In the brief time that Jesus walked the Earth, he threw up some challenges to mankind. “Do unto others”, “rejoice when persecuted”, and “turn the other cheek” are just a few of the challenges that Jesus laid out. Perhaps the most daunting challenge, especially for me, is “love your enemies”.
Here is the complete verse from Matthew 5:43-48.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.
Wow. Talk about raising the bar. If I had to give myself a report card, I’d get a B for loving people who love me. I’d get a C for loving my neighbor. I’d get an F for loving my enemy. Now, when I say “enemy”, I’m not necessarily talking about someone that I’m at war with. The term enemy should be expanded to anyone with whom I have issues. An enemy could be a co-worker, the person who cuts me off in traffic, an ex-spouse, or the grouchy lady at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). How do I “love” these people? How do I respond with love to someone who responds to me without love?
I wonder if Peter had the same reservations when Cornelius called for him (the entire account is in Acts 10). Cornelius was a Roman Centurion. The servants whom he sent for Peter were probably soldiers. Peter’s first thought was surely, “Are they here to kill me?”. As the account unfolds, Peter learns the God wants him to lead Cornelius to Christ. At that point he had a decision to make. The Romans were an enemy of the Jewish people. Does he love his enemy and lead him to Christ or not? He made the wise choice and changed history. Truth be known, the Romans, who started as staunch enemies of Christ, became a proliferating force for Christianity.
Another Biblical person who changed history was Ananias (the account is in Acts 9). Basically, God told Ananias to find Paul and cure his blindness. Paul, of course, had been blinded during his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Ananias, knew that, up to that point, Paul had been a fierce, violent enemy of Christ. He then had a choice to make. Does he love his enemy and cure him or not? He made the wise choice and changed history. Paul transforms from Christ’s greatest opponent to Christ’s greatest proponent.
No, I will likely not change history if I am nice to the grouchy lady at DMV, but I may brighten one speck of the world. It takes discipline and practice though. Firstly, I have to realize opportunities. That shouldn’t be too hard. A clue for me is when my mouth starts to fill with profanities. Then I have to fight my instincts to respond without love. After that, I have to train myself to respond opposite of my instincts. Finally, I have to sit back and let God do his work. I may or may not see the result of acting with “love”, but I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I did right thing. And as I get older, that kind of satisfaction gets more and more comfortable.