There is no question that love is at the very heart of Christianity, love for God and God’s love for us. Throughout his ministry, Jesus instructed his disciples to love. Indeed, love is central to all religious traditions.
In the book Mark, when Jesus was asked, "Of all the commandments, which are the most important?" He answered, “The most important one is this: …Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself."
A similar scene occurred in Matthew's gospel, only this time, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, expanding the parameters of who one’s neighbour is to include cultural adversaries.
It is, however, in the Sermon on the Mount where what love demands exceeds all previous expectations.
You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing that others aren't? Do not even pagans do that?
Today, there is a significant misunderstanding of how Jesus used the term love, partly because it can mean so many different things. When Jesus tells his disciples to love their enemies, it can feel impossible, because what does love even mean in this case. We end up in this weird place where we say “I love my enemies,” but rarely ever engage with them in any meaningful or productive way!,
Loving our enemies while being disconnected from them becomes a dim reflection of what Jesus intended by the word 'love'; and certainly isn't the powerful emotion expressed in music we just heard. It ends up being more symbolic than transformative. How do we as Christians love our enemies, where love is not a whim or an abstract statement, but a verb.
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." When I first heard those words spoken by the Dalai Lama, I began thinking what Christianity would look like if we talked less about love and acted more out of kindness.
In contrast to love, kindness is simple and accessible; it is tangible. We all know what it looks like. Most people already practice it in their everyday lives, and we have all benefited from the kindness of others.
Suppose we taught our children about God's kindness before delving into the mysteries of divine love. What if instead of trying to figure out how to love our enemies, we focused on being kind?
Replace the word 'love' with 'kindness' in Jesus' commandments to his disciples, and we gain a more accurate understanding of what Jesus was actually asking of them.
You have heard it was said, 'show kindness to your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, show kindness to your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you do kindness to those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you show kindness only to your own people, what are you doing that others aren't? Do not even pagans do that?
The scripture we read tonight does not include the words love or kindness, but is clearly in keeping with Jesus’ instructions on how to live as a disciple in the world:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
If you read any book or watch any lecture on kindness, the consistent message repeated in all of them is that kindness begets kindness. It's contagious! The kinder we are to others, the kinder they become, and the kinder we become. This is why it is so often said that one small act kindness is the impetus for multiple small acts of kindness, which, when aggregated, drives real change in the world.
Theologian Frederick Buechner puts it this way.
Humanity is like an enormous spider web, so that if you touch it anywhere, you set the whole thing trembling… As we move around this world and as we act with kindness toward the people we meet, we too are setting the great spider web a-tremble. The life that I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place and time my touch will be felt. Our lives are linked together. No one is an island.
Part of the limitation of love is that it is, by its nature, local. While love can deepen an already established relationship, it has has to be experienced up close and personal. Being kind to a stranger sends out ripples that can travel further into places love doesn't reach.
You don't have to be religious to practice kindness in this way. As I began exploring this topic, it became apparent that most advocates promoting kindness as the highest virtue for social change are outside faith communities.
This is unfortunate. Religious practice fosters a spiritual discipline that empowers one to enter into uncomfortable situations, situations where kindness is needed the most! Returning to Jesus' commandment to show kindness to our enemies, this is the demand that God places upon us. And it might look something like this:
On a cold morning, you see someone on the street corner protesting against something you are passionate about. You choose to go out of your way and bring that person a cup of tea and a pair of mittens. You offer them a warm smile and wish them well. And you go about the rest of your day.
You may never know the impact of that kindness on them. But that little connection, the gratitude they offer back to you, can calm some of the anger in your heart. These small acts of kindness not only benefit our enemies, but they help us to develop the compassion and empathy so desperately needed to bridge some of those divides in society! And as bridges are built, enemies can become acquaintances, and those acquaintances can evolve into real relationships. That is when love begins to enter in.
And if Jesus did actually mean to love our enemies, whatever iteration of love that may be, to make that happen begins with kindness regardless!
So just be kind.
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