Original Meaning

IF LUKE 4:16–30 summarizes the note of fulfillment in Jesus’ teaching, this discourse highlights the ethical expectations he has of his followers. The Sermon on the Plain is Luke’s equivalent to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Luke presents this sermon without the legal elements that Matthew treated, probably because of his Gentile audience.1 The fact that Luke can summarize for Gentiles what Jesus originally delivered to a Jewish audience shows how timeless and fundamental the Evangelist saw this ethic as being for the Christian community. This view holds true whether the sermon is an anthology of Jesus’ remarks or reflects a single occasion. The fact of conceptual parallels to Matthew shows that what Jesus taught must still be taken seriously by Jesus’ disciples today, even if some of the particular legal examples recorded in Matthew are omitted because of their lack of direct relevance.2

The unit begins with a summary introduction to Jesus’ teaching ministry (vv. 17–19), the fourth such summary to appear in Luke (cf. 4:14–15, 31–32, 40–41). Following that is the actual sermon (6:20–49), whose major theme is a call to exceptional love in light of the offer of God’s gracious blessing. Jesus outlines what he desires of his followers, especially as they relate to those outside the community, including those who oppose them.

Jesus ministers here to three groups: apostles, “a large crowd of his disciples,” and “a great number of people.” He preaches “on a level place.” The locale may be a level area in the midst of a more mountainous region (Isa. 13:2; Jer. 21:13).3 The people gather for two reasons: to listen to Jesus’ teaching and to be healed by him. Teaching and compassionate service combine to touch the people. Jesus’ message of God’s kindness is supported by his actions. The healings involve both sicknesses and exorcisms. The power that proceeds from Jesus indicates the authority with which he works.

The sermon itself divides into three parts: the prophetic blessings and woes (vv. 20–26), an exposition about exceptional love, mercy, and a hesitation to judge (vv. 27–38), and remarks about righteousness, fruit, and wise building (vv. 39–49).

Call of Blessings and Woes. The sermon begins with a prophetic call—an invitation and warning to those listening to him. The first part declares God’s grace of blessing to those who identify with him. In contrast, the woes, unique to Luke’s Gospel, show God’s displeasure on those who oppose the blessing Jesus gives and who persecute his disciples as a result.

God commits himself to his disciples in the present age and will bless them richly in the future. The four descriptions of the righteous in verses 20–22 should not be seen as separate groups, but as elements of one portrait describing those for whom God has compassion.4 The blessings of God’s promised rule belong to such as these.

The “poor” are discussed first. This term recalls Jesus’ remarks in 4:16–20. As with that passage, the poor are the pious poor, who are blessed because they have a position in the kingdom of God, the delivering rule of his presence. These poor are the special objects of Jesus’ ministry, as Luke repeatedly mentions (1:52–53; 4:16–20; 7:22; 14:13, 21). The roots of this idea appear in Psalms and in prophets like Isaiah (Pss. 25:9; 34:2; Isa. 42:1–18; 61:1).5 Jesus preaches and ministers to all the poor as a means of finding the responsive and pious among them who will receive God’s grace. Such people understand that they must depend on God, because life is beyond their control.

Those that hunger now are promised satisfaction in the future. Hunger is a result of religious persecution and harsh treatment by people of power who take advantage of others. Hunger is one of the consequences of poverty (cf. Isa. 32:6–7; 58:6–7, 9–10; Ezek. 18:7, 16). These people may be deficient in material goods, but they have turned to God for care, and he will care for them and satisfy them. The blessing they will receive transcends any lack they have now.

Those who are poor and hungry are also sad because of the strain of life, but there will come a time when they will laugh. God sees their tears, and their tears will become smiles. Disappointment and pain will turn into joy. Weeping as a picture of those who suffer unjustly is also an Old Testament theme (Pss. 126:5–6; 137:1; Isa. 40:1–2). Those who weep have paid the price of painful rejection for lining up with God.6

The last unit is the key remark of the blessing sequence, because it shows the religious dimensions of those who are blessed. These people suffer hatred, insult, rejection, and exclusion from the Jewish community. That community gives them an “evil name,” because they have come to the Son of Man, that is, to Jesus. These remarks clearly presuppose a life that has faced religious persecution, and the four descriptions depict an escalating negative reaction to their association with Jesus. Religious convictions were not a private matter in ancient times, similar to many countries outside the West today. A choice for Jesus meant the loss of family fellowship, dismissal from the synagogue, and removal from social contact. To be tossed from the synagogue meant being viewed as an unclean person. Yet despite such circumstances, the disciples should rejoice, for God sees them and will bless them. They have ancestors, the great prophets of old, who were treated similarly. The call to “rejoice” is the one command among the blessings; everything else is promise. God’s grace will help them overcome their suffering for their faith.

