LOVING YOUR ENEMIES
Mark 15:1-20
Sermon Objective: A communion sermon; Jesus actions during the passion narrative of Mark are evidence and illustration of loving one’s enemies.
Supporting Scripture: Leviticus 19:18; Luke 6:27-36; Romans 5:10; Romans 12:17; 1 John 4:9-10
MARK 15:1-20
Simply put, your enemies are those who wish harm to come upon you. It may be expressed by overt action or passive tolerance of your situation.
1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things.
4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested.
7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.
8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate,
10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” m
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
INTRO
Simply put, your enemies are those who wish harm to come upon you. It may be expressed by overt action or passive tolerance of your situation.
Love Your Enemies: Forgiveness in Rwanda
(portions from Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, February 2, 2009)
Bishop John Rucyahana, a Tutsi Rwandan, found Christ while growing up as an exile from his native Rwanda. I like the way he describes His conversion: “I did not accept Jesus. Jesus graciously met me and accepted me.” This is a man who understands how we come empty-handed to Christ.
In spite of his faith, Bishop John, a Tutsi Rwandan, had reason to hate. The Hutus in Rwanda brutally raped and killed his own niece, Madu, during the genocide of the early 1990’s.
He escaped the genocide and was in the United States in 1994 when he felt God’s call to return to Rwanda. He wanted to avoid the conflict (and his hatred) by doing ministry in Uganda instead of Rwanda. But he obeyed God’s call to face the darkness and returned to his homeland. Upon returning to Rwanda, he found sun-bleached bones littering the streets and open graves fouling the air.
Bishop John worked with others to establish Prison Fellowship Rwanda. He also helped start the Umuvumu Project, which has brought together tens of thousands of perpetrators and victims of the genocide, offering offenders the opportunity to confess their crimes and victims the chance to forgive.
In a large open area of a Rwandan prison, Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana speaks to a crowd of killers responsible for the 1994 genocide. “Close your eyes,” he instructed them. “Go back in your mind to 1994. What did you see?” he asked. “What did you smell? What did you hear?”
Many in the crowd began to weep. He told the men to see their victims’ faces. The sobs grew louder. “Now,” said Bishop John, “that which made you cry, that you must confess.”
It’s amazing enough that Bishop John would speak to the Hutu perpetrators of the genocide. It’s even more amazing when you consider what they did to his family members. It is even more amazing to think that he is seeking to find way to offer the offenders forgiveness and reconciliation1
But such is the manifestation of God’s empowerment for human beings to love their enemies.
LOVING YOUR ENEMIES
As we work our way through the passion narrative in Mark, and especially as we begin Lent, we must come face to face with the barrenness of pain and hatred. Only then can we begin to understand the power of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:27; But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN THE TRIAL … BUT AT THE VERY CORE GOD’S LOVE IS AT WORK! IN THE VERY PRESENCE OF HATRED, CORRUPTION, AND AMBITION, JESUS IS ACTIVELY AND PROACTIVELY LOVING HIS ENEMIES.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17, KJV)
Ironic isn’t it? The world is condemning the very one who is loving them and is, even then, saving them!
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:10)
The enemies work in the dark shadows; but agapé love incarnate (JESUS), with nothing to hide, stands vulnerable and indefensible in the open.
AGAPÉ LOVE (JESUS) HAS A REMARKABLE WAY OF WORKING WITH US. IT STRIPS US OF ALL PRETENSE. IT IS GOD’S GREAT PLOWSHARE, RIPPING THROUGH THE HYPOCRISY OF OUR LIVES, LAYING US BARE FOR ALL TO SEE. THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE HAPPENING HERE IN THIS TRIAL.
Decisions were made. They (Jesus’ enemies) chose hatred and violence instead of love.
Have you ever noticed that is easier to choose to respond in hostility and anger than it is with love and forgiveness? The Bible says: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody (Romans 12:17) but the default setting is to, respond in kind.
No one would have blamed Jesus for striking back. He tells us in Matthew 26:53 that he could have called “twelve legions of angels” to rescue Him during this crisis. In fact, he would have been applauded for striking back! But Jesus chose to love them (even die for them) rather than defend Himself.
Jesus chose love over revenge.
Jesus’ values of (1)giving to gain (2)dying to live (3)measuring time by eternity (4)estimating greatness by lowly service (5)inheriting the earth through meekness (6) first being last and last being first, do not simply cause derision – they produce hostility!
These types of values create enemies.
Tertullian notes that “The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies, and does not accept it.”
WRAP-UP
JESUS’ QUIET RESOLVE AT THE TRIAL IS A TESTIMONY TO ME OF HIS FAITH; HIS FAITH THAT, FOR A MOMENT HATRED, CORRUPTION, AND AMBITION SEEM TO RULE THE DAY BUT, IN THE END, LOVE WINS.
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Lev. 19:18)
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (Luke 6:27)
Everyone in today’s story had to decide between two men of contrast. One (Barabbas) sought solutions by force – one (Jesus) sought solutions by love and sacrifice.
We, also, must make that same decision each day we live.
8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:8-12; 19-21)
He who has ears to hear
Let Him hear
COMMUNION
This Sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Children’s Sermon
Rock, Scissors, Paper
Romans 5:10
Sermon Objective: Jesus’ love is a testimony of His faith; His faith that, for a moment hatred, corruption, and ambition seem to rule the day but, in the end, love wins.
Hi everyone! It is so good to see you today!
Most of you probably know how to play the game "Rock, Scissors, Paper." It is a game about who is the stronger.
The Rock (make a fist) is stronger that scissors because it can break scissors. The scissors (make scissors with two fingers) are stronger that paper because they can cut paper (hold your hand out flat). And the paper is stronger than the rock because paper can cover rock.
Two or three people can play the game.
To start the game, put your fist in the palm of your hand and as one of the players counts to three you bring your fist down three times into your hand. On the third count you make rock, paper or scissors. Since each thing is stronger than something else, the stronger one wins.
"Rock, Scissors, Paper" is only a game, but in real life some boys and girls may try to show that they are stronger than others too.
Some children may try to show they are stronger by acting tough.
Others may try to show that they are stronger by saying mean things to other children.
Some may pick on others that they think are weak.
Some may even try to show that they are stronger by hurting others.
In our Bible lesson today, Jesus shows us how strong he is. It is a surprising story for us because we might think Jesus would show His strength by doing some great big miracle; but Jesus shows how strong he is by loving people who are not easy to love.
HE ACTUALLY LOVES PEOPLE WHO HATE HIM!
Now that takes a lot of inner strength to do! That takes the presence of God inside us to do.
Hating other people is a terrible and evil thing to do. It never has good results. And, unfortunately, when we find out someone hates us we tend to respond by hating them back. But Jesus says those who follow Him do not have to return evil for evil. We can love people instead!
Did you know that Jesus models this for us in his life? Our sermon today will show one story where Jesus loves his enemies but there is an even more personal story. That is the story of … you and me. Yes, according to the Bible you and I were enemies of God until Jesus’ love made it possible for us to be friends with him. The Bible says : For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:10)
Jesus showed that he has power over evil. And the power that breaks evil’s grip is LOVE! He showed that he is stronger than our worst enemy.
When you and I follow Jesus’ example, we will use our strength in a loving way to help others rather than to hurt them.
Let’s pray together.
Dear Jesus, help us to show your love as you showed your Father’s love. Help us to follow your example and use our strength to help others. Amen.
This Children’s Sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
Special thanks to http://www.sermons4kids.com/ for the sermon idea!
The Bible says : For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:10)
