In either case, what did Jesus prescribe? Pray for those who persecute you. At the same time, there were people Jesus’ friends looked down upon with disgust and disdain hated, odious people. The empire would crucify men (by the dozens or hundreds) along busy highways as a reminder not to step out of line. They were working-class members of an occupied country, and the Roman Empire wielded power through terror. Second, Jesus declared, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. . .’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’” (Matthew 5:43-44, NIV).Įnemy was not an abstract idea for Jesus and his followers. First, he told the story of the Good Samaritan, in which the “neighbor” was a stranger and enemy who cared sacrificially for a stranger who was his enemy. But Jesus extended the definition of neighbor in ways that were uncomfortable. When Jesus taught his followers, he often repeated the two traditional Greatest Commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. It’s this part that so often seems to be missing. We are well equipped to identify them.But what should follow is teaching, coaching, and daily discipleship advising us on how to love and pray for them. It’s still hard to find practical teaching on loving enemies. It’s hard to find a Christian sermon, book, podcast, or radio show that isn’t full of warnings about these dangers.īut if these folks are truly enemies, what should follow is teaching, coaching, and daily discipleship advising us on how to love and pray for them. There is no lack of teaching and conversation warning us to beware of people in other political parties who want to take away our rights, people living other lifestyles who may destroy our nation, or people with different theological interpretations who are likely to contaminate our faith. To be honest, it’s still hard to find practical teaching on loving enemies. The rest of the interaction did not go the way I had hoped. I was small for my age, a situation that proved humiliating on a daily basis. Just a few days later, when my classmates and I were taking off our shoes and socks to play in the sandbox at school, one of the girls pointed to my feet and said, “Your feet are so little!” To me, this was the height of insults. I read through the piece several times, ensuring I was ready to try it at the next opportunity. For example, “I guess this sweater is ugly. Then, I should offer a compliment to the bully that turned the insult upside down. The devotional suggested that when a bully insults me-for example, saying my sweater looks ugly-I should respond not by defending myself or paying them back with a similar insult but by agreeing. But little or no practical points on loving one’s enemy.Įventually I found it: A children’s magazine arrived in the mail, and one of the devotional readings described how to respond to bullies in a Christlike way. I dug through the stacks of Christian books and magazines provided by my parents and church, discovering steps to assurance of heaven and how to lay out the Romans Road to a friend. Jesus said, “Love your enemy,” and I was determined to give it a try.
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