What? How?

 27 “But to you who are listening, I say: 

• Love your enemies, 
• do good to those who hate you, 28 
• bless those who curse you, 
• pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, 
• turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, 
• do not withhold your shirt from them. 
• 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 
• 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 

33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. 

Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, 

because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I have read this passage many times through the years. So many that I confess that it has become a quick read without much thought. This morning, however, this text jumped out at me as if it were a first-time encounter. I tried to imagine how it must have sounded to an oppressed people. How did the Jews, who the Romans dominated, take to this sermon? 

Envisioning trying to fulfill these few words is startling and appalling. Who would want to do all of this? What planet would these people come from? How would we, mere earthlings, treat these strange beings?

We tend to turn the above list on its head. We do the opposite of all of Jesus’ suggestions. But, of course, they are not suggestions at all. We only wished that they were. We know that we want others to treat us well. No doubt there. However, the other stuff is for the weak and meek, a group we see as puny and frail. Imagine if we tried to do all of this. We’d probably be dead in a week. 

If that scenario were true, then why would Jesus have said it? All of these words were to be the norm for Kingdom living. When practiced, we would exhibit true power and be “children of the Highest.” That’s because these character qualities reflect how He is to us. He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. That would be you and me. 

Think about these things, my friends. We are his as we do these things, and as we become weak, we become strong.