Mathew 5: 43-45 from the Bible reads –
” 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…………”
Love your enemies. This command from Jesus seems impossible to obey. We wonder how we can love those who hurt us, mock us, intimidate us, betray us and even harm us physically.
Even as Jesus was being crucified, He said ” Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” ( Luke 23:34 ) Thus He forgave His tormentors. We quickly excuse ourselves saying that He was able to forgive because He was God incarnate. We are only humans.
When he was stoned and dying, Stephen, the first deacon and the first Christian martyr cried out ,” Lord do not charge them with this sin. ” ( Acts 7:60 ). He was an ordinary human being but he was a zealous follower of Christ. That is what distinguished him.
When somebody slaps us on the cheek the normal reaction is to slap back. To refrain from slapping is difficult. It needs strength of character and self control.
Similarly it is very easy to love those who love us but very difficult to love our enemies. Jesus exhorted and even demonstrated by example that we are to take the difficult and narrow path.
As Christians we should love our enemies because Jesus instructed us to do so. We should act on Christ’s behalf and extend God’s love to everyone. We should love our enemies because they too, like us, are made in God’s image.
We all belong to one family and it is natural that we love our family members. God’s image in them, can be perfected by our forgiveness, which comes from love.
No matter how learned or wise we are, unless we learn to love all our fellow beings ( whether perfect or imperfect ) we have not attained God. On the other hand a person who is ignorant but can love even erring fellow beings ” dwelleth in God and God in him”.
Just as the poor lack money and must be helped with money and material goods, the ‘enemies’ lack love and the knowledge and wisdom of God. They should be helped and perfected with love and understanding.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus, to die for the sins of imperfect people like us. We are to imitate Jesus. St Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11: 1″ You are to imitate me just as I imitate Christ.”
How easy is it to love your enemies?
The practice of loving our enemies is at the heart of the Christian faith. So there are many known Christians who have imitated Christ and obeyed His command.
We have the amazing story of Sister Rani Maria’s family forgiving her assassin and accepting him as their son and brother. It resulted in him becoming a changed man. We know and admire Gladys Steins who forgave the men who burnt her husband and two sons while they were asleep in a car.
Next I shall narrate to you another astonishing story of forgiveness. It is the story of a Dutch lady named Corrie ten Boom. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned at the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp.
They were guilty of protecting Dutch Jews from the cruel Nazis. They hid them in their house. She and her sister Betsie went through horrors at the camp. Betsie died there.
Some years later after the war Corrie preached on love and forgiveness at a church in Munich. When she had finished, a balding man came to meet her.She immediately recognized him as the vicious guard at Ravensbruck.
He had mocked women and treated them brutally. Now he had become a Christian and asked for her forgiveness. She froze. She could not forgive him. She remembered Betsie dying at the camp and could only feel hate for him.
Silently, she prayed for help from Jesus. Jesus’ saying that those who did not forgive others would not receive forgiveness from God also came back to her. Mechanically she thrust out her hand to him and voiced her forgiveness.
Immediately, something incredible happened. She felt a current pass from her to the man and thereafter a heavenly warmth flooded her whole being. She was at peace.
She had acted on her will, not emotion. When she obeyed the command ‘Love your enemies’ and made the conscious decision to forgive, God provided the love. ( emotion )
Corrie discovered that it is His goodness and love that brings about the miracle.
When we refuse to forgive , bitterness, anger and even fear fill our hearts. We become controlled by negative thoughts and even fall prey to ailments like Blood Pressure, emotional breakdown etc. .
On the other hand, loving our enemies is a positive emotion. This type of love helps us to transform ourselves as well as the whole planet. In this age of increased pressures and threat to life on earth, a lifestyle of love preserves mental balance.
God is the only One, who can cut off a chain of hate and inject every system with love.
In conclusion I would like to say that ‘Love your enemies ‘ is one of the greatest commands of the Bible. Adherence to it helps the human race to live in harmony, bringing people close to God and to each other.
Let us all rise to follow this command, which seems a challenge but is not so difficult if we just rely on Him. Let it be said of us that we follow Jesus. Let our love, grace and compassion show that Jesus is alive!
I would like to end with these quotes:-
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to love him. ” — Abraham Lincoln
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent conquer him with the love of God.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“……….. to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is business.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
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Hi! My name is Rubitah. I’m a Content Writer certified Life Coach, Counselor, Social Work professional and the Founder of Being Rubitah. Over the years through my professional and personal life, I have realized that prayers and love can do wonders to family life once you come to terms with yourself and surrender to God. Do you relate to me? Then you may like what I post here! Read more about me
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