Matthew 5:43-45
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[q] and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![r] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
Let’s be honest, there are few things gratifying to the flesh as watching someone who wronged you, get what you believe they deserve. Our human nature longs to see justice and even punishment be doled out to those who have hurt us or who have set themselves against us in this world. In the system of the world this makes perfect sense. The bad guys get there, come-uppins, the good guys are the victors and ride off into the sunset. What could be better than that? I know for myself, all of my favorite western movies end this way. I admit that I take deep pleasure in seeing people get what I think they deserve based on what I believe to be wrong and right.
Though I know myself, and have found myself stooping to this kind of thinking more often than not. What if there was a different way of looking at conflict? What if there was a higher perspective? What if there was a royal vantage point that we as blood bought believers are called to view relationships and conflict resolution from? What if, as followers of Jesus, our first responsibility was not seeking justice for how we are wronged, but rather to simply represent our Father in Heaven well. That's exactly what Jesus invites us to do in Matthew 5. Jesus calls us to a higher way of viewing conflict and relationships. Jesus calls us to transcend from our lizard brain fight or flight responses, and to see people in conflict with us the way the Father does.
There are almost 8 million people on earth. Approximately one third of the earth's population identifies as Christians or followers of Christ. The New Testament writers explicitly say that those who have not received Christ, have made themselves enemies of God (Colossians 1:21). That means there are close to 5 billion people who are adversaries or enemies to God living on the earth. According to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, God does not smite them or wipe them off the earth to pay for their sins, no, in fact He does the opposite. He covers them with common grace, and allows His enemies to live on the earth in opposition to Him enjoying the same opportunities to build homes and raise families that you and I have as believers. He gives His enemies the same opportunities to be reconciled to Himself that He gave you and me before we were born again ourselves. This is the perfect government of God. Although He is capable and He is more than deserving, He withholds judgment and vindication against His many enemies until everyone Has had a chance to be reconciled to Him. God freely gives mercy and grace to His enemies leaving a door of opportunity open for everyone to experience His saving love until the final day of Judgment.
This is backwards to the nature of you and I who look for immediate vengeance and justice when we have been wronged. I am thankful that I have not been appointed judge over any person's life as often as I realize that I am woefully unqualified. Even so one day Scripture says that we believers will rule, reign and be judges with Jesus in a new heaven over a new earth. We prepare for that day by willingly giving up our rights and desire for vengeance, taking on the perspective of our Father in heaven and choosing to love our enemies through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not something we can do in our own strength, though when we allow the strength of Holy Spirit to flow through us we can be sure He will deal with our enemies in a way that supersedes our human wisdom and logic.
My favorite example of this comes out of a small country in a rural village in Africa. There one day a young pastor was walking home when suddenly he was mugged by a group of gangsters. He was beaten to death by the gangsters as they stole all of his money and possessions, leaving him lifeless on the side of the road. Another pastor who was expecting the now dead pastor's presence for a meeting went out to look for his friend when he did not arrive as expected. He found his friend dead on the side of the road. Without hesitating, he laid hands on his friend and prayed for his life to return. The power of the Holy Spirit came upon the beaten pastor and his life was resurrected from the dead. While the two men rejoiced under the power of God, they eventually decided they should take the now resurrected pastor to the hospital to be examined and to also fill out a police report against the gangsters.
They did this, eventually the gangsters were caught and detained at the police station. When the police officer brought the young pastor in to press charges against his assailants the gangsters were astonished to see the man they thought they had murdered standing before them. They were even more shocked when the young pastor chose not to press charges but instead chose to express God’s love towards them and forgave them for what they had done. The leader of the gang was so rattled by the young pastor's choice to forgive them that he also gave his life to Jesus, and became a pastor in his village.
None of this makes sense to the natural mind. All that the young pastor chose to do relied solely on his willingness to take a higher perspective than that of the world. Instead of using the grace God gave him in restoring his life to vindicate himself, he chose to partner with the power of the Holy Spirit in his dealing with his enemies.
All of us have been hurt by somebody at some point in our lives. It’s inevitable, it comes with living in a fallen world. What if God was able to take what once felt like tragedy and turn into something that is glorifying of His kingdom? What if the process of restoration hinged on you taking on His perspective over your enemies actions towards you? What if God’s willingness to restore what was done to you was hidden in your willingness to bless and love those who wronged you? My prayer is that through His power and grace, I would choose to love and bless those who would persecute me.
Love,
Pastor John
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