Our scripture this morning is Luke 6:28-31 (NLT).
“Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
This passage from the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49) contains many of the same teachings as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The instruction to “bless those who curse you” and “pray for those who hurt you” are especially difficult for us. It is perhaps the hardest example for us to follow, but it is essential for Christians.
Personal dignity and possessions are not as important as our relationship with God and each other. Jesus shows us this with the directive to “turn the other cheek” and “give to anyone who asks.” While this doesn’t mean we must remain in abusive situations, it does mean we are not to hate because of it or consider things more important than our brothers and sisters.
Verse 31, sometimes called The Golden Rule, is a restatement of “love your neighbor as yourself”, calling us to consider the needs and feelings of others. “Us and them” must become just “us” in God’s kingdom. We are all the same in His eyes, and we need to see each other as He does.
Loving Lord, help us to be true brothers and sisters to all Your children, loving one another as You first loved us. Bless us to go in Your name to bring the joy of Your love to the world. Amen.
