Loving our enemies - Sept 10
“But rather, love you enemies and do good to them,
….
and the Most High is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Luke 6:35
Yesterday brought us Luke’s version of the beatitudes and today we continue with Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. While these words of Jesus have at times been sentimentalized and even trivialized, they present the strong, counterintuitive demands of a life modeled on Christ. If we take these words seriously, the become some of the hardest words of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to love our enemies. We can respond theoretically “Yes, there is love in my heart for my enemies.” But Jesus doesn’t stick simply to thoughts of love, “love your enemies and do good to them.” You can’t just sit at home saying you love these people while avoiding them. Jesus tells us we must show our love by going to them, being a part of their life, and doing good to them. Love without action is meaningless.
In a later verse Jesus says, “the Most High is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Having our generosity and kindness responded to with ingratitude can be incredibly challenging. It is hard to continue if your kindness is met with spite and accusations. We may be screaming inside “The least you could do is say thanks” but we love because we have been loving, not to be appreciated.
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36
The levels of mercy we are called to is not possible without God providing that mercy through us. To truly love our enemies, we must open our eyes and hearts to see and receive the person as God sees and receives them. The depth of God’s love for them must become the depth our love. And in this union with God, God’s mercy becomes our mercy.