Filter

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to Matthew chapter nine. We’re going to read our anchor Scripture first, and then, we’ll move on to a few different places in our bibles. But for now, lets anchor ourselves in this moment in Matthew, to see how compassion unfolds with Jesus. So, Matthew chapter 9, and when you’re ready to read the word together, say amen. Verse 35… 35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” Last week, we talked about what it means to stop and see. We saw how Jesus didn’t just glance at the crowd—He really saw them. He noticed their pain, their exhaustion, their hopelessness. And we asked the question, “Do we see people the way Jesus sees them?” We talked about the need to slow down, to lift our eyes from our own schedules, and to see the image of God in the people right in front of us. But seeing is only the beginning. Because the truth is, even when we see people, we don’t always see them clearly. Think about it… our vision is shaped, and sometimes even warped, by the filters we’ve picked up along the way in life. IN today’s world, we see filters everywhere. Snapchat is a favorite among a lot of our younger generation, where you can take a perfectly normal photo of yourself and add a filter—suddenly you’ve got puppy ears, or a cartoon face, or a crown on your head. Here, let me show you a few I found of myself this week. It’s fun to laugh at those because they’re harmless. They change how we look in a picture, but they don’t change who we are. The filters I’m talking about today go deeper than photographs. They’re the ones we pick up through life—our upbringing, our culture, our wounds, our preferences. The danger is that they change how we see people. They can blur the image of God in someone, replacing compassion with judgment, grace with suspicion, and drawing near with pulling away.

What if Jesus looked at people through those kinds of filters? But yet, our anchor text said, When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. That word.. compassion do you remember what it means? It meant that when Jesus saw the people… every single one that was present… he was moved deep within his bowels for them. It’s the idea of being moved in the deepest part of your gut. And I think about that feeling. Like the butterflies on the first time I saw Alicia. I was moved deep within the core of my soul. Or the first time I saw each of our children. There was a deepness within my core, it was like… a mixture of of love, joy, and an almost aching awareness that life would never be the same again. And here’s the question that wrecks me…. what would it look like for us, as a church, to be moved like that toward everyone, even our enemies? Not just the ones we love or who love us back, but those who may never thank us, never agree with us, and might even reject us. Before we go further, I want to pause and teach into this for a moment. In the Beatitudes, which begins in chapter 5, it says, in verse one… Now when Jesus saw the crowds. And as he saw them, he began to teach them. And when you really stop and think about the word crowds, it’s not just a number—it’s a mix. Right… like a bag of skittles. Many different colors and flavors. It’s people from different backgrounds, different languages, different upbringings, different political views, different moral choices. People carrying wounds you can’t see and sins you can’t imagine. People with personalities that would probably rub you raw if you had to stand next to them too long.

