On Being Human
Notes
Transcript
Handout
St. Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (You can see why he’d start going by Francis!) in the late 1100s in Italy.
He was the son of a very successful merchant, and became a young man who got pretty much whatever he wanted. He was known for having the brightest clothes, throwing the best parties, and having the richest friends.
However, Francis had a few moments in his life that drew him away from the future that he seemed to be heading.
He was in the military for a short stint and was captured and thrown in prison for a year, which caused him to reflect on his life.
A few years later, he became incredibly contemplative and started to feel dissatisfied with life as he had lived it.
Then, in a country chapel in San Damiano, he heard a voice that told him, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My church, which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.”
He initially thought that it meant that he had to start fixing up the church, so he started doing work on the church! It was only later that he realized that he was supposed to start working on the Church.
And so, after some time working with the poor and being kicked out by his father for abandoning the family business, Francis started to read the teachings of Jesus very seriously. He started looking at His words, not as a text to be read, but a way to be lived.
And that changed everything.
He sold all that he had, he eventually started a monastic order thats focus is to live the way that Jesus lived and help the poor and the marginalized, he started the first nativity scene, and much more. It was said that his last words were, “I have done my duty; may Christ now teach you yours.”
In St. Francis’ mind, his duty was to serve Christ and love Him, and part of that was rooted in taking seriously the teachings of Jesus.
We are in the Gospel of Luke, and we are at the section colloquially called, “the sermon on the plain.” It’s a little less robust than the traditional SoM, but I believe that it’s functionally the same sermon preached at a different location. Jesus was a travelling rabbi, meaning that He would give sermons all over.
My guess is that Jesus preached some variation on the sermon on the mount multiple times, and highlighted and accented different things as needed for the crowd He was with.
No matter what you think is right on this, the main argument that I believe that we have to deal with here is what is this passage? How are we supposed to look at it?
Is this a teaching on how to be moral?
Is this a text that we get to study?
Is this a sermon?
The answer is, of course, yes to all of this, but there’s something much more to this passage that we need to grasp, because if it’s just these things, then I won’t pay attention to them.
For instance, when did you last read a book about ethics?
What was one application that Pastor Mark gave last week?
More likely than not, a moral teaching will not change your life.
You probably won’t remember the application points of many sermons, and certainly not mine.
So if we take this section of the Scriptures to be something as simple as a teaching done by a very wise teacher, it will not change us.
But this is not what this sermon is!
This sermon is pulled from the Bible, which is one of God’s ways of reaching through time and space to communicate to you the love that He has for you. AND, it is a condensed teaching of Jesus on how to be a human being. It’s not merely teaching you how to be moral, and it’s not just a sermon that we can so easily forget; this short section of Scripture is one of the ways that the True Human, the Man Jesus Christ, showed us how we are to be human. He gives us the basic blueprint for humanity.
I believe that if we were to truly follow this teaching, that our church, and even Lewis County, would be a different place.
I believe that we would be a place that loves people despite their differences, that views politics differently, that is full of grace and encouragement, and is rooted in Christ.
Jesus gives us the blueprint for humanity, we just have to live it.
So, in this text, we are going to look at what true humans do, based on the words of Jesus.
Luke 6:27-49
True Humans Love and Give
True Humans Love and Give
Luke 6:27-36
Right before this section, Jesus began with the beatitudes and the woes of the sermon. It’s the “blessed’s” and the “Woes,” where He takes the accepted rules of humanity and success of the day and turns them on His head.
So He tells us that the rich aren’t actually better people than the poor, that we must mourn for our sin instead of being ignorant and happy, etc.
And then Jesus continues that theme by saying something that any human being would have a hard time believing:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 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. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
Now, we live in a semi-moral society that tries to teach (sometimes) that every human being has value, and that even if we don’t like them, that doesn’t mean that we should hate them; but very few people outside of followers of Jesus could say this and actually mean it.
To love your enemy is not merely to tolerate your enemy, nor to smile at their face and pray for their destruction, but to love them, even as they are stabbing you in the back (or front).
Love is (according to Jesus):
Actionable
Jesus gives us multiple examples of this
Being hit in the face, we give up a different cheek
Giving away our clothes when someone takes our coat
That means that loving our enemies is not something that we just do in our words. We don’t just say, “Of course I love my enemies!” and then don’t do anything different.
According to Jesus, we are to smile at them and hug them as they take from us.
