Beyond the Golden Rule

Question: if your friend or relative found themselves in a bind, would you help out? I’m betting you said, “Yes, of course.” I don’t think there is one person here who has not benefitted from someone else’s kindness and generosity. Business often works in the same way. Give your customers a break and you win their loyalty. We don’t forget favors, or at least we shouldn’t. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. That’s the golden rule, right?

But today Jesus says something a bit crazy. He wants us to go beyond the Golden Rule. Jesus says here that we must do good to our enemies, even if they’re ungrateful and selfish. And this is like touching a raw nerve for most people. How did you react when you heard Jesus say, “Love your enemies and pray for them”? I really want you to reflect on your reaction. What do you think of this teaching? What do you think about Jesus because of this teaching?

Being a Christian is not difficult because of what we believe about God. It is not difficult because churches require a high moral standard. Being a Christian is difficult because it requires that we go beyond moral standards; beyond the Golden Rule; beyond being nice to people who are nice to us. Jesus says we are to love our enemies, go good to those who hate us, to pray for those who would like to do us harm. The world says it is good business to be generous in your dealings with other people because someday they will be generous to you. Jesus says, expect nothing in return, at least not on this side of the grave. The Christian Life is not results-

oriented. We do not do this or that because we expect good results. It is not politics. It is not a matter of who you know. What Christians do is not determined by how it benefits us. Jesus says sinners think that way. What we do is a matter of who we have become. We are children of God.

Now we are at the heart of Christ-centered faith. The Son of God became human so that we humans could become sons and daughters of God. Jesus says that when we love our enemies we will be sons of the Most High. Not only are we recognized as God’s children, but people see we are brothers and sisters of Jesus. Children often act like their parents, when you get right down to it. Christians are God’s children and reflect who and what God is. God is not ungrateful or selfish. He does not live for Himself. He lives for you. He gave you the life of his Son. He gave you everything He was—everything he had. God did not do this only for people who beleiveed in Him already, but for the unbeliever and even those who hate Him. While we were still sinners, St. Paul writes, God loved us and gave Himself for us. At one time, we were all His enemies. Jesus did not pray for already holy people, but sinners. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

If you consider yourself a child of God, this is the prayer you must pray. Children act like their parents, so children of God forgive, and forgive, and forgive. And we’re not looking for paybacks for the good we do. God did more than any of us and he was not doing it for his own benefit. He was not waiting for something in return. He did it because he loves, and the love of God is redemptive. It is sacrificial. It gives and keeps no record of wrongs. God’s perfection is that He forgives even before those who are forgiven realize they have done something wrong. This is the hardest commandment for us to keep: love your enemies. But think about it: this is also a description of who God is. It is what God is all about. He loves His enemies. He is not their enemy. He has no enemies. That is what he was saying at the cross of Jesus.

Do you really understand this? Jesus did not suffer and die as He did to make pretty decent folk a little bit better. He suffered and died in agony of body and soul to turn enemies into friends; to change combatants into His children; to transform hate into love. At the cross of Jesus, God says, “See? I have no enemies. You may hate me, you may not care, but I love you, and I would do anything for you.” Nobody does this, except for Jesus. Nobody does this, except for people whose hearts have been melted by the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice. People like Corrie Ten Boom, for example.

Do you know about Corrie? She was a Dutch Christian whose family helped many Jews escape the Holocaust during World War II, and she was imprisoned for it,  finally being sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. She shares her story in the book “The Hiding Place.” Now let me tell you what happened after her release from that concentration camp.

Corrie Ten Boom writes: "It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the Nazi processing centre at Ravensbruck. Suddenly it all came back to me - the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, the pain-blanched face of my sister Betsie.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that he has washed my sins away!" His hand was thrust out to shake mine.

I stood there for what seemed an eternity with the coldness clutching my heart. Forgiveness is not an emotion. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.

I tried to smile. I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so I breathed a silent prayer. ‘Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness’. ‘… I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.’

