The Practice Of Loving Our Enemies (May 22, 2013)

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?