,
Luke 6: 27-36
Raksha
Bandan is a religious and secular festival. it is also called Rakhi Purnima or simply Rakhi in India. In simple words, Raksha
bandhan means "Bond of Protection" .The
festival celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters. It is also
popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between men and
women who may or may not be biologically related. It was on a Raksha Bandan
day, a catholic sister visited a prisoner and tied Raksha. We know the story. Franciscan Clarist Sister
Selmy Paul tied a silver-colored "rakhi," to Samandar Singh who was a
murderer of her own sister named Sister Rani Maria, who was working in Madhya
Pradesh for the underprivileged. Upper
caste landlords who opposed her work hired Singh to kill her. She was brutally
killed in a bus. A court handed him the life sentence one year after the
murder. But the family accepted Samander Singh as son. Sister Selmy said Though
the death of my sister is an irreparable loss to us," but, "we have
gained one more member" in Singh. It was through Meditating on the
crucifixion, she added, "further strengthened me" eventually to
"adopt him as my brother." This is the perfect example of Christian
Value. You must have seen a whatsapp message on how Muslim views about
Christianity. In the end of the message Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul
Aziz says “if we had a prophet like the true Jesus,the Jesus of Christian faith
to have taught up peace and love, how different the world be”. This is the
contribution of Christianity in the world.
Therefore
The title for today’s sermon is “Envisioning a meaningful Spirituality in Christ”
The
selected text is from the sermon on the plain.
In Luke it is Sermon on the plain which is considered as Gospel within the
gospel. The immediate context of sermon
on plain is the call of 12 disciples. V.27-28 begins with an appeal, “to you
that listen”. Jesus spoke particularly to the disciples and to the gathering of
laos (people of God which means - those who listened not to the ochlos (crowd).
The
first part of sermon on the mount deals with an assurance of God’s blessing on the poor, with whom
Christian community is closely identified and God’s Judgment on rich who
persecute the community. The second part verses 27-36 begins with Golden rule.
The principle of Christian love. Jesus deconstructs the existing social order
and introduced a new paradigm of love and relationship.
1.
Re-reading
of Enemy and reconditioning relationship
v.27&
28 say..”but to you who are listening I say; love your enemies and do good to
those who hate you”. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat
you? These are the variations of loving the enemies. Here Jesus rereads the
concept of enemy. If you are a threat or your presence is a threat for the
other, then you are an enemy. Enemies are within you. We have so many enemies as
a result of our likes and dislikes. We are connected to our friends through
different media. To whom we talk? Or send greetings and messages? How do we
treat people to whom we don’t like and connect? There fore Who are enemies?
Enemy
is a reality. Enemy is politically and socially constructed. According to James
A Aho, in his book, “This Thing of Darkness: A Sociology of the Enemy”argues
that we need enemies, without which the self will mean nothing. The entity of
the enemy is not something constructed in a vacuum. This means that “if an
enemy is not ontologically present in the nature of things, one must be
manufactured.”. We live in a world where media, ideology, people create an
enemy. It is true with the political campaigns and elections also. A villain is
a need for everybody’s survival and existence. Media also plays a major role in forming a
leader with political interest and constructing a villain. Let us seriously
analyze the Indian political situation. For example, recent Kashmir issues. The
Kashmiri people have been facing violence and exploitation for so many years
and they are the victims of war and terrorism.
As you know an event was held at UTC
Bangalore rented and organized by Amnesty international organizations in
connections with Kashmir issue [on Saturday, August 13] as part of a campaign
based on the report “Denied: Failures
in accountability for human rights violations by security force personnel in
Jammu and Kashmir”.
They organized the events to listen the
families from Jammu and Kashmir who had suffered rights violations. Towards the
end of the event, some of those who attended raised slogans, some of which
referred to calls for ‘Azaadi’ (freedom). This has become a political issue.
When the freedom was denied to people who are living in Kashmir the
organization took up the challenge in bringing the stories of Kasmiri people in public. What’s wrong in
that? The sad part is the churches in India have become silent spectators to
these realities of human rights violation because our enemy is already
constructed politically. Kashmiri Terrorists, pakitanis,. Who are the victims
of political agenda? The public, the common people, the multitude, the
children, aged and the women. Are we siding with the powerful who even screen
the media from covering stories from people? Or with the multitude?
