There is a story told of two shopkeepers. Their stores were across the street from each other, and the two had a bitter rivalry. One day an angel came to one of the shopkeepers and said, “The Lord has sent me to tell you that you may have one wish. Whatever you ask for, however extravagant, you will be given. But you must understand that whatever you receive, your rival will receive two-fold.” The shopkeeper thought for a few moments and finally said, “I wish to be made blind in one eye.”
I think this story is intended as a joke, but the realistic edge makes it more sad than funny. We could easily update it from shopkeepers to politicians. There is a disturbingly high level of deception and sheer nastiness oozing from the political ads and interviews right now. It certainly seems that most candidates prioritize damaging their opponents–possibly even over helping themselves.
The assumption, of course, is that by hindering your rivals, your enemies, you are in fact improving your own cause. And this is not an assumption that was invented by 21st-century politicians. (Perfected, perhaps, but not invented.)
Maybe Jesus had certain 1st Century politicians in mind when he got to the part of his sermon on the mount that we read this morning. “Love your enemies.”
We’re used to hearing this. It’s one of Jesus’ most famous quotes. But imagine, for a moment, that you’ve never heard it before.
“Love your enemies.” It sounds rather odd, don’t you think. I mean, I have a hard enough time loving my family and my friends. Love your enemies?
I find it interesting that this line is one of the few in the Gospels that the infamous Jesus Seminar has deemed likely to be authentic. In case you aren’t familiar with the Jesus Seminar, it is a group of biblical scholars who looked at the gospels to determine which parts were most likely to be historically accurate. They put out a color-coded version of the gospels where the words and actions of Jesus are presented in red for those most likely authentic to Jesus, black for those that are probably not authentic, and pink for those that are somewhere in the middle.
I personally believe that the entirety of the Gospels represent the truth of Jesus’ life and ministry. Nevertheless, the Jesus Seminar documents provide some solid historical and literary criticism that is worth looking at as we seek to better understand the gospel texts. I am interested in what the seminar has to say about “love your enemies” not so much because they rate it red–most likely to be authentic–but because of why they rate it red.
One criteria the Jesus Seminar folks used was the criteria of dissimilarity. If something that Jesus purportedly says is markedly different from what others had said before him, if it is different from what the disciples were likely to have come up with on their own, then the scholars figured that it was pretty likely Jesus came up with it himself.
So, do catch that? Jesus probably really said, “love your enemies,” because no one would have made up something so crazy on their own. Does “love your enemies” sound like a principle the earliest disciples would have developed as they met in the catacombs? As they were kicked out of synagogues? Is it reasonable to think that someone sitting around the circle in the dank cave said, “You know what guys, I know Jesus didn’t talk about this or anything, but how about we love all these people who are persecuting us?”.
“Love your enemies” is deemed to be authentically from Jesus because it goes against what we observe to be the natural human tendency. Jesus must have said it, because there is no way we would come up with it on our own.
All you have to do is watch the political ads, or perhaps listen to conversations among your co-workers or family members, or read through some comment threads on facebook to realize what a very bad job we often do of loving our enemies. In fact, one might even wonder if we are capable of loving our enemies.
Some people argue that this, along with some other teachings of Jesus, are merely ideals that humans cannot hope to live up to. Jesus taught these impossible ideals to make us realize what miserable sinners we really are.
Or some would say that “love your enemies” is a high teaching meant only for the “truly holy”–the nuns, the priests, the pastors. Now trust me. If I believed that only pastors were called to the highest ideals of Christ, I wouldn’t be a pastor.
And if you believe it, I should tell you right now that you are in the wrong church. One of the strongest theological convictions of our Anabaptist forebearers was that the teachings of Jesus were for all of us. “Love your enemies” is for each of us to live out each day.
So the question remaining for us this morning is how. How do we love our enemies?
Yes, it is hard. But it’s not impossible. Because, if we look at Jesus’ sermon as a whole, it becomes clear that loving our enemies is not about how we feel, but what we do. Jesus is not asking Stephene Moore to have warm fuzzy feelings about Kevin Yoder–or vice versa. Jesus is saying that they should act in loving ways toward each other. Stephene and Kevin should do things to benefit rather than harm each other.
Loving our enemies is not about how we feel, but about what we do. We should speak kind words. We should turn the other cheek. We should walk the extra mile. We should not allow the animosity we feel toward another person control how we act toward that person.
