Advent Devotional: The Gospel of LukeSample

*Written by TJ Johnson

To understand this chapter, we need to start at the end, where Jesus summarizes all He has just taught: “Salt is good, but only if it retains its taste.” When we think of salt, we most likely associate it with flavor. Anyone who has ever eaten steak knows how essential salt is to food. However, this understanding falls short of how salt was used in the first century. Before refrigeration, salt functioned as a preservative. Without it, meat would rot and spoil. Similarly, Jesus teaches that true followers of God act as a preservative in this world. The world is decaying, festering, and being ruined by sin. Jesus came to preserve (and restore) God’s good creation, inviting us to join in this great restoration. This chapter illustrates HOW we are to be the salt of the earth, preserving and restoring God’s creation.

The chapter begins by reminding us that one way Jesus preserves the world is through godly compassion. While the Pharisees refused to allow a man with dropsy to be healed on the Sabbath, Jesus looked at him with compassion and healed him. Ironically, the Pharisees cared more for their oxen (v. 5) than for a fellow human. May it never be said of us that we have more compassion for our pets and greater love for our possessions than for people. Today, look around and ask yourself where you can sprinkle the salt of compassion.

Next, Jesus shows that the world will not be changed by the powerful but by weak, humble people. Only when we stop striving to be made much of ourselves will we REALLY see the needs around us. Are you so busy trying to get ahead, receive compliments, or gain favor that you’ve become blind to the world’s suffering? As Paul writes in Romans 12:10, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” True transformation occurs when, in humility, we consider others more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Following this, Jesus teaches that the world will be transformed through true generosity. It’s easy to be “generous” when we expect something in return. For example, we might invite someone to our party knowing it will benefit us later. But Jesus calls us to something radical: “Invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame”—those who cannot repay you. Truly generous people understand Jesus’ statement that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Look around today and ask yourself how you can give without expecting anything in return.

This one may seem strange, but it is the most important of all. If we are to REALLY impact the world in a meaningful way, then we must make sure that our priorities are right. Love, in order for it to be rightly ordered love, must first and foremost be toward God. We love others more by loving them less (than we do God). Our love for others must always flow from our love for God. Reversing this order distorts true love and perpetuates the world’s decay.

Let’s suppose God has given specific commands about sexuality and gender, and let’s suppose that we have a friend that does not want to conform to God’s teaching on this matter. It might seem loving to compromise on God’s truth to make your friend feel accepted and affirmed in their choices. However, this kind of “love” fails to bring about the world God desires. It allows sin to fester and the world to decay further.

So, in order to truly be salt, we must never place anyone above God. We must “hate…father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even our own life.” Only rightly ordered love will bring about the Kingdom Jesus died for; everything else is salt that has lost its taste and is good for nothing except to be thrown away.

Let's pray: Father, I thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, into the world to make all things new. I thank You that He lived a life of compassion, humility, generosity, and sacrifice. I thank You that He did not despise the cross but willingly carried it so that sin could be destroyed. I pray that You help me live this kind of life today—not as a means to gain salvation but as an overflow of the salvation I have received. Help me to have eyes to see the needs around me and ears to hear the cries for help. Let me be a part of Your great restoration plan. Use me, and speak to each of our members reading this devotional today. May we all be Your hands and feet. Help us to be the salt of Beijing so that others may see our good works and glorify You, for You alone are worthy of the world’s worship. In Jesus’ name, I offer this prayer to you, Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. Who is one person you can show compassion to?
2. Who will you outdo today in showing honor and how?
3. What is one way you can show generosity today without expecting anything in return?
4. Are you guilty of wrongly ordered love? If so, how does the gospel both challenge and empower you to change?