“You have heard that 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 children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus redefines the borders of community in the most radical way. He tackles head on the most primal instinct in human experience. . .self-preservation.
Historically humanity has held to one primary strategy in dealing with our enemy and those who would seek to persecute us or our clan. Eradicate them before they eradicate you! Violence always seems warranted for the sake of self-preservation. And, it’s no surprise that almost all wars are waged under the guise of “defending ourselves”.
The problem, according to Jesus, is that any kind of violence drives our souls far from the mutual Father that we all share. So, Jesus provides a different approach, a more effective strategy that wages war on evil without annihilating our enemy in the process.
His strategy? Love and prayer. Now, this seems laughable at first glance. However, before dismissing this idea outright we must ask ourselves a basic question. What kind of power resides in love and prayer? If prayer and love are viewed merely as cute sentiments, then Jesus words are no more than mere platitudes, chicken soup for a sucker’s soul. Look, Jesus Christ was no sissy. He's not being clever or cute with words. He's offering a secret weapon to dismantle evil and rid this world of hate.
However, if love and prayer really have intrinsic power then Jesus’ words here are both radical and dangerous.
Radical? Yes, radical. After all, who do you know who regularly wages war using the “weapons” of love and prayer? It seems ludicrous. No wonder people thought Jesus was out of his mind! But, make no mistake, Jesus is offering a very real strategy. And, only radically courageous people in history have used it. And, truthfully, it's so radical that people are terrified of it. Which is why Jesus, Martin Luther King and Gandhi were viewed as extremists and hunted down like criminals. For being loving and praying for their enemies? Yes, it each of these men were hunted down and assassinated for exercising this radical strategy of love and prayer. Hmmm. Maybe this notion of loving our enemies is even more radical than we thought. . .and more dangerous.
Dangerous because Jesus’ words have the power to dismantle evil without destroying the individual.
At this point, we have to stop and ask ourselves a couple big picture questions. First, do we believe in the raw, intrinsic power of love and prayer? Secondly, do we view love and prayer as an effective strategy to subvert hate and evil in this world? If you answered yes to these two questions, then you are beginning to think like Jesus did. And, the next step is to get personal.
How do you currently feel towards those who long for your demise? What’s your prayer life look like towards those who you want least in this world? Are you spending energy demonizing your enemies or interceding on their behalf? What are some practical ways you can practice showing love and respect to those who show you neither?
The goal of Jesus’ community is not the elimination of our enemy, but the capturing of their hearts and arresting of their souls towards God. Want to do something both radical and dangerous for a change? It starts with love and prayer.
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