Devotion 2.45/97: Luke 6:28 (Mt 5:44): Forgive me

Presented to River Street Cafe, 24 March 2017

Read Luke 6:26-28

Of this passage of scripture Moffet S. Churn writes, “Commentaries often call it the Sermon on the Plain. You may prefer to think of it as ‘the sermon I don’t want to preach.’…Jesus tells them plainly, pointedly, repeatedly, ‘Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”

When Jesus told us to love our enemies it was the first century CE. His country was an occupied country. Many from his adoptive father’s or his legal grandfather’s generation had fought and died for political independence from one foreign occupation and now many people in his generation are dreaming and fighting and dying for political independence from another foreign occupation. Rome conquered Judea shortly before Jesus was born and many people were looking for ways to free themselves, their countrymen, their families from all the horrors of military occupation.

We know about the Zealots, the Sicarii, the fourth philosophy. This was a Judean terrorist movement that would use assassination, murder, and terror in an attempt to extricate their country from the grasp of their enemy. One of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples was identified as a zealot. Many of the common people wanted to rise up against their enemy and fight for the liberation of their homeland. Many of them were about to die doing just that and to these people who were longing for a violent fight for freedom from their enemies, Jesus tells them plainly, pointedly, repeatedly, ‘Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.’

Relating to us here today: You know what your sister did to you? You know what your father said to you? You know how that person treated you the other day? You remember that person who did that thing to you 25 years ago? You know that person who did that really horrible thing to you even just a moment ago? N.T Wright writes, “Think of the best thing you can do for the worst person and then go ahead and do it.” Jesus tells us plainly, pointedly, repeatedly, lovingly, ‘love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.’ Forgive as you want to be forgiven. Give, as you want it to be given to you.
     

One more thing about forgiveness and this is important. When you refuse to forgive someone the only one you really hurt is yourself. A lack of forgiveness is not an act of aggression it is an act of self-condemnation. If I don’t forgive you for treating me the way you did, I become upset. I suffer the psychosomatic pains. The person I don’t forgive may never even know about my unforgiveness but I do; they may just wonder why I am acting so strange. I am the one who suffers. Unforgiveness is a self-inflicted wound. And it is an awful wound. Every time we let ourselves become upset by what was done to us, we are inflicting pain upon ourselves – sometimes even equal or greater than that which was inflicted upon us by our attackers. Jesus wants us to be free from that bondage and free from that pain, that -in part – is why Jesus tells us plainly, pointedly, repeatedly, lovingly, ‘love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.’ Forgive as you want to be forgiven. Give, as you want it to be given to you.

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