Scripture
44But I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute you…46If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:44-48
Observation
The most famous sermon of Jesus hits me in the gut every time I read and study it. I’ve been a Christian for most of my life and I still feel so far from this Upside Down Kingdom way of living. Some of these spiritual practices are more integrated than others in my life. Jesus finishes off his message with the “Mount Everest of commands” by commanding us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us. I’m just starting that climb and then He hands me the backpack of “be perfect”! How? What? Is that even possible? If you’re response is like mine, that’s exactly the point Jesus is making. As he says in verse 20, unless you can be perfect you can’t enter in to the Kingdom. These standards of the Kingdom drive us to our knees before the King for it’s only though Him we can hope to walk this out in a fallen world. The religious leaders felt no need to repent until Jesus came on the scene because they had fulfilled the letter of the law but not the heart behind it. They didn’t sleep with another woman, but they lusted after her. They didn’t murder another man, but they sure hated his guts. Jesus gets at the heart which revealed their pride and hypocrisy.
Application
So, did Jesus just point all of this out to drive home how impossible it is? Should we just throw up our hands and say, “Well, I'm not Jesus, so I'm not even going to try”? Of course not! We are not Jesus, but Jesus is in us.
• He would never hate, slander or speak evil of another person.
• He would never lust in his heart or mind, and not covet anything.
• He would never make a false oath, and always be completely truthful.
• He would let God defend his personal rights, not take it upon himself to defend those rights.
• He would always love his neighbors, and even his enemies. (Guzik)
Let’s start where we are at. Let’s embrace the "J Curve". Embracing Jesus is our only way to walk out these Kingdom values one step at a time. Embracing the J Curve is also a reminder to not give up and we inevitably fail to be “perfect” in our responses to the Lord’s leading. He knows we aren’t and that keeps us dependent upon Him rather then prideful in ourselves. John Mark Comer points out, “Experts on learning tell us that whenever we set out to master a new skill, it tends to follow a J-shaped curve; we tend to get worse before we get better. If you currently enjoy your Sunday routine or day off, don’t be surprised if your first few Sabbaths are awkward and difficult. Just stay with the Practice; you will come around.” This is true in every area where Jesus calls us to live differently as we follow Him!
Prayer
Thank You Jesus for Your perfect presence that expresses Your love through me. Forgive me for the places where I’ve let failure keep me from trying. You are forming new habits, new ways of thinking, new ways of responding in me and I want to embrace the journey of learning from You as I die to myself.
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