The four woes match and contrast the four blessings, revealing Jesus’ displeasure with people who are uncaring about those around them and who refuse to be sensitive to God. As with the blessings, the four descriptions are not four distinct groups but four related descriptions of one kind of person. The prophetic woes are utterances of pity and pain for those who will face misfortune or judgment.7

The “rich” are singled out because they often take advantage of the poor (James 2:1–7; 5:1–6). The remark is, of course, a generalization, since some rich do respond to the Gospel. But the warning is serious, for wealth can create a sense of independence that results in distance from God and callousness toward others (1 Tim. 6:6–18).8 The “comfort” is their wealth, which they cannot take with them.

The next woe is against those “who are well fed now.” In a classic case of reversal, they will be hungry on the Judgment Day—a warning that recalls the Old Testament (Isa. 5:22; 6:13; Amos 8:11).9 Those who ignore God and place their hopes solely on the good life here have little comfort for the future. Those who “laugh now” will someday mourn and weep (cf. Isa. 65:14); they are too enthralled with the pursuit of life to care about anything else.

The final woe reveals the spiritual depravity of these people. They are spoken well of by others, just like the false prophets of old. They have settled for an approach to life that does not challenge them to live any differently. They wrongly see themselves as unaccountable to God.

This series of four woes shows the serious spiritual condition of these people, who think they are on top of the world. As the sequence of blessings and woes reveal, appearances can be deceiving.

Call to Love and Mercy. With the word of encouraging invitation and warning in place, Jesus turns to address the disciple’s ethical character and call (vv. 27–38). Fundamental to ethics is love—not a love like the world’s, but a unique love that endures. These exhortations are expressed with reference to enemies in verses 27–28, from a human perspective in verse 31, and as a divine standard in verse 35. Two sets of illustrations support the exhortation (vv. 29–30, 32–34). Love evidences mercy, just like the Father (v. 36), so that the result is a hesitation to judge and a readiness to forgive (v. 37). The concept has rich Old Testament roots (Pss. 86:15; 103:4; 112:4).

Four exhortations in verses 27 and 28 make the key point. The special objects of love are one’s enemies. The love Jesus commands is not an abstract love tucked away in the person’s inner recesses, but a love that demonstrates itself in concrete action. The disciple should do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who abuse them. The exhortations expect action, not just a private expression to God. In the context of rejection, Jesus calls for extraordinary trust in God. Disciples should reflect such love constantly.

Lest there be any doubt that Jesus calls his followers to active, visible love for their enemies, four illustrations guarantee that this is his focus. Turning the cheek pictures a person slapped on the cheek in rejection. The action involves an insult that may well be associated with removal from the synagogue.10 Numerous examples of this kind of use of violence appear in Acts (18:17; 21:32; 23:2). Yet the early church consistently turned the other cheek by continuing to share the gospel with those who rejected them. They have never fought back in kind, but attempted to overcome evil with good.

The second illustration continues the picture of being vulnerable. Those who take the outer garment should also be allowed to have the undershirt. Jesus’ point here is not to stand on a street corner and allow oneself to be robbed, but that ministry in the context of rejection, which includes economic isolation, requires being vulnerable again and again. Missionary work can expose one to danger, but that should not stop us from making multiple efforts to win people.11

The disciple should also be compassionate and generous and should thus give to the needy. The giving of alms to the poor was an important part of Jewish piety. Jesus’ words here fit into that background,12 as do numerous Old Testament texts (Deut. 15:7–8; Ps. 37:21, 26; Prov. 19:17; 21:26b). Such compassion represents a fundamental expression of love.

The final illustration involves retribution for wrong done. Jesus does not want a disciple to seek to get back what has been taken from him. This exhortation involves amazing restraint. Paul seems to be aware of this in his remarks in 1 Corinthians 6:1–8.13 It is better to be defrauded than to bring reproach on Jesus’ name. Those who strike against the disciples should be treated differently by the disciples.

