Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqOrhNbcyjo
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4013 | The Boy from the Well
Greg Williams
Have you ever felt completely powerless? Have you been in the unenviable place of having no recourse—no action you can take that will change your situation? Imagine being stuck in the bottom of a well.
You likely recall the story. Joseph was the favorite of 12 sons, whose father had given him a coat of many colors. Joseph’s brothers—jealous of his gifts and favor with their father—threw him down a well in a fit of rage. At the bottom of the well—perhaps this one or one like it, he lay helpless, unable to scale the walls, completely dependent upon others to release him. Of course, we know this was just the beginning of his journey of helplessness, which included slavery, imprisonment, and mistreatment.
But we also know that years later, after being released from prison, Joseph became the 2nd highest authority in the land of Egypt. And during this time, he and his brothers met.
The land was in the midst of famine and Joseph’s brothers had traveled to Egypt to ask to buy food for their family. They were now totally dependent upon others. They had no idea the Egyptian official in front of them was their brother Joseph the boy they had thrown into a well so many years before.
At first, Joseph wasn’t sure about revealing himself to them and seemed to toy with the idea of revenge—even seeming to threaten their youngest brother. But mercy wins out. He can’t keep up the ruse anymore, he blurts out his name. But they don’t get it at first.
[Look Down]
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
Genesis 45:3-4 (ESV)
They are so shocked to see him he had to repeat himself. You can only imagine what is going on in their minds. The power dynamic has completely reversed. Now it is them at the bottom of the well as he stands over them. They are trapped in famine and under the mercy of Egypt. He has the upper hand by any measure. But rather than take the upper hand, he informs them of his plan to take care of the most vulnerable member of their family, their aging father.
This is grace. Grace can mean walking away from our rightful revenge, holding back when we want to restore our human version of “balance” to the world.
Grace tells us that God doesn’t work by our weights and measures. In Joseph’s world, the abusing brothers are forgiven and taken in. In God’s world, the weak become the strong; in God’s world, the sinner is given the place of honor. In God’s world, the boy from the well becomes the man on the throne; the boy stripped off his robe provides for his family.
I am Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4013 | The Boy from the Well
Greg Williams
Have you ever felt completely powerless? Have you been in the unenviable place of having no recourse—no action you can take that will change your situation? Imagine being stuck in the bottom of a well.
You likely recall the story. Joseph was the favorite of 12 sons, whose father had given him a coat of many colors. Joseph’s brothers—jealous of his gifts and favor with their father—threw him down a well in a fit of rage. At the bottom of the well—perhaps this one or one like it, he lay helpless, unable to scale the walls, completely dependent upon others to release him. Of course, we know this was just the beginning of his journey of helplessness, which included slavery, imprisonment, and mistreatment.
But we also know that years later, after being released from prison, Joseph became the 2nd highest authority in the land of Egypt. And during this time, he and his brothers met.
The land was in the midst of famine and Joseph’s brothers had traveled to Egypt to ask to buy food for their family. They were now totally dependent upon others. They had no idea the Egyptian official in front of them was their brother Joseph the boy they had thrown into a well so many years before.
At first, Joseph wasn’t sure about revealing himself to them and seemed to toy with the idea of revenge—even seeming to threaten their youngest brother. But mercy wins out. He can’t keep up the ruse anymore, he blurts out his name. But they don’t get it at first.
[Look Down]
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
Genesis 45:3-4 (ESV)
They are so shocked to see him he had to repeat himself. You can only imagine what is going on in their minds. The power dynamic has completely reversed. Now it is them at the bottom of the well as he stands over them. They are trapped in famine and under the mercy of Egypt. He has the upper hand by any measure. But rather than take the upper hand, he informs them of his plan to take care of the most vulnerable member of their family, their aging father.
This is grace. Grace can mean walking away from our rightful revenge, holding back when we want to restore our human version of “balance” to the world.
Grace tells us that God doesn’t work by our weights and measures. In Joseph’s world, the abusing brothers are forgiven and taken in. In God’s world, the weak become the strong; in God’s world, the sinner is given the place of honor. In God’s world, the boy from the well becomes the man on the throne; the boy stripped off his robe provides for his family.
