The Characterization of Christian Love (Luke 6:27-42)

Introduction

I’ve always loved limericks:

“There once were 2 cats from Kilkenny

Each thought there was one cat too many

They fought and they spit, and they clawed and they bit.

Till instead of two cats… there weren't any.” (Pulpit Helps)

Now that strikes us as funny because we can picture cats doing that. Have you ever heard a couple cats going at it in the back yard or in the alley? In fact, cats as so well known for this that when two women get in a fight, do know what it’s called? (CAT FIGHT)

Cats are cats… and cats act like that. But Christians … would we behave like that? There’s a church in Ohio called the Bethlehem Church of Christ. Their church building was built back around 1840 and in their history book (from the time of the Civil War) you could read this: “We had fighting right here at home. The Democrats and Republicans were so bitter against one another, it broke the church up.” On the same page in the booklet we’re told of a fist fight that took place on church property: “Two of our best men fought to a finish. One wanted to know if the other had enough. He said he had, so he let him up.” (Tom Claibourne, Restoration Herald. Sept. 07)

Unlike the two cats from Kilkenny… that’s not nearly as funny. And why isn’t it funny? Because Christians aren’t supposed to behave like that. Christians are supposed to be a people of love and peace. But too often Christians aren’t. They aren’t always loving and peaceful. According to Barna Research, 47% of Americans have not returned to church (or intend to return to church) after COVID. An estimated 25% of American church will shut down by the end of 2022.

The reason? I would say that is is because many Christians do not take to heart the teaching of Jesus here in his Sermon on the Mount (or much of the teaching of the Bible, period.

Luke 6:27–42 ESV

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit 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 benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” 39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

I was originally intending to expound this passage for 3 weeks. But for the sake of time and so I can at least close out this chapter, I am summarizing it for you today. I encourage you to look deeply on your own.

I once had a mentor remind me that church is not a democracy, it is a theocracy. That means that how a church or a pastor is not based on popularity, mob-rule, or cultural norms of the day. It is based on biblical principles and guidance.

A Different Kind of Love

When Jesus said, “Love you enemies,” he was using the word that is used to describe God’s love for us: Agape’. Jesus is using the present, active, imperative of Agape to mean that we are actively, intentionally, and continuously loving people, whether they are like us, agree with us, think like us, look like us, share our politics, or behave the way we think we should behave.

There were several words for love in the Greek language. Jesus did not here command storge, natural affection. He did not command eros, romantic love. He did not command philia, the love of friendship. He demanded agapelove. Such a love is not motivated by the merit of the one who is loved. The other loves come quite naturally. For example, you can fall into eros. But agape love supersedes natural inclinations and often exists in spite of them. It is a deliberate love, rooted in the will—a love by choice. “Love [agape] is a deep, continuous, growing and ever-renewing activity of the will superintended by the Holy Spirit” (Mike Mason). Agape love says, “I will love this person because, by God’s grace, I choose to love this person.”

This call to ascend to the unnatural heights of agape in loving our enemies is defined by Jesus’ commands in this passage.

• Unnatural deeds: “do good to those who hate you” (v. 27b). Imagine someone who hates you—then think of doing something nice to him or her. This is an unnatural exercise, to be sure, but it can and must be done.

• Unnatural words: “bless those who curse you” (v. 28a; cf. Romans 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 3:9). This idea has no antecedents in Biblical literature. The Essenes, in fact, were encouraged to curse those who did not join them (1 QS 2:2–17). Incredible—someone pours vile abuse on you, and you respond with a heartfelt blessing!

• Unnatural prayers: “pray for those who mistreat you” (v. 28b). Praise God—it is impossible to truly pray for someone and hate them at the same time.

The command to love our enemies is a call to unnatural deeds, unnatural words, unnatural prayer. It is a command for supernatural love. Is there any hope for us? Can we possibly do this?

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Leviticus 19:18 ESV

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Now, replace your name where Paul had written love in these verses. Does that describe you? Look, there will be people who will cause you harm, offend, say words that are harsh, or make decisions that you do not agree with. Jesus tells us that is it not our job to school them in your ways. Jesus does not tells us to correct their faults. He tells us to love them.

There are people in the world that are hostile to the gospel. There are people who would love nothing more than Christianity to go away. Jesus tells us that we are not to take up arms. We are not to tear them to pieces with our words or deeds. We are to humbly love.

