Love Your Enemies

 

A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. Robin Teasley

February 23, 2025

 

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 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. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For 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. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But 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.

 

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."  Luke 6:27-8

 

 

I am just going to go ahead and state the obvious here – today’s Gospel is hard! Jesus says “love your enemies” and then gives some specific examples of how we can do that. Right now, I imagine that some of us might have a few people we would label as enemies. Our political climate is unsettled. God does work in mysterious ways through our lectionary, giving us texts with which we need to wrestle. It might sound like Jesus is bringing his politics right into church this morning. Really Jesus? Well, maybe…. 

 

At our annual meeting following this service, we are going to do some political things. We are going to vote – we will elect our new vestry members. We are also doing the political thing of presenting a budget. We will hear reports on accomplishments of the past year, as well as the plans and challenges for the year ahead. 

 

We are not a government, or even a business; we are a church, a community of faith, and yet, we have been doing some things around here that are political. We have been feeding the hungry through our Caritas Bridge week ministry, providing resources for the Children’s Center, providing space for those struggling with addiction, appropriating funding for various outreach ministries, going on mission trips to places like Hurley and Navajoland. These are just a few of the ways we are trying to follow the examples Jesus gives us.

 

It’s helpful to remember that the word politics is derived from the ancient Greek word, πολιτικά (politiká), which means the affairs of the cities. Politics is how we organize ourselves and how we care for one another. It refers to the activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, such as who has responsibility for various things that will meet the needs of the community and make the best use of resources. 

Politics is necessary in the world, in our nation and state, in our workplaces, and even in the church. That being said, in the church we do need to be careful not to confuse politics with partisanship. Partisanship refers to choosing one politician over another, or one party over another. Clergy should never tell you for whom you should vote. Our job is to preach the gospel, to remind the church of the love of God and the words of Jesus. 

 

Keeping all that in mind, what if you heard a political candidate say what Jesus said in today’s gospel? Would you vote for him or her? And if today’s gospel tells us, shows us, what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus, how’s that going for you? It is no easy thing to love the people who hate you, to bless those who curse you, to pray for those who abuse you, to turn the other cheek, or to give the thief more of what he’s already taken from you. Help us, Jesus.

 

And then this is how Jesus helps us – by directing us, again, to love our enemies, and to do good, and to lend expecting nothing in return. My attention is caught by the request to expect nothing in return. Because in the first century, and now, there is an expectation of return on any investment.

 

If we receive a gift, we feel compelled to reciprocate, or at the very least, write a nice thank you note. If we are wronged, we have an urge to retaliate. If we donate enough money to an organization we are given (and sometimes we expect) some perks and special privileges.  

 

What Jesus asks of us is beautiful and inspiring and sounds like a wonderful way to live. But what do we do when we encounter someone who really is deserving of our judgment, who commits the unforgiveable, or who takes from us that which we hold most dear?

Today’s gospel is hard because it’s real. It’s often how life goes. None of us is perfect, and most of us, like the politicians, are partisan. We have our opinions and believe we are right about them. Relationships are complicated and life is fragile. And, sometimes, love looks like confronting evil and protecting those who are helpless. Jesus also showed us how to speak truth to power. 

 

What might be helpful is to notice what parts of this gospel are most challenging to us. If the words of Jesus sound uncomfortably like partisanship, maybe that’s an invitation to stop and ponder them further. What does Jesus say that conflicts with our politics or our partisanship, our words and actions? Which words of Jesus challenge the messages we learned growing up, and the values we hold? If Jesus’ words make us squirm, perhaps we are being called to reexamine our personal beliefs.

 

Faith is not only what we believe, it’s also how we live. When we examine our lives in the light of today’s gospel, on which side do we find ourselves? Are we keeping score, seeking retribution, expecting a reward for our actions, needing to win at all costs? What would it mean to stop keeping score, to forgive, to let someone else win? How would it enlarge our life if we were to love and do good and bless and pray for everyone? How would loving our enemies make the world a better place? And if we are not yet able to love our enemies, praying for them is a good starting point. And sometimes we start by asking God to help us pray for them!

 

Jesus calls us to live out this kind of boundless love, and it is the hardest thing of all to do. Love that is completely free and without strings attached, is a gift to us from God. When we are in relationship with God, when we are followers of Jesus, we are empowered to have mercy, we are given the strength to love, to love even our enemies.

 

Our world is hurting right now. We never know what personal demons people are facing, or what is going on in their lives, or why they behave the way they do. Maybe that’s why Jesus tells us not to judge or condemn but to be forgiving. Maybe that’s why Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who abuse us, even as we condemn the sin of abuse. Maybe that’s why we are not to return violence for violence. Are we not all in need of mercy, forgiveness, and love?

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had another reason why he thought Jesus said to love your enemies. 

 

“… love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies.’ Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption… And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.”

 

So, what is it that makes politics, our work together for the well-being of all, a good and redemptive thing? Love. And what is the politics of Jesus? Love.

 

 

Quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Source: From a sermon, November 17, 1957, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama. Excerpted from Following the Call, reprinted from A Knock At Midnight, ed. Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1998), 37-57, by arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr., c/o Writers House as agent for the proprietor New York, NY. Copyright © 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Renewed © 1991 by Coretta Scott King.