Pastor Tim Patoka
“Under the Sun” #8: The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil August 2, 2020 Show God’s Perfect Love Matthew 5:38-48 1) Reverse Your Revenge 2) Include Your Enemies
For the past two months, we have been in our “Under The Sun” worship series as we look at some of the Bible’s references to the sun and what God has to say in connection with it. Today’s sun reference is its daily rising and shining it does as it makes its way across our blue skies. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it surprising how something so daily and mundane has left its mark in so much of humanity. Many nature-based religions have a prominent part on the sun’s rise. One that I find especially interesting is from the Aztec people. Not only did they have a detailed account about the sun’s beginning and daily sunrise, but they also horrified the Spanish conquistadors with their daily human sacrifices to fuel the sun’s rise over the horizon. The Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus shook the foundations of scientific thought when he theorized that it’s the Earth that goes around the sun, not the other way around. So many of our history’s poets have found countless parallels and commentaries on life in the sun’s daily rising and shining. People have and will continue to say all sorts of stuff about the sun’s daily trek across our sky. And as we see in our verses for this morning from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5(:38-48), Jesus too talks about it. As he points out, this daily rising and shining is one of the many ways that God shows his perfect love for all people, both good and evil. While this may like a no-brainer at first, it is also a truth that is worth our time to review and remember. For God’s perfect love does not take revenge on anyone who does evil. Rather, God’s love includes both friends and enemies regardless of how much they do or don’t deserve it. And as children of God through faith in his Son, we too are encouraged and expected to show this same kind of love to both those who do evil and to our enemies. Whenever we talk about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7), it is important to remember who Jesus is talking to. He is speaking to Old Testament believers who already have the foundation of faith in place. Since they have the basics covered, Jesus gives them an exhaustive list of what they can do to live as his children. Even though it is the last thing that our Savior said in our Gospel reading, Jesus summarizes this whole idea up by saying, “So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) One way to be exactly that is by understanding what God intended in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20) when he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’” (Matthew 5:38) God’s intention with this phrase was that the punishment is to fit the crime. If someone lost an eye, a tooth, or something else in an altercation, the most they could demand in repayment was the same loss. 1
Pastor Tim Patoka
“Under the Sun” #8: The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil August 2, 2020
However, many of the Jews of Jesus’ time misused this phrase by demanding the full extent of the law in order to get their revenge on others. Because the people had so misunderstood what was originally intended, Jesus gives the corrective blanket statement, “But I tell you, do not resist an evildoer.” (Matthew 5:39a) Instead of repaying evil with evil, God’s children are to repay evil with good. This includes denying one’s want for revenge, being willing to suffer more evil, and giving to others without an expectation of return. Not to get us off track, but we must also temper these acts of love with what the rest of Scripture says – like our need to call out sin and its need for repentance, taking care to provide for those whom God has placed under our care, and carrying out our vocation in life. A second component to this perfect love comes from understanding what is right and wrong from Jesus’ next phrase, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (Matthew 5:43) That first part about loving your neighbor is straight out of the Bible (Leviticus 19:18) and shouldn’t be anything new. But that second part about hating your enemy, that goes directly against what our Lord told us in our First and Second Lessons. Because our neighbor includes all people, we are expected to treat all people the same. As Jesus correctly instructs us, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45a) We are to have an agape kind of love that wants the best for all people, including our enemies and those who persecute us. This is exactly what our God does with the sun’s daily rising and shining. God has it come up and give its life-sustaining light to both the good and the evil, those who are God’s children and those who are anything but it, all because he is driven by a perfect love for all people. But could we say the same thing about ourselves? As children of our heavenly Father, we too are expected to show such perfect love to those who do us evil and our enemies. Yet how often is it that when people do us evil we instead desire to get our revenge on them? To find out what legal ammunition we have to make their lives all the worse because they intruded upon ours? After all, we have the right to get back at someone when they hurt us. Right? Or when someone asks us for help of some kind, how quickly do we dismiss them and forget them? How often do we justify our absence of love to our neighbor or the evil acts we commit by saying that they deserve such treatment? After all, respect and love must first be given before it can be received. Right? How often do we sadly blend in with those who have little or nothing to do with God because, like them, we hypocritically love our nice neighbors while hating our not-so-nice neighbors?