I am Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40 · Genesis 45:3-11, 15 · 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50 · Luke 6:27-38
We continue in the season of Epiphany, a time of revealing or making Jesus known. Our theme for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany is doing what Jesus did. This theme is reflected in our call to worship, Psalm 37, which encourages us to “refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret – it leads only to evil.” We see this acted out in the story of Joseph’s response to his brothers in Genesis 45, and we wonder how it is possible not to hold a grudge against someone who sold you into slavery. 1 Corinthians 15 contrasts the physical body with the spiritual body and the first Adam from the second Adam (Jesus), revealing the superiority of Jesus as the second Adam. Our sermon text, found in Luke 6:27-38, contains the verse (v. 31) known as the “Golden Rule.” This passage explains God’s mercy and love in practical terms and helps us better understand the mystery of the cross.
I’ll Scratch Your Back. Period.
Luke 6:27-38 NRSVUE
You may have heard sayings like this:
You must give to get.
What you bless blesses you in return.
Give what you want first, and it will come back in buckets.
Smile, and the whole world smiles at you.
I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.
These sayings are expressions of the law of reciprocity, a well-known cognitive bias that Forbes magazine says is “fundamental to our survival as a species.” Sales teams employ this strategy as a means of building social capital or the trust and goodwill of others. The law of reciprocity appeals to our notions of what is fair and equitable, so that means if someone does something nice for us, we feel obligated to do something nice for them. While reciprocity can be a good starting point, it doesn’t exactly help us when we’re faced with someone who doesn’t play by this rule.
Our sermon text today contains the well-known “Golden Rule,” but we miss the broader meaning of the text if that’s all we notice about this passage. Jesus explains the mystery of the cross to his listeners and ends with an assurance that we will never know a scarcity of God’s mercy and grace when we respond like Him. Let’s read Luke 6:27-38 (read sermon text).
The context of Luke 6:27-38
In Luke 6:20-26, we read a passage known as the Sermon on the Plain that closely corresponds to the Beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Barclay’s Commentary says that “They take the accepted standards and turn them upside down. The people whom Jesus called happy the world would call wretched; and the people Jesus called wretched the world would call happy. Just imagine anyone saying, ‘Happy are the poor, and Woe to the rich!’ To talk like that is to put an end to the world’s values altogether.” This sets up our sermon text by turning the typical and natural human responses upside down.
In verses 27-30, believers are commanded to behave in a positive manner toward people who are described as enemies, haters, cursers, abusers, and thieves. It’s important to point out that Jesus paints a picture of how we are to live and act as disciples. It’s more than endurance of mistreatment; we are being asked to mirror God’s mercy to the world. In another Gospel, Jesus told us to love others as He loves us. This passage in Luke shares examples of that love in practice — join others in their sufferings; walk beside them in their pain; allow them to vent to us; share what we have with others. These are constructive activities we are encouraged to participate in — blessing, praying, offering, giving, and loving.
Verses 31-37 explain this positive Christian ethic where we choose to act or respond positively rather than to simply refrain from harm. Barclay writes, “It is not unduly difficult to keep yourself from such action [i.e., not doing to others what we would not want done to us]; but it is a very different thing to go out of your way to do to others what you would want them to do to you. The very essence of Christian conduct is that it consists, not in refraining from bad things, but in actively doing good things.” The reason we choose to behave in this manner is our decision to reflect God toward others. To be children of God, Barclay says, requires us to “seek even our enemy’s highest good … It is that love we must copy.”
Verse 38 focuses on the outcome of our reflection God’s love and mercy to others: abundance, running over, but not the way we typically read it. This verse suggests reciprocity again, and when taken out of context, we often interpret it to refer to financial resources. But the imagery suggests an overflowing return of the same mercy and forgiveness we offer others. It’s a reciprocity, but one that isn’t undertaken for its end result. Professor Karoline Lewis writes the following:
Our impulse is to use Jesus’ words as justification for our own value and worth when it comes to adequate belief and acceptable discipleship. And yet, our perceived ability to follow Jesus’ principles is likely grandiose, most of the time. We’d like to think we can do all of these things. The truth is, we can’t. It is a leveling list. It puts us all on the same plane. … these words of Jesus are but a vision for what is possible, for what should be were we to have Jesus’ sermon at Nazareth in mind; were we to have Mary’s Magnificat in mind.
