“Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love”
Part 4 in “Sermon On The Mount” series
July 22 2007
As most of you know, Sally and I don’t have children, but, those of you who know us know how much we enjoy being around children. We enjoy the times we can be around children – and truly appreciate those of you who “share your children with us.”
We enjoyed being around the kids at the July 4th cookout – and loved being around the kids at Vacation Bible School.
After Monday night of Vacation Bible School – when I won the watermelon eating contest and got soaked in the water balloon fight that turned into a hose fight – some of you may have wondered if, indeed, Sally did, in fact, have a big kid in her house – namely — me!
And I loved being with the kids last night at the Red Wolves Faith and Family Night baseball game. Sally hated to miss it – probably because she hated missing an opportunity to be with y’all more than she hated missing the baseball game.
Yea – Sally and I love being around children.
I particularly enjoy watching other’s children grow and develop. It amazes me when I watch parents teach their children how to do certain tasks – like how to walk. The children and the parents are usually very proud of the accomplishment!
The past few months I’ve been watching Marion, Cindy, Amanda and Rachel as they have been teaching Mason how to walk. They have all been extremely proud of his accomplishments!
As I have watched Mason learn to walk, I have thought about how we all need to learn to walk. Maybe we don’t need to learn to walk like Mason is learning – most of us know how to physically walk – but we need to learn how to walk spiritually – how to walk in God’s ways – how to walk as God wants us to walk.
The truth is that – just as parents teach their children to walk – Jesus can teach us how to walk in His ways. Just as a parent holds the hand of a child and smiles proudly as the child learns to walk – Jesus can take us by the hand and teach us how to walk in His ways – and smiles as we do His will. Like children learning to physically walk we aren’t going to walk in Jesus’ ways perfectly – we’ll stumble and fall – but just as a parent will pick up a child and help the child try again – Jesus picks us up and helps us try again to walk in His ways.
Jesus has taught us how to walk in His ways.
We need to look at His words – His teachings – so we can walk as He taught us how to walk.
We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.
We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.
This summer we’re looking at one of the places where Jesus taught us how to walk in His ways. We’re looking at what is called The Sermon On The Mount – Matthew chapters 5-7. As we look at these chapters we’ll see how Jesus taught us to walk – so we can learn how to
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught – that’s our theme for the summer.
We’ve already seen how the Sermon On The Mount is an important piece of scripture. It’s the longest segment of scripture with just the teachings of Jesus – and it’s a piece of scripture where Jesus gives the guidelines for how His followers should live. Matthew places it at an important point in Jesus’ ministry. As Matthew records the story of Jesus, Jesus has been born – raised in Nazareth – has been baptized by John – has been tempted by Satan in the wilderness – and has now begun His ministry of teaching and healing. He has begun to attract crowds of people — and has even called some to be disciples.
But – the crowds – and especially the disciples – must have wondered how they were supposed to live – how they were supposed to act – what they were supposed to do. The disciples had given up their old lifestyles to follow Jesus – and they were probably wondering how they were supposed to live now that they were following Jesus.
Well – they were about to find out.
As Jesus climbed that mountainside – He began to teach His disciples how He wanted them to live.
And the disciples began their attempt to walk like Jesus taught.
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Walk Like Jesus Taught
Six weeks ago we looked at the first 12 verses of Matthew 5 – what we call The Beattitudes – and saw how the first step to walking like Jesus taught is walking in God’s blessings by surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.
That’s the first step.
Four weeks ago we looked at Matthew 5: 13-16 – and saw how we can be the light of Christ in the world as we live like Jesus lived – or – as I put it — walk like Jesus walked.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk Like Jesus
These are the first 2 steeps we must take.
Two weeks ago we looked at Matthew 5:17-32 – and saw how the third step ion walking like Jesus taught is walking in righteousness.
So – the first 3 steps to walking like Jesus taught are:
Walk in God’s blessing
Walk like Jesus
Walk in righteousness
Today – we’re going to take the fourth step as we look at Matthew 5:33-43 – and see that – if we are going to walk like Jesus taught – we are going to have to walk in love.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love!
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love!
