Earlier this week, Caden and I had
a discussion about someone he didn’t particularly care for. In fact, he used
the dreaded “h” word -- when referring to this person. He said to me, “I hate so and so.”
Of course, I did that parent thing
and said ---“Oh Caden, you don’t mean that-- you shouldn’t hate anybody”
But he had some valid concerns as
this person hasn’t always been nice to him or nice to other people that Caden
cares about. In the midst of the
conversation—I pulled the priest card and said— “You know this weekend we are
going to read in the Gospel that Jesus says, you should ‘Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you.’”
Without missing a beat Caden’s response
from the back seat of the car was, “He’s not my enemy.”
I countered with, “Well, what about
loving your neighbor as yourself.”
Again he didn’t miss a beat, “He’s
not my neighbor.”
Realizing that this was going nowhere
fast, I decided to switch tactics “What about praying for those who persecute
you?”
“Is that possible?”
Now that was actually fruitful as we discussed
first, what persecuted means and then found ways to pray for this guy that
didn’t include God striking him dead with a lightning bolt.
As I’ve reflected on this
conversation over the course of the week—I see just how foreign this statement
to love enemies and pray for those who persecute you --is ----to us, as 21st
century Americans.
Love of enemies and prayers for
those who persecute us—it’s just not something we subscribe to easily.
I have to admit-that I have search high and
low this week for some way to soft peddle the text—for me to be able to stand
up and say—Jesus didn’t really mean it when he said to love enemies—he didn’t
really mean for us to turn the other
cheek—but every biblical scholar I read—said Jesus means it with utmost conviction —he doesn’t just mean
it—he embraces it—he lives it all the way to the cross— in the Garden of Gethsemane
when he’s about to be arrested his disciples take up their swords to protect
him—Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest servant — and what does Jesus do --he
chastises them for pulling their swords and Luke tells the story of Jesus
healing the man’s ear
And then remember that moment on the cross—with life
draining out of him— when he’s struggling to get the next breath ---he doesn’t
call down lightning bolts, but rather he prays for his persecutors “Father forgive them for they know not what
they do.”
Yes, he means it—but it just seems
too “Pollyannaish.” In this world, the
way we deal with enemies—is with sticks and stones—you hit me and I hit you
harder. You bomb me, I bomb you. Enemies, those who hurt us are to be dealt
with with revenge and retribution.
Those are the rules that we live
by—you can’t love enemies and turn the other cheek—it doesn’t work.
But Sometime it works—I would like
to share with a story that comes from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
in South Africa after Apartheid. The
Truth and reconciliation Commission was set up to hear the cruel stories of apartheid from those who
experienced them and give folks the opportunity to confess their crimes—as a way to help heal the country—folks who
testified were immunity in exchange for their testimony.
The story I like to share is about
an “Officer Van de Broek who tortured and killed both the
husband and the son of a nameless South African woman during apartheid… The officer
has just admitted his crimes, including shooting the widow’s son, burning his
body and holding a party nearby.
The judge asks the grieving woman ‘How
should justice be done to this man who has so brutally destroyed your family?’.
She asks to be taken to the site
where she witnessed her husband’s murder so she can gather the dust for a
burial. She tells the officer that she wants for him to visit her twice a month
so she could be a mother to him and share her love.
Finally, she asks to hug [officer
Van de Broek] so he can know that God has forgiven him through Jesus. Those assembled
[in the room] break into a rendition of Amazing Grace so rousing that officer
Van de Broek faints.”[1]
Sometimes it works—in 2006 while I
was in ministry in south central PA—not too far from where the Amish School
shooting in Nickel Mines Pennsylvania
happened- I was able to observe first hand—love for enemies—On the night of the
shooting after 8 girls had been shot —some of the local Amish brought food and
dinner to the shooters family—sometime after the shooting when they laid the
shooter, Charles Roberts to
rests—several Amish people stood at the graveside to be with the shooter’s wife and children. I
don’t know what this brought to the shooters family or how this affected the Amish
community, but I am sure that there was healing in these moments of grace.
Love your enemies, pray for those
who persecute you, turn the other cheek—those are hard, challenging impossible
word. –Jesus doesn’t show his followers
how to live comfortably in the world—but rather he calls us to join him in questioning
the rules of this world—he calls us to consider that there might be different
way to relate to one another, that our world might not best governed with
sticks and stones— or the you hit me I
hit you harder ----there might be another way to relate to one another.
If the Amish can do it at Nickel
Mines, if those who lived under the brutal rule of Apartheid can do it? Can’t we?
Can these words challenge us to
live a little bit differently? Love your
enemy, pray for those who persecute, you turn the other cheek.
What do you think? Might we give it
our consideration?
AMEN
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