Does our Christian ethic or moral position change with situation and circumstance? Not long ago James Dobson stated that he could not vote for any candidate for office who endorsed abortion or homosexual relationships. There was a backlash against Dobson that came from many supporters that used to agree with him! How did they come to change their ethical stance and why?
In my Christian ethics class I’m reading several books that focus attention on how Jesus has impacted our ethical understandings as Christians. One of them is this book: The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. As he looks briefly at Luke’s gospel and church history, Yoder shows how through the years the church has lost touch with the amazing message of Jesus’ teaching and lifestyle. What happens, he notes is that the early disciples who knew Jesus and those who became disciples early on heard and lived by a standard that was high and holy. This standard has been muffled and reshaped and even replaced in Christian circles today. The early church listened to Jesus words and actually accepted them at face value because Jesus didn’t just speak them, he lived them. He didn’t just live them, he died doing them. In fact, Jesus final hours and the cross itself tested and proved Jesus as the true Son of God who is King of kings and Lord of lords over a new kingdom with a new heavenly politic and ethic. Jesus entered his glory through the cross. But more, Jesus entered his glory by being faithful to the will of God even through the cross. And when Jesus called people to follow him, he called them to live like he lived.
It is one thing to listen to politicians today proclaim themselves worthy of leading our nation. While I’m sure many are sincere, it appears to me that most of their words are hollow, their promises are shallow, and their visions are crafted to tickle the ears of those who hear their speeches. Why? They are campaigning for our votes. They are supposed to say what is popular! Not Jesus Christ! He didn’t proclaim a message to win our votes. Jesus brought us a message from heaven to save our lost souls. Jesus’ words are heavy with depth and explosive with power because THEY ARE GOD’S WORDS. Jesus’ promises are absolutely true and trustworthy because THEY ARE GOD’S PROMISES. Jesus’ vision for our future is completely accurate because he describes GOD’S VISION for the ultimate punishment of evil and reward for righteousness. We don’t vote for Jesus, we DEVOTE our lives to Jesus as Lord… or we don’t. How do you know if you are devoted to Jesus Christ or not? What are the marks of true discipleship? Jesus answers that question in part here in Luke 6 in the Sermon on the Plain.
Listen carefully to what Jesus says here in this sermon. As you listen, ask yourself: am I living by what Jesus envisions here? Am I obeying His instructions in my life? Jesus expects you to! Jesus says in verse 46 “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” Following Jesus means more than simply saying, “I believe in Jesus as the Son of God.” Following Jesus means doing what he commands. Doesn’t it? Am I making this up? Am I just imagining that Christianity means doing what Jesus Christ said? Before we read what Jesus told us to do, listen to Jesus’ conclusion of this sermon. Read verses 47-49. Is that what your Bible says?
As you read this sermon there is actually very little that Jesus commands us to do. After pronouncing blessings on the poor, hungry, sad, and those who are hated because of Jesus’ name, he tells them to rejoice because of the greatness of their reward. Then he pronounces woes on the rich, full, laughing, and popular, telling them things will be reversed for them in the future. But after that come the commands. Jesus issues some of the most difficult commands in the Bible.
Look again at verses 27-31.
27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
29 "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
30 "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
As I read these verses they are not hard to understand. What is hard is putting them into practice. They raise all sorts of questions and objections in our minds and hearts. I want to think, surely he didn’t really mean that!
Let’s read them again, slowly, listening for the commands of the one we call Lord. (Read).
Imagine standing before Jesus when he spoke these words. Why would anyone follow such a teacher? Jesus has the audacity to demand more of us than we think we can give, doesn’t he? To make sure we don’t misunderstand him, and to prove that he really means what it sounds like he just said, he follows up with an explanation of what he means and what he is up to. Look at verses 32-36.
32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 "And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Did you notice the question Jesus asks again and again? "what credit is that to you?" That word translated "credit" is the word translated "grace" in Ephesians 2:8-9. We are saved by "credit" or "grace". Think about this... Those who have God’s grace do grace toward others. This is a proof that we have received the grace of God: that we show God’s grace to others.
What Jesus is up to is this: he is calling on children of the kingdom of God to be and act like their King. Nothing less will do.
This kind of teaching turns on two things:
First, we have to really trust in God to practice these. We have to believe that God is our complete source of strength and protection. If he lets us get killed, so be it. We will die knowing we did not trust in ourselves, but him. Is that biblical? Look at what Peter says about this in 1 Peter. This is the theme of 1 Peter 2:18 to the end of the letter. Let’s just look at a few passages and you decide if Peter thought Jesus meant for us to follow what he says in our Luke 6 text.
Here’s 1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
Consider also: 3:13-18 and 4:12-19 of 1 Peter.
Think about it. What proves our faithfulness to Jesus more that willingness to suffer as His follower? And though we do not go out looking for trouble, if we follow Jesus and confess our faith in him openly and live according to his will we can expect to face persecution because of it. How we handle that persecution reveals the depth of our discipleship. Not only that, it refines us and strengthens us.
You may have heard the story of the Christian group that were meeting in a country where Christianity was illegal. It was known that sometimes spies would come in and find out who were there and report them to be arrested. One day as the group of 100 or so met for worship, guards with guns burst through the doors and began shouting orders to the people in the worship service.
“This is an illegal assembly! Whoever in this group wants to live has 2 minutes to deny your faith and walk out of here. Anyone who is left will be shot.”
A number of the group walked over to the soldiers, denied faith in Jesus and left.
A soldier shouted, “One minute left! If you want to live, leave now!” A few more denied Jesus and left. Only about half the group were still there, but they began to pray and sing praise to the Lord and encourage one another to keep their faith. Finally, the guard counted the final seconds… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, then he said shut that door. Then the guards all dropped their weapons and said, “We’re Christians, we just wanted to smoke out the spies and phonies.”
Suffering has a way of smoking out the spies and phonies still.
Second, this teaching is a call to be like our Lord and enter His kingdom and act like it, even while living here. Suffering for the name of Jesus Christ without responding according to the kingdom of darkness reveals Jesus in us. Retaliation against those who may abuse us is the way of the world. When we follow Jesus and stand with him, living in his name, confessing that he is Lord, taking hits unjustly and being reviled, mocked or otherwise ridiculed because we wear the name of Jesus Christ, when we do this and do not retaliate or judge, we discover the power of the cross within us and find ourselves joined together in richer deeper fuller stronger ways than we can imagine. This theme is strong in 2 Corinthians. Just listen to chapter 1:3-11.
Listen carefully to how comfort and suffering in Christ bond the saints together.
In some real way we are called to share in fellowship with Jesus sufferings so that we also can share in his glory. Romans 8:14-18.
This is the very foundation of how to understand Romans 8:31-39.
When we answer the call of Jesus we are called into the love of Christ and even when we suffer for it, maybe especially when we must endure suffering for it, we are deeper, higher, stronger, richer, and more fully joined with Jesus and one another for eternal glory.
