“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you …
“Do to others as you would have them do to you …
“… love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
(verses 27-28, 31, 35-36)
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Our natural tendency is to give back to others exactly what they give to us. Those who treat us nicely tend to get treated nicely in return. Those who treat us poorly tend to receive back the same.
But Jesus calls us to something entirely different. To follow him means to be stretched out of shape, right in the very heart of ordinary, ongoing relationships. Instinctively we know when we are being treated well, fairly, kindly, with grace for a second (and third and fifth and eleventh) chance. Treat others like that, Jesus says.
Indeed, the very ones who most deserve the cold shoulder, who don’t deserve any latitude or grace, those who might duly be described as enemies, are the very ones he calls us to love. Yes, love. Don’t just love those who love you, Jesus says. What credit is that? Rather, love the ones who don’t deserve it, who don’t even expect it, who certainly don’t extend such grace to you.
I imagine each of us has someone who easily comes to mind, who fits the category. I do. What makes us feel that way about them? What have they done? How have they treated us?
Dish back the opposite, Jesus says. Indeed, equally strongly, he says, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”Which means, instead of stewing on the wrongs we’ve experienced, we take time to ask God’s best on those who (at least from our point of view) don’t even deserve it.
Recently I listened as someone preached on this very theme. They recounted their own experience of doing this out of sheer obedience, not feeling the ‘blessing’ one little bit. Yet they persisted.And over time, love grew – a deep sense of yearning for this person to truly experience God’s very best in their lives.
That spoke to me. I know my own way of dealing with hurt and wrong, most often, is to try to simply forget it, to move on, to not dwell on it, and get past it. It’s certainly better than stoking hate. But it’s not yet quite what Jesus is commanding. Blessing is what we’re after. Love for enemies.
Names came to mind of those by whom I’ve been hurt. I realized I needed to step into something deeper than merely turning-the-blind-eye. I needed to bless. Jesus’ words here cause me to press forward.
Names are going in my Journal, right now. I will pray blessing.
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Lord, by your Spirit, help me to persevere in this obedience. And teach me love. I choose to follow you.
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Wonderfully, as we pursue this course, we discover from the inside out that this is truly the way our Father treats us. Our God is merciful. Or, to put it another way, “when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).
So, be children of the Most High. Show the family likeness.
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Reflect:
When you think of someone who has hurt you deeply (in word or action), who comes to mind? Will you choose to pray blessing on them? How long will you pray? Make a commitment before the Lord.
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Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
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