Bible Passage: Luke 6:27-38
Title: The Path Jesus Walked, The Path We Must Follow
Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher, once said in The Analects, “三人行必有我師” (sān rén xíng bì yǒu wǒ shī). This means, “When three people walk together, there is always one who can be my teacher.”
There is also a saying, “반면교사” (ban-myeon-gyo-sa), which means learning from others’ mistakes. When we see failures, we can understand what not to do.
If we apply this idea to a single person, it means that even a bad person has at least one good quality we can learn from. On the other hand, even a good person is not perfect. Nobody is completely without fault. However, people often judge others based on just one mistake. This shows that we are all sinners.
Last week’s Bible passage contrasted “you” and “them.”
“You” referred to Jesus’ disciples and the crowd listening to Him.
“Them” referred to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
From a common-sense perspective, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were respected leaders in society. They were highly educated and seemed like people worth learning from. However, from God’s perspective, they were not as righteous as they appeared.
This teaches us an important lesson: what society considers respectable may not be what God considers right. The values and worldview of that time can still influence us today. We must break free from the false standards of this world.
In today’s passage, Jesus continues His famous Sermon on the Mount.
It begins with the word “But.” This word is very important because it changes the entire direction of the teaching.
The pattern in this passage is:
“They” acted one way, BUT “you” must act differently.
This contrast repeats many times. Jesus is teaching a new way of thinking, not just new actions.
Who were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law?
They were people who read, studied, and even taught the Scriptures daily. They were highly respected in society. However, even though they read the Bible, they did not live according to God’s true will.
They believed they were God’s children and thought non-Jews were unworthy. Because of this, they treated Gentiles (non-Jews) poorly. They believed they were following the Bible, but they misunderstood its true meaning.
But Jesus said something shocking: “God is kind even to the ungrateful and wicked.”
This means that God’s love is not based on who we are or what we do.
He loves sinners.
He loves both good and bad people.
He loves the rich and the poor, the master and the servant.
The Pharisees judged others based on the Bible, but they made themselves the judges instead of letting God judge. Even if we use the Bible as a standard, our judgments are often not perfect.
Many people think it is normal to treat good people well and bad people badly. But is that truly right? Have we judged people as “evil” based on small mistakes? Have we exaggerated their faults and labeled them as bad? This is a dangerous habit, and we must be careful.
Jesus tells us: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
This was not just for the disciples 2,000 years ago—it is for us today.
Even if we read the Bible, we may still fail to understand God’s heart. We might know about His mercy in our minds, but do we truly feel it in our hearts?
We must examine our own values.
Do I only treat people kindly if they are kind to me? Even non-believers do this.
Am I judging others with a critical spirit?
When people judge only from their own perspective, conflicts and even wars can result.
It is easy to criticize others when we observe them closely. The more knowledge we have, the easier it is to judge. But instead of pointing fingers at others, let us turn that observation inward.
“I could have made the same mistake in that situation.”
“I am not perfect either.”
When we think this way, we stop criticizing and start helping with love.
The love of a mother is similar to the love of God. A mother watches her baby closely and understands the baby’s needs. Even when the baby makes mistakes, she does not judge but tries to help. She looks at the reason behind the mistake and finds a solution.
God’s love and the cross work the same way.
God is holy, and humans are sinners. He knows everything about us. He has the right to judge, but instead, He chose to save us.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must decide how to live—like Jesus’ disciples or like the Pharisees. Even in churches, people may follow the world’s standards instead of God’s ways. Sometimes, those who seem the most passionate about faith can act just like the world—or even worse.
But if we can see this, then we know the path we must take. We must not live like them.
Instead, we must follow the way Jesus taught us.
I pray that we all walk on this path.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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