Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other one also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  

 

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

 

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. The n He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other one also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  This last verse here is called the "Golden Rule."  My study Bible calls it a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places a person's desire for goodness (which St. Cyril of Alexandria references as "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It's the first step on the path of perfection of virtue.  

 

 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  If the Golden Rule (see verse 31, above) is the "first step" in the perfection of virtue, then here in this last verse ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful") Jesus gives us the image of perfection -- where God's mercy, rather than our human desire, is the standard.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments here that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, it says, would yield a more generous amount than flour fluffed up.  The blessings which God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than you and I could possibly contain, but this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.  

Jesus continues His Sermon on the Plain, found here in Luke's Gospel.  The contents are similar to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7), but here in Luke the sermon is less extensive.  My study Bible has commented that, indeed, Jesus no doubt taught many similar things on many varied occasions.  In today's reading, Jesus moves from speaking of the beatitudes (or blessings) of the Kingdom, and the woes of those who reject it, to today's focus on the practice of virtue, what it means, and how we do this.  All of this counts as part of the gospel message that Christ's newly-appointed apostles will carry out to the world.  While the blessings and woes of the beginning of the sermon give us distinctive characteristics of the life of the Kingdom, here Jesus' focus shifts to behavior, and a sense of the "rules" by which this Kingdom operates, even for we who seek to live it here in this world.  Jesus teaches, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."  In terms of worldly values of the use of coercive and manipulative power, this rule of loving your enemies might seem far from reasonable or efficient.  And yet, we are taught to live this way.  Because God's kingdom exists even in our midst, we might be surprised at the quality of life we receive when we seek to live by God's laws.  As Jesus noted in His "blessings," we might even be persecuted for this Kingdom's sake, or suffer some sort of hostile response from the worldly, but to live in this way has surprising benefits and blessings that accrue to it nonetheless.  It might not jibe with many popular beliefs, but having observed a great deal of life, one might be surprised at just how much benefit seems to amass by following Christ's teachings.  Often it is the extremely selfish who wind up suffering from their own inward directedness, and limited perspective in life.  Short-term gain often does not equal long-term benefit.  Even in purely business relationships, one might be surprised at how much generosity pays off in terms of the capacity to come to terms, and gain agreements.  Moreover, as we're told to love our enemies, it prompts us to consider precisely what love it.  If we make the mistake of thinking that love is merely the coddling or indulgence of our every whim, then we're on the wrong track about practicing love.  Love is desiring the good for others, not helping them along on the road to self-indulgence or destructive personal behaviors.  The practice of love does not compatible with forms of nihilism.  Christ asks us to practice love and mercy in concert with the values of the Kingdom, for life, and for the goodness of life, for the fullness of health of human beings in all dimensions.  To practice kindness is in an important sense to build peace, and to make a space for the truly good and creative to thrive even at times in the midst of enemies.  Perhaps there will always be those who reject this way of life, who resent the joy of the Kingdom, and do not understand the love that Christ preaches.  But let us, at any rate, draw closer to God and to follow Christ's way, as we learn better how to put into practice what He teaches us.  Yes, there will be those from whom we need to withdraw, even to practice virtue when such circumstances arise (for even Christ withdrew from His persecutors in the times this was necessary; see this reading, for example).  Jesus invites us into the generosity of the Kingdom, a different way of living and of perceiving life, but He does not leave us alone in this endeavor, for He is with us, and the Holy Spirit does not leave us.  How we negotiate life in this world, even amongst people who don't share such values, and how we live nevertheless the values of the Kingdom even in this world, is always going to be our mission.  The myriad of saints and of believers over the centuries confirms that there is a wide, wide, ever-expanding array of ways to live His life of the Kingdom even as we live in this world.  For this is our mission, and our gospel to bear into the world. 

