Sermon for Sunday, 24 February, 2019 Prepared and Delivered by The Rev. Vicki Betsinger Luke 6:27-38 Psalm 37:1-11; 39-40 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Today s Gospel is from the teachings of Jesus known as the Sermon on the Plain, very similar to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew s Gospel, and also known as the Beatitudes. In this sermon Jesus offered a prescription of hope for Christians living in a hostile world. And it was a hostile world then as it is today. Jesus told those disciples among other things to love their enemies, bless and give to those who curse you and take from you, and the famous passage in which he told them if someone struck them to turn the other cheek. When he delivered this sermon, Jesus popularity was high; great crowds came to hear him when he preached, as was the case when this startling sermon was given. To this crowd who looked to Jesus as their friend, teacher and healer, He told them that if they were mourning, hungry, poor, diseased, hated or persecuted they were the lucky ones. If I was in the audience that day, would I have seen this as good news or would I have wandered away feeling confused, disillusioned or betrayed? Preaching on the Beatitudes is a little like giving a child a dollar and turning them loose in a penny candy store.where to start, and so many options to choose from! The Rev. Dr. Judith McDaniel who taught a preaching class here last summer suggested that we look for what is difficult in the passage; what seems to pinch our feet like a new pair of shoes. That is what we should preach on because it is that passage that is getting under our skin and making us uncomfortable. This Gospel reading goes against our nature as human beings, and the advice, while ideally desirable, is hard to accept when viewed from the worldly perspective. On reflection, the passage that made me most uncomfortable is the one concerning the turning of the other cheek. While I don t believe that most disputes can be settled with physical confrontation, taking such a passive posture almost seems as 1
if Jesus condoned abuse and violence. And yet, we know that Jesus ministry was all about social justice issues and standing up to oppression. I felt a disconnect. How do you feel about this passage? If you were cursed and attacked, would you meekly turn the other cheek and not attempt to defend and protect yourself? The world is full of hate, bigotry, judgement, insensitivity, ignorance and intolerance. We are Christians trying to follow Jesus commands, but we are also human beings, operating out of primal instincts, cultural upbringing, peer pressure and societal norms. So how do we reconcile the tension created by straddling the desire to turn the other cheek while really believing we have the right to defend ourselves? Jesus often spoke in parables, metaphors and by giving examples in order to get the disciples to see through different eyes. In this passage, I think Jesus was telling them to be tolerant of others, to turn away from the temptation to respond to violence with more violence, to not return hate for hate; I don t believe he was advising them to take abuse, but rather to not provoke or prolong conflict. He was saying that there is another way of being, a Kingdom way, and it s a more accepting, peaceful and loving way. Bullies love to belittle vulnerable and seemingly defenseless people. What would be the result if that person simply turned away and refused to be drawn in. Just like fire needing oxygen to continue burning, in order for conflict to thrive, it requires a violent response. If we behaved in a way exactly opposite of what was expected, in many situations, the response would deflate rather than escalate the conflict. When we live with hate in our heart, we lash out both verbally and physically at those different from us. Hate is caustic and it erodes and destroys the vessel in which it s carried. Jesus gave them a formula for being able to turn from conflict.do good, bless and pray. In the Beatitudes, Jesus honored people who enjoyed few privileges in their life and he offered hope and assurance that their faithfulness would be rewarded. In Psalm 37 we hear words that echo the need for people to trust in the Lord and do good, to not fret and to refrain from anger because their refuge is in the Lord. It acknowledged that there are evil people in the world, as we all know, but they would ultimately be dealt with. 2
In this Gospel, Jesus was telling the disciples that they could expect to be treated unjustly by the world, yet they were to respond with kindness, shaped by their new identity as children of God which transformed the actions of the disciples from compliance to resistance in the face of evil. It s all about the actions they took. He wanted them to know that even though they would be hated and insulted, they were shareholders in the Kingdom of God which placed them in a position of power; not worldly power but with the blessed power of love, abundance, generosity and grace. Turning the other cheek is another way of saying don t succumb to the temptation to retaliate and it becomes an act of resistance to evil, which is transformational. Jesus understood that the present world is not the end state, and while life in this realm may be difficult, the reward is in the resurrection. We were given the gift of the Golden Rule; do unto others as you would have them do to you. The bullies of society, both then and now, believe in the tarnished rule of do unto others what they do to you or do unto others before they can do it to you. Both of these concepts place people in confrontational positions in which there is no room for mercy, justice and forgiveness. We are called to respond to bad behavior or violence by refusing to reciprocate in kind. That s easy to say, but how do we resist responding to bad behavior with our own bad behavior? How do we act maturely and rationally rather than giving in to a gut reaction? How do we live our lives responding with grace, kindness and courtesy instead of reacting with words or actions that seek to answer hurt with more hurt? Many social media opportunities are available today to respond to hateful messages with more hateful messages; we ve seen many examples of how a situation escalates until it spirals out of control. Real people are sending nasty, demeaning messages and real people are receiving those messages and the cycle goes on with much damage done. Jesus asked the disciples and us to model our behavior after God s treatment of us. Regardless of how we were raised, in Jesus we have a loving image and role model, exemplifying God s love and mercy for all. In Luke s Gospel, Jesus asked the disciples to live their lives contrary to human nature. It was not, nor was it meant to be easy, and it s what we are asked to do as well. Nowhere in the four Gospels is the word Christianity used; Luke 3
implores us to see that faith in Christ is far more than adhering to doctrines and dogmas; it s a new way of life, a way contrary to the world and our own human inclinations and emotions. To answer hurt with kindness is possible only because our strength comes from our faith in Christ. The writer of Luke is a storyteller and many wonderful stories are told beginning with the birth narrative. Luke began with this story not only because it told of Jesus beginnings, but because through Jesus, light overtook the darkness and love triumphed over hate. Jesus came down from that mountain to deliver his Sermon on the Plain to indicate a leveling of the playing field; an equalization. Enemies were on equal footing with friends and loved ones. Jesus often repeated his command to love your neighbor. No ifs, ands or buts, just love your neighbor even if he s your enemy. He repeats the message so we can t miss the point, so we understand the importance of that message to the health of the world. We are asked to not judge or condemn because all are equal; all deserving of God s love and mercy, it s the New Covenant of love that Jesus brought to the world. This teaching in this Gospel is hard and it goes against the grain because we ve been shaped and molded by our world. Turning away rather than engaging runs against our instincts in a societal and visceral sense; yet we are asked to respond with peace and forgiveness. God loves us all simply because we are. We are human and Jesus understands that by our very nature, it will be difficult for us to love our enemies without the help of an amazing grace that transforms us into people behaving as God intends. The word Gospel means the good news, but it is often times not easy news, it may be a narrow and difficult path we are asked to walk, but it is illuminated by God s love and grace. So, to recap: Jesus came down from the mountain to deliver this Sermon on the Plain to illustrate that we are all equal, all loved by God and deserving of that love; He let us know that no matter what our situation in life, if we live into the Kingdom of God we are blessed, have hope and our inheritance is assured; He encouraged us that by turning away from violence and abuse, we are actually standing up to that type of behavior; and the way for us to love our neighbor, no matter who they may be, is to do good, bless and pray. Our Presiding Bishop 4
Michael Curry gives us a similar formula, advising how we can achieve a Jesuscentered life. These steps will be the focus of our Lenten classes entitled Exploring our Faith, co-chaired by The Rev. Kim McNamara and Marlee Campbell. I invite you to join us as we explore our faith together and learn to live lives as Jesus intended. Louis Armstrong sang It s a Wonderful World and it s up to us to make it so. Amen 5