Love Your Enemies

Love your enemies

What say you to that?

Can you – do you – love your enemies? Where does such an amazing idea come from? From Jesus Himself actually. Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

How about you? It’s hard, this one. The world teaches us to hate our enemies. There is a song from one of the old musicals which says, “You’ve got to be carefully taught . . . to hate all the people your relatives hate.” Sounds like it’s straight out of the World’s Manual doesn’t it? But look again at what Jesus taught – the exact opposite – “Love your enemies”. Paul takes it even further in Romans 12:20 “Therefore If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

OK – feed my enemy and give him a drink – but can you love your enemies? Jesus thought we could and He tells us quite clearly that we must do so. I hear you saying, “But Lord, surely this is too hard?” so how does Jesus answer that? He says to you to bless those who curse you? 

“Hang on a minute God, first love him then feed and water him, now bless him when he curses me, my family, or my people? Now I have to bless him as well?”

Can you do this much good to those who hate you?  Love them, they are your neighbours, so love them as you do yourself? Feed them – like family or friends. Remember the story of the Syrians who went seeking Elisha? When Elisha led them blindly into captivity in Samaria, (2 Kings 6), the king of Israel wanted to kill them but Elisha said “No – feed them, bless them and send them back where they came from.” They even prayed for these enemies, who wanted to destroy them, to be blessed.

Finally, we live in a day of growing persecution. Where neighbour sues neighbour over the least and most trifling little thing. Where spite and revenge is the key to most things. Do you pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you? Jesus told us to do just this – to pray for those who persecute us. Love them, feed them, bless them, and pray for them.

The big question in all of this must be WHY? Once again Jesus tells us the answer – “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” What an incredible promise. So we can be God’s sons – his children. In sales talk, the question mostly un-asked but most relevant is this – “What’s in it for me?” What do I get out of this deal. There is in plain print for all to see, in words that a 5 year old can understand - “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

It is in God’s Word, spoken by Jesus Himself. Amazing, wonderful, incredible, true words from God. “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Glory to God - Hallelujah \o/ Thank you Lord.