 

 

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you,and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  In the middle of this passage, Jesus gives what is called the Golden Rule:  "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."   The rest of the teachings here, both before and after, stem from this "rule."  My study Bible calls this Golden Rule a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places humankind's desire for goodness (what St. Cyril of Alexandria calls, "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It notes that this is simply the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  The perfection is found in the final verse in this section:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Here it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  It says that good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and general merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour that is fluffed up.  The blessings which God desires to put into our hearts are more generous than we could contain, however this also depends on the spirit in which we ourselves will give and forgive.  

Forgiveness is not an easy subject.  Certainly we all understand the concept of mercy, for all of us desire mercy on some level in our lives.  We would all desire that others are merciful with us, would not hold our sins and mistakes against us.  Sometimes we speak out of turn, we say the wrong thing, we unintentionally offend, or perhaps we're shorter with others, more abrupt than we intended, but speak out of frustration.  At those times we desire mercy indeed; we'd all like others to overlook our infractions and understand where we're coming from, and listen to what we wished we'd said rather than the poor way it came out.  We all have these experiences, for to be a human being is to be imperfect -- and we do indeed live in an imperfect world, with all kinds of circumstances that make it all the more difficult to maintain equilibrium.  But this is the world into which we're born; even the best of us seem to have bad days.  But what is forgiveness, and how does it work?   Frequently we will hear forgiveness used to mean complete reconciliation, but in my perspective, reconciliation is another step beyond.  In this context in today's reading, of Luke 6:37, there's a different word used for "forgive" than in Matthew 6:12 or Luke 11:4 (in the text of the Lord's Prayer).  But in both cases, the word means to "let go" or to "release."  In this case, it is a word even used in the context of divorce, severing a relationship.  But we're clearly told by Jesus to let go of our grudges, and leave the judgment to God; we're not to seek vengeance.  This does not mean we'll seek to be close to abusers, or even that trust is restored without mutual work.  But it does mean that we let go to God, and we seek God's way to negotiate our world and navigate our way through imperfect relationships, hurts, and even deliberate harms.  We're to positively seek to establish a different kind of relatedness with others in which we put God first, and seek God's way to do so, and that requires of us knowing and understanding God's mercy -- even the mercy we would like extended to us.  There are times in life when we will be called upon to be merciful to those who perhaps have not been merciful to us.  Parents -- even imperfect parents -- become old and infirm, sometimes people who've hurt us will have no one else willing to help when they need it.  At that time we have a choice.  We can find in our hearts the mercy God places there even when there is no rational "justice" involved, for that is a question between ourselves and the Lord, and how God asks us to live as faithful in the Kingdom.  Life changes, and so do we -- and even a kind word may be something God asks us to give to someone who once upon a time didn't have one for us.  It may feel like a sacrifice, we may gain nothing worldly, but we become rich in the Lord.

 

 

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

- Matthew 5:38-48 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

 

  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."   My study Bible says that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, it notes, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love. 

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?"  To be freed from hate, sadness, and anger, my study Bible says, is to be able to then receive the greatest virtue:  perfect love.  The love of enemies is not a mere emotion, but includes decision and action.  See 1 John 4:7-21.

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this the summary statement of all that has preceded.  The Christian can indeed grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).  

 

What does it mean to be perfect?  Jesus gives us a model for perfection, God the Father.  It is an ultimate yardstick, something toward which to seek to grow, and to learn to grow in likeness to the things we know of God such as Jesus names.  There seems to be a complete emphasis here on an abundance of mercy; that without mercy we don't have real righteousness or justice.  It's significant to remember that when "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was first said as part of the Law, it was given as a limitation to violence.   For context, the Old Testament tells us the story of escalating violence after sin entered into the world, with perhaps a pinnacle reached in the story of Lamech, who bragged that he would take vengeance seventy-seven fold (Genesis 4:22-24).  We might even bear in mind the story of Noah and what it tells us about the sinfulness of the world.  But in the story of salvation we are given Christ, whom the Revelation teaches us is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).  Perhaps one way we are to understand Jesus' teachings here is to recall our ultimate reliance upon God for all things.  In Moses' song in Deuteronomy, an extremely ancient Scripture, we read, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them" (Deuteronomy 32:35, quoted by St. Paul in Romans 12:19).  Once again, we turn to Christ the Lord as the One teaching us about establishing community and right-relatedness -- but perhaps most of all we must consider how His teachings leave us room to find the way God would ask us to go in all circumstances.  To withdraw from immediate impulse is to have the capacity to check one's passions or emotions and to seek a way to cope with even difficult circumstances with God's help and guidance.  What Jesus is teaching is a way of life, a discipleship, that entails a lifetime of pursuit, in which we hopefully grow in our own capacity to become more "like Him."

