Love Your Enemies

Ok, so it's been a long while since I've updated.  Life has been busy.  I'm sorry.

Today I read Matthew 5:43-44, and here's what I thought:

Jesus' first recorded use of the word "love" is when telling us to love our enemies.  He couldn't start with something easy to swallow, could he?  Love God, love your friends... no, we go straight for the big one.  Love your enemies!  And pray for those who persecute you! Obviously Jesus thought this was important.  But why the hard one first?  I don't think Jesus wanted anyone making any mistakes by thinking that following him would be easy.  This guy is talking about some pretty radical stuff here.

Even most Christians today don't follow this!  We water it down and decide that as long as we don't use the word, "hate," we're still ok, so we say things like, "I strongly dislike that person."  Well, surprise surprise, the definition of hate is to feel intense or passionate dislike for someone.  But I don't think that the Sermon on the Mount was supposed to be a lesson on semantics (just don't say the wrong words and you're ok, guys!).

I really believe that Jesus is calling us to a radical new lifestyle - one where we show actual love to those who attack us, persecute us, and try to steal value from us.  How is this life possible?  It's not, apart form the radical love of Christ flowing through us.  He loved the enemies who crucified him.  He loved the enemies who betrayed him.  He loved and died for us even when we were his enemies.  When we crucify our will, desires, emotions to the cross, we can allow Christ not only to live in us, but to love through us.  Our eyes become Christ's eyes.  Our hearts become Christ's heart.  Our mouths, Christ's mouth.  And our imperfect, fair-weather, comfort-seeking love becomes the passionate, eternal, unconditional love of Christ.  And so the cry of our hearts changes from, "Lord, help us to love each other!" into "Lord, love through us!"