For the people in power during the days of Jesus, life was pretty good. They didn’t like being the subjects of the Roman empire, but they had been granted some special privileges that made it palatable and tolerable, if not desirable.

Most of all, the “haves” of the day enjoyed a pretty comfortable and prestigious lifestyle. While the zealots, remnant, and other “have-nots” may have been looking for a Deliverer, the in-crowd had other things on their collective minds. “If we let Him go on like this,” whined the chief priests and Pharisees, “all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

No room for accommodation in their minds. Maintain the status quo. Crush or crucify anything or Anybody that poses a threat.

Jesus knew what they were like, of course, but that didn’t deter Him from confronting them. He wasn’t about to pander to the elite, powerful, or “righteous.” So He said things that threatened them and angered them. He did it deliberately and frequently because the truth and holiness were more important to Him than His own safety or comfort.

Here’s an apple cart that Jesus discovered and upset:

“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 sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Mt 5.43-48

To be “perfect” does not mean to be sinless or without any imperfection (although this is certainly true of God). One lexicon defines perfection as “consummate human integrity and virtue; full grown, adult, of full age, mature.” This is the standard of behavior Jesus establishes.

The Jews in general, and the powers-that-were in particular, hated the Romans and hated the Samaritans. They liked hating them: it helped them feel self-righteous and superior. Besides, we all need identifiable enemies to help define who were are and who we are not. Even Jesus allowed that: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” – Lk 6.26. Jesus wasn’t denying the responsibility to be discerning; Jesus was talking about how we treat our enemies.

He told a story to clarify both who our neighbor is: our neighbor is our enemy. At the same time, He described how we ought to treat our neighbor/enemy.

This was not popular with the self-righteous, comfortable Jews. It threatened their theology and their lifestyle; it intruded upon their religious categories and comfort zones. It was irritating and disruptive. They resisted it and, in the end, killed the Source of the menace.

Next: Jesus the Holy Irritation, Part Two


2 Cor 1.13