Presented February 20, 2022 at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Sacramento CA

“WITHOUT EXCEPTION”

Luke 6:27-36

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

THIS word of God. (Thanks be to God)

Love. Love God. Love your friends. And love your enemies. I have thoroughly searched the Bible in regard to this statement, and nowhere does it say, “…except for.” Except for… that stupid driver. Except for your dopey brother-in-law. And especially not “except for those kids.” We are told to love. Love that jerk who cut you off. Love your brother-in-law, despite his misanthropic political ideas. And love those kids. Especially love those kids.

This could be the simplest sermon possible to preach. A smart person would simply read the passage and then go to the anthem.

That’s what a smart person would do.

But I continue.

It’s easy to sit here in church, among our loving church family, to say “love your enemy,” nod solemnly, and relax. We can do that. Until it happens to us. And our very human reaction is anger. Frustration. Revenge!

Fortunately, we are better than human. Because we have a better-than-human teacher, in Jesus the Christ. Who teaches us to overcome our human response and utilize our super-human – our Christian – response. Which is — to love.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, “Hate is too great a burden to bear. Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

We are blessed with lessons of love, in our Bible stories and through history. Lessons of love from those who have been jailed, spat upon, and beaten. We just need to hear them.

The opening statement in this lectionary is telling – never more so than in 2022. Jesus says, “But I say to you  that listen…”  “To you that listen.” How many of us are distracted a thousand times every day, with electronics, random thoughts, noise, whatever? We must ask ourselves, every day, “Are we centering ourselves on a Christ-filled life or is Christ simply part of our life?” An important part, to be sure, but up there with dinner plans, where am I going after church, I can’t believe that tie he is wearing and why haven’t my kids called me.

Being a Christian – in accordance with the Gospels and New Testament writing, and not someone’s political interpretation of the Bible – is an activity we must practice as sure as we breathe God’s good air. No one is likely ever going to slap you – but they will double-cross you, say lies about you, or make insulting remarks. As practicing Christians – that is, practicing the word of Christ every day – we will know how to respond. We may not give them our shirt with our coat, but we can pull back on the road and give them the space they feel they need. We can let our living prove their lies wrong, and when insulted, turn the metaphorical cheek. What it comes down to is to “let it go.” 

Rev. King’s mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, said “It is easy enough to be friendly to one’s friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.” 

King himself said, “Love is the force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme, undying principle of life.” Every positive religion that ever existed extols to us the life lesson – to “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You.” This is not a Christian message – it is a universal message – reaching beyond religion but to all thinking human beings.

We are all in this together. Rarely, if never, do we encounter someone truly worthy of hate. Look at what angers us. Even someone truly evil is not worthy of our hate. Take a breath. Step back. We don’t know the whole story, so all we can do is make good immediate decisions. And practicing is the only way to do to be ready to do that, to love and live the life God wants for us – in everything we say and everything we do. 

Remembering the Greatest Commandment – to Love God – “is the height of life,” says the Rev. King. “And when you do this, you live a complete life.”

But why should we love? We are good people. We pay our taxes, don’t cheat others, and hardly ever think ill of people. Isn’t that enough? Why should I love supernaturally? 

Because love is freeing. We are not feeding the tiger of hate that eats away at us, but allowing our love to make us – and possibly our antagonist – a better person.

We love because we don’t know their story – why we are at odds with someone. And by loving them, we can learn.

We love because only love can make an enemy into a friend.

We love to make a better world. Not just our immediate world, but our community – be it the family, the neighborhood, or all else with whom we come in contact.

We love because there is no greater feeling in the world than being loved. And wouldn’t you want to give that feeling to someone?

We love because THIS is the lesson we want to give our children. And grandchildren.

And we love because we believe in the greatest lover of all time – he who was sent to earth from our heavenly Father to share the most important message of all time. We must love – without exception – because Jesus loves us. And Jesus Loves Us, this I know. For the Bible tells us so.

And THAT – above all else – is the word of God. Let us rise and joyfully sing JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW.

*********