THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY THING THAT JESUS TAUGHT:

“LOVE​​ YOUR​​ ENEMIES”  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ (Matthew 5:43-48)

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 10/9/22

LAST WEEK WE SAW HOW JESUS TOOK THE LONG-STANDING RULE

“AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH,”

AND​​ REPLACED​​ IT WITH HIS​​ OWN​​ CHALLENGE

FORBIDDING GETTING EVEN BY THE USE OF VIOLENCE.

WE SAW HOW NO ONE ELSE IN THE WESTERN WORLD

HAD EVER TAUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

TODAY’S TEXT, WHICH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS,

IS, IF ANYTHING, EVEN​​ MORE​​ RADICAL.

IT SHOWS US HOW​​ LITTLE​​ WE HAVE​​ GROWN

IN TERMS OF​​ ETHICS​​ OVER THE TWENTY CENTURIES

SINCE JESUS TAUGHT

“YOU HAVE​​ HEARD​​ THAT IT WAS SAID, ‘YOU SHALL​​ LOVE

YOUR​​ NEIGHBOR​​ AND​​ HATE​​ YOUR​​ ENEMY.’

BUT​​ I​​ SAY TO YOU,​​ LOVE​​ YOUR​​ ENEMIES.”

THIS TEACHING IS​​ JUST​​ AS​​ OUTRAGEOUS

A TEACHING IN​​ OUR​​ DAY AS IT WAS IN​​ JESUS’ DAY.

IT STRIKES MANY OF US AS PIE-IN-THE-SKY​​ IDEALISM,

AN IDEALISM​​ IMPOSSIBLE​​ TO LIVE OUT IN THE​​ REAL​​ WORLD.

IMPOSSIBLE, THAT IS, UNTIL WE​​ REMEMBER​​ THAT JESUS

EMBODIED THIS TEACHING IN HIS OWN LIFE,

THAT IT WAS THE MOST OFTEN QUOTED OF JESUS’ TEACHINGS

IN THE EARLY CHURCH,

AND THAT THE EARLY CHURCH ACTUALLY​​ LIVED​​ THIS​​ OUT

DURING ITS FIRST THREE HUNDRED YEARS.

WHAT HAPPENED?

IN VERY BROAD BRUSH-STROKES:

AFTER THE FIRST THREE HUNDRED YEARS –

ALMOST LIKE A PRE-ARRANGED WEDDING​​ 

CONCOCTED BY THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE –

THE CHURCH MARRIED ITSELF TO THE STATE.

THE​​ STATE​​ HAD ENEMIES, THEREFORE THE​​ CHURCH​​ 

HAD ENEMIES AS WELL.

AND WHEN THE CHURCH BECAME ITS OWN STATE

AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE STAGE WAS SET

FOR ATROCITIES SUCH AS THE CRUSADES AND THE INQUISITION

TO BE CARRIED OUT IN THE NAME OF​​ JESUS,

DIRECTLY​​ CONTRADICTING​​ WHAT MANY WOULD CALL

HIS MOST IMPORTANT TEACHINGS ON ETHICS.

A HUGE SEGMENT OF CONTEMPORARY MAINLINE PROTESTANT,

ROMAN CATHOLIC, AND GREEK ORTHODOX​​ THEOLOGIANS

AND ETHICISTS BELIEVE THAT IF A DECLINING CHRISTIANITY

IS TO ONCE AGAIN BECOME​​ VITAL, IT MUST RETURN TO ITS​​ ROOTS

OF NONVIOLENCE AND LOVE-FOR-ENEMY.

(PAUSE)

THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES IN JESUS’ DAY DEFINED AS AN ENEMY

ANYONE WHO WAS NOT PART OF THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT.

THIS TINY MINORITY WITHIN JUDAISM WROTE OFF AS “ENEMIES”

ALL THOSE WHO DID NOT FOLLOW THE THOUSANDS OF LAWS​​ 

THAT THEY CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL FOR WHAT THEY CALLED

“HOLINESS,” OR “PURITY.” ​​ 

THOSE WRITTEN OFF INCLUDED WOEMN, GENTILES,

THE SO-CALLED “COMMON” PEOPLE OF THE LAND –

WHO HAD TO WORK FOR A LIVING, AND DID NOT HAVE THE TIME​​ 

OR THE ENERGY TO FOLLOW THOUSANDS OF RELIGIOUS RULES –

ALL THOSE WITH A NOTICEABLE BLEMISH ON THEIR SKIN,

AND ALL THOSE WITH SERIOUS ILLNESSES.

THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES LIVED IN A SELF-MADE HOSTILE WORLD,

IN WHICH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR OWN PEOPLE​​ 

WERE DEFINED AS BEING AGAINST THEM, AND ALL GENTILES

WERE SEEN AS ENEMIES.

JESUS CONSIDERED THEIR DEFINITION OF “HOLINESS,”​​ 

OR “PURITY” TO BE ABSURD.

HE CLAIMED THE GOD-GIVEN​​ AUTHORITY​​ TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT.

THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES TAUGHT THAT HOLINESS MEANS

SEPARATENESS​​ AND​​ EXCLUSION.

JESUS TAUGHT THAT HOLINESS MEANS​​ COMPASSION​​ AND​​ MERCY.

HE PURPOSELY ATE WITH TAX COLLECTORS, WOMEN, AND GENTILES

IN AN INTENTIONAL​​ REVERSAL​​ OF THE PHARISAIC PRACTICE

OF LEAVING PEOPLE OUT.

HE CHALLENGED ALL PEOPLE TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THEIR LIVES

BY COMING TO REALIZE THAT WHAT DEFILES IS NOT CONTACT

WITH OTHERS, BUT THE ENVY, SLANDER, DECEIT, GREED, AND KILLING

THAT COME FROM THE HEART IN ITS HATEFUL RELATIONS​​ 

WITH OTHERS. ​​ (Mark 7:18-22)

THE COMMANDMENT “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR​​ 

AS YOURSELF” COMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOK​​ 

OF LEVITICUS.

BUT THE QUESTION THAT PEOPLE WERE DEBATING IN JESUS’ TIME,

JUST AS IN OUR TIME, WAS: “WHO, EXACTLY, IS TO BE​​ INCLUDED

IN OUR COMMUNITY OF NEIGHBORS?”

JESUS ANSWERS BY GIVING US ANOTHER RADICAL TEACHING.

HE POINTS OUT THAT GOD GIVES SUNSHINE AND RAIN

EVEN TO GOD’S ENEMIES.

IN OTHER WORDS, HE TELLS US THAT GOD LOVES

EVERYONE, NO​​ EXCEPTIONS.

IT FOLLOWS THAT IF WE ARE TO PARTICIPATE IN GOD’S KIN-DOM,

WE ARE TO INCLUDE EVEN OUR​​ ENEMIES​​ IN THE COMMUNITY

OF NEIGHBORS TO WHOM WE GIVE LOVE.

IN ADDITION TO GIVING US THE CHALLENGE TO BE LIKE GOD​​ 

IN LOVING OUR ENEMIES, THIS STATEMENT OF JESUS THAT GOD

“MAKES HIS SUN RISE ON THE EVIL AND ON THE GOOD,

AND SENDS RAIN ON THE RIGHTEOUS​​ AND​​ ON THE UNRIGHTEOUS,”

IS, I BELIEVE, JESUS’ DEFINITIVE REJECTION OF THE IDEA –​​ 

PROMINENT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT – THAT GOD​​ PUNISHES

BY SENDING ILLNESS, MISFORTUNE, AND POVERTY.

ACCORDING TO JESUS, WRONG-DOING IS ITS​​ OWN​​ PUNISHMENT;

GOD DOES​​ NOT​​ ADD-ON​​ EXTRA​​ PUNISHMENT TO MAKE SURE

THAT WE LEARN OUR LESSON.

INSTEAD, GOD RADIATES UNCONDITIONAL LOVE​​ 

TOWARD ALL PEOPLE IN THE HOPE THAT THEY –

IN THE HOPE THAT​​ WE​​ – WILL EVENTUALLY​​ WAKE​​ UP

AND START LOVING AS​​ GOD​​ LOVES.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH OUR ENGLISH TRANSLATION

THIS MORNING IS THE VERY LAST SENTENCE, WHICH READS

“BE​​ PERFECT, THEREFORE, AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS​​ PERFECT.”

