Scripture: 1 John 3:14 – “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death.” (NRSVue)
There is a lot of contention in the world today. And even if I agree with a point that someone is making, I do not always approve of their methods. I ask, “Is this helpful?” It can be very satisfying to shout someone down or to mock them with jokes or memes. It is easy to point out all the flaws in the argument of one’s “foes”. But is it helpful? What are you trying to accomplish and does this attitude get you closer or further from that goal?
One of the things that we have noticed in our studies of the Psalms that we have on Tuesday nights at 7 PM (which you should definitely attend, by the way), is that many Psalms end with a call for the destruction of the wicked, which, to our ears, clashes with the words of praise, hope, and thanksgiving. As Christians, we are used to Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Are the Psalms wrong? A perusal of the Old Testament shows a lot of anger and even hatred towards enemies. For example, see Esther chapter 9. But there is a minority thread, especially in Proverbs, that indicates that God especially approves of those who work for the benefit of the enemies, who show love in the face of hatred.
Jesus was all about picking up those ideas in the scriptures that the scribes and Pharisees had overlooked. But the biblical book that perhaps most develops the ideas of love is the First Letter of John. This is where we read the famous passage, “God is Love.” If God is love than God’s children are necessarily loving. To not show love to others, even in the face of hatred, is to fall short of God. If through Jesus’ love for enemies and rising from the dead despite their best efforts, we choose hatred, we have chosen death over life. John says we have become murderers, even through our inaction. He writes, “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”
Again, I ask, “Is this helpful?” Showing love in the face of hatred is the Christian way, even if it seems counterintuitive when there are questions of great importance before us. If we meet hatred with hatred, we retreat behind walls and into bubbles and never find a way to solve problems without annihilating all resistance, which does not sound very Christian to me. But meeting hatred with love means we choose life. We choose to move forward and not stalled in a gridlock of misery. The next time you hear some cockamamie idea on television or see some troll post on social media, don’t rush to hatred. Don’t rush to name calling and humiliation. Listen. Listen to their good points. More importantly, listen to their feelings. How helpful it can be to show empathy for their struggles and fears rather than scoff at their expressions of those fears! So, if you choose life, choose to do what is helpful, and soon we can forge a path forward to a place where all are heard, comforted, and loved.
Prayer: God, make me more loving and help me to listen to the cries of my enemies as well as my friends. Amen.
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