This was a tough week in our country. In western Pennsylvania and multiple other communities across the country, hatred was on full display as bullets flew and lives were lost. The carnage and discourse over the last week has been unsettling as we all grapple with why our country continues to settle our divisions by shooting up political rallies, retail stores, nightclubs, or even parks full of kids.
We can easily run to simple answers in times like these and demonize a faulty mental health care system, excessive citizen gun ownership, a broken immigration system, impoverished neighborhoods, or longstanding racial unrest. Undoubtedly, these are significant contributors to many senseless acts of violence, but the word of Jesus about hate would have us look a bit deeper into the heart to understand why humans commit such senseless and vile acts.
While most of us would never think of shooting into a crowded space or even taking the life of another person, Jesus illustrated the truth about the way that our hearts respond too often. We, too, have a propensity to hate. In Matthew 5-6, Jesus challenged His followers to respond completely differently than what was typically seen in their surrounding community and culture.
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