Skip to main content

One of Our Best Weapons

 You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children 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. (Matthew 5:43-45) 

          Another Battle Bible passage. This one goes with Ephesians 6:10-18. How do we wage war? Human wisdom tells us that those who aren’t on our side are the enemy, and the only way to win the war is by hating and destroying our enemies. Should we have let the Nazis terrorize Europe? We did let the Communists terrorize the Soviet Union, and they killed at least twice as many of their people as the Nazis did. The same with China. And didn’t some guy point out that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to stand by and let it?

          But Jesus isn’t suggesting that we should say that wrong is right, or evil is good. He’s telling us to separate the actor from the action, the person from the sin. He’s telling us that He wants us to be “like God” in giving general good to all.

          We would rather not be like God in this case. We want to stand in judgment on the person who has done something we proclaim unforgivable. Our judgment may even be correct. What they are doing is evil and we are determined to brand them forever with a sign that will show the world how bad they are, and how righteous we are.

          Jesus rejects that very human option. The only weapon He is approving here is prayer. I have to think of David’s “shatter their teeth” prayers in the Psalms. The focus tends to move from David’s injury to David’s enemies (or his enemies to his injury) and those to David’s God. Those are good prayers. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more