All of these exhortations assume that the disciple understands that God is watching over him or her. Any vindication should be left in his hands. The greatest vindication of all is to transform the enemy into a friend of God through the example of love. Saul is perhaps the most prominent biblical example. A supporter of Stephen’s stoning, he was transformed by God in answer to Stephen’s prayer that those who were stoning him should be forgiven (Acts 7, esp. v. 60; 9:1–19).

The exhortation is repeated, only now a human standard of expectation serves as the basis for the ethical call (v. 31). This remark, known as “the Golden Rule,” is often seen as one of the pinnacle points in Jesus’ ethical teaching, though it reflects a common ethical theme in the culture.14 Jesus states no ulterior motive here. The essence of love is a sensitivity to the needs of others, deferring to how they prefer to be treated. Such love takes great sensitivity and a spirit that desires to hear what others have to say. It is another way of showing respect for others.

Jesus drives home the point with a series of questions (vv. 32–34), radicalizing the positive exhortations of verses 29–30. The fundamental point is that if we love only those who are kind to us, that takes no special effort (2 Clement 13:4). Even sinners love that way. The call of the disciple is to a greater love, a distinct love, a love that is unique in the world.

This love even involves using our resources to meet the needs of others. We should not lend in such a way as to expect a return. Jesus is drawing on Old Testament principles here (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:35–37; Deut. 15:7–11): As the year of release from debt approached, one was not to become more hesitant to lend because that year was approaching. One was not to be tightfisted or hardhearted, but openhanded to the needy. Failure to respond meant that the one needing the money could cry out to God against the lender. So Jesus argues in kind: No one should give a loan simply because he or she expects to ask for a loan in return some day in the future.15 Rather, one should simply be generous and seek to meet human needs. To lend in any other way is to lend as a sinner lends.

Jesus then restates the exhortation: Love your enemies, do good, lend while expecting nothing back, and expect a reward from the God who lives in heaven (v. 35). Jesus’ disciples should love with an exceptional love, a love so different that the world can see it. Such love is rewarded because it marks out the presence of the children of God, who reflect the character of God. God himself is kind to the ungrateful and selfish. To be his child is to reveal the Father’s character (cf. Ps. 112:4–5).

In other words, the standard of the disciple’s behavior is the merciful character of God (v. 36). Again Jesus echoes Old Testament descriptions of God (Ex. 34:6; Isa. 63:15; Jonah 4:2). To be his child is not only to be brought into a relationship where God has forgiven us; it is the beginning of a process of reflecting God’s gracious, merciful, and forgiving character to the world. As we do so, we live out our call to be like him, to reflect his image. “Moral likeness proves parentage.”16

Also in imitation of God, the disciple should be slow to judge (v. 37).17 Love for one’s enemy does not fix a view of him in stone. Moreover, the measure we use toward others is the measure God will use toward us. If we do not judge; he will not judge us. If we do not condemn; he will not condemn us. If we give; he will give to us in “good measure.” The picture of the good measure pressed down draws on what happened in the ancient marketplace, where a seller placed grain in a container. Then he shook the container to get the grain to level out so that he could put more grain in the measure. That is how God measures for the generous and those who give. In fact, he gives so that the cup runs over. This abundant measure God pours into the “lap” or fold of one’s ancient garment. God honors a compassionate spirit. Jesus reveals the contrast to this attitude in the Pharisee of 18:11–14, whose pride led him to judge others just by looking.18

Call to Righteousness, Fruit, and Wise Building. Jesus begins the final unit with a warning that calls disciples to pay attention to which teachers they follow. A blind leader will only lead someone into a pit. The question, “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” expects a negative answer in the Greek. The second question, “Will they not both fall into the pit?” expects a yes answer. Jesus’ point is that the disciple is like the teacher, so if the teacher is blind, the student will be blind too. Blindness is a common figure for spiritual blindness (Ps. 25:5; 86:11; 119:35);19 thus, Jesus is warning here about religious leadership. One should follow the right teacher and not apply too much authority to one’s self. In the context of this discourse, only one such teacher exists—Jesus. A disciple should not try to go beyond him.

Jesus continues to attack a critical spirit, like that of the Pharisees, by mentioning the quickness with which we are hypocritically aware of a little fault in someone else but ignore the log in our own eye.20 According to Jesus, it takes nerve to talk to a fellow human being about his or her little faults while pretending we have none of our own. Jesus does not absolve us of community accountability, however. The way to deal with it is by paying attention to our own faults first and dealing fully with them before turning our attention to the treatment of the little faults of others (cf. Gal. 6:1–5).

