Reflection on Luke 6:27-38

Luke 6:27-38

27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat 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 asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back 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 expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, 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 himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Reflection

As the divine Son, Jesus, steps down from the heights, and settles on a level place to heal and connect with the poor, hungry, grieving, excluded, and persecuted, he shares a glimpse of what God’s vision for humanity looks like.  It is a level place where the mighty are brought low and the lowly are lifted up so that all can live together, equally, as God intended.  It is a vision that has been painted for him with musical brush strokes since he was a child as Mary sang into his ear, “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:52).

The vision of the level place is a song that made its way across the sea on ships of slavery and weaved its way through the red hills of Georgia, until it reached the lips of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who gave it voice: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood” (Martin Luther King Jr., Speech at Civil Rights March, Washington, D.C., 28 Aug. 1963).  Again, the vision is of a level place where the mighty are brought low and the lowly are lifted up so that all can live together, equally, in a level place, as God intended.

And, if Jesus is going to make that vision become a reality, to make that kingdom come “on earth, as it is in heaven,” then Jesus is going to have to find some way for the sons of slave owners and sons of slaves to sit at the same table.  Jesus is going to have to find some way for the sons of the rich to eat the same food as the sons of the poor.  Jesus is going to have to find some way for enemies to become friends.

It can happen.  I have seen it happen.  When my dad was going through graduate school late in life, I would talk to him on the phone and hear about how he could not stand a certain loud mouth in his classes.  I would hear about how that loud mouth thought he knew everything.  I would hear about how that loud mouth thought he was so intelligent and so funny with his lame and inappropriate jokes.  I would hear about how that loud mouth just needed to disappear.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I pulled into my parent’s driveway as I came home for summer break to see my dad and the loud mouth having beers together in the front lawn!

“I thought the loud mouth needed to disappear?” I questioned my dad that evening. 

It turns out that my dad saw that the loud mouth needed a friend, so my dad started joking with him and they soon became good friends.  And, that is the story that I remind myself every time that an enemy arises within my life.  Enemies can become friends.

“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).  Enemies can be transformed into friends when you “do good” to them.  I have seen it.  I have a story about that sort of love and I hold that type of story close.

And, so did Jesus and the rest of the Israelites.  They too held close a story; the story of Joseph.  You remember Joseph.  He was despised by his jealous brother’s, thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery by the very brothers who were supposed to love him.  The children of Israel all heard the story of how Joseph was falsely accused of adultery, was imprisoned, and was finally lifted out of the pit, lifted out of jail secretly by God, and was put in control of Egypt under the reign of Pharaoh.  Tears were wiped from children’s eyes by their mothers, who also wiped their own tears, as they heard how Joseph provided food to the very brothers who showed him hate during seven years of famine.  Joseph became steward over a new Garden of Eden, where all the hungry were fed and enemies were forgiven.  Good can and does overcome evil when enemies are loved and goodness is shown to those who hate.

Joseph understands the big picture after showing love to his enemies.  He says, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20).  The high can be brought low, and the low can be lifted, and all can sit at the same table of equality.  God’s level place can fill the depths of the tough terrain of our lives.

These stories of forgiveness and love of enemies are important to hold close to our hearts and also share. After-all, stories have the power to capture and hold close Jesus’ teachings in a way that can shape and form us as God’s people.  And, that is important if we desire to experience in the here and now the level place that Jesus creates.

Those stories of reconciliation help us to remember to “bless those who curse” us and “pray for those who abuse” us (Luke 6:28).  Our blessings and prayers for our enemies are not all done in vein.  They are done because we live on the level place with God.

Those stories of reconciliation give us a reason to listen to Jesus and “offer the other” cheek when an enemy “strikes” us “on the cheek” (Luke 6:29).  In making our enemies slap us twice, we force them to do more harm than they intended, and in doing so, maybe, just maybe, they will actually stop and see the harm they cause.  Maybe then, their eyes will be turned from harm to compassion.  Only then can they see that they are welcome to step down onto the level place with Jesus and us.

Those stories of reconciliation give us a reason to listen to Jesus and give an aggressor our underwear when they have taken our shirts and pants.  Only when they see us naked and vulnerable may they see the harm they cause.  Maybe then, their eyes will be turned from harm to compassion.  Only then can they see that they are welcome to step down onto the level place with Jesus and us.

Those stories of reconciliation remind us that even the ungrateful and the wicked can become a friend when they are shown mercy.

“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. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).

Jesus reminds us that, for God, transformation always begins with mercy.  You cannot truly be rid of an enemy unless you love them first.

I guess that is why Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” as people scoffed at Jesus and soldiers mocked him while he hung on the cross to save us (Luke 23:34-36).  His salvation included those very people.

For Jesus, transformation always begins with mercy.  You cannot truly be rid of an enemy unless you love them first.  But, this is hard. 

Loving someone who loves you back is easy.  Now, I am not saying it is not important to love those around you; it absolutely is.  You were put in your place on this earth, at this very time so that you can love others in a mutual way.  So, loving those who love you back is a good thing.  But, love does not stop there.  It is not a more important love.  As Jesus says, “even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33).

“We sat at the lunch table together.  We’re friends now,” one of my children happily told me after weeks of sadness and struggle with a classmate.  They showed a mean classmate some love, and the enemy became a friend.  It all happened because they took a chance, and showed the enemy some kindness and compassion. 

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood” Martin Luther King Jr. once said, and its deep meaning reverberated into a school lunchroom.  It is the same message that hummed into the ear of a baby from the lips of his mother Mary.  And, it is the hope of the one who stepped onto a level place of equality, encouraging enemies to love each other and to do good to those who hate.  Who knows, maybe we will, even in this day and age, get a glimpse of heaven.