Readings for Epiphany 7C: Gen.45: 3-28; Lk. 6:27-38
February 18, 2001
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Church, Cupertino CA,
The principle of retaliation lies at the very foundation of an ancient law: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This law guarantees the victim the right to recompense yet sets limits on revenge. This law points to justice and seems like a reasonable response to acts of aggression. The problem with executing this kind of justice is, that if we respond with "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," society will end up being blind and toothless. Today's readings from Holy Scripture call us to a higher level of consciousness; a level of consciousness where there is no place for vengeance and retaliation but only for love, mercy, and forgiveness. Let's take a closer look.
In the first reading from the Book of Genesis, we hear the familiar story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph had been his father's favorite son. As a result, his jealous brothers threw him in a pit and left him there to die in the desert. At the last minute, one of his brothers decided it would be more beneficial to sell his brother into slavery and pocket the money. Joseph suffered many hardships in Egypt as a slave. But one day, because of his many talents, he found favor with Pharaoh of Egypt and moved from being a slave, to being Pharaoh's right hand man. In those days, a famine had overcome the Middle East and it was Joseph's job to portion out grain to those who came seeking relief. At this point in today's story, Joseph's brothers are standing before him, asking for food in order to survive.
Joseph is confronted with an ethical dilemma. Should he seek retaliation for all the pain that he had suffered at his brothers' hands? Should he allow past hurts and pains to determine his response and have his brothers killed? Perhaps he should fall back on the code of Hammurabi, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," and force his brothers into slavery in the same way that they had done to him! Joseph makes a conscious decision to break the cycle of violence. He chooses to rise above his natural human inclination to seek revenge. Instead, he forgives his brothers and responds to their needs with mercy and generosity. Joseph surpasses the ethical standards of his day. Because of his intimate relationship with God, he was able to rise to a higher level of consciousness.
I was blessed to have a friend like Joseph. His name was Ed. Ed was ostracized and poorly treated by his very wounded, alcoholic family. But time after time, Ed was able to rise above his family's treatment of him. He would help them out when they were in need. I remember Ed fixing up his mother' house and paying for her utility bills. When his younger brother was going through school, Ed was there to support him. When his sister and family faced financial hardship, he allowed them to live in his house. Ed died of AIDs several years ago and I am not sure whether anyone in his family came to his funeral. I don't know whether his acts of generosity and compassion ever opened the hearts of his siblings and mother. But I do know this. Ed's willingness to extend love beyond the circle of those who loved him, changed me. I am a better person for having been able to witness someone who could turn the other cheek and bless those who hated him. Let me give you an example of how Ed's merciful posture still touches my life.
The day after I moved into the rectory, I walked my dog around the common grounds of the association so that she could sniff out the area. I came across one of my neighbors, who when he noticed that my dog was not on a leash, proceeded to yell at me. I quickly put her on a leash, apologized, and tried to engage in some neighborly conversation. All I got in return was a reprimand for my transgression and a rehearsal of the association's by-laws regarding animals. A few weeks later, I invited the vestry over to the rectory for a meeting. Since everyone took their own car, most of the parking places were used up. Two days later, I received a letter from the association rehearsing the parking regulations. With this, I became angry. My first impulse was to go over to my neighbor, accuse him of passive-aggressive behavior, challenge him for not confronting me directly, and remind him that he too was not following the association's parking regulations. Then I remembered Ed and his gentle heart and how he was able to extend love, not only to those who did good to him, but also to those who did not.
At the root of all anger is fear or hurt. When we are feeling these feelings, it is almost impossible to forgive or be merciful. That is why the spiritual journey is about moving from a place of fear to a place of love. I decided to spend some time figuring out what I was afraid of. It turned out that I was afraid that I had bought a house in a Gestapo-like association. I had just spent my life savings on this house, was paying over $30,000/year to live there, and had some nosey, retired, neighbor impinging upon my private life. What a feeling of disappointment I was experiencing! Then I though about the fear that my neighbor might have been experiencing. Perhaps he was afraid of dogs and so when he saw my dog off leash, went into an anxiety attack. Perhaps he had chosen to live at Parish Place because it was a quiet neighborhood. When he saw all the people at my house, perhaps he thought that it would become like a second church, with multiples of people coming in and out.
I will never know what fears he was experiencing but I do know this. When a person is in fear, it is hard to act out of a higher level of consciousness and extend love to those who cause you stress. It is hard to forgive, be generous, or to have mercy on those who seem to be undeserving. But as disciples of Christ, we are called to move beyond the conventional wisdom that promotes doing harm to one's enemies. We are called to a higher level of consciousness where our love is extended beyond the circle of comfort.
Through prayer, I overcame my anger and disappointment. Today, my neighbor and I have a cordial relationship. I thank God that I did not respond with my initial feelings of anger. But more importantly, I thank God that I no longer feel the fear and disappointment.
When will the cycle of violence be broken? When will the lamb feed together with the wolf? When will we experience peace on earth? When will we become the new humanity that God wills for us to be? Jesus points the way. In today's gospel he basically says: "I call you to live your lives out of an alternative vision of reality. I call you to live your lives in a way that reverses the values of this culture. I call you to love your enemy; turn the other cheek; give your possessions to those in need and not judge the lives of others. I call upon you to do the deep spiritual and psychological work you need to do in order to overcome your fears. Be merciful even as I am merciful. For I have come to empower you with mercy in order that you may live a new kind of life in this world." This is the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
| Updated 2/18/01 |
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