The Kingdom Ethic Revisited (Luke 6:17-49)

Several weeks ago we pondered the idea of the kingdom ethic as described in the preaching and ministry of John the Baptist (Luke 3:10-14). It was a fairly radical look at life. It called for a drastically reoriented disposition to possessions, giving away all but the essentials for the sake of those without, living honestly for the sake of others and turning away from greed.

Now Jesus, after selecting those who would succeed him in the leadership of the restored people of God, joins John by defining and establishing his own moral standards, his own version of the ethics of the kingdom of God (6:17-49). This sermon is not just a comforting spiritual piece. The sermon set the trajectory for Jesus’ life and ministry. His life is the first exegesis of his own sermon. He brings good news, healing, and wholeness to sinners, to the poor, to the marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed. He returns violence with nonviolence. He is quick to forgive. Jesus’ life is lived in harmony with the Spirit of God that he received in the wake of his baptism (3:21-22). He produced the good fruit that nurtured those seeking the inbreaking Kingdom of God.

No, the sermon is not just a comforting spiritual piece. As the Sermon on the Plain established the ethic of Jesus’ life and ministry, so should it serve as the ethic of all who participate in the Kingdom of God. Jesus words speak loudly to us. They call us to exegete this sermon with our own lives, to follow the pattern set forth by Jesus, our Lord and Savior. They demand a radical reorientation of life. They challenge our values. They critique things that are out of order. They remind us that God is the Mighty Rearranger who reverses our expectations, situations, and priorities. They call us to a radical commitment to non-violence in a violent world. They call us, those who are rich, who are well fed, and who laugh, to rethink our commitments and concerns. They call us to a radical reorientation of all that we are and all that we do, not for ourselves and our own happiness and security, but for the sake of the kingdom of God and his people.

We live in a noisy and boisterous world. Endless distracted make it hard for us to hear. We are diverted by goods and possessions, by social norms and human expectations, by political and economic propaganda, by crashing towers and mass transit explosions. All of these things work their ways through the narrow passageway of our ears, competing for our allegiance. But amid the distractions will we “hear [his] words, and act on them” (6:47)? Let us have ears to hear. Let us build our lives upon rock. Let us live out the kingdom ethic. Let us live as Jesus.