Dan Herold | Matthew 5:38-48 | July 10, 2016
(Sermon begins at 26:50)
What’s your reputation? What are you known for? What sets you apart from everybody else? You don’t need to answer those questions right now, but they are worth thinking about. If I were to ask one of my friends to describe me, what would they say? I know what I would like them to say, but I know that I don’t always live up to those standards.
Another set of questions to ask is; What is our reputation? What are we known for? What sets us apart from everybody else? After all we are a family here at Shepherd of the Hills. Each of us is part of the bigger body of believers here. What are we known for? If we asked someone, who isn’t a member here, what they know about our church, what would they say? I know what I would like them to say, but again I don’t know that we always live up to the high standard we set for ourselves and that God has set for us.
In this morning’s Gospel reading we heard a portion of Jesus’ sermon on the mount where he was teaching his disciples about practical ways to apply God’s word in their lives as they prepared to enter their careers in public ministry. What Jesus says to us this morning is tough to swallow…it’s tough because it runs against every natural instinct we have. Naturally, as sinful creatures, we are concerned with self-preservation and advancement. Jesus, though tells us that those aren’t the traits that we should be known for as his followers. Jesus talks to us this morning about what our reputation should be as Christians…ultimately he says we should be known for our love.
That doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go around wearing red and pink all year giving out heart shaped boxes of candy. No, the kind of love Jesus talks about isn’t the commercialized and fantasized kind of superficial love we see all around our world. Jesus tells us that Christians are set apart because they love in a way that is true, authentic, unselfish, and unconditional….Jesus tells us that we are to be known for our love; love which gives glory to God, and love that truly cares for others.
So let’s look at how we are to love others. Let’s look at the words our Savior spoke to his disciples and apply them to our lives. Even though the world has changed drastically since Jesus preached this sermon, his words still ring true for us today. Just as the disciples needed to hear this practical example of how they could show Christian love, we need to hear it as well.
In Matthew 5:38 Jesus says,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’”
And just like the disciples had heard that I’m sure we all have as well. There are even religions in this world that teach that. They teach that taking revenge is the right thing to do, that it is okay to lie to someone who has been dishonest with you, and so on. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is essentially the same idea as the popular idea of karma–what goes around comes around. And even if you haven’t heard another person talking like that, you’ve almost certainly heard it in your own head because that is just how our sinful nature thinks. It says, “If you hurt me, then I’ll hurt you back.” The eye for an eye mentality is so common that we hardly think twice about it, but Jesus called his disciples–including you and me– to be different. He didn’t tell us to yield to the lowest common denominator, but he told us to be different.
Here’s how we are to be different as Jesus’ disciples,
“But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “
Jesus tells us not to take revenge! Don’t lie back to someone who lied to you! That’s common, be different! And when you see someone turn the other cheek after having been struck, you know that there is something different about that person. When you see someone so generous that they will not only give a stranger their jacket, but the shirt off their back as well–you know there is something different about that person.
This is the kind of love Jesus wants us to show. Love that is rare, love that is unique, and love that gives glory to God. Now you might wonder how this kind of love gives glory to God. After all if you see a person acting like this we might be inclined to give them praise for being such a good person, but the only way you can show this sort of love is if you first have received this same sort of unconditional love from God.
Take a look at each of the phrases Jesus uses and how each situation gives glory to God. First of all, If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. When we show love in this way we are giving glory to God by allowing him to punish those who do wrong–by letting him take vengeance just like he tells us throughout Scripture. Numerous times throughout Proverbs, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Revelation God tells us that vengeance and punishment are his job and that we should simply trust him to do what needs to be done. Our sinful egos, though, want immediate satisfaction if they have been harmed and naturally we want to seek revenge, but Jesus calls on us to be set apart by love which glorifies God by letting him take vengeance.
