Matthew 5:38-48

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

"You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Over the past three weeks I have had the pleasure of participating in weekly discussions centered on select sermons of Martin Luther King, Jr., collected in the book Strength to Love.

I rediscovered my copy of Dr. King’s sermons last month as I prepared to lead a before-school Bible study at Sugar Creek Elementary. It was to be the kids’ last day of school prior to the observation of MLK Day, and I wanted to take the occasion to address MLK’s faith, which is as foundational to his character as anything else in his life, and yet probably was not a topic that would not have been discussed much during school hours that week.

I opened the dusty book and recalled that fifteen years earlier, as an undergraduate student, I had read and underlined his words with what could be described as a detached reverence. I knew intellectually that his words were true, but I also held his words at a distance because I assumed they were contextual – applicable only to his time and his situation. They weren’t words for me. After all, I wasn't even alive in the 50’s and 60’s. After all, I’m not black. And after all, I assumed I would have been on the right side of history had I lived in that time, fighting for the rights of my black brothers and sisters right alongside Dr. King. My original margin notes and underlines revealed the scribblings of a privileged, sheltered young man who thought he was reading a historical document with little regard for its current practical implications.

I felt convicted as I re-read his words through the lens of contemporary life. I wanted to once again wrestle with his words but this time alongside the perspectives of my fellow Christ-followers here at Cross of Grace; both with an eye on its historical relevancy as well as its current implications.

I’ve been blessed by the dialog this group has provided; and I feel like the participants have been challenged, convicted, and encouraged by Dr. King’s reflections on scripture and the prophetic call to engage in social justice in Christ’s name. His sermons are not easy to get through, both because of his expansive and scholarly verbiage, as well as his insistence that scripture would inspire all people to live Christ-centered lives of equality, nonviolence, and transformative love.

One of Dr. King’s sermons included in this book from his reflection on 5th chapter of Matthew – our assigned scripture for today. I was tempted to read his sermon to you in its entirety. I decided against that, although that’s not to say that I have anything to add to his profound words. Instead, I’ll share a few of his insights with you so that you too can share in its richness and truth.

When we hear Dr. King reflect on the truth of Jesus’ instruction to love our enemies, it’s important to hold a few images in mind. His words are that much more powerful and convicting when we remember that his dedication to love and nonviolence was not an abstract ivory tower philosophy. Instead, his dedication to love and nonviolence was a roadmap laid out for him in the pages of scripture – a way of life which he knew would paradoxically both lead to his death as well as to future peace.

Here are a few images from the time to remind us of what MLK anticipated and experienced as a result of his commitment to working for social justice. These snapshots of his reality remind us that he was not afraid of hatred, abuse, imprisonment, or even death. They were the prices he was willing to pay in order to live the Christian truth of loving his enemies.

With these images in mind, I encourage you to take in his words of hope and profound, painful truth.

In his sermon on the 5th chapter of Matthew, Dr. King acknowledges that the call to love one’s enemies is perhaps the most difficult of Jesus’ admonitions to follow.

How do we love our enemies?

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive
- “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love”
- “When we forgive, we forget in the sense that the evil deed is no longer a mental block impeding a new relationship”
“We must recognize that the evil deed of the enemy-neighbor, the thing that hurts, never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness may be found in our worst enemy.”
“We must not seek to defeat or humiliate the enemy but to win his friendship and understanding.”

Why should we love our enemies?

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“Hate scars the soul and distorts the personality.”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
Because Jesus tells us to (“Love your enemies…that ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven.”)

In one of the most passionate and faithful passages in the entire book, Dr. King writes,

"We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because non co-operation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is co-operation with good. Throw us in jail, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.

"Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force, so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for peace and security.”

I pray that you understand a truth that I could not grasp when I was a college student – Dr. King’s words are timeless truths because they are rooted in a profound and personal understanding of Jesus’ words. The call to stand up against oppression, hatred, and inequality with the weapons of love is not restricted to particular decades in the 20th Century. This is the same call with which we are to treat our very real enemies today, whomever you understand them to be.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. held all people to the highest standard of moral living – namely, a life guided by purposeful and subversive love aimed squarely at the hearts of people who mean to hurt us. We, as followers of Christ, inherit the command to love our enemies. These are not the words of an idealist, a snowflake, or any other adjective you would prefer to use to dismiss those who advocate love over hate as well as what seems like irrational peace directed toward those who mean to harm us. These are the words of Christ, which brave men and women throughout history have taken seriously and doing so, have transformed the world into a better place, even if it cost them their lives. That is the call before us today. I pray you would find the inspiration and courage to love your enemies and that you would hold me to that standard.

For I truly believe that times like these require a response of love, a willingness to be a voice for the voiceless, and a trust that speaking truth to power will continue to shape our world into a place of peace for all people.

Amen.

Matthew 5:13-20

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 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.

In 2013 I decided to return to the world of musical theater. Our local community theater in Paducah, Kentucky had announced their next production would be the revival of the 1970's iconic Steven Schwartz musical, Godspell. I auditioned and was selected to play the role of Jesus.