And in the middle of this massive crowd, right at the end of His sermon, Jesus leans in and says something that flips their whole understanding upside down. He says in Matthew 5:43 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. What?… like, did you hear what Jesus said? you’ll have enemies. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with that. I like harmony. In my top five leadership strengths, harmony is number 3. I want everyone to be my friend. But the truth is, my personality will rub some people the wrong way. And I’ll be honest, there are people I struggle to be around, too. But Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it—He says you will have enemies in this world. People who are hostile toward you. People who misunderstand you, misrepresent you, maybe even try to tear you down. So when someone speaks ill of you, or twists your words, or opposes you—don’t be shocked. Be ready… ready to love them in return. But that raises a huge question……… HOW? How do you love someone who’s hostile towa4rds you? How does compassion fit into that category? Listen ot what Dietrich Bonhoeffer says about our eneiomes. , who suffered and was eventually killed in Nazi Germany, wrote in his book The Cost of Discipleship: He said, “This is the supreme command: through the medium of prayer, we go to our enemy, stand by his side, and plead for him to God.” That’s radical! Can you imagine standing next to someone thats not just in disagreement with you, but a person who wants to harm you or is hostile towards you and you come beside of them, and plead for them before God. Right! That is everything against my natural nature. But yet, in the midst of this, we read Jesus’s words, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Think about what is written to Timothy…in 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul tells young Timothy about leadership in the church. He says, … “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” That does not say some may be persecuted. It says all will be persecuted. Everybody. Do you want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus? Identify with him, proclaim him in the world? You will experience hostility in this world. And maybe, that is why we all struggle to be evangelist, or people of Christ with a heart for the lost. We’ve fallen in love with persecuting others rather than being persecuted. In fact, look at what Jesus says in Luke 6:26, “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” In other words, if everyone only says positive things about you in this fallen world, you’re probably not taking a true stand for Jesus and you’re not in good company. Thats worrisome for me. Because the truth is, I like comfort. I like being liked. But Jesus calls us to something deeper than comfort—He calls us to have this deep rooted compassion for everyone, I-even those who are hard to love. I think of Romans 12:1–2 all the time… , where Paul urges us to be living sacrifices. And then he says this: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Or, as The Message paraphrase puts it: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. That’s exactly the tension here. Why would we love our enemies? Why would we pray for them? And not just pray from a safe distance—but why are we called to come close, stand beside them, kneel with them in their pain, sit with them in their hardships, and plead for them before God? Here’s Jesus’ answer. and its amazingly beautiful. We love our enemies like this… because we have been loved by God like this. Has it ever occurred to you that every person in this room, either right now, at or at one time was or is an enemy of God? Let’s not forget it, we weren’t always singing songs about Jesus, sitting in church, and talking about His goodness. We were once His enemies. Not neutral. Not “a little lost.” No, we were running from him. Choosing our way over His way. Shaking our fists at the very God who gave us breath. And yet… He loved us, even in and through our rebellion. And still loves us.. even in our little tiny moments of rebellion. This is the gospel that we preach. That we live. that we celebrate every Sunday. The very foundation of our faith. We have been lovingly created by God for relationship with Him, and yet every single one of us turned away. We defied the Holy God of the universe and, in doing so, earned eternal judgment. But God……….oh, those are two of the sweetest words in the Bible…..but God loves His enemies. He loves them so much that He sent His only Son into the messiness off our lives ot show us compassion. Jesus died for every sin, every offense, every act of rebellion. And then, three days later, He walked out of the grave in victory. Which means that anyone—no matter who you are or what you’ve done—if you will trust in this “agape” love, God will wipe away every sin. Gone. Forgotten. You’ll be restored to Him forever. This is Romans 5:8,10: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… 10, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” And Peter picks up the same thought: “When you do good and you suffer for it, endure… this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you might follow in His steps.” What does that mean??—is tmeansx this… loving those who do not love us back is part of the deal of our faith.

So what does this love actually look like? Let’s work backward through what Jesus says. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a greeting. Verse 47 says, “If you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?” That’s so ordinary it almost feels out of place in a passage about enemies. But it’s not. Jesus means this for all of life. Who will you greet today? Like, I think of church sometime and we take a time to greet, and I wonder, are there people we try to avoid? Or even out in the world, are there people you just try hide from? Are you Only greeting the people who greet you first? Only the ones you like? Only your friends? Jesus says, greet the ones who are at odds with you. This is how we challenge our faith.. can we love those against us? Who annoy us, can we see them in a different way other than enemy, but created in gods image and needing grace just as we need grace? It may not fix the relationship, but it removes the option of snubbing them. Because love can be as small—and as big—as a simple hello. And listen, most reconciliations don’t begin with a long conversation or a deep apology. They begin with that one small step… a simple, genuine, “Hey.”

Other times it’s meeting a simple physical need. Verse 45 says God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Have you ever thought about that every person here needs food and water? Even those who are at odds with you need water and food to live. And we all want life. That’s a part pf our daily life, food, water. And after church naps. In this moment, love isn’t just an idea, its practical. Its a practical effort to meet the needs of those around you. Paul picks this up in Romans 12:20, quoting Proverbs: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In other words, don’t just feel something toward your enemy—do something for them. Sometimes love looks like groceries showing up at their door. Sometimes it’s paying for the meal of someone who’s hurt you. Sometimes it’s a blanket for someone sleeping outside—even if that someone cursed you last week. Sometimes, its writing a card and saying hi. Thinking of you. Loving your enemy isn’t just a warm feeling in your heart—it’s choosing to step into their need, even when they don’t deserve it, just like God does for you every single day.

