Do you like being told how to live? If we’re being honest I think oftentimes our first reaction is to defend ourselves. I know mine is. What if someone told you to rejoice in being poor,  you’re blessed when you’re hated, bless those who curse you, and to give your stuff away to anyone who asks? Does that sound shocking? What if God told you these things? Well, as a matter of fact He did. In the last half of Luke six, Jesus delivers a sermon which would change the world.

Verses 17-19.

After praying all night on a mountain Jesus came down and stood on a level place which was a plateau. His disciples were present as well as a great multitude from Judea, Jerusalem, and as far as Tyre and Sidon. His healing ministry continued as people were delivered from sickness and spiritual bondage by just touching Him. Then He began His sermon on the plain, which is a shorter version of the sermon on the mount recorded in Matthew chapters five through seven. The content of the sermon is the same as in Matthew except for the portions that have to do with the law. As was customary of the time, He probably delivered this sermon several times in His teaching ministry.

Verses 20-26.

The sermon on the plain cuts through the callousness of unsanctified religion and reveals the true essence of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus follows the deuteronomic framework of blessings and cursings set forth by Moses to reveal what godliness truly means. Blessings are for the poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, reviled, and outcast. On the other hand woes await the rich, full, laughing, and those who are well spoken of. Jesus is not saying that Christians must choose to live a life of physical hunger, poverty, crying, and exclusion. Nor is He saying that having money, food, laughter, and being well spoken of is to be under the curse of God. The Bible also teaches that being well fed is a blessing as well as being in good health.

So what is Jesus teaching in these beatitudes? Simply, if our satisfaction comes from this world then woe is us. Yet if our satisfaction comes from the kingdom of God then we are blessed. Peter refers to Christians in his first epistle as pilgrims who are dispersed about. Spiritually, our Christian lives are akin to a wandering nomad who walks this earth as a representative from another world. A Christian is never settled in this world but always longs for the kingdom of God. Suffering, exclusion, and persecution makes a believer even more hungry for the things of God. This was the experience of the true prophets. On the other hand, those who have a strong attachment to this world’s riches, pleasures, and company – and care little for the things of God – face destruction. This was the experience of the false prophets.

Verses 27-36.

Jesus and His followers had many enemies. The Jewish authorities sought to kill Him because of His teaching, and eventually did. The Romans led a series of persecutions against the early church. Nero for instance used Christians as torches to light up his garden. Others were mauled by wild animals in the arena for bloodsport. Those who proclaimed Christ as Lord as opposed to Caesar as lord faced  instant death. In addition, early believers were accused of cannibalism because of their love feasts. They were accused of being revolutionary fanatics because they believed that Jesus would come to change the world. They were also accused of treason because they did not worship the Roman gods. With such opposition you would suppose that Jesus would instruct His followers to band together and build a militia to protect themselves. Didn’t the nation of Israel in the Old Testament arm themselves for battle and go out?

Yet Jesus says, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (27-8). What Jesus understood was that the world we live in is hostile to the things of God. As first John 5:19 puts it, “the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.” The pendulum of this world sways towards evil. If Christians respond to evil behavior with vengeance, then we are playing the devil’s game. We can be sure that the body count will mount. But if we respond with love, then the world is shocked and the enemy is disarmed.

After the assasination of political activist Charlie Kirk, the world was stunned when his newly widowed wife forgave her husband’s killer. She did not call for a violent uprising but forgiveness. This does not mean that murderers get off scott free because Christians choose to turn the other cheek. The Bible teaches that God has given the sword to governments as ministers to do His will. Jesus is not promoting lawlessness in society. However, He is instructing His followers to love their enemies and be merciful, “just as your Father also is merciful” (36).

Jesus is the ultimate example: “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;” (1 Peter 2:23). When we practice forgiveness and love people even when they slap us across the face, we foil the devil’s plans and can anticipate a great heavenly reward.

Verses 37-42.

Some have sought to use this passage called “Do Not Judge” to claim moral amnesty over their sinful behavior. Yet what Jesus is teaching is that we are not to judge self-righteously. When we look for specks in other people’s eyes while ignoring the plank in our own eye then we are like the blind leading the blind into a ditch.

As a schoolteacher, kids often report to me the indiscretions of their classmates. My reply is usually, “where are you supposed to be right now?” The plank has been found. Students choose to ignore my instructions in order to pull specks out of the eyes of their classmates. This tendency begins in childhood and continues throughout life.

Observers of eastern religions and New Age teachings speak of the law of the universe that simply says, “what goes around comes around.” They see this because it is actually a moral law set by God. Jesus uses an example from the marketplace where purchased grain was poured out, shaken down, and filled to overflowing so that the buyer received the full amount purchased. This illustration communicates that whatever measure we choose to judge, condemn, forgive, and give to others, it will be exacted back to us in full.

To think that this passage means that believers are not held accountable for sinful behavior is unbiblical. Jesus was harshest to the self-righteous teachers, at some points calling them children of the devil. The epistles are replete with rebukes, warnings, and instructions regarding moral behavior including church discipline. The key point is that we are not to point fingers at others’ sins while failing to address our own, which is a tendency that begins in childhood and continues throughout life.

Verses 43-49.

The last two points in Jesus’s sermon have to do with words, first the words of men and secondly the words of Jesus. In the first instance Jesus uses the example of a tree and its fruit, “for every tree is known by its own fruit” (44). The Bible uses examples from agriculture to explain spiritual realities. In Romans 11, Paul uses the example of a cultivated olive branch to explain God’s plan for His people. Isaiah 5 uses an example of a vineyard to illustrate the relationship God has for His people. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”

In this example every tree is known by its fruit. A tree whose fruit is rotten can’t hide how terrible its fruit is. The bruises, bad smell, insects, and horrible taste are easy indicators. Conversely, good fruit is easily identifiable in both appearance and taste. In the same way, a person’s true heart condition is revealed when they speak. Our words manifest themselves like a tree’s fruit. What we consume our time and thinking with is how we cultivate our hearts, and the fruit will prove itself to be either good or bad when we speak.

The final illustration has to do with building. Like agriculture, examples of construction cover the pages of Scripture, from Noah’s Ark, to the Tower of Babel, to the Tabernacle and Temple, Nehemiah’s walls, and the spiritual building which is the church of God with Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone. The picture here is vivid. If we listen to the words of Jesus and consider them of greater importance than our own, and choose to follow them, then we are akin to a man who built his house on a rock that was able to withstand the storm. Yet if we disregard the words of Jesus and listen instead to our own corrupt hearts, then we have no foundation for our lives and should brace for calamity.

The teachings in this sermon are simple and eternal. Jesus made it very simple so we would never forget it. He didn’t come to earth to wow us with His philosophical brilliance but to save us from this evil world. Jesus does not want us to admire Him as one of history’s great moral  teachers but to surrender our lives to Him and obey Him as Christ our Rock.

These teachings may challenge our sensibilities to the core, but Jesus never asks us to do anything He doesn’t do Himself. He became poor to make us rich. He loved His enemies and even died for them. He gave not only the clothes off His back but His very life. Those who would come after Him are called to do the same.

Questions:

1. Verses 20-49 is called the Sermon on the Plain. What teachings are in this that seem to contradict worldly wisdom? How much of it challenges your own belief system?
2. Why does Jesus use so much repetition and illustrations in His teaching?
3. How does the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7 compliment this teaching?