 

 

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27-38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  My study Bible comments on verse 31 ("And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise") that this "Golden Rule" is a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places our desire for goodness (what is called "the natural law of self-love" by St. Cyril of Alexandria) as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is but the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  This perfection, my study Bible says, is found in verse 36 ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful"), where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour fluffed up.  The blessings God intends to put into our hearts, my study Bible says, are more generous than we can possibly contain, yet this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.

For anyone who has had to cope with cruelty or unfairness, today's teaching by Jesus is particularly difficult and can be met with struggle.  How do we practice mercy to someone who has treated us badly?  Do we open the door to more abuse?  How often do I give someone who asks for something who has no appreciation whatsoever for the gift?  These questions can be asked incessantly.  But I think it is important to take Christ's teaching with a certain frame of mind, a perspective He's sharing with us.  My study Bible's comment that our job is not just to follow our own standard of mercy (what we'd like or how we'd like to be treated), but to aim further -- to find what God would want from us as standard.  I don't believe that the spirit of these teachings includes anything that would encourage abusive or bad behavior.  But it is a teaching which encourages ways to create good community.  One of the oldest problems in Scripture is that of envy, and slander that often goes along with it.  Some scholars suggest that both the Old and New Testaments link envy to a form of idolatry.  In this sense, to be envious (particularly with malice) is to reject the fullness of God's goodness for us, and our reliance upon God.  So envy as a malevolent desire is rooted in a lack of trusting to God's blessings.  Moreover, envy that manifests as withholding good from another is seen as a sort of gatekeeping of God's blessings, an enforced exclusivity that effectively forms a false relationship to God and the abundance of goodness described by Jesus when He says that God is  kind to the unthankful and evil.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:44-45).  If we look at the definitions for the Greek word translated as "kind" in today's passage (verse 35) perhaps the best one is "gracious."  But this is the kindness of God, so it is always fitting and useful.  We must also take note that this word (χρηστός) is pronounced the same way as the word for Christ, Χριστος,"Christos."  Moreover, God's goodness is that which provides for an ultimate good, God's eternal perspective of salvation.  So when we are kind to those who mistreat us, this isn't an invitation to continue behavior that is surely not beneficial to their salvation, but rather a refraining from doing harm, from taking revenge, a pleasantness that aims to keep peace -- or at least the open door to repentance and salvation.  Sometimes what is fitting and helpful can only come with patience.  St. Augustine comments on this passage:  " A final just vengeance is looked for, that is, the last supreme judgment, only when no chance of correction remains. But now we must be on our guard, more than anything else, not to lose patience in our eagerness to be justified, for patience is to be more highly prized than anything an enemy can take from us against our will" (Augustine, Letter 138).  We're to remember that full justice comes from God, the One upon whom we rely for vengeance.  St. Paul writes to the Romans, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have[a] regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord (Romans 12:17-19; quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35).  When Jesus speaks of refraining from judgment (or perhaps we should say, unrighteous judgment), it is with the clear understanding in mind that the ultimate judgment is God's, so so should we also keep in mind that there is an eternal aim for the highest good.   And again, that brings us back to the virtue of patience.  Ultimately, the good that we give requires reliance on God, the true source of flowing abundance, true Judge, and the source of the virtue we need, the only Giver who can assure us that "with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27-38 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and cast your your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."   

