Matthew 5:38-48
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany - 19 February 2017
Rev. John Derme
I don't imagine that you will run into too many people in our world who think that they themselves are perfect. There are a few out there. But most people are willing to admit that they have messed up at least once or twice. I suppose it's ironic that you do run into people who don't believe there is such a thing as sin, yet even these people will agree with you when you say, "Nobody's perfect."
Certainly, we who understand that the world and all people who live in it are sinful would also agree that nobody's perfect, right? Then what in the world does Jesus mean when he tells us today to be perfect? Can we be perfect, or not? Is there anyone who is perfect? Nobody's perfect, right?
Jesus' command to be perfect comes at the end of our Gospel of the Day in Matthew chapter 5. These words summarize all that we have heard him speak over the last three Sundays. Today he gives us some examples of what it looks like for us to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Jesus begins: "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
As we heard in last week's Gospel, Jesus is dealing here with some misinterpretations of the Old Testament. "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" were Old Testament words. The Lord used these phrases in his law to teach that there were limits to how much a person should be punished for a crime he committed. If a person hurt you, causing you to lose your eye, then that person should lose his eye. You can't kill the person in retaliation. The punishment should fit the crime, but it should not exceed the crime. Unfortunately, people had interpreted God's words to mean just the opposite. Rather than limiting their punishment, they took them to mean they should seek revenge.
This isn't the first time we've heard that we shouldn't take revenge. Our mommas and our teachers taught us not to hit our brothers or sisters or classmates back when they hit us. But that doesn't mean we always listened. That natural impulse for revenge is strong. If you would get hit today, wouldn't you want revenge?
We do live in a violent society. But another common way to get revenge in our world is the second thing Jesus mentioned: lawsuits. People are willing to sue each other over anything. If you do something that hurts or bothers or inconveniences me, I'm going to sue you for whatever it cost me, plus my legal fees in suing you, plus an amount for pain and suffering, plus an extra amount meant just as punishment.
In Jesus' day, Roman soldiers had the legal right to force civilians to carry their cargo up to one mile. If somebody tried to force you to do something for him, what would you do? In Jesus' day, beggars were probably even more common than they are today. If somebody asks you for what belongs to you, are you eager to help?
Jesus continues: "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
Here Jesus deals with another Old Testament misinterpretation. God's law did say, "Love your neighbor." But there is no place in the Bible that says, "Hate your enemy." In fact, God wants us to do just the opposite: love your enemies, too. I know we're coming off of Valentine's Day, so love has been on our minds. Obviously, that is not the kind of love that Jesus is talking about here. He is not saying that we have to feel warm and fuzzy about our enemies. He is saying that he wants us to do what is best for them even though we do not feel warm and fuzzy toward them. He wants us to pray even for those who make our lives miserable.
We often think we have done our duty when we've loved our friends. Nope, Jesus says. Even unbelievers do that. Rather, he expects us to be better than that, to be perfect. Think of someone who has hurt you. Think of someone who has taken advantage of you. Think of someone whom you can't stand to be around. He wants us to show perfect love to those people.
That's hard. That sounds impossible. Can you love like that? We sure haven't. Our hearts are inclined to take revenge and show hatred instead. And so, we are not perfect, like Jesus commands. We might use those familiar words as an excuse: "Nobody's perfect!" But that doesn't mean God is going to let us off the hook. Even if nobody is perfect, perfection is still God's standard. And since we have not been perfect like our Father, we don't deserve his love. We deserve for him to treat us like enemies. We deserve to be shut out from his perfect heaven.
Nobody's perfect, right? Actually, even though most people would agree, that statement is not accurate. There was one who was perfect, the one who preached these words. Jesus is the one person who lived a completely perfect life. He didn't even mess up once. When evil men took him captive, he did not resist. He did not take revenge on them. Rather, he prayed for them. When they hit him, he let them hit him again. When they took his clothes, he did not stop them, but gave everything away. When they forced him to walk out of the city, he did so, carrying his cross. He gave his life for his enemies, for all people, so that he could die for all of your imperfection, all of your sin. Jesus was perfect and is perfect for you.
So I guess it isn't right to say that nobody's perfect. And actually, Jesus isn't the only perfect person. Jesus has taken away your imperfections. Jesus has given you his perfection. Because of Jesus, God the Father now declares you to be perfect. So now you can enter his perfect heaven.
Now that he has made us perfect in our heavenly Father's eyes, Jesus encourages us, "Be perfect!" This is not a condemning threat: "You'd better be perfect, or else!" Actually, it is a gracious invitation to live as he has made us to be.
Jesus' work and words change the way that we deal with our enemies now. Jesus teaches his disciples and us: do not pursue revenge at all, even if it seems like they deserve it. If somebody slaps you on the face, you don't need to slap that person in return. Even if it means getting hit a second time, let your love for your enemy keep you from striking back. If someone sues you because he wants your shirt, you don't have to file countersuit. Even if it means giving up your jacket in addition, let your love for this enemy keep you from firing back. If someone forces you to do something for him, help him even more than he wants. When somebody who has done absolutely nothing to earn your kindness asks you for help, don't take advantage of the opportunity to get back at this person. Let your love for this enemy lead you to lend or even give whatever he or she needs. Jesus isn't teaching us to be weak. Jesus is teaching us to be so strong that we know we don't have to retaliate. We can trust him to take care of us.
With Jesus' help, we can love our enemies. This is how we show that we are God's children. We are children of the Father, not by virtue of what we do, but through faith in Jesus. Loving our enemies is how we live out the reality. This is how we act like God the Father, who provides food for both evil and good, and like Jesus, who lived and died for all people.
Nobody's perfect, right? We can agree with that, to a certain extent. By nature, we aren't perfect. But that isn't the whole story. Jesus is perfect, and Jesus has made us to be declared perfect, and so we live to show perfect love to God and to other people. So we won't use "nobody's perfect" as an excuse. Instead, we strive to live out Jesus' command to "be perfect!"