So what should we do? How should we act toward our enemies? Those people with whom we vehemently disagree, or even those who wish us harm?
The theologian Stanley Hauerwas has said, “Methodists have one theological conviction: God is nice. This is followed by an ethical corollary: We ought to be nice too.” Now just because he was talking about Methodists doesn’t mean we are off the hook. I think the comment applies to many Mennonites as well.
But the truth is that faithfully following the way of Jesus requires more than being nice. If Jesus had just been nice to everybody, he wouldn’t have gotten himself killed.
What does loving our enemies look like as lived out by Jesus? Let me offer two suggestions.
In our speaking, loving our enemies means that we speak the truth respectfully.
Jesus often disagreed with the religious leaders of his day. He did not simply smile and nod when people wanted to stone the woman who had been caught in adultery. He did not tell the rich young ruler to sell as much stuff as he felt he could part with. Jesus spoke the truth. And he spoke with respect. Jesus does not call names. Jesus does not belittle people.
In our speaking, loving our enemies means that we speak the truth respectfully.
I “witnessed” a tension-filled Facebook dialog several months ago. One “friend” has posted a status about participating in a rally for social justice in Kansas City. One of his “friends” commented on his status with an angry tirade in defense of the Glen Beck rally in Washington D.C. Then a mutual “friend” commented that the second friend needed to “take it down a notch.” The original “friend” simply typed out a calm reply, explaining more about the rally he had attended and why he thought it was important. He was honest. He was respectful. This is what we are called to in our speaking if we seek to love our enemies.
In our actions, loving our enemies means that we always act toward healing, never toward destruction.
While Jesus is being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, one of the disciples draws his sword and cuts off the ear of one of the soldiers. In the midst of being arrested, Jesus reaches out and heals the soldier’s ear.
In our actions, loving our enemies means that we always act toward healing, never toward destruction.
Dirk Willems, followed Jesus’ example. Some of you have heard of Dirk Willems. He was an early Anabaptist leader who had been imprisoned for his faith and manged to escape his captors. As he was running across a frozen pond, the man who was chasing him fell through the ice. Willems stopped running, went back, and pulled the man out of the frigid water.
Love your enemies, says Jesus. We know by Jesus’ example what love looks like. And if we consider the whole of Christ’s teaching we must be aware that there are no limits or qualifications on the term “enemy.” Love your personal enemies? Yes. Love your political enemies? Yes. Love your national enemies? Yes. Love your religious enemies? Yes.
There is a Catholic church being built in the village of Kimotong in southern Sudan right now. Two hundred Muslim students from the University of Juba are helping to build this Catholic church. These Muslims are helping because a Sudanese-born Catholic, Lopez Lomong, has been working to end the conflict in Darfur.
It is encouraging to think that sometimes acting in love towards our enemies is a practical way of transforming our enemies into our friends. And when this happens, it is a wonderful thing.
But the Gospels are not a self-help book. Jesus is not doling out practical, problem-solving tips. The truth is that sometimes, when we act in love toward our enemies, they act in love toward us. Sometimes not.
There is no indication that the soldier Jesus healed did anything but continue to aid in Jesus’ arrest.
After Dirk Willams rescued his pursuer from the icy waters, Willems was re-captured and subsequently burned at the stake.
From an earthly standpoint, sometimes loving our enemies works out well for us . . . sometimes not so much.
We should keep in mind that Jesus doesn’t say, “love your enemies so that they will love you back.” He doesn’t say, “love your enemies so that you will feel good about yourself.” He doesn’t say, “love your enemies so that other people will think you’re a good person.” He doesn’t even say, “love your enemies so that the stress hormones will not accumulate in your body and cause a heart attack.”
Here’s what Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
Everyone, Jesus says, can be expected to be nice to people who are nice to them. It’s only natural for people to love the people who love them. But you . . . Do you want to be just “everyone”? Do you want to act like all the other people? Don’t you want to be children of God?
Well, here’s the thing. God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you want to be children of God, you must act like God; you must act in love toward all people, even your enemies. You must speak to your enemies with truth and respect. You must act always for their healing–never for their destruction.
If we are to understand this love that Jesus teaches about, we must realize that it is not something we feel, it’s something we do. And even beyond being something we do, this love is part of who we are.
God is love. If we are indeed children of God, loving our enemies is in our DNA.
Think about someone you would consider an enemy. Now imagine that an angel came and offered you one wish. The only condition is that whatever you receive, your enemy will receive two-fold. What is your wish?
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