We’re called to pay attention when someone is holding us verbal hostage, or smile and thank the person who gives unsolicited parenting advice, or laugh at the jokes of your meanest teacher.
Prayerful
Jesus tells us to “bless those who curse you and pray for those who abuse you.”
I know that this seems the simplest, but I’m convinced that this is the most difficult.
We are to come before our Father in heaven and pray for them.
And it’s not to pray that God’s justice would be done or that they would fall off a bridge, we’re supposed to pray for their blessing!
It’s true prayer, to pray for someone that you don’t like and ask God for Him to bless them when you’d really want Him to strike them with lightning.
Financial
This is, I think, the scariest one for many of us.
Jesus is extreme on this topic.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
We are to give to people, even when our heads and our wallets are telling us to hold on.
We are to live sacrificially, even to those who we don’t like.
Maybe that means buying one of our houseless friends a meal, maybe that looks like babysitting for the single parent, or maybe that looks like paying the rent for someone that can’t make it otherwise.
Whatever it is, loving is going to involve the finances that the Lord has given you.
“But wait a minute! Isn’t this too much! I’m already a pretty good person, and I care about people, isn’t that enough?”
It’s easy for us to say that we’re already a pretty loving people, so then Jesus points out:
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 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.
And this is where Jesus shows us how different His people are supposed to look.
See, I can be pretty decent at loving the people that are nice to me.
My wife and daughter are great, so it’s generally pretty easy for me to do stuff for them. I’m typically good to get my daughter a cup of milk.
But they’re easy to love! I chose them, and they’re kind to me most of the time!
I can buy my friend a burrito when I know that he’ll get me back next time!
Love is made real when there is no return on investment.
If I think that I am going to get something out of the deal, then it’s easy for me to love; but when I’m confident that this will only involve giving and no receiving, that’s when this love is made real!
So then, what do you get out of the deal?!
Why should I do this? Why should I give of myself to other people?
Maybe you aren’t a follower of Jesus, and so you’re saying, “why would I care about other people that much? I have no reason to worry about them at all!
Or, maybe you are a follower of Jesus, and you’re saying, “I already believe that Jesus died to save me, why would I need to care so much about people that are awful to me?
When we love, we act like God.
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. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
The reward that you are given is getting to be like your Father in heaven. He is merciful to those deserving no mercy. He has given to those who haven’t earned. God is the ultimate Giver, and we get to be little givers, trying to be like our Father.
And then Jesus, looking around, knows what really needs to change in order for this love to be attained, and that’s the way that we look at others, and so He tells us
True Humans Don’t Judge or Be Hypocritical
True Humans Don’t Judge or Be Hypocritical
If we’re going to start loving our enemies and really start to live like Jesus, then that will mean that we have to look at people and ourselves differently!
We must see people in the way that God sees them.
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 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.”
I’m very good at seeing people with my own warped perspective and judging them.
But Jesus calls us to look at people differently.
He does this both negatively and positively
Judge not, condemn not.
We are told not to judge or condemn.
These are both legal words
To judge or to condemn is to evaluate someone and to decide what should happen to them.
And so a judge condemns a criminal to prison, and we condemn people to a whole variety of categories and prisons ourselves!
We ignore the person on the street because they are either lazy or crazy, and I don’t want either of them!
We avoid talking to the new person at the church because I have enough friends and I’m not looking for any more.
We write off the poor or the wealthy or the Republican or the Democrat because we have made a judgement as to who they are and decided that they aren’t good enough. They’re not what I want in a person.
But we don’t get to be the Judge, nor do we have the authority to condemn.
That right can only go to God. I am not capable of accurately or honestly judging someone, that responsibility is His.
Forgive and give.
The positive side is to forgive and to give freely!
Tat’s all the stuff that Jesus was already talking about! It’s loving everyone, even our enemy; and giving them grace when they need it and being willing to be generous without judgement.
And when we do that, Jesus says
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.”
This is a marketplace term that comes from when you would buy grain. There would be a measuring jar, and the merchant would put grain into it and then shake it down so that it wasn’t full of air and you would get an honest price. But the picture here is that God shakes it down, tamps it, and then fills your jar to overflowing. He gives greatly,, but only to those who also give greatly.
Judgmental people are judged, but forgiving and giving people are forgiven and given to.
And then He gives us a story to illustrate our problem:
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 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? 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.
So Jesus asks them a question: do you want a blind guy doing eye surgery on you? Probably not!
