The political
season always seems to bring out the worst in people and this political season
is no different. But there's something different about the climate in our
country right now. If I had to describe it in one word, I'd call it; Hate! It's
absolutely everywhere. Whether it's liberals who hate conservatives, "occupiers"
who hate big business, whites who hate blacks or blacks who hate whites, legal citizens
who hate illegal immigrants, poor people who hate rich people, husbands who
hate their wives or wives who hate their husbands, children who hate their
parents and neighbors who can't build their fences high enough or fast enough because
they hate each other. I can go on and on and on but I'm sure you get the point.
Maybe you think I'm being overly dramatic but I'll share a little of my heart
with you. I know that right now you are going through a mental inventory of
people you know who are, what is known in street slang as, "haters."
Well, you can add my name to that list. In fact, you can add my name multiple
times because I'm a multiple offender. I'm not proud of it to say the least but
the truth is, I can hate with the best of them. I'd like to think that I hate
far less often today than I did when I was younger but, as usual, this is an
area of zero tolerance where Jesus is concerned. Let me offer an example, a few
months ago my wife was deeply offended by a person from her office. To make
matters worse, I knew the person as someone who professes to be a devout
Christian. When Laura told me what happened, all I wanted to do was walk up to
this person and give her a piece of my mind. Even now, I think I would have to
excuse myself if I found myself in the same room with her. I hate her for the
way she treated my wife. My daughters have been similarly hurt by people in
their lives and my reaction has been and continues to be equally as hostile.
Clearly, I have a long way to go to conform my attitude and actions to Jesus’
command to love. If you don't struggle in this area, I commend you. But for
those of you who might be a little like me, let's look at what Jesus says about
the matter of Love and Hate when it comes to people:
Matthew
5:43-48
43 “You have
heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and
the unrighteous. 46 If
you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that? 47 And
if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not
even pagans do that? 48 Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
As usual, Jesus'
words are easily understood but painfully difficult to put into practice. If
Jesus had stayed with v. 43 then our faith would be so simple but when he adds
the command to love our enemies in v. 44 our faith instantly becomes difficult
(See previous post: Title: A Simply
Difficult Faith, Label: Pastoral Care, Date: 4/18/12). Jesus doesn't tell
us what or how we should pray for those who persecute us but I think it's
probably safe to say that a prayer of retribution is probably not what Jesus
had in mind. Craig Keener writes, "Again, Jesus' words are graphic pictures
that force us to probe our hearts; they do not cancel the Old Testament belief
in divine vindication (Mt. 23:33; Rev. 6:10-11), but summon us to leave our
vindication with God and seek others' best interests in love."[1]
Vv. 46-47 Answer
the question; why should we love our enemies? In order to be considered
children [sons] of our heavenly Father, it is essential that we are a reflection
of who He is. This is the essence of growing in "Christlikeness." If
God shows his unrestrictive love for all of humanity (those who know Him and
love Him (good/righteous/friends) as well as those who reject Him and hate Him
(bad/unrighteous/enemies) through His common grace of nature (v. 45), then we
are called to do likewise in our actions and attitudes toward all of humanity.
We are a true reflection of God's love not when we love those who are easily
loved but when we love those who are unlovable (v.46). It is important to note
that "love" in this context is not necessarily an emotion. Instead,
it "Refers to 'generous, warm, costly self-sacrifice for another's
good.'"[2]
Similarly, the word "greet" (v. 47) means more than just saying
hello. It is in parallel with the command to love and conveys the meaning of
wishing a person peace or blessing. It is therefore through our acts of
selfless love for those we so easily hate that we draw closer to an accurate
representation of the perfection of our heavenly Father.
Jesus' call to be
perfect (v. 48) has always troubled me. How can we be perfect when there is
only one who is and ever was perfect--Jesus? Perhaps a bit of historical
context might help. In the Old Testament, if Jews observed all the commandments
of the law and the prophets perfectly (which was technically possible), they
would be considered perfect before God. However, they would still make sin
offerings in case they forgot something or sinned inadvertently. This act of
confession and repentance was part of the process of being perfect before God.
