The Sermon on the Plain
Luke 6:20-49 – October 03, 2021
6:17-19. Answers the questions as to Who What When Where
6:20-23. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. This last blessing is the key remark of the blessing sequence, because it shows the religious dimensions of those who are blessed. These people suffer hatred, insult, rejection, and exclusion from the Jewish community.
6:24-26. Woe is a call for mourning and sorrow for mistakes made. The prophetic woes are utterances of pity and pain for those who will face misfortune or judgment.
Those who “laugh now” will someday mourn and weep (Isaiah 65:14, My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.); they are too enthralled with the pursuit of life to care about anything else.
These four woes shows the serious spiritual condition of these people, who think they are on top of the world.
6:27-31. Here Jesus is not talking about not defending yourself when personally attacked, nor is He giving a sermon on pacifism that does not allow a nation to defend itself. Instead He is addressing relationships and forgiveness. Consider Mark 11:25, God is the greatest example of turning the other cheek as He constantly does so, even for those of us who are saved.
What are you willing to give to those in need? What will you hold back? What will you freely give? Puts Deuteronomy 15:8 into action, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.
All too often all we think about is what we want and do not consider what it is like to walk another’s shoes. When we do so we can ask, what would we want others to do for us?
6:32-36. In these verses, Jesus provides three negative examples of the kind of love that he is not talking about but that are characteristic of sinners
How does God show kindness to the ungrateful and the wicked? He sends rain, for example, both to those who deserve it and to those who don’t. God extends the offer of salvation to all, none of whom are righteous or free from sin.
6:37. Clarity for this verse comes from James 2:13, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. We cannot judge anyone’s salvation, but we can judge actions. The question is, Will we judge with or without mercy?
6:38. Here Jesus uses the example of a good merchant who shakes down the container and presses down the grain so that the buyer gets even more than he bargained for.
6:39-40. This comes near the end where if they are blind to what He has been teaching how can they be a moral example to someone else?
6:41-42. Take care of your own sin life, your own faults, before you criticize others.
6:43-45. What comes out of a man reveals his very nature. It is impossible to claim to be a Son of God, a faithful follower of Jesus when there is contrary evidence in the way one relates to others.
6:46-49. Clearly it is foolish to build a house without a foundation, just as it is foolish to build a life without a foundation. Thus it is foolish not to listen to Jesus. As a teacher of light, He will not allow his followers to end up in the pit. For Luke there is but one who is worthy of being followed: His name is Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
How are we to live as Christians?
How will we live as Christians?