1“Won’t you Be, Won’t you be? Please won’t you be my neighbor?”
I’ve recently begun showing my daughter, Junia, old episodes of Mr. Rogers on Amazon Prime. We watch an episode together on Fridays and each time we sit on the couch and enjoy the adventures Fred Rogers takes us on. It’s now at the point when she will sit in our usual spot on the couch, point at the TV and go “THIS!”
I’m an avid fan of Mr. Rogers. He was so much more than a Children’s Television show host, but he was Ordained by the Presbyterian church to BE a Children’s Television show host. In a biography written by one of his close mentee’s she wrote that stories would come in of people leaving their addiction and choosing to live better because they would go on Mr. Rogers program by accident and hear a message of community and love.2
Without telling the Gospel, Mr. Rogers showed the Gospel on live TV by teaching children they have intrinsic value, they have feelings worth expressing healthily, and how to love their neighbors well. The Holy Spirit did the rest of the transforming work through the TV screen.
Mr. Rogers neighbor captured a wonderful world of make believe where people and puppets of all shapes and sizes lived life in community. Its safe to say that Mr. Rogers wanted to shape our imagination on community because Jesus often reflected on community with his disciples. Even as far as suggesting that our enemies were to be our neighbors in our community.
Exposition of Matthew 5:43-48, NRSV
Matthew 5:43-48 (NRSV) says,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,a what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This sermonette that Jesus teaches his students is based on a common Jewish interpretation of Leviticus 19:18 (“You shall love your neighbor”). Jesus addresses here, as he does in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the question of our neighbors identity by stating that everyone is our neighbor, even your enemies.
Agape
First we must understand Jesus' definition of “love.” The word for “love” here is the word “agape” in Greek (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, αγαπη). This word is also found in John 21:15-18 when Jesus asks Peter if he “loves'' him in order to reverse Peter's denials. Agape is also tied to the Hebrew word “hesed.” This word is best found in Psalm 136:2, “For his hesed endures forever.” We typically translate hesed as “loyal-love,” or “Steadfast love.” (BDB, הסד) It’s a love that seeks to find reconciliation and restoration of past sins and grievances no matter what. Dr. King writes in The Most Durable Power, that “Agape is a willingness to go at any length to restore community” (pg. 10). This is the love that God has for us. That the point of God’s agape restoration was not just to unite heaven and earth together, but to unite humanity together in community once more.
It’s difficult to tell which enemies Jesus may have been talking about in this passage. It could have been the Romans, rich Jewish leaders, another person of conflict. Regardless, what is clear is that he invites us to love our enemies because, as David Flusser writes “God reaches out in love to all people, regardless of their attitude and behavior toward him” (“The Sage from Galilee, pg. 57). Jesus' message is that no matter what our enemy has done, we are to be committed to love our neighbor and we must recognize that God is committed to our enemies as well.
Sonship
Jesus builds into this idea by identifying our enemies as “children'' of our Father in Heaven with us. The Greek term underneath “children'' is ouios which is typically translated as “sons.” I don’t think Jesus was gendering this term, but instead he was appealing to the cultural significance of “sonship.” The term “sons' ' is a term of inheritance. You could be a woman and be considered a “son” because sonship was about being the person of inheritance after the patriarch's death. In the Hebrew Bible, the term “son” is “an adoption formula, including the declaration of inheritance status” so God could bless his people (Eerdmans Dictionary, Adoption, Laurie J. Braaten). Jesus identified that even our enemies are “sons” in God’s eyes. They receive God’s generosity. If God provides for them, God cares for them, why shouldn’t you?
In Luke 15:11-30 Jesus tells the parable of two lost sons and a Father. In this, notice that even though the prodigal son asks for the inheritance early, the Father is still generous to him when he leaves the estate. In this parable, Jesus wants the Pharisees and Scribes to see that God is generous to all of us, both the sinners and the righteous.
We can glean the heart of Luke 15 in this passage: our enemies also inherit God’s generosity like us. The sun and rain are the great equalizers in this passage, because they come to both the righteous and the wicked from God. So in this knowledge of God’s generosity, we can partner with Him and bless our enemies generously as well. Whether it’s physical or spiritual generosity, we mimic the Fathers blessings and begin to replace our hatred for them with love and compassion because our enemies are also Gods children.
Otherness
Jesus concludes this passage by inviting the disciples to “otherness.” “Sure the tax collectors do this, sure the gentiles do this. Why should you be the same?” As we can see among the disciples Jesus chose, we can see that he modeled “otherness.” The Tax Collectors and the Zealots were natural enemies in the 1st century of Judaea and Galilee. The Tax Collectors were essentially Roman sympathizers and the Zealots were the rebels who violently protested the Roman occupation of Judaea and Galilee. Yet Jesus invited them together to learn under him. When we reject the common desire to love those who are similar to us, we create an opportunity for holiness as we love the person who is “other” from us.
