Luke 6:27-36

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.


“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

This is one of the most challenging passages in the entire Bible. When I read Luke's sermon on the plain (or Matthew's sermon on the mount) I always feel that I could spend my life working from only those teachings of Jesus. Love your enemies. Pray for them. As Jesus cried from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" Can you imagine if we really followed this consistently? Although Christians have as sordid a past as any religion, and although many people who claim to be followers of Christ still loudly proclaim hate, I do see many believers practicing this in their lives. It just doesn't get the attention of the press when someone says, "That's okay; I love you anyway." We find ways to disagree in love - hating sin but loving sinners. After all we are as full of sin as anyone else apart from the atonement of Christ.

I am constantly asking my children to put this into practice. If one of them physically or emotionally hurts the other, I ask the offended party not to strike back. It is difficult enough to teach them to walk away; I can't imagine telling them to stand there and get hit again. But that is exactly what Jesus said! He didn't say to run away. He told his listeners to stand there meekly for another slap!

"Oh, you want my jacket? Here, let me give you my shirt as well."

Your neighbor borrowed your lawnmower and never brought it back? Just let him keep it. The grass withers and fades anyway.

Lend to people who will not ever pay you back? How would we pay our own bills?

Seriously? Are we called to give away everything and get beat up on a regular basis? Well, maybe. Jesus did tell the rich young ruler that the one thing he lacked was to sell everything he owned. But in other cases wealthy people followed Jesus without giving up their socioeconomic status (e.g. Joseph of Arimathea and Lydia). I think the key is that we should always be willing to do these things if God calls us to do it. Anyone in ministry knows that if the church gave money to everyone who asked for it the coffers would be empty in no time. There are too many scammers and too much need. Handing out money willy nilly rarely solves problems of poverty anyway. But when we give our motivation should be to help and love others, not to reap a reward. No earthly possession should be held so tightly that we are not willing to let it go. And when we are not called by God to help, we should show love and try to refer them for help.

In this world, there will always be people who disagree with you, often in very cruel ways. As they say, "haters gonna hate". But we must always respond in love.

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Luke 6:12-26

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

 If I were choosing disciples in Jesus' day, perhaps I would have visited Gamaliel's rabbinic school to seek his top students. Perhaps I would have tried to steal some disciples from the Pharisees and Sadducees.  I doubt I would have chosen some fisherman, a tax collector, a religious zealot, an accountant, and some various others. I would not have been so in tune with the will of God. But Jesus' practice was to spend long periods of time in communication with God before times or trial or decision. Putting aside his divinity, he lived as a man and needed time in prayer to seek the Father's will. It is interesting that one who would eventually betray him was selected as one of his closest followers. Jesus knows what it is to be betrayed by a supposed friend! Although many would follow Jesus from place to place, these 12 would be his closest disciples. They would receive special teaching and instruction, and 11 of them would eventually found the church and spread the gospel at the cost of their own lives.

People continue to pursue Jesus to hear his teaching and receive healing. Many were cured by simply being in his presence or managing to get close enough to touch him. Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" closely mirrors Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount". Clearly these are principles taught by Jesus to the multitudes on more than one occasion.

The gospel is not one of "health and wealth". Those that inherit the kingdom of God experience hunger, poverty, and persecution on the earth. Their true reward is in the life to come. Many who are rich and respected in this life have already received their reward and have only eternal punishment in their future. Favor on earth is not necessarily a sign of God's favor on our lives. Do we trust Jesus enough to wait on his blessing rather than chasing the fleeting riches and rewards of this world? Do we seek the favor of God or the acclaim of man?