Literal Hyperbole

Luke 6:35-36 - "Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”
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On April Fools Day last year my car was broken into. I remember the date well because I was sure someone was playing a trick on me. They had ripped apart my dash, taken my CD player and all my CD’s (burned copies of my CD’s) including an audio New Testament I had been recently given. Turns out it wasn’t a prank. I was furious. My experience is that even more than I missed the things stolen from me, I felt violated. I didn’t want to be in my car the next day, it left me feeling taken advantage of. My ripped up stereo panel was left with nothing but wires with molten electrical tape covering their tips. Perhaps if you have had your car broken into you can relate.

That got me thinking how Jesus would have reacted in a similar situation. The trouble with understanding Jesus and his teachings is that he so often uses hyperbole so well that you can’t decipher whether or not he intends for his followers to actually do it. For instance when he calls people to cut off there hands if it causes them to sin. This is clearly hyperbole, but at the same time I have had rational seeming thoughts that I could use justify doing something like this. Even more difficult to understand is this passage here from earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. Does Jesus truly intend for us to love our enemies this much? Should we truly allow ourselves to be further physically assaulted by turning the other cheek? Should we give more than extortionists ask for when they approach us? Should we truly lend to those who have no intention of repaying us, or is the Lord just trying to make the point that we should try to get along with those we don’t like?

I don’t know. That is the only answer I can give to this statement. But it appears to me that from the plain reading of the scriptures that Jesus did exactly that. He gave his life to his enemies. Although I can’t say for sure what Jesus’ intent was in giving this instruction, I know that following them to the letter will do nothing to hurt the kingdom and everything for those who are currently opposed to God. So here I write that that I want to live my life taking the risk of giving to much. I will, or at least it is my aim to allow myself to be walked over completely for the furtherance of the gospel. I am willing right now to let myself be robbed, slapped, and taken advantage of if it will bring glory to the Lord. If you think I have taken this to far, just assume I speaking in hyperbole.
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Lord I ask you to help me to be more like you. That sounds so cliché but I mean it completely. I on my own will fail at loving my enemies the way you said to, and the way you did. Remind me constantly that I am called to love like this, I give you complete permission. Help me to respond in the same way you would. I need you desperately. Make me more like you.