February 23 – Sermon
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your kindness and generosity, which empowers each of us to imitate Your generosity: gifts– material, emotional or spiritual. Please teach us to expect nothing in return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In our gospel reading, Jesus opens with a bold statement, “Love your enemies.”
Who are your enemies?
I was thinking about my enemies—I’m not aware of any… Batman has enemies: Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman. Biblically speaking, Joseph had enemies: his brothers plotted to kill him. Jesus had people that plotted to kill him too.
I’m not aware of anyone trying to kill me. So Jesus’ command almost seems irrelevant.
But what about those who rub you the wrong way? Those who annoy you or make life difficult? Those people with whom you would not choose to spend time. Those we have, don’t we?
Jesus might have said “Love those who rub you the wrong way.”
We hear the word “love” and often think of valentine red hearts, cupid, romance and roses. But “love” isn’t some vague concept. Love is concrete actions.
Jesus gives a very clear picture of what love looks like:
Do good. Pray. Bless. Lend without expecting repayment. Be merciful. Don’t judge. Don’t condemn. Forgive. Give.
These are all active statements because love is a verb.
However, notice what love is not. Love doesn’t mean just tolerating your enemies—even sinners do that. Rather, love is about putting their well-being first. Putting their feelings and opinions above your own.
So how can we do that?
From our perspective, Jesus seems to be setting us up for failure. ‘Enemies’ are, by definition, people you find difficult to love—which is what Jesus is saying in the Gospel reading: 32 “If you love those who love you, that’s no big deal. Even sinners love those who love them. 33 and if you do good to those who are good to you, that’s no big deal. Even sinners do that. 34 and if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, that’s no big deal. Sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies.”
Loving your enemies is more than a reciprocal relationship. If someone gives you a cup of sugar, and then you give them a cup of sugar back, the measure is equal. Even ‘sinners’ and unbelievers do that. This is in fact how the world operates. You give me something and I’ll reciprocate.
When children are playing and a squabble breaks out, you’ll hear: “She started it! But she hit me first.” Our human nature wants everything to be equal. “I’ll do this for you, and then you do this for me.”
But Jesus calls his disciples to show love in unequal measure. The type of love he advocates breaks the reciprocal response with which we are most comfortable. He says, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, give him your shirt too.”
Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love. Jesus preached this sermon on the plain not merely with words, but with his whole life. Paul says in Romans 5:8, ‘God demonstrated his love for us, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.’ When you were God’s enemies, Jesus loved you. and not in some vague way, but through concrete actions.
Do good — Jesus healed the sick and comforted the needy.
Pray — Jesus prayed for his enemies as they crucified him on the cross.
Bless — Jesus blessed all sorts of people. “Blessed are the poor”.
Lend without expecting repayment — Jesus paid for your sin, but doesn’t expect payment in kind.
Be merciful — Jesus showed compassion and mercy to a crowd of people numbering 5000 who were hungry.
Don’t judge — Jesus saved a woman from being stoned to death.
Don’t condemn — As the gospel of John says, ‘Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but save it’.
Forgive — Jesus says “Your sins are forgiven” many times throughout scripture.
Give — Jesus gave up his life, pouring himself out saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.”
For a non-Christian life boils down to the “survival of the fittest.” There is no incentive to give anything without some kind of return.
Adding God into the equation changes everything. Through Jesus, God gives us more than we can contain. In turn, this love can be given to others in unequal measure, especially to our ‘enemies.’ There might even be times they accuse you of having an ulterior motive, because they simply can’t understand it!
He awakens in our lives an echo of His grace. Repentance, forgiveness, new life are foreign concepts in a culture obsessed with mistrust. But in the kingdom of God, forgiveness, love and new life are the ways of God working. Can you imagine what this world would be like if the Christians demonstrated unconditional love to other people?
Jesus reminds us that the kingdom we live in is a kingdom of grace, with moments of life-changing mercy breaking out in our world.
And so “blessed are you” is a statement of faith, –a statement of the cross – a statement that cannot be proven but can only be believed — rooted and grounded not in anything of this world, but is instead rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ—meaning we are reconciled to God the Father giving us new life and providing all that we need.
So yes, blessed are you who are poor – with nothing to hold onto but Christ! – for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who weep now – in repentance – for you shall laugh in the joy of forgiveness forever.
Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and revile you on account of the Son of Man!
Christ is your life and salvation.
Christ is your forgiveness and love.
Christ is the first fruit. Christ, the Tree of Life, gives life to us, that we may live and produce fruit in His name. Not relying on what we see but trusting in His Word—which makes it so! God’s blessing means trusting.
This week –consider who rubs you the wrong way? How can you share the love that God abundantly pours into your lap?
Blessed are all who truly trust in Jesus!