From accountability, Jesus take up the issue of character (vv. 43–45). How can one know the character of a person? Jesus says to check the fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, not bad, and vice versa; every tree is known by its fruit. A bad tree cannot yield good fruit, nor a good tree bad fruit. The agricultural illustrations, drawn from Palestinian everyday life, depict people. Good people produce good deeds from a good heart, while evil people sprout evil deeds from a destructive heart. Jesus highlights speech here. “Out of the abundance of [one’s] heart [one’s] mouth speaks.” James makes similar remarks (James 3:1–12). The tongue is a litmus test of the soul, and the product of one’s life is a litmus test of the heart. Each one should examine one’s own self in this regard, not others.

Finally, Jesus returns to the issue of his authority (vv. 46–49). Any disciple who respects Jesus should do what he says. How can one call him “Lord” and not do what he says? That is hypocrisy. This is one of several texts that highlight hearing and doing. To drive the point home, Jesus closes his sermon with a parable. To hear Jesus and do what he says is like building a home with a solid foundation. Such a home can stand up against the floods of life. Even when the surging waters beat against the house, it stands, because it is well built. In contrast, the person who does not follow what Jesus says becomes a tragic figure. That home is built without a foundation. When the problems of life rise and tensions flood, they sweep the house away. The roots of Jesus’ imagery here comes from Ezekiel 13:10–16. If we recall the Mississippi floods of 1993, we can sense the devastating portrait Jesus paints.

It is therefore foolish to build a house without a foundation. Likewise, it is foolish not to listen to Jesus. We should hear his invitation to enter God’s grace and experience the assurance God offers. We should follow his call to love in a way that differs from the world, be merciful and gracious to others, work on our own faults rather than those of others, and follow the words of Jesus. As a teacher of light, he will not allow his followers to end up in the pit. For Luke there is but one who is worthy of being followed: His name is Jesus.

Bridging Contexts

REGARDING VERSES 17–19, Jesus’ ministry involved both preaching and meeting the needs of people. He did not presume on his audience with words only; he showed compassion through caring as well. The church’s ministry today ought likewise to reach out with hands of compassion.

A major key to determining the importance of this version of Jesus’ sermon is to compare it with its parallel, the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew has 137 verses, Luke 30. Luke omits the portions that treat legal issues of concern to Matthew’s Jewish audience. The comparison is significant, since it indicates that Luke presented the core of Jesus’ sermon to his Gentile audience. This fact means that the ethical core of the sermon is intended for all Jesus’ followers, up to the present time.

Call to Blessings and Woes. The blessings and woes reflect fundamental ethical values of God and his grace towards those who align themselves with him at great cost. God knows those who are his and who stand up for him. Jesus offers blessings, a theme that is popular today. We like to consider how God will welcome us. But what about his threatened judgment? Many, trying to make Jesus more palatable in a modern multicultural setting, argue that the themes of judgment have been added to the portrait of Jesus by some editor. The recently well-publicized Jesus Seminar takes such a position on most of the texts where Jesus discusses judgment. Yet such claims are inconsistent with the recognition that Jesus preached like a prophet of old. Which of the prophets of Israel called to righteousness without also warning of judgment? We must not tone down hard texts like the ones that warn the rich and popular that God notes their lack of attention to him through their lack of attention to others.

Call to Love and Mercy. It is difficult for many to bridge from the issues of persecution raised in this sermon into many present-day cultural contexts. However, we must never forget that there are parts of the world today, like areas of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, where persecution and the risk of losing one’s life for Christ are real. In addition, in much of the Western world persecution is subtle, being more indirect and less physical in style. Believers may not be beaten up, but perhaps on a college campus they are maligned for not being “with it” or being “strange” or being a “prude” because of certain ethical standards. Perhaps our business practices, reflecting a commitment to integrity, will be seen as not playing for the team and will cost us. But whatever we are asked to bear because of our faith commitments, we should continue to love, serve, and show mercy to those who oppose us.

Another debatable issue in understanding this text and bridging it into our world is the force of the figures of speech. Is Jesus speaking in hyperbole here when he refers to saints being taken advantage of in the context of religious persecution? Hyperbole is not, of course, an unusual rhetorical style for a prophetic declaration. Its recognition allows one to focus on the central and concrete application behind the rhetorically presented image. How then does one know when hyperbole is present? There are at least two keys to identifying this figure of speech: (1) Does the strict, literal application of the remark lead to an absurd result, and (2) do examples of application in the early church illustrate more concretely the intended application?