"But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."   Possibly the theme of these verses is summed up in the last one, which is also understood as the "Golden Rule."  My study Bible calls the Golden Rule a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places humanity's desire for goodness (which St. Cyril of Alexandria calls "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It says this is but the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  The perfection is found in verse 36 of today's reading ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful"), where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.  

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Jesus is asking us to break out of the rules of tit-for-tat.  As He does in the Sermon on the Mount, there is built into these statements at minimum a prohibition against revenge, but its main gist is that we are not simply slaves to the social order, to the ways in which others treat us.  He asks us to follow a different agenda, to observe the mercy of God and model ourselves upon that instead.

 

 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments here that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour which is pressed down, for example, will give a more generous amount than flour which is fluffed up with pockets of air.  My study Bible adds that the blessings which God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than we can possibly contain, yet this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.

In pondering the words in today's reading, I'm wondering how they must have sounded to Christ's listeners.  He seems to be asking people to come out of their ordinary suppositions about life and how to conduct it, and to come to some new conclusion about the power in seeking to be more "like God."  Jesus invites us to consider the mercy of the Most High:  "For He is kind to the unthankful and evil."  God doesn't judge using a worldly standard, but God instead asserts God's own standard, and He asks us to be "sons of the Most High" by being "like" God.  If we consider this ultimately merciful God in the light of the standards of the world at the time, what would we find?  Rulers and leaders of nations used power fairly ruthlessly.  The family of Herod the Great, who ruled Israel during Christ's lifetime, was particularly known for ruthlessness even among the other powerful rulers of the world.  If we look at the contemporary pagan gods and myths, we find a harsh world indeed, and one populated by gods who could be swayed by their own passions and desires.  Taking a look at the plays of classical Greek literature, we would find that justice worked itself out in a kind of "measure for measure" way, so to speak.  Every action resulted in a reaction that worked itself through time:  curses came back to curse, violence came back to the descendants of those who began the cycle, everything worked out in a way that reflected a sort of justice in which acts of hubris would somehow result in requisite "payment" down the line.  There are times when we see glimpses of mercy in the evolution of justice within that body of literature as well, but nothing comes close to this standard that Christ sets.  While it may seem quite a tall order even today, we might want to think about Christ's teachings as those which facilitate God's justice and judgment in the world.  As those who seek to participate in God's kingdom, we are asked to seek to live through guidelines that differ from a worldly standard; we are asked to be gracious and merciful as God is gracious and merciful.  One can simply imagine, then, what God's judgment would mean for those who respond with cruelty; we're not meant to believe that judgment never comes.  But we are asked to consciously cede that judgment to God, and to be aware of what God's judgment is like.  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples (at the Last Supper), "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).  In chapter 17, He prays to the Father, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14-16).  The emphasis is that those whom He has kept in His name, and in the word of God, are not "of" the world, although they are "in" the world.  His teachings in today's reading, about the practice of mercy -- even that which seems unmerited -- becomes a key way one is not "of" the world.  He takes us out of the world in this sense, and asks us to become detached, independent, dispassionate, in order to follow Him, to be more "like God," and so children of God.  In John's chapter 16, Jesus explains to the disciples, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:7-8).  We are asked to be "like God," even as the Holy Spirit is at work in the world doing the work of judgment, and our righteousness is to shine like a light within this process.  For how else might judgment take place?  (In this context, see also Romans 12:19-20.)   Let us think about His words and what He asks of us, for so much may be dependent on how we understand discipleship and the mission He proclaims.  This is His new covenant, the way that God must be at work among us -- not so that we are "like" the world, but so that we might be a different kind of light to see by, a different kind of measure.  In gospel of the Kingdom, we become responsible for that which we desire for ourselves -- to live mercy even if it gains contempt or hatred from others.   "For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

- Matthew 5:38-48 

 

At present we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's thrown; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."  My study Bible comments that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  It notes that evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?"  My study Bible says that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, then we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies is not simply an emotion, but rather includes decision and action.  

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this verse the summary statement of all that has preceded.  The Christian can grow in the perfection of the Father (see Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitation of God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36). 

What does it mean to be perfect?  And what is perfect love?  Clearly my study Bible states that we can learn to grow in the perfection of God; for Orthodox Christians, the mystical nature of the Church and the sacraments, the effects of prayer, and a life lived in faith reflect participation in the life and energies of Jesus Christ, the grace of God, and the action of God through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in us and in our lives.  This is a very mysterious process in which our faith plays a role to help us to be transformed in love, through repentance and our own "yes" to God.  So how we are made perfect in love, as the Father in heaven is perfect, to be conformed to the image and likeness of God in which we are created?   In this sense, Christ's summing up of the teachings He has given so far in the Sermon on the Mount reflects our present understanding of Christian theology and our participation in the life of His Church.  But let us ask again, what does it mean to be perfect, and what is perfect love?  There seem to be all kinds of love:  a popular notion would be that love is full indulgence of the desires of the beloved, but then there is also the notion of "tough love" -- that is, what one does out of love that may seem to be harsh or strict with the object of that love has terrible problems with their own behaviors.  I think it's relevant to understand that in the tradition of the Old Testament, God's word to Israel was meant for Israel; that is to say, the focus was on what was required to be a Jew, not on forcing all the world to follow the laws of Judaism.  Here, Christ speaks to His disciples, and He is teaching us what our responsibilities are if we are to call ourselves His followers.  Therefore, these commands are for us.  It is in that context that excommunication is understood:  that there are times when separation from the Church occurs even for the spiritual good of the person who is sinning, in the understanding that all are under God's care, and in hope that separation will help to bring the person back to the love of God (see 1 Corinthians 5:5, for example).  In our modern perspective which seems to orient itself to a kind of consumerism of all things, this may seem strange.  But on spiritual terms -- and within the context of the spiritual reality of God and this spiritual realm that permeates our world -- it is, in fact, a loving gesture if understood and properly administered.   Each of us needs to be reconciled to the love of God in whatever way we have need within ourselves; in fact, in this understanding, repentance becomes necessary to avoid more negative consequences of our own hypocritical behavior, for all is exposed to God.   So love takes on forms we might not necessarily understand are loving if we do not know the context in which love operates, and if we do not understand what is for the higher good of the person who is the beloved.  In all cases, loving action supports life and  nurturing; it does not indulge what is self-destructive and harmful, but neither must it be without mercy and what will work best in the long run.  In short, this command to be perfect is a command for lifelong learning of discernment of what constitutes love, what best serves God's purposes, and retains a focus not on what others are doing, but on our own lives and what it is that we need to do in that pursuit of perfection (see John 21:20-22).  In the modern social context of today, we see a tremendous focus on what everybody else is doing, on condemnation of another's action or choice, be that the support of a political party or some stand on a current issue.  The drive to focus attention on an enemy or a scapegoat, even if only to scare others into line (or to distract from one's own motives), is part of human history and the use of power for as long as history is recorded.    "Cancel culture" is one name given to this phenomenon in one of its forms today; this tendency is nothing new.   But this is not the focus recommended by Christ, not the focus of the Sermon on the Mount.  Let us learn discernment to follow His will and find His way, and practice what He preaches for us all, if we call ourselves His followers.  It is in this way that Christ's light will shine through us, that He asks us to be the salt of the earth, to distinguish ourselves as those who carry His name in the world.

