Psalm 37:1-8,39-40; Luke 6:27-38
2nd Sunday before Lent
St Barbara’s 23.02.2025
Rev Tulo Raistrick
Let me be honest with you. There are some parts of Jesus’ teaching that I find easier to preach on and talk about than others. But what those are has changed over time. At one time I found those passages full of ambiguity the hardest to preach on. I liked those passages that were clear in their meaning. But increasingly, it is those passages that require less interpretation, that speak directly to us, that are straight-forward, that I find more difficult. And today’s gospel reading falls into that category.
At first reading, our Gospel reading of loving enemies, doing good to those who hate us, turning the other cheek, comes across as a fairly straight-forward list of do’s and don’ts. If that is the case, then I feel far from qualified to talk about them. Maybe like others of us here, I look at this list of actions and behaviours, and am very aware of how far I fall short. Can I really speak on this passage with much integrity?
But reading Tom Wright’s commentary on this passage has helped me. Jesus’ words here are not designed as a checklist which we measure ourselves against at the end of each day, and inevitably against which we fail. Instead they are words that are spoken not to make us feel like failures but to inculcate in us an attitude of heart, a lightness of spirit, a positivity and generosity of mind in the face of difficulty and opposition.
For these attitudes and actions that Jesus speaks of are the attitudes and actions of God. It is God who loves his enemies, who does good to those who hate him, who blesses those who curse him. It is God who gives generously and abundantly without expecting anything in return, who pours out his love on a world that he knows will more often than not simply ignore his love or abuse it. It is God, who rather than judging and condemning, mercifully forgives.
And it is Christ, revealing to us the love of God in human form, who lived out this exuberant generosity, this extravagant love. He gave all that he had to anyone in need. He healed and fed the multitudes without expecting anything in return. He didn’t just love his friends but his enemies too, weeping over the city that had rejected his plea for peace. He literally offered the other cheek when he was beaten and struck by the soldiers in Pilate’s courtyard. And he prayed for those who ill-treated him, praying “Father forgive them” as he was nailed to the cross.
These words in our Gospel reading that reveal who God is are lived out by his son.
But too often our image and understanding of God is different. We imagine him as severe, judgmental, grudging, as one who is ready to spot and punish any failure. And that image prevents us from ever getting anywhere close to living out Jesus’ words for ourselves. For if God is really so stern and unbending, a fierce head-teacher waiting for us to slip up, then the only possible motivation for living a life of selfless love is fear, and that to be honest, is no motivation at all.
But if God himself is the very embodiment of these words of love, grace, mercy, generosity, forgiveness, and if we ourselves can come to a place of believing that he is, then these words for us can take on an altogether different perspective. They can become words not of judgement but of invitation, not of condemnation but of inspiration.
Take a moment to consider, “what is my image of God? do these Gospel words speak of who God is to me?”
When we are around people who live a certain way, we begin to become like them, we unconciously find ourselves adopting their values and attitudes. The more time we give to spending time in the presence of Christ, meditating on his life, reflecting on his love, the more we will come to be like him. And the more time we give to spending time with those who we see living out these qualities of love, mercy, forgiveness and generosity, the more their influence rubs off on us too, the more normal it becomes to love others, to long for the good of those who we may be in conflict with, the more ready we may be to go the extra mile.
I’m aware of people over the years who have been inspirations to me, people who through their delight and joy in living generous and loving lives, have encouraged me to try something similar. I wonder who has inspired you?
Take a moment to consider and ask “who have I been inspired by? who has lived out these qualities of love, mercy, forgiveness and generosity? how can these people shape me today?”
These words of Jesus touch on different aspects of who we are.
They touch on our internal attitudes to people – our willingness to love, bless, pray for others, including those we may not like or see eye to eye with.
They touch on our response to being badly treated or maligned – do we look to get even, to get revenge, to let our anger or bitterness fester, or do we look to let go of such feelings, and instead show mercy.
They touch on our expectations as to whether we should benefit from our acts of kindness and generosity. Do we do things expecting to be thanked or rewarded in some way, or do we do things simply for the joy of giving?
And they touch on how we view others – with a readiness to judge and condemn or with mercy and forgiveness, and a delight in what is good.
Christ offers us a path of liberation, a life of hope and joy, freed from enslaving attitudes of bitterness and anger. He offers us a life where our attitudes towards others, towards even those who malign us and wrong us, can be life-giving.
For the final time this morning take a moment to pause and reflect. Where might the Holy Spirit be prompting you to respond? Where might God be calling you to live with greater love, mercy, forgiveness and generosity this week?