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened - into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that brought tears to my eyes. For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then.

And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on God’s. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself".

Now you can know a lot of facts and trivia about the Bible; you can remember large portions of the Small Catechism; you can live a very moral, decent life; but if you don’t understand the kind of love that would forgive a concentration camp guard, you don’t understand Jesus, and you don’t understand yourself. It’s only when your heart is meltedby the gospel that you get it. And what is that gospel? It is this: You have gone from being an enemy of God to being His friend and child through the cross of Jesus. And when he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself.

A Matter of the Heart

How was your Valentines’ Day? Do you remember your first valentine? The person, not the card. I know, we’re getting into personal territory here. But we can’t talk about matters of the heart without getting personal.

Regardless of whether your Valentine’s Day was a romantic fantasy come true or a disaster or you are beyond caring, your relationship with God is very much a matter of the heart. It is deeply personal. Your ability to navigate life’s challenges, your ability to give and receive genuine love, your ability to deal with change and even death depends on where your heart rests. Do you know where your heart rests?

In today’s reading from the gospel of Matthew, we find Jesus responding to people who felt a right relationship with God was a matter of etiquette. Their hearts found rest in their performance of the rules. The way Jesus responded to this idea would’ve been shocking, and it still is. He says here that a right relationship with God is a matter of the heart, and that your performance is the wrong thing to rest in. Actually, Jesus says more than that. He is demanding that you have a pure heart.

Here in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is confronting a culture that was built on the idea that you are right with God if you do the right things. And really, our culture is no different. The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had constructed an elaborate list of do’s and don’ts, and following that list defined life with God for them.  But then Jesus comes along as says, ‘You are wasting your time with these do’s and don’ts if you don’t let God have your heart.’ Hear Him saying that to you today. If your life with God is just a bunch of joyless got to do’s and have to do’s and ought to do’s; if your heart is not overwhelmed by Jesus’ love, then this message today is for you. May the Holy Spirit open your heart to it.

Jesus drives home his point by walking through the commandments, and his point is that the heart is where the commandments are kept or broken. He starts with the 5^th Commandment. The Pharisees went for a strict and literal interpretation of “You shall not murder.” Don’t kill anyone and you’re good. But Jesus wants more than that. He wants to know what’s in your heart. Most of us haven’t picked up a gun or a knife to commit homicide, but how perfectly do you love? Who have you insulted lately, even if it’s just in your thoughts? Who have you actively worked to undermine? Are you carrying a grudge today? Do you hate another person? Jesus says these are just as sinful and rotten as taking a life with your own hands. It’s a matter of the heart.

Or if that doesn’t cut you enough, there’s the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” The society of Jesus’ day was very lax on the sanctity of marriage. Sound familiar? But Jesus says that adultery from God’s perspective is not just a reference to extramarital unfaithfulness; it’s a matter of the heart. It’s not just affairs that happen outside of the bond of marriage, but affairs of the heart that are sin: wandering eyes, overactive imaginations, the use of pornography, an easy divorce mentality, all expressions of selfish sexuality; Jesus says these are just as sinful and rotten as open acts of adultery. Again, it’s a matter of the heart.

Then there’s the Eighth Commandment, the one about not bearing false witness against your neighbor. The Pharisees and rabbis had developed a code of conduct, which enabled them to say that some promises you really had to keep, while others you could let slide. By swearing an oath, you could look really serious, really dedicated, but you could be crossing your fingers while you said it, not meaning a word. But it’s the heart that Jesus cares about, not the code of conduct. The commandment is not about how much you can get away with; it’s about a basic truthfulness that God expects from us. Habitual lying destroys relationships, and it is just as sinful and rotten as slandering someone publicly. An inability to be truthful is definitely a matter of the heart.

