’s voice, we may choose to ignore Jesus and follow Satan. When we do, it never ends up as Satan suggests; it always ends in disaster.

Jesus is always looking out for the best for us. He always knows us better than we know ourselves, and far better than Satan can ever hope to. When Jesus speaks to us, He is showing us the best way, the right way. He is telling us what we know we need to do.

If Jesus is Lord, Lord, then we really should listen to Him and put it into practice.

Good things come to those who obey (47-48)

Jesus makes a comparison in the passage. He compares the one who obeys to the one who chooses not to obey. First, He leads us to the obedient one, the wise builder.

The first thing is to notice how Jesus describes the obedient one. This is a person who comes to Jesus. That is, this person seeks Jesus out, wanting to hear what He has to say. Similar to tuning in to the radio for advice, or flipping the channel to watch how to cook, we seek out the Way, the Truth and the Life. We come to Him.

Second, we listen to Him. We take the time to ask His advice and to let Him speak. The prudent person, when asking someone’s advice, knows to listen carefully to what is being said. The listener isn’t afraid to ask questions, but doesn’t interrupt. Interrupting someone is an indication we’re not really listening. Jesus wants us to hear His words, and the wise person does exactly that.

Finally, the wise person not only comes to Jesus and hears what He has to say, but actually puts it into practice. The person takes Jesus’ words, and applies them to life. When Jesus says to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves, we then try to put it in to practice.

Jesus compares such a person to a wise builder. The wise builder plans and prepares before he or she begins to build. The wise builder recognizes that a building with a poor foundation is only inviting problems. So the wise builder digs down to bedrock, then lays the foundation, after which he or she builds the building. The result is that the storm may come, but the house will stand. Floods won’t shake it from its foundation; the house may sustain damage, but it will stand firm.

It’s easy to make the analogy of our lives as a building, and Jesus being the Rock upon which we build. There are numerous references in the Bible to refer to the Lord as our Rock, our foundation stone. The person who hears and does what Jesus says finds they have a depth to their understanding, and that they know they can rely on God in life’s storms, trials and tribulations. When we are grounded in Christ through a life of hearing and doing, we are able to see past the circumstances and see the hand of God. We may not have the answers to all the questions we may have, but we have the assurance that God is with us and seeing us through the difficult time or event.

The benefit of hearing Jesus’ voice and putting His words into practice is that we have a secure faith, a strong faith, a lasting faith.

Bad things come to those who ignore Him (49)

In contrast, Jesus speaks about the person who fails to put into practice the words of Jesus.

Such a person doesn’t seek Jesus out. Nowhere does Jesus suggest that such people come to Him. If I have determined my own course of action, do I really need to seek Jesus out? Of course not.

Nevertheless, Jesus is willing to speak and guide even those who are already planning to disobey. The disobedient person, though, even though he or she hears His voice, still wants to disregard the words. And such a person’s actions lead to cataclysmic results.

Again, using the analogy of a builder, Jesus says such a person doesn’t take the time to plan wisely and prepare appropriately. Such a person is in a hurry to get where he or she is going and so they simply erect the building. They assume the ground is solid ground. After all, when we walk on it, it feels hard. Digging into it, we discover it’s hard going, so we assume the ground is sufficiently firm to hold up a house. Besides, what’s going to happen?

Inevitably, the storms of life hit the house. The rains begin to pelt the home, the winds buffet it, and the storm surges against the house. Because the house is not firmly grounded, it shifts, it tilts, it shakes, it may even crumble, leaving ruin and disaster. What then?

According to Jesus, the moment the storm hit, the house “collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Conclusion

Life is hard. There are ups and downs, sometimes higher and lower than we had anticipated. We never know what’s just around the corner.

And becoming a Christian is no guarantee that life will become easier. In fact, in some ways, following Jesus makes life a little harder. Making an enemy of Satan does that to a person.

Because life is hard, it is imperative that we build upon the Rock of Ages, the One who is our anchor. The only way to do that is to come to Jesus, hear His voice, and put His words into practice.

Jesus is speaking to each one of us right now. Are we listening? What are you going to do?