Love your Enemy

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

When I was in the Middle East, I heard this statement often; “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” what a contrast to what Jesus has taught.  Numerous Christians could learn a valuable lesson from the great coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, “Football is like life – it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect of authority.”  It is also said that the coach always began practices with a football in his hand, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football,” a reminder to the players that winning was basic to the fundamentals, and he was quoted as saying, “If you forget the fundamentals you will not be a champion.” 

Many a Christian signs up for every new Bible study, and it is a good thing, if you have applied the basic fundamentals of what the Bible is teaching, loving your neighbor as yourself is a basic fundamental.  First love God, then love yourself, and both of these will require you dying to self, looking to Jesus, and asking the Holy Spirit, the Helper to do it all for you.  It’s not an easy step it is the high hurdles of the Christian life, for we are warned the flesh will war against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.  It is not a one-time thing, the dying to your wants, the placing desires of the Spirit before self, but until there is victory in this area, you will not be able to love your neighbor, much less your enemies.

Many a victory has been won when a follower of Christ begins to act like Jesus tells the truth; my friend Carroll Ray Jr. defined that as faith.  And when you have acted in faith to do what Jesus has said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”  I have found it impossible to hate someone I am praying for, someone who I desire for God to do a good work in his or her life. 

I often have said, in jest, that it is written; (“For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”) and I know I fit somewhere in there.  One of my weaknesses is I like to be thought of as cute, or funny, but Jesus is not jesting with us, He is explaining a deep truth, our Father is good and merciful, even to those who do not acknowledge His authority.  And then Jesus ask this questions: “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”  Those questions are very personal, and I must answer then, and so must you. 

But it is the last sentence, (“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”) and that is a showstopper for many, Jesus is calling us to be perfect, do you know a perfect person other than God?  Matthew 19:21 gives us this insight; “Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”  He was young and very rich and was a keeper of the law, but to be perfect would require dying to self, to stuff, and becoming a follower of Christ.  Jesus who is all knowing, knew this young man was a worshiper of a little god, a god called wealth.  In the book of Colossians 1:27-28, lies the answer to being perfect; “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”  The battle for perfection is not your abilities, your giving, your hard work for the Lord; it is your dying to self, and asking the One and only God and His Son to free you from self, and the Holy Spirit who lives in your earth suit will begin the work of perfection.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice