"Merciful" 10-2-22

Overview

Salty Living, Even Toward "Those People"

We all have a category of "those people"—the ones whose comeuppance gives us a quiet thrill. But Jesus refuses to let us decide where our salt-and-light living begins and ends. In Luke 6:32-34, He presses the question: if you only love those who love you, what credit is that? Even sinners do that much. Loving the lovable is not yet Christian love. The mark of a disciple is mercy that reaches across the line we want to draw.

Notice where Jesus delivers this teaching. Luke 6:17 tells us He came down and stood on a "level place." In Scripture, the level place often signals devastation and misery—as in Joel 1:10-12, where fields lie ruined and the ground mourns. Jesus speaks His hardest words—Luke 6:27-31: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you—right into the fractured places of human life. These words travel across time by the Holy Spirit and land on us. They sound impossible until we recognize them for what they are: the shape of salty living.

The command climaxes in Luke 6:35-36: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful," for He is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked. That is the truth we cannot dodge—we are the ungrateful and the wicked. The popular question "What would Jesus do?" is a fine sentiment, but honestly, none of us would do what Jesus did. He came into our level place. As 1 Peter 2:24 declares, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." And Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us that God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses.

So the better question is not what would Jesus do but what has Jesus done—and what is He still doing in us? In Baptism, He reaches into our level place, washes us clean, claims us as His own, and fills us with His Spirit. Mercy is not a feeling we wait for; it is action—loving, blessing, lending, giving, forgiving—because mercy is not based on whether the other person deserves it. None of us did. As we are shaped daily into Christ's image, the salt of God's mercy flows out through our words and lives, and by His grace "those people" become His people. People can be the worst—and yet God has had mercy on people. Praise His merciful and glorious name.

Transcript

If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, the sixth chapter, if you're 2s

using a Pue edition of the Bible, that's on page 56 in the New Testament, we're in Luke 8s

the sixth chapter. 15s

People are the worst. 21s

And you know who I'm talking about, you know those people, those people that we delight 26s

when we see them getting what they deserve, those people when we have such satisfaction, 36s

when they are put in their place, they get their come-up-ents, those people. 44s

I have been thoroughly enjoying this sermon series that we are salt and light. 57s

And one of my favorite word phrasing that has come out of one of Pastor Eibel's sermons 64s

is that we are salty living, or we are engaging in salty living. 70s

I love that image, that thought of salty living. 76s

It's that flavored living, that purifying living, that preserving living, and it's so beautiful. 81s

And we love to live salty living. 90s

Until it comes to those people. 96s

Then the salty living we would prefer is the salty that steams, the salty that makes those 102s

people's mouths pucker because of the extreme saltiness. 113s

It's a very, very different salty living than what we are called to live with the enemy, 118s

with those people. 129s

We like to decide what our salty living looks like. 132s

But Jesus doesn't let us get away with that. 137s

Jesus does not let us get away with choosing how our salty living is done, or who we are salty 140s

with or salty with. 148s

He doesn't let us get away with that. 151s

If you go to our verses for today, beginning in verse 32 of chapter 6, the Gospel of Luke, 152s

Jesus said, if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? 159s

For even sinners, even those people love those who love them. 164s

If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? 171s

For even sinners, even those people do the same. 177s

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? 183s

Even sinners, even those people lend to sinners to receive as much again. 189s

Even sinners, even those people have people that they love. 201s

And Jesus says that being salty to those that we want to be salty with, that's not enough. 211s

That's just not enough. 221s

And just as he so often does, when we have an idea, when we know exactly what this salty 224s

living should look like, Jesus comes in and he takes our ideas and he flips them, 231s

completely upside down on their head. 236s

salty living, salty living, bringing flavor to life into the lives around us, those that we love. 242s

