On the Second Sunday of Luke, we read one of the most powerful passages in the Gospel, where Christ sums up the ethos of His Kingdom in just a few words:

“As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them… Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:31–36).

These words are not merely a general call to kindness; they express the essence of a new way of life. Jesus invites humanity to abandon the logic of reciprocity—to stop loving, lending, or doing good only to those who will return the favor—and instead to love even those who hurt us, or who have nothing to offer in return. This is the love that is born of God, a love that depends not on others but on the inner transformation of the heart.

This passage belongs to what is called the “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:17–49), Luke’s counterpart to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Here, Jesus lays the foundation for the new moral vision of the Kingdom before a great crowd—Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women alike. It is not abstract philosophy; it is a message rooted in real life.

Luke, more than the other evangelists, highlights the social dimension of the Gospel. His focus is on those at the margins—the poor, the sick, women, and sinners. For Luke, God’s compassion is not theoretical; it has the power to transform societies. The command “Be merciful” is not simply a call to personal virtue; it is an invitation to a new social ethic, where strength is replaced by compassion and distance is bridged by love.

The saying “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” echoes earlier moral traditions—such as the Jewish rabbi Hillel’s teaching, “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you,” and similar ideas found in ancient philosophy. Yet Jesus goes a step further: He transforms the passive avoidance of evil into an active pursuit of good. It is not enough merely to avoid harming others; one is called to love them, help them, and pray for them.

Through this teaching, Christ redefines the very basis of the human relationship with God. Where Judaism centered on law and righteous deeds, Jesus introduces an ethic of participation in God’s very being: love is not an obligation but a sharing in the way of life of the Father—“Be merciful, as He is merciful.” This marks Christ’s radical originality compared to the religions and philosophies of His time: God is no longer a distant judge but a Father who loves even “the ungrateful and the wicked.” Humanity is invited to resemble Him through forgiveness and generosity.

From a social perspective, this message is profoundly revolutionary. In a world built on exchange and hierarchy, Jesus proposes a community without distinctions, where every person has inherent worth. The rich are called to give without expecting reward, the strong to protect without demanding return, and all people to love without conditions. In this sense, the Gospel becomes not only a spiritual reality but also a social one—a new way of organizing life based on compassion and unity.

In Luke’s Gospel, this mercy takes visible form in parables and encounters: the Good Samaritan caring for the wounded man, the Father embracing the prodigal son, the tax collector Zacchaeus transformed by his meeting with Christ. In each of these, divine love becomes a tangible social reality.

A person’s value is no longer determined by what they can offer, but by the fact that they are made in the image of God.

If we apply this teaching to everyday life, it radically transforms how we perceive the world. The co-worker is no longer a rival, the poor are not a burden, and the stranger is not a threat. They are persons we are called to love as God loves. Christ effectively offers a new social covenant—not written in law, but lived in mercy: a society of compassion instead of competition.

The passage from Luke 6:31–36 is a call to reexamine the way we live and relate to others. True love, the love Christ calls for, does not calculate, does not seek return, does not measure gain. It is love that builds a new society—the society of the Kingdom.

In our own age, where indifference, coldness, and exploitation often prevail, these words remain as radical as ever: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Only through acts of mercy and openheartedness can we become co-workers with God in the transformation of the world.

+Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and South East Asia