Rules of the Kingdom of Light

Luke 6:27–36 NKJV

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. 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.

We have been called out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light.

That means that even though we live in this world we are not of this world. Therefore, we live according to a different standard. The world’s rule is I will love my friends and hate my enemies. The world’s rule is if you hurt me I will get you back. The world’s rule is I will lend to you but only if I get something back in return. These are the rules that we have all grown up with. But these are the rules of heathens.

Jesus is teaching us in these verses a different way to live. New rules, rules for the Kingdom of light. In this new kingdom that we are now a part of, Jesus says:

Don’t just love your friends love your enemies also.

Don’t seek vengeance when someone hurts you rather do good to those who do evil to you.

Don’t lend to get back something in return rather lend even when they cannot repay.

If we live according to these new rules Jesus says that you will receive a great reward and what’s more, you will be children of the Most High. Why will we be children of the Most High? Because, He is kind to the unthankful and evil. We will be His children because we will bear His resemblance.

Love Your Enemies

Who are your enemies?

Those who hate you

Luke 6:22–23 NKJV

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

They revile you meaning defame you and cast out your name is evil. They attack your good name.

Those who curse you

They pronounce doom or evil over someone such as “damn you” the opposite of blessing someone.

Those who spitefully use you

What does it mean to spitefully use someone.

The greek word here means to insult, slander or falsely accuse.

What are we to do to those who do these things to us?

We give love for their hate.

How do we do that?

We do good to them when we have any opportunity

We bless them meaning pronounce blessings so we speak well of them and lift them up.

And we pray for them intercede for them as Christ did on the cross “forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”

We do this because

Luke 6:32 NKJV

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

Do not Avenge Yourselves

The next rule applies to an assault.

Luke 6:29 NKJV

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.

We must not misunderstand this teaching. Jesus is not saying that if someone hurts you that you are to actively seek to be hurt again. You don’t need to stick you cheek out there as if to dare another strike.

and if someone steals your cloak or outer garment like a coat, Jesus is not saying that you take of your tunic (shirt) and hand it over rather if they take it by force to not resist.

The idea here is rather that we do not take vengeance into our own hands even if that makes us vulnerable to another attack.

Paul puts it this way

Romans 12:19 NKJV

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.

By not avenging ourselves we give place to wrath or make room to allow God to avenge us.

God knows how to avenge His people.

David said in Ps 3:7

Psalm 3:7 NKJV

7 Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

When we leave vengeance to God we find the freedom to forgive our attackers. But when we take vengeance into our own hands we do not give place for wrath. That is we hinder God’s just vengeance.

Because Luke 6:33

Luke 6:33 NKJV

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.

Give to Everyone Who Asks

Here Jesus tells us that if we have the means and someone else has need and they ask for help financially that we should give to them. But not as the world does where they expect to make interest rather do not charge interest. This is what the Law said

Leviticus 25:35–38 NKJV

35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

So this is particularly taking about another Israelite a brother who is poor so they have need for basic essentials. Do not profit off their poverty. rather lend without interest. Also

Deuteronomy 15:7–11 NKJV

7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

So lend even if they may not be able to pay you back. “And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. Which doesn’t mean that if you loan someone something like a tool that you can’t ask for it back later but rather if you loan something to someone and they lose it or break it and are poor and unable to replace it do not insist that they replace it.

Because Luke 6:34

Luke 6:34 NKJV

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.

Luke 6:35–36 NKJV

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.

These are the rules for the Kingdom of light to which we have been called. and we do these things because we are called to be like our God and he is kind to the unthankful and evil and He is merciful.