Let’s see how this applies. (1) When, for example, Jesus suggests that the one who takes a disciple’s cloak be allowed to take his tunic too, it seems clear that Jesus is not arguing a disciple should willingly be stripped literally down to their skin and go about naked! The point has to do with the risk taken in being totally exposed, even to the point of being totally taken advantage of. (2) We can note that even though Paul continually exposed himself to great danger for the sake of the gospel, there were occasions when the church sent him away from a dangerous area for his own protection (e.g., Acts 16:40; 17:10, 13–14). Thus, sometimes it was prudent to protect oneself from persecution by moving a ministry elsewhere. On the other hand, Stephen forgave his enemies who were putting him to death, just as Jesus had done on the cross (Acts 7:60). Sometimes God calls us to give even our lives.

We live in a world that is often hostile to the gospel today, so we share the ancient context with the disciples who turned to Jesus. Our suffering may or may not take the same form as it did in the time of Jesus, depending on where we live, but the call to love others with an exceptional love remains. God promises that those who respond with mercy will receive much from God’s hand—maybe not those things the world sees as valuable, but real blessings that come from God’s hand. To the one who pardons comes pardon; to the one who gives come gifts from God’s hand.

Call to Righteousness, Fruit, and Wise Building. The warning about following Jesus and not anyone else (v. 39) reflects a fundamental value of the church. Jesus is the center of the faith. The apostles he commissioned are called to reveal his way. Thus the importance of following the right teacher is important. One must hear Jesus, for he is the unique hub of the Christian faith, the mediator of our relationship to God. That claim is the offense of the gospel, which makes sharing Christ difficult in a world that compares religion to a vast interstate highway system where all roads lead to God. Jesus did not present himself as one of many ways, but as the way. In fact, it is this section of the parallel Sermon on the Mount that led me, as an unbeliever, to consider the Lord’s claims more seriously. After reading it, I clearly felt that Jesus did not merely teach a way of wisdom, but the way to knowing God. The challenge to build wisely by responding to Jesus is what led me to him years ago.

There is also a great need for fruitfulness today in one’s testimony for Christ. All too often the lost refuse to listen to the claims of Jesus because they know Christians who are hypocrites. When such a charge is raised, there is some value in pointing out that Christians are not perfect, just forgiven sinners—but that will only go so far. The church needs people who know God and walk with him in such a way that the roots of their relationship to God shine forth as light. Fruitfulness makes that clear.

In sum, this sermon is a timeless ethical outline of how believers should manifest the gracious character of the Father as his children. Mercy, love, and grace should dominate our character, even if it requires great personal risk.

Contemporary Significance

THE SUMMARY SECTION (vv. 17–19) yields important applications, for it describes the varied elements in Jesus’ ministry. Any ministry worth its salt should reflect compassion and not just be a ministry of words. Jesus showed how God cares for the people he loves. If God loves those to whom the church preaches, then certainly his servants should show that love. These verses also underscore the authority of Jesus. The people knew he had access to divine power. Mary could see that Jesus mediated God’s power and forgiveness. What he did for sin on the cross, Jesus pictured in his healing ministry.

Call to Blessings and Woes. The blessings and woes possess two central points. (1) God is aware of what we are going through, and he promises to vindicate the faithful. We who belong to the kingdom can rest assured that our Lord will grant us the blessing of eternal restoration and reward. To start here is fundamental, because the ethics of Jesus call for sacrifice and patience. To love in a way that is unlike the world risks being misunderstood. Only those who rest in God’s care and have assurance of his blessing can endure that hard path. These blessings, then, encourage us to remain strong before the world in the midst of weakness. We do not need to seek vindication for ourselves, we can turn the cheek, and we can be generous to those who will not be generous back. Acceptance comes from the Father, whom we seek to imitate. As a result, acceptance from others matters less.