And even those that were really indifferent about, this includes the strangers that we meet 254s

on the street or in the grocery store, they haven't done anything too wrong as we don't 259s

really care about them either way, one way or another. 264s

And so we'll be salty to them, we'll be kind to them. 268s

But that's not enough. 273s

That is not what we as a Christian people are called to. 276s

We are salt and light. 283s

We are salt and light. 288s

Even to those people. 295s

Jesus is giving this very difficult discourse. 301s

These very difficult words to the disciples, the Israelites. 306s

In a place called the level plane, it's much like in Matthew when we have the sermon on 311s

the Mount, this is referred to as the sermon on the plane. 316s

In verse 17, it says that he, that's Jesus, came down with them and stood on a level 319s

place. 326s

A level place. 327s

What is a level place? 328s

The word level is often used to refer to places of destruction, places of disgrace, 331s

annihilation, suffering, misery in the prophet Joel, the first chapter. 339s

We hear the fields, the level place. 345s

The fields are devastated, the ground mourns. 348s

For the grain is destroyed. 352s

The wine dries up, the oil fails. 354s

Fire has devoured the pastors of the wilderness. 358s

So when we see him preaching in a level place, we see that this is, this is talking about the 363s

fractured life, about the fractured existence. 372s

And Jesus is coming to the Israelite people and he's speaking to them in this level 377s

place. 385s

He's speaking to the Israelites who were suffering, disgraced, miserable. 386s

And he says, verse 27, I say to you that listen, love your enemies. 395s

Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 403s

If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. 411s

And from anyone who takes away your coat, do not withhold even your shirt, give to everyone who begs from you. 415s

If anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 422s

Do to others as you would have them do to you. 426s

When Jesus is talking to these Israelites that are on the level, he is talking to those direct 441s

Israelites in front of him. 450s

But by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke records 452s

these words, gives these words so that it stretches through time. 458s

It stretches outside of time. 464s

And these words are not only for the Israelites on the level place. 466s

These words are for us and they're crazy. 475s

Crazy hard to deal with. 484s

But then we realize it's not crazy. 487s

It's not crazy. 490s

It's salty living. 491s

It's salty living. 493s

Jesus tells us exactly how to be salty. 494s

Let's look at verse 35. 499s

Love your enemies. 501s

Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return. 503s

Your reward will be great and you will be children of the most high for He is 507s

kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 513s

Be merciful just as your father is merciful. 516s

Be merciful just as your father is merciful. 521s

It sounds really tough but we're told exactly how to do it. 528s

Love those people. 535s

Bless those people. 537s

Do unto those people how you would have done unto you. 540s

We have the list of salty living right from Jesus' own lips. 546s

And we are so lucky because we have been given an example of Jesus himself setting 552s

for us an example of salty living. 561s

The apostle Peter in his first letter wrote Christ also suffered for you leaving you 566s

an example so that you should follow in his steps. 573s

Do you remember about 20, 25 years ago? 581s

There was some Christian merchandise everywhere. 585s

You could not go anywhere without saying it. 588s

And it was four letters that we would see. 590s

W, W, J, D, what would Jesus do? 593s

And it was everywhere. 599s

And we thought it was awesome. 603s

Because it reminds us, it reminds us of the example. 608s

It reminds us how we're supposed to behave what would Jesus do. 613s

So when I encounter someone, one of those people, 621s

and they say something snarky, I look at my bracelet, what would Jesus do? 628s

And I don't yell at them. 634s

I smile and I'm kind to them. 636s

When I see a Facebook post that just makes me, I rate, what do I do? 638s

I don't comment what would Jesus do? 645s

And I might even like it. 648s

What would Jesus do? 651s

And we can pat ourselves on the back because we're being like Jesus. 654s

We're living salty. 659s

We're following the example that was set before us. 660s

And that's a very, very nice sentiment. 664s

But when it comes right down to it, when it comes right to the point, 670s

none of us, not a single one of us would do what Jesus did. 684s

Jesus came to the level place. 696s

Jesus comes to our level place. 703s

All of the grossness, all of the thoughts, the words, the deeds that we are, 710s