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

- Matthew 5:38-48 

 

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which is covered in Matthew chapters 5 - 7.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."   My study Bible comments that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:244, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns not to resist violence with yet more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  It then relates a story from the desert monks, in which one saint of the desert once found his hut being looted of its few possessions, and knelt in a corner praying for the thieves.  When they left, he saw that they had not taken his walking stick; he pursued them for many days until he was able to give them the stick as well.  When they saw his humility they returned everything and were converted to Christ.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?"  My study Bible says that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies, it says, is not merely an emotion, but includes decision and action.  It is to treat and to see our enemies as the closest members of our own family.  (See 1 John 4:7-21).

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this the summary statement of all that has preceded.  A Christian, it says, can grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).  

Most people don't realize that the injunction of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was actually given in order to curtail vengeance.  It established a kind of justice not simply from a sense of appropriate retribution, but was more emphatically a sense in which it sought to limit severe retribution.  If we look at the Old Testament, we're given a story in which retributive vengeance spirals out of control, to become what we might call the prime problem and eventual outcome of the first murder, when Cain killed Abel.  (See Genesis 4.)   In order to protect Cain, who became cursed as a result, the LORD said that if he were murdered, it would be avenged seven times over, and placed a mark on Cain to prevent his murder.  But by the time we get to Cain's descendant Lamech, he brags in a song to his wives:  "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;/Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!/For I have killed a man for wounding me,/Even a young man for hurting me./If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,/Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."  Violence has begotten violence, and vengeance has become a way of life.  Genesis 4 ends with the statement:  "Then men began to call on the name of the Lord."  In a world in which violence has spiraled out of control thanks to retribution and vengeance, people begin to call upon the name of the Lord.  This is one way to read the text.   In places where we see out of control violence today, it is frequently due to the presence of gangs in which this sort of ongoing retributive "justice" continues.  Like Lamech, it becomes a type of "honor," a response to what might be seen as insult.  It is the opposite of Christ's teachings regarding our own understanding of our responses to insult and harm.  While the injunctions based on "an eye for an eye" curtailed vengeance for a sense of justice based on aims of restitution (for this is the sense of the Mosaic Law), Christ -- as He has so far throughout the Sermon on the Mount -- gets to the literal heart of the matter by focusing on the heart.   We are asked to consider our own responses to hurt and think about them.  What is the best way to respond?  Do we want to continue a cycle of retribution?  Would we rather put a stop to it with our own actions?  Do we want to try to maintain a sort of peace?  Above all, we should remember that the aim of the Law was community, and in the gospel of Christ the aim is community in which Christ is present within us and among us.  In Luke 17:21, Jesus teaches that "the kingdom of God is within you."  This phrase in the Greek, "within you," means both within and among you, indicating each of us and all of us:  in our hearts and in community.  So we should think of Jesus' teachings in today's reading:  before responding, we turn to that communion with God to find what is best for us.  I don't agree that this is a formula like a new set of rules:  it is, rather, a teaching for communion with God and relationship within community.  It is a sense in which our highest and first loyalty to God creates the community God wants for us.  This might include all kinds of responses such as discernment and discrimination (in the sense of thoughtful measuring), for He has also taught us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  But the deeper point here is that it is our relationship to the Father that determines our relationship to others, and this must be what we seek in our hearts, the place from which we find response to the world and to the things in it which challenge and hurt us.  One may be surprised at the effects of prayer on those who are hostile to us; it might not make us best friends but it does work to help to bring peace, both within us and among us.  Jesus' teachings also ask us to understand that material things are secondary:  they can be replaced.  Our lives themselves are made of deeper substance; and in true imitation of our Creator and our likeness to Creator we are capable of creating what we need and finding our way through life regarding the material in surprising ways (Luke 12:22-34).  A sense of what we're capable of with God's help gives us a more dynamic than static picture of our material wealth, and how it is used.  We go first to the relationship with God (Matthew 6:33).  Above all, Christ's teachings elevate us beyond the level of retribution to a powerful and dynamic relationship first with God, a participation in God's love, and from there a sense of ourselves which we seek to express in our relationship to the world.  Who are we really?  What do we choose to be?  With whom are we truly in communion?  How do we see ourselves in life?  It takes us out of merely victim status, and into participation, choice, commitment, and the capacity to act in ways that we choose rather than out of mere provocation.  Let us consider the ways in which His teachings liberate us and build up our lives with substance, for He teaches that we are so much more than we think we are, and He gives us goals which are worthy of that true substance.

