Gospel: Be Merciful As God is Merciful

Today marks the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary time, and the Gospel passage will be read from the report of St Luke (click here for today's Mass readings).

Today's Gospel reading is a continuation of the teaching that began in last Sunday's Gospel. We continue to hear Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. Recall that in St Luke's Gospel, this teaching is addressed to Jesus' disciples. This is in contrast to the parallel found in St Matthew's Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus' words are addressed both the disciples and the crowds.

These words from Jesus' teaching are familiar to us. They constitute the crux and the challenge of what it means to be a disciple: Love your enemies, turn the other cheek, give to those who ask, do unto others, lend without expecting repayment, judge not lest you be judged.

There are several similarities between St Luke's and St Matthew's report of Jesus' great teaching. Both begin with the Beatitudes. St Matthew includes nearly all the content that St Luke's does; the Sermon on the Mount in St Matthew's Gospel is longer than St Luke's Sermon on the Plain.  There are, however, differences in language and nuance. For example, St Matthew presents this portion of the teaching as a contrast between Jesus' teaching and the teachings of the law and the prophets. This is in keeping with St Matthew's concern to address his predominantly Jewish audience. It is likely that St Luke omkts this contrast because it was unnecessary for the Gentile believers for whom St Luke is writing.

Another point of contrast between St Matthew and St Lukes presentation is the  terminology. In St Luke's Gospel, Jesus contrasts the behavior of his followers with the behavior of "sinners." In St Matthew's version, Jesus contrasts the behavior desired with the behavior of tax collectors and Gentiles. St Matthew concludes the teaching about love of enemies with the admonition to be perfect as God is perfect; St Luke's concludes by emphasizing God's mercy.

In both Gospels, Jesus words challenge those who would follow him to be more like God. God loves us beyond expectations, beyond anything we can possibly imagine. In response to God's love, we are to love as God loves, beyond expectations, and with a depth beyond imagining.

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