Who is our Neighbor?
So who is our neighbor? It seems that Jesus’ answer to this question is to first ask us “who is your enemy?” Who are you in conflict with? Are you responding to your conflict like an American or a member of the Kingdom?
European American culture is filled establishing an enemy. Its been our narrative since the Revolutionary War and its one that like to go rent free in our brains without controversy. If its not the British, its the North or the South. If its not the North or the South its the First Nation people. If its not the First Nations people its the Irish and Italians. If not them the Japanese and Germans, its Republicans or Democrats, the communists, the Muslims. And all the while, African Americans are consistently depicted as the bad guys all along the way.
American Culture is fraught with enemies, even down to how children are raised in Fundamentalist’s contexts. “The world is evil.” “Don’t trust that person they a ______,” “Those scientists believe in evolution,” “Those Christians are not real Christians.”
Could it even be even our denominational and church divisions are the way they are because we have sought after the ministry of division rather than the ministry of Agape? A Ministry of power and abuse rather than surrender and affection?
We always quote that this enemy seeks to “Steal, kill, and Destroy” but then become willing ambassadors of that ministry, yet the image of heaven Jesus offers is one of reconciliation between God and our enemies. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the “Enemy” (Samaritan) comes to the assumed “Neighbor” (Jewish man) and expresses the care of God to him. The Lost Son who stands as an Enemy to a whole community, let alone his own Father, is welcomed home in a loving embrace. The Kingdom of Heaven is the farmland where our enemies are cultivated into neighbors with the people of God. Where God’s Church stands “other” and “separate” from the patterns of the world that allign with the Enemy of our Souls. Instead we participate in a ministry of reconciliation with our enemies. As once we were enemies of God we are now friends under the redemption of the Cross. So too our enemies become friends under such beautiful grace.3
This life of deep active love for our enemies is the way the Kingdom of Heaven is activated on Earth. It does not dismiss wrongs, it seeks reparations and relational atonement.4 Because if we are a society truly living in agape we will do whatever it takes to put our love in action for that person.
We cannot force friendship, or even our enemies to be our neighbors. But if the church is a place deeply transformed by the love of Christ, then our deepest desire will be to love our neighbor and cultivate neighbors out of our enemies. Even if all we do is lay a foundation for agape to flourish.
Just as God cultivates friendship into us, so we should desire to cultivate friendship with our enemies as well.
What would it take to cultivate agape with our enemies?
What would it take to see them as “Sons?”
What would it take for us to live in “otherness” and reject patterns of hatred in this world?
Oh Won’t you be, won’t you be, won’t you be their neighbor?
Photo used from https://maryyerkes.com/vision-behind-the-site-visio-divina/ . I chose it because it reminds me of how community is filled with different people and perspectives that often “collide”. But in their collision, they come together to make something beautiful.
“ For others the translation was more dramatic. Such was the case with Lauren Tewes, best known as Julie McCoy, the effervescent cruise director on the Pacific Princess, or as it was aptly called, The Love Boat. Lauren played the memorable role from 1977 to 1984, although The Love Boat aired for two more years after her departure. She left the show for personal reasons, one of which was her escalating addiction to cocaine. I had heard from one of Fred’s staff many years ago that Lauren had credited Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with giving her the strength to kick her cocaine habit, and I wanted to know for myself how a children’s program rife with make-believe, factory visits, and music about childhood fears could somehow inspire an adult addict to find help. Lauren graciously shared her story. “I was at one point in my life seriously involved with cocaine,” she said. “I also made many, many bad choices facilitated by that attraction. I was [feeling], on one particular early morning at home, sad, frightened, and lonely. The television was on, and Fred Rogers’ show was on the air. His signature opening touched me that morning, and I realized that in the world, there was someone who really would be my friend.” Lauren was a person in need, and it was for her that he prayed each day before entering the studio, “Dear God, let some word that is heard be Yours.” While others may have judged Lauren—and she may have even judged herself—Fred refrained from judgment. He had left that behind in a New England church many years earlier. “I didn’t know at that time that that was God speaking to me through the instrument of Mister Rogers,” Lauren continued, “but I had a glimpse of hope and moved closer from that day to a cocaine-free life which I have enjoyed for decades now.” ren was a person in need, and it was for her that he prayed each day before entering the studio, “Dear God, let some word that is heard be Yours.” While others may have judged Lauren—and she may have even judged herself—Fred refrained from judgment. He had left that behind in a New England church many years earlier. “I didn’t know at that time that that was God speaking to me through the instrument of Mister Rogers,” Lauren continued, “but I had a glimpse of hope and moved closer from that day to a cocaine-free life which I have enjoyed for decades now.”
Hollingsworth, Amy. The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (pp. 36-38). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. (2 Corinthians 5:16-10, MSG)
As Dr. King writes in Where do we go from Here? “justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love (pg. 247).”