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“Under the Sun” #8: The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil August 2, 2020 Or to bring in our sun reference for today, how do you think the sun’s daily rising and shining would change if it God showed his love the same selective way we do? While God would certainly still have the sun rise and shine, he would only give its light to those who are good and deserving of it. Without a doubt, that sun would not shine on we who are sinfully evil by nature, fraught with acts of revenge and selfish love, and deserving of God’s absence for all eternity. The truth of the matter is that we would be left in the darkness of sin and apart from God’s love. Pastor Tim Patoka
But that’s not how God’s perfect love works. As evidenced with the sun’s daily rising and shining, God’s love is offered to all, even those who do evil and indulge in revenge, those who hypocritically love their neighbor while hating those who don’t deserve it. But it’s not only in the sun’s daily rising and shining upon all people that we see this perfect love at work. We also see in it exemplified in our Savior Jesus Christ. In love, Jesus did not indulge in revenge nor did he resist an evildoer. As you look back at Jesus’ life while still on Earth, he had plenty of opportunities to do so! He could have gotten back at his hometown friends and family who rejected him at Nazareth or guilt trip Judas Iscariot for his heartless betrayal. He could have called down 12 legions of angels to resist his arresters at Gethsemane or shown King Herod and Pontius Pilate who was truly in charge. But he didn’t. For if he had, he would have acted against love and possibly prevent himself from going to the cross. In love, Jesus extends his promises to his enemies who certainly don’t deserve it. This is where we come into the picture. We do not and cannot deserve what our Savior has given to us. But we don’t have to. Through faith alone in who our Savior is and what he has lovingly done for us, we receive far more from God than simply the sun’s light. We have the forgiveness of sins for all the times we have desired or acted on revenge, sinfully resisted an evil doer, hypocritically loved our neighbor, and sadly blended in with the unbelieving crowds. We have the peace that he alone gives and that can never be upset by coronavirus concerns or anything else. We have the certainty of life everlasting in the heavenly heights above. And there’s still more as he continually renews our spiritual status from one of evil to one of good. As the sun’s daily rising and shining reminds us of God’s perfect love for us, so it daily encourages us to show this same perfect love to those around us. Now that we have the foundation of faith covered, we can look at these verses from Matthew chapter 5(:38-48) in the same way that Jesus’ original audience did – as encouragements and clarifications to show our heavenly Father’s perfect love. Instead of seeking “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” mentality that automatically uses the full extent of the law against those who do us evil, let us instead reverse our revenge. As Jesus says, “do not resist an evildoer.” (Matthew 5:39a) Willingly endure whatever evil is 3
“Under the Sun” #8: The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil August 2, 2020 inflicted upon you and be ready for more. Freely give what has been asked or demanded from you without expectation of repayment while still carrying out your God-given commitments and responsibilities. As the Apostle Paul said in our Second Lesson, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:18-19) Paul also summarizes this thought up by saying, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) I’m sure that this summary statement will cover most, if not all, the evil situations we will come across. Pastor Tim Patoka
Let us also “Love your neighbor and [never] hate your enemy” (Matthew 5:43) as we instill an agape kind of love within our hearts. An agape love doesn’t depend on the person receiving such love. Instead, it depends on the one who is giving it. It is given to a person no matter how much or not they deserve it. And this love is for all people, including our enemies who oppose and those who persecute us. Even though they may never recognize our acts of love, return the favor, or make it easy, that doesn’t excuse us from seeking their eternal best. Such agape love may also require us to have that uncomfortable conversation where we show them their sin and urge them to repent so as to win them over to Christ. All these things we do as we show our heavenly Father’s perfect love are not done with a selfish heart or so that God will love us. Rather it’s because God has loved us as made clear through his gift of faith. Lots of people have lots to say about of the sun’s daily rising and shining. But as Jesus points us for us, we can see our heavenly Father’s perfect love in it. Day after day, week after week, century after century, God has made his sun rise and shine on good and evil alike so as to lovingly provide for their physical needs. It is in line with this same love that God sent his Son to exemplify this love for our sake. Even though we are essentially no different than any other evil sinner, God has declared us good in his sight through faith in his Son. We are now his children who have all his blessings in full. And as children of our heavenly Father, let us likewise show God’s perfect love by reversing our revenge and including our enemies. Amen.
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