The Upside-Down Kingdom
How can we possibly love the people who actively want to destroy us?
Luke 6:12-36
Read the whole passage before anything else. Everything below exists to help you understand what you just read.
12In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.
13When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:
14Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew;
15Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon who was called the Zealot;
16Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor.
17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,
18as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and they were being healed.
19All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.
20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for God’s Kingdom is yours.
21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.
23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.
24“But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation.
25Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.
27“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
29To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.
30Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.
31“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.
32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much.
35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
36“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
What just happened?
Picture this: Jesus had been on the move, teaching and healing across Galilee, building a reputation that drew crowds from all corners. His ministry was exploding, creating an urgent need for more hands to help. So, in what felt like a pivotal moment, Jesus retreated. He didn't go to a temple or a busy marketplace. Instead, he climbed a mountain, a place often associated with significant encounters with God in ancient texts, and there, under the vast Galilean sky, he spent the entire night in prayer. This wasn't a quick devotional; it was an all-night conversation, a deep communion before making one of the most critical decisions of his earthly life.
As dawn broke, with the sun just beginning to warm the mountain air, Jesus called a smaller group of his followers to him. From this larger pool of disciples, he hand-picked twelve men. Luke tells us he also "named them apostles" – a Greek word meaning "one who is sent out." This was more than just assigning roles; it was an official commissioning. Among them were fishermen like Peter and Andrew, tax collectors like Matthew, and even a zealot, Simon, who belonged to a fiercely nationalistic group opposed to Roman rule. This collection of men was a volatile mix of personalities and political leanings, united only by their response to Jesus's call.
After this profound night and morning, Jesus descended the mountain. He didn't go back to a quiet village but met a sprawling crowd waiting on a "level place." This wasn't a private meeting; it was a public spectacle. People had traveled from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and even coastal cities like Tyre and Sidon – places far from Jesus's usual stomping grounds. They came with desperation: to hear his words, to be healed of every imaginable disease, and to be freed from oppressive spirits. The air must have crackled with anticipation as Jesus, having just chosen his inner circle, prepared to address both his closest followers and the surging multitude with some of his most challenging teachings.
The Mountain, The Twelve, The Multitude
Luke opens this section by showing us Jesus's deep commitment to prayer. Before commissioning the twelve apostles, Jesus spends "all night in prayer to God." This isn't just a detail about his spiritual discipline; it's a window into the weight of the decision he was about to make. Choosing these twelve men, who would become the foundational witnesses of his work and the early leaders of his movement, was not done lightly or casually. It was a choice born out of sustained, earnest seeking of God's guidance.
The list of apostles is striking in its diversity. Among them is Simon, later called Peter, a fisherman known for his impulsiveness, and Matthew, a tax collector, a profession widely despised as traitors and extortionists by their own people. Then there's Simon the Zealot, a member of a revolutionary group that actively sought to overthrow Roman rule, often through violence. To have these men, whose worldviews and methods were diametrically opposed, called to the same mission, side-by-side, underscores the unexpected nature of Jesus's kingdom. It’s a group that, left to themselves, might have struggled to even share a meal, yet Jesus brings them together for a common, world-changing purpose.
After this selection, Jesus descends to a "level place" where a massive crowd has gathered. Luke emphasizes the breadth of this gathering: people from "all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon." This detail is significant because it shows Jesus's reach extended beyond the traditional Jewish heartlands, even to Gentile territories. The people aren't just curious; they are seeking "to hear him and to be healed." Luke notes that "power came out of him and healed them all," emphasizing not just the extent of his miraculous ability but also the compassion that drove it. He wasn't just performing tricks; he was meeting profound human need.
The Blessings and the Warnings
Jesus then turns his attention to his disciples and delivers what is often called the "Sermon on the Plain," a parallel to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. He begins with a series of "blessings" (from the Greek, *makarioi*, meaning 'fortunate' or 'favored by God'). These blessings are revolutionary. He says, "Blessed are you who are poor, for God's Kingdom is yours." This overturns conventional wisdom. Riches and comfort were often seen as signs of God's favor. Jesus flips this, suggesting that those on the margins, those who hunger, weep, and are hated for his sake, are actually in a privileged position in God's eyes. Their current suffering or lack is not a sign of divine displeasure but a precursor to future fulfillment and reward in God's kingdom.
Immediately following these blessings, Jesus issues a series of "woes" (from the Greek, *ouai*, an exclamation of grief or distress). These are not curses, but somber warnings. "Woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation." He's not condemning wealth itself, but the misplaced reliance on it. If your comfort, satisfaction, and good standing are found *only* in this life, you've already received your full reward; there will be nothing left in God's kingdom. This isn't about shaming the wealthy but challenging their ultimate security and priorities. If earthly success is the sole measure of happiness, then true, lasting joy remains out of reach.
