Mass readings for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time:
1 Samuel 26.2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-25 Psalm 103.1-4, 8, 10, 12-13 1 Corinthians 15.45-49 Luke 6.27-38
For many of us, to love our enemies is the big ask of God. It is what Jesus does, even as he hangs on the cross, and that is the example without equal we are to follow. Yet for many, when it’s time to do so, it is found ridiculous, and so, it is rejected. The response to the call to love in the face of insult or physical assault is one of incredulity – “do you expect me to do nothing? To be walked over? To be insulted, humiliated? In the case of theft, to be ruined materially, and in instances of public mockery, ruined in terms of reputation?
Yet we hear in the gospel that’s exactly what Jesus advises. Someone asks for your shirt, give it to him. Someone strikes you, turn the other cheek, and so on. We must remember this advice is given within an overarching context. There is a spirit to this teaching that must be discerned (and indeed, we are aware that Jesus often uses exaggeration to make his point); and a precision that must be recognized. Jesus is talking about how to handle “enemies” and that’s not everyone with whom we have differences, nor everyone who harms us. Who is my enemy, truly? We need to recognize this and so, understand that we deal with enemies this way, but with most, the inconsiderate, the dishonest, the foolish, the corrupt, we are to be sensible in our dealings. Remember, the scam artist who tries to get your credit card number, the guy who steals your car, the swarm of girls who invade your shop to steal while some keep you distracted, they don’t see you as an enemy they want to destroy, but as a sucker, a mark, a pigeon, a punter, and so on.
Now, the call to love applies to them; it does involve justice. We must deal with them justly, mercifully, but with a love that desires their reform. To love is to want good for another; and no one should live a life of crime – it’s horrible and we shouldn’t wish it on anyone.
However, an enemy is something else.
In the gospel text, the Greek word for enemy is echthros. And this denotes someone who wants to destroy us. In the ancient world, enemies were those who threatened one’s honor, property, or life; and those were all seen as inextricably entwined. In Jewish thought, enemies could also be those who opposed God’s covenant people, Israel. The New Testament expands this understanding to include spiritual enmity, particularly in the context of the struggle between good and evil. So, an enemy wants to destroy our souls.
Now, there are criminals who fall into this category of enemy, who completely understand that their actions will destroy a business, a person’s livelihood, even take a person’s life, and they don’t care. These are enemies of our society; and where guile and dishonesty with us doesn’t achieve their goals, they will use threats and violence to get what they want. They are evil without qualification.
Yet we can recognize that there are relatively few who can affect the totalizing destruction of us; and of them we should be truly fearful.
When Jesus was teaching, he was addressing people who were powerless; and they faced an imperial power that was set upon their eventual destruction as a nation. Now, the Romans wouldn’t have thought of themselves in such terms, but their project was to incorporate and Romanize their subject peoples. But this inevitably meant Israel abandoning its true identity, culture, religion. Oh, one was expected to retain some superficial aspects of a national identity. A nation could keep its cuisine, charming customs, its favourite sport; and its gods, but these gods would need to be placed in the divine order beneath the gods of Rome, and the divinity of the emperor. For Jews this was completely unacceptable. And so, the consequence of that refusal was to put the pressure on elsewhere. So, you may know that the Romans were pretty rough with the locals in Judea, Samaria, the Galilee, etc. Pontius Pilate was particularly ruthless in his dealings with the Jews. The Romans could confiscate property with minimal compensation; soldiers either Roman or those of Herod ran protection rackets, officials were often on the take, there were those among the local population who collaborated to fleece their fellow Judeans and Galileans, but those above them, who luxuriated in the palaces of Rome saw it as part of a plan to break the spirit of a people who would not bend the knee. The corruption was part of the plan of national destruction even as most of those carrying out wouldn’t have understood it that way – they were just looking out for themselves and getting theirs while the getting was good.
Our true enemies today, as they were then, are those who facilitate by their exercise of authority all that corrodes our national life, our local communities, makes our streets unsafe, our roads hazardous, our children and youth stupid with poor education and easily acquired recreational drugs, discourages us all in our hopes for better times.
Those who can do this are powerful. They can compel others to do evil, objectively evil things while thinking themselves good and faithful servants. These can be civil servants, social workers and police, even priests and religious ministers, who with indoctrination, the right incentives, but also with fear of punishment, carry out plans that are in no way good for the people they ostensibly serve. Remember the Roman army was in Judea to protect the frontier and support the local princes, Herod Antipas and his siblings by maintaining order. They were bringing the Pax Romana to these people, and aqueducts, theatres, and stadia for chariot racing and gladiatorial games. In this regard, they would understand themselves as benefactors to an ignorant and ingrateful people.
So, the reason Jesus counsels compliance with an enemy’s wishes is that in the moment, with that soldier standing in front of us, armed and in no mind to listen to our complaints, just do what he says. If he’s already given you one black eye, how will two black eyes help you? And besides, in one very real sense he’s not our true enemy, but merely a representative of the evil that is looking to destroy us.
Jesus even advises being generous in your compliance (in Matthew’s gospel account, he tells us to go that extra mile for our enemy).
I hope we all notice how this love of enemy is rolled into and intermingled with other promptings to generosity. Jesus tells us to give to those who beg from us – surely, he isn’t saying a beggar is our enemy. Someone touches us for a loan; I don’t think we can read this as concerning the treatment of enemies, but just those who pester and annoy. In all our dealings then, we are to be agents of God’s loving generosity, letting go of self-concern, but nonetheless not being stupid about it. By being in this way holy, we are likely to earn the esteem of others, and so, a measure of social protection, and to bring people into solidarity with us when we come to an unavoidable confrontation with our enemies. The reason Rome’s successive persecutions from the time of Nero to that of Diocletian ultimately failed is that the larger Roman population could not square the official message that Christians were secretly treacherous monsters with their widespread reputation as good neighbours, whose churches were generous in support of the poor, of widows and orphans.
In the Old Testament reading, we heard how David had the opportunity to kill his enemy Saul – and Saul was bent on David’s destruction. But by his generosity, his faithfulness, his respect for Saul’s office of king, he wins over the wicked king at least for a time; but more importantly he establishes in the eyes of others that he is a man of virtue and so, to be trusted, indeed, honoured and treasured.
That’s what we are called to be; by our faithfulness, our generosity of spirit, witnesses to the virtues of Christ; and so, lead others to trust in him; indeed, to honour and adore him.
Amen.