Luke 6 could be described as "Jesus' work in a nutshell." It really has everything. Jesus teaches in synagogues. He heals and casts out evil spirits. He clashes with Pharisees about how to interpret sabbath laws. He spends the night in prayer. He calls his disciples (also known as apostles, or "sent ones.") He finishes the chapter with the "sermon on the plain" (as opposed to Matthew's "sermon on the mount", with similar content). Most all of what Jesus is up to after his baptism and before his final week can be found here.
Jesus seems like a pretty good multi-tasker. To him, teaching is not an isolated event that happens in a classroom. He teaches while he's healing, casting out evil spirits, even eating lunch. When I look at the way I follow him, it seems a little more regimented. I have scheduled times to visit the sick and homebound, to teach Bible study, to prepare for worship, to write and preach sermons, among a thousand other administrative tasks.
When things get mixed up--when I'm called to the hospital while I'm writing a sermon, or when Bible study prep gets interrupted by a pastoral care need--sometimes I get a little flustered. But for Jesus, it's all one thing. It's the Reign of God, happening in all aspects of our lives, all at the same time. Maybe it's time I let go of some of my expectations, and trust that God will have my work cut out for me, even if it looks a little different from the work I had planned for the day.
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