Reflections for Youth - Love your Enemies?

All I can think about when I read this week's scripture passage is the movie "The Princess Bride."

Have you seen it?

Weird -  I know. 

Maybe not such a far off connection. "The Princess Bride" is a very quotable movie. 

This week's passage from Luke is where Jesus teaches about loving your enemies and says probably one of the most quoted things in the Bible - "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  

Read Luke 6: 27-38

This passage comes from a section from the Gospel of Luke know as the "Sermon on the Plain."   Jesus is preaching to the disciples and the many thousands of people who have gathered around him to be healed from their sickness and to hear his words.  In the previous verses he shares blessings - or words that are called the "The Beatitudes."  In this week's verses he continues preaching about loving our enemies, judging others, forgiving others, and (the also very quotable) turning the other check. 

Which has me thinking about revenge. So- back to "The Princess Bride."

This movie  is very quotable and meme-able.  If you haven't seen it you've probably heard or seen something from it.  It's a very quirky romantic- fantasy -adventure -comedy that first was released in 1987. 

I know - ancient - right?  But it's frequently shown on cable channels and you can find it just about anywhere you watch/get movies. Based on a really great book by William Goldman, it's the story about a farmhand named Westley and the companions he meets along the way to rescue his true love, Princess Buttercup, from an odious prince. The story is told through the words of a grandfather who is reading a book to his grandson who is home sick from school. 

One of the characters in the movie, Inigo Montoya, is a sword fighting Spaniard, who spends the entire movie with a focused goal. You guessed it - Revenge. We learn as the movie moves along that he has dedicated his life to hunting down and killing the man who killed his father.  As Inigo's character develops through out the movie we learn about just how obsessed he has become with getting revenge. He's trained for it and it has consumed his entire life. One of the most quoted lines in the movie is a short speech that Inigo says he has practiced over and over for the day when he will meet the man who killed his father.

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”

Anger is a very real and very human emotion.   Seeking revenge  is a way for us to make sense of the bad things or terrible things that happen to us.  We feel angry and mad  when we are wronged and treated badly.  Forgiveness is hard. Being kind to someone who doesn't deserve it is hard.  We want to hurt those who have hurt us. 

But Jesus says nope, nope, nope.  We are called to forgive, love, and turn the other check.  This is what we are to do to live in the kingdom of God. 

And we all know that is easier said than done.  

Jesus offers us a complicated message and this is why he was so radical. Telling us to do something that we can't possibly understand and image.  Jesus' words in this passage are asking us to do hard things.

It's a fine line - right? There could be times that turning the other check can leave us in a very dangerous place.  I doubt that Jesus' message for us here is to let ourselves be taken advantage of and just let violence or being treated badly happen.

But I do think Jesus is giving us this instruction in order to hope and to more beyond all the bad stuff, treat others well, and well - Let it go. (Sorry, different movie entirely:)

So back to "The Princess Bride." Inigo doesn't for a second consider turning the other check. He becomes so consumed with revenge that - as the movie illustrates - he doesn't have a clue who he is, what he wants, or what to do after he has actually avenged his father's death.

Maybe Jesus is telling us that we can't waste a lot of time, energy, sadness, and anger  when we could be doing good things our in the world. Anger wears us down and consumes our lives. And sometimes the things we are angry or sad about become our only focus. 

God offers us grace, mercy, and forgiveness every single day. And when we "Do to others as you would have them do to you" - we are showing others what God is like. 

So here are some things to think about: 

• Why does it sometimes feel so good to get even or take revenge? Is it ever right to take revenge? and what are some of the consequences of taking revenge?
• When has someone offered us forgiveness - and how does that feel? 
• Who can we talk to when we are so filled with sadness, anger, and hate that we can't possible do what Jesus is asking us? 

Bonus Content!  I am including here text of the Luke passage from the "The Message" Bible  by Eugene Peterson.  I like the way this is worded. Enjoy. 

Luke 6: 27-38
27-30 “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.31-34 “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.35-36 “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.37-38 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”