One Life: Action

MESSAGE: One Life: Action (podcast)
SCRIPTURE: Luke 6.27-42



In the middle of the 6th chapter of Luke, you’ll find Jesus’ instructions for the way his followers are supposed to live. It’s a long list, and there are many things that deserve our attention and practice. We won’t go over them here. What I’d like to focus on in this post is the opening of this section of instructions.

One of the most important parts of this section of scripture is the first seven words of verse 27. Jesus begins this section by saying, “But I say to you who hear….” This is a very important statement, and a very interesting way for Jesus to begin this section of instructions for his disciples.

Jesus is making a contrast. Clearly there are people who hear, and other people who don’t hear. Jesus is talking to those who hear. He’s not talking about the actually physical act or ability of hearing, he’s talking about understanding. He’s saying, “I’m talking to you who get it – you who understand.” And more than that, Jesus is talking to the people who will hear him and then do what he says.
The other option is people who hear physically, but don’t understand spiritually. Thus, they aren’t able to put into practice the things that Jesus teaches, try as they might. Think about that for a minute: those who cannot hear, cannot follow Jesus – they physically and spiritually can’t do it, because they don’t understand. If anyone who does not hear tries to do what Jesus says, they will pervert his words and his teachings, and their actions will be worthless.

Need some examples? There are three oft used quotes in this section that are commonly used in our society today. The first, and most well known, is Luke 6.31: “…as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” We call this the “Golden Rule,” and the reason why it’s so well known (despite the fact that it’s just common sense) is that this is a basic tenet of most religions – treat other people the same way that you want to be treated. And if you think about it, if people just followed this one rule, there would be a lot more happiness and peace in the world – If everyone just obeyed this one thing. In fact, Jesus says this one principle sums up the whole of the law and the prophets. So then why isn’t there more peace and happiness amongst people in the world? They can’t hear. They can’t understand. They don’t get it. Sure, they think they get it, and the rule makes sense to them, but they can’t put it into practice because they can’t hear. They’re selfish. They’re full of pride. They’re more about their own desires than they are the desires of others, so they don’t – they can’t – treat others the way they want to be treated.

Another well known statement from this passage is found in Luke 6.29: “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also….” This is more commonly phrased, “Turn the other cheek.” Everyone usually agrees that turning the other cheek – not taking revenge – is a good thing, and should be practiced amongst our relationships. So why are there still problems? Why do people still desire to get even and take revenge? Because they can’t hear. They’re full of pride, and they won’t ever let anyone else get the better of them. They are spiritually (and physically) unable to turn the other cheek (even though they think it’s a good idea!).

The last little phrase is probably one of the most misquoted verses in all scripture: “Judge not, and you will not be judged…” Most people are familiar with the more traditional way of saying it: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” How many times have you heard people say that? Even people who aren’t believers? Especially when Christians say something like, “Homosexuality is wrong,” the usual response from the gay community is “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” This is a complete misinterpretation of scripture, and it is actually quite ignorant. If Jesus truly meant that we couldn’t tell people that they were sinning, then he couldn’t either. That is to say that he would never tell us to do something or not do something that he himself either did or did not do. What he’s talking about here is hypocrisy. In other words, I can’t judge you for beating your wife, and then go home and beat my wife. That’s hypocrisy, albeit an extreme example. Most of the time, hypocritical acts are actually small and seemingly mundane, but they happen all the time. Jesus says don’t judge – don’t be a hypocrite. When someone uses this verse to justify their own sin, and condemn those who would identify their sin, they’re completely raping the true meaning of this verse, and do you know why? They can’t hear! They don’t get it. They don’t understand. If you can’t hear it, you can’t live it.

So then, as believers, we need to make sure we are hearing what Jesus is saying, understanding it, getting it, and DOING IT. Acknowledging the things that Jesus says as profound and deep but not living out what he is teaching is the same thing as not hearing. If you’re not living it, you don’t understand it. So the challenge is to hear it – and do it.