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s Blessings
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk Like Jesus
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Righteousness
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
It could be said there are few passages of Scripture that summarize Christian ethics more succinctly than today’s passage. It could be said, however, that few passages are more misunderstood. There are several recognizable phrases in this passage: “Turn the other cheek”; “Go the second mile”; “Love your enemies.” There may be people who have never set foot inside a church but are familiar with these sayings. But the questions for us are: What do these phrases mean — and how do they apply to our lives today—almost 2000 years after they were spoken? Though Jesus is referring to laws and customs that were specific to His culture, His words do apply to where we live today in the 21st century, because the desire that prompted these words — the desire for revenge – is as much an issue for us today as it was for those living in the first century.
When someone does you wrong, when someone takes advantage of you or bullies you, more times than not your first reaction is to do everything you can to get even.
But Jesus teaches us to love – not to seek revenge.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Let’s tale a closer look at the statements Jesus made. These statements, I’m afraid, are sometimes misinterpreted. Taking a closer look at them might help put these words in their proper perspective.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
First of all, Jesus said…
(v. 39) “Do not resist an evil person.”
Does this mean that we should become completely passive and let others walk all over us? Does it mean that we should do nothing to protect our lives or the lives of our children? Does it mean that we should never stand up for our rights? Of course not. When Jesus drove the money-changers out of the temple he wasn’t being passive. When Paul demanded his rights as a Roman citizen after being without trial in Acts 16, he wasn’t being passive. And when Jesus and Paul encouraged believers to confront those who sin in order to help them to find forgiveness, they weren’t encouraging us to be passive either.
The word translated “resist” here in verse 39 is antistanai – which is better translated — retaliate. Jesus is talking about revenge, not self-preservation. Jesus isn’t telling us to be weak and passive; he’s telling us not to be vindictive. He’s telling us to not be vindictive, but to be loving.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Another statement that can be misinterpreted is…
(v. 42) Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Does this mean that a Christian banker should never refuse a loan application, no matter how bad a person’s credit report looks? Does this mean you have to loan money to someone again and again, even if you know they won’t make an effort to pay it back? Or that every time you’re approached by a panhandler on the street that you have to give them your money? I don’t think so. This commandment doesn’t relieve us of our obligation to manage our resources responsibly. It’s our responsibility to practice generosity, but it’s also our responsibility to practice discernment. We are to walk in love – but use our resources in a way that God’s love can be shown to the most number of people.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Well – what about where Jesus said…
(v. 48) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.
This sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But – I don’t think it really is. I find it hard to believe that Jesus would ever command us to do something that we aren’t capable of doing. Jesus didn’t command us to be all powerful, or to be all knowing—these things are beyond our grasp. But he did tell us to be perfect, as our heavenly father is perfect. Let’s look again at the Greek here. Maybe this will help us. The Greek word for perfect is teleios. It means to reach an intended end or completion. In other places in the Bible, it is translated mature. In other words, a person is teleios if he or she fulfills the purpose for which they were created. In the context of this passage, Jesus is saying you can be perfect…you can fulfill your purpose in life…you can demonstrate your maturity, by loving your enemies. We are never more like God than when we love those who don’t love us. Paul said in Romans 5:8:
But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
And in 1 John we read:
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
It isn’t an impossible sinless perfection Jesus is referring to. What Jesus is referring to here is being perfect in love—loving your enemies. He’s talking about walking in – and living in – love.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Well – practically specking – how can we do this?
Here are four things we can do to show walk live Jesus taught – to walk in love. First of all…
1. Don’t respond to insults.
Jesus said…
(v. 39) If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Jesus is talking about more than physical violence, because he specifies the “right cheek”. Think about it. Most people are right handed. How would a person using their dominant right hand hit you on the right cheek? Most likely with the back of their hand. According to Rabbinic Law, hitting a man with the back of your hand was twice as insulting as hitting a man with the palm of your hand. Jesus said that when that happens, don’t return the insult, don’t retaliate. Jesus’ point is not that we should let people physically abuse us, His point is that we should refrain from trying to get even when someone insults us. For most of us – in fact I’m going to go out on a limb and say that for almost all of us – our response to being insulted is to want to “jab” the person who insulted us – either physically or with a well placed put – down. With the exception of a couple playground disagreements in elementary school, I have never been hit on the face by another person. But I have been insulted more times than I care to remember. And more times than I care to admit, I have gone out of my way to return the insult. But Jesus says to walk in love – to be loving – and to not respond to insults.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Did you ever watch the TV show Seinfeld? If so, your probably remember the George. In one episode George was insulted by a co-worker during an office meeting. He brooded about this and vowed to get even. A few days later, he thought up the ideal comeback for the insult, and started making plans to ambush his co-worker in another meeting and spring the insult on him. But then the co-worker resigned his job and started working for a company in Ohio. Not satisfied, George developed an elaborate plan and flew to Ohio, orchestrated a meeting with the company’s brass, and set the stage to get even with his former co-worker. Needless to say, his plan didn’t work. When George seized the opportunity to deliver his insult, his former co-worker came back with an even snappier insult, and once again, everyone laughed at George.
