Anchored: An Upside-Down Kingdom, Part 2

Introduction

Luke 6:17–36 ESV

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. 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.

We are in the thick of Black History Month. Indeed, 2026 marks the 100 year anniversary of BHM, which was started by Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week in 1926. I’ve been reflecting this week on DC’s own Francis J. Grimké. I won’t give a full bio here, but Grimké is a Presbyterian father in the faith for me. He is a model within the Presbyterian tradition of standing firm and unwavering on the orthodox teachings of Scripture and social activism driven by that same faith. Born into slavery in 1850 to an enslaved mother and plantation-owner father, he eventually attend Lincoln University (valedictorian 1870) and Princeton Theological Seminary (class of 1878). On February 7, 1878 he was called as pastor of 15th Street Presbyterian Church right here DC. He would serve that congregation for 50 years.

In his book on Grimké, Dr. Drew Martin says

Grimké, “made careful distinctions, but he did not divide the Christian life. He distinguished between preaching the gospel and fighting race prejudice, but he did not separate the two. He distinguished between sacred and secular knowledge, vocations, and issues, but he did not oppose them…Perhaps, most importantly, when it came to racial issues, he was one of the most radical critics of racism and the insidious white supremacy that infected the church like it did in the nation of his day, and he also relentlessly encouraged the cultural development of his Black brothers and sisters.”

An example of this engagement by Grimké is seen in his address on November 27, 1919 at Union Thanksgiving Service in DC. The title of his address was, “The Race Problem as it Respects the Colored People and the Christian Church, in the Light of the Developments of Last Year.” His text was Psalm 105.1

Psalm 105:1 ESV

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

One of the “developments of last year” Grimké was referring to was the racial violence that took place in DC earlier that year. As had been the case in several cities and counties across this country post-Reconstruction, mob violence by armed white men against the Black community had exploded in DC in July 1919. The difference in DC was that the Black community fought back. Black men, who were primarily WWI veterans, armed themselves.

Because local gun dealers refused to sell firearms to black customers, some black men drove to Baltimore to secure weapons and ammunitions to distribute in D.C. Snipers positioned themselves atop row houses, and armed black patrols walked U Street between Sixth and Fourteenth Streets NW. At Howard University, ROTC officers prepared to deliver weapons and ammunition, while light-skinned veterans infiltrated the white mobs.

Asch, Chris Myers; Musgrove, George Derek. Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital (p. 233). (Function). Kindle Edition.

This event and its outcome is on Grimké’s mind as he gives his Thanksgiving address, particularly as he lists the things his audience ought to be giving thanks for at the end of 1919.

He says,

We must not forget, both for ourselves and for the sake of the white race, that we have rights; that as American citizens we are entitled to the same treatment as other citizens. Never mind who preaches another gospel, this is the gospel that we must never forget. And one of the encouraging things of the year - one of the things for which we should be thankful, is the manifest growth of sentiment in this respect within the race…

Side by side with this growing interest, on the part of the race in securing its rights, there is another thing for which we should also be thankful as we think of the developments of the last year; and that is the evident purpose of the race, which has never before so clearly revealed itself as during the past few months, no longer to accept quietly, no longer to submit quietly to the acts of violence that a certain class of whites have felt free to inflict upon them, knowing that those in authority would never call them to account, and because of their numbers there would be no danger of being hurt by the victim or victims of their violence. Thank God that time has passed!

He says we ought to be thankful to God that after years of patient suffering Black people have made up their mind to protect themselves. Last quote. Grimké says, “It is not his purpose to become the aggressor; but when he is assaulted it is no longer his purpose to fold his arms and allow the mob to shoot him down, to burn his home, and destroy his property; he’s going to do what he can to protect himself and his family, even though he may lose his own life in so doing.”

I share this extended quote with you because my heart resonates with what Grimké says in response to what happened in the DC summer of 1919. But my heart is conflicted when I read the words of Jesus in our passage.

We’re talking about the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God; how Jesus here lets his disciples know that their lives as his people will reflect a remarkable reversal of values. Jesus is teaching his disciples here to prize, to value, what is pitiable and devalued in the world’s eyes. And he’s teaching us to be suspect, to be suspicious of what the world calls desirable.

By way of reminder, the scene that Luke is setting up for us is meant to be reminiscent of what we find in the book of Exodus when Moses goes up Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord. He receives the Law and explains the people. And what the Law essentially explains to the people is this. Here’s who you are as my people and here’s how you live as my people. That’s precisely what Jesus is doing here. In vv. 20-26 define the status of his people, their identity. Vv. 27-36 define the striving of his people, how they live

Last week we focused on vv. 17-26 and emphasized the upside-down status of Jesus’s disciples. This morning as we press into vv. 27-36 we’ll focus on the upside-down striving of Jesus’s disciples. What are we striving to do as we live by the power he supplies?