Therefore otherisation of people as our
enemies is a political construction. It is here the relevance of Christian
values. Love your enemies, the reversal of existing social order. Jesus
deconstructs the existing social order /conventional wisdom of teeth for teeth
and eye for eye. It was not easy even for the disciples when they were facing
severe persecution and oppression. Jesus
was addressing this particularly in the context of oppression by Roman Empire
and their collaboration. and there were tensions between the local Jewish
inhabitants and the Roman rule at this time.
Jesus
response was not to fight against the empire through violence but through love.
It is obvious that Jesus didn’t encourage their violent behaviour against the
empire, The view that the enemy was a (non-rebellious) Jewish group may not be
the most preferable,. The other enemy that the socio-historical context offers,
is the Roman Empire. The Romans were an economic (taxes) as well as a religious
threat (worship rules). However, not all scholars agree that the enemy in this
text is connected to the Romans or
‘Jewish and non-Jewish ethnic groups.’ Whoever persecutes and oppress
can be considered as enemies based on these arguments. As we normally say who
are our opponents in Passion week, the Jewish leaders and Roman empire. In the
sermon on the plain Jesus gives a new meaning to love
and relationship, a condition to the disciples. He went beyond the existing
social interactions that love only your friends, a conditional love and
treating other as your enemy . A new way of looking to the reality without any
expectations and conditions. In Post colonial methodology or term it is ‘optic’
– a new way of looking the reality.
2.
Re-reading
of Love and reimagining life
What
is the solution to deconstruct the existing order of creating enemies and
friends. Just love. love unconditionally.
Express Love that has no expectations in return. Love that gives. Because love
is not an expression but experience. If you love me, show me that you love. The
real love prevents from creating the dichotomy between enemy and friends. Love
for Jesus is radical love. Cross is the best example for christ’love. Love your
enemies has four applications for an unconditional love (v.29-31)
v.32-36
each time the questions has the same form. If you love/ do good/ lend or to
whose who love/ do good/lend to you or what credit is that to you
Answer
is for even sinners do the same.
Ø Turn
the other cheek: if one is slapped on the right cheek, the slapper is either
left-handed he or she slapped with the backhand. If the slapper used the weaker
left hand, the slapped could offer the left cheek to show the unrighteousness
of the first slap. If the slapper used the backhand, this would have meant a
great insult in the ancient Middle East. The backhand slap was used only by
masters slapping their slaves, wives, etc. striking
one’s cheek is a form of physical insult and showing the other is a
sign of non-violent resistance.
Ø Do not
withhold your shirt: taking one’s
garment is considered as repayment of debts. (ex. 22:25-27, Det.24: 12-13)
Ø Give to
one who do not give in return: This is
against the conventional wisdom of giving or conditional giving.
Ø If your
goods are taken do not ask for them back: this
is an invitation to go beyond the boundary. It is a voluntary invitation to
travel extra mile.
The
result of such love is we read in v.35 you will be the children of God. In Luke
10 we read about sending of 70desciples. They completed their task and came
with joy.they would have expected a congrajulations. Jesus was against rewards/
gratitude and congratulations. He said that you glorify God that Your names will be written in heaven, which
is against the self congratulations. We live in world people project themelves.
There is nobody to congratulate you. so you congratulate yourself through
social media.
When
we deal with radical love, we will have a normal doubt whether we can practice.
The Biblical image of Jesus is the best example. Loving the enemy is not a
passive activity. But aggressive action to undermine hostility and violence.
Jesus succeeded through crucifixion and non violence. It is a double-edged
response. On one side he sacrificed his life and gave a new way of love and on
the other side he was not silent to the injustice. Walter Winks brings a theory based Jesus
life. He argues that we should have the following points to implement the
sermon on the plain..
•
Find a creative alternative to violence •
Assert
your own humanity and dignity as a person •
Break
the cycle of humiliation •
Refuse
to submit or to accept the inferior position •
Expose the injustice of the system •
Take
control of the power dynamic •
Recognize
your own power
•
Be willing to suffer rather than retaliate •
Force
the oppressor to see you in a new light •
Seek
the oppressor’s transformation
Here,
the usage of love is explained through essential giving. V.34 and 35
How
is it possible? There is a motivation for enemy love and non-violence: the
motive of imitation of God (Imitatio Dei. Especially, God’s love on the cross. The motive of
imitation is about people behaving like God, that loving ones enemy is divine
rather than human. It is people’s ethical behaviour that makes them like God. Be
perfect as the father is perfect. Follow God’s love. It is revealed on the
cross. The book of Jonah is an open ended text. We have no idea whether jonah
transformed but the book envisions God’s love for entire creation. Crucified
image of Christ invites us to love unconditionally and to have a new way of
looking the world and relationship.
