Some really hard scripture - May 14

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:49-72; PM Psalm 49, [53]; Wisdom 4:16-5:8; Col. 1:24-2:7; Luke 6:27-38

Last week, our new endeavor, the Threshold Center, held in conjunction with Saint Stephen’s, an evening focused on depolarization hosted by a national organization called Braver Angels.  Braver Angels believes that civic renewal begins with every voice being respected and is working to build bridges across partisan lines.  The organization is growing by leaps and bounds and has hosted over 5,000 events with more than 63,000 participants. 

At our event, a transformer blew causing the power to go out, and the temperature of the room reached almost 80 degrees.  I heard it was an especially meaningful evening, and you might say, “people were sweating.”  Maybe it was a simple and serendipitous reminder—crossing partisan lines isn’t easy work. 

It seems more than obvious that we shouldn’t see each other as enemies but consider the implications of our rich Gospel text. There are few passages in Scripture that push against the grain of our instincts like this one. Jesus looks at the crowd and says: “Love your enemies.” It’s one of those teachings that we’re tempted to soften, to spiritualize. But Jesus doesn’t back down—he doubles down: “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

This is not a call to be passive. It’s not a suggestion to let injustice slide. It’s a call to a deeper strength—a radical mercy rooted in God’s own love. Jesus is inviting us to mirror the heart of God, a God who is “kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” That’s not sentimental love; that’s courageous, sacrificial love.

He goes on: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” That line alone could be a life’s work. Mercy is not weakness—it is power held with compassion. It’s choosing not to give others what they might “deserve,” but instead offering what God has freely given to us: grace, forgiveness, a fresh start.

And then Jesus offers that difficult mirror: “The measure you give will be the measure you get back.” In other words, the way we love, forgive, bless, and show mercy matters. It doesn’t earn us God’s love—that’s already ours. But it reflects whether we’ve allowed that love to take root in us.

This passage isn’t just about being “nice.” It’s about choosing a different path—the Kingdom path—where love is stronger than hate, where mercy reshapes judgment, and where generosity spills over into joy. That’s not easy. But it’s the kind of life that Jesus lived—and the kind he invites us to live too.

While these implications apply to every facet of our lives, it might be a good place to begin in our cultural struggle to see God in each other, and to work together for the kingdom of God.  We should start with a commitment to love each other, regardless of what we feel about each other. Jesus is clear.  We just have to trust in His way.

Faithfully,

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: This passage is especially challenging. What fears does it bring up for you if you live this way? How can you live more authentically into Jesus’s care for the hard people to love?