Readings: Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40, Genesis 45:3-11, 15, 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50, Luke 6:27-38
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, February 20, 2022
Our reading from Luke has been described as the “Most quoted, least acted upon sermon, ever preached.” The Sermon on the Mount. So much that is radical about the Christian message is here. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Be forgiving. Be merciful. Do unto others as you'd like them to do unto you.
Our world teaches us; Avenge yourself upon your enemies, never forget who has wronged you and repay them in kind. Don't give an inch because they'll take a mile. Hit first, hit hardest. And whatever you do, show no sign of vulnerability or weakness because they will walk all over you. How do we approach this passage?
Think for a moment of the highest note you can sing. I'm not going to ask you to sing it. You know you have your limits. This scripture is like a score of music that has notes two octaves higher than you will ever reach, and suddenly you are expected to sing it. Some suggest that these words are an impossible dream. So, what can they teach us?
The way we are doing things isn't working.
Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to get different results. Have we learnt anything in the 2000 or so years since they were first spoken? Responding to hate with hate just creates more hate.
Responding to violence with violent retaliation creates more violence. Refusing to forgive not only creates a circle that cannot be broken but harms us far more than the one who offended us. Judging others is a futile exercise in self-righteousness that isolates us from our communities and makes monsters out of neighbors. Jesus offers us an alternative solution. It's a solution that can have amazing results.
The only way to end hate is love. The only way to break a circle of violence is non-violence. The only way to mend broken fences is through forgiveness. The way to build community is to lay aside self-righteousness and practice acceptance.
There have been some who have tried to embrace such principles. Ghandi in the face of British Imperialism. Nelson Mandela in response to the apartheid of South Africa. Martin Luther King Jr. Mother Teresa. We know their names. They would be the first to say that their efforts were at the best imperfect. Yet impossible dreams continue to be inspired through their actions.
But what about us? We're not heroes. We're not saints. We can barely get though a morning commute without cussing out that idiot who just cut in front of us. Let's ask ourselves some questions. Here’s some things to consider.
Who are the enemies in our lives, and what would it mean to love them? Where are we putting up barriers that we could be building bridges? Who are we not forgiving so much that it's chewing us up? Who do we need to quit judging and recognize that, just like us, they are a broken human being? As Michael Jackson once sang it all starts with the man in the mirror.
Think about that exercise in singing a higher note. There are ways we can increase our vocal range. There are breathing exercises we can do, there are practices we can take on board, there are lessons to learn. Two octaves? Probably not. But we are capable of being more in tune and squeezing out a few higher notes. That's not an impossible dream.
In thinking about this passage ... Recognize the Dynamics
Any given piece of music, be it a pop song or a concerto, has dynamics. It has a setting. It has a score and a framework. If you take the notes out of their context, they do not work. They need the other notes, and the silences, and the phrases around them.
“Turn the other cheek” doesn't mean “Be a doormat.” “Giving to everyone who begs from you.” does not mean “Neglect your personal needs and those of your family.” “Bless those who curse you” does not mean “Never speak out when you are falsely accused or mocked.” The context of this sermon is that Jesus is talking to people who are oppressed, who are powerless, who have no recourse to the kind of justice that we enjoy. They were fearful and anxious about their lives and what may be coming down the road.
New Testament scholar Walter Wink sees Jesus' words as a form of non-violent resistance to situations of oppression. He is well versed in the culture of the time and offers fascinating insight. For example; “Turn the other cheek.”
In the culture of first century Palestine, if you were going to strike somebody you used your right hand. Why? Because ... unpleasant as this is... the left hand was the one you used for what, we might politely call, “your bathroom functions.” It just was not done to strike somebody with your left hand!
Their society also had a pecking order. A superior would always strike an inferior with the back of their hand, never the palm. As He often does, Jesus paints a picture with His words. It's almost comical. He pictures a person, an inferior being bullied by a superior, being struck on the cheek... obviously by the back of a right-hand stroke.
Jesus says, “If anyone strikes you on the cheek... offer the other also.” (v29). What happens when they offered the other cheek? They were inviting the superior to hit them with an open palm. As a superior that was not an action you wanted to make, because it acknowledged the victim as an equal. It was an action that disarmed the oppressor.
Likewise, the instruction that if somebody takes your coat, give them your shirt. In Jewish law there was an injunction that, while you could indeed accept somebodies coat as a repayment of a debt, you would not leave a debtor naked at sunset. You would be revealed to be nothing more than a heartless bully.
So, by saying “Give them your shirt as well,” again, Jesus paints a word picture. In this scenario, a bully demands the coat off somebodies back. The person smiles ... and in full view of everybody... says “You know, if you are that needy, maybe you should take my shirt as well.” As the sun sets, the bully is revealed to have transcended that law about not leaving anybody to go through the night naked. The whole situation is reversed.
Jesus is not telling people to remain victims, but to find new ways of resisting wrong. One of the ordination promises that we ask Presbyterian elders and ministers to make is that they serve God, with “Energy, imagination and love.” Jesus encourages us to allow God's Holy Spirit to create imaginative ways to love our enemies. To allow God to create opportunities, in the face of wrong that are truly “Out of the box” and disarm those who have evil intent.
Does that make sense? Not entirely. Is that the way the world works? No. Does it answer the question, “Well what about wars? And crime? As I said, recognize the dynamics. Because elsewhere Jesus says things like, “There will be wars and rumors of wars.”
