Series on Luke
III The Initiation
C The Associates of His Ministry
2 The Characteristics of the Disciples
Text: 6:17-49
Introduction
This passage is parallel to Matthew 5-7 which is called the Sermon on the Mount. The various sections of this text invite prolonged analyses, but my goal here is to give us an overall picture of the character demanded of those who follow Jesus. The thing that should strike us powerfully is the vast difference between the way of the world and the way of the kingdom. The virtues set forth by Jesus in this sermon are, for the most part, not admired in the world. This is especially true in our generation which advertises its character in expressions such as,”I’m worth it,” and is generally guided by a “Me-first,” and “Make me feel better” philosophy. This “Me-first” attitude is strips away our sense of community, and also our sense of decency. The heroes of our culture are politicians, actors, and sports stars who excel in selfish attitudes. The advice of Jesus here to citizens of the kingdom of God seems to border on insanity to the post-modern mind. We examine five admonitions from Jesus in this study. They are: become failures, bless foes, be fair, bear fruit, and build firmly.
I Become Failures
Jesus opens with blessings and woes. They are both directed at the same problem in verses 17-26, He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. Not only do we not want to be poor, or hungry, or sad, or persecuted, but when we are this culture looks down on us just as the society of Jesus’ day did. We feed the poor and hungry with our left-overs, but we do not respect them. We hand them sad self-help books or pharmaceuticals. We bemoan the persecution of others but largely ignore it. But that is not the worst of it. The whole world is hungry for some truth and yet not for righteousness, prideful rather than poor not recognizing their lost condition, sad because they are cut off from the true source of happiness in God, and avoiding persecution at any cost, including their freedom. Jesus says recognize your poverty of spirit, your lack of righteousness, and the source of your sadness, and rejoice when you are persecuted. Then you will be proper citizens of His kingdom.
II Bless Foes
The next thing Jesus teaches is just as hard, love your enemies in verses 27-36, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 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 sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Now we must begin our analysis of this portion with the observation that pacifists have maintained that this passage teaches that we should not have armies and law enforcement. I know of one incident where a student in a pacifist Mennonite High School was told that he should not accept an appointment to West Point, because it would be sinful. let us be clear that Jesus is referring to inter-personal relationships here. The Bible gives different rules for states in Romans 13. The preamble to the United States constitution makes clear in a very Biblical fashion that it is the duty of the state to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, and provide for the common defense. Jesus is here saying that the citizens of the kingdom are characterized by a willingness to personally surrender our “constitutional” rights to demonstrate that our confidence is in God alone. This means we will not be governed by a spirit of bitterness, but we will be merciful to those who abuse us.
III Be Fair
There is an old, reputedly Native American saying, “Before criticizing a man, walk a mile in his moccasins.” Jesus warns us about judging others in verses 37-42, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. The fundamental truth here is that it is the nature of sinners to rush to judgment. The vilification of people int the news, whether politicians, sports figures, or actors and actresses reveals the perverse interest of the public in other people’s sins and downfalls. We rage against their betrayal of ideals that we ourselves refuse to meet. Many rush to judgment and are later proved to have committed the same sins. People often say in their personal disappointments, “I can forgive, but I can’t forget.” This is just another way of saying I am not forgiving that person. Jesus says you must if you want to be a citizen of the kingdom. Let us be very clear about the fact that memory has nothing to do with forgiveness. Memory is involuntary; forgiveness is voluntary and is an act of the will. Citizens of the kingdom must be humble enough to acknowledge their own sins, to admit their failure and to trust God to judge.
IV Bear Fruit
Jesus next speaks of a tree and its fruit in verses 43-45, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Here Jesus is illustrating that only those who themselves are reformed can possibly reform others. If, as Jesus has already indicated, they are humble enough to recognize their own spiritual poverty and avoid judging others and retaliating against offenses, then that means they have a good heart, and that will effect everything they do. Trees are often used as symbols of our lives in the Bible. An obvious example is Psalm 1:2 and 3 where the Godly man is described as follows, But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. As a man is in his inmost being, so will he act. John 15:8 reminds us that Jesus wants more of the citizens of His kingdom, This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Let me remind you that you do not have to be an evangelist to bear fruit. Jesus sums up fruitfulness in Matthew 25:34-36,“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
V Build Firmly
If, as it says in Psalm 1, the Word of God in our hearts makes us fruitful trees, then the crux of the whole matter is that citizens of Jesus kingdom listen to and obey His Word. This is illustrated in the parable in verses 46-49, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” None of the good characteristics is possible apart from building one’s life on the Word of the Lord. Those who build their lives, that is organize their lives around the Word of God build firmly and forever. In the beginning of the sermon Jesus made clear that the characteristics of the kingdom bring great rewards, not necessarily in this life, but in the life to come. Now He delivers the ultimatum, namely, if your life is not based on Jesus’ teachings it will be destroyed. This reinforces all the preceding teaching as absolutely essential. It is also a remarkable claim. If Jesus’ teaching determines your eternal destiny, then He is indeed God incarnate with the power to judge as well as forgive. Everything in our lives depends on listening to what He says and obeying it. It is worth being rejected, and despised, and persecuted now if it assures our place in the world to come.
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