Jan. 13, 2008<br>
Background Scripture: Luke 6:27-36<br>
Devotional Reading: Psalms 37:1-11<br>
Soon, I will be teaching an adult class of our church for three weeks on “The Hard Teachings of Jesus.” I’m asking members to suggest “hard teachings” from the four gospels.</p><p>
Some “hard sayings” are hard because we don’t understand what Jesus means. Then, there are some that are “hard” because they seem at odds with our perception of Jesus. And there are those we understand perfectly, but assume are too hard or unrealistic for us to obey.</p><p>
Luke 6:27-38 is regarded by many as the hardest of Jesus’ teachings. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”</p><p>
Many consider this a nice ideal, but utterly valueless in the world in which we live. On a recent television program, a well-known mega-church preacher called upon his people to “defend God” with violence, if needed, and seek vengeance upon the enemies of God.</p><p>
Saying ‘yes’ to Jesus</p><p>

Once, while teaching an adult class, I asked if any present ever prayed for our nation’s enemies. They were aghast: “Surely you’re not saying we should pray for them?”</p><p>
I answered, “No, I’m not saying that, but Jesus is.”</p><p>
Many feel they are okay if they go to the right church, listen to the right preacher, worship and pray in the right way and live by the right standards. But, if we have not managed to be able to say “Yes” to Jesus’ command, we cannot really call ourselves his followers.</p><p>
Actually, we do not understand what Jesus is saying. If we could read this passage in the original Greek, we might find this command not quite so hard. We seem to have but one word for love, while the Greeks had three. The word eran/eros is passionate love, but the writer of Luke doesn’t use eran. Similarly, the Greek word philein/philea denotes the love we have for those nearest and dearest to us.</p><p>
But Luke uses the word agapa/agape, meaning a benevolent attitude toward another person, no matter what they do to us. This kind of agape love is not a matter of feeling, but of will. We do the right thing for or to another person, not because we feel loving, but because we choose to obey Christ who calls us to do loving things.
Very often this kind of love is an act of defiance by us against tyranny and oppression, an action that says to the offensive person that he or she cannot reduce us to the level of retaliation, that the love of Jesus Christ is stronger and more desirable than hitting back in some way or another.</p><p>
The way of Jesus</p><p>

A few years ago, someone treated me in a manner I felt was painfully unjust. Whenever that person’s name came up, I had a nagging inner battle, trying not to feel wounded and betrayed – although that’s exactly what I felt. I tried to forgive her, but though I said the right words, I didn’t feel forgiving.</p><p>
Then, a few weeks ago at a social occasion, I sat about four yards away from her at a large table. I avoided looking in her direction and did not say “hello” or even nod in recognition. But in my prayers the next day, I knew that I had broken Jesus’ command to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you …”</p><p>
How can I break out of this cycle of resentment and hostility? I prayed.</p><p>
The voice that replied was not so much from Heaven as it was inside me: “Pray for those who abuse you” (6:27). I didn’t think it would help much, but I gave it a try – and I relearned something which I had learned several times previously. It wasn’t immediate, but in a few weeks, the wound was healed.</p><p>
It doesn’t mean that person has ever apologized, or that I would look forward to working with her again, but I will treat her with the grace that God gives me, and if she needed my help, I wouldn’t hesitate to respond.</p><p>
William Barclay speaks for me when he asks, “What is the reason for this Christian conduct? The reason is that it makes us like God, for that is the way He acts.”