Jesus said, “You have heard it was said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
I like to share my stories as I ponder the words of Jesus, but, as I look at my world today, I am searching to find who I might label an enemy. I live in a bubble of a caring family, good friends, a good church community, a great, safe neighborhood…. And I am a great avoider of conflict!
What makes someone an enemy?
So, I am wondering, why would someone become an enemy for you? Is it someone who wants to do you harm, someone who belittles you, or maybe someone who disagrees with your viewpoint on something? And I wonder if an “enemy” can appear any time we feel attacked and have a need to defend ourselves, even when that person is a “neighbor”? Do we build a picture of someone based on a view they hold that somehow threatens us? Do we fear that somehow they will impose their viewpoint on us in a way that rouses insecurity in us?
But I think of Jesus: He lived in a country long occupied by the Roman government, yet He never addressed them as the enemy. The great “enemies” of the Jewish culture of which He was a part were the Samaritans: yet He used one as the hero of His story illustrating what a “neighbor” was like, and He had a beautiful conversation with a Samaritan woman. And, as Dom pointed out in the previous blog, among His chosen twelve close disciples were Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector—and He entrusted them with taking His message of love and peace to the world!
What makes someone a neighbor?
Let’s explore this further: Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” In response, He told a story of a man who had been robbed and left dying, and of the people who saw this man but chose not to help him. These were the “good” Jewish leaders of that day. Then He continues that the man who stops to help is a Samaritan. Oh, Jesus, I think you just lost your audience! But He challenged the lawyer who had asked the question with a question, “Who was neighbor to the man in need?” And he was forced to respond, “The one who had mercy on him.” The suggestion Jesus leaves us with is that a neighbor is one who helps another…which really includes everyone!
How then are we to treat our neighbor? With love. And how does this apply to our “enemies”? Interestingly, the Old Testament doesn’t directly link the two ideas of loving friends and hating enemies. In fact, the Israelites were encouraged to do good to the stranger/immigrant in their land! And what of God Himself?
“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
I love that it is “His” sun! Such generosity and lack of bias!
And Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, takes up this theme:
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Do not repay anyone evil for evil. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:14, 17, 20, 21)
First a comment on those burning coals. I used to think that meant “hell fire”. Now I wonder if it is the purifying fire of God, i.e. the Holy Spirit, who comes into the gifts we are giving with His convicting presence. It ties back to Jesus’ words about letting our light shine so that others see our good deeds and give our Father praise. (Matthew 5:16)
What then is love?
Let’s continue to unpack the thought of love. What does this mean? This is something I have wrestled with for years and continue to do so. What does it really mean to love someone? What does it mean to fulfill the will of God toward others? After all, God said that love was the greatest commandment—love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.
I am beginning to see that the starting point is how I view others—as having worth, as being precious to God, as made in God’s image, as important to God as I am. That loving someone means focusing on their wellbeing, not my own; this leads to peace. That can be during a disagreement with my husband; how I allow his viewpoint to be as valuable as mine! It brings me to the thought of possibility, as we focus on being to one another as the Father is to us, endless possibilities open up for the future.
Back to loving enemies. Two of my “heroes” whose words I value and learn from are/were public figures who thus got their share of mail from those who disagreed with them, sometimes vehemently. Both responded with humility: “What can I learn from what this person is saying?” And then they would respond graciously to that person.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
Let’s pause a moment to ponder what it means to inherit the earth? At some level, that doesn’t sound too enticing—this earth as we know it today with all the wars and trouble so many are facing. Wouldn’t you rather inherit Heaven? But I wonder if these people through their loving responses are actually doing what Jesus spoke about in His prayer—God’s will being “done on earth as it is in heaven”—and if there is something accomplished that we don’t see with our natural eyes, but that makes a difference in the spirit realm.
How then can we love both our neighbors and our enemies?
So, where does this bring us? I wonder if the answer lies in our willingness to mirror God’s character and to understand that my learning to respond to people, friend or enemy, is shaping me into the person I am meant to be—that I am becoming everything God created me to be. I am made in God’s image; I am invited to imitate His generosity. This asks us to be very intentional: to focus on the other, to cultivate compassion and empathy, to ask ourselves, “How can I help this person? What does he need?”
Which awakens in me the thought of “love your neighbor as yourself.” I have read that we need to learn to have understanding and compassion for ourselves to be able to have compassion for another. I wonder if you are like me in this. I tend to become an “enemy” to myself when I find myself overreacting to something. At those times, I am learning to welcome the emotion and to ask myself, “What do I need?” And as I am learning to do this for myself, I want to do this for others.
What lies behind the evil we see in our world today?
I wonder if we also need to understand what is behind all that is evil in our world. Paul, writing to the Christians at Ephesus tells us:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Can we accept that this person we are having difficulty loving is still precious in God’s eyes, loved and made in His image—yet maybe acting out of the forces that are blinding him/her to that reality? Can we see the pain and respond with the generosity of our amazing Father. The sun shines, the rain falls—both of which are necessary to sustain life. God doesn’t ask, “Who is worthy to receive My gifts?” I wonder, as the sun warms, as the rain refreshes, if the touch of God is not felt by all, and they become part of what invites us into relationship with our heavenly Father.
The invitation today is to become a mirror in your world of the love and kindness of God; to be transformed yourself so you can become a catalyst in the transformation of another. Step boldly into this realm of love! See what the Father will do in and through you!
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