Pastor Tom Johnson, February 23, 2014
Last week, we heard
Jesus’ words about the fifth commandment: “You shall not murder.” Jesus
challenges the conventional understanding of this command; that is, that only
those who have taken another human life have murdered. Jesus says that even
if we think about it—even if we have hate in our hearts—or by the
words of our mouths—we have committed murder before the eyes of God. With this
understanding of murder, we have all—each of us—committed murder by our
thoughts, words, and actions. Jesus gives us a deeper understanding of
murder—by showing the relationship murder has to anger, bitterness, and
slander. He shows us the cycle
of violence we all have in the privacy of our own hearts and lives. He reveals
our nature to allow patterns of violence to invade our thoughts and hearts and
for that same violence to lash out with words and actions. If we put a stop to
anger, bitterness, and hurtful words, we will effectively put an end to
violence in the world. Without anger, rage, and slander, murder is uprooted.
This morning, Jesus talks about those whose anger, rage, slander, and murder is directed at us. What do we do when we are the objects of violence? How do we as God’s people live our lives peacefully in a world filled with bloodshed? Jesus quotes the Old Testament, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21). This sounds like retaliation—vengeful violence. Many suggest that the original understanding of “eye for an eye” was that the punishment would fit the crime—that the consequences of any offense would not be too severe or too lenient. “Eye for an eye” is a call to impartial justice. “Eye for an eye” was never intended to be an endorsement of vigilantism. There must be order, fairness, and justice when people face the consequences of their crimes. The Old Testament also teaches, “Love your neighbor” (Lev 19:18) but never “hate your enemy.” Jesus is likely quoting rabbinical tradition here. But again, Jesus takes things to a whole new level—not just “love your neighbor” but “love your enemies.”
Love even those people who do not love us—even those who wish to harm us—even those who persecute us for our faith. This is the cycle of violence we sadly see in the world—one group who grows up taught to love their own people but to hate their enemies. There is the age-old Arab/Israeli conflict, Christian/Muslim violence, Communist/Capitalist wars, Catholic/Protestant bloodshed. And in our thoughts, words, and deeds, we have that same violence on our streets, our war against terrorism, in our churches, and even in our homes. We choose sides. We feel violated or victimized by someone and they become our enemy.
But
just who is the enemy? Is it the person who we don’t like or the person who
doesn’t like us? Is it the one bent on our destruction or simply our competitor?
Is it fear of those who we know little about or disgust of those we are too
familiar? Is our enemy our neighbor or is he or she on the other side of town
or in a far country. There does not seem to
be any wiggle room here. Jesus just tells us to love our enemies. He
tells us that he makes the sun rise on the evil and the good alike. He sends
rain on the just and the unjust. Perhaps the real
change happens when we no longer put people into hateful categories and stop
considering them our enemies. At least half the problem is solved, isn’t it, when
we forgive and see our universal struggle with hatred?
Even more than that, we should love our enemies because God loves his enemies. God make the sun rise on a sinful, evil world. He sends rain on a broken humanity. And along with the sun and rain, God sends his only Son, Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World and the Living Water. Scripture says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4;13)—even when we were His enemies. God breaks the cycle of violence. He does not deal with us and our sins with vengeance—and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth—but He deals with our sins with mercy, grace, and love. And Jesus calls us to be the same peacemakers in our broken world—to pray for those we consider our enemies—to believe that God can transform even the most vile and violent—to become agents of love and peace to those who may not even understand, appreciate, or reciprocate our love. When we love our enemies we are only doing what God has already done for us. And through us—who have learned by God’s love and to extend that love—he reconciles more people to himself and reconciles us to one another as well.
This morning, Jesus talks about those whose anger, rage, slander, and murder is directed at us. What do we do when we are the objects of violence? How do we as God’s people live our lives peacefully in a world filled with bloodshed? Jesus quotes the Old Testament, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21). This sounds like retaliation—vengeful violence. Many suggest that the original understanding of “eye for an eye” was that the punishment would fit the crime—that the consequences of any offense would not be too severe or too lenient. “Eye for an eye” is a call to impartial justice. “Eye for an eye” was never intended to be an endorsement of vigilantism. There must be order, fairness, and justice when people face the consequences of their crimes. The Old Testament also teaches, “Love your neighbor” (Lev 19:18) but never “hate your enemy.” Jesus is likely quoting rabbinical tradition here. But again, Jesus takes things to a whole new level—not just “love your neighbor” but “love your enemies.”
Love even those people who do not love us—even those who wish to harm us—even those who persecute us for our faith. This is the cycle of violence we sadly see in the world—one group who grows up taught to love their own people but to hate their enemies. There is the age-old Arab/Israeli conflict, Christian/Muslim violence, Communist/Capitalist wars, Catholic/Protestant bloodshed. And in our thoughts, words, and deeds, we have that same violence on our streets, our war against terrorism, in our churches, and even in our homes. We choose sides. We feel violated or victimized by someone and they become our enemy.
But
just who is the enemy? Is it the person who we don’t like or the person who
doesn’t like us? Is it the one bent on our destruction or simply our competitor?
Is it fear of those who we know little about or disgust of those we are too
familiar? Is our enemy our neighbor or is he or she on the other side of town
or in a far country. There does not seem to
be any wiggle room here. Jesus just tells us to love our enemies. He
tells us that he makes the sun rise on the evil and the good alike. He sends
rain on the just and the unjust. Perhaps the real
change happens when we no longer put people into hateful categories and stop
considering them our enemies. At least half the problem is solved, isn’t it, when
we forgive and see our universal struggle with hatred?Even more than that, we should love our enemies because God loves his enemies. God make the sun rise on a sinful, evil world. He sends rain on a broken humanity. And along with the sun and rain, God sends his only Son, Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World and the Living Water. Scripture says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4;13)—even when we were His enemies. God breaks the cycle of violence. He does not deal with us and our sins with vengeance—and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth—but He deals with our sins with mercy, grace, and love. And Jesus calls us to be the same peacemakers in our broken world—to pray for those we consider our enemies—to believe that God can transform even the most vile and violent—to become agents of love and peace to those who may not even understand, appreciate, or reciprocate our love. When we love our enemies we are only doing what God has already done for us. And through us—who have learned by God’s love and to extend that love—he reconciles more people to himself and reconciles us to one another as well.
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