Love Our Enemies?Dr. James
L. Mayfield
March 21, 2004 Text: Matthew 5:43-48 Growing up, I spent my summers at my grandparents' ranch. One time when I was complaining about the difficulty and danger involved in trying to doctor a frightened, angry old cow, Granddad said: "Son, this is what separates drugstore cowboys from the real thing." The passage we read describes what separates the "drugstore Christians" from the real thing. Jesus said: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good...." Even when we understand the word used for love in this passage does not refer to what we are supposed to feel, but rather to how we are to behave, it does not make the passage any more palatable because the behavior called for is giving of ourselves for the good of others, whether we feel like it or not. Give of ourselves for the good of the one who has intentionally done us harm? Love the one who made a fool of us, and then laughed at us for being such a fool? Give of ourselves for the good of the one whom we thought we were helping but who really just took advantage of our efforts and took what was ours in more ways than one? Love the one whose half truth gossip kept us from getting that promotion and stained our reputation? Give of ourselves for the good of someone who destroyed the life of a person we dearly love? Love the one who hurt us more painfully than any mere physical wounding? Love our enemy? Sometimes when I hear this passage that talks about loving our enemies, I will try to exempt myself saying: "This is just a bunch of unrealistic, ideals. Besides, it is only human to want to get even by hurting those who have hurt us." And this is right. It is only human - all too human with none of the grace of God involved. But unless the grace of God becomes involved in shaping the way we humans live, we have no hope of a just and lasting peace between one another much less between groups and nations. God did not create us to be at war with one another -- either as persons or as groups or as nations. We were created to live in harmony. But we humans are caught up in sin. We take advantage of one another. We hurt one another -- sometimes on purpose and often out of ignorance. All too often, the pain we receive gives rise to both anger and the desire to "get even." But trying to get even, get revenge, settle the score has never brought lasting peace or a constructive resolution to conflict and injustice between persons or between peoples. Dealing with enemies by the means of revenge only brings about retaliation and more revenge. There is nothing more stupid, nor perhaps more human, than to keep trying to do what has never worked thinking it will work if we just keep doing it. We chase the illusion that if we can inflict more pain than we have received, we will then have peace. But this is seldom the way it works. What usually happens is a cycle of revenge begetting retaliation begetting revenge. When was the last time any of us made peace with someone by hurting them at least as much as that person hurt us? Even when our power is so overwhelming, the other person cannot strike back -- at least not immediately - there is no lasting peace. There is only a lull in the fighting while the other waits to regain strength and find an opportunity to strike back. Our response to our enemies needs to be rooted in something more profound than an eye for an eye kind of revenge. To be able to move beyond our desire for revenge our focus must go beyond our pain. As long as we stay focused on what has caused us pain, we will remain enslaved by that pain. If we do not move beyond what has been done to hurt us or harm those we love, we will find ourselves living in bondage -- slaves to our resentment, bitterness and anger, and in bondage to hatred. It is as though we are chained to our enemy and the awful things he or she has done. The result is we live our lives dragging around all that hurt and hostility. We are unable to be the healthy, whole persons God intends us to be because we are sick with old anger and crippled by resentment. Not only is revenge impractical because it never produces a lasting, constructive peace, when revenge is our primary motive, our souls are distorted and crippled. Jesus wants us to be whole, to live the lives we were created to live. Jesus was reminding us that we have been created in the image of God; we are to live loving others as God loves us. And, as Jesus reminded us, God sends his rain on the good and the evil. Jesus was saying, in effect, "You were created in the image of God; so, live as the persons God created you to be." Even though we are created in the image of God, we remain totally human, fallible, making mistakes and even, at times, unintentionally doing harm while we are trying to do good. God understands. This is why God has given us the ability to see our error and apologize and also the gift of humility that make is possible for us to change. It is when we are locked into pride that apologizing and changing our behavior become almost impossible for us to do. In pride our focus is on ourselves. But it is no big deal to admit mistakes when our concern is giving of ourselves for the good of others. God's grace, God's love revealed in Christ is what is to shape the way we deal with others -- both our friends and foes. This brings us back to the issue of loving even our enemies. From the cross Jesus prayed for his enemies. He practiced what he preached. In the midst of the worst that could happen, he did not cry out for revenge; he prayed: "Father forgive them they don't know what they are doing." It is in prayer that we first serve those who are our enemies. Only as we pray are we ever able to give of ourselves for their good. It is in talking it over with God that we are enabled to live as God intends. It is through prayer we receive the grace we need to pray for our enemies and enabled to give of ourselves for their good. On the cross, Jesus was making the ultimate statement of giving of himself for the good of others -- even his enemies. And the love God has made known in Christ is not some wishy-washy sentimental love that has no backbone in it. Jesus knew what it was to be angry, But his anger was rotted in love -- especially the love of neighbor. This is why he drove money changers from the temple. He did not want people taken advantage of and certainly not in the temple. Jesus was tough on those who lived as if they could be religious without giving of themselves for the good of others. He did not want people to be misled, and certainly not in the name of God. When Jesus told us to love our enemy, he was not telling us to give-in to our enemy; he was telling us to give of ourselves for the good our enemy, just as we do for our friends. This does not mean we passively sit by and allow others to continue doing harm. Those who are being harmed by others are also neighbors we are to love. Giving of ourselves for the good of these neighbors means doing what must be done to protect them from harm and to prevent them from being harmed. This is why in the light of God's love there is a place for prisons. But the prisons should be more than warehouses where criminals are dehumanized and learn more from each other about how to commit more crime than they do about how to change their living so they can become constructive citizens. God's judgment described in the Bible is not just an expression of God's anger; its purpose is to bring about repentance, change, transformation. Should not our judgments, our imposing consequences for destructive behavior have a similar purpose? The goal of God in all things, even in the passages that speak of God's wrath, is redemption - not revenge. . One can go on from this to line of thinking to discern wisdom to guide our nation as we struggle to deal with terrorists. I do not claim to know with certainty the best tactics that should be used; but I am very clear about the purpose that should shape whatever tactics we employ. Our response must be more profound than revenge. On the other hand, we dare not allow ourselves to be seduced by the naive illusion that if we are just nice enough everything will be okay. Tough love is called for, and tough love is tough -- tough enough to say no to destructive behavior and tough enough to use force if necessary to stop destructive behavior. But tough love is not just tough; it is also love. It is concerned for the enemy neighbor as well as for the friendly neighbor. We are to pray not only for our friends but also for our enemies. This concern for the neighbor who is our enemy, is the concern Jesus was talking about in the passage we read today. Jesus was telling his disciples, and he is telling us that as God in Christ gave of himself for our good, so we are to give of ourselves for the good of others, even those who are our enemies -- just as Jesus did. Trying to get even with those who have hurt us is neither the way to wholeness for ourselves nor is it the way to healing and hope for the world. God, loving our neighbors is hard enough, but loving our enemies is more difficult and dangerous. God, help us love others as you in Christ have loved us. Amen.
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