Jesus went up into the hills near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. He spent the night talking with God, as he often did. And after that conversation, he called together the core of the people who had been following him. Maybe 100 people scattered out in little groups, maybe with campfires, sleeping under the stars.

They woke up to the voice of Jesus, calling out across the hillside.

Maybe he whistled. Maybe he shouted with a voice that could be heard by thousands. However he called, they came.

When they were together, Jesus called 12 names. I’m guessing no one felt left out. He may have done some explaining about how he was going to take them through some training and send them out. “Apostles” he called them. Sent ones.

Friendly, encouraging, exhilarating. I’m guessing that’s how it felt. Because he was someone that people wanted to follow, wanted to be with.

Then he took them down the hillside, to a level place, to a meadow, to the plains between the hills and the water.

After doing some healing, Jesus started to teach. And it became quickly clear that the most important thing to Jesus wasn’t healing bodies. Because the teaching he started to do wasn’t about healing, wasn’t about techniques of prayer and invocation of power.

Jesus says, “Love your enemies,” not once but twice. He’s making it clear that he wants his followers to love their (our) enemies.

He says “do good” twice, once following it with “those who hate you” and once with the implication of those who can’t or won’t do good back to you.

As we read through this, we end up with a string of invitations: love, do good, lend, give, bless, offer mercy, withhold judgment.

These are the house rules: “Don’t take into account how someone can benefit you when you decide how to treat them.”