Luke 6:27-38
There’s no way to avoid it—this is a difficult text.
- I place it in the category of:
- Things I Wish Jesus Never Said.
- We know what Jesus asks of us.
- We know what the Bible says.
- But we often will say or think:
- Who could really live this way?
- Well…Jesus…of course…but he
was perfect…you know. - He was sinless…he is the Son of God…it’s easy for him.
- Loving our enemies? Are you serious?
- No way…not today…not with what I’ve experienced…
- Not with what I’ve seen…not with what’s been done to me.
The Lord be with you.
The English playwright…G. K. Chesterton famously said:
- “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult…and left
”
But…you see…Jesus expected his disciples to live this way. - Love your enemies Jesus said…do good to those who hate you.
- He also called us to forgive those we hate…or who hate us.
- It is tough to preach on this text…because it’s complicated:
- Theologically…psychologically and emotionally.
- And it is prone to misunderstanding and abuse.
- We must be careful that we hear the spirit of the text.
- Bless those who curse you Jesus says…pray for those who abuse you.
- Forgive and you will be forgiven…give and it will be given to you.
A disciple of Jesus loves the enemy and offers forgiveness.
- But here’s the thing: Jesus doesn’t say…when…or how soon.
- And I am grateful for this because I believe that sometimes Christians forgive too soon.
- That’s called cheap grace.
- I have known Christians who think they need to go straight from wrong to forgiveness…right away.
- But there’s a problem with this.
- Why? Because forgiving too soon preempts our ability to be angry.
- It hinders us from honoring the hurt.
- Recognizing the wrong that was done…
- And acknowledging how we feel.
- Dissociating the wrong from the feelings associated with it is not
We often rush to forgiveness because we think it is the “Christian” thing to do…
- And because we really do not want to sit with our hurt.
- Sometimes we move too quickly through the forgiveness process…
- And then we discover later that we are still harboring resentment and anger…
- Because the wound is still there.
We need to remember that anger can be a gift in that it “locates our wound/hurt.
- Anger helps us defend ourselves and energizes us to correct what needs to be corrected.
- This is especially true regarding abuse.
- In an abusive situation we need to honor our anger first.
- Anger at abuse and injustice is an expression of our integrity and our human dignity.
The only way we can move beyond hate…alienation and separation is to learn to love more deeply.
- And…in God’s good time…and with God’s help—extend forgiveness.
- We need to get to that place of
forgiveness when the timing is right. - When it becomes clear that we cannot do anything about the one who hates us or wronged us.
- There comes a time when we must let it go…we must practice forgiveness.
Anne Lammott…in her memoir…Traveling Mercies…says:
- Withholding forgiveness is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.
- Retaliation or holding onto anger about the harm done to us does not actually combat evil…it feeds it.
- If we are not careful…we can absorb the worst of our enemy…
- And start to become them.
- So…forgiveness then…is a way of wielding bolt-cutters…
- And snapping the chains that link us.
- By this we are saying: What you did was so not okay…I refuse to be connected to it anymore.
Forgiving is being a freedom fighter.
- Free people are not controlled by the past.
- Free people laugh more than others.
- Free people see beauty where others do not.
- Free people are not easily offended.
- Free people are unafraid to speak truth to stupid.
- Free people are not chained to resentments.
If you love those who love you…what credit is that to you? Love your enemies…do good…and lend…and
expect nothing in return.
- In Jesus’ time…in the Greco-Roman world…reciprocity was the norm.
- This was the rule: I give so that you will give back to me…quid pro quo.
- Here…in our gospel…Jesus’ questions this way of acting.
- Jesus expects us to go beyond mere reciprocity.
- He commands us to stop the vicious cycle of reciprocity…of wanting to get even.
- Jesus was going against the norm…going against the grain.
- And expects the same from us today.
- Because that’s what God’s love always does.
- It’s not rational or reasonable…it is something else.
- Like so much in Jesus’ teaching…it comes down to love.
- Understanding the risk and the
cost of love. - The difficulty and the joy of love.
Henri Nouwen…the Roman Catholic priest…theologian and writer…reminds us:
- Forgiveness is the name of love
practiced among people who love poorly. - Jesus is always moving us toward mercy.
- Jesus is always moving us toward greater compassion.
- Jesus expects us to be people of mercy…people of compassion.
- But often…it’s just too much for us.
We know the cost…we know what is required of us to love this way.
- And so…we need to be taught and guided by the Spirit.
- We need to be gifted with the means to love more deeply…love more boldly…love more courageously…
- Until we discover that the one needing to be forgiven…
- The one who is our enemy…is also…worthy of God’s love…just like you and me.
So then…this is what God has done in the face of our misbehavior.
- God has loved his enemies.
- God has been good to those who hate him.
- God has blessed those who curse him.
- God has been kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
- We have seen it on the cross of Jesus.
- Someone struck Jesus on the cheek…and his other cheek was available.
- Someone took away his coat…and he did not withhold his shirt.
- Someone took away all his goods…and Jesus did not ask for them again.
- This is what the Christ of God is like.