The Challenge
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
This is part of Jesus’ “You have heard it said… but I say” teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. It’s where Jesus begins pushing his followers beyond mere rule-following and toward righteousness: “Don’t just settle for the bare minimum of ‘don’t murder.’ Keep your thoughts away from contempt, abuse, and every form of injury that destroys and diminishes people, even if it stops short of technically ‘murdering’ them. Your Father expects better than that.”
He goes on in the same way about adultery, divorce, revenge, and telling the truth. Jesus wants His followers to think deeply about the righteousness the Father demands, and respond.
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Humility
I’m trying to grow in this attitude when I interact with politics and social issues, and for the next few minutes, I want you to consider this challenge.
Humility means acknowledging that, while I want to become more like Christ, I am not Christ, and I will never be Christ. Philippians 3:12:
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Since I am limited in this way, before I approach politics or social issues, it is important that I check myself. To remember:
- My motives are not always pure. Sin affects everything. No matter how Godly I think I see things, I will not know the depth of my imperfection until it’s over.
- My vision is not always clear. My view of things, even right in front of me, is so limited. Blinders of time, circumstance, experience, information, and expectation restrict my view to a very narrow point.
- My approaches will not always produce the outcomes I think they will. Only God can see around the bend. Only God can see every input into the equation, every impact of every solution. If my view of the present is narrow, my ability to predict the future is nigh unto impossible.
- The most important rewards are eternal. Whatever I care about happening in this moment, for this country, or for our world – these outcomes are all temporary. Salvation is eternal. Love of neighbor – and of enemies – has the potential to lead them to seek Jesus.
So,
- You’ve heard it said: “Trust your gut!” And I say, “My reactions might not be the most reliably righteous guide. Pause. Consider how people might hear you.”
- You’ve heard it said: Stand for the Truth! And I say, “Listen to people, especially those who disagree with you. Consider they might say something you’ve never thought of, that will help shape your understanding of the truth in a more humble, nuanced, and Godly way.”
- You’ve heard it said: “We have to do something!” And I say, “Why? How? Consider whether you’re capable of leading with Christian virtue, not just with Christian ideas.”
- You’ve heard it said: “This might be our last chance to save _________.” And I say, “The only ‘last chance’ that really exists is a person’s last chance to receive Christ before they go to meet Him.”
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Love, Pray
At the end of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus’ final “You’ve heard it said…” is about our enemies. Matthew 5:43-48:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Do I disagree with people? Vehemently, sometimes. Do I always handle it well? Absolutely not. I have a lot of regrets when dealing with people who disagree with me. One large regret is thinking of them, and treating them, as enemies. When I think of someone as an enemy, I find it really hard to pray for them (except to pray that God would straighten them out!). When I think of someone as an enemy, I find it really hard to listen to them (except for ammunition in the argument!).
But Jesus says God’s perfection welcomes enemies, prays for them. Remember we were God’s enemies once, and how did He respond? I don’t have it all together, and it’s this very idea that guides me when I think about, and talk about, politics and social issues.
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Experience
I’ll conclude with a story.
In 2012 I reached out to the local Planned Parenthood office and said something to the effect of: “I’m a pastor, and I just want to talk, hear your perspective, and share mine. I’m not setting you up.” To my amazement – and despite good reasons for them to be wary – they agreed to meet.
A week later, in a coffee shop up in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, we talked for about two hours. We did exactly what I proposed: they talked, I listened. I talked; they graciously listened. We actually found some common ground: we both care about women, and we both care about children. We differed, of course, fundamentally on what to do about that. But it was a start.
This led to a follow-up meeting with a counselor in their main office. I asked her: “What are you curious about, regarding those of us who disagree with you? She answered: “I don’t even know what motivates the protesters. It never gets that far. They just protest.” I got to share Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you...” I talked about the Christian concept of God, of humanity, and how precious people are to our Creator. She said she had never heard it put that way. Maybe she was dodging; but it really might have been the first scripture ever quoted in there. Hopefully it won’t be the last. Perhaps it pushed open a small crack in a very closed door.
What I discovered is that we had completely different worldviews: mine grounded in a Creator God who loves His frail and fallen creation, and theirs’… not. I walked away feeling more compassion for them, praying for them – not that they would “get fixed,” but that they would open the door to the Risen Savior.
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