Epiphany

February 9, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:13-20

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. –Matthew 5:17-20

I was stunned when I heard President Trump on the news recently saying that he disagreed with the Pastor who spoke before the President at the National Prayer breakfast when the Pastor said that we should love our enemies. I realize that the President may not know that the Pastor was quoting Jesus, but that teaching, commandment to some of us, appears in several scriptures.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:28)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14-21)

I struggled as I thought about even the possibility of disagreeing with Jesus. If I commit to be a follower of Jesus, does that give me the right to pick and choose which of his teachings I will follow?  Of course, we all do that at one time or another with portions of the Hebrew bible, like wearing clothing made from two different fabrics, and even as we study the New Testament books other than the gospels. Some even question the source of parts of the gospels. My final analysis is that Jesus gave us two commandments that he identified as overriding all others, Loving God and Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31) I shorthand those commandments by holding decision I must make up to the question, “Does what I think and what I do pass the test of love?” I like M. Scott Peck’s definition of love which is: The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth*. There is only one trajectory in love and that is always targeted at creating more love.

Prayer: God who is Love, help us love ourselves enough to transcend hate and to love our enemies. Amen.

*The Road Less Traveled, Peck, 1978/1992, p85

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.