THIS SEEMING EXPECTATION OF​​ PERFECTION​​ IS SO​​ GLOBAL,

SO​​ OVERWHELMING, THAT IT HAS CAUSED MANY A FOLLOWER​​ 

OF JESUS TO GIVE UP EVEN​​ TRYING​​ TO FOLLLOW HIS TEACHINGS

IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

THE THINKING GOES, “WELL, I’M​​ NEVER​​ GOING TO BE​​ PERFECT,

SO I MIGHT AS WELL NOT EVEN​​ TRY.”

AS USUAL, THE TRANSLATORS HAVE JUMPED TO, WHAT IS FOR THEM,

THE​​ EASIEST​​ TRANSLATION FROM THE GREEK, INSTEAD OF TO THE

MOST​​ SENSIBLE​​ TRANSLATION GIVEN THE​​ CONTEXT.

AND THE C0NTEXT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING,​​ 

AS WE HAVE SEEN, IS GOD’S​​ UNCONDITIONAL,​​ INCLUSIVE,​​ 

AND​​ COMPLETE​​ LOVE FOR OTHERS.

THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED AS “PERFECT” CAN​​ ALSO​​ MEAN

UNCONDITIONAL, INCLUSIVE, AND COMPLETE.

THEREFORE, GIVEN THE ALL-IMPORTANT​​ CONTEXT​​ 

OF TODAY’S READING, A BETTER, MORE ACCURATE, TRANSLATION

WOULD BE: “BE AS​​ UNCONDITIONAL​​ IN​​ YOUR​​ LOVE FOR OTHERS

AS​​ GOD​​ IS UNCONDITIONAL IN GOD’S LOVE FOR OTHERS.”

I BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS QUITE SERIOUS IN​​ EXPECTING​​ 

HIS FOLLOWERS TO TAKE HIM​​ SERIOUSLY.

IN OTHER WORDS, HE EXPECTS US TO PUT HIS TEACHINGS

INTO​​ PRACTICE, JUST AS​​ HE​​ PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I ALSO THINK IT IS QUITE CLEAR

THAT JESUS DID​​ NOT​​ COME TO SUBSTITUTE HIS OWN SET OF

IMPOSSIBLE COMMANDS IN PLACE OF THE IMPOSSIBLE COMMANDS

OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES.

ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO LAST WEEK’S TEACHING​​ 

ON CREATIVE NONVIOLENCE AND THIS WEEK’S TEACHING

ON LOVE OF ENEMY, IF WE TAKE THEM AS NEW, AND ABSOLUTE,

COMMANDMENTS, OR​​ LAWS, WE ARE SOON GOING TO BREAK THEM,

DERAIL, AND GIVE UP EVEN TRYING TO FOLLOW THEM.

I BELIEVE THAT JESUS HAD SOMETHING MUCH MORE​​ PRACTICAL,

SOMETHING MUCH MORE​​ LIVABLE​​ IN MIND.

HE WANTS US TO​​ LIVE​​ INTO​​ OR​​ GROW​​ INTO​​ 

THESE NEW​​ WAYS-OF-BEING.

REAL GROWTH​​ ALWAYS​​ INVOLVES PERIODS OF GETTING NOWHERE,

OR EVEN MOVING BACKWARDS.

SO I DON’T THINK THAT JESUS IS TEACHING US

IMPOSSIBLE ABSOLUTES HERE.

I THINK THAT HE IS ADVOCATING A PROCESS OF​​ GROWTH,

THAT IF TAKEN​​ SERIOUSLY, WILL EVENTUALLY

TRANSFORM NOT ONLY OURSELVES, BUT THE WORLD.

IT’S JUST TOO EASY AN OUT TO CITE THE EXAMPLE OF WORLD WAR II,

OR TO RAISE THE HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE​​ 

ATTACKING OUR CHILDREN, TO GIVE UP ON NONVIOLENCE.

IT’S JUST TOO EASY AN OUT TO CITE THE TERRORISTS​​ AND PUTIN

AND GIVE UP ON LOVING OUR ENEMIES.