Both Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) and Zechariah’s Song (Luke 1:68-79) identify God as merciful and reveal that mercy is an assurance of the fulfillment of God’s promises. When we think about God’s mercy, as spoken about in Matthew 5:44-46, we are humbled as to how far short we fall in mirroring God’s love and grace:
But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:44-46, NRSVUE
Luke 6:27-38 presents a worldview much different than what we’re used to because it is fueled by our connection to Jesus and not our own human will. This same worldview also helps explain the mystery of the cross. Let’s consider the myth of redemptive violence and the forgiveness of reality’s contradictions in light of the mystery of the cross.
The myth of redemptive violence
The myth of redemptive violence asserts that violence is the only way to bring about justice and peace, as we destroy what we perceive as the cause of a problem (or evil). Theologian Walter Wink says that “this Myth of Redemptive Violence is the real myth of the modern world. It, and not Judaism or Christianity or Islam, is the dominant religion in our society today.” The life and death of Jesus opposes the myth of redemptive violence as it reduces the emphasis human beings place on group identity, the nuclear family, and one’s occupation or security. Instead, Jesus emphasizes inclusion of all people and groups, and that requires forgiveness. Rather than devote our energy to reject what we believe is “bad,” we expend our energy to choose love and the highest good for everyone.
The cross itself has often been interpreted as a means of paying the debt of sin to an angry God (which is the erroneous substitutionary atonement theory). In this line of thinking, the cross becomes a transaction rather than a means to convey through imagery what God’s love for creation looks like. In actuality, the cross expresses a solidarity with suffering in an effort to change humanity’s mind about God’s character and love while offering a chance to contemplate our own violent tendencies toward those we think problematic or evil.
Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr calls the cross “the victory” because its opponents are also included:
The cross is about refusing the simplistic win-lose scenario and holding out for a possible win-win scenario. The cross is refusing to hate or needing to defeat the other because that would be to only continue the same pattern and reciprocate the violence and to stay inside of the inexorable wheel that the world has always called normal (p. 203).
Rohr offers that the cross helps us understand our complicity with evil rather than thinking we exist on some sort of moral high ground. He writes,
What the mystery of the cross teaches us is how to stand against hate without becoming hate, how to oppose evil without becoming evil ourselves … The goal of nonviolence is always winning the true understanding of the supposed opponent, not his or her humiliation or defeat (p. 203).
It helps us to see that our perceived enemy is a victim and a symbol of evil, and we find ourselves on that level playing ground again, no better and no worse than any other person.
The acceptance of contradictions
Human life is hard, and some endure more difficult lives than others. Our existence can’t be controlled the way we would prefer. Though there’s just enough consistency to make us think it might be possible to have control if we could only ________ (fill in the blank). We must begin by accepting that reality is full of contradictions if we are to understand in part the mystery of the cross and Jesus’ nonviolent resistance to empire.
Rohr writes:
The price you pay for holding together the contradictions within yourself, others, and the world is always some form of crucifixion … We agree to bear the burden of human evil, of which we all are victims, and all are complicit. It is the ultimate act of solidarity with humanity (p. 206, 204).
By God participating in human suffering through the cross rather than watching it happen as a detached observer, now our suffering and tragedies also hold the potential for resurrection.
Through nonviolent resistance, Jesus exposes the sin and evil of corrupt human systems. He shows that our preoccupation with purity and individual moral behaviors has missed the mark, and Jesus’ identification with victims of these corrupt human systems reveals his solidarity with our human vulnerability. Through our exposure to the injustice of Jesus’ crucifixion, teaches us that evil is overcome or absorbed by love’s choice to do good (Romans 12:21 NRSVUE).
Jesus’ life and death were subversive; they upended the myth of redemptive violence and the false belief that reality for us is something that could be predicted and controlled. Instead, Jesus offers His believers a worldview that makes love the pinnacle of any faith. This isn’t a limited love, restricted to reciprocal relationships, but a love that eagerly seeks the highest good and flourishing of all, even one’s enemies. Reciprocity, or I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine, doesn’t result in transformation that establishes God’s dream for peace on earth. Reciprocity keeps us stuck in a mindset based on moral superiority rather than on a level playing field where we humbly acknowledge we fall short. Luke 6:27-38 shows us that God’s love flowing through us to others goes beyond the Golden Rule to the mystery of the cross.
