How should we (Christians) live?
Christian ethics are largely based on the teachings found in the Bible;
Extract 10: how should we live
teachings of Jesus to illustrate:
the standards of the Kingdom of God
the way people should behave if the want to be part of God's kingdom
Jesus' 'ethics'
explain how Christians should live
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Parable = story with a spirtual meaning
Samaritan = person from Samaria, hated by the Jews for inter marrying with on Jews
Lk 10
the Parables of the Lost (Lk 15)
1) Parable of the Lost Sheep
2) Parable of the Lost Coin
3) Parable of the Lost (Prodigal) Son
The story of the rich man and Lazarus
Latin for rich man = Dives
Not called a Parable
The Sermon on the Plain
found in Luke only
key ethical teachings
Lk 6
Similar in content (sayings of Jesus) to The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew)
(Q = material in Luke & Matthew, not in Mark)
- The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10/Luke 6:20-26)
- Jesus’ Commandment of Love (Luke 10:25-27
- The 10 commandments (exodus 20:2-17)
The Sermon on the Plain
The Rich Man and Lazarus
The parables of the lost
The parable of the Good Samaritan
The ethical teaching of Jesus;
Cross reference to ethics - sits as foundation of many ethical theories (SE)
Poss link in 30 markers
Love as the centrepiece of Jesus’ Kingdom Ethic
Love = agape
Jesus’ Commandment of love = “love thy neighbour”
Leads to
The Golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
Jesus as an example to Christians - key theme in Luke … Jesus as the example on how to behave
Almost as much of Jesus teachings is about how his followers should live, as about what they should believe & how they should think about Gods way with humanity
your beliefs doesn't make you a moral person, your behaviour does
Jesus was a moral teacher but he didn’t set out an ethical system - but NT reflections on his life & teachings, especially the gospels/Paul’s letters have provided a basis for Christian ethics
main point of teaching:
if obedience to the law takes precedence over human need then something is wrong with the law
true definition of neighbour = anyone in need, irrespective of religious, racial, social or any other division, there is no room for prejudice
fits with Lukan theme of UNIVERSALISM
seen as Jesus' command to treat every individual as a neighbour. There is no room for prejudice of any kind
parable forces a ‘good’ Jew to say that a Samaritan (and not a Priest or a Levite who put the Law first in their lives) was the one who was the real neighbour to the man left for dead by robbers - parable illustrates 'love they eneimies'
"Go and do likewise"
action required!!
shocking message for Jews to be like the Samaritan (who they hate, lived in Samaria & intermarried with non-Jews) not those who religiously follow the law
you must respond to the teaching
Who is my neighbour?
Mt & Mk have same text but Jesus says himself it in an answer to a direct question about which is the greatest commandment...
Lk 10:27-28 "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souk and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself." And he said to him "you have answered correctly; do this and you will live"
no clear ethical system - highlighted by fact Christians cant always agree on ethical issues
main point of teaching:
God is willing to forgive and rejoice at the lost being restored into relationship with God in a way that the Pharisees are not
Jesus presents in these three parables a picture of God’s absolute forgiveness –God does not hold sin against people. God ACTIVELY seeks out the lost and welcomes them into his kingdom - highlights importance of 2nd chances
Context
specific; Jesus is criticised for eating with tax-collectors & sinners (Lk 15:2)
General Lukan: Lk5:31 “I have not come to all the righteous, but sinners to repentance”
Universalism
key Lukan theme - salvation is open to ALL, Jews, Gentiles & anyone on the margined/outcasts of C1st Palestine. E.g. women, sick, poor, oppressed, tax-collectors… sinners
Parable
story with one main point of teaching
Allegory
story where each detail may have a meaning
Loss
Search
Celebration
The point is also that FORGIVENESS produces RECONCILIATION only when it is preceded by REPENTANCE. God forgives without conditions, but forgiveness is only effective when, like the younger son, a person realises the need to be forgiven (the lost son)
Context: Jesus is criticised for eating with tax-collectors & sinners (outcasts)
Jesus, the outcast (Lukan theme)
Jesus suffered prejudice & in some ways became an outcast & in doing so identified with outcasts
Jesus is frequently criticised for eating with tax-collectors and sinners (outcasts)
Particularly in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is presented as coming to seek and save the ‘lost’ and to offer the good new of the Kingdom of God to ALL people, including (and especially) those on the margins of society
- Luke is the universal Gospel
- it describes Jesus as the Saviour of all men, the seeker of the lost among all people, the One through whom "all flesh shall see the Salvation of God"
- this universality is carried forth by such parables & stories as the Good Samaritan, the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, & the Lost Son
Key elements:
the rich man is shown to be indifferent to the dire circumstances of Lazarus. The story highlights:
- How difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the KoG (Christian reference - camel & eye of needle teaching)
- How stubborn the Jewish religious leaders are in refusing to listen to Jesus’ message of good news
- The need to embrace the values of the KoG & treat people well NOW (KoG required immediate actions)
Context:
When the Pharisees who love money rather than God heard the teaching of Jesus they sneered at him. He responded by telling this story.