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“And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
Once again our natural reaction is to keep as much for ourselves as we can–to turn away those in need because on our own we are reluctant to share. God has richly blessed us with all we have and he has promised to continue blessing us, though. So when we show love in this unique way that is willing to share abundantly it gives glory to God because it shows that we trust his promises. It also shows that we recognize that what we have in this life isn’t really ours. It all belongs to God and he lets us use it. So what better way to use his blessings could there be than to use them to reflect the unique love that God has shown us?
And Jesus reinforces his point with his last two statements in verses 41-42,
“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
If someone forced me to walk a mile with them I can tell you right now that my natural reaction would not be to say, “Hey, let’s walk another one!” No! I wouldn’t automatically want to do that. None of these things come naturally–we need to fight our sinful nature and be set apart through demonstrations of this special love that makes Christians different. When someone asks to borrow from us, we don’t just turn away and ignore them…we help them–we help them with what they need immediately, but we also help their souls by talking to them about Jesus. Sooner or later if you are known for acts of love like these someone is going to ask you why you act the way you do and right there is the reason for all of it. When that time comes you can tell a person that you are no better than anyone else, but you have received the love of God (love which sent his Son to be your Savior) and now you make every effort your can to show that same sort of love to others.
But we don’t need to just sit around and wait for one of those opportunities Jesus listed to present itself. We can show this kind of love that glorifies God in our lives each and every day. One way to do that is by demonstrating the selfless nature of this unique love and putting the needs of others ahead of our own wants and needs.
In verse 43 Jesus quotes another common way of thinking when he says,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”
And that’s how we naturally think. That’s why we call some people enemies–because our sinful nature has convinced us to not treat them with love. But Jesus tells his followers to be different! He says,
“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven….If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Now, that’s a tall order isn’t it? And on our own, by our own effort, we could never do it. But we have a perfect example of this kind of unique love that sets Christians apart. We have Jesus who loved with this kind of love–and he did it perfectly, and he did it for us. Just think for a minute about how Jesus demonstrated his love for you….
He willingly set aside some of his heavenly glory and lowered himself to become human. He was born in a stable. He lived a life of persecution having been essentially run out of his home town and threatened just about everywhere he went. He came down from heaven to live on earth, where he would never even own a bed to call his own. And then, he allowed himself to be arrested and put on trial even though he hadn’t committed a crime. He was beaten and mocked. Ultimately, he was executed like a criminal–nailed to a cross–where he felt the burden of all your sins, all my sins, and the sins everyone else who ever had lived or would live. Then he gave up his life, a life that he had lived perfectly, as payment for our sins. And even after all that, he didn’t even own a grave to be buried in. That is how your Savior showed his love for us, and that is what enables you now to show love to others.
Jesus showed love that wasn’t common…he showed love that shocked and amazed and now he encourages us to do the same. He pointed out that it’s easy to love those who love us. He said even the tax collectors and pagans can do that, but that sort of love isn’t the love Jesus expects from his followers.
I’ll admit that at times hearing about love all the time can be a little off-putting. It can make us sound like a bunch of mushy weirdos that are constantly surrounded by beams of sunshine and smiles. That’s the way that our world thinks of love–as a simple emotion that makes you feel good inside and makes you forget about anything that might be wrong. When Jesus talks about love, though, that’s not what he’s talking about. When Jesus talks about love he’s not talking about something that is not easy and it isn’t always fun either. When Jesus talks about love he is talking about love that will give itself up for another, love that will die for another person, love that doesn’t boast about itself but gives glory to God. When Jesus talks about love he isn’t talking about hearts and roses and candy. He’s talking about selflessness, humility, and ultimately he’s talking about the cross where he died for us because he loved us.
Don’t let the false images of love that our culture is obsessed with define how you, as Christians, think about and act out love. Remember how Christ showed you love, by rescuing you from sin. Remember the sacrifices he made and let him be your model for how you love others. Only with our eyes and hearts fixed on Jesus and his cross can we begin to understand what it means to love. Then that is what our reputation as Christians will be, that’s what others will know about us. That we are defined by love unlike any other love–by love which glorifies our Lord and love which puts the needs of others before our own.
Amen.