I used to help cover expenses at home and for school as a consultant with Pampered Chef. Many folks who signed up wanted to make a meaningful contribution to their household income, but when they didn’t see results, we discovered they weren’t doing some of the things needed for success. We would coach them, but the next month they’d return frustrated. Eventually, good leaders have to say, “If you want different results, you need to do things differently.”
That simple truth fits beautifully with today’s Scripture.
Jesus Comes Down to Level Ground Unlike Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Luke’s Sermon on the Plain shows Jesus coming down and standing on level ground, face-to-face with the people. This week I was listening to a podcast recorded in June 2020, during the early months of the pandemic. The hosts were adjusting to livestreaming and the uncertainty of the moment. As I listened, I realized how closely their conversation echoed the questions in Jesus’ time. Before going further, I want to begin with hope: Jesus speaks blessing into moments that feel unsteady. To recall the atmosphere of that season, consider a few headlines from that week:
A Crowd Much Like Us Luke tells us Jesus had prayed alone, chosen the twelve disciples, and then came down to stand with the crowds—people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. They came seeking healing and hope. They carried burdens, uncertainty, and fear—just like us. Jesus begins not with warnings but with blessings:
“But to You Who Are Listening…” Jesus then turns to His listeners and offers the hinge of the whole sermon: “But to you who are listening…” He describes the world God is bringing—but now shows what it requires of us: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” These are not the people who deserve kindness. Yet Jesus calls us to respond with love, goodness, blessing, and prayer. If we want different results, we need to do things differently.
Turning the Other Cheek & Living With Abundance Jesus continues: “If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other also.” In His time, a slap was an insult, not necessarily violence. Turning the other cheek meant refusing retaliation and breaking the cycle. Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence.” Jesus presses further: “If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks.” This challenges our instinct to protect what is ours. But Jesus shows the difference between the justice of retaliation and the justice of a Kingdom where everyone has enough. A scarcity mentality shrinks our outlook—an abundance mentality expands it. We saw this clearly in the toilet paper hoarding of 2020. Then Jesus says words known around the world: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” My parents had those words pinned to our refrigerator. Even without church, they understood that how we treat others begins with imagining life through their eyes. Again: If we want different results, we need to do things differently.
Citizens of the Kingdom Jesus looked out on a weary crowd and told them better days were coming. But He also told them the work of building that world begins with each person. How do we move toward a world without poverty, hunger, sadness, or hate? By sharing. By feeding. By nurturing. By loving. Not only those we like—but especially those who deserve it the least. Jesus says loving those who love us back is nothing remarkable—“even sinners do that.” What makes God’s people different is love that expects nothing in return. We give because God has been generous with us. We love because God has loved us deeply. We offer grace because grace has been offered to us. When we ask, “Where is God?” Jesus answers: “The Kingdom of God is among you.”
“Something Divine in the Midst of Them” In the second century, Emperor Hadrian sent an advisor, Aristides, to observe Christians. Aristides reported: “They love one another… welcome strangers… fast so the poor may eat… and there is something divine in the midst of them.” Even the power of Rome could not overcome the upside-down world of the Kingdom of God. A Simple Kingdom Practice for This Week If we want the world Jesus describes—a world of blessing, justice, healing, and hope—then we must live into that Kingdom ourselves. Here is one small step: Choose one person who is difficult for you. Pray for them by name each day this week. Just that. Because: If we want different results, we need to do things differently. May we be people in whom something divine can be seen. And may the Kingdom of God be among us.
Jesus Comes Down to Level Ground Unlike Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Luke’s Sermon on the Plain shows Jesus coming down and standing on level ground, face-to-face with the people. This week I was listening to a podcast recorded in June 2020, during the early months of the pandemic. The hosts were adjusting to livestreaming and the uncertainty of the moment. As I listened, I realized how closely their conversation echoed the questions in Jesus’ time. Before going further, I want to begin with hope: Jesus speaks blessing into moments that feel unsteady. To recall the atmosphere of that season, consider a few headlines from that week:
- “Mourners Pay Respects to George Floyd Ahead of Funeral.”
- “U.S. Economy Enters Recession as Pandemic Hit.”
- “U.S. Hits 2 Million Coronavirus Cases.”
- “Pensacola Shooter Linked to Al-Qaeda.”
- Where is God in all this?
- Is there purpose in difficult seasons?
- What role does the church play?
- Can God use hardship to revive us?
A Crowd Much Like Us Luke tells us Jesus had prayed alone, chosen the twelve disciples, and then came down to stand with the crowds—people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. They came seeking healing and hope. They carried burdens, uncertainty, and fear—just like us. Jesus begins not with warnings but with blessings:
- Blessed are the poor…
- Blessed are the hungry…
- Blessed are those who weep…
- Blessed are the excluded and insulted…
- He sees the suffering of the people.
- A new Kingdom order is coming.
“But to You Who Are Listening…” Jesus then turns to His listeners and offers the hinge of the whole sermon: “But to you who are listening…” He describes the world God is bringing—but now shows what it requires of us: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” These are not the people who deserve kindness. Yet Jesus calls us to respond with love, goodness, blessing, and prayer. If we want different results, we need to do things differently.
Turning the Other Cheek & Living With Abundance Jesus continues: “If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other also.” In His time, a slap was an insult, not necessarily violence. Turning the other cheek meant refusing retaliation and breaking the cycle. Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence.” Jesus presses further: “If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks.” This challenges our instinct to protect what is ours. But Jesus shows the difference between the justice of retaliation and the justice of a Kingdom where everyone has enough. A scarcity mentality shrinks our outlook—an abundance mentality expands it. We saw this clearly in the toilet paper hoarding of 2020. Then Jesus says words known around the world: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” My parents had those words pinned to our refrigerator. Even without church, they understood that how we treat others begins with imagining life through their eyes. Again: If we want different results, we need to do things differently.
Citizens of the Kingdom Jesus looked out on a weary crowd and told them better days were coming. But He also told them the work of building that world begins with each person. How do we move toward a world without poverty, hunger, sadness, or hate? By sharing. By feeding. By nurturing. By loving. Not only those we like—but especially those who deserve it the least. Jesus says loving those who love us back is nothing remarkable—“even sinners do that.” What makes God’s people different is love that expects nothing in return. We give because God has been generous with us. We love because God has loved us deeply. We offer grace because grace has been offered to us. When we ask, “Where is God?” Jesus answers: “The Kingdom of God is among you.”
“Something Divine in the Midst of Them” In the second century, Emperor Hadrian sent an advisor, Aristides, to observe Christians. Aristides reported: “They love one another… welcome strangers… fast so the poor may eat… and there is something divine in the midst of them.” Even the power of Rome could not overcome the upside-down world of the Kingdom of God. A Simple Kingdom Practice for This Week If we want the world Jesus describes—a world of blessing, justice, healing, and hope—then we must live into that Kingdom ourselves. Here is one small step: Choose one person who is difficult for you. Pray for them by name each day this week. Just that. Because: If we want different results, we need to do things differently. May we be people in whom something divine can be seen. And may the Kingdom of God be among us.