Genesis 45: 3–11, 15 / Psalm 37: 1–11, 39–40 / I Corinthians 15: 35-38, 42–50 / Luke 6: 27–38
This
is the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania on Sunday February 23, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker.
“TOPPING THE HIGH BAR”
(Homily text: Luke 6: 27 – 38)
Back in my high school days, I was part
of my school’s track team. I always marveled at those who did the high jump and
the pole vault. For one thing, those two events were ones that I had absolutely
no skill to try. For another, it was quite a sight to watch people jump and
contour their bodies so as to just manage to get over the bar. And – in the
case of the pole vault – to watch the participants make use of their upper body
strength to use the pole to get high enough to clear the bar.
In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord
sets a high bar for us to attain to.
He says to His first hearers, as He
delivered His “Sermon on the Plain”, that their conduct must surpass that of
those in the secular world. Notice how He says, “If you love those who love
you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”
Other such comparisons follow.
It’s worthwhile looking at the
structure of this part of the Lord’s sermon.
Notice that we encounter a command,
such as the command to love one’s enemies (verse 27). But then, the love
command is expanded upon, comparing the behavior of those who’ve come to know
the Lord to those who don’t (sinners) (verse 32). In succession, the command to
offer the other check when being struck is repeated in verse 33. Likewise, the
command to begging (verse 30) is repeated in verse 34.
In the middle is the “Golden
Rule”: “…as you wish that others would
do to you, do so to them.” (verse 31).
(The structure of this week’s reading
is similar to last week’s, when we heard Luke’s version of the Beatitudes.)
Why does the Lord set such a high bar
of expectation for those who’ve come into relationship with him?
Perhaps one reason might be that,
without specific goals, we won’t have something to aim for. (It seems to me
that even the struggle – with the Lord’s help – is worth engaging in, even if
we fail to fully attain to the high standard.)
Another reason might be that the Lord
expects His followers to show by their outward and observable behavior and
actions that a profound change has happened in their hearts of these disciples,
It’s worth saying that conformation to the image of Christ is often a process
that takes over time.
Having mentioned the inner renewal that
is expected of all who love the Lord, and which is reflected in the outward
actions of the believer, we come to the matter of sacramental living. Recall
that the definition of a sacrament is that it is an “outward and visible sign
of an inward and invisible grace”.
Sacramental living means that our
outsides must reflect our insides.
We know this truth from the everyday
world…when someone comes to interview for a position or to apply for school, a
job, or whatever, we want to know how well that person has done in other venues
and with other responsibilities. In other words, we want to know how proficient
a person is, judged on the basis of how well they handled responsibilities up
to that point. Their observable achievements and work habits reflect the level
of training and maturity they’ve attained.
St. Paul makes similar requirements on
those early Christian believers in the pagan, Greco-Roman world. Summarizing
what he says, the general idea, stated in many of his letters, is that – now
that these new Christians have come to the Lord – they can no longer do the
things that they used to do. Life has changed, and consequently, their outward
behavior must mirror that new reality. Doing so gives glory to God, and bears
witness to the fulness of life that Christ alone can provide,
The image of the pole vaulter comes
back in view…a pole vaulter won’t make it over the bar without the aid of the
pole, which allows the jumper to achieve a height that wouldn’t be possible
otherwise.
In like manner, we will need the help
of the Holy Spirit to assist us in our quest to top the high bar of expectation
that the Lord sets before us this day.
One final thought might be worth
mentioning: In the Creeds, we say that we believe in “one, holy catholic and
apostolic Church”. The idea of holiness in the Church doesn’t mean that the
people in the Church are completely and totally holy. On the contrary, it means
that the Church maintains a focus on the holiness that our Lord Jesus Christ
requires. Without such a continued focus on those high standards, we’re
unlikely to know what the goal is, how high the bar is, and how worthwhile the
struggle is.
AMEN.