See, I’m great at seeing other people’s faults and spending a lot of time talking about those, but I have a much harder time seeing my own faults and owning up to them.
We’re great at giving ourselves grace, but typically a little worse at giving it to others.
And so Jesus gives us this parable to show our problem!
When we see a problem in someone else’ life, we want to change it. We want them to just get better! It’s not that hard, just fix it!
And yet, we ignore the gaping holes in our faith or our lives every time we look in the mirror. We’re the one’s at fault, not just them and we need to have Someone lovingly look at us and say, pull out the log in your own eye, and then you can help.
People of Jesus must be accountable before being “helpful.”
It’s easy for us to say, “Oh, I’m just being helpful,” when in reality we’re just really good at trying to make people look like us.
Let’s instead work to be honest when we look at ourselves and learn to give grace where it’s warranted in others.
Who do you have in your life that can hold you accountable?
Do you have someone in your life that is close enough to know you and love you, but also strong enough to tell you when you’re not right? Do they know that, or do you just think they do?
And lastly, Jesus ends this sermon by pointing us to the root of all of this (that was kind of a pun).
If we’re going to be people that can love our enemies, then we’re going to need to be honest with ourselves and view other’s well.
But if we’re going to do that, then we need something at our core that can keep us going. We need our root, or our foundation, to be on the only One who never fails. And the only way that we can do that is by hearing and doing.
True Humans Listen and Obey
True Humans Listen and Obey
Jesus concludes this sermon by giving another word picture.
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Any plant that is bad at its root is not going to make anything delicious.
We have a lot of gardeners here, and it’s starting to be planting season, and so you know that if your tomato plant is weak and moldy, it’s not going to make anything that you’re going to want to eat.
Our hearts produce what we give out. Our hearts produce
Maybe we give out anger and bitterness and rules and pain.
Maybe we give out joy and hope and laughter.
You can fake it a little, you can do something nice for someone even if you’re seething with rage, but we will never be able to truly produce good if our core is bad.
We need Jesus at our center, and He tells us that the way that we do that is by hearing and doing.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Jesus asks, “Why would you even call me Lord if you’re not going to listen?” which is an excellent question.
If we go through our lives hearing the words of Jesus, calling Jesus our Lord, but never doing what He says, are we really His followers?
We are saved by grace through faith; it is only by the gift of God that we get to call on Jesus as Lord and find forgiveness of sins, and yet, we still have to follow Him!
If we don’t live like Jesus actually saved us and instead just keep carrying on in sin and shame, have we given ourselves over to Him, or have we just given Him a part of our lives, just said the words because we don’t want to go to hell?
Jesus tells us to hear and do
A disciple is one who listens and obeys.
Listen
We need to be spending time in the Word of God, to be at church among the body of believers, to listen to what Jesus tells us.
All of the people that I deeply respect their love for Jesus are people that are in the community of faith and love His Scriptures!
We need to hear what God is giving us.
Obey
And then we need to do it!
Actually love people, truly give yourself over to pray.
When God communicates something in His Word, let’s actually do it instead of trying to theologize it away to not changing our lives.
Following Jesus should make our lives look different from our friends who don’t follow Jesus. DOES YOURS?
It’s only when we do that that we could say that Christ is our firm foundation.
Any other system or way of being is only going to fail you, but if we are people who hear and obey what Jesus tells us, then we will be unassailable by the problems of life.
Now, this is a lot to talk about, but the only way that we can say any of this, the only reason we can discuss this with hope, is because Jesus has already done this for you and me.
Jesus loved his enemies, He did good to those who hated them. He was cursed and abused and yet still prayed for the forgiveness of sins. He gave Himself, knowing that He would get nothing in return outside of a people who desperately need Him. He did not come to judge and condemn but rather to forgive and to save. He is the only One who had no log in His eye and can remove every speck and log from ours. He is the good tree, it is from God that all of our fruit can be found, and He is the firm foundation, the Rock on which all of us can stand in confidence. Jesus gave Himself up on the cross and became sin so that you and I would not take the weight and the punishment for our own sins. He is the Lord of all, the Savior of the world, and the One on whom we can all trust.
If you want to start taking the words of Jesus seriously, then we need to seriously give ourselves over to Christ!
Like I said, at the beginning, if we lived like we actually believed the words of Jesus, I think that this church and Lewis County would be different, because in it, we see the blueprint for humanity.
So
Pray about what you need to change this week to live out Jesus’ blueprint for humanity, and then do it.
