Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46 NIV)
This has got to be one of the most challenging verses in the Bible for me. Jesus was addressing a disconnect between what we say and what we do. I do indeed call Jesus, Lord. The term Lord means master, or boss, someone who is in a position of authority over me. Someone that I am expected to obey. So is Jesus really my Lord? Do I follow his instructions completely, or only when it is easy? If he is truly my master, then I will be obedient to him, even when it is hard or inconvenient. Not just with my words, but also with my actions. I will do what he tells me to do.
Jesus as Lord
The lordship of Jesus involves being obedient to his direction. Earlier in this chapter, he instructed me to love my enemies. To do good to those who mistreat me. To be generous to those who ask of me. And not to judge other people. Then he tells me that I cannot properly call him Lord unless I do that. How many times do I read Jesus’ words in the gospels and skip over them because I don’t like what he has to tell me, or because it would be difficult to obey? But Jesus is not interested in filling the role of a guidance counselor, offering advice that I can choose either to accept or reject. Jesus wants nothing less than the lordship of my life.