(2) The blessings and woes also reflect God’s values. Whom does he honor? He responds to the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and those who are rejected. These categories reveal a major audience to whom he offers the hope of the gospel. However, they are also social descriptions of the condition of those who are blessed. I was personally insensitive to this aspect of the text until I began to minister periodically in Guatemala. It was there I began to ask serious questions about American values such as materialism and to consider the issue of being sensitive to the poor. In the Western world, such questions also scream out for consideration in some of our troubled urban centers. God cares for people such as these—not only to save their souls, but to bring them into a community that evidences God’s care for them in terms of life’s basic needs.

It is appropriate to ask: Why does God single out the poor and suffering and issue such stark warnings to the wealthy? Surely God is affirming the dignity of people whom the world treats as trash. If God cares for such as these, should his church not do the same? It will not do to run to Matthew and emasculate Luke’s words of verse 20. The point Matthew makes about “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3) is a true one, but so is the note that Luke raises. God has designed the kingdom for the poor, like those to whom Jesus preached. It was our Lord who invited them in to be a part of what God was doing. God extends the hope of his blessing to the poor.

Such texts make me pause when I think of ministries aimed at the powerful or wealthy. Not that I believe such ministries are wrong, since God loves all people, but the question still remains: Why does God single out those in need? If the church possesses a call to reach out in compassion, love, and service to those in need, what better audience to evidence such a gift than the poor? Disciples should be sensitive to those to whom Jesus showed sensitivity. In fact, 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 makes a point out of this contrast in looking at the make-up of the church in Corinth. A commitment to reach those whom the world forgets highlights that every person is significant to God, even if the world views them as insignificant.

This suggests that the church be more involved than it is in ministries that reflect this priority. Such an emphasis does not represent an acceptance of a social gospel, since the social gospel is devoid of the redemptive message that is so central to God’s saving work. What it does represent is the recognition that God seeks to redeem the total person and to create a community interested in all dimensions of life for those who are saved. There are evangelicals in other parts of the world who have much to teach us here. We should listen to them more humbly and carefully.21

Call to Love and Mercy. To exemplify love in a hostile world is difficult. It takes a supernatural perspective and a change of thinking. The world is used to dealing with people either on the basis of power, utility, or equal exchange. The idea of simple service and unconditional love are not in vogue. When Jesus calls us to love our enemies, I have a hard time seeing that love in the way we communicate with those who possess different values from our own. We must hold to our convictions while communicating a sensitive, loving concern. The world may misunderstand us, but that does not allow us to be insensitive or to harbor misunderstanding towards them.

Love, doing good, blessing, and praying for those who are our enemies also assumes another reality, that we are in relational contact with the outside world. The ability to be struck on the cheek means we are in striking distance and have risked making the effort to have contact. The fortress mentality that sometimes invades the church is a form of retreat, as well as a denial of what Jesus calls for from disciples in this sermon. It is an abandonment of the very relational ground that can turn a Saul into a Paul. To give to those who beg means we know where they can be found. To love as we wish to be loved means acknowledging the dignity of other people as made in the image of God. To love in a way that does not reflect some personal payback is to offer the world a different kind of love that is not based on what the self receives but on what we can give. It is to love in a way different from sinners.

Sadly, often we cannot love so selflessly even within the community of God, much less to our enemies. By failing to love, we fail to reveal the loving and merciful character of God. Perhaps one reason evangelism fails is because people cannot see the grace of God evidenced in the church’s relationship to herself. To accomplish such an outreach and evidence such love means to depend totally on the Father, who will reward those who reflect his character to a needy but hostile world.

The connection between God’s blessing and our ability to love should not be missed. Because of his blessing to us and our appreciation for him, we are able to love others. Because he gave, we can give. Because we know the joy of receiving from him, we are motivated to give to others. The actions Jesus calls for in his sermon apply to others what he has already applied to us. The deeper our understanding and appreciation of what God has done, the better prepared we will be to reflect his character to others.

Other attitudes also need to be developed. The Lord notes that overflowing blessing comes to those who are slow to condemn and quick to forgive. A censorious spirit is not open to love, since it is constantly evaluating everyone and everything around it. Judgment against another person is to be left in God’s hands, and his judgment will be correct (cf. Rom. 12:17–21). This does not mean that the community lacks accountability, for Jesus addresses that question in verses 41–42. It does mean that people have a tendency to be hard on others while being lax on themselves. God’s revealing how he transforms us is what should drive us, not a joy in finding others at fault. As forgiven people who rest in the reconciliation God’s kindness brings, we should be quick to reflect such kindness to others.

