“Your Father Is Merciful”
Luke 6:27-38

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany—February 24, 2019

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The artist M.C. Escher lived in Holland in the early 1900’s.  He became famous for his unusual and elaborate prints. The art world had to create a new category to describe the unique genre of art he created.  The category they came up with to describe Escher’s work is “impossible reality.”  An example is this famous Escher print, titled, “Ascending and Descending.” 

At first glance, it appears to be some kind of church building, with robed monks walking on a rooftop staircase.  But, as you look at it more closely, you see that the staircase they are walking around on is in a strange, continuous loop, like a mobius strip.

Our building committee spent a lot of time working on the design for our church addition and looking at lots of architectural plans.  Escher’s work is called “impossible reality” because there’s no way you could translate this into blueprints, and actually build this structure.  It looks great in theory, but it’s impossible in reality.

In the same way, Jesus’ words from in today’s Gospel Reading seem to us like an “impossible reality.”  “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. . .  lend . . . without expecting to get anything back.”  That sounds great in theory, but can you really put it into practice?  It seems impossible to actually live that out.

And, that’s the whole point.  It IS impossible for us to live out perfectly.  For, we are sinners, in a sinful, fallen world.  As a result, we must all confess that all too often we do NOT love our enemies, or do good to those who hate us, or bless those who curse us, or pray for those who mistreat us.  All too often we do NOT turn the other cheek, but angrily seek revenge.  All too often we do NOT lovingly do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”  However, because of our judging, because of our condemning, because of our lack of love shown toward others, we deserve to be judged and condemned.  “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  We deserve to have a full measure of God’s wrath poured out upon us.

But, Jesus doesn’t just leave us hanging with the bad news, the impossible reality that we have all failed to fulfill.  For, he concludes with the Good News:  “You will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  . . .  your Father is merciful.”  Jesus is talking about YOU. 

Though you are often ungrateful and wicked, your heavenly Father is kind and merciful to you. Today’s responsive reading from Micah expresses this Good News so beautifully: “Who is a God like you, pardoning sin and forgiving the transgression of your faithful people?  You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot, and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”

Psalm 103 puts it this way: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” Your heavenly Father is kind and merciful to you, because his own Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, earned for you the Father’s kindness and mercy.  As St. Paul says in Romans, “We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.”

You see, Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel Reading can also be read as a prophecy, describing his own impending suffering and death, for your salvation.  Though for us it is an impossible reality, Jesus actually lived that way—and died that way.

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”  Even as he was being nailed to the cross, Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying him, “Father, forgive them.”

“If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.”  St. Mark reports, “Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him,” and St. John adds, “And they struck him in the face.”

“If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  St. John uses strikingly similar language: “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, and also the tunic.”

So, Jesus himself is the ultimate example of the perfect love he describes.  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.”  Jesus loved us, even when we did not love him, as St. Paul says in Romans, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” and St. John writes, “We love because he first loved us.”

“And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even ‘sinners’ do that.”  Jesus was good to us, even though we didn’t deserve it, as St. Paul says in Titus, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”

“And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.”  Jesus gives to you freely as a gift the greatest treasure of all, even though you didn’t earn it, and could never repay it, as St. Paul says in Romans, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Though for us Jesus’ words are an impossible reality to perfectly fulfill, Jesus actually lived that way—and died that way, for YOU.  His perfect obedience is credited to YOU in the sight of God.  The Good News is, he perfectly fulfilled FOR YOU the very perfection that he demands.

St. Peter sums it up this way: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. . . He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross. . . Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ”

That’s what Christ is calling you to in today’s Gospel Reading: to follow in his steps.  To strive in your life with the help of his grace to be kind and merciful to others, even those who don’t earn it or deserve, because your heavenly Father has been so kind and merciful to you.  St. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

But, aren’t Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel Reading still an “impossible reality”?  First of all, we must remember to whom Jesus’ words are addressed.  This sermon was not addressed TO the wicked world.  When Jesus says, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also; if someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic,” he is not issuing a hunting license to the wicked world, entitling the wicked to prey upon Christians, authorizing unlimited violence or greed against Christians.

Rather, these words were addressed by Christ to his FOLLOWERS.  It is a personal admonishment to US from our beloved master, a warning against our natural sinful inclination to love only those who love us, to lend only to those who can repay, to take revenge against those who mistreat us, and curse those who hate us.  As St. Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “Now I will show you a better way. . .  Love is patient, love is kind. . .  it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Secondly, there is a difference between justice and revenge, and between stewardship and stinginess.  When Jesus says, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also,” he is forbidding revenge, in every case.  But, justice is still allowed, by the appropriate means, and through the proper channels.  As St. Peter says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men . . . who are sent by God to punish those who do wrong.”

Likewise, when Jesus says, “If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic,” he rules out stinginess.  But, that does not relieve us of the responsibility for good stewardship.  Sometimes good stewardship makes it necessary to say no, but the MOTIVE must not be stinginess.

So, in today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus is giving us as his followers examples and guidance for putting his love into action in our lives.  St. Paul sums it up beautifully in Ephesians: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice to God.”

Amen.