1 John 3:16 – The way we came to know love was that [Christ] laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Jesus tells us that it is easy to love the ones we love; it is difficult to love those who do us harm. This is one of his most fundamental – and most difficult – lessons for us.
God says: Believe me when I say that I understand that you do not want to love your enemies; yet this is the fruit I ask you to bear, the harvest I ask you to reap. When the grain of wheat breaks open to plant something new, it plants my love within a hardened heart. You become frustrated with the world and yet all of your struggling changes very little. Plant the seeds I have given you to sow – use the gifts I have given you. And do not worry about the weeds that grow up with the wheat. My workers will tend to them in good time. Do not worry about how much rain must fall and where you will find the harvesters. I am with you always, offering you my love . . . laying down my life for you.
Let us take up the gifts we have been given to share. Let us use God’s gifts lovingly. And let us offer ourselves as broken grains of wheat in the Spirit. Let us offer ourselves up to rise again in newness bearing fruit for the master harvester. In this way we come to know Christ’s love.
Gustave Dore: Jesus Preaching the Sermon on the Mount
In today’s Noontimewe listen to Jesus as he gives us a homily and we watch as Jesus puts himself at great risk by speaking to and about the power structure that governs his society. Much like Moses, Jesus descends from the summit to gather his leadership; Jesus draws together his apostles and disciples. Moses leads the former slaves to a promise; Jesus aligns himself with the disadvantaged, and speaks aloud the message of hope and rescue that he brings from God. And it is this way that he forms his kingdom from the rejected and deprived.
The keystone of Jesus’ sermon is in the difficult teaching which many of his followers cannot accept: that he requires us to change our behavior. Rather than launch weapons and force at our enemies, rather than gather up allies to join us in the shunning or destruction of one who crosses us in any way; we are called by Jesus to love our enemies into goodness. In this sermon Jesus expands upon the Law as presented to and then by Moses. Whereas the Old Law focuses on the rules of the Sinai covenant that unite the Hebrew people to hold them together, apart from the world, the New Law asks that we now focus on building our capacity to tolerate, accept and even advocate for the destitute . . . and those who harm us. We are asked to see that these are the people who make up this new kingdom . . . these wounded and ousted people are our neighbors . . . these people are us.
God does not return like behavior, curse for curse, blow for blow. He does not walk away when frustrated. He does not turn away in disgust. He does not curse us in anger. He does not plot in hiding. Rather, in spite of the fact that we reject him in that we refuse to love our enemies, he loves us all the same. He waits infinitely and patiently for us to return to him.
Jesus knows how difficult all of this is for us; yet he lays down before us the thorniest challenge we will ever meet. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
And so we that God show us mercy . . . and that God show us how to act in mercy ourselves.
Lord, grant us mercy. Mercy in the face of ugliness. Mercy against cruelty. Mercy before deception. Mercy rather than retribution. Mercy after all. Mercy before for all. Mercy for all. Mercy in all. Mercy in Christ’s name. Amen.
1 John 3:16 – The way we came to know love was that [Christ] laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 
The Noontimes 