"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
What Jesus is saying today might be best understood by recalling the Law of the Echo. The law of the echo says we get back from life exactly what we give to it. This law says that if you shout into an echo chamber a shout will return to you. If you curse into an echo chamber a curse will return to you. And if you sing into an echo chamber a song will come back to you. The “law of the echo’’ tells us you get back from life exactly what you give to life. Give abuse and you will get abuse back. Give love and you will get love back. If you want more love in a relationship be more loving.
There is a story about Jesus that is not in the bible. It’s a story that is attributed to a Muslim actually, and it goes:
As Jesus and his disciples entered a village some of the villagers began to harass Jesus shouting unkind words and harsh accusations. But Jesus answered them by bowing down and offering words of blessing. A disciple said to him, "aren’t you angry with them? How can you bless them?" Jesus answered, 'I can only give what I have in my purse.'” Here the purse is a metaphor for one’s heart.
Jesus is asking us today to take a good honest look at ourselves because we too can only give what we carry in our hearts, our purse.
Some of you may remember when President Ronald Reagan was shot. He had just finished speaking at a luncheon as he left the hotel a gunman fired six shots. The president and three aides where hit. He was rushed to the hospital where they saved his life.
In his biography Regan told what was going through his mind as the doctors worked on him. The president said “I prayed and as I prayed I realized that I could not ask for God’s help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed-up young man who shot me.” He went on “We are all God’s children and therefore equally loved by God. So, I began praying for the young man.” Regan said “then I could calmly ask God to help me which God did.”
This brings us to today’s Gospel where Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you.” The question we are all being asked today is, when we are hurt, attacked, or insulted how do we react? Certainly, one way to react is with hatred. Jesus says today that is the wrong way to respond. Why? Why is that the wrong way to respond? There is an old saying that speaks to this, it says:
“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
Jesus is saying the same thing to us today. He is telling us that the way to become the kind of person who lives with love is by becoming a person who always responds with love?
Jesus said:
“Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
We must never forget, we get back from life exactly what we give to life.