Jesus has diagnosed a major human problem in this teaching. We are great at putting on a performance. We excel at creating a godly appearance. We can even believe that because we occasionally do good, then we’re good with God. But inside, in the heart, we’re a mess. We can keep from murdering people. We can keep from having affairs. But the heart always slips. Out pops a selfish thought. Out pops a heated temper and hateful words. Out pops resentment. Without even trying, out pops an image of lust. Out pops a flash of greed. Surely you can’t be responsible for that. But Jesus says you are. Jesus says I am. Even the smallest sin proves our hearts are not pure, and Jesus demands a pure heart. That’s the diagnosis. What’s the remedy?

The remedy is a transfusion. Our hearts need new fuel; they need to pump something that will always be cleansing us. Your heart needs something to flow through it that will make you pure. That something is the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood He shed on His cross. There are many fuels that motivate us to live for a time, but only one fuel is clean and will not lead to weariness and disappointment: the blood of Jesus, the visible proof of God’s love for you. The one thing that Satan does not want is that the sacred blood of Jesus and the knowledge that you are God’s own beloved child power the engine of your life and heart. So you see, the remedy is not to try harder to follow more rules so you look like a better person. The remedy is to drop the act and to receive this blood transfusion by faith. And when you receive that; when you rest your heart in what Jesus has done for you, here is the benefit:

You feel that the great business of life is a settled business, the great debt a paid debt, the great disease a healed disease, the great work a finished work, and all other business, diseases, debts and works are then, by comparison, small. You can be patient in trouble; calm under stress; not destroyed by sorrow; not afraid of bad news; in every condition content; for Jesus gives you a fixedness of heart. You are anchored in him. He sweetens your bitter cup, lessens the burden of your cross, smoothes the rough places you travel, and brightens the valley of the shadow of death. You always have something solid under your feet, a sure friend along the way, and a sure home at the end.

Don’t you want that kind of confidence to flood your life? It’s yours when you rest your heart in the person of Jesus and the actions he took on your behalf.

Wait, See, and Depart Like Simeon

In 2007, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson starred in a movie called “The Bucket List.” That “bucket list,” of course, is a list of things that a person wants to do before they “kick the bucket.” That story tapped into a powerful desire that we have to experience the fullness of life while we can.

One year prior to that film, sportswriter Bill Simmons released a book whose title says it all: “Now I Can Die in Peace.” It was about the Red Sox victory in the 2004 World Series, and how some Red Sox fans had waited so long for a World Series title that they felt they could now go in peace. Their dream had been fulfilled.

In today’s gospel lesson from Luke 2, we meet a man named Simeon. Simeon had a bucket list of his own, but it was very short. There was only one thing on it. And it was kind of a strange list, because Simeon had not written it. In verse 26 you heard that “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” The Holy Spirit of God had communicated to Simeon that he would not kick the bucket until he had seen the Anointed One, the Christ, with his own eyes. In today’s gospel, we get to see that happen, and we get to view Simeon’s reaction, which is along the lines of “now I can die in peace.” But he actually says a lot more than that. So today, with the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s think about how we can wait like Simeon; see like Simeon; and depart like Simeon.

First, waiting like Simeon. Luke introduces us to him like this: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” This is someone who clearly was right with God, but even so, this is someone who is being forced to wait. Luke tells us specifically that Simeon was waiting for was the consolation of Israel, and Israel definitely needed consolation. Their history as God’s people was not good. Their disobedience had meant punishment; it had meant being forcibly removed from their homeland; even now, having returned to Jerusalem, the Romans occupied their land and called the shots. They needed the comfort that prophets like Isaiah had said was coming. That comfort would come when the Messiah came. Simeon was waiting for it. That doesn’t mean it was easy.