Which leads me to the third need. Prayer. Verse 44 says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Prayer is one of the deepest forms of love because you can’t fake it in God’s presence. You have to actually want something good for them if you’re going to pray for them. It might be their salvation. It might be their repentance. It might even be that God stops them in their sin for their own good. But it’s for their good. That’s what Jesus prayed from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” And Stephen, as the stones were hitting him, prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” This isn’t just doing nice things for an enemy you still secretly hope will fail. This is actually wanting their best, even when they’re not around to see it. And this is us being obedient… did you know that Jesus commands for us to live like this? Remember he say, ”Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

And here’s where it comes back to those filters we talked about at the start. Every one of these things—greeting, meeting needs, praying for enemies—requires seeing people the way Jesus sees them. And that means letting Him take off the filters that blur the image of God that we see in others. Have you ever thought about that? You have filters in real life. We all do. The way you were raised. The culture you grew up in. The hurts you’ve carried. The preferences you’ve built. Those filters shape how you see people—sometimes in ways you don’t even notice. And here’s the thing—if those filters stay on, you’ll never see people the way Jesus does. Compassion for others will always be selective. As we close, and the worship team comes back to lead us in our benediction., I want to share with you some filters I think hinder compassion towards others.

1. The Performance Filter This filter says, “I’ll love you when you’ve earned it. I’ll be kind when you’ve proved yourself worthy of my time.” It’s the scoreboard in your heart, keeping track of who’s pulled their weight, who’s done enough, who’s apologized the right way. The problem? If God used that filter, none of us would be here. Romans 5:8 says, “God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Not after you cleaned yourself up. Not after you got your act together. While you were still in full rebellion against Him, Christ went to the cross for you. If He could take that filter off for you, how can you keep it on for someone else?

The next filter is a sneaky one. It’s the Appearance Filter. We don’t even notice it half the time. It’s the snap judgment you make based on what someone wears, how they talk, what neighborhood they live in, how put-together—or not—they seem. But God warns against this in 1 Samuel 16:7, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesus saw the leper—someone the culture labeled “unclean”—and He touched him. He saw Zacchaeus—a man despised as a traitor—and He invited Himself to his house. He saw the Samaritan woman at the well—a scandal in her community—and He offered her living water. If you only see the outside, you’ll miss the soul God died to save.

The third filter is a church killer. This is why so many churches struggle. Its because they have the The Tribal Filter This is the filter that only lets people in if they’re “like us.” They have to think like you, vote like you, worship like you, raise their kids like you. If they don’t, they’re “the other.” But Galatians 3:28 says, “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The gospel isn’t tribal—it’s global. Jesus didn’t die to make you more comfortable with your own group; He died to make enemies into family. And let’s be honest—sometimes our “tribe” feels safer because it shields us from being challenged. But the cross tears down those walls. If your love stops at the edge of your group, it’s not the love of Jesus yet.

Ands lastly, 4. The Self-Protection Filter This filter grows out of pain. You’ve been betrayed, lied to, used, hurt. So now you keep your guard up. You keep people at a safe distance. You call it wisdom, but often it’s just fear. And fear kills compassion. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love drives out fear.” Real love takes the risk of being hurt again. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him—and still washed His feet. He knew Peter would deny Him—and still called him “the rock.” He knew you would fail Him—and still went to the cross. The safest place for your heart isn’t behind a wall; it’s in the hands of the One who risked everything to love you.

This… this is how we live out our new vision, church. To bring the gospel to every heart, every neighborhood, and every generation, one relationship at a time.” When those filters come off, you can greet without snubbing. You can meet a need without resentment. You can pray for someone’s good without bitterness. And in that moment, the world doesn’t just see you—they see Christ in you. This is how we love our enemies. This is how we live compassion without filters. And it’s not because they deserve it—it’s because Jesus loved us like this when we were His enemies. So let’s stand together as one body, and let’s declare this out loud—not just as words we say, but as a way we choose to live:

“Jesus, help us love like You. Help us see through Your eyes. Break our filters. Fill us with Your Spirit. And use us to show Your love— to every heart, every neighborhood, and every generation— one relationship at a time. Amen.”

Lets pray. And sing our benediction. *