To
an ordinary person, loving one’s enemies would seem like a very tall order.
Hate breeds hate, why should someone in his or her right mind want to befriend
a sworn enemy? Why should I offer my neck for slaughter on a platter to my
archenemy? It sounds senseless! First reaction, yes; but emphatically no; it is
not! Our Lord Jesus instructs us to love our enemies; let’s find out how and
why.
We
know even from a layman’s viewpoint, that two wrongs do not make a right.
Always find a middle ground, a compromise to every problem. Seek a lasting
solution. Wars have never solved any problems and probably were not meant to.
They only filled someone else’s pockets.
When your enemy offends you, forgive! Pay no heed. It takes two to
tango. A single bracelet on one hand makes no sound. Gone are the days of
getting even with ‘tit for tat,’ ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ or
‘do me are do you’ [as we say in the mother tongue].
To
everything there is a reason. Besides, when we stop to think it over, the
reason for which we may consider this or that person an enemy is not worth it
after all. Very often we fail to see the hand of the devil at work in these
petty squabbles, stoking the fire of hate, trying very hard to put you at
loggerheads with a friend, just because he is unhappy with the cordial
relationship that you have knit and are enjoying.
The
devil is never happy where there is peace and harmony. He will go all out to
sow discord and misunderstanding. Then he stands in the corner and watches the
fight or the quarrel. In the book of Proverbs, we read; “A gentle answer turns
away wrath (anger) but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) Let’s
assume you quarrelled with your neighbour whose child never stops bullying
yours. You burst into a fury and start fussing and cursing. Suppose that after
raising all that dust, two hours afterwards you find your child whom you were
protecting, playing with the same child who provoked you to anger? How would you
feel? The cause you fought for so violently; that storm you raised because you
thought someone hated you -- upon reflection, do you think it was worth the
trouble after all?
Our
Lord Jesus admonishes; “But I tell you who hear me. Love your enemies, do good
to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who maltreat
you.” (Luke 6:27-28) If you have not nurtured a relationship with Christ, you
will struggle to love your enemies. But Christ in you, despite all the odds,
you will triumph by not giving in to hate. Our Lord Jesus takes it further by
saying; “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even
sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32)
For
certain, it is not as easy as it seems, but when we knit a relationship with
Christ, what was impossible becomes possible. Know this, Christ is the Lord of
the impossible. “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) “What is
impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
Enmity
creates cracks in our relationships; the worst kind is between siblings. Joseph
was sold by his brothers because he prophesied that he would one day lead them
and they did not like it. That prophecy became true when famine drove Joseph’s
family to Egypt in search of food. By this time, Joseph had risen to the rank
of Governor. Notice their embarrassment when Joseph revealed himself to them.
“Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living? But his
brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his
presence.” (Genesis 45:3) That was indeed a lesson for Joseph’s brothers. It
left them dumbfounded and speechless.
Then
Joseph said to them again; ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said,
‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now do not be
distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it
was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.’ ” (Genesis 45:3-11) That
should have been the most opportune moment for Joseph to have had his own back;
but he did not.
“Do
not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:
‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your
enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing
this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:19-20) Imagine how
embarrassed your enemy will be.
Cultivate
the love for your neighbours as you would for yourself. Satan is able to drive
a wedge between husband and wife, mother and daughter, father and son, and
between siblings to the extent that they will be at daggers drawn or at each
other’s throat.
Do
not fall for that, your relative should not be your enemy; rather make him or
her an ally. If you let Satan sow seeds of discord between the two of you, the
rift can get real deep. The Bible teaches: “In your anger do not sin. Do not
let the sun go down while you are still angry, do not give the devil a
foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)
The
weapon with which to crush enmity is love. The apostle Paul in his letters to
the Corinthian Christians underlined the virtues of love as an antidote to
hate. He writes; “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)
Love
is the key. Learn to love your enemy as yourself, Christ Jesus says we should.
If we put our minds to it, we can. It only needs an ounce of hate to start a
full-scale war and bring untold suffering in its wake.
