2025 02 23 Epiphany 7C
Genesis
45:3-11, 15 Psalm 37.1-11,
40-41 1 Corinthians 15.35-50 Luke
6:27-38
The golden
rule is “treating others as we would like to be treated”. All of society is onboard with that one, but
this bit about turning the other cheek, is kind of tough and very counter
cultural. Proof of this, I heard Just
the other day, about a shop no longer willing to donate their extra coat
hangers in case one breaks, and the sharp edge cut some one, and then that
someone sue them for damages. There is
no forgiveness, and understanding, let alone turning the other cheek and
everyone is scared to do anything. As soon as I hear this reading about turning
the other cheek, I recall a friend who sarcastically repeats it and adds, so
what are we meant to do? Just let
everyone walk over us. Those who have
suffered abuse at the hands of another, are they meant to simply take it?
Here we see
two extremes; someone who should turn the other cheek, if accidently cut by a
coat hanger donated in good faith etc… and then someone who is in real danger
if they do turn the other cheek, So, I need to start this with an emphatic, NO,
we don’t just let people walk over us, and add that there are plenty of other
verses that indicate we need to protect ourselves. Proverbs 27:12 says, "The prudent
see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." Whenever it seems that the Bible contradicts
itself, the truth lies in the tension in between and we are invited, even provoked,
to go deeper.
The most
important lesson that we need to learn is that God’s ways are different to the
ways of our society. The way of God is
far wiser than our ways. Most
importantly, we need to learn what those ways are, because God’s ways,
are the way to break through and victory.
Today we
look at the story of Joseph at the point of victory and break through. It didn’t happen overnight, but it happened
most dramatically. After being sold by
his brothers, and them telling his father that he was dead, thus destroying any
hope of rescue, and after many years had passed, here were his brothers given
into his hand…. He with the power and them at his mercy.
A meme
popped up on my facebook that seems quite apt for our readings. It was a picture of St. Paul and a companion,
chained up and in prison, singing praise to God. The caption read, “there is no excuse not to
praise God.” I was almost going to share
it with my own caption; “Easier said than done!”
It is
natural for us to be angry at those who cause us hurt. On street Chaplaincy last Friday night, two
young men trying to justify themselves, said to me, “If you were really, really
angry at a girl, you’d want to hit her, right?”
It seemed that they were wanting to hit some bloke who’d “done them
wrong”. I answered with an emphatic,
“No!” However, why could I say no? It is only because I have been taught since I
was little that laying into someone was not acceptable. It started when my little sister was old
enough to be annoying…. Even if she hit me, I was not to hit her back. She was little and I was bigger…. But we both
grew up knowing that we were not to be physical in our anger. So, we never hit each other – but I do have
to confess that doors were slammed, and the totem tennis got quite a workout.
I can’t
imagine being as gracious as Joseph was with his brothers. Joseph truly did love his enemies. How could he do this? We learn that he had such faith in God, that
no matter what he was going through and no matter how he felt, he never let go
of his faith that God was God, and ultimately, he needed to be the person that
God called him to be. Whether it was
resisting the temptation of his master’s wife trying to seduce him, or telling
the truth to Pharoah about the dreams, Joseph acted with integrity that would
have the approval of God, rather than the approval of men – even at the expense
of his own safety.
It is worth
pointing out that Joseph didn’t just forgive his brothers. He went above and beyond that and he provided
for them. They did not deserve it. They did not earn it. There was nothing in them that should have
evoked such a lavish and generous response from Joseph.
Joseph was a
type of Christ. Jesus was sold out by
one of his close friends, yet his suffering, death and resurrection, is counted
as atoning for our sins and bringing us eternal life. We had not done anything to warrant his
actions. We don’t earn or deserve the
grace of God, but he ever so generously lavishes that love and grace on us. And what’s more, God desires to give us all
good things. Like Joseph, he not only
forgives and accepts us, but he gives us gifts and plans for our abundant life.
This kind of
forgiveness that Joseph showed is not only showing us the love of God, but it
is also a miracle. Who can show this
kind of forgiveness and love? Only
God. This attitude of Joseph is divine,
and it is God empowered. It is not
natural. We are asked to show this same
kind of forgiveness and love. It isn’t
natural. We could even go so far as to
say, it is humanly impossible. It takes
a miracle – a gift of God. We need to be
spiritually empowered to have this kind of attitude to each other.
Our letter
to the Corinthians tells us that, “Just as we have borne the image of the one
of dust, we will also bear the image of the one of heaven.” This is telling us that we are human and like
every human before us, naturally prone to sin and naturally unable to live the
way that is perfect. However, now that
we have been born of God, we also bear the image of the one in heaven – that is
Christ. We not only bear his image, but
we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, living and working through us.
How does
this work, in a practical sense? Firstly
we need to be willing to admit that we have a problem. Those young boys who asked me about wanting
to hit someone that I get really angry with, asked because we all have some
people in our lives that we find difficult.
This is step one – we acknowledge that we have a problem with forgiving them. Step two - we talk to God about them and us and how we
know that He requires us to forgive them and treat them with love and kindness,
and then ask God to do what we can’t.
Ask him to bring our attitude into line with his will and help us to
forgive and love.
The big
warning here is that, if these people are dangerous to us, God will also want
to protect us from these people and need us to remove ourselves from
danger. God loves those people, but he
absolutely adores us also and doesn’t want us to be harmed. It is possible to forgive, but walk away.
In Jesus’
culture, turning the other cheek was about revealing the actions of the
perpetrator. Those hearing Jesus’ words
knew this. To turn the left cheek after
being hit on the right was a bold rejection of the insult, and a challenge to
strike again with an open palm. Striking
with an open palm was not something that was done to a lessor – therefore it
forced the opponent to symbolically declare the opponent an equal. Turning the other cheek, publicly proclaims
that the opposer holds no power because the victim’s honour is not dependent on
human approval. You notice also, it does
this without causing harm. There is no
room for revenge.
Our psalmist
has these wise words for us; “Trust in the LORD and do good; live in the
land, and enjoy security. Take delight
in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him,
and he will act. He will make your
vindication shine like the light and the justice of your cause like the noonday.”
God’s ways
are the ways of life and break-through.
They are not natural, but they are spiritually empowered. We have free will and we need to submit that
will to God and ask for his divine empowerment to live in love and
forgiveness. Our homework for this week
is to put this into action. Think of
someone that you have a problem with…. No, not the one that you think you can
forgive… the first one that came to mind who you don’t want to forgive… that
one… bring it to God and ask Him to help
you forgive like Joseph. Remember, God
allowed distance between Joseph and his brothers. Distance is okay…. But we do need to forgive
and pray for our enemies. Victory and Break
through will come. God is faithful and
helps us to forgive if we ask him.
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