The warnings extend to those who are "full now," who "laugh now," and "when men speak well of you." Again, these aren't condemnations of being satisfied or well-regarded. The issue is when these become the ultimate pursuit, replacing a pursuit of God's kingdom. The *woes* are a stark contrast to the *blessings*, serving as a sobering counterpoint. They underscore the radical nature of Jesus's kingdom, where conventional earthly values are inverted. The path to true blessing often looks like hardship and rejection in the world's eyes, while seeking comfort and popularity can lead to a profound spiritual deficit.
Love Your Enemies
Then Jesus gets to the core of his teaching on human relationships, starting with a direct command: "But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." This is perhaps one of the most challenging and counter-intuitive commands in all of scripture. It wasn't just a suggestion; it was an instruction to actively show love, bless, and pray for people who are actively hostile. He pushes this further with striking examples: if someone strikes you, offer the other cheek; if they take your outer garment, offer your inner one too. These are not calls for passive submission to abuse, but radical acts of defiance against the cycle of retaliation, designed to disrupt the pattern of violence and shame the aggressor, exposing their injustice.
Jesus continues, urging generosity: "Give to everyone who asks you, and don't ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again." This is not a blanket endorsement of foolish giving, but a challenge to the deeply ingrained human instinct to hoard and protect possessions. It's about cultivating an open-handed posture, trusting in God's provision rather than clinging tightly to what we have. He then provides the Golden Rule, "As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them," which is a widely recognized ethical principle, but he immediately elevates it beyond mere reciprocity.
He clarifies that loving those who love you, doing good to those who do good to you, and lending to those who will pay you back, are not acts of exceptional virtue. "For even sinners love those who love them." The truly distinctive mark of his followers, the "children of the Most High," is to "love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back." This is the measure of divine mercy and kindness, mirroring God's own character, who "is kind toward the unthankful and evil." The command is to be merciful, just as God is merciful, extending kindness not just to the deserving, but universally.
What are we supposed to see?
Jesus demonstrates a deep, unhurried reliance on God the Father. Before selecting his core team, the apostles, he spends an entire night in prayer. This isn't a casual devotion; it's an intense, prolonged seeking of divine wisdom for a critical decision. His actions reveal that even as the Son of God, he operates in constant, intimate communion with his Father, modeling a profound dependence and trust that underpins his entire mission.
He shows an unwavering commitment to radical inclusion and overturning conventional status. Jesus chooses apostles from wildly different backgrounds, including political enemies, and then immediately descends to minister to a diverse crowd, healing everyone who comes to him. His teachings on blessings and woes then deliberately dismantle the world's metrics of success and failure, demonstrating that his kingdom operates on a completely different set of values, prioritizing the marginalized and challenging the self-satisfied.
- 1WHAT HE VALUES
He values deep, personal reliance on God the Father, demonstrated by his all-night prayer before choosing the apostles.
- 2WHAT HE VALUES
He values radical generosity and mercy, even towards those who are hostile or undeserving, mirroring God's own character.
- 3WHAT HE CONFRONTS
He confronts the human tendency to seek comfort, popularity, and material wealth as ultimate goals, warning that these can distract from true spiritual fulfillment.
Where this sits in the whole Bible
Luke 6:20 → Matthew 5:3
Luke's 'Blessed are you who are poor' is echoed in Matthew's 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.' While Luke emphasizes material poverty, Matthew broadens it to spiritual humility. Both point to God's kingdom being for those who recognize their need.
Luke 6:27-28 → Romans 12:14
Jesus's command to 'bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you' is reiterated by Paul, who instructs believers to 'Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.' Both passages emphasize actively pursuing good towards adversaries, reflecting a core ethic of Jesus's teachings.
Luke 6:35 → Psalm 145:8-9
Jesus says God 'is kind toward the unthankful and evil,' connecting to the Old Testament description of God as 'gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in loving kindness... The Lord is good to all; he has mercies over all his works.' Both affirm God's expansive, unconditional goodness.
Jesus's command to love enemies isn't just about controlling your temper; it's an active, disruptive strategy to break cycles of hostility and reflect God's own boundless mercy to a world steeped in retaliation.
Don't rush past this
The hardest thing in this passage is the absolute, uncompromising demand to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you." Jesus provides no qualifiers, no exceptions for particularly heinous acts, or for people who seem beyond redemption. He pushes it further, telling us to offer the other cheek if struck and to give up our coat if our cloak is taken. This isn't just about having good intentions; it's about actively pursuing the well-being of people who wish us harm, even at personal cost, which runs counter to every human instinct for self-preservation and justice.
