Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; – Matthew 5:43-44
Jesus always went straight to the core in everything He said. Adultery doesn’t just include sleeping with another person, it also include coveting another person. Killing doesn’t just mean to physically kill someone, it also includes having something against someone. And like the verse above, Jesus is calling us to not only love our neighbor but to love our enemies. What good does loving your neighbor do if it’s easy to love those that love you? Jesus lets us know that loving your neighbor is essential, but that our love should extend to our enemies as well.
Loving someone that hates you or that you personally don’t like is not an easy feat. It’s difficult and involves faith and the determination to please God. I remember some years ago when I had a hard time loving someone that did me harm. I felt hypocritical just showing love to those that I got along with. I couldn’t be at peace knowing that I felt love for someone I liked, but dislike for another person. I also felt the weight of pleasing God and the need to follow His word.
Showing that person love took a lot of willpower. I remember feeling the tension in my body in simply saying hi to the person. But even though it was a difficult experience, I always told myself, “I want to please you, God.” The process was difficult for me but deep down I wanted to please God because that was His will. I’m not saying this to pat myself in the back, but to give a personal experience of my life. I want to let you know that I know how hard it can be. But the word says that, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Eventually time does help, but God heals wounds. I prayed about it constantly, taking the advice of my Pastors to heart. I would pray and ask God for help. I forgave that person even though I still felt negative emotions towards them. I knew that at some point, those words would become a reality and I would truly forgive them. Sometimes we want to forgive when we’re ready. But honestly, we’re never going to be ready. The time to forgive is today. When we begin to forgive those that harmed us, God takes care of healing our wounds and making all things right.
Loving our neighbors is easier than loving our enemies. But God wants us to demonstrate His love towards others. God loved us when we were His enemies. Some people scoff at those that crucified Jesus. “They were evil, how could they?” But in reality how different are we from them? With our actions and thoughts we’re just as guilty of crucifying Jesus. Spiritually we crucify Jesus with our behavior, but through all of that God has loved us. When we understand the magnitude of this truth, the effect is a genuine love towards God for what He has done.
Jesus loved His friends, but He also loved His enemies. Instead of destroying those that nailed his arms and legs to the cross, He asked the Father to forgive them because they knew not what they were doing. This is the love that we should strive to demonstrate everyday. It doesn’t mean we should let others walk all over us, but even at a distance, we can demonstrate God’s love. We can show our neighbors and enemies alike, that God loves them like He loves us.
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