September 24 Extreme Mercy

Luke 6:32-36 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
 
TWO growing criticisms against Jesus’ church today is that it is 1) extreme and 2) irrelevant. Let’s consider these two charges here in light of Jesus’ teaching.
   Would you agree that following Jesus is extreme? I hope so. Many have even labeled disciples as a positively radical way of living! Yes, it is extremely out of our sin nature and the culture to live in these ways Jesus preaches to us here. Loving people who hate you, doing good to people who will harm you and giving to people who will cheat you are extreme acts of mercy.
   Who is the root of this extreme mercy? Of course, we can only see mercy in our extreme God. Luke defines him here as “the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” God’s extreme kindness has caused him to love even all of mankind who has hated him. That’s the reason you should “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
   Now, is that also irrelevant as the culture charges? Surely the one who has no intention to do as Jesus teaches would say such love is irrelevant. Just as a car purchased and left in the garage, just as a gift received and put on a shelf, just as a Bible kept in a drawer, God’s mercy is irrelevant to those who refuse to do it. Jesus even said God’s mercy would be irrelevant in his parable in Luke 8:16a “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed.” To make the extreme gospel relevant, we must put it into action. The gospel is the only way to light our way to eternal life. All else is darkness leading to woe for our souls. Luke 8:16b “Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
   Yes, the critics call the gospel “extreme” because it calls us to live in a particular way, worshiping one Lord with one faith. To an unrepentant sinner, the gospel way is an extremely irrelevant restrictive way. But in Christ the gospel is the extremely relevant “good news to the poor…freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.” It is God’s mercy to release the oppressed that consistently proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor. (See Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4:18-19)
   Be extreme to shut off the world and turn on God. Be extremely obedient to your Lord to demonstrate his mercy even to those who oppose you. Being as Jesus is extremely relevant to true Kingdom life.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for going to the extreme cross for me. Your death is relevant to my life forevermore as I call you, “Lord and Savior.  By your extreme grace I have been saved. In your relevant love, I am alive in Christ. May I live to the extreme for you. Amen.