Wednesday
'Do to others as you would have them do to you.' (v. 31)
Background
Today we read part of Luke's version of the ‘Sermon the Mount’ which is featured in Matthew’s Gospel (it is a collection of Jesus' key teachings – see Matthew 5-7). Some call Luke’s version of it the ‘sermon on the plain’. Luke eliminated the 'Jewish sections' that would not pertain to his audience of Gentiles (non-Jews). His account (Luke 6:20-49) is much shorter than Matthew's and doesn’t record Jesus going up a mountain but speaking on a piece of flat ground.
The key message of Christian living is not lost in Luke’s version at all and the heart of this message from Luke to us is the need for true love in Christian living."Do to others as you would have them do to you" as Luke puts it (v. 31).
God’s love seen in Jesus’ preaching of God’s kingdom is, as the theologian Tom Wright says is ‘love with absurd generosity.’ We are challenged by Luke’s record to go the extra mile in all our relationships but particularly with those some might consider to be enemies.
The values set for a Christian surely have to be very different to those of the world we live in. What set of values do we aspire to live by?
To Ponder:
- When was the last time that I did good to, or for, someone I found difficult to like or love?
- In these days where our rights are held as sacrosanct, do we easily give up our right to walk away and our right to refuse generosity?
Prayer
Loving God, please allow me to see the people you call me into contact with as you see them. Lord, change me so that I might have a heart of unconditional love. Amen.