In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

What an interesting Gospel text for today, eh?  “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you . . . be merciful even as your Father is merciful.”  It’s a challenging reading, a challenging LESSON, isn’t it?

Of course, it may appear perfectly logical that this text be used on a day when we remember Martin Luther King . . . a man who promoted non-violent opposition to oppression and injustice.  After all, Christians are called to behave as Christ, and if we react with violence and hatred to wrong-doing – even monumental wrongdoing – are we any different from those wrong-doers we oppose?  King himself used arguments like this.  And there’s real truth to this argument.  But it’s not simple, is it?

Such a teaching as this – all this business about turning the other cheek – could be used by the powerful to keep the oppressed in their place.  I mean, if you can convince the people you’re abusing that it’s in their best interest to accept the abuse AND to forgive you for it, well then . . . that’s a pretty neat trick, isn’t it?  And, unfortunately, lessons like those we heard this morning from the Gospel of Luke have been used just this way . . . to keep oppressed people from rising up.  This is the kind of argument that Malcolm X used, for example, in opposition to King’s position.  And sadly, there’s truth to this argument as well.  Nope, this business of forgiveness and nonviolence isn’t simple.

Not least, of course, because there’s yet another reason why these readings are so challenging for us today . . . a reason that many of you are probably already thinking about.  We’re at war.  Our country is at war.  And what THEN are we Christians to do about these lessons:  “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you . . . be merciful even as your Father is merciful.”  How – when we have enemies who quite literally would be willing to kill us if given the opportunity – are we to think about loving them?

I wish I could offer you a clear, simple answer.  But I’m afraid that one does not exist.  I will, however, offer you some of my thoughts on the matter in the hope that they might help you to decide what YOU think about this difficult question.

Let’s begin by taking another look at the Gospel passage we heard this morning.  The verses we heard are part of the Sermon on the Plain . . . which is similar in many ways to the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.  There are, of course, some important differences between the two sermons as well.  One of these differences is to whom the Gospels say Jesus is preaching.  Matthew says that Jesus is teaching his disciples AND the crowds who have come to hear him.  Luke, however, says that Jesus is talking ONLY to his disciples.  For some, this is a very important distinction.

Over the centuries some scholars and commentators have argued that the way of living Jesus describes is impossible for ordinary human beings to follow; that Jesus couldn’t possibly mean that all Christians should live solely under the guidance of love and mercy.  They argue that, as Jesus is speaking only to his disciples in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus means his teaching to be for them ONLY.  You can almost hear the giant sigh of relief in their writing:  “Whew!  If Jesus is talking only to his special disciples, then this impossible standard of behavior – all this forgiving and loving – is not meant for US . . . this instruction is only for some really SPECIAL people.”  But if you look closely at the text, I don’t think this argument really holds up. 

Even if Jesus WAS speaking only to his disciples, LUKE is telling the story to his COMMUNITY.  And as Luke repeats Jesus’ sermon to his church, there’s an urgency to the words.  Jesus says near the beginning that he is speaking to those who will LISTEN to him . . . and he ends the sermon by saying that anyone who LISTENS to what he has to say must then ACT on what he has said.  It’s pretty clear that what’s meant is that ANYONE who hears these words, must act on them.  While Jesus is teaching his disciples how they are to behave, through Luke he is also trying to shape his community’s conduct . . . the church’s conduct . . . OUR conduct.

“Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other as well.  If someone would take your coat from you, do not stop him from taking your shirt as well. Give to everyone who begs from you; if someone takes what is yours, do not try to get it back.”  REALLY?!  Are we REALLY to try to live like this?  It truly seems impossible.  But I don’t see a way to get off the hook . . . even though it seems that living like this could bring about the end of life as we know it . . . the end of everything.

Maybe.  Maybe if we tried to live like this it WOULD be the end of everything . . . the end of everything as we know it . . . AND it would be the revelation of the new creation . . . the manifestation of the Kingdom of God among us. 

You know, I’ve mentioned differences between Matthew and Luke, but this is something that they share as they tell about Jesus preaching this sermon.  They both understand that the behavior Jesus is urging upon us is a sign of the end times.  We Episcopalians don’t like talking much about the end of time . . . the Second Coming . . . the eschaton.  Our Evangelical brothers and sisters spend a LOT of time and energy thinking and talking about this, but most of us consider it a little . . . well, tacky . . . and unnecessary.  The world’s gonna end when it’s gonna end, and there’s not much point in thinking about it.  Right?  But what if there IS a point to thinking about it?  What if we have a role to play in bringing it about?  What if our role is to help establish the visible, real, Kingdom of God on this earth for Jesus to return to?  Well, then it IS worthwhile for us to think about end times, and consider what our role is to be now. 

I believe that our role is to live in the Kingdom of God now . . . to make manifest the rule of Christ, now.  And we do this by loving.  By loving ourselves and our neighbors . . . and even our enemies.  But this is not a sappy, emotional kind of love . . . it’s a difficult, ethical undertaking.  I believe that the kind of love that Jesus is teaching about is about being committed to – and willing to take action for – the welfare of others . . . even the welfare of our enemies.  And this ‘welfare’ is itself a complicated thing . . . what I mean by ‘welfare’ is what is ‘right’ and ‘best’ . . . terms that also need a lot of explaining, more than I can give now.  In VERY simple terms, in loving each other we will be committed to achieving what is best and right for each other.  We would be striving to achieve a kind of balance, if you will, that would bring peace to our families and communities, to our country and our world . . . the Kingdom of God on earth.

If you’re still with me, you see how very challenging this is.  How can we be certain about what is best and right for each other . . . and how do we come to agreement about this?  Our DISagreements about this could lead to . . . well . . . war.  How very, very difficult.  And yet how very, very necessary.  I believe that we must strive with all our might to love one another.

The heart of Jesus’ – and Luke’s – message in the Sermon on the Plain is that love must dominate the life of every Christian.  The motivation of such love is the love and mercy of GOD . . . God is the creator and foundation of all existence, including Christian existence . . . and the essence of God is love, which is to be imitated. 

It’s a dangerous undertaking.  We know where it got Jesus in his earthly life.  We know where it got lots of other people who tried to live out Jesus’ lessons of love . . . people like Martin Luther King.  But, nevertheless, it is our undertaking . . . our calling.  Christianity isn’t a safe religion.  It’s risky and radical.  But it’s also TRUE.  The only way to live in the Kingdom of God is with love and mercy . . . love for ourselves, our neighbors . . . and even our enemies.

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

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