The Primacy of Love: Love Our
Enemies?
“When the days
drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”[i] He sets off with purpose and intention.
Unlike the rest of his countrymen, he decides to go through Samaria as the most
direct route to get to what he knows will be a showdown with both the religious
authorities and civil authorities in Jerusalem – literally, “City of Shalom,
City of Peace.” Jesus sends messengers ahead, but they did not “receive him,
because his face was set toward Jerusalem.”
Although the Jews
and Samaritans worshipped the One God and shared a common ancestry, they had
been divided for centuries over where one is to worship the One God. Jesus
could have gone around the Samaritan region, but chooses to give it a chance.
Nevertheless, his presence is rebuffed, rebuked. His messengers, James and
John, “the sons of Thunder,” want to rain down fire and destruction on the
inhospitable Samaritans. Jesus rebukes them. “But,” say the brothers, “they are
the ones rebuking you! Why are your rebuking us? It’s what Elijah would do – what
he did do to the prophets of Baal.”
Jesus tells them to
look at their wrist bands – “Take off those WWED – what would Elijah do – wrist
bands. Put on this WWJRD – What Would Jesus Really Do – wrist band and remember
that I said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us!
It’s time for love, not fire and destruction! I have an appointment to make in
Jerusalem. Let’s keep going forward. And, repeat after me, “We are Sons of
Love, not Sons of Thunder!”
Seriously, I ask
myself, this is the Lesson we are given after a week like we have just been
through? I am always amazed at how the Revised Common Lectionary so often does
this at just the right moment.
As Mike Royko, a
columnist in Chicago when I was growing up, used to say, “I may be wrong, but I
doubt it.” If we thought the country was divided a week ago, consider: two more
bombshell hearings of the January 6 commission, the Supreme Court decides all
people should have the right to conceal carry deadly weapons, and then turns around and
demolishes the rights that have been in place for nearly 50 years striking down
Roe v Wade. It is a week that makes the Hatfield and McCoy-like dispute between
Jerusalem and Samaria look pretty tame.
Our texts as they
confront us this week seem to be asking: are we going to be reflexive, retributive
and reactionary like the Sons of Thunder? Or, are we going to take Jesus
seriously and love our enemies and keep going forward, one day and one step at
a time? Is it time for fire and destruction? Or, is it time for the mercy,
forgiveness and steadfast love of the Lord God and our neighbors? All
neighbors, enemies included.
No matter where one
stands on all of these issues, it is time to find out what the love of God and
love of neighbor really truly must look like. Jesus recognizes that standing
off against one another does not help us to encourage light and life for all
persons. Does not help us to strive for justice and peace for all persons. Does
not help us to respect the dignity of every single human being.
Paul reminds us
that to walk with Christ is freedom.
True freedom. Not to do whatever I want to do, but to do what Christ
does, and greater things than these. This will lead us to serve others as he
always does.[ii]
At times like this
I find myself recalling Pastor Martin Niemoller who spent seven years in concentration
camps for publicly opposing Adolph Hitler. When the war was over, he said this:
First, they came
for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for
the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade
unionist.
Then they came for
the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for
me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
In every era one
can insert the names of groups being threatened and Neimoller’s challenge remains
the same. It seems it is always time to set one’s face to go to Jerusalem.
May God the Father,
Jesus his Son and the Holy Spirit help us and guide us to learn what it means
to love our neighbor, including our enemies. The future of the Republic depends
on our walking with Jesus on His Way to Jerusalem, The Way toward Resurrection
and New Life for all. Amen.
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