Simeon can remind us that sometimes God’s answer to our prayers is: “You’re going to have to wait.” That’s usually not the answer that we want. One thing that technology has done for us is it has decreased the amount of time that we have to wait for anything. That can be awfully convenient, but it can also create expectations that are not very healthy. It’s developing an intolerance for waiting of any kind in us. Just observe what goes on at the grocery store checkout when somebody’s taking too long, or the dreaded “Your order’s not ready, you’ll have to pull forward” at the drive through. Now those are trivial examples, but they illustrate that we do hate to wait. You need to be wary of that, because at some point, you’re going to have to wait for something bigger than a mocha latte. And in faith, what we have to learn to accept is that when God makes us wait, there’s a good reason for it. There are times when waiting is the best thing we could possibly do, even if we’re forced to do it. It can be a time of growth. We may not be ready for what we think we want. There may be details that have to be worked out that are known only to God. Regardless of what it is you’re waiting for, you can wait confidently, because God always keeps His Word.

That’s what Simeon discovered. Remember, the Holy Spirit had let him know that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ. So he knew his waiting would have an end point. One day, led by the Spirit, he went to the temple, and just like that, the wait was over. The baby Jesus was there with his parents, and filled with the Spirit, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God with these words: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

We need to see like Simeon. What did he see? He said, “my eyes have seen your salvation…” In one bright moment of light, he saw what God was up to. Jesus was salvation. Jesus was the consolation he had been waiting for. This type of seeing does not happen just with the eyes, but with the mind and the heart. This type of seeing is caused by the Holy Spirit, and this seeing is focused on Jesus. Simeon holds this baby in his arms and proclaims for all to hear that this child, Jesus, is salvation for all people, Jew and Gentile. To have and to hold this Jesus is to have every promise of God fulfilled. To have Jesus is to have everything.

“Seeing like Simeon” means that you “see” that Jesus is salvation. He doesn’t give you a list of rules to follow to get salvation; he is salvation. He doesn’t give you advice for a better life; Jesus is life; life that never ends. The Bible teaches that you cannot produce salvation by what you do; no matter how nice you are to people; no matter how successful you are or how many people look up to you, you cannot redeem yourself. “Seeing like Simeon” means that you “see” there is only one key that unlocks heaven, and it is Jesus.  It means believing that Jesus paid for your sins at his cross. It means trusting that you will follow Jesus out of the grave, thanks to his Easter victory. It means that knowing, loving, and serving Jesus is the point of your life, and that he is your consolation. He is your reward. And as Simeon reminds us, Jesus is not just your consolation and reward, but the consolation and reward of the whole world. He is light and glory for all.

So we can wait like Simeon, we can see like Simeon, and we can depart like Simeon. Again, having this bucket list, Simeon waited to see the Christ, and when that moment arrived, the first thing he said was: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word.” Now I can die in peace, Simeon says, because God kept his promise to me. I have seen salvation, and it is Jesus.”

Are you prepared to leave like Simeon? One of the great gifts of the gospel is that you don’t have to be terrified of death, because Jesus has reversed its effects. You don’t have to be afraid of being judged by God, because the judgment has already happened. Jesus was judged, sentenced, executed, and raised to new life. The only part that attaches to you is the new life. Jesus took all the consequences of our law-breaking and paid for our disobedience himself.

One of the most beautiful things you will ever hear a person say is that they are ready to go home into the arms of the Lord. Many people have said that to me, and you can see the peace in their eyes and the relief they feel in their bodies when they say that, because they are completely resting in what Jesus has done for them. Do you have that confidence? Simeon says you can. You can have it in Christ.

What Simeon said and did that day in the temple was so meaningful that is has passed into song. It’s a song that we still sing. We sing it, do you remember when? We sing it after coming into God’s House here; after we have been at His Table; after Jesus has given Himself to us in bread and wine; that’s when we sing: “Lord now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.” We are just like Simeon. That’s why we sing his song. With our hearts we have seen Jesus in this eating and drinking. He has come into us and forgiven us. You can depart this Table in peace and face anything because Jesus is yours. You can depart this life in peace because Jesus has covered you with his perfection. You can wait, see, and depart like Simeon, and you can even sing his song, a song of ultimate love, in Jesus Christ.