A Study of the Book of Luke
Sermon # 13

"Love Your Enemies"

Luke 6:27-38

             I have another children’s book to share with you, and no, it not the only kind of book I read. I seem to find a lot of wisdom in them.  In the children's book entitled, "I'll Fix Anthony," the younger brother complains about the way his older brother Anthony treats him: "My brother Anthony can read books now, but he won't read any books to me. He plays checkers with Bruce from his school. But when I want to play he says, "Go away or I'll clobber you." I let him wear my Snoopy sweatshirt, but he never lets me borrow his sword. Mother says deep down in his heart Anthony loves me. Anthony says deep down in his heart he thinks I stink. Mother says deep deep down in his heart, where he doesn't even know it, Anthony loves me. Anthony says deep deep down in his heart he still thinks I stink. When I'm six I'll fix Anthony …. Anthony is chasing me out of the playroom. He says I stink. He says he is going to clobber me. I have  to run now, but I won't have to run when I'm six. When I'm six, I'll fix Anthony. [Judith Viorst,  I'll Fix Anthony. as quoted in www.christianglobe.com/ illustrations = revenge]

The truth is that we as a society think often about revenge.  Sometimes bumper stickers display what our real philosophy of life such as:

            Do unto others before they can do unto you.

            I don’t get mad I get even.

            Keep honking I am reloading.      

            Caution I brake for tailgaters.

            Please Tailgate I need the money.

To err is human, to forgive is out of the question.

            Last week we noted how Jesus had come down to a level place and began giving the greatest sermon of all time.  He looked directly at the disciples and began giving them the principles that would distinguish those who follow him. He gives a profile of what a disciple is to be.  Those who follow Jesus must operate under a set of values opposite that of the world. The Lord explained that a blessed life was not found in “getting” or from “doing” but from “being.”  Now he continues with a much more radical counsel about how we are to respond to our enemies. 

            This message will have application to everyone present today because, difficult people are problem for everyone. It does matter how old you are or what gender, or your personality type because we all meet with difficult people. Certainly you cannot avoid them. When I say “difficult people” I am referring to those people who mistreat us, speak evil about us or who do us harm.

 1. True Disciples Are to Love Their Enemies

(vv. 27-28, 32-35)

Looking his disciples right in the eye he declared in verses twenty-seven and twenty-eight,  “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.

            Jesus begins verse twenty-seven by saying “But I say to you who hear,” now to who is he referring.  Of course everyone present could hear him. But this phrase is properly understood when rendered  “But if you are willing to listen” as in the New Living Translation. The translation called “The Message” paraphrases this verse, “To you who are ready for the truth I say this.” It is obvious that Jesus is clearly indicating that what he is about to say about dealing with difficult people will be difficult to accept.

            There are several words for love in the Greek language in which the New Testament is written. Jesus declared a new and radical way of life.  Jesus did not command (storge) – natural affection.   He did not command (eros) – romantic love. He demanded agape love. The same word used to translate John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Agape love is not motivated by the merit of the one who is loved.

            Jesus says that for a believer to refrain from hating his enemy is not enough.  It is not enough for a believer to simply put up with his enemies, ignore them, even to refuse to retaliate but Jesus calls us to demonstrate love toward our enemies.  Paul summarized this spiritual principle in Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil ... (18) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (19) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (20) Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink…. (21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

            In these verses Jesus sets out three practical outward ways of going about loving our enemies. The first thing Jesus says is to “do good to those who hate you” (v. 27). This may mean, mowing the lawn of your hateful neighbor, volunteering to fill in for a mean-spirited fellow employee who wants a day off, or stopping to help someone who had always been rude to you who’s car is broken down on the side of the road. 

            Next he says, “bless those who curse you (v. 28).  This is a hard thing to do, especially on a crowded freeway.  But in reality the word “curse” used here means to wish or speak evil of a person to slander, malign, put down or speak evil about. We are called to bless those who speak ill of us.  The word “bless” is a contraction of two Greek words meaning Eu - “good” and logos “word”  meaning that we have a good word for those who do not have a  good word for us.

 Illustration: The story is told that “when Abraham Lincoln was running for president of the United States, there was a man who ran all around the country talking about Lincoln. He said a lot of unkind things. And sometimes he would get to the point that he would even talk about his looks, saying, "You don’t want a tall, lanky, ignorant man like this as the president of the United States."

Finally, one day Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States.… Then came the time for him to choose a secretary of war. He looked across the nation, and decided to choose a man by the name of Mr. Stanton. And when Abraham Lincoln stood around his advisors and mentioned this fact, they said to him: "Mr. Lincoln, are you a fool? Do you know what Mr. Stanton has been saying about you? Do you know what he as done, tried to do to you? Do you know that he has tried to defeat you on every hand? Do you know that, Mr. Lincoln? Did you read all of those derogatory statements that he made about you?" Abraham Lincoln stood before the advisors around him and said: "Oh yeah. I know about it; I read about it; I’ve heard him myself. But after looking over the country, I find that he is the best man for the job."

