THE PRACTICE OF LOVING OUR ENEMIES
Text: Matthew 5:38 - 48
Matthew 5:38-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' (39) But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; (40) and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; (41) and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. (42) Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. (43) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' (44) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45) so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (46) For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (47) And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (48) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (NRSV).
Two motorcyclists in a truck stop restaurant tried to irritate a driver who was sitting alone. When one of them dumped the trucker’s food in the floor, the man quietly got up and left. The tough remarked to the waitress, “He sure isn’t much of a man.” She paused as she looked out the window. “He isn’t much of a driver either,” she replied. “He just ran his rig over two motorcycles on the way out.” (Our Daily Bread. Volume 34, nos. 9,10,11. . Grand Rapids: Radio Bible Class, 1989). The irritated driver definitely made his point.
How many times we are like that truck driver? What we would have done if we had been in that situation, or a similar situation? Turning the other cheek is easier said than done.
We as Christians should exhibit Christian behavior, which cannot be done without the help of Christ.
LOVING THOSE WHO PRACTICE HATRED AGAINST US
Are you challenged by what Jesus said about “loving your enemies”?
When I was in Junior High School, I played baseball. One day in the dugout, during a ball game, I got into an argument with one of my fellow players. He provoked me. Determined not to let him get the best of me, I stood up for myself. The other fellow was twice my size. However, I was not intimidated by his size. Apparently, that took him by surprise because he expected me to back down. It went from being a battle of words to a shoving match. Then he took me by surprise when he kicked me in the shin with his steel cleats that made a nice little gash. Apparently , I provoked him to the point where he had to win the conflict in order to save face. That was when he resorted to using his cleats as a weapon. At that moment, I was in enough pain, so I turned the other cheek (Matthew 5: 39). It made me mad enough to grab a baseball bat to retaliate, like an eye for an eye. I would have loved to have hit him in the shin with the bat. As I think about this incident I am reminded of an adage I once read that said, “Don’t argue with a fool, people might know the difference”. Both of us were foolish that day. I cannot for the life of me remember what we argued about. But, I never forgot that painful blow to my shin. Yes, it took a while to forgive him. It took longer for me to reach the point of praying for him. But, eventually I did.
Have you ever wanted vengeance?
1) Gotcha questions: We do not always like questions like gotcha questions like that do we?.
2) God sees every heart: We cannot be dishonest about it either because God already knows where we stand. I Samuel 16:7 reminds us that God sees the heart
. 3) Retribution: The expression of eye for eye shows up three times in the Old Testament Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 & Deuteronomy 19:21. Deuteronomy 19:16 -21 illustrates how someone bearing false testimony could suffer consequences. This meant the that an accuser bearing false testimony could experience the same punishment that would have been allotted to the accused upon being convicted. Is it possible that someone could go too far in retribution? That is always a possibility.
How well have we practiced what Jesus told us to do about loving our enemies?
1) Keeping the law: In Matthew 22 a legal expert tried to put Jesus on the spot asking Him “what is the greatest commandment?” Jesus answered that we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, with all of our being, and with all of our mind. He also said that we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus concluded by say that the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:34 – 40).
2) Double standards: How does that relate to vengeance? Leviticus 19:18 says “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (N K J V). It seems that since this particular scripture said nothing about how to treat an enemy, the understanding that seems to have been the end result was that they were to love their neighbor and no one else.
RECONCILIATION VERSUS RETALIATION
When it comes to injustice, do we prefer justice or mercy? If we are the victim we say justice, and if we are the villain we want mercy. We are more inclined to practice an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Matthew 5:38). One pastor, (Jerold McBride) says “Retaliation was unlimited in the early years of humankind. The law of the jungle prevailed and might made right. The law “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was supposed to limit vengeance. This law meant that one could not exceed the limits of the law. (T.T. Crabtree, ed. The Zondervan 2001 Pastor’s Annual. Jerold McBride. “Believe and Behave”. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000, p. 82). Retribution had a limit as prescribed by this law.
Could mistakes be made in retribution? According to William Barclay, “The Jewish jurists argued rightly that to carry it out literally might mean the reverse of justice, because it might involve the displacement of a good tooth for a bad one or a good eye for a bad one. Later on, there were five possible counts of liability--- injury, pain, for healing, for loss of time, and for indignity suffered”. (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew. Part 1. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 164). Even though that process might have been designed to fix the problem, it wound up opening a door for a new problem of exaggeration or liability.
What about gloating at the demise of an enemy? Look at what is says in the book of Proverbs 24:17-18: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your hear be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displeases him, and he turn away His wrath from him” (NKJV). How can we be loving to an enemy if we gloat about his demise?
UNCONDITONAL LOVE
Does our love go the extra mile?
1) Compelled by another: It would not have been uncommon for a soldier to compel a citizen to carry a load for a mile. Jesus advised us to go the extra mile.
2) Contested by another: Why would Jesus tell us to go beyond the settlement here? N. T. Wright explained it this way: “… allow the person suing you for your shirt was to let him have your shirt. Why? The reason why was this: “In a world where most people only wore two garments, you could shame your adversary with your nakedness.” (N. T. Wright. Matthew For Everyone. Part 1. Great Britain: SPCK, 2002, p. 52).
3) Complaining about another: How often would we do that without complaining about the inconvenience? Did Jesus say to love God and our neighbors only when it is convenient?
Do walk the talk about loving our enemies?
"There was Baptist minister, named Peter Miller, who was a good friend of General George Washington. A fellow by the name of Michael Wittman was committed to make Rev. Miller’s life miserable. One day Michael Wittman was arrested, taken to Philadelphia where he was charged with treason, found guilty and sentenced to die. The word got back Rev. Miller who was seventy miles away in Ephrata. Rev, Miller walked those seventy miles to intercede for Michael Wittman. General Washington mistakenly thought that Rev. Miller had come to intercede for Wittman because they were friends. When General Washington found out that Rev. Miller and Wittman were enemies, it caught his attention and changed his mind. General Washington issued a pardon to Wittman. Both Wittman and Rev. Miller walked back home to Ephrata and became friends". (Gerald Watford. Armor Barrers. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2014, pp. 36 – 37). Do we walk the talk about loving our enemies?
CONCLUSION
God loves us all in spite of the hatred that exists in this world. It is the love of God that keeps the world from being a state of total chaos. Let us remember, how God loves us, and teaches us to be compassionate and loving towards our enemies. We need to sow seeds of love wherever there is hatred, and in order to sow those seeds we must rely on Christ.
