Loving God, you teach us how to love through Jesus, and empower us by your Holy Spirit.  Help us to continue to grow in that love, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Today, once again, we hear in the gospel a way of living that probably seems to many of us to be impossible.  Yet, if this is true – if it really is impossible – why would Jesus teach these things?  Is he trying to take the people down a peg who think that they’re really pretty good?  Is he trying to show us that all of us are sinners?  Or, is he showing us what a changed heart and mind really can do?

    I’d like you to think with me for a few minutes about what actually happens when people live according to today’s gospel.  It begins, of course, with “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” – the Old Testament teaching that many people still like far better than Jesus.  However, picture with me for a moment what likely happened when Jesus was arrested and was being mocked and hit and spat upon by the guards who held him.

    What is your reaction if you are one of the guards, and you’re hurling insults at Jesus, and he says nothing in reply?  What is your reaction if you are hitting and slapping Jesus and he doesn’t fight back or even resist?  Wouldn’t you be wondering why?  Wouldn’t you begin to be ashamed of yourself for what you were doing?  Wouldn’t you wonder how a man could be so peaceful and self-possessed as to take such abuse without a hint of retaliation or anger?

    However, we need at least a couple words of caution here.  First of all, the focus in the gospel is on individual relationships rather than collective politics.  It is not encouraging people to allow an evil ruler to do whatever he or she wants to do.  As well, there is a big difference between a one-time encounter with an evildoer and an ongoing situation of abuse at home.  Today’s gospel is not telling people who are being abused to stay there and take it.  Instead, the focus is on overcoming evil with good and on not responding to violence with more violence.

    And so, please imagine with me a little bit further.  You may have heard the story of an old man who was faced with two thieves barging into his room (“Your Coat as Well” in Stories for the Journey by William R. White).  The thieves demanded all of his valuables, and so the old man offered them his money and told them to take anything else that they could use.

    The thieves scooped up the few items of value that they could find, and just before they left, one of them opened up the man’s closet and spotted a new shirt hanging there.  He grabbed the shirt off the hanger and stuffed it into his bag.  As the two men were leaving, the old man picked up a box that was sitting on the floor and ran to the door.  He shouted out, “I didn’t realize that you were interested in clothing.  Here, take the coat that I just purchased this afternoon.  I am certain it will fit you.”

    Of course the thieves were surprised and came back to ask the man why he would do such a thing.  The man responded that he tried to follow the teachings of Christ as best as he could .  Jesus “told his followers not to resist those who are evil and that if someone takes your shirt to offer him your coat as well.”

    Totally amazed, the two thieves brought everything back into the house and asked the old man to pray for them.  They had never imagined that there were actually any Christians left in this world.  Once again, aren’t people going to want to know why if we offer more than is demanded?

    And what about this going the second mile?  Some of you might remember Simon of Cyrene who was pulled out of the crowd and forced to carry Jesus’ cross for him (Mt. 27:32).  The Romans regularly did things like this, with the intention being to humiliate their subjects.  And so, what if Simon had said - “You know, I’m going to carry this cross further because I want to.”  All of a sudden, he is not accepting the humiliation that was intended.  Instead, he is choosing to serve.  What a position of inner strength!

    While it might be hard for us to imagine situations like this today, it’s not so hard for us to imagine people begging from us or wanting to borrow from us.  They might be panhandlers or relatives or people phoning for donations or people who really are desperate and need help.  Today’s gospel doesn’t define who is asking, although there were people in Jesus’ time where begging was their only means of survival.  Those who worshipped God were expected to give alms, which meant supporting those who were unable to support themselves.

    While we could certainly have a very long discussion about this one verse, there are two things that I will pass on today.  First of all, in a very general sense, those who follow Jesus will have generous hearts, and will act on that generosity wherever there is a need.  As well, I have learned from experience that God always provides.  At those times when I have responded generously to people’s requests for help, God showed me that I did not lack anything.  Regardless of how much I gave away, I still had enough food to eat and a roof over my head and clothes to wear.  God showed me that when I am generous, God is even more generous.

    Which finally brings us to loving your enemies and praying for them.  Have any of you ever tried this?  What happens when you pray for somebody who has hurt you or wronged you in some way?  Doesn’t it change your heart?  It may not change the other person’s heart, but the simple act of praying for them helps us in growing into the heart and mind of Christ.

    So... so far we have seen that living according to today’s gospel will result in at least three things: Our hearts will change and grow to become more like Jesus.  We will discover God’s generosity.  And others will marvel at our unusual behaviour and will want to know why we would act in such a way – a ready-made opportunity to share our faith in Jesus Christ.  However, we haven’t yet dealt with the most impossible sentence of all: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).

    I think we already know that there is no such thing as a perfect human being (other than Jesus, of course!).  However, is there such thing as an upright person, or a mature person, or a complete person?  Is there such thing as a sincere person, or an honest person, or a merciful person?  There may not always be very many of them, but according to the Bible they do exist.  This same word that is translated as “perfect” is used to describe Noah and Job as well as those who believe in Jesus.

    And so, how do we do this, when it seems so readily to go against all of our natural instincts?  Our abilities actually begin at baptism, as God pours out the Holy Spirit on us and thus enables us to have faith in Jesus and to begin to grow up into his love.  As we learn more about Jesus, and spend time in prayer and worship, and read the Scriptures, God’s Spirit helps us to grow into the people that God always intended us to be.  It is always the Holy Spirit who changes our hearts and our minds and helps us to grow up into Christ.

    Let us, therefore, continue to learn and to grow, becoming more and more like our brother, Jesus.  He is, after all, our Saviour, and has redeemed us to be God’s very own.  Amen.

Epiphany 7(A)                                Matthew 5:38-48
February 23, 2014
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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