It’s funny when we see George on Seinfeld do it, but how many times have you fumed and fretted over an insult—playing and replaying it in your mind — thinking about what you should have said … the snappy comeback you wish you had thought of on the spot. But it never does any good, does it? It never makes you feel better. It never resolves the problem. It never takes away the hurt. In fact, the longer you hold on to the idea of retaliation, the more the insult hurts.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Don’t respond to insults.
Do you remember a couple of years ago when Tiger Woods won the Master’s Tournament – and Fuzzy Zoeller responded with some mean, racist remarks—remarks he intended to be funny, but were actually mean-spirited? Well, Fuzzy received a great deal of well-deserved criticism for his comments, but Tiger Woods’ response was, “We all make mistakes and it’s time to move on.” Surely, Tiger could have returned the insult—the media would have loved it—but he refused to retaliate. Instead, he said, “Let’s move on.”
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
When you’re insulted, you can waste your energy thinking of ways to get even, or you can choose the alternative to revenge—you can be loving instead. You can be like your heavenly father. You can love your enemies.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
First – try not to respond to insults.
2. Do more than is required of you to make things right.
Jesus said…
(v. 40) If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
In those days a man typically wore an inner garment, a tunic, which was similar to a shirt, and an outer garment, a cloak, which was similar to a coat. A man would probably own more than one tunic, but only one cloak. Also, a man’s cloak was used as a blanket when he slept. Therefore, in a legal dispute, a creditor could sue a man for his tunic, but not his cloak. This was an Old Testament law.
If you take your neighbor’s coat as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? (Exodus 22:26-27)
The only way your cloak could be taken would be if you promised it as a surety for a loan – and the loan was not paid back.
So—what Jesus is saying is something like: “If you have a debt that you haven’t paid, and get sued as a result, do more than is legally required of you to make the debt right.” Ideally, a suit would never be necessary. A man would pledge his tunic as a security on a debt, and then pay the debt when it came due, and the lien on his tunic would be released. But Jesus says, “If you mess up that process and someone has to sue to get what they have coming to them, then you go out of your way to make it right—do more than is required of you.” In order to do this, you have to be willing to admit that you are wrong, and you have to be willing to make restitution.
This was the spirit Zacchaeus showed when he became a devoted follower of Christ. He said to Jesus…
“If I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8)
We need to follow Zacchaeus’ example. When we offend someone…when we find ourselves to be in the wrong…we need to do more than is required to make things right. This disarms your enemies. I read of a man in the software business who borrowed $90,000 from three individuals in 1986 to fund his new company. They expected to get their money back within a year, but the business didn’t take off like they thought it would, and they lost their money. In 1992 the investors sued this man, and won a judgment against him. He didn’t have the money to pay them back, so their lawsuit was futile—until 1994 when he sold his company. According to the terms of the judgment, he had to pay each investor about $40,000. But this man had made a lot of money when he sold his company, so each investor received a check for more than $80,000.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Do more than is required of you to make things right.
Think of those who may have something against you. It may not be about money; it may be about something you said, or something you did. Maybe you took credit for something at work that you didn’t deserve to take credit for. Maybe you imposed on someone’s time and took advantage of their kindness. Maybe you spread gossip about someone and tried to ruin their reputation. If you have wronged anyone, Jesus is challenging you to make full restitution, and then some. Do more than is required of you. This is a humbling experience. It’s much easier to love someone who has wronged you than it is to humble yourself before someone you have wronged—especially if you know that they don’t like you! It’s not easy, but it’s holy. In doing so, you perfect yourself. You become like your heavenly father.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Try not to respond to insults.
Do more than is required of you to make things right.