Elsewhere He speaks about resisting evil and throws tables around in the temple. Elsewhere He says that if someone leads a child astray it would be better for them to have a millstone put around their neck and be drowned in the sea. Not so much “Gentle Jesus meek and mild” in those passages! Context and dynamics are important. But not the most important thing. With Jesus, you know what the most important thing is.
LOVE
Rumbling along behind this sermon is the love of God. “AGAPE” love. Sacrificial, self-giving love. The love that we see on the Cross. The love that blazes out of the empty tomb. It isn't natural. It's supernatural. It's miraculous. Luke's gospel is full of miracles. People are delivered. People are healed. Storms are calmed. Yet maybe the greatest miracle in Luke is this sermon. Love, Bless, Pray, Give, Be Kind, Forgive.
A wonderful way to illustrate a principle of imagination and love that destroys hate is this poem, I’d like to share with you; “White Flour” by David LaMotte. It is based on an actual event. On May 26, 2007, the Ku Klux clan held a rally in Knoxville, Tennessee. They were greeted by an unusual act of resistance. Clowns. What? Clowns.
The day was bright and sunny as most May days tend to be
In the hills of Appalachia down in Knoxville, Tennessee
A dozen men put on their suits and quickly took their places
In white robes and those tall and pointed hoods that hid their faces.
Their feet fell down in rhythm as they started their parade
They raised their fists into the air, they bellowed and they brayed
They loved to stir the people up, they loved when they were taunted
They didn’t mind the anger, it’s exactly what they wanted
As they came around the corner, sure enough the people roared
But they couldn’t quite believe their ears, it seemed to be support!
Had Knoxville finally seen the light? Were people coming ‘round?
The men thought for a moment that they’d found their kind of town
But then they turned their eyes to where the cheering had its source
As one their shoulders crumpled when they saw the mighty force
The crowd had painted faces and some had tacky clothes
Their hair and hats outrageous, each had a bright red nose
The clowns had come in numbers to enjoy the grand parade
They laughed and danced that other clowns had come to town that day
And then the marchers shouted, and the clowns all strained to hear
Each one tuned in intently with a hand cupped to an ear
“White power!” screamed the marchers, and they raised their fisted hands
The clowns leaned in and listened like they couldn’t understand
Then one held up his finger and helped all the others see
The point of all this yelling, and they joined right in with glee
“White flour!” the clowns shouted, and they reached inside their clothes
They pulled out bags and tore them and huge clouds of powder rose
They poured it on each other and they threw it in the air
It got all over baggy clothes and multi-colored hair
Now all but just a few of them were joining in the jokes
You could almost see the marchers turning red beneath white cloaks
They wanted to look scary! They wanted to look tough!
One rushed right at the clowns in rage and was hauled away in cuffs
But the others chanted louder, marching on around the bend
The clowns all marched on too, of course, supporting their new friends
“White power!” came the marchers’ cry, they were not amused
The clowns grew still and thoughtful—well, perhaps they’d been confused…?
They huddled and consulted, this bright and silly crowd
They listened quite intently, then one said, “I’ve got it now!”
“White flowers!” screamed the happy clown, and all the rest joined in
The air was filled with flowers, and they laughed and danced again
“Everyone loves flowers, and white’s a pretty sort
I can’t think of a better cause for people to support!”
Green flower stems went flying like small arrows from bad archers
White petals covered everything, including the mad marchers
And then a very tall clown called the others to attention
He choked down all his chuckles and said, “Friends I have to mention
That what with all this mirth and fun it’s sort of hard to hear
But now I know the cause that these paraders hold so dear!”
“Tight showers!” the clown blurted, as he hit his head in wonder
He held up a camp shower and the others all got under
Or at least they tried to get beneath, they strained but couldn’t quite
There wasn’t room for all of them, they pushed, but it was tight!
“White Power!” came the mad refrain, quite carefully pronounced
The clowns consulted once again, then a woman clown announced
“I’ve got it! I’m embarrassed that it took so long to see,
But what these marchers march for is a cause quite dear to me!”
“Wife power!” she exclaimed, and all the other clowns joined in
They shook their heads and laughed at how erroneous they’d been
The women clowns were hoisted up on shoulders of the others
Some pulled on wedding dresses, chanting “Here’s to wives and mothers!”
The men in robes were sullen, they knew they’d been defeated
They yelled a few more times and then they finally retreated
And when they’d gone a kind policeman turned to all the clowns
And offered them an escort through the center of the town
The day was bright and sunny as most May days tend to be
In the hills of Appalachia down in Knoxville, Tennessee
People joined the new parade, the crowd stretched out for miles
The clowns passed out more flowers and made everybody smile
And what would be the lesson of that shiny southern day?
Can we understand the message that the clowns sought to convey?
Seems that when you’re fighting hatred, hatred’s not the thing to use!
So here’s to those who march on in their big red floppy shoes
(based on true events of May 26, 2007 – ©2007 David LaMotte)
Wish to purchase a copy of “White Flour?”
https://www.amazon.com/White-Flour-David-LaMotte/dp/097728932X
Back to our text.
The Sermon on the mount.
An impossible dream?
The “Most quoted, least acted upon sermon, ever preached.”
There are actions we can take.
We can’t sing two octaves higher, but we can all improve our range.
Inspired by passages like this, if we recognize the dynamics,
we can engage with energy, imagination, and most of all love
Not always.
But sometimes, we get it right.
To God be all glory. Amen!
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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