A key teaching in the Sermon on the Mount—and from the life lessons of Jesus in general—is learning to love our enemies. Saying this is simple, doing it is much harder. While Jesus’ inaugural sermon talks about praying for our enemies, the subsequent two chapters in the gospel attributed to Matthew demonstrate that action is required as well.
There are a pair of miraculous healing stories placed in this section of Matthew (Matthew 8:5-13, 9:18-26) that stick out among Jesus’ many healings. In these stories, powerful people who might be considered the bane of the blessed, based on the sermon Jesus just preached in the chapters prior, are the recipients of Christ’s radical love for all.
The first story is about a foreign soldier (centurion) who comes to Jesus, asking for the Lord to heal his sick servant. (As an aide, Luke 7:1-10 also tells this story right after a similar sermon; or maybe the same sermon depending on the reader’s perspective.) Jesus heals the soldier’s servant without even going to see the servant, applauding the soldier’s faith in the process. There is a lesson often recited and preached about the soldier’s blind and brave faith as told in this story. In fact, in some Christian denominations it is common in weekly worship services to echo the soldier’s words: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.”
The second story is that of a ruler’s daughter who is brought back to life from the edge of death (or perhaps even after death). While this text—nor the one about the soldier for that matter—does not detail the character of the ruler as being righteous or otherwise, it is safe to assume that Jesus’ followers of humble means would consider rulers and soldiers as the very definition of those who have already “received their reward”. (Matthew 6) Jesus, who just mentioned such folks in a much less flattering light just a few verses ago, is now bestowing blessings upon these households! Jesus, as is often the case, surprises us.
Now, it could be pointed out that Jesus does not heal the ruler or the soldier; it is the daughter and the servant who are healed. That is a red herring though and distracts from the relevance being driven at by the sheer inclusion of these characters in this stretch of the gospel. We are being nudged to notice that the rich and the mighty—often the enemies of the humble—may receive the blessings of Christ too.
It should be noted that the ruler and the soldier both come to Jesus and ask for these blessings. While this is of importance and reminds us that all who seek to be blessed should turn towards Jesus, we cannot let this distract us either from the great love of Jesus towards even the deniers of Christ. After all, it is not even the soldier or the ruler who are the recipients of the blessing. Those who are affiliated with them are the ones healed, and we know nothing of their character, or if they had any faith in Christ.
While the messages are plentiful, perhaps one soars above them all simply by the placement of these events in the narrative—we must practice what we preach. If we say we love our enemies and those who persecute us, we must demonstrate it. What that means in practice may be up to interpretation, however it is clear that praying alone is not enough. Action is required if we desire to transform our world into the one Jesus sought after.
As the Easter season comes to a close this year and Pentecost arrives, these passages remind us that the gospel of Jesus is that of a risen and constantly rising Lord and Savior. It is not for one group of people more than another. There cannot be one nation more Christian than another (the very notion of a Christian nation at all is anti-Christ in fact). There also cannot be one Christian denomination viewed as more holy than another (for all who proclaim the gospel are led by the same Holy Spirit and are part of the Universal Church). The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all the world and all of humanity. The Easter season reminds us of this, as do so many stories in these ancient scriptures which remain as relevant as ever in so many ways. May we hear the repeated refrain of love for all and proclaim it again and again.
Relevant Reformation 