3. Be kind to those who mistreat you.
Jesus said,
(v. 41) If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Everyone is familiar with the phrase “Go the second mile.” When Jesus spoke these words he was referring to a common custom in Roman occupied lands. Roman law gave a soldier a right to force a civilian to carry his pack for one mile. Needless to say, this caused great inconvenience to civilians – and – anger. Imagine being late for a business meeting, and suddenly being stopped on the street and forced to drop everything in order to carry a soldier’s pack for one mile. This would be an inconvenience – and probably cause to hate the Roman soldier. You might even want to argue about how far “your mile” actually is, and be tempted to drop the pack before you actually reach a mile. But Jesus told His followers, “When that happens, instead of just walking one mile, walk two.”
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
There’s no greater way to show God’s love than to be kind to someone who hasn’t treated you with kindness. If you have a job, I can guarantee that at sometime you will have an opportunity to put this principle into practice. Your boss may try to bully you, or sabotage your success, or take the credit for work you’ve done, and you may be tempted to try to get by doing the bare minimum. I have seen many employees who are so resentful of their employers that have gone to great lengths to calculate the very least they have to do in order to prevent getting fired—and that is all they do. At times it may seem to you that your is a bully, the company you work for oppressive and insensitive, and it may seem that they exist only to oppress you. Well, that’s probably not the case, but it may seem that way. Jesus says you should go the extra mile. Jesus says to go out of your way to treat them with kindness. Jesus says that tf they demand an extra hour, try giving them two. But there’s a trick to it. You need to do it cheerfully and enthusiastically.
Will your boss notice? Maybe. Then again — maybe not. When you treat someone who mistreats you with kindness, it may not change them, but it will change you. It will make you perfect. It will make you like your heavenly father. It will make you loving.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Try not to respond to insults.
Do more than is required of you to make things right.
Be kind to those who mistreat you.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
A fourth way we show love to our enemies is…
4. Don’t show favorites.
Jesus said,
(v. 42) Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
It’s interesting that Jesus included this verse along with the verses that talk about how we should treat our enemies. I believe He did it because this is the context in which we need to hear it. Most of us are more than willing to give something to our friends, or to loan something to someone we like. But that’s not enough. Jesus is saying, “Don’t be generous only with your friends, but help everyone you can.” Mark McCormick, the author of What They Don’t Teach You In Harvard Business School, once said,
“All things being equal, people buy from friends. All things being unequal, people still buy from friends. Therefore, make friends!”
That’s the way it works in the business world most of the time, but Jesus is challenging his followers to go beyond that attitude—to be generous with the people we like as well as the people we don’t like. This principle applies to much more than our money; it applies to how we treat people in every area of life. You may find, some time, that you have the opportunity to help someone who isn’t part of the group you usually are friends with. Help them anyway. You may have the chance to help someone who has been unfriendly to you in the past. Help them anyway. Don’t withhold your generosity from those who need it. Help them when you can. Remember: Jesus isn’t commanding us to be irresponsible with our resources, but He is commanding us not to be stingy. He is commanding us to not hold back when it is within our power to help.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
A pastor once told me that their policy was to give as much help as they could afford to people who came to their church needing food or money. Then, they signed them up to be part of a home cell group, and encouraged them to become fully committed followers of Jesus. The pastor said, “There are some in our church who would prefer it if we would just give poor people money and send them on their way, but that wouldn’t be the loving response. We try to help them become involved with our fellowship. It’s a lot more work, but it’s what God wants us to do.” Jesus is telling us to be generous even to those who may not fully appreciate our generosity. In doing so, we become perfect; we become like our heavenly father.
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Try not to respond to insults.
Do more than is required of you to make things right.
Be kind to those who mistreat you.
Don’t show favorites.
Jesus summarized this teaching by saying,
(v. 43-44) “You have that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
The phrase “sons of your father” is an idiom; it means “that you may be like your father in heaven”. We are never more like our father than when we love those who don’t love us…when we refuse to retaliate, even if the other person is wrong…when we seek to make restitution for our own wrongs…when we respond to mistreatment with kindness…when we extend our generosity to all who need it…that’s how we show his love. That’s how we become perfect, like our heavenly father is perfect.
That’s how we:
Walk Like Jesus Taught
That’s how we walk in love.
So – walking like Jesus taught means walking in God’s blessings.
Walking like Jesus taught means walking – or living — like Jesus.
Walking like Jesus taught means walking in righteousness.
Walking like Jesus taught means walking in love.
4 steps for us to take to walk like Jesus taught – and we are just finishing a third of the Sermon On The Mount. Chapters 6 and 7 contain other steps for us to take.
But – for this week – let’s try to:
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love
Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Love Amen.
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