Luke 6:29 ESV

29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

As Luke will show us later in his Gospel, Jesus was hated. He was hated by Judas, by the Pharisees, and by the people who demanded his crucifixion. Jesus was cursed—cursed by the false witnesses who testified against him, the soldiers who mocked him, and the governor who sentenced him to die a God-forsaken death. Jesus was abused. He was abused by the priests who whipped him, the soldiers who hung him up to die, and all the people who swore at him while he was dying on the cross. His enemies struck him on the cheek, and struck him again, insulting his true identity as the Son of God. They took away both his cloak and his tunic, leaving him to die naked. They stripped him of everything he had, down to his dignity.

What did Jesus demand from his enemies in return? Nothing except the opportunity to give his life for their sins. As he was dying on the cross, suffering at the hands of his enemies, Jesus was showing them his love—the very kind of love he called his disciples to show: “unselfish, disinterested, and uninfluenced by any hope of return.” Jesus was doing good to those who hated him, suffering the punishment they deserved for their sins. He was blessing those who cursed him, offering salvation to the thief on the cross. He was praying for those who abused him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

This is where we learn to love our enemies: at the cross, where we were the enemies that Jesus died to forgive. Surely this is one of the reasons why Jesus gave us such a hard commandment. It is not a commandment that we could ever keep out of the strength of our own love. In order to keep it, we have to stay close to the cross, holding on to the love we know that Jesus showed us there. God has called us to love our enemies so that we can see the sin of our own loveless hearts and learn the true power of the love that comes from him. Jesus lived the love that he commanded, and now he gives the love that he lived.

Judge Not

Luke 6:37–39 ESV

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” 39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

Cancel Culture is an increasingly more common term you hear today. But what exactly does that mean? Cancel Culture is a modern form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of a social or professional circle, whether it be online, on social media, or in person. Those who are subject to this ostracism are said to have been “canceled”.

And while it is proper for whistleblowers to reveal corruption and illegal activities, Canceled Culture takes it a step further. It makes up new rules to retaliate against speech, behavior, or even personal opinion that has been pre-judged as offensive or even controversial. And often, rather than dealing with a specific incident, it results in boycotting businesses or people being fired, or DE-platformed.

This has ruined many people’s lives. Even though they haven't broken any laws, or engaged in any malicious behavior. So, the question is today, how should Christians respond to Cancel Culture?

Cancel Culture is unforgiving! No matter how long ago something inappropriate happened, there is no forgiveness. Once you are cancelled, there is no hope for redemption. Or to learn from past mistakes. And anyone that continues to support something, or someone that's been cancelled, may also be publicly outed and cancelled. This is the absolute opposite of Christian Doctrine.

The Word of God tells us to bear with each other, and forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven us.

Colossians 3:13 ESV

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus calls for an accepting disposition by two negative, mutually defining charges: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.” These are some of the most misunderstood and misapplied verses in the Bible. Today they serve as the Magna Carta of much of American religion. Some people do not know a single Bible verse—they might not even know there is an Old and New Testament. But let them feel the slightest disapproval and the King James comes forth: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.”

Americans love this verse because judging someone else is thought to be the most heinous of crimes. Never mind that they are lifting the verse out of its context and are ignoring other Scriptures that call for Christians to judge and even at times condemn sin. For example, here in this same sermon, Christ calls his disciples to judge people by their fruits (vv. 43–45). Later, the Apostle Paul would challenge the Corinthians to make moral judgments, arguing, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2; cf. 5:9–13). Christ’s followers are to have a highly cultivated sense of right and wrong and to make subtle moral judgments. Christ’s exhortation “do not judge” contains no suggestion of moral flabbiness or an abdication of moral responsibility.

What Jesus is disallowing is a judgmental, condemning disposition, what Frederick Godet has described as “the tendency to place our faculty of moral appreciation at the service of natural malignity, or more simply still: judging for the pleasure of judging.” Jesus prohibits censoriousness and judgmentalism

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth An Accepting Disposition

This is why Jesus tells us that judgmental people will be judged, and condemning people will be condemned. Martin Luther, preaching to the people of Wittenberg in 1523, said of this very text:

Dost thou publish his sins, then truly thou art not a child of your merciful Father; for otherwise thou wouldst be also as he, merciful. It is certainly true that we cannot show as great mercy to our neighbor, as God has to us; but it is the true work of the devil that we do the very opposite of mercy, which is a sure sign that there is not a grain of mercy in us.

Are you judgmental and condemning? Does this describe your favorite indoor sport? Take heed because then you are certainly not a disciple—and maybe not even a Christian. A merciful father has merciful children.

(Hughes)