 

 

For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:   "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets." 

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  Here, Jesus teaches what is called the "Golden Rule."  My study bible calls it a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places one's desire for goodness (which St. Cyril of Alexandria calls "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is a first step on the perfection of virtue.  That perfection is found in the verses that follow.

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Here, Jesus explains "perfection" -- that we learn the mercy of God, beyond natural human law.  God's mercy, rather than human desire, is the standard.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study bible says that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  For example, if one "pressed down" on flour in a measuring cup, it would give far more as the measure than otherwise, fluffed up with air.  The blessings which God intends to put into our hearts, my study bible says, are far more generous than we can possibly contain.  But this also depends on the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.

In today's reading, which is a continuation of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain begun in yesterday's reading (above), Jesus calls upon us for what we might term a very tall order in our behavior with others.  We might wonder how we can possibly fulfill these teachings.  But my own understanding is that Jesus is not telling us to go put ourselves in harm's way nor appease abusive people.  He is, rather, teaching us a principle about our own behavior.  It cannot be based upon tit-for-tat worldly rules that we learn from the society around us, or which are based on some sort of material understanding of gain and loss, or trade.  Our goal is to be "like God."  What that means, as is so often the case with Jesus, is that we are to learn to think outside of the worldly box, to seek what is proper in prayer, and through love and mercy.  In all cases we are to use discernment, but the foundation of Christian witness is not to conform to the world.   It is to live as God asks us to live.  In various places in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of "treasure in heaven," which is the result of sharing or giving our worldly goods as alms (Luke 12:33).  See, for example, Jesus' words to the rich young ruler:  "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Luke 18:18-23).  In this understanding, the good that we do, especially where not "merited" in some sense, becomes a kind of exchange with the heavenly reality, where what we give becomes part of a heavenly treasure stored up for us.  It is as if we must view our lives as a kind of commerce or exchange but where God is the President and Regulator of that exchange.  Forgiveness works in this same framework.  Our sense of evening up the score becomes transcendent of a worldly perspective, and instead it is God who is the One who oversees our negotiations.  We give up a debt and forgive in the imagery of the Lord's Prayer ("Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" - Matthew 6:12), but it is God who has the central bank where ultimately everything is collected and accounts are reconciled.  Jesus asks us to conduct our lives with an awareness that is not limited simply to a materialist, worldly perspective, but rather one in which God is present, watching, and participating in our lives -- and we are to understand our choices in this divine economy.  It's really the ultimate Judge who keeps the score, and that is what we are to keep in mind.  So our commerce with others, of all kinds, becomes much more than an exchange between ourselves and other persons.  It becomes a way of expressing our faith, our love of God, and our understanding that there is a much bigger picture that defines our conduct.  We just might also find that following Christ's teachings gets us much further even in this earthly life than if we are constantly seeking to even the score, or angle for something we think we can get.  To think outside of that worldly box is to begin to give up selfish habits; to engage in the worldly direction is to follow the road of self-centeredness and selfishness, a destination that doesn't lead to great happiness or peace in the long run, I have observed.  These guidelines by Christ form the basis for what we understand to be gracious living, good manners.  Those are the intangible goods that separate us out from the crowd, and do not depend upon material wealth but give substance and value to a person nevertheless.  In our present day, and especially with the advent of social media (it seems) we might lose sight of those intangible things that make us gracious.  But one would be surprised how far this behavior carries us in life, and even in the social media world.  Let us follow our Lord in the true spirit of His teachings, and grow in them!  For there is where our joy and peace are found.  

