These past few weeks our gospel
readings have been focusing on Jesus’ beatitudes:
Those challenging, yet somehow
comforting portraits of what God’s promised Kingdom looks like.
Who can debate the stunning beauty
of Jesus’ words?
Blessed are the poor in spirit…for
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Blessed
are those who mourn… for they shall be consoled.
Blessed
are the meek… for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the peacemakers… for they will be called
children of God.
Well you get the picture here. A picture of an alternative
future:
A future marked not by poverty and
oppression
–
but by justice and shalom –
A future where no one is ever in
need again…
A future in which those who work for
peace enjoy the most intimate identity with their creator – children of God.
In his big sermon, which goes on
for two chapters in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells us that
We are “salt” – meant to preserve
life.
We are “light” – meant to venture into dark places.
Jesus even dispels the old nursery
rhyme “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, by
telling us that not only can words hurt me, but they can and they WILL kill me!
Okay. I get it: Jesus
gives us a beautiful view of a transformed future, but not first without
pushing our comfort zones.
Over twenty years of preaching
Jesus and I’ve come to expect a bit of this. I’ve even become accustomed to having my faith furniture moved
around from time to time, but what I’ve never been able to get completely used
to is what Jesus tells us this morning:
Every single time I hear these
words, I get tripped up and stumble.
It’s like I can’t walk and chew my Jesus-bubble gum at the same time
when I hear these words. Just
when I think I have him all figured out, Jesus not only pushes my comfort zone,
but proves once again that he will neither be tamed nor domesticated and his
message of the Kingdom will not be watered down.
“You have heard it said, love your neighbors and hate your
enemy. But I say to you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of
your father in heaven”
Hold on Jesus. You mean to tell me that if I don’t
love my enemies, I’m not a child of God? Folks I’m looking for the escape clause here: I’m looking for the place right after
this verse, where Jesus says, “I’m just kidding. Go ahead and hate your enemies, you’re better than them
anyway”.
Or, “Love your enemies? That’s just some out of this world
ideal that I don’t possibly expect you to live out. Carry on, business as usual…”
But he doesn’t say that. And that’s what trips me up every time.
Tell me that I need to love my
enemies because hatred and negativity is bad for my mental and physical health.
Tell me I need to love my enemies
because spending energy hating them gives them power over me.
Tell me I need to love my enemies
because it proves who is the better person.
Tell me to love my enemies because
God will reward me for being the better person.
Tell me to love my enemies because,
as Paul points out in one of my favorite texts on this subject, Romans 12:20, being kind to my enemies is a way to "heap burning coals
on their heads." Now that's motivating!
But Jesus doesn't offer any of
these common sense motivators with regard to non-retaliation or love of
enemies. This is the only motivation we are given: we are to practice
non-resistance when personally insulted and to love our enemies because that is
in keeping with the character of God.
If we are looking for practical,
positive motivations to act in these odd and counter-cultural ways of Jesus, there
are no words that can convince.
There is just the most extreme of
sketchy scenes. He who taught us the prayer "Forgive us our trespasses as
we forgive those who trespass against us," during his life prays
"Father, forgive them," as he hangs dying on a cross.
I guess that’s what gives Jesus the
authority to not back down on that love of enemies thing: Whether they be enemies on the other
side of the world, or the person you can barely even look at on the other side
of the church pew.
Jesus is not looking for more members
here at Incarnate Word. If I’m
reading my Bible right, he’s looking for more disciples. Those who will follow with every fiber
of their being: Those who will
hold nothing back in following Jesus into the places that challenge and
confront our assumptions about God and about the world God loves. Those who will follow Jesus across all
boundaries into a world addicted to hate and vengeance offering an alternative
vocabulary of love and forgiveness.
In this “stand your ground” world
where I can preemptively attack you before you attack me, every single one of
us who would be called child of God, stands under a different mandate: Given by the One who uttered words of
forgiveness while hanging on a cross of hate: “Love your enemies.
No exceptions”.
In the cross of Christ, God did not
settle in to a comfort zone. God
did not offer the escape clause that says this cross-thing is just theoretical.
In the cross of Christ, an
instrument of torture and hate was transformed into a symbol of love.
In the cross of Christ, God’s holy
imagination stopped at nothing to shatter boundaries with overwhelming
love: Love for all….
In light of the cross, from which
love was poured out in abundance, how can we do any less?
Let us pray:
“Gracious God, your Son called on you to forgive his enemies while
he was suffering shame and death. Lead
our enemies and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred,
cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled
before you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen” (ELW
p.80).
