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7th Sunday after Epiphany, 02/24/2019
Sermon on Luke 6:27-38, by Judson F Merrell
27 [Jesus said:] "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." (Luke 6:27-38 NRSV)
Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our Gospel lesson today continues our Gospel from last week, in which we heard Jesus begin what is known as the “Sermon on the Plain.” Today this sermon takes an interesting turn for us, because what we have heard Jesus speak today is the ethical side of being a Christian. Those words call us to a reversal in the life of comfort as we know it, from human things to divine things. This is a theme that is presented elsewhere in Luke. If you recall back to The 4th Sunday of Advent, almost 2 months ago, you will remember Mary’s Song, also called the Magnificat:
46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." (Luke 1:46-55 NRSV)
Mary too, having been told that the child in her womb was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, realized how life is reversed by the power of God. Her song, along with Jesus’ words today, remind us that reversal of the norm is a theme of the Kingdom of God. No one truly wants to do these things that Jesus tells his followers to do. We don’t want to love our enemies. We don’t want to bless those who curse us or pray for those who abuse us. We don’t want to offer the other cheek. Why? Because in our lives we find comfort. On the other side, we don’t like it when people speak truth to us. We don’t like to be told when we are wrong. To put that into church words: we don’t like being told that we are sinners. It upsets that apple cart of comfort that we call life. But that is exactly what the kingdom calls us to do. Love you enemies, pray for them, and offer not one but both cheeks. If someone steals your coat, give them your shirt as well. As hard as these words are to hear and digest, they are there for a reason. Living as a follower of God is not easy. It is not simple. And it is not always comfortable. Jesus’ ethics of living call for a reversal of how we would handle all of these situations.
As our text transitions at verse 32, I want to point out an interesting part of the translation we have from the NRSV. The Greek word charis is translated in our text as “credit.” Charis has another translation as well, a translation that is probably more appropriate. That translation is “grace.” If you love those who love you, what kind of grace is that to you? If you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of grace is that to you? If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what kind of grace is that to you? That really changes my outlook on this text. Living in the divine grace of God, we find Jesus’ words empowering and ethically challenging. This is the reversal of life that comes to the forefront of Jesus’ words. We don’t do any of these things to gain favor with God. Instead we follow Jesus’ instruction to live out the grace that God has already given in unlimited abundance. I believe this is where Jesus was going with his sermon, especially as we look at verse 36: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 NRSV) God the Father is merciful, ready to not judge, to not condemn, to forgive, to give abundantly to all his people that live within the kingdom. Even when kingdom living is not easy. People will cheat you. They will be your enemies. They will curse you, they will steal from you, and they will treat you in a way that you never expected. But by the power of God we can recognize that, and we can act appropriately. We can offer something they don’t even expect. We can offer grace and mercy. Looking back at the Magnificat we see that Mary sang of mercy. A young woman whose husband was ready to divorce her becomes The Holy Mother of God. Her son, Jesus preached grace and love and mercy. And he ended up on a cross. But on the third Day God the Father raised him from the dead. And now God the Father has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, to guide us and direct our days. As we continue to reflect of the words of Jesus, full of grace and mercy, may the Spirit guide us into a reversal of life, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the Kingdom. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.