An Unnatural Act
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:43-45
In Bath, England there are hot springs that, 2000 years ago, provided not only physical relief but emotional release. Scores of prayers have been excavated from the ruins that visitors paid to have written down and offered at the site.
Yet they aren’t the sort of prayers one might expect. These archeological discoveries are called “curse tablets” because, by far, the most common prayers of that day were curses.
People would get the name of someone who had threatened or hurt them and then have the craftsman etch on a tablet how they wanted the gods to curse or harm them. Here’s an example: “Docimedus has lost two gloves. He asks that the person who has stolen them should lose his mind and his eyes at the place in the temple where the goddess appoints.”
Yikes! Now that’s one angry guy!
You might wonder if any other category of prayers might have been uncovered at Bath. That is, were there any “bless my enemy tablets” found?
Nope. Not a one.
People didn’t pray for the gods to bless their enemies. The gods of that day who were known for their spite and vengeance were invoked to pour out pain and payback on offenders.
Jesus’ Counter-Cultural View
As such, Jesus was citing conventional wisdom when he observed, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”
This was the standard of that day. One expert of the times noted that forgiveness as we know it did not exist in ancient Greece and Rome. For the ancients, it was “Help your friends and punish your enemies.”
Jesus, however, drops a relational bombshell. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”
This was a revolutionary concept that had never been voiced before. Princeton professor Hannah Arendt claims that forgiveness and love of enemies is a distinctively Christian contribution to the human race. She writes, “The discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth.”
Why was He so counter-cultural in this regard? Because forgiveness is not a natural act. Indeed, it’s an unnatural act.
Forgiveness is not a natural act. Indeed, it’s an unnatural act.
Wounding and hurting are part of life in this broken world. And no one floats above it.
And the normal response is one of anger, bitterness, resentment, and a desire for vengeance. Yet Jesus calls us to follow His example as noted by the Apostle Peter.
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
I Peter 2:21-23
Even if they don’t repent?
People sometimes wonder: Is it possible to love and forgive when the other party is not repentant? In answer to that, we need to distinguish between forgiveness and reconciliation.
Forgiveness is unilateral. It’s letting go of my right to hurt back and trusting God to deal justly with the offender.
Reconciliation, on the other hand, is bilateral. It requires the sincere intentions of both parties. As such, it may or may not be possible.
But beneath all this, is the command to love. I am called to love the repentant person who hurt me – my neighbor. And I am called to love the unrepentant person who hurt me – my enemy.
I am called to love the repentant person who hurt me – my neighbor. And I am called to love the unrepentant person who hurt me – my enemy.
It’s in this way that we demonstrate that we are children of our Father who is in heaven. It’s in this way that we follow in Jesus’ steps. And it’s in this way that we offer an alternative to a world fueled by hurt and hate.
It may be an unnatural act. But, in the end, it’s a beautiful one.
PRAYER
Lord, while Your mandate is shocking, it is a comfort to realize that you practiced what you preached. And, because you did, history was permanently altered. May I follow Your lead when mistreatment comes my way. May I love and forgive, trusting in the One who judges justly and proving to be His child.
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