Peep this, Sunday School Pipers…

Here are the notes from this morning’s lesson. I invite any thoughts and comments you would like to share. 

Christ’s love is revolutionary (Luke 6:27-36)

Scripture (from THE MESSAGE):

27-30“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

 31-34“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

 35-36“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.”

Revolutionary thinking 

To be a revolutionary thinker, one must be willing to challenge dominant ideologies. Consider the legacies of these men and women: Martin Luther King, Karl Marx, Haile Selassie, Malcom X, Martin Luther, Thomas Paine, Ernesto Guevara, Nelson Mandela, Steven Biko, Ghandi, Michael Collins, Harriet Tubman, et cetera–each and every one a true believer.

Represented in that group are liberation theologists, adherents to political ideologies, religious leaders and even a journalist (imagine that).

Revolutionaries have come in all shapes and sizes, but tend to share one thing in common: each has subscribed to a way of thinking that, at least at the time, was eccentric at best, heretical at worst.

And then there is Christ, the greatest revolutionary of them all, who espoused world-historic principles of human behavior that transformed the world.     

Case in point: Loving people who have no intention of loving you back is a revolutionary idea.

Who to Love
It may seem surprising that Jesus commands his followers, “Love your enemies.” The first surprise is that he does not include people we most frequently imagine should be the central focus of our love—our children, our spouse, our friends. He doesn’t say, love the kindly little old lady who lives next door and bakes you cookies every Christmas.Jesus fails to mention these people not because they should not be loved, but because loving these kinds of people is simply a normal and natural thing to do. A person who does not love his own children or kindly neighbors is seen as abnormal, or maybe subnormal, by unbelievers and believers alike. While it may not always be easy to love some of these individuals, it is always expected, if not admired.

Here Jesus commands us to be different, to do more than just what we’re supposed to do–and there is wisdom in this eccentrism. To the world it is foolishness, but not to followers of Christ.

Love is a verb 

None of you are old enough to remember the old song, so you will just have to trust me.

The love I have for Christ transcends my love for anyone or anything. In this way, my love goes far beyond simple feelings of affections. I don’t just “like” Christ, to use the parlance of Jan Brady and Marsha Brady, “I like him like him.”

Jesus is not talking about feelings in this chapter, not even close. When He explains how this principle is to be obeyed, he does not talk about whether we feel attraction or affection toward another person. He talks about certain ways to act. He talks about things to do and things not to do. Turn your other cheek. Give your cloak and tunic. Do good in circumstances where people are not likely to do good back to you.The reason Jesus can command us to love is that the love he has in mind is based on a decision you can make to act in a certain way, regardless of how you feel. As you read through the examples he gives, notice that none requires you to feel a certain way. Jesus does not ask you to feel the same way about someone who cruelly hurts you and the kindly neighbor who brings you cookies. What Jesus commands is that we choose, regardless of our natural impulses, to act and react toward others based on what would be best and most helpful for them.

Why Love
Many have observed that in time, behavior like loving your enemies, doing good to them, and lending without expecting to get anything back can turn your enemies into friends. It can motivate some to open their hearts to God. While this may be true, Jesus does not give this as a reason to love. He never promises that such good things will inevitably happen. Jesus does say that if we do such things, our reward will be great. But even this should not be the central motivation. He commands us to live out love. He commands us to turn the other cheek. He commands us to respond to curses with blessings. These are the way the followers of Jesus must act in the world. The most obvious reason is because our King has commanded it. No one confessing Jesus as Lord can ignore his commands. Beyond obedience, though, is the fact that unilateral unconditional love is inherent in the nature of God. God is kind to the ungrateful. God is merciful to the sinner. “Forgive them,” is spoken even as nails pull painfully against flesh. So, the nature of those who would be known as children of God is as mercy givers. Like Father, like Son. Like Father, like sons and daughters.