Godspell is a musical constructed around select stories from the gospel of Matthew (namely, several of Jesus’ parables) that culminates with Jesus’ crucifixion. The difficulty is that there’s no overarching narrative behind Godspell. It’s not a cohesive story, per se. Jesus simply shows up with some fun-loving friends, they each take turns singing and acting out these beautiful stories, and then Jesus is betrayed and killed. I suppose that is the beauty behind the production – it uniquely highlights the senselessness of the crucifixion. There’s no buildup or foreshadowing. Instead, stories of joy, forgiveness, morality, and faithfulness are met with unspeakable, inexplicable violence.

The first act is particularly energetic and joyful. The song that concludes the first act is a high-energy song called, “You Are The Light of the World.” It’s a song that the cast sings together – a visual and auditory demonstration of the unity of Jesus and his disciples. The text is taken from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

For this song, our director instructed us to line up at the edge of the stage, so that we could be right next to the audience. Our director knew that the audience would be singing and clapping along to this song, so she decided to have the house lights turned on for this number so that we could see the audience and feed off their energy.

Here's the song:

I loved singing this song. It was loud and exciting, and we didn’t have to worry about any choreography, which I appreciated. We simply sang into a sea of smiling faces, many of whom were standing, singing, and clapping right with us…except for that one couple.

I’m sure this happened every night of our show, but I only noticed it on the evening of our third performance. As the lights came up on the audience and we started singing, my eyes were immediately drawn to the man and woman who looked completely disengaged. All throughout the number I tried looking elsewhere and focusing on the people who were obviously enjoying themselves; but my attention kept coming back to this couple with the crossed arms and furrowed brows.

My response was to sing louder, move more energetically, and smile bigger. I wanted them to join in, feel moved, and share in our joy. But as we finished the number and walked off stage to applause, I looked back at the couple and saw they were still sitting, motionless, not joining in the applause.

As a performer, their response bothered me. I immediately wondered what I had done wrong. What about the show were they not enjoying? What could I have done better? I dwelled on this issue throughout the intermission.

But I wasn’t only concerned on a performance level; I was also concerned on a pastoral level; because every time I performed in Godspell I was singing not only as an actor, but also as a Christian and a pastor. I was putting my heart and soul into proclaiming Jesus’ promise to each and every person in the audience that he or she was the light of the world. How could that good news alone not make this couple smile?

That performance took place on a Saturday night, which meant I was back in church the next morning, once again proclaiming God’s promises, not to an audience in a theater but to the people in the pews at our little Lutheran church. Of course, leading worship and preaching wasn’t a performance. I wasn’t looking for my congregation to sing along with my sermon or respond with applause; but I do remember noticing several people who, throughout worship, kept their arms crossed, brows furrowed, and looked completely disengaged…just like the couple from the night before.

The lyrics of the song from Godspell ran through my mind as I looked out on the congregation.

“You are the light of the world.
But if that light’s under a bushel, you’ve lost something kinda crucial.
You gotta stay bright to be the light of the world.
So let your light so shine before men,
so that they might know some kindness again.
We all need help to feel fine.”

Those combined experiences raised a question that I still think about today. What is it about today’s church that keeps us from smiling when we hear the radical good news that the God who created us means to make us instruments of peace? Why isn’t our gut reaction to sing along to God’s word and let the stories of scripture move our feet up and out of the pews and in the direction of the poor, outcast, and marginalized who desperately need the good news?

There are countless reasons why people within the church would react to Jesus’ life-giving promises with apprehension, distrust, or indifference. For one, most of us don’t think highly enough of ourselves to believe that God loves us. If we cannot grasp this truth, discipleship is impossible.

Also, it is a fact that the life Jesus invites us to live is counter-intuitive and upside-down (a bizarro world, as Pastor Mark remarked last week): give up your life to save it, lead by serving, turn the other cheek when abused, beat swords into farming tools, find blessing by being a blessing, give to all who ask, forgive debts, speak truth to power, take up your cross, etc.

There are many sensible reasons to reject the truth of Jesus, but watering down Jesus’ promises and instructions to better accommodate our limited knowledge, experiences, and prejudices is not an option. The light of the world isn’t on a dimmer switch; the light of God’s word shines so brightly that it exposes every corner and crevice where sin would hide. The salt of the earth is pure – it exists to preserve and enhance. The city on the hill is a beacon for all people to join in singing the praises of the God of all creation.

Some people will refuse to join in. It is not possible to make others accept the truth and consequences of Jesus. But we keep singing. We keep striving to make the promises of scripture manifest in our world.

I pray that you would find Jesus’ words so convicting and energizing that you start tapping your toes and singing along. I pray that your fear would give way to the peace that passes all understanding.

I pray that the global Christian church would be emboldened to keep singing the song of freedom for all people…that it would drown out the voices of fear and hate.

And I pray that we will keep shining the light into he dark places and preserve the truth of the gospel no matter what obstacles are thrown in its way.

Amen.