Sermon: Epiphany VII – “Not ‘If'”

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I’ve complained to you once before about the headlines for newspaper articles. The situation has not improved. One newspaper reports, “Woman missing since she got lost.” I don’t know if the city or the newspaper is the rocket scientist on this one, but “City unsure why the sewer smells.” No concerns about the education system as “Hispanics ace Spanish tests.” Nothing offensive here, “Midget sues grocer, cites belittling remarks.” And in keeping with the politics of the day, “Ex-Minister breaks silence, says nothing.” And if you think those are idiotic, try these goofy phrases on for size.

“Love your enemies.”

“Do good to those who hate you.”

“Bless those who curse you.”

“If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.”

And the clincher, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

The headlines are ridiculous, but when people start talking like this, I generally begin to think that some sort of rehab is in order.

Last week, we read that Jesus came to a level place with His disciples, and a great crowd gathered around them. Jesus then began to teach, saying, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” He gave them the beatitudes. Today’s Gospel reading is a continuation of that same sermon, and the things Jesus says are radically the opposite of how people believed God operated and even more so on how the world operates.

For example, take the one mentioned, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” The Old Testament does not directly say you are cursed if you are poor, but it does say the opposite. Proverbs 10:22, 

“The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.”

Deuteronomy says, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers.” (Deut. 8:18)

The Old Testament does not say you are cursed if you are poor, but for many, these texts imply it. If you are rich, then God is blessing you. If you are poor, you must have done something wrong to anger God. All the points Jesus made in our reading today are just as startling.

“Love your enemies.” We never seem to recall hearing this in the Old Testament because the opposite is so prevalent. Remember the Edomites and the Babylonians. They did not play well with others, and the Israelites saw them as bitter enemies. The Psalmist made that point quite clear. 

“Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
    the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,
    down to its foundations!”

O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
    blessed shall he be who repays you
    with what you have done to us!

Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
    and dashes them against the rock!” (Psalm 137:7-9)

Not quite the love we were hoping for. Yet, Jesus says we are to love our enemies. In the Sermon on the Mount, He even expanded on this by saying, “I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43) 

We can look at this and everything that Jesus said and understand how radical His teachings were at the time—how controversial they must have been. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case. We love our enemies and never curse anyone. We always turn the other cheek and never strike back. We don’t judge or condemn, and we are incredibly forgiving. Am I right? 

I don’t always pull out the Greek Interlinear Bible (it provides a literal translation of the text), but I did with the passage. I was checking on a particular word—“if.” The translation we read says “If” in a few places, but it is not in the original Greek. Therefore, Jesus is not saying, “If you have enemies… if someone curses you… if someone strikes you… if someone steals from you and so on.” Instead, Jesus is saying, “You will have enemies; there will be those that curse you, someone will strike you, and others will steal from you. It will happen, but you are not to treat them like they treat you. You are to treat them the way you want them to treat you.” 

I would like to get up every morning and say my Stuart Smalley (Saturday Night Live) affirmations, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” I would also like to believe that’s true; however, I may be good enough and smart enough, but not everybody likes me. I’m just not their cup of tea. I don’t think the way they think, believe what they believe, hold to the same politics as they do, or any number of other points of contention. The same is true for all of us. It may seem that everyone is giving you a thumbs up, but don’t be fooled; some are giving you a thumbs down (if not worse), so the question is not whether or not you have these people in your life. You do. The question is, how do you treat them? How do you respond to them? 

Jesus told us how, and St. Peter reaffirmed it in his first Epistle. He writes, “All of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” He then quotes a portion of Psalm 34. “For

‘Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;

let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.’

We are called to be a light unto the nations, but when we act like everyone else, we only bring more darkness. N.T. Wright says that this type of behavior is “Another victory for the hostile world: when Christians ‘give as good as they get,’ repaying slander with slander, they are colluding with the surrounding world, just as surely as if they went along with immorality or financial corruption.” Therefore, our response is that which Jesus calls us to. That is, to behave and respond in a way that is radically the opposite of the world. We are to love instead of hate. Bless instead of curse. Give instead of take. Forgive instead of holding grudges. And this is not easy; even worse, it is not our natural inclination. Most people just aren’t that nice. Therefore, it must be an intentional way of life and a practiced one. 

If you want to love your enemies instead of hating them, you must make a conscious decision to love them and then practice it. If you are going to bless instead of curse, you will have to decide this before you even get out of bed, then you must put it into action. And we must do these things, not just with our lips and actions, but also in our hearts. If you are only washing the outside of the pot and the inside is still filthy, what good is that to you? 

One final note: Jesus said, “The measure you give will be the measure you get back.” But keep in mind that the measure you “get back” is not from this world. It is from your Heavenly Father. Therefore, not everyone is going to like you, and not everyone is going to play according to the same rules you’ve set for yourself. You may turn the other cheek, but you may also get smacked on that one as well. Yet, don’t let that stop you from living the life God has called you to.

The headlines are ridiculous, and the news behind them is often even more ludicrous and incomprehensible. Yet, amid the insanity of it all and in our personal lives, we are called to a different way of life. Will it be easy? No, and no one ever said it would be. Regardless, “be strong and courageous” and live this radically countercultural life Jesus calls us to.

Let us pray. (This is a prayer from Mother Teresa, and I’ve shared it with you before. Perhaps it is not as much a prayer as a commissioning.)

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.