Really...

I am a big fan of the gospel of Luke. As we move into the next ministry year at evergreen we are going to being going to this gospel as part of our year long series, "A Year with Jesus".  That diving into Luke makes me pumped up for the coming year...but for now just a taste of some of the outlandish ideas of Luke.

Luke is written from a certain perspective which lifts up those who are often called the least, the last, and the lost. In that context the community of Jesus is called on to not only reach out to the least and the last and the lost, but to recognize that it is to be a community made up of such folks.  But not only is the community to be made up of such folks, it is to live in a way that keeps it open to people that others -- even others that the least, the last, and the lost might not want showing up. 

There are a number of places this shows up in Luke, but one of the most powerful is in Luke 6 -- The Sermon on the Plain. Here is what Jesus says, ““But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:27–36 ESV)

Here is a short list of the first part of that passage:

• do good to haters (your enemies)
• bless those who curse you
• pray for those who abuse
• strikes one side, offer other
• cloak plus your tunic
• give it way to one who begs
• goods taken, don't get them back
• wish from others, so do to them

How do you bring in people you don't want there...do the above. But the reality is, which of us is up to such a style of life? Luke calls us out and leaves us breathless with the extent of the call. Luke calls us out and our reality is that we can't imagine living this gospel. Luke calls us out and we come to see the only way to live the gospel is to see that God took the first steps by doing good to haters i.e. to us. Paul writes in Romans using the same word for enemies as Jesus does, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6–10 ESV) 

But even with this we wonder, "Who is up to this call?"and "What would the community of faith look like and how would it shape the world if it lived the words of Jesus' call?"