Call to Righteousness, Fruit, and Wise Building. The ethical reversal Jesus calls for means we should be careful which teachers we follow. Many who teach about character are committed to developing character in a self-focused way, in a way that is effective in getting what we want or in a way that takes the easiest path possible. Such an agenda drove the Pharisees to try to control how others behaved. Zealous as they were, they were blind. Trying to build ethical character while staying self-focused is the essence of blindness. We should choose our models carefully, following those who themselves are clear about following him. Only one teacher is worthy of being followed—Jesus himself.

If there is to be accountability, it must start with ourselves. We often are aware of little faults in others, such as our children or our spouses, while we ignore our own great faults. Jesus calls such priorities hypocrisy. He calls his disciples to self-accountability. Those who do the best job of restoring others in their walk are those who can restore themselves. That means being able to receive rebuke and honestly going before the Lord so that our beam may be removed. Only then are we ready to consider how to help a fellow believer remove the speck from his or her eye.

Jesus’ ethical priorities also indicate that we are what we produce, especially when it comes to what we say. The mouth is a litmus test of who we are spiritually. If we evaluated the character and tone of our daily speech, would it register like acid on litmus paper or yield the sweet presence of a person secure in God’s care? As James testifies, we need to learn how to control the tongue (James 3:1–12). Only the mature can do so.

In the end, the issue of our loyalty as disciples comes down to responding to Jesus in terms of what we do. His rebuke to those who call him “Lord, Lord,” but ignore what he says, indicates just how seriously he takes concrete response. In fact, a biblical text or an exhortation from Jesus is not really understood until it is applied. The disciple who responds to Jesus and does what he calls for is able to stand up to the harsh realities of life in a fallen world. The disciple who learns to see and act in the world as Jesus calls the disciple to do is able to face the floods, that is, the disappointments and injuries that life often brings. In contrast, to ignore his teaching is to be set up to suffer a tragic loss. As sad as it is to lose one’s home in a flood, it is sadder still for one’s life to be swept away because the call and advice of God was ignored. So Jesus’ sermon’s final word to the disciple is: “Apply yourself to apply my teaching; it is wisdom that stands up when things get tough.”

The sermon’s remarks about knowing a tree by its fruit raises one of the more tricky pastoral issues in the passage. Can I read a person’s spiritual position by the product I see in his or her life? After all, lots of “good” people have a host of good works but may not know God. On the other hand, some who claim to be Christians struggle to live in a way that honors God.

Three points need to be made about the sermon’s imagery of fruit and how we handle such a question. (1) Jesus’ remarks here are not designed to examine individual moments in life but the pattern of a career-long walk with God. This point is significant because everyone sins or perhaps even goes through a period of sin. Such people may deeply regret their failure afterwards, yet it can make them wonder if their “fruit” makes it impossible to say they know God. I received an e-mail recently from a counselor who asked me how to deal with three different teenagers who had the same problem. They were convinced that some sin they had committed was so severe it severed their relationship to Jesus to an unrecoverable level, even though they regretted it. The overapplication of a text like this with reference to a particular sin can do great damage particularly to someone who sensitively reacts to his or her spiritual failure.

(2) The text indicates that although fruit may not be a certain indicator, it can be a suggestive one. Paul was so concerned about the lack of Corinthian fruit that after a long period of time, he asked them to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). What raised the question for Paul was the incongruity between their walk and their claim to have a regenerated heart. But note how Paul raises the question. He does not state he knows the answer, looking in from the outside; rather, he raises the issue for their own reflection. There are significant pastoral lessons about how to proceed with the “difficult” cases here. Some believers do live “like mere men,” not because it is commendable or acceptable, but because they turn away from God for a time (1 Cor. 3:1–3). Such cases need to be challenged, but we must be careful not to ignore what Jesus warns in this sermon about judging as we seek to address someone in such a condition.

(3) Scripture does seem clear that regenerated people do bear some sort of fruit. Total absence of fruit, particularly love, does raise the question about the presence of regeneration and faith (Rom. 8:1–16; James 2:14–26; 1 John 3:1–9). We are not here confusing salvation by faith with salvation by works. We are not saying that works save. Salvation is by faith through grace, but that grace bestows a changed heart that accepts God as Father and responds at least to some degree to his presence. If the seed of new faith is present, it will sprout, though to varying degrees in different people. Jesus is instructing his followers to grow in him, to listen to him. Those who do will not have to worry about looking for fruit; they will be producing it by his grace.