Call to Action: Consider the way you express love to others, primarily those whom you consider different, difficult, or maybe even evil in their opinions or viewpoints. Think about how you can proactively reflect the mercy of God to them, reflecting on the fact that we all fall short.
For Reference:
Rohr, Richard. Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2008.
https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/simple-rules
https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2022-02-14/luke-627-38-2/
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/luke-6.html
https://www2.goshen.edu/~joannab/women/wink99.pdf
Rick Shallenberger—Year C Epiphany 7
February 23, 2025 — 7th Sunday after Epiphany
Luke 6:27-38
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Program Transcript
Rick Shallenberger—Year C Epiphany 7
Anthony: Let’s transition to our final pericope of the month. It is Luke 6:27-38. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany on February the 23. Rick, read it for us, please.
Rick: Absolutely.
“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Anthony: So, Jesus told us to tolerate our enemies. No.
Rick: Yeah. It’s easier that way.
Anthony: He told us to love our enemies. He told us to love them, and He did so for the sake of those who are listening. So, the question Rick is, are we listening? So, what does this text reveal to us about the God found in Jesus Christ? Because it’s telling us something about him.
Rick: Yes. Yes.
Well, Anthony, I believe this is just one more passage that shows God’s character. Because this is exactly what Jesus did. He loved His enemies. He did good to those who hated Him. He blessed those who cursed Him. He prayed for all. He is love and He responds to His enemies with love, and He asks us to love as He loves.
And as you said very well, or the question you asked was very appropriate, are we listening? As my wife sometimes tells me, Rick, you can hear well, but I’m not sure you are listening.
Anthony: Oh, go on, Cheryl, keep speaking.
Rick: Yeah, I know. Yeah. That’s when I realized the Holy Spirit is speaking through her.
But I think we do the same thing, Anthony, as these believers do when we read these verses. How often have I just read the words because I’m trying to get my Bible study in or get a passage through or I’m thinking I want it. I want to spend so much time in the Scriptures, but I’ve got this other thing to do.
And so, I’m just reading the words and the same thing is, am I hearing the message of the words? Are we listening to what Jesus is telling us? He’s telling us to love others as He loves us. It’s the same message He gives time and again. And what the disciples didn’t seem to understand, and what it seems most of us fail to understand, is that Jesus is reminding us that in Him there is no us and them.
For the disciples, it was Jew and Gentile. And even that wasn’t as simple because there were some Jews they didn’t like. And certainly, anybody who was not a Jew was a Gentile that didn’t like them. There was a big us and them, and how many times do we do an us and them? In Jesus, there’s only us.
We cannot win someone over and show them love if we view them as the enemy or as “less than” in any way. Anthony, I realize looking at my own life it often goes against my nature to love someone who seems to be against me, right? Or who believes something different than me. Or who has different opinions than me and that was really evident in the last several years in our political landscape.
It’s just gotten more and more volatile, and it seems we have this proclivity to emphasize differences more than things that we agree on. And we make anyone of a different viewpoint an enemy. And God says, they’re not your enemy because they’re my children. They’re my beloved. And the God we find in Jesus has only one enemy, and that’s the devil who made himself an enemy.
But Jesus came to save a world filled with different people, different beliefs, different cultures, different social statuses, different races. And He’s emphasizing that in Him, there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, only beloved children, who He came to rescue and reconcile to the Father.
As you ask, what does this tell us about the God found in Jesus? I believe He wants us to get past all the petty differences and start treating others with love and respect. I believe He wants us to love others and to care about others and to walk with others and to enter their world and share their place.
Anthony, you’re the one that has talked a lot about place-sharing, and I think that’s what we’re talking about here is walking alongside someone. In other words, to treat all self-proclaimed enemies as brothers.
Anthony: Yeah, I think, Rick, that love, by its definition, moves toward the other. It’s not passive. It’s intentional.
And though I was trying to be humorous a little bit by saying tolerate, I think that’s where a lot of Christians land. I just won’t engage the other people that I disagree with or I’m opposed to. And they think that’s enough, but that’s not. God moved toward us in Jesus Christ. He pitched His tent and set up residency on earth with us.
Everybody who was against Him and enemies to Him who had enmity toward God, He moved toward us. And this is the danger that I see in our current societal landscape that we just look for echo chambers. We try to find the affinity groups where people agree. And we just talk to them, and we’ll have nothing to do with others who have a different viewpoint.
