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Sermon on the Mount IX: Love your Enemies ...
Friday, Dec 5, 2014. We have been looking into the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus talks about his kingdom. How are you dealing with his words? Are you starting to catch up, to listen and to do? These words and commands are highly challenging - but that is it what they should be! Jesus wants us to come to faith and live with him. Today we hear another far reaching word …
Where Heaven Rules…
In the following parts, listen to Jesus. And note that he is not only giving a command, but he is explaining it. He is giving reasons. He is describing his command in a wider framework! Let us read:
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 sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 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,9 what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matth. 5)
Jesus wants us to be perfect - perfect in love. He wants us to live in the forgiveness, mercy and complete justice which God has and is, and which Jesus himself is bringing to us by what he is and what he did. It is an invitation to a community and to a life which is great and wonderful. There is no reason for us to stay outside! Come and do it likewise … love your enemy.
Steps of Change …
Of course, you will discover the strong discrepancy between this command and your usual actions. We have our difficulties to love even our friends. We have our difficulties to love our family in an adequate way. Love is the whole of our feelings, decisions, words and actions. Love is a far reaching term, and our love is not what it could be and should be.
To love even our enemies is quite some challenge. When someone does nothing you could love him for, but does many things you could hate him for, then how can it happen that you develop love? It can only happen, if you are so full of love from another source, that you can pinch off something from this. The bible speaks of overflowing love, which come from the Lord. When we are open for it, it will fill us an also go beyond us, we will be able to give plenty of it to others.
How are you doing it? To me, loving my enemy is quite some challenge. Often, I fail with it, but sometimes, I realize that it actually worked. There are those moments, where I can free myself from anger about injustice, and can just do what is needed and what is right, giving my enenmy what he needs. I found that this has a profound effect on the whole environment, when it works. So the only thing I can do is to follow the Lord and pray: Lord, let this fantastic love and freedom grow in me, give me the strength to stay in your love every minute of my life! He will do. (RWEP) ... more texts