sometimes aren't ashamed of. 716s

He comes right into our level place. 719s

Verse 35, he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 726s

We are the ungrateful and the wicked. 738s

When we get satisfaction from watching those people get what they deserve, 745s

even more satisfaction when we get to be the ones to put them in their place, 751s

we're the ungrateful. 761s

We're the wicked. 763s

We can't forget who we are. 765s

I am a sinner. 779s

What would Jesus do? 786s

Everything I would not everything I could not. 791s

First Peter chapter 2, he tells us that Christ is a beautiful example, 802s

but he doesn't leave it at that. 811s

He continued on, speaking of Jesus, saying, 814s

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, 818s

so that having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. 823s

By his wounds, you have been healed. 827s

He bore our sins in his body. 833s

He bore your sins in his body. 843s

In our Ephesians reading, Paul wrote, 854s

God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, 858s

even when we were dead, even when we were those people. 863s

Through our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ. 870s

By grace, you have been saved. 878s

Be merciful. 887s

Just as your father is merciful. 889s

Mercy given by God is the foundation for forgiveness. 893s

Mercy by God, mercy through God is not stagnant. 901s

It is active. 909s

It is action. 912s

Mercy is loving. 913s

Mercy is blessing. 916s

Mercy is lending is giving is doing. 917s

Even when you don't feel like it. 924s

Perhaps especially when you don't feel like it. 926s

Because mercy is not based on feeling. 931s

Does that person deserve my mercy or not? 936s

Doesn't matter. 941s

It doesn't matter. 943s

We don't deserve mercy. 945s

Not a single one of us in this room deserves mercy. 949s

We deserve the wrath of God, the punishment for our sin. 953s

And yet, in his love, in his grace, 958s

he has poured out his mercy upon us. 966s

Without thought of our worthiness. 970s

Be merciful just as your father is merciful. 977s

W.W.J.D. 986s

What would Jesus do? 989s

Everything that we would not. 994s

Jesus does everything that we would not. 997s

But it's not about what would Jesus do? 1000s

It's about what Jesus did. 1003s

What Jesus is doing in our level, places. 1007s

Not W.W.J.D. W.J.D. Drop the other W. 1015s

So, it's about what Jesus has done, what He's doing in our lives, 1021s

in our baptism. 1032s

Jesus enters into our level, places. 1035s

And He grabs us. 1040s

And He tells us you are my own. 1042s

Jesus takes us in our baptisms from being those people 1047s

to being His people. 1054s

He washes us clean of our sin. He claims us as His own children. 1058s

He makes us His own. He seals us and fills us with His own spirit. 1067s

He says, I'm going to fill you with my spirit so that you will not have satisfaction 1076s

out of salty living. 1086s

You will have satisfaction out of salty living. 1090s

Out of pouring my love onto those around you, out of sharing my word 1096s

with those in your lives. 1104s

Be merciful just as your father is merciful. 1110s

As the father's own, we have a new understanding of what this means. 1114s

We have a new understanding of what it means to love your enemies. 1120s

To do good to those who hate you, to bless those who curse you, 1128s

pray for those who abuse you. 1131s

We know we know that we are being molded and shaped and transformed every single day 1138s

into Christ's image, into the people that He has created us to be. 1151s

The mercy that we share, God's own mercy, that is on our lips with those around us. 1160s

That is the salty living and it's not just in the bubble of those that we like or are indifferent to. 1171s

The salty living then in God's mercy goes out. 1180s

And by His grace, those people will be His people. 1186s

And we will continue to be molded and shaped so that every opportunity that we get to be salty, 1193s

it will be more natural. 1202s

Every opportunity that we get to show mercy, it will be more and more natural because we are guided in 1204s

and by His Holy Spirit. 1211s

People, people can be the worst and yet God has had mercy on people. 1220s

And for this, we praise His merciful and glorious name. Amen. 1236s