It's uncomfortable because it forces us to confront our deeply ingrained desire for fairness and retribution. We want to see wrongdoers punished, or at least held accountable, not prayed for. This teaching doesn't offer a path for easy forgiveness or forgetting; it demands a radical, almost impossible, transformation of our natural response to hostility. It requires a humility that feels like weakness and a generosity that seems foolish, making it incredibly challenging to embody in real-world relationships and conflicts.
Turn it inward
Three questions from this passage. Answer them or just sit with them — nothing here is required to finish the lesson.
Father, we confess that your kingdom values often feel upside-down to us. Our natural instinct is to protect ourselves, to retaliate, and to seek our own comfort. Help us to see others through your eyes, even those who cause us pain. Give us the courage to be merciful, generous, and loving, even when it feels impossible. Transform our hearts to reflect your kindness to the unthankful and evil, so we might truly be called your children.
This week, identify one person who has caused you irritation or minor hurt, someone you'd normally just avoid or quietly complain about. Instead, actively do something good for them—a small act of kindness, a genuine compliment, or a moment of prayer for their well-being, expecting absolutely nothing in return.
History, language, objections and sources. None of it is needed to understand the passage.
Is Jesus really telling us to be doormats and let people abuse us, or that we shouldn't seek justice for wrongs?
When Jesus says to 'offer also the other' cheek or 'don't withhold your coat also,' he isn't advocating for passive acceptance of violence or injustice. In ancient culture, a backhand slap (hitting the 'other cheek') was a profound insult, not usually an act of serious physical violence. Offering the other cheek wasn't passive; it forced the aggressor to either strike with a fist (an act of equal-to-equal violence, thus acknowledging the victim's dignity) or stop. Similarly, giving up more than demanded in a legal dispute (like the cloak and coat) would shame the oppressor and highlight the injustice. These are acts of moral defiance that expose the aggressor's sin and refuse to participate in the cycle of retaliation, rather than simple surrender. While the passage stresses mercy and generosity, it doesn't explicitly negate the concept of justice. The focus is on *individual* response to insult and loss, rather than a blueprint for an entire legal system. The text doesn't explicitly address institutional justice, leaving space for interpreting these commands as personal ethic rather than societal directive, but it is a debated point.
Why does Jesus say 'woe to you who are rich' and 'full now'? Is wealth inherently evil, and does he want us all to be poor and miserable?
Jesus's 'woes' are not condemnations of wealth or comfort in themselves, but rather strong warnings against placing ultimate trust and identity in them. The Greek word *ouai* (woe) often expresses grief or pity, not necessarily condemnation. The issue isn't possessing wealth, but relying on it as one's primary source of security and happiness, to the neglect of God and others. For those who are 'rich' and 'full now,' the danger is that they have 'received their consolation'—their complete reward is found in this life, leaving them spiritually bankrupt in the life to come. Jesus isn't promoting poverty for its own sake or advocating misery; he's highlighting the spiritual dangers that often accompany comfort and abundance, and the profound blessing that awaits those who look beyond earthly fulfillment for their ultimate hope.
How can God be 'kind toward the unthankful and evil' if He also punishes sin? Doesn't that contradict itself?
This is a common tension when considering God's attributes. The statement 'he is kind toward the unthankful and evil' refers to God's general, sustaining grace and common blessings that extend to all humanity, regardless of their moral standing. This includes sunlight, rain, life itself, and opportunities for repentance. This kindness is not an endorsement of evil or a dismissal of justice, but an expression of God's patient love, holding back immediate judgment and extending an invitation to relationship. It's a facet of God's character alongside his justice. The Bible often portrays God as both perfectly just and perfectly merciful, and these are not seen as contradictory within the biblical narrative but as complementary aspects of his being. How these attributes fully reconcile is a matter of theological depth, but the text here emphasizes his expansive kindness as a model for human behavior.
The 'Level Place' vs. the 'Mountain'
While Matthew's 'Sermon on the Mount' (Matthew 5-7) is a much longer and more detailed account, Luke places a similar teaching on a 'level place' (Luke 6:17). Scholars have debated whether these are two distinct sermons or two different accounts of the same event. Some scholars, like Joachim Jeremias, suggest that Jesus likely taught similar core messages repeatedly in various locations, tailoring them to his audience. The 'level place' in Luke implies a setting accessible to a large, diverse crowd, including the poor and sick, contrasting with the more private, elevated setting sometimes associated with rabbinic teaching. This distinction highlights Luke's emphasis on Jesus's accessibility and his message's direct relevance to the common person.