One of the most radical things Jesus ever said was that we are to love our enemies. In Luke 6:35 Jesus says, "But 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."
It's instructive to note that Jesus did not just say this, he lived this. This is so off-the-charts that we trivialize it easily by, e.g., wearing a "WWJD" bracelet, as if one could simply ask "What Would Jesus Do?" and this will assist us in doing what Jesus did.
The words of Jesus drop me to my knees. I am not yet Him. I am so very far from Him. I am a Christ-follower; I am not enough like the Christ.
Try this. Soon, very soon, if not right now, someone will hate you. Their hatred towards you will be personal. Personal hatred towards you = your enemy. They will act against you. They will crucify you with their thoughts and words and actions. They will mobilize an army to attack you. They don't like you and they are out to reify this; viz., to demonstrate that their hatred of you is not some mere abtraction.
Think of this person. Then, love them. From your heart. As you hang on the cross, having been nailed to it by them, from your heart let the words of compassion flow. God, forgive them, for they don;t know what they are doing. Personally, as I think about this, I can hardly believe it is true.
C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, writes of this: "We must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves - to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him or saying he is nice when he is not."
How radical is this? If we all lived this the planet would be revolutionized.
I am in deep trouble, since I get irritated with people who are not even my enemies. I have a heart problem. Wrap my heart with WWJD bracelets... God, be merciful to me... be merciful to us...
3 comments:
Well said John! Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about whether or not Jesus advocated pacifism w/ this remark. I'd be interested to know your thoughts.
Be Well,
Satch
Hey Satch - it's good to hear from you! Hope you are doing well.
Did jesus advocate pacifism? Here are a few thoughts.
1) Jesus advocated the kingdom of God. That's his main message.
2) The Kingdom of God Manifesto is Matthew chapters 5-7. The heart of Jesus is found here.
3) Things like violence, revenge, hatred, and war don't fit here.
So i think Jesus hates war and warlike things and loves peacemaking and peace-makers. Note: not "peace-lovers." But peacemakers.
Finally, your question is huge and many have written about it. For Jesus as peacemaker a good place to begin would be The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder.
Blessings!
John
Thank you John.
I've ordered the book and am looking forward to it plopping down on my doorstep. In the meantime I would like to add that this blog has been a blessing to mull through and over. It has become a daily spot for thought on my ramblings on the web.
Much thanks!
Be Well,
Satch
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