Sermon for August 16th, 2026

Matthew 5:38-48 (NT p.5)

38 ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Higher Education Part III: Love Your Enemies

It was Sunday morning in a little country church, and the pastor was preaching about the importance of loving (and forgiving) one's enemies. Halfway through the sermon, he paused and said, "raise your hand if you are ready to forgive your enemies today." About half the congregation raised their hands, so he continued preaching even more fervently. Fifteen minutes later, he paused again, and said, "What about now? Raise your hand if you are ready to forgive your enemies now." Almost everyone raised their hand this time...only a few holdouts. This went on several more times until just one person was left. Finally, in exasperation, the pastor stopped and said, "Mr. Jones, why can't you forgive your enemies like Jesus taught us to?" Mr. Jones yelled out from the very last pew, "Because I don't have any enemies!" Seeing a teaching opportunity here, the pastor descended from the pulpit and walked right back to Mr. Jones, and asked him to stand up. Which he did. "Mr. Jones," said the pastor, "can you tell us how old you are?" The old man answered, "I'm 97 years old."

"And you have no enemies?" asked the pastor, incredulously. Mr. Jones emphatically replied, "None whatsoever!"

"Well, then, Mr. Jones--please enlighten us all. Tell us, if you would, how a person can live to be 97 years old, and have no enemies whatsoever. There must be quite a secret to it!" Mr. Jones thought about it for a moment, then said, "Simple. I just outlived the bastards."

I suspect that's not exactly what Jesus had in mind when he told the crowd in today's scripture reading to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." And I suspect that most of us still have enemies we haven't outlived yet. Some of them might even share our last name. Or the pew we're sitting in.

If you are just joining us this week, we are about halfway through a series called "Higher Education: The Difficult Teachings at the heart of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount." Two weeks ago, Jesus went up the mountain and began to teach. Last week, he said it's not enough to avoid murder, you have to deal with your inner anger, too. It's not enough to avoid adultery, you have to deal with your inner desire, too. I warned you that these teachings were difficult. But today, difficult becomes, well... impossible.

If someone strikes you, don't retaliate. Turn the other cheek instead. If someone demands your coat, give them your shirt, too. If someone forces you to go a mile with them, go two miles. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. By the way, our church would like to borrow a few thousand dollars from each of you today. I mean, Jesus said...

Some modern scholars have read these verses as clever, subversive acts of civil disobedience--ways to shame your oppressor while technically obeying. A backhanded strike to the right cheek was an insult, so offering the other cheek supposedly forced the aggressor to treat you as an equal. Surrendering your outer garment as well as your undergarment might shame the creditor by leaving you naked in court. A Roman soldier could compel you to carry his pack for one mile, but a second mile might expose him to military discipline.

I admire the creativity of this reading, and I do think that civil disobedience can be an effective tool for political change. I'm just not convinced this is what Jesus is trying to accomplish in these verses. Shaming your enemies--even if they're wrong, even if they deserve it--is probably not the best precursor to loving them. I don't think Jesus is giving us (or anyone) three clever ways to win a confrontation--I think he's taking away our need to win.

Now I want to be careful to point out one thing: This doesn't mean that a victim should submit to violence at the hands of an abuser. "Don't retaliate" can also look like removing yourself from a dangerous situation. Love is not the same as access or trust. But even from a safe distance, Jesus does not let us strip another person of their humanity through shame or humiliation.