THERE ARE STILL​​ PLENTY​​ OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO PRACTICE

NONVIOLENCE AND LOVING OUR ENEMIES WITHOUT RESORTING

TO TERRORISM, PUTIN,​​ OR WORLD WAR II AS​​ EXCUSES.

I’D LIKE TO CONCLUDE THIS SERMON WITH TWO CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF WHAT LOVING OUR ENEMIES

ACTUALLY​​ LOOKS​​ LIKE.

THE FIRST IS FROM THE REALM OF POLITICS, THE SECOND

FROM THE PROVINCE OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.

IN THE MID-1950’S, THE PACIFIST ORGANIZATION,

THE FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION,​​ 

LEARNING OF FAMINE IN THE CHINESE MAINLAND,

LAUNCHED A “FEED THINE ENEMY” CAMPAIGN.

MEMBERS AND FRIENDS MAILED THOUSANDS

OF LITTLE BAGS OF RICE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

WITH A TAG QUOTING SCRIPTURE:

“IF THINE ENEMY HUNGER,​​ FEED​​ HIM.”

AS FAR AS ANYONE KNEW, FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS,

THE CAMPAIGN WAS AN ABJECT​​ FAILURE.

THE PRESIDENT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE​​ 

RECEIPT OF THE BAGS PUBLICLY.

NO RICE WAS EVER SENT TO CHINA.

WHAT NONVIOLENT ACTIVISTS LEARNED A DECADE LATER​​ 

WAS THAT THIS CAMPAIGN PLAYED A​​ SIGNIFICANT,

PERHAPS EVEN​​ DETERMINING, ROLE​​ 

IN PREVENTING NUCLEAR WAR.

TWICE DURING THAT CAMPAIGN PRESIDENT EISENHOWER

MET WITH THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF TO CONSIDER

U.S. OPTIONS IN THE CONFLICT WITH CHINA.

ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THE JOINT CHIEFS​​ 

RECOMMENDED THE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

EACH TIME PRESIDENT EISENHOWER TURNED TO HIS AIDE

AND ASKED HOW MANY LITTLE BAGS OF RICE HAD COME IN.

WHEN TOLD THEY NUMBERED IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS,

EISENHOWER TOLD THE GENERALS THAT, AS LONG AS​​ 

SO MANY AMERICANS WERE EXPRESSING ACTIVE INTEREST

IN HAVING THE U.S. FEED THE CHINESE, HE CERTAINLY

WASN’T GOING TO CONSIDER USING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AGAINST THEM.

(PAUSE)

OUR SECOND EXAMPLE OF LOVING OUR ENEMIES,​​ 

FROM THE REALM OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS,

ILLUSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ABLE

TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN​​ REAL​​ AND​​ IMAGINED​​ ENEMIES.

IT COMES FROM A PAST ISSUE OF​​ THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY.

THE WRITER IS ALBERT BUTZER III, FROM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA,

WHO WRITES:

“IN MY TEENAGE YEARS MY MOTHER WAS DRUNK

MORE NIGHTS THAN SHE WAS SOBER.

WHEN MY DAD, MY BROTHER, OR I CONFRONTED HER

ABOUT HER DRINKING, SHE’D​​ DENY​​ HAVING HAD A DRINK,

EVEN THOUGH HER SLURRED SPEECH AND STUMBLING

GAVE HER AWAY.

WE’D PERPETUATE THE FAMILY LIE BY SAYING,​​ 

‘OH, IT’S REALLY NOT THAT BAD’​​ 

OR ‘MAYBE SHE’LL BE BETTER TOMORROW.’

I GUESS WE WERE PROTECTING MOM​​ 

OR HIDING OUR PAINFUL EMBARRASSMENT – PROBABLY BOTH.

BUT THERE WAS A MORE SINISTER. . .LIE.

MY MOTHER SUFFERED FROM LOW SELF-ESTEEM

AND CRITICIZED OTHERS RELENTLESLY.

SHE SPARED NO ONE HER WRATH.

ONE OF HER FAVORITE TARGETS WAS MY DAD’S SISTER,

WHO, ACCORDING TO MY MOTHER,​​ 

WAS [NOTHING LESS THAN AN EVIL WITCH].

AS A RESULT OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY AUNT AND UNCLE

AND OUR COUSINS WERE STRAINED.