Although this story (NOT identified as a parable) uses some common images of heaven/hell the main point of the story is NOT intended a literal description of those ‘places’. That has not stopped people using it in this way!
Don’t be blind to the needs of those less fortunate
Powerful message of equality
Emphasises God’s mercy & compassion - forgiving father offers all a chance to return to him, God doesn’t hold sin against people
- the concept of the ethical use of wealth (wealth in itself istn’t bad, it depends on how you use it)
In Christianity, the Sermon on the Plain refers to a set of teachings by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, in 6:17–49.
Longer version called Sermon on the Mount found in Mt (Lk s only a 1/4 the length) (material likely from ‘Q’ - in both Mt & Lk not Mk)
and Luke focusses on topics that are of interest (redaction criticism) to ALL (universalism) and not just perhaps the Jews
After a night in prayer up a hill, Jesus came down onto a ‘level place’ chose the 12 disciples and then he spoke to the multitudes gathered to listen to him
This teaching in the Sermon on the Plain is a key part of Jesus’ ethical teaching
T.W. Mason -
says these teachings are“... a compass rather than an ordnance map; it gives direction rather than directions
i.e. they are principles of behaviour rather than specific rules. thinking & application required. Jesus rarely gave specific rules
...Love your enemies...
... a call to self examination - the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes ('Beatus' in Latin = blessed)
i.e. people upon whom God looks with favour
NOT in Sermon on the Mount (Mt) - poss a feature of Luke 'woes' as the opposite of the 'blesseds'
BLESSED ARE...
- the HUNGRY ---> will be satisfied
- those who WEEP ---> will laugh
- the POOR ---> the KoG belongs to you (richness of KoG)
- those who are HATED, EXCLUDED, INSULTED & REJECTED because of their beliefs ---> will rejoice because your reward is great in heaven
note: Mt uses 'poor in spirit' (i.e. realised their need for God). Using just 'the poor' is more in line with lukan theme of universalism & the poor. also link to lukan birth narratives in which the poor shepherds visit
note: could be in terms of 'realising their own sin' as well as just having a difficult time
note: see in context of time Luke was writing - early Christians being persecuted by Rome. Also picks up on Lukan theme of Jesus' compassion for outcasts & those on margins of society
- ' reversal of fortune' -- the KoG turns the current way of things upside down *
WOE TO...
- the WELL FED ---> you will go hungry
- those who LAUGH ---> will mourn & weep
- the RICH ---> you have had your 'comfort'
- those who are SPOKEN WELL OF ---> will be ignored just like the prophets were
This supports the reversal of the ‘current order’ that Luke wants to show that the KoG brings i.e. when the KoG arrives, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first” (Luke 13:30)
note: this theme is evident in story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:25) and in the Magnificat(Luke 1:52ff.)
1) reversal of fortunes
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those wo curse you, pray for those who mistreat you
1 - doing nice things for those who you like gains you no credit with God ... 'even sinners do that!' (Lk 6:32-45)
2 - 'LOVE' is a practical requirement! don't just ignore them... actively DO things to show love
2) give more than expected
LOVE = AGAPE (Greek) –the sort of love that comes from God and is based on God’s nature. Agape is when a person has a genuine concern and interest for the welfare of others, even when they are treated badly by that person
if some one takes you coat give them your shirt as well
e.g. the parable of the God Samaritan - who pays for all costs
3) lend to your enemies without expecting anything back (Lk 6:30)
turn the other cheek
3)b Golden rule
'do unto others as you wold have then do unto you' (Lk 6:31)
all this goes beyond the principle of reciprocity seen in Jewish law
e.g. an eye for an eye
4) Mercy
= to treat people better than their words/actions deserve
be merciful just as the Father is merciful
Remember that Luke presents Jesus as an ethical teacher who gives his followers a clear EXAMPLE of how his teaching should be put into practice
Mason
the teaching are "a compass rather than an ordinance map; it gives direction rather than directions"
these are examples to convay teachings
...Judging others...
