Luke 6:27
Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
When someone disrespects you, violates your trust, or even goes out of their way to do you an injustice, it is natural to want to strike back. You might have even done that in very overt ways or maybe even in something subtle. But you got your revenge. How did you feel about that once you took your revenge on them? Did you feel good about it, or was there something inside of you that made you feel guilty? There are many phrases that go with this. "They got what they deserved," or "What comes around goes around," are just some examples. Jesus asks us to go in another direction. "Turn the other cheek" is a phrase that is sometimes used even for those that aren't proclaimed Christians. On the surface it is a saying that we use to keep ourselves in control of a potentially explosive situation. But it goes much deeper. The readings from the Gospel of Saint Luke this weekend continue with the lessons on how we should treat others, especially those who make us uncomfortable. Why would Jesus ask us to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us and want to do wrong to us? After all it is natural to want to defend ourselves should we be struck on the face. Jesus didn't say, when you are struck on the cheek, to fight back. You should probably defend yourself, but he also added to turn and offer the other one. He goes on to tell his followers to stretch themselves, to give and not expect anything in return...no praise, no money, no quid pro quo. This had to be foreign to many of us. That how we are raised. Even in the most basic societies, people needed to help each other to survive. But in this trade and barter world, Jesus is teaching more…the concept of mercy. He's teaching mercy to the people who have suffered at the hands of captors for centuries. If anyone deserves revenge, it's the Jews. But instead, Jesus is asking us to be merciful, to kill not with violence but with love and kindness. It takes courage to surrender our feelings of anger, jealousy, revenge, and turn the other cheek. Stand with courage today in all situations, especially those when it is difficult.
