A Family Resemblance

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

~ Matthew 5:44, 45

Paul and Silas were in prison. Now, prison back in the day was nothing like prison present. Food, clothing, and anything else you might need were provided by those who came to visit you --if anyone was able to visit you. Conditions were harsh and unsanitary. Rodents ran through cells and gnawed on whatever remained still long enough. Some prisoners were forced to stand for hours or sit, unmoving, for hours. Wounds went untreated. Light and fresh air were luxuries. But! Paul and Silas were praising God. That's when the earth shook, doors flew open, and chains fell broken to the ground. No one moved. That's right! No one tried to leave. The jailer called for a light and dropped to the floor before Paul and Silas. Interesting that through their songs, he knew immediately it was their God who had done this thing. Interesting too, his next question to those standing dirty and beaten before him, those who had not fled despite open doors and broken fetters, was, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? These men, once bound and in darkness, were face-to-face with salvation, deliverance, freedom, and yet, they remained. What could they know about being saved? Their songs, their praises to a God who appeared to be so far off, so far removed from their circumstances --their songs proclaimed to this jailer and all who were present (Remember, no one left) that salvation was so much greater than circumstances.

And what was the answer that came to the jailer's ear? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Believe on Jesus. Of course, this is the best message we can share with anyone, but I bring your attention to it today because the message, the way to salvation is not love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Jesus' words in His Sermon on the Mount were not the way to salvation, but the way of salvation. When Jesus told those people on the hillside (and us by the blessing of Scripture) to love, bless, do good, and pray, He wasn't telling them how to behave that you may be sons of your Father God in heaven. He wasn't assuring anyone this was how to be saved. What He was talking about was family resemblance. 

When folks used to see my mother and I together, they would smile and comment on the resemblance. Often times I'd reply with, "You should see my dad." I am, if it's possible, a perfect 50-50 blend of both of my parents. Next to my mother, I was her twin. Next to my father, his female doppelganger. No one would say I didn't belong to either of them. Why? Because I looked so much like them! That's the bedrock of Jesus' words; being exceptional people, people that can love beyond anything human, because we are children of the Father! There is an undeniable family resemblance! 

When the question is posed, "What must I do to be saved?" the answer is to believe on Jesus Christ; not do good deeds, feed the hungry, endure persecution or insults. It's believe! On Jesus alone! In so doing, in joining our lives with His, in imitating Him because of our devotion to Him, in obeying Him --that's how we can love our enemies, how we can bless those who wish evil on us, how we can do good to those who hate us, how we can pray for those who use us and wish to abuse us. That's the way of the Kingdom, God's Kingdom, not the way to the Kingdom. That's the family resemblance!