Moving now to the New Testament, we must remember that Jesus summarized the law
and the prophets in the two commands to love God and love one another (Mt.
22:40). Therefore, when we fulfill these two commands, we would naturally be
considered perfect before God. (This should not be confused with being
considered righteous or justified before God in a legal sense. Our legal
standing before God is imputed to us because of Christ's atoning sacrifice on
the cross. It was not because of anything we did or could have done.) However,
like the Old Testament, confession and repentance is part of the process of
being perfect before God. Donald Hagner writes, "It should be added that
the perfection in view here is a goal toward which disciples are called to
strive, but not one they will fully achieve in this life. The Christian will thus
always have occasion to pray for the forgiveness of sins as Jesus taught his
disciples to pray."[3]
Jesus was
ridiculed, beaten and finally crucified yet as he hung on the cross, some of
His final words were, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing." (Luke 23:34) Even from the cross, Christ illustrates the
principle of unrestrictive love. Consider for a moment a world that practices
unrestrictive love; what would that world look like? Would wealth matter? Would
race matter? Would there be divorce? Would children be abused? Would there be
crime? Would there be wars? Of course we know the answer to these questions.
The reality though is that we don't live in a world that practices
unrestrictive love. However, as believers, is that an excuse for us not to practice unrestrictive love?
No! Please hear what I am saying. For those of you who have failed in this
area, I stand guilty along with you for failing to put into practice Jesus'
command of unrestrictive love. I hear the words of the 17th century pastor,
Richard Baxter, ringing in my ears when he chastises pastors by saying,
"Content not yourselves with being in a state of grace, but be also
careful that your graces are kept in vigorous and lively exercise, and that you
preach to yourselves the sermons which you study, before you preach them to
others."[4] I am
preaching to me as much as, or more than, I am to you! So where do we go from
here. Well first and foremost, it requires a change of heart and only God can
change our hearts. Therefore, we must pray diligently that God would change our
hearts so that we can begin to put into practice his command of unrestrictive
love. Thereafter, we must realize that with each human encounter we have the
choice to respond either in hate or in love; there is no middle ground! For
those of you who have tried to put this into practice in your own lives, I know
it can be discouraging when you don't see the results of your selfless acts of
unrestrictive love. However, I want to encourage you to continue doing so
because you are providing a picture of God that others may never have the
opportunity to see. To illustrate, I want to share a story to make my point:
"The boy, only twelve, swallowed his
fear as he stood before the Communist officer. 'Captain, you are the man who
put my parents in prison. Today is my mother's birthday, and I always buy her a
flower for her birthday.'
'Since my mother taught me to love my
enemies and to reward evil with good, I have brought the flower instead for the
mother of your children. Please take it home to your wife tonight, and tell her
about my love and the love of Christ.'
Captain Marco, who had watched unmoved as
Christians had been unmercifully beaten and tortured, was stunned at the act of
love of this boy. His tears fell as he slowly walked around the desk and
grabbed the boy in a fatherly embrace. Marco's heart was changed by the gift of
Christ's love. He could no longer arrest and torture Christians, and soon he
himself was arrested.
Only months after the boy's visit to his
office, Marco slumped in a filthy prison cell surrounded by some of the same
Christians he had previously arrested and tortured. He tearfully told his cell
mates of the young boy and the simple gift of a flower. He considered it an
honor to share a cell with those he had previously hunted and attacked."[5]
Although a world
that universally practices unrestrictive love is not our currently reality,
Christians who practice unrestrictive love can be that simple flower offered in
love to an enemy that can melt a heart of stone and begin to transform our
world where it is now so easy to hate and so hard to love.
[1] Craig S.
Keener, Matthew, The IVP New Testament
Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 134.
[2] Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew, The New American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Broadman
Press, 1992), p. 115.
[3] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-3, Word Biblical Commentary, (Dallas, TX: Word Books,
1993), p. 136.
[4] Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, East Peoria, IL: Versa Press, 2005), p. 61.
[5] The Voice of the Martyrs, Extreme Devotion, Nashville, TN: W
Publishing Group, 2001), p. 11.
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