WE DIDN’T SOCIALIZE WITH THEM.

WE DIDN’T SHARE HOLIDAYS.

AND FOR MANY YEARS I BELIEVED THAT MY​​ AUNT​​ 

WAS THE PROBLEM.

I BECAME A PRESBYTERIAN PASTOR, SO WHEN MY AUNT DIED

OF CANCER, HER CHILDREN INVITED ME TO PARTICIPATE

IN HER FUNERAL SERVICE.

TO HELP ME PREPARE, THEY SENT ME AN ENVELOPE

OVERFLOWING WITH SYMPATHY LETTERS.

WHAT I READ AMAZED ME!

MY AUNT HAD BEEN THE WIFE OF A U.S. NAVY CAPTAIN

AND HAD TAKEN A LOVING, MOTHERLY INTEREST

IN THE YOUNGER OFFICERS AND THEIR WIVES.

SHE’D ALSO BEEN A DEVOTED SPOUSE, A CARING MOTHER,

AN ELDER IN HER CHURCH, AND A VOLUNTEER

IN MANY CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS.

SHE WAS A REMARKABLE AND GRACIOUS WOMAN.

AS I STOOD WITH HER HUSBAND AND FOUR DAUGHTERS

AT THE CEMETEY, A SINGLE THOUGHT​​ 

KEPT RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND:

‘IGNORING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS, WE VIOLATE

THE IMAGE OF GOD​​ IN OTHERS AND OURSELVES,

AND ACCEPT LIES AS TRUTH.’

THOSE WORDS ARE PART OF THE PRESBYTERIAN

‘BRIEF STATEMENT OF FAITH,’ AND I’D SPOKEN THEM​​ SO OFTEN

THAT THEY’D BECOME PART OF THE FABRIC OF MY FAITH.

NOW THESE WORDS CAME BACK TO ME WITH THE FORCE

OF [THE PROPHET] NATHAN’S WORDS WHEN HE CONFRONTED

KING DAVID ABOUT HIS ADULTERY.

‘WE ACCEPT LIES AS TRUTH.’

THAT’S WHAT I’D DONE, DUE AT LEAST IN PART TO THE

DYSFUNCTIONAL ALCOHOLIC FAMILY IN WHICH I GREW UP.

FOR FAR TOO LONG I HAD A DISTORTED VIEW OF THE TRUTH

ABOUT MY AUNT, WHO LIVED A BEAUTIFUL, GRACE-FILLED LIFE.

BY TELLING THE TRUTH​​ NOW, PERHAPS I CAN FIND HEALING

FOR THE FAMILY DISEASE OF ALCOHOLISM.” ​​ (End Quote)

IN ALBERT’S CASE, HIS AUNT WAS ONLY AN​​ IMAGINED​​ ENEMY,

WHOM HE LEARNED TO LOVE ONLY AFTER HER DEATH.

THE​​ REAL​​ ENEMY WAS HIS MOTHER’S ALCOHOLISM,

AND ALBERT REALIZED, TOO LATE, THAT LOVING​​ 

HIS ALCOHOLIC MOTHER SHOULD HAVE ENTAILED​​ 

A FAMILY INTERVENTION, HIS MOTHER’S PARTICIPATION

IN ALCOHOLIC’S ANONYMOUS, AND THE FAMILY’S

PARTICIPATION IN AL-ANON.

LOVING OUR ENEMIES SOMETIMES REQUIRES​​ 

FIRST​​ FIGURING OUR WHO THE​​ REAL​​ ENEMY​​ IS.

ONCE WE KNOW THAT, WE CAN GO ON TO FIGURE OUT​​ 

A WAY OF LOVE THAT FITS THE PERSON AND THE SITUATION.

MAY GOD BLESS US WITH THE DETERMINATION TO​​ GROW​​ INTO​​ 

THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS ON NONVIOLENCE AND LOVE OF ENEMY.

MAY GOD BLESS US WITH THE DETERMINATION​​ 

TO​​ KEEP​​ ON​​ GROWING​​ AS PEOPLE OF NONVIOLENCE

AND LOVE OF ENEMY EVEN WHEN WE​​ FAIL.

AND MAY WE BE HAPPILY SURPRISED WHEN WE SUCCEED.

AMEN.