Jesus said some uplifting, encouraging words that bring peace, comfort and assurance to our lives. Then, He said things that challenge our thinking, invade our comfort zones and make us feel uneasy, even vulnerable. “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” The concept is radical, counterculture and counterintuitive. That kind of love is divinely inspired but humanly, difficult to fathom. It goes against the grain of our DNA and conditioning.
Hate and prejudice will always be part of the human experience. That is not justification for evil, nor a call to resign ourselves to the growing hatred in society. Instead, it is recognizing the right tools are required to fight longstanding, deep-seated malice. Evil is a ravenous fire that angrily consumes everything in its path with uncontrollable fury. Fire has only one objective, to destroy everything in its path. Fire may be fought with fire but in the end, the forest is still burned. If not kept in check, hatred is an insatiable fire that consumes the hater and the hated with an indiscriminate rage and a hunger that isn’t satisfied until we destroy ourselves and each other.
Apostle Paul reminds us, “…the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Throughout the chaos, rhetoric and discord, the only power that can have lasting victory over hatred and prejudice is love. While it may not produce overnight, sensational results, love is the time proven solution for every situation mankind has ever faced. The righteous weapons of this war require we fight hatred without hating, overcome prejudice without being judgmental, and defeat division without being divisive.
“Love your enemies.” A difficult commandment but Jesus’ words are a constant reminder that the answer to hate, anger, prejudice and malice will always be love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. Anyone can choose to hate their enemies; that is easy to do. Throughout His ministry, Jesus proved it takes a greater, stronger person to choose love, even in the midst of being bombarded with hatred.
From the individual actions we take each day, to the highest levels of government, the choices we make on the issues of hatred and prejudice speaks volumes about who we are as individuals and as a people. We cannot condone open hatred nor the tacit endorsement of the message of hate echoing throughout our society today. We all must stand and fight for justice for all people, Above all, we must reject hate and embrace love; especially for those who need love the most, our enemies.
Lesson to Remember: True love empowers us to stand against inhumanity without losing our own humanity, compassion and purpose.
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”—1 John 4:20-21
