As God does to me, so I do to you. That is the whole secret to loving your neighbour. And you can practise this in a very concrete way: for example, in the way we forgive, judge, and give. This is how Jesus preaches directly into the here and now.
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Photo: Marcel Felde
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Marcel Felde
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Frank Schuldt/Neuapostolische Kirche Westdeutschland
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Photo: Marcel Felde
What the Sermon in the Mount is to the gospel of Matthew, the Sermon in the Plain is to the gospel of Luke. “No matter how you choose to describe it, it is all about the content,” said Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider on 23 June 2024 in Rheinberg, Germany.
And this content revolves around Luke 6: 38: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
“Here we are not talking about the relationship between human beings and God, but rather our relationship with our neighbour,” said the Church leader as he explained the biblical context: “Be merciful because God has been merciful to you. Do for your neighbour what God does for you.” And then Jesus quickly becomes very concrete in His preaching.
“Forgive , and you will be forgiven”
“Every now and then it is worthwhile to pause and think about all the things that God has done for us so that we can be reconciled with Him again.” God the Son renounced His divine glory, became human, and gave His life. “And then God tells us: ‘Now you do for your neighbour what I have done for you: forgive your neighbour.’”
“Now I would just like to take a moment to address normal life in the family, in the congregation, in society. There we find conflicts that have been going on for years! And it seems no one is able to forgive and reconcile,” said the Chief Apostle. “Why not? Because no one wants to pay the price for it. One would have to give up a little of one’s pride, perhaps give up one’s rights here and there.”
“I would just like to pose the question: How much is your peace actually worth to you? How valuable is your relationship with God to you actually? Do you really think it is not worth this price? Jesus Christ speaks directly into your life and says: ‘Do for your neighbour what I do for you: forgive your neighbour.’”
“Judge not, and you will not be judged”
“What does God do for us? What does Jesus Christ do? He loves us—all of us, without exception. He loves us exactly as we are. He loves everyone with exactly the same love—each and every one, no matter who it is, no matter what they have done. God loves them unconditionally.”
“And how does it look when it comes to human beings? I notice more and more that our society today is a divided one. Everyone is different, but often people take themselves as the measure of all things,” noted the Church leader. And then they judge others in the sense of: “That person is not like I am. He doesn’t think as I do, I don’t understand him—I don’t want to have anything more to do with him!”
“The dear God expects us not to judge our neighbour, and He wants us to overcome these differences, our otherness.” After all, “Jesus loves us all, and we all want to be with Him forever—and that is what unites us! This ought to be much more important to us than anything that could separate us.”
“Give, and it will be given to you”
“Sometimes you have a guilty conscience, so you reach into your wallet. And then you donate something for your neighbour, and then your conscience is at peace.” But: “That is not what it is all about! What is important here is our heart’s attitude toward our neighbour!”
Give, and it will be given to you—“Allow me to translate this as follows,” said Chief Apostle Schneider: “See to it that you assign as much importance to the needs of your neighbour as you do to your own needs.” Or: “As Jesus said: ‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.’”
“What are our own needs anyway? Well, we want to be respected. We want to be taken seriously. We feel it is important for others to have understanding for our weaknesses.” For this reason, “Do for your neighbour what God does for you. To Him you are very important. He loves you. He wants your salvation!”
The Chief Apostle’s conclusion: If our standard is not our own person, but rather Jesus Christ, and if we measure everything by Jesus Christ, then we will receive the reward that Jesus Christ has received—and we will share in His glory.”