"...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44
The 2010 Super Bowl will always have a special place in my memory. Not only did my beloved New Orleans Saints finally make it to the big game; but they played it in a most unforgettable way. Down only a few points at the half; they decided on a dazzling start that was sure to throw their opponent off balance. Never in Super Bowl history, had a team started the second half with an onside kick; a maneuver usually used late in a game to come from behind when there’s not enough time on the clock to do it otherwise. The coach was called; gutsy, brilliant, bold, creative etc…whatever you call it, they really caught their opponent off guard.
Whether in sports, on the battlefield or fighting the battles in your life, the element of surprise is an effective weapon in being reconciled to your enemy. When we follow Jesus’ command to “love our enemies,” we catch our enemy off guard and the result can be tremendous.
In the Bible, King Saul was jealous of David who had killed Goliath and went on to become a national hero. David’s popularity rose to that above the king’s, and Saul listened to the wrong people. So Saul sought to kill him and put David on the run.
One day, while laying low in a cave with his entourage, David had a perfect opportunity to kill his enemy who entered the cave and was unaware of their presence. Against the advice of his men, David chose instead to show love for his enemy by only cutting the corner of Saul’s robe off. Then, he followed Saul out of the cave to confront him with proof that he was no threat to Saul.
The king was convinced by David’s actions. He was immediately filled with conviction for his sin, confessed, repented and the two lived at peace with one another after that. David did the hard thing, obeyed God, when against conventional wisdom, and won over his enemy with the element of surprise; love.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
How to Love an Enemy
One day, this second grader was on his way home from school; when some older boys thought it would be funny to play catch with a water balloon and me in the middle. Humiliated and outnumbered, I stomped off home steaming mad and dripping wet. I fussed and fumed and dreamed of retaliation all the while my mom dried me off.
How do you respond to those who persecute you? Perhaps, more to the point, how do you respond to: Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
It is natural to wish our enemies harm, lash back at them; or even to curse them. But, Paul suggests something different as he reflects Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:44. (“…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you…”)
I’m tempted to focus on the phrase do not curse; but if that were the emphasis, the word curse would be used more than once. Instead, the word bless is used twice in this short verse. Bless! Why? How does one bless, an enemy?
Consider a couple of definitions for the word bless, or eulogeo in the Greek. Looks a lot like our English word eulogy ; an important part of a funeral service, when we honor the person by sharing fond stories about them, talk about their good character (we usually leave out the bad), or maybe even wish we could be more like them. In secular Greek, the word eulogeo meant: to speak well of, praise, or extol.
Let me suggest that the first step to loving, or blessing an enemy, is not just to stop talking bad about them; but rather to commend them. I know that’s radical and difficult, but necessary if we are to look past their flaws and see their good qualities. Who knows, we might even find out what makes them an enemy in the first place: Are they insecure, feel threatened by us in some way, protecting their selves from…
This puts in place a chain reaction: Our heart follows our head. When we make a conscience choice to do this, our thoughts toward them begins to change and eventually our actions which help us with another hard part of Jesus' instruction.
The second meaning of bless correlates to the second step to loving an enemy: to pray for God’s goodness to be upon someone. Again, Matthew 5:44 “…and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
After you've found the good traits and focused on the person you’ll know what to specifically pray for. By giving us the assignment to pray for their good, Jesus is getting us to take our eyes off of the circumstances and to become more like Him. That we might be able to forgive as Christ forgave (Ephesians 4:32) and be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). As Jesus hung on the cross for our sins, He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
The Roman soldiers carrying out the executions that day were just doing their job. They engaged in mockery and despicable behavior as they got caught up in the mood; but they had no idea the depth of pain that Jesus would feel. So too, with those who persecute us, they don’t really know what they are doing. They may even think they’re doing the right thing.
How do you respond to those who hurt you? How do you love an enemy? There’s an intentional aspect to this that moves us from avoiding the conflict, to actively staying on top of conflict.
How do you respond to those who persecute you? Perhaps, more to the point, how do you respond to: Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
It is natural to wish our enemies harm, lash back at them; or even to curse them. But, Paul suggests something different as he reflects Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:44. (“…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you…”)
I’m tempted to focus on the phrase do not curse; but if that were the emphasis, the word curse would be used more than once. Instead, the word bless is used twice in this short verse. Bless! Why? How does one bless, an enemy?
Consider a couple of definitions for the word bless, or eulogeo in the Greek. Looks a lot like our English word eulogy ; an important part of a funeral service, when we honor the person by sharing fond stories about them, talk about their good character (we usually leave out the bad), or maybe even wish we could be more like them. In secular Greek, the word eulogeo meant: to speak well of, praise, or extol.
Let me suggest that the first step to loving, or blessing an enemy, is not just to stop talking bad about them; but rather to commend them. I know that’s radical and difficult, but necessary if we are to look past their flaws and see their good qualities. Who knows, we might even find out what makes them an enemy in the first place: Are they insecure, feel threatened by us in some way, protecting their selves from…
This puts in place a chain reaction: Our heart follows our head. When we make a conscience choice to do this, our thoughts toward them begins to change and eventually our actions which help us with another hard part of Jesus' instruction.
The second meaning of bless correlates to the second step to loving an enemy: to pray for God’s goodness to be upon someone. Again, Matthew 5:44 “…and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
After you've found the good traits and focused on the person you’ll know what to specifically pray for. By giving us the assignment to pray for their good, Jesus is getting us to take our eyes off of the circumstances and to become more like Him. That we might be able to forgive as Christ forgave (Ephesians 4:32) and be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). As Jesus hung on the cross for our sins, He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
The Roman soldiers carrying out the executions that day were just doing their job. They engaged in mockery and despicable behavior as they got caught up in the mood; but they had no idea the depth of pain that Jesus would feel. So too, with those who persecute us, they don’t really know what they are doing. They may even think they’re doing the right thing.
How do you respond to those who hurt you? How do you love an enemy? There’s an intentional aspect to this that moves us from avoiding the conflict, to actively staying on top of conflict.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