Mr. Stanton did become secretary of war; and…later, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. And if you go to Washington, you will discover that one of the greatest words or statements ever made about Abraham Lincoln was by this man Stanton. As Abraham Lincoln came to the end of his life, Stanton stood up and said: "Now he belongs to the ages." And he made a beautiful statement concerning the character and the stature of this man. If Abraham Lincoln had hated Stanton, if Abraham Lincoln had answered everything Stanton said, Abraham Lincoln would not have transformed and redeemed Stanton. Stanton would have gone to his grave hating Lincoln, and Lincoln would have gone to his grave hating Stanton. But through the power of love Abraham Lincoln was able to redeem Stanton. [Martin Luther King, Jr., A Knock at Midnight, edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran (Warner Books, 1998) p.154]

            Finally he says “Pray for those who mistreat you.”

Jesus himself model this when after he had been mocked, beat and nail to a rough cross, he prayed “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

            In verses thirty-two through thirty-four  Jesus continues his teaching on what it means to love your enemies, he said, “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.”

We tend to respond to others in kind. Those who are kind to us, we are kind to. Those who are harsh with us, we tend to be harsh with.  We love people who love us. Big Deal!! So did Hitler and Stalin. There is simply not credit for this kind of self- serving love.

            Much of what we call acts of love are examined closely are selfishly motivated.  We love others in order to be loved in return.  We give in order to receive.  We do good, so that good will be done to us. We serve on the basis of the expectation of a repayment.   Many of those who are burned out in their service to the Lord through the church are simply people who are angry with men and with God because they have not received the payment for their sacrifices and service.   This kind of “burnout” is based on self-interest and not on a desire to be obedient to the Lord.  We need to give up on our expectation of receiving our rewards from men.

            The apostle Peter obviously never forgot this sermon, he repeated the same principle in (1 Peter 2:20-21) “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:”

            Jesus in verse thirty-five draws a strong contrast with the word “but.”  He says, “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.”

            If we are truly living as Christ has dictated then we are not going to be worried about what we are going to get out of the deal. The Lord will repay us in His way and in His timing.  The greatest reason that we have for loving our enemies is that in so doing we become the “sons of the Most High.”  What this says really gripped me, “We are never more like the Lord than when we are doing good to someone who does not deserve it!”

 2. True Disciples are to refrain from retaliation (vv. 29-30)

“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.”

If often heard this command humorous stated as, “Jesus tells us the if we are struck one cheek to turn the other, but it does say what to do after that.”  Thinking that way is obviously to miss the point.   The conventional wisdom of our day to such indignities is to seek revenge, ten-fold. “If you slap me I break your arm. You take my shirt, I’ll key your car.”  The Old Testament law called men to a high standard. We some times think the “… life for a life, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” rule (Exodus 21:23) as barbaric, when it fact it was a vast improvement.  It least the law limited retaliation to a fair penalty. But what Jesus was calling for was a new standard of conduct for his disciples.

He is not talk so much about a physical act of violence as he is a verbal insult. He is saying, “Don’t return verbal slap for verbal slap.”

 3. True Disciples are to live by the Golden Rule (v.31)

            In verse thirty-one Jesus takes the teaching of the prophets and distills it down into one simple but overpowering statement; “ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” This has over the years come to be known as “The Golden Rule.”  What are we to do with people that hate us? Jesus very clearly says to his disciples, “Treat all men, but especially your enemies, the way you would like to be treated.”

 4. True Disciples are to avoid a Judgmental Spirit (vv. 37-38)

            Verse thirty-seven and thirty-eight remind us that we reap what we sow and in the amount that we sow. ”Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (37) “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (38) Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

            These are surely some of the most misunderstood and misapplied verses in the Bible. Some people who do not know a another single Bible verse, know this one.  They may not even know if it is Old Testament or New Testament, but should they feel the slightest disapproval of their behavior they come out with, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”  Our society holds “tolerance” as it highest aim, judging therefore is the most heinous of crimes.  But what Jesus is condemning here is a judgmental spirit.  This kind of judgmentalism is usually only a revealing of one’s own soul. People often rush to condemn their sins in others. A biblical example of this is found in the life of King David, after his adultery with Bathsheba. The old prophet Nathan visited the king and told him a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s sheep and slaughtered it to feed his guest. The unsuspecting king was horrified and said, “The man who has done this thing deserves to die. He must pay for the lamb four times over, because he did this thing and had no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5-7). Nathan then said to David, “You are the man.”  David though blind to the sin in his own life readily saw and condemned sin in someone else. Some how judgmental people seek to lessen their own guilt by judging the sins of others. 

But these verses remind us that if we judge others, we will be ourselves judged. If we forgive we shall be forgiven, but if we condemn, we shall be condemned.  He is not talking about eternal judgment here, but the way we are treated in this life.

Jesus is not implying that a person can earn forgiveness for his sins by forgiving others – that would be salvation by works. Rather his statement is founded on the truth that if God forgives an individual, it changes him or her. A forgiving spirit is evidence of having been forgiven.

 Conclusion