And I think it’s very, it’s dangerous and it’s not healthy. It’s not healthy.
Rick: No, you’re absolutely right. And the other thing it does, we have this concept of loving, I can love certain people face-to-face and the others I love from a distance. And that is a misnomer. Jesus doesn’t love anybody from a distance.
And this talk about this concept of place-sharing, walking with somebody, loving them. How in the world can we be disciples of Jesus, helping them to see His love and His life if we are not interacting in a very personal and intimate way?
Anthony: Yeah. Some people have this idea that God cannot look upon sin. Think about what you’re saying. If Jesus, who is God, could not look upon sin, He would never have eaten or dined with anybody else. Every meal He shared with sinners, looking right upon them. And sometimes Christians get this idea: they’re doing this or that, so I can’t engage.
No. Jesus went into it without becoming it. He went right into the heart of it with His love and compassion for others. And that’s what wins the day. Love is the only change agent that will really help people see the goodness of God revealed in Jesus.
Rick: If Jesus couldn’t dwell with sinners, He would have never come.
Anthony: That’s right. That’s right. All right. So, we’re winding down, we’re in the gun lap here, so to speak. And I find myself, Rick, enchanted by the generosity that we see in the triune God. God is the merciful one. God is the one who forgives. God doesn’t condemn but rather gives grace and measures that are overflowing.
So, as we draw to a close, tell us more about this generosity we see in the Trinity and our participation in that divine reality.
Rick: Yeah. Wow. Again, I will do this in less than an hour. Look, the Father sent the Son, and the Son came to rescue us and reconcile us to the Father. And the Son sent the Spirit so that He could live in us through the Spirit who always points to the Son who loves the Father.
So, there’s a circle there. Do you see how I did that? Father, Son, and Spirit live in relationship of mutual love. admiration and respect for each other and who They are as God and the most amazing and beautiful part of this truth, They have invited us to share in the relationship that They share.
In other words, when you pray to Father, Son, and Spirit, you are in the midst of that circle of trust, love, mutual admiration, respect. When you walk every day, you are walking in that circle of trust, love, mutual admiration, and respect because Christ lives in you. He wants you to experience the relationship the way God created it to be.
And further, I would say Father, Son, and Spirit, the beauty and the generosity. They have forgiven us of our sins. They have washed us clean with the blood of Christ. They’ve offered us a way out of our guilt, our shame, our fear, and our doubt. And they have invited us to experience Their love, partly by sharing it with others and the opportunity to live with Them for eternity.
Anthony, you can’t get more generous than that.
Anthony: And what does it look like? It looks like “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, spilling out into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” God is generous in His mercy and kindness, His grace, His love toward us.
He continues to move toward us. He continues to move toward you, Rick, in and by the Spirit. And we’re just so thankful for you and your experiences and ministry and life that bring you to this moment to share all of that with us. So, God bless you as you embark in this new chapter of your life. We’re excited for you and so appreciate the way that God is working through you to reveal the goodness of God made manifest in Jesus Christ. So, thank you.
And I want to say to our listening audience, because many of you are proclaimers of the gospel, thank you for what you’re doing. And be reminded of this: study prepares the sermon, but it’s prayer that prepares the preacher. So, let’s be praying people before we ever enter into the pulpit. And may we continue to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel good news revealed in Jesus Christ.
I want to thank our team of people that make this podcast possible: Michelle Hartman, Elizabeth Mullins, Reuel Enerio. What a fantastic team of people to work with, to bring this good news to you here today.
And as is our tradition on Gospel Reverberate, we close with prayer. So, would you please just wash us in prayer?
Rick: Absolutely.
Father, Son, Spirit, wow! What an incredible blessing it is to just come to Your presence and to realize that we are in Your presence at all times. You are the Daddy, the Abba, that we just are so blessed to know and to know that we are known by You. You are the brother and the friend and the Savior, that and so much more. And You are the Comforter and the teacher, and we are just so thrilled to just get a grasp of who You are.
And these passages we went through enable us to understand Your love for us and encourage us how to love others. And I pray that as these passages are preached and they are shared with Your beloved around the world that You open hearts and You open minds for people to see their true identity in You, for people to understand how much that they are loved, and this will compel them to love others and to follow You in whatever way You choose.
