Love Your Enemies?
” Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. …love your enemies and do good to them,” Luke 6:33-35
Can you imagine the reaction when Jesus said this to the crowd? I can almost hear some whispering, “what is this guy talking about, love my enemies!” But I can also see some sitting there rivetted and hanging on every word. This man, calling them to love their enemies? What does that mean? Can I do it?
This is not something new for you and I to hear, it is something that we have been told for our whole lives. Jesus called us at baptism to follow him and this was one of the ways that we could truly be his face on earth.
But that is us….now transport yourself back to when he walked the earth. To love your enemy was probably asking for trouble. A sign of weakness. If you didn’t fight back to protect yourself you could lose everything. Look at the old testament and the amount of coverage battle gets? God is either sending them in or protecting them during or getting them out of battle. Yet, here is a man who says he is God’s son and he doesn’t talk of battle but peace. True peace. Peace that only comes through love.
No wonder he was starting to make the ones in power itch. Afterall, isn’t the best way to rally the troops to say we are fighting in God’s name? If God’s name is about forgiveness how can anyone muster what they need for battle?
Almost as though there is futility in battle and fruit in love.
When I feel at odds with someone, I generally feel a battle inside of me. I am uncomfortable and trying to work out the issue. When I get to the point of forgiveness, I am suddenly at peace. So, even on a practical level I get why Jesus calls us to this higher standard. Really, how hard is it to love someone that loves us? It is far more difficult to extend kindness to someone that you think doesn’t deserve it. Perhaps they don’t deserve it. But maybe they need it. I believe that is what Jesus means by love. What are our needs…kindness…compassion…forgiveness? How can we rise to this higher standard that Jesus teaches? What do we need to let go of to be able to have the freedom to grasp onto these things? Could it be pride? Ignorance? Anger? Bitterness? Hurt? Shame?
Today, I pray for the courage and faith to love our enemies, real or imagined, in the way that God calls us to through Jesus. I ask this so we can bring about a more peaceful world, so that no person of peace would have to live in violence. I ask this knowing that God is calling us, you and me, to make a difference in this world as we walk with his Son through this Lent.
