Responding With Love

The message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, September 6, 2020.  The Bible verses used are Matthew 5:38-48.

            I think that if I could remove one passage from the Bible, just take it out and not have to deal with it, this might be the one.  

            Jesus tells us to do several things here.  And they are things that I do not want to do.  Some of them really do not make a lot of sense to me.  Others of them go against everything we’re taught by society.  

And that was true in Jesus’ time, too, by the way.  The things Jesus said to do in this passage would not have made any more sense to them than they do to us.  They went against was society taught in Jesus’ time, too.  When you come right down to it, the things Jesus told us to do in this passage are probably the hardest things Jesus ever told us to do.

            But the thing is, we cannot remove this passage from the Bible, not if we want to be true to God’s word.  We cannot just take it out or pretend it’s not there.  So, we have to deal with it.

            Let’s look at what they are.  “Do not resist an evil person.”  “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”  “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”  “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”  “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”  “Love your enemies and pray for those persecute you.”  

            Do you do those things?  Have you ever done those things?  Some of us have probably done some of them, sometimes.  But I don’t know if any of us has done all of them, all the time.  If you have, I salute you.  You’re a lot better than I am.

            We hear these things, and we wonder.  Did Jesus really mean them literally?  “Do not resist an evil person?”  If we don’t resist evil people, won’t evil win?  “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also?”  Does that not allow people to get away with physically abusing others?  “Give to the one who asks you?”  Does that not allow people to take advantage of us?  Are we not enabling people when we do these things?  “Love your enemies?”  I mean, I get not hating them and maybe even not fighting them, but loving them?  What would that even mean?

            Did Jesus really mean these things literally?  Well, I don’t know.  I cannot read the mind of Jesus.  But I can look at what Jesus did.  Jesus did not resist evil people.  He knew Judas was going to betray him--and he did not stop him.  He knew he would be arrested when he went to the Garden of Gethsemane--and he still went there.  He knew the authorities would kill him--and he let them.  Jesus did not resist, even when it mean his own death.

            While Jesus was being held, he was beaten.  We’re told that the guards slapped him and beat him, all the time mocking him by saying “Prophesy!  Who hit you?”  Jesus did not fight back.  Yes, he was bound, but he was also Jesus.  No ropes could bind Jesus if he chose not to be bound.  But he did not fight back.  He literally turned the other cheek.

            Jesus loved even his enemies.  He prayed for those who persecuted him.  Even as he was dying on the cross, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

            When I look at how Jesus lived his life, I can only come to one conclusion:  Jesus meant it.  Jesus meant what he said.  And he lived what he said.  Do I like that conclusion?  No, not really.  But if I take this question seriously and look at it honestly, that’s the only conclusion I can reach.

            So, where does that leave us?  Are we to do nothing in the face of evil?  Are we to allow people to physically abuse us and do nothing?  Are we to let people have anything of ours they want?  How are we supposed to apply Jesus’ words in our lives?

            Well, I don’t know.  But I’ll tell you what I think.  You might disagree, and you might well be right.  I could be making excuses for myself with some of this.  But here’s what I think.

            Jesus did live these things out.  But he lived them out for specific reasons.  He lived them out in ways that would ultimately bring honor and glory to God the Father.  Yes, Jesus still allowed Judas to betray him, and yes, he allowed the authorities to arrest him and to kill him.  But we read about other times, earlier than that, where crowds tried to seize Jesus, and Jesus got away from them.  He may not have fought back, but he did not allow himself to be beaten or killed in those situations.   He was waiting until the time was right, the time God the Father wanted things to happen.

            And yes, Jesus allowed the guards to beat him.   But he did not allow himself to be beaten up by random people on the street.  You know, there were thugs and robbers and thieves in Jesus’ time, just like there are today.  Jesus did not let those people beat him up.  Again, Jesus let this happen with the guards because the time was right.  This was the time God the Father wanted these things to happen.

            Jesus knew all of these things had to happen.  They had to happen because Jesus had come here, specifically, to die so that our sins could be forgiven.  He was not going to run away from that.  He knew that, but allowing these things to happen, he was serving God.

            So, again, where does that leave us?  Does it allow us to ignore these things Jesus said?  Because, after all, my death is not going to cause anyone’s sins to be forgiven.  My death is not going to lead to salvation and eternal life for anyone.  So, do I have an excuse to do what I want to do--just ignore this part of the Bible?  

            Well, no, I don’t think so.   Jesus would not have said these things, and Matthew would not have recorded them, if we were not supposed to listen to them.  But what do we do with them?

            Remember last week, what we said about the law?  Jesus believed in the law.  But Jesus said we should go beyond just what the law required.  Jesus said we should apply the law with love--love of God and love of others.

            I think that’s what Jesus is getting at here.  Jesus reminds people that the law allows for revenge--eye for eye and tooth for tooth.  But Jesus tells us to go beyond that.  Don’t focus on revenge.  Focus on love.  

            Jesus says that in a different way later in the passage.  He says, look, everyone loves people who love them.  Everyone’s friendly to people who are friendly to them.  That’s no big deal.  If you do that, you’re no different from anyone else.

            Jesus tells us, if we really want to follow him, we have to be different.  We cannot just follow the law.  We cannot just do what everyone else does.  We need to go beyond that.  We need to focus on love.

            What does that mean for our lives?  Well, think about it.  Think about a time someone has treated you badly.  Think about a time someone has cheated you, or betrayed you.  I suspect almost all of us have had that happen.  Maybe you’ve even had someone physically assault you.  Think about those times.  How did you respond?

            And when I ask “how did you respond”, I’m not necessarily asking what actions did you take.  That’s part of it, but the more important question is this:  what was in your heart?  The actions you took were just the result of what was in your heart.  When you were cheated, when you were betrayed, if you were physically attacked, how did you respond in your heart?  Did you respond with a desire for revenge--an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?  Or did you respond with love?

            And responding with love does not necessarily mean you did nothing about it.  That’s not what I’m saying.  But again, whatever you did do about it, what was in your heart?  Why did you respond the way you did?  What were you feeling when you responded the way you did?  What did you want to have happen when you responded the way you did?  What was in your heart?

            These are not easy questions.  They’re not supposed to be.  I told you--I wish I could take this part out of the Bible and not have to deal with it.  But we cannot do that and still honestly call ourselves Christians.  We have to deal with these things, whether we like it or not.

            Jesus said these things.  Jesus meant them.  Jesus lived them.  If we want to call ourselves followers of Jesus, we need to live them, too.  That means responding with love in all situations.  Even when we’ve been cheated.  Even when we’ve been taken advantage of.  Even when we’ve been attacked.  Even when we’ve been betrayed.

            Jesus knew this would not be easy for us.  At the end of this passage, Jesus says, “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Jesus did not say that as a law.  He was not saying, if you’re not perfect, God will send you to hell.  Jesus was saying, that’s your goal.  That’s what I want all of you to aspire to.  That’s what you need to try to do.  Always.  Under all circumstances.  Even when people treat you like dirt.  Go beyond what the law requires.  Show love, just as Jesus showed love and just as God the Father shows love.  Respond with love, always.

            We’ll fail sometimes.  We’ll fail lots of times.  But that’s not an excuse.  When we fail, we need to ask God for forgiveness and try again.  And again.  And again and again.  Never give up.  Keep trying to respond with love, always.  

            Jesus said these things.  Jesus meant them.  Jesus lived them.  If we want to call ourselves followers of Jesus, we need to live them, too.