And so, I pray Your blessing upon all that preach this, all that listened to this. And I thank You for the opportunity to share these passages. And I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Program Transcript
Rick Shallenberger—Year C Epiphany 7
Anthony: Let’s transition to our final pericope of the month. It is Luke 6:27-38. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany on February the 23. Rick, read it for us, please.
Rick: Absolutely.
“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Anthony: So, Jesus told us to tolerate our enemies. No.
Rick: Yeah. It’s easier that way.
Anthony: He told us to love our enemies. He told us to love them, and He did so for the sake of those who are listening. So, the question Rick is, are we listening? So, what does this text reveal to us about the God found in Jesus Christ? Because it’s telling us something about him.
Rick: Yes. Yes.
Well, Anthony, I believe this is just one more passage that shows God’s character. Because this is exactly what Jesus did. He loved His enemies. He did good to those who hated Him. He blessed those who cursed Him. He prayed for all. He is love and He responds to His enemies with love, and He asks us to love as He loves.
And as you said very well, or the question you asked was very appropriate, are we listening? As my wife sometimes tells me, Rick, you can hear well, but I’m not sure you are listening.
Anthony: Oh, go on, Cheryl, keep speaking.
Rick: Yeah, I know. Yeah. That’s when I realized the Holy Spirit is speaking through her.
But I think we do the same thing, Anthony, as these believers do when we read these verses. How often have I just read the words because I’m trying to get my Bible study in or get a passage through or I’m thinking I want it. I want to spend so much time in the Scriptures, but I’ve got this other thing to do.
And so, I’m just reading the words and the same thing is, am I hearing the message of the words? Are we listening to what Jesus is telling us? He’s telling us to love others as He loves us. It’s the same message He gives time and again. And what the disciples didn’t seem to understand, and what it seems most of us fail to understand, is that Jesus is reminding us that in Him there is no us and them.
For the disciples, it was Jew and Gentile. And even that wasn’t as simple because there were some Jews they didn’t like. And certainly, anybody who was not a Jew was a Gentile that didn’t like them. There was a big us and them, and how many times do we do an us and them? In Jesus, there’s only us.
We cannot win someone over and show them love if we view them as the enemy or as “less than” in any way. Anthony, I realize looking at my own life it often goes against my nature to love someone who seems to be against me, right? Or who believes something different than me. Or who has different opinions than me and that was really evident in the last several years in our political landscape.
It’s just gotten more and more volatile, and it seems we have this proclivity to emphasize differences more than things that we agree on. And we make anyone of a different viewpoint an enemy. And God says, they’re not your enemy because they’re my children. They’re my beloved. And the God we find in Jesus has only one enemy, and that’s the devil who made himself an enemy.
But Jesus came to save a world filled with different people, different beliefs, different cultures, different social statuses, different races. And He’s emphasizing that in Him, there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, only beloved children, who He came to rescue and reconcile to the Father.
As you ask, what does this tell us about the God found in Jesus? I believe He wants us to get past all the petty differences and start treating others with love and respect. I believe He wants us to love others and to care about others and to walk with others and to enter their world and share their place.
Anthony, you’re the one that has talked a lot about place-sharing, and I think that’s what we’re talking about here is walking alongside someone. In other words, to treat all self-proclaimed enemies as brothers.
Anthony: Yeah, I think, Rick, that love, by its definition, moves toward the other. It’s not passive. It’s intentional.
And though I was trying to be humorous a little bit by saying tolerate, I think that’s where a lot of Christians land. I just won’t engage the other people that I disagree with or I’m opposed to. And they think that’s enough, but that’s not. God moved toward us in Jesus Christ. He pitched His tent and set up residency on earth with us.
Everybody who was against Him and enemies to Him who had enmity toward God, He moved toward us. And this is the danger that I see in our current societal landscape that we just look for echo chambers. We try to find the affinity groups where people agree. And we just talk to them, and we’ll have nothing to do with others who have a different viewpoint.
And I think it’s very, it’s dangerous and it’s not healthy. It’s not healthy.
Rick: No, you’re absolutely right. And the other thing it does, we have this concept of loving, I can love certain people face-to-face and the others I love from a distance. And that is a misnomer. Jesus doesn’t love anybody from a distance.
And this talk about this concept of place-sharing, walking with somebody, loving them. How in the world can we be disciples of Jesus, helping them to see His love and His life if we are not interacting in a very personal and intimate way?
