Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”

Mark 5:43-45

These words from Jesus have been much on my mind recently. Enmity seems ever-present these days.  We are constantly being asked to live our lives from a binary perspective: us vs them; good vs evil; blue vs red; citizen vs non-citizen; black vs. white; gay vs. straight; Christian vs. Muslim; etc.  When we give in to the temptation to sort ourselves into such binary categories, it becomes all too easy to demonize and dehumanize each other.  When taken to an extreme, the “enemy” becomes the one who is no longer worthy of respect or dignity and is somehow less-than-human. They can even become one who needs to be eliminated through violent means.

As seen in the above example, Jesus consistently resisted this kind of moralistic dualism. Repeatedly he challenged the dividing lines that were in place in his first century context. He called people to see each other across those dividing lines and acknowledge each other’s common humanity.  He intentionally spent much of his time with those who had been deemed enemies: Samaritans, prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers, etc. He insisted that everyone was worthy of love and respect…everyone! And he insisted on it to the point of a sacrificial offering of himself on the cross.  Even there, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

The call to love one’s enemies in a dualized context, whether in the first century or the twenty-first century, is one the more challenging of Jesus’ teachings.  It is deeply countercultural and demands something of us that can seem next to impossible. I think it’s important to say here that the call to love one’s enemies does not preclude us from offering principled opposition to those with whom we strongly disagree. It does not mean that we are required to passively accept injustice perpetrated against ourselves or our fellow human beings. Rather, it is a call to remember the “imago Dei” in one another; that we are all created in the image of God and are thus beloved children of God.  It is a call to acknowledge our common humanity and to live out our baptismal vow to respect the dignity of every human being. It is a call to resist the the ever-present temptation to demonize or dehumanize those with whom we disagree.

As some of you may have seen, Pope Leo recently suggested a Lenten fast that is rooted in Jesus’ words:

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”

Yours in Christ,

Kevin+