 

 

For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

 Yesterday we read that at this time, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the sons of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

"But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.   But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  In verse 31, Jesus teaches, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  This is called the "Golden Rule."  My study bible states that it is a minimum of Christian virtue.  It puts man's desire for goodness, called "the natural law of self-love" by St. Cyril of Alexandria, as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is simply the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  From this verse in the Sermon, Jesus elaborates to lead us to the image of real perfection, where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, that becomes the standard:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."

 

 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study bible comments here that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it says, are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour that is pressed down, for instance, yields a more generous amount that four fluffed up.  The blessings which God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than we can possibly contain, but this also depends on the spirit with which we also give and forgive.

Ultimately, what Jesus is speaking about here is freedom, the true spiritual freedom that God calls us toward.  In releasing ourselves from retribution and vengeance, we are free to seek the guidance of God for how we are going to conduct ourselves in life.  It is a way to be freed from sin and to avoid sin in responding to things that provoke us in life.  Jesus is not saying that we are simply somehow to be victims; rather we should keep in mind His teaching, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).  If we feel bound simply by impulses or social pressure for an automatic reflex of revenge, then we are indeed slaves of sin.  We have no freedom in choosing what our own actions will be, and we are bound by whatever our "enemy" does.   Taking it yet another step further, let us imagine that when we choose to give, we freely give, without simply an agenda for awaiting a return.  In such a case, we truly give freely, and we are freed from disappointed expectations and the need to respond.  These are Jesus' spiritual truths that make us free (John 8:31).  It's not too hard to imagine simply choosing to give because we choose to give, and making up our minds that this is the correct decision to take -- come what may the response or lack of it.  As to loving our enemies, this might be a tough one to consider, until we come to terms with what that might mean.  We are taught to pray for our enemies.  But have we considered what it means to live the blessed way of life that Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes, and do we understand that this is spiritual teaching?  If our enemies are engaged in serious spiritual mistakes, are we praying that they continue to do so by praying for their true good?  Just as the blessings of the Kingdom way of life are those which indicate a "heavenly, spiritual exaltation" (in the words of my study bible) and not a purely materialist understanding of the word blessing, so we should understand that the love we practice, and the prayer in which we engage for others, is not about praying that sinful or abusive behavior be rewarded in material terms.  Rather, our highest prayers for ourselves and others are for salvation and redemption, for the true blessings of God's kingdom.  We don't pray for the continued ignorance of those who may exploit or harm.  But Jesus is teaching us to be freed from the worldly obligations that tie us in to obligations that might be harmful for us spiritually.  We give up the "worldly way" for God's guidance and wisdom, and measured and prudent ways to live in this world while we participate in the "Kingdom" way of life.  If this seems complicated, consider the power that is in that freedom, that does not bind itself to respond to every insult, to avenge every debt, to engage every hostile act.  In Christ, we are free to choose what is best instead, to have our hearts as those which serve only God, and are not bound by whatever another person's hostile act may seek to impose upon us.  Finally, we come to the practice of mercy, and the image of our Father in heaven.  To be free enough to practice mercy is indeed the ultimate freedom a human being can know, because it doesn't involve any calculation of retribution or dependence upon the actions of others.  We choose freely to be like our Father.  We decide that judgment involves more than our immediate worldly perspective, but must also include the cosmic spiritual perspective that our faith offers to us.  We might always seek true judgment in discernment and prayer, but we also know that the ultimate Judge is Christ, and so we seek His way.  This is a way of putting God first.  Jesus' teachings for today give us a way to sobriety, intelligence, self-possession, and above all a kind of freedom in which we are not just slaves to the world, but are capable of making better choices and decision for how we will live and act in our world -- how we will practice discernment, our own prudence, and seek Christ in all things.  It is a way to be a full human being, with the dignity that befits one who loves Christ.  Let us consider where He takes us, setting our own hearts and minds free to follow Him, and to know what we are all about.  Christ reminds us that with the same measure we use, it will be measured back to us.  This is a call to conscious choice, and the good judgment that comes with such awareness.