Anthony: Yeah. Some people have this idea that God cannot look upon sin. Think about what you’re saying. If Jesus, who is God, could not look upon sin, He would never have eaten or dined with anybody else. Every meal He shared with sinners, looking right upon them. And sometimes Christians get this idea: they’re doing this or that, so I can’t engage.
No. Jesus went into it without becoming it. He went right into the heart of it with His love and compassion for others. And that’s what wins the day. Love is the only change agent that will really help people see the goodness of God revealed in Jesus.
Rick: If Jesus couldn’t dwell with sinners, He would have never come.
Anthony: That’s right. That’s right. All right. So, we’re winding down, we’re in the gun lap here, so to speak. And I find myself, Rick, enchanted by the generosity that we see in the triune God. God is the merciful one. God is the one who forgives. God doesn’t condemn but rather gives grace and measures that are overflowing.
So, as we draw to a close, tell us more about this generosity we see in the Trinity and our participation in that divine reality.
Rick: Yeah. Wow. Again, I will do this in less than an hour. Look, the Father sent the Son, and the Son came to rescue us and reconcile us to the Father. And the Son sent the Spirit so that He could live in us through the Spirit who always points to the Son who loves the Father.
So, there’s a circle there. Do you see how I did that? Father, Son, and Spirit live in relationship of mutual love. admiration and respect for each other and who They are as God and the most amazing and beautiful part of this truth, They have invited us to share in the relationship that They share.
In other words, when you pray to Father, Son, and Spirit, you are in the midst of that circle of trust, love, mutual admiration, respect. When you walk every day, you are walking in that circle of trust, love, mutual admiration, and respect because Christ lives in you. He wants you to experience the relationship the way God created it to be.
And further, I would say Father, Son, and Spirit, the beauty and the generosity. They have forgiven us of our sins. They have washed us clean with the blood of Christ. They’ve offered us a way out of our guilt, our shame, our fear, and our doubt. And they have invited us to experience Their love, partly by sharing it with others and the opportunity to live with Them for eternity.
Anthony, you can’t get more generous than that.
Anthony: And what does it look like? It looks like “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, spilling out into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” God is generous in His mercy and kindness, His grace, His love toward us.
He continues to move toward us. He continues to move toward you, Rick, in and by the Spirit. And we’re just so thankful for you and your experiences and ministry and life that bring you to this moment to share all of that with us. So, God bless you as you embark in this new chapter of your life. We’re excited for you and so appreciate the way that God is working through you to reveal the goodness of God made manifest in Jesus Christ. So, thank you.
And I want to say to our listening audience, because many of you are proclaimers of the gospel, thank you for what you’re doing. And be reminded of this: study prepares the sermon, but it’s prayer that prepares the preacher. So, let’s be praying people before we ever enter into the pulpit. And may we continue to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel good news revealed in Jesus Christ.
I want to thank our team of people that make this podcast possible: Michelle Hartman, Elizabeth Mullins, Reuel Enerio. What a fantastic team of people to work with, to bring this good news to you here today.
And as is our tradition on Gospel Reverberate, we close with prayer. So, would you please just wash us in prayer?
Rick: Absolutely.
Father, Son, Spirit, wow! What an incredible blessing it is to just come to Your presence and to realize that we are in Your presence at all times. You are the Daddy, the Abba, that we just are so blessed to know and to know that we are known by You. You are the brother and the friend and the Savior, that and so much more. And You are the Comforter and the teacher, and we are just so thrilled to just get a grasp of who You are.
And these passages we went through enable us to understand Your love for us and encourage us how to love others. And I pray that as these passages are preached and they are shared with Your beloved around the world that You open hearts and You open minds for people to see their true identity in You, for people to understand how much that they are loved, and this will compel them to love others and to follow You in whatever way You choose.
And so, I pray Your blessing upon all that preach this, all that listened to this. And I thank You for the opportunity to share these passages. And I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- How does the sermon text from Luke 6:27-38 show there is more required of us than reciprocity or the Golden Rule?
- Is there a difference between merely not causing harm and contributing to another’s flourishing?
- How would you define the myth of redemptive violence? What examples in the world today would you use to contextualize your definition to our modern world?
- How do you think evil is overcome and ultimately transformed by love and forgiveness?
