Readings: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; Psalm 103, Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38
This week’s portion of the Sermon on the Plain immediately follows last week’s which consisted of a series of sayings which begin with either, “Blessed are you, …” or “But woe to you, …” This week Jesus begins with, “…love your enemies, be good to those who hate you, …” these statements are, for many (and I include myself), the most difficult of all to live by. … Jesus is commanding us to live in a very countercultural way.
Recall that Jesus begins his ministry in prayer, “he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12) When he returns to his larger group of disciples he chooses twelve of them that he calls apostles. Once he has chosen these men he makes clear that his mission is to bring the good news of his loving Father. Like last week’s excerpt from the Sermon on the Plain Jesus is changing the paradigm of what it means to be blessed by his Father. In the 1st Century it was felt that if you were rich it was because you were a good person and deserved the praise of your peers, because God was pleased with you. If you were poor or blind it was because of your sins or the sins of your parents. Jesus challenges this when he says, “blessed are you who are poor…” and woe to you who are rich…”
This week he makes even more radical statements when he calls, not to war against one’s enemies but to love them, pray for them and bless them. This is in direct contradiction with the Law of Moses that says, “Do not show pity. Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!” (Deuteronomy 19:21)
He continues his mission statement with, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31) This is known as the Golden Rule and it appears in all the major religions and cultures of the world. The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one’s self would wish to be treated. The Golden Rule can be considered an ethic of reciprocity in some religions, although in Christianity it is treated differently.
In Mark’s Gospel Jesus combines the Golden Rule with the greatest commandment. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
This is more than mere reciprocity. To love others as our self means that loving others is loving ourselves – there is to be no division between others and us. We are to be one body in Christ. To protect another’s life is to protect our life. To treat another with dignity is to preserve our own dignity. To care for the outcast, the foreigner, even those we consider our enemies, is to care for ourselves and to care for the Christ. (CF Matthew 25: 31-46)
Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel are no less radical today as when he spoke them 1,986 years ago. Imagine how this kind of radical love could change the world.
As if to underline this very difficult stance of radical love in the face of evil, Jesus also commands that we love our enemies. I spent 22 years in the Air Force and so, as you can imagine, I feel a bit hypocritical, preaching the love of enemies. In his book, The Soldier and the State, Samuel Huntington defines the military officer, as “the manager of violence.” But I must preach peace, and practice what I preach if I am to call myself a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace.
My current stance on this point came after years of soul searching and a very troubling week in the desert back in 2002. In the end, it was not something I chose; I would have preferred to stay comfortable in my hawkish stance – My father fought in WWII and my two older brothers fought in the Viet Nam War, and my son is currently deployed to a war zone. It is important to point out, however, Jesus was not a pacifist. He was non-violent. If Jesus had been a pacifist, he would have listened to Peter and not gone to Jerusalem. (Matthew16: 22-23) Instead, Jesus went to Jerusalem and spoke truth to power. The results of his actions are displayed on every crucifix; the impact is the greatest gift of grace ever bestowed by God.
So how are we able to take this very courageous stance for love? The answer is presented in today’s excerpt from Paul’s letter in the form of a question. He is calling us to live out our true self that is created in the image and likeness of God. (CF Genesis 1:26) “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” (1 Corinthians 16:49) And how is this true image revealed in us? Well… this is the point of our celebration of the Holy Eucharist – in a few minutes we will consume the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. We will literally eat God and we will become what we eat so we can live out the very life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In eating the Eucharist we become one body in Christ. If we but obey…
You must be logged in to post a comment.