(Luke 6: 27-38)
Who do you love? Hopefully, if asked to make a list it would be quite lengthy and there would be people you left off the list because you forgot about them, people you loved from long ago, people who may have passed on, but you still love them just as much, if not more. But what if you were asked to make a list, a “Who Don’t You Love” list? A list of people who have done you wrong, people you hate because of some hurtful act inflicted upon you or someone you loved? For some of us that would be a pretty long list. And I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had such a list although I wouldn’t go so far as to explicitly name it an enemies list. Maybe a list of people I have no use for would be a more fitting description, kind of a “dead-to-me” list if you will. They no longer exist. Admittedly, that’s a hard list to get off from, but I’m paring it down. And I can say that I have no doubt that I have been on a few enemies lists myself. Not because I think I went out of my way to wrong them but because I didn’t do what they wanted me to do, or I did something that they felt wasn’t in their best interests. And I know a few of these people were actively looking for ways to hurt me or get even in one way or another, and some were successful. If I asked you to move somebody off your enemy list on to your “Who Do You Love” list what would your reaction be? Okay, what if Jesus asked you?
And it is Jesus asking us in our scripture reading for this morning. We’re picking up where we left off last week where Luke recounts what Jesus said about those who were poor, hungry, and weeping being blessed because a life in eternity was theirs, and those who were rich, well-fed, and living it up already had their reward so not to expect much in the way of an eternal life. Jesus is really working the crowd and sees this large and diverse gathering as a golden opportunity to spread his message to people who will return home with it and share it with their friends and loved ones. He starts out by saying: But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. What immediately caught my attention was the manner in which he phrased it. “But I say to you who are willing to hear.” Jesus knew then, just as he knows now, that what he was about to say would be very difficult for many to hear. What? Let me get this straight. You are telling me to love my enemies, people who are out to get me? You want me to do good things for people who hate me, who can’t stand to see me coming? You want me to bless people who curse me and talk bad about me in public? You want me to pray for those who have mistreated me, who have gone out of their way to do me wrong? You know Jesus, I was with you, really with you to a point, but this is asking just a little too much. And if that didn’t get them riled up, he continues by telling them: If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other one as well. If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt either. Give to everyone who ask and don’t demand your things back from those who take them. Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. Are you kidding me! If someone physically assaults me, I’m not supposed to hit them back? I’m to stand there and let them take another swing at me? And if someone takes from me; I’m supposed to give them more if they ask? And if someone borrows something from me; I’m not to ask that it be returned? You’re asking me to be a doormat, to let people walk all over me, to take advantage of me. That’s asking a lot if you ask me.
Think about what Jesus is asking and who he is asking. The Jews were living under an oppressive Roman occupation and were being taxed heavily. They really hated the Romans and the taxes they were paying weren’t going to anything that would make their lives easier. And then you had the Jewish religious leaders who were looking out for themselves and not their flock. You also had people in the crowd who used their privilege to take advantage of others to elevate themselves with little regard for who got hurt along the way. And you had those at or near the bottom who were fighting each other just to maintain and protect what little they had. And we have to ask ourselves: Are we any different today? Republicans can’t stand Democrats and vice versa. Conservatives and progressives can’t see eye to eye on the most basic of issues. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and the least, the last and the lost are left to their own devices for survival. And now we have social media, a steroid which elevates our hate and animosity to the point where we can’t even civilly agree to disagree. This is where Jesus lost quite a few in the crowd and where he’s losing people today. Evangelical Christians and Progressive Christians can’t even agree on the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is to fundamentally love others as we would want to be loved, as Jesus loved us.
Jesus gets to his point when he asks a couple of rhetorical questions. He asks: If you love those who love you, why should you be commended? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, why should you be commended? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, why should you be commended? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be paid back in full. He’s telling us that we’re really nothing special if we just love the ones who love us back. If we’re truly going to be Followers of the Way of Jesus Christ, we have to be different. We have to be better. Not better as in “I’m better than you.” But we have to be better people, we have to work on our faults and imperfections and live as Jesus would have us live and love as Jesus would have us love. Having a forgiving spirit, forgiving those who have wronged us, demonstrates that we have received God’s forgiveness and can move on with our lives.
Jesus tells us to instead love our enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. If you do, he says, you will have a great reward. You will be acting the way children of the Most High act, for he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people. Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. So what Jesus is telling me is that it’s not enough for me to write off my enemies, to consider them dead to me, and not seek revenge. I actually have to love them which starts with forgiveness and continues with me praying for their well-being. And, when the opportunity arises, I must do them good, help them out when they need help, and not expect anything in return. I must show them the compassion and generosity that they, for whatever reason, did not show me. I gotta be honest. That’s going to take some doing, but if we’re going to affect the kind of change the world needs, we’re going to have to be different. We’re going to have to be honest with ourselves.
Luke closes out this portion of his gospel by telling us that Jesus instructs us not to judge and we won’t be judged. Jesus says: Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap. He tells us that the portion we give will determine what we receive in return. He’s telling us that our actions, whether well intentioned or not, are a true test of our faith. Our good actions towards others, not the others we naturally love, are an outward reflection of our inward faith. Only that faith that is put into action will stand the test of time.
To be clear, Jesus wasn’t talking about having affection for our enemies, affection like we have for our parents, our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, and our closest friends. He was talking about love as an act of the will. This isn’t the kind of love you can fall into as in when you first met the love of your life or saw your child or grandchild for the first time. It takes a conscious effort, and an effort that at times can be quite trying and taxing. An effort that can even be met with rejection, ridicule, and failure. Loving our enemies means acting in their best interests. As hard as it might seem, and you may not be there yet, it means praying for them and consciously thinking of ways to help them.
Understand that Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything he wouldn’t or hasn’t already done. Jesus loves the whole world, even though the world is in rebellion against God. Jesus is simply asking us to follow his example by loving our enemies. He wants us to grant our enemies the same respect and rights as we desire for ourselves. In doing so, in forgiving and loving others as you would want to be loved and forgiven, you will truly know who you love.
Let us pray.
Gracious and loving Father, make us a channel of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord, and where there’s doubt, true faith in you. All compassionate and forgiving Father, move us to show forgiveness and mercy to those who have wronged us in the past so that we may move forward in our lives and not dwell in the dark pit of hatred and revenge. By your Spirit, show us the opportunities where we can forgive others as you have unconditionally forgiven us. Make us a channel of your peace so that we can bring hope, light, and joy to others so that they can know what it means to be forgiven and truly loved. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.