Today we heard the command from the Lord that we must, “Love your enemy”.
There is, what I consider to be, a very interesting point here, and I want to note that, as well as indicate WHO my enemy is, WHY I must love him, and HOW I must love him.
The point I consider interesting is this: the Lord bluntly acknowledges that we have “enemies” in life. There is a certain false caricature of the Lord Jesus that pictures Him as cuddly, and fuzzy, and out of touch with the harsh realities of life.
Yet, here He is, bluntly acknowledging that we DO each have enemies in life.
Now, maybe this doesn't surprise you. Maybe you have a mother in law, and it is self-evident to you that you have an enemy in life.
Let us consider, then, my first question: WHO is my enemy?
Maybe you might answer this by saying, it's the person who is always out to thwart my plans, to ruin what I am trying to do, to interfere with my projects, to do me harm, to rejoice in my downfall..
What, however, would be the description the LORD would use to describe my enemy?
As we know, the Lord was asked, “and, who is my neighbour?” But it doesn't seem He was ever asked, “and who is my enemy?”
Rather boldly, I'm going to tell you what I think the Lord’s answer to this question would have been.
The Lord, we might recall, frequently answers questions by turning the question on its head. And, if He was asked who my enemy was I think, He might have said:
Who is my enemy?
My enemy is “my neighbour”.
And, once I have identified my enemy this way, it becomes obvious why Jesus says I must love him.
Yes, my enemy might be seeking my downfall.
But, his primary identity, even before he started seeking my downfall, is that he is my neighbour.
The same good God loves both of us.
The same "Father in heaven... causes His sun to rise on bad men as well is good, and His rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike”(Mt 5:45)
and we might add, that Jesus died out of love for those who killed Him just as truly as He died for those who followed Him. He died for Caiaphas and Pilate as much as He died for Peter, James and John.
So Jesus concluded, "You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect"(Mt 5:48), i.e. love your enemy just as your heavenly Father loves him.
And finally, HOW do I love my enemy? After all, for some reason he IS my enemy. What does loving him mean PRACTICALLY?
To love someone means to seek his welfare, to seek his good (c.f. St Thomas Aquinas, ST I-II Q28 a3 ad3).
I cannot seek his death, I cannot seek his stumbling, I cannot seek his failure.
-such things are not to will his ‘good’.
Sometimes, I might seek his correction, including pointing out where he has wronged me.
But always it involves me doing this, and other things, for HIS benefit, because it is good FOR HIM. This is love. This is love for my enemy.
If I would love the good God who loves me,
if I would love those whom the good God would have me love,
then I must love not merely the brother who is agreeable and pleasant to me,
I must love not merely the neighbour who is at least not un-pleasant to me,
but rather, I must love my enemy .
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