The upside-down striving is summarized in the command that he gives as a bookend bracketing our verses. V. 27, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” V. 35, “But love your enemies and do good.” Is there room in this command for Grimké to give thanks to God that Black people have, after years of patient suffering, made up their minds to protect themselves if that protection means doing violence to your enemies?

You may think that the answer is easy and simple. But listen to me please. I do not believe that you will find a teaching in the Bible that is harder to live out consistently and fully than this one. Let this sink in. According to Jesus, the only proper response to the actions of our enemies is love. We’re going to talk about the upside-down striving for justice and the upside-down striving for love.

The Upside-Down Striving for Justice

Here’s one thing we can say for sure. We do not naturally desire to live the way Jesus is commanding his disciples to live in our passage. The upside-down status of Jesus’ disciples from vv. 17-26 is that they are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. And we asked this question, Who in their right mind wants to be described as poor, hungry, weeping and hated? Well, here we are again.

“Do good to those who hate you.”

“Bless those who curse you.”

“Pray for those who abuse you.”

“To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.”

“From one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic.”

“Give to everyone who begs from you, and from the one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.”

Who in the world naturally thinks that this is a good strategy for living. Most of us would not have any problem if I said to you, “Do good to other people.” Most of us would be quite fine if I said to you, “Live in such a way that you are a blessing and a benefit to other people.” We are receptive to the idea of praying for other people. We’re receptive to the idea of, and probably try to be generous, giving to people in need as we’re able. None of that is controversial. It might be hard to do consistently, but no one is going to look at you funny or think something is wrong with you if you’re striving to live that way.

The problem comes when we seriously consider the object towards whom all of that good is to be directed. It’s your enemies. And Jesus paints a practical picture of enemies here. Those who hate you. Those who curse you. Those who abuse you. Those who physically harm you.

But Jesus here is being very consistent. He has just said in vv. 22-3,

Luke 6:22–23 ESV

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

Your joy is not in being hated or excluded or reviled or called evil because you’re following Jesus. Your joy is that you are citizens of the kingdom of God. You have God himself as your provider and protector. You have God himself as the one who loves you with an everlasting love. And your reward in heaven is great, Jesus says. This is Christian joy. And the power of Christian joy is expressed in what we do in response to those very haters and excluders and revilers.

Here’s the deal. We can be confused into thinking that Jesus is telling his disciples here, “Don’t worry about seeking justice for those who’ve been abused, oppressed, violated, harmed by others.” We can be confused into believing that Jesus would have us, to use Grimké’s words, “fold our arms” and do nothing.

But Jesus knows that, as the psalmist says of God in Ps. 89.14

Psalm 89:14 ESV

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

God is a God of justice. And he calls his people to care about justice, and to be pursuers of justice. The prophet Micah put it this way,

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

To do justly is to give image bearers their due. The pursuit of justice is for the goal of shalom; for things being righted; for things being as they ought to be. Jesus isn’t say to people who’ve been abused, don’t pursue justice. He’s not saying to people who’ve been violated, “don’t pursue justice.”

The upside-down striving for justice that we learn from this text is that Jesus has disarmed his people. He has taken the weapons of violence out of our hands and minds in the pursuit of justice. There is but one motivating heart that God calls his people to hatred and vitriol and violence. The motivating heart is love. Even in the pursuit of justice. Why? Because we are always dealing with, talking about, interacting with image bearers of the living God. Priest, professor, and psychologist, Henri Nouwen, put it well when he wrote,

When we refuse to see the image of God in others, we prepare our hearts for violence. Racism and genocide do not begin with weapons, but with a failure to love.

“Violence,” he writes, “is a way of saying that we don’t have enough time to wait for love.”

Jesus’ commands here, “Love, Do good, Bless, Pray,” is him giving us the tools we need to replace the temptation toward’s violence. My friend, Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, wrote a wonderful book The Ant-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward. I highly commend it to you. He rightly says that violence continues to be the least creative way to respond to violence. You see, it’s what’s most expected of us in a fallen world. But Jesus’ kingdom is upside-down in comparison to the world!

People may not be slapping you in the face, suing you for your shirt, or forcing you to walk a mile. But each of us can remember times when others ​have harmed us or sought to harm us. In most of those cases, our first impulse may have been to lash out, at the very least to ensure that the offender gets a taste of their own medicine. If we cannot stomach one thing, it is someone getting away with evil.

But he’s right to say that, “the refusal to respond to evil with evil is what the kingdom of God is about! We aim at the very heart of sin by being a community that lives in the way of forgiveness and shows the world that the kingdom of God is real.”

The Upside-Down Striving for Love

The upside-down striving for justice in the kingdom of God has taken the weapons of violence out of our hands and replaced them with the weapons of blessing, prayer, and generosity; all motivated by the upside-down striving for love.

