Today at St. Josaphat’s Church in Kyiv, Ukraine a preacher is wrestling with the gospel for today – “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” — in the midst of a bombed out city with rockets and shells still raining down on them. Today at a Church in West Lawndale a preacher is dealing with the saying of Jesus “when someone strikes you on your right cheek turn the other as well” while looking a family whose twelve year old daughter was killed in a gang cross fire while talking with her friends on the corner. Today here at St. James a preacher has to explain why he walks right past the panhandlers on State Street even though Jesus said “Give to the one who asks of you.” Do these, and similar sayings of Jesus, apply everywhere and to everyone? Do the times in which we live give us some slack in putting the words of Jesus into effect? Actually, the times in which Jesus pronounced these maxims were at least as fraught as our own. Jesus lived under military occupation where a foreign invader was oppressing the native population. The times of Jesus were exceptionally violent – think of the slaughter of the innocent boys in Bethlehem by King Herod. The society in which Jesus lived was divided into a tiny few very rich and a great many very poor with not much in between. His times and ours were not all that different. So how are we to put his commands into practice?
The wisdom of this world – that we have to protect ourselves from all of the “bad dudes,” out there — runs clean counter to what Jesus asks of us. Does Jesus want us to act in a way that might lead to regular cheek slaps and empty wallets? Must we become fools, as St. Paul says in the letter to the Corinthians? Is Jesus giving us an impossible ideal? But it’s not impossible. We can look around and find evidence of people who take the command of Jesus to heart. Think of Dr. King who preached non-violence because, as he said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Take the statements of the victims of gun violence who offer forgiveness because they have divine compassion.
The problem we have in living out the commandments of Jesus stems from the very human tendency to divide the world up into “us and them.” We turn the other cheek and go the second mile with family members because they are part of “us.” But “them” – we don’t want to turn the other cheek for them. Democrats are one sort and Republicans another. White folk are not like black folk. Immigrants are other than we are. And, yes, Cub fans are different from Sox fans. Jesus wants us to understand that in the eyes of God those difference are no more significant that having grey hair or brown eyes. God makes the sun rise on the bad and the good. God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. The challenge before us is to extend our sense of connectedness to include even those we now consider as “other.” When we do that, the impossible ideal that Jesus holds out for us becomes possible. There is no “other.” We are all children of God. We don’t turn our back on those who are our own. We do unto others. The followers of Jesus look at things the way that God does.
Which helps us to understand the last commandment found in the gospel for today: “Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” How can I be perfect? Doesn’t Jesus know what a mess I am, how limited I am, how many faults and failings I have? Of course he does. After all, he shared a frail humanity with us. We should understand the verb “be” in the sense of “become.” Become perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Work on it. Take one step at a time. Do something each day to reflect better God’s mercy in the world. Maybe today I’ll forgive a wound that has festered in my heart. Tomorrow I’ll reach out to someone who is hurting. The next day I’ll let an immigrant know they are welcome. Yes, we aren’t perfect. But if we work at becoming perfect day by day we will truly be children of our heavenly Father and the sun will rise on all of us, good and bad alike.
Jesus invites us to see the world in a new way. You have heard that it was said a leopard cannot change its spots. Jesus says that change is possible, that God can work with the likes of us, that we can be converted into peaceful and compassionate individuals. You have heard that it was said blood is thicker than water, Jesus says that he shed his blood for all of us, that every person everywhere is washed in the blood of the lamb. You have heard that it was said fight fire with fire. Jesus says fight fire with love, with compassion, with forgiveness, with mercy. You have heard that it was said that might makes right. Jesus says kindness makes right, charity makes right, gentleness makes right, generosity makes right. You have heard that it was said God helps those who help themselves. Jesus says, help others and you will receive thirty, sixty and a hundredfold in return.
A favorite story: the warlord sent his general to the neighboring city with the instruction: destroy our enemies. I want our enemies wiped off the face of the earth. Do whatever you must to ensure that there is not one enemy left. After some time the warlord went to the conquered territory and found the city gate open. Much to his surprise the general was sitting at a giant banquet with his soldiers and the townspeople all enjoying themselves. The warlord was irate. I told to you eliminate our enemies. But sire, answered the general, I did as you instructed. These are not our enemies anymore. They are now our friends.