1) treat others as they would wish GOD to treat them
development of Golden rule
'do not judge ands you will not be judged, do not condemn and you will not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven'
2) how you behave will be how you are treated & more by God
'give and it will be given to you. a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you'
parable about judgement - Lk 6:39 - "can the blind lead the blind? will they not both fall into a pit/"
you have to help people see where they are going , in terms of their ethical behaviour
3) look at & resolve your own short comings before judging others
Lk 6:41 - "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
how does this teaching of Jesus compare with Jewish teachongs of the time?
jesus intensified & universalised the Jewish law of C1st
he followed the rabbinic method of biblical exegesis (critical interpretation of a text *see pg102), midrash & his used of parables would have been familiar to his Jewish listeners
jesus' ethical code wasn't new:
it grew out of Jewish moral code found in the Torah (e.g. love thy neighbour is based on Leviticus)
Rabbi Hillel taught something similar: 'what you do not want others to do to you, do not do to them'
However, Jesus takes this negative ethic and turns it positive... God wants people not just not to do things wrong but, rather, to ACTIVELY do things right! Generosity to others will be matched by boundless generosity from God
Accepted wisdom from the Jewish religious leaders at the time of Jesus suggested that those who suffered in this life were being punished by God for their own (or their parents’/ancestors’) failure to keep the law and that those who were rich and powerful were being rewarded by God for keeping his Law
emphasis is on the idea that followers of Jesus should treat others as they would wish God to treat them (a development of the Golden Rule)
Jesus taught that a person is truly blessed in this life if they know their need of God and accept that wealth, possessions and popularity are not the most important things in the KoG
hat gave the Pharisees (in particular) the right to judge those less fortunate than themselves and marginalise them
in encouraging people to turn the other cheek and love their enemies Jesus was turning traditional Jewish attitudes upside down. His teaching challenged the accepted order that the many can be oppressed by the few in power
. Happiness and blessing is to be found in the KoG by being a certain sort of person who –like Jesus –is always ready to forgive and who does not judge or condemn others. Jesus is the only true judge because he is perfect ... everyone else is prone to being a hypocrite
The KoG requires people to have a new perspective on society
how do these teachings impact Christian codes of living?
theologians have merged different moral themes with Jesus' ethics (e.g. NML) nowadays moral philosophers continue to study Jesus' ministry & have developed ethical theories such as SE
Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Plain and in other teachings in Luke have been highly influential in Christian ethics and codes for living
e.g. Golden rule
On the other hand, this sentiment is something that can also be found at the heart of many religious and secular codes for living
To this extent it has often served as a basis for encouraging Christians to fight for equality (e.g. Liberation Theology –Oscar Romero); to engage in charitable works (e.g. Mother Teresa); to campaign for justice ; and to accept pluralism* in society (e.g. John Macquarrie)
*PLURALISM - a situation in society whereby two or more groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist. (i.e. the UK as a multi-faith society). Pluralism goes beyond mere ‘tolerance’ to acceptance and inclusivity (but is not to be confused with syncretism or any similar attempt to fuse all religious beliefs together as the same thing)
Religious Pluralism is the opposite of Religious Exclusivism –where religions teach that theirs is the only way to salvation and to religious truth. Theologian John Macquarrie wrote, “I do not deny for a moment that the truth of God has reached others through other channels -indeed, I hope and pray that it has. So while I have a special attachment to one mediator, I have respect for them all.” –this would be an example of pluralism
love = AGAPE - the kind of love that comes from God & is based in his nature, its when a person has genuine concern & interest for welfare of others even when the treat you badly
love is a practical requirement - you cant just ignore you're enemy you have to demonstrate your love through your actions