Let me say this to you. We are struck by Jesus’ words here and its implications for us. But the upside-down kingdom call to love your enemies is not new. It was already codified in the law. God gives Moses the ten commandments in Exodus 20. The first four commandments have primarily to do with loving God, our duty to him. Commandments 5-10 have primarily to do with loving our neighbors, our duty to other people. The chapters immediately following Exodus 20 are an exposition of the commandments, particular laws that help the people live out the commandments. Here’s what you find in Exodus 23:4-5

Exodus 23:4–5 ESV

4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Your enemy’s ox or donkey has gone astray. They’ve lost their means of providing for their family. Your response isn’t to be, “Good for you, you got what you deserve.” Your response is to bring it back to them. To help make them whole again. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you being crushed under the load it’s carrying. You help the person who hates you to rescue his donkey.

Then, Solomon will come along in Proverbs and say in Prov. 25.21-22

Proverbs 25:21–22 ESV

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

The apostle Paul will quote this very proverb in Romans 12:20. The upside-down striving for love of enemies is radical, but it’s not new.

And here’s why. It’s because this is how God has always been when it comes to his enemies. This is what Jesus is getting at in vv. 35-36.

Luke 6:35–36 ESV

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.

You and I cannot get to the place of a heart of love for our enemies until our eyes are opened to realize that what God in Jesus Christ has done for us. We were the enemies. We were the ungrateful and the evil. We were the ones who deserved judgment and condemnation from God. We are the ones who, the Bible says in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:3–7 ESV

3 once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

You will not have a heart disposition to love enemies if you have not first been humbled in your heart by the fact that you stood as an enemy of God. But instead of his wrath being poured out on you, God the Father poured it out on the Son of God as he hung on the cross because of his great love for you.

Do we want to see enemies become family? Or do we want to be proven right? Are we attempting to win arguments or win people? I have a clear memory of the first time I experienced explicit racism directed at me. I was seven years old, and I remember it as clear as day. That was 50 years ago, but it is still easy for me to recall the physical feeling of grief and confusion. And, even so, the perpetrator of that racism is not my greatest enemy. Our great enemies are not people! Our great enemies are death, sin, and the devil. What this means is that God has a particular way he wants us to view people made in his image.

If you have become a citizen of God’s upside-down kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ, you are, as Paul says in Colossians 3.10, being renewed in knowledge after the image of your creator. Salvation means, among other things, renewal in the image of God that we may be like him; viewing people first and foremost not as enemies, but as image bearers of the living God; people whom we are duty bound to love.

N.T. Wright puts it well when he says,

Luke for Everyone Loving Your Enemies (Luke 6:27–38)

And at the centre of it is the thing that motivates and gives colour to the p 74 whole: you are to be like this because that’s what God is like. God is generous to all people, generous (in the eyes of the stingy) to a fault: he provides good things for all to enjoy, the undeserving as well as the deserving. He is astonishingly merciful (anyone who knows their own heart truly, and still goes on experiencing God’s grace and love, will agree with this); how can we, his forgiven children, be any less?

Let me wrap our time this way. First, loving our enemies does not mean ignoring the sin or the violence done to us by others. It is in fact loving to be truthful about the harm that has been caused or that is being caused by others. The Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Indeed, to tell the truth about harm, to be clear in calling out injustice is actually kind. It is unkind not to expose sin, ungodliness, and injustice. The reason that this kingdom love is upside-down is because the Spirit of Christ enables us to do it without malice in our hearts. He brings us to the place of being able to confess our bitterness and hatred towards others in our hearts so that we can view other image bearers the way he does.

Secondly, we won’t drift into a robust life of enemy love. We have to attend to it regularly in our hearts, minds, and actions. Let me tell you something. I’m quick to be tempted to hate someone in my heart when they cut me off in traffic! What I’m saying, is that the perceived harm does not have to be major for us to be tempted towards bitterness. How are we going to be able to deal with the life-altering, trauma-inducing harm inflicted upon us by others if we are not engaged in practices that help us to love enemies in the small things?

Rev. James Lawson was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He played a significant role in training people for non-violent social action. Before you could go out and participate in a planned sit-in, you had to be trained. Do you know what it was called? It was called Rev. Lawson’s “School of Love.” It wasn’t the school of non-violent resistance. It was the school of love. Non-violence wasn’t the point. The point was love. The non-violence served to fully expose the violence and injustice of their enemies and expose them to open shame. But it wasn’t driven by malice. It was driven by love.

Here’s one practice that I’ve learned from my brother, Andy Crouch, that has helped me. I do it regularly. When he’s in public spaces, an airport, a mall, etc, every person he looks at he says this to himself, “image, image, image.” He trains himself such that the first thought that enters his mind when he sees another person is that he’s looking at an image bearer of God.

Family, God calls us to love image bearers. He takes the weapons of violence and vengeance out of our hearts and hands. That’s why, as much as I continue to learn from, honor, and bless God for the faithful ministry of my Presbyterian father in the faith, Francis J. Grimké, I’m hard-pressed to agree with giving thanks to God for violence enacted in this life. Even when it’s in pursuit of justice.

We’re coming to this table to feast. And we’re able to feast at this table because Jesus let the violence of the world crush him out of love for us.