Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say,
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
But the whole world tells us that you must guard against your enemy.
Take every chance you can to limit the power of those who oppose you.
Return lies and vile words with your own words and more sophisticated and twisted lies about them.
Do to them what would be most devastating to you. Always get what is yours even if it means others get less.
Love your enemies?
Give the rest of your clothing to the one who takes your coat?
Do not ask back what was lent in good faith?
Do not demand back what is stolen from you?
Nonsense to the world
Nonsense to the mainstream media
Nonsense to the liberals and nonsense to the conservatives
Nonsense to the Democrat and nonsense to the Republican
Nonsense to Hollywood and ridiculous to every hero character in any comic book or movie ever.
The world says, it’s only the foolish who do not retaliate.
It’s only the foolish who do not take back with all force necessary what was taken.
It’s only the foolish who lend money and forget to get it back
Love your enemies …. very foolish indeed.
Unless of course, you are first, above all else, a disciple of Christ. Before you are a party member, before you are a businessman or woman or student or employee. Before you are a father or mother or husband or wife, or daughter or son, ….you are a disciple of Christ. Then it is different. If we are disciples of Christ above all else, then it all makes perfect sense.
If we are children of a God who wants nothing more than for every person conceived in the womb to be with him…then it makes sense.
If we are brothers to Jesus Christ who was tortured and died for our sins, loving enemies makes sense because he did, forgiving enemies makes sense because God does not see our enemies as people he loves very much.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies. But how do we actually live this out? In Austin in 2019?
How do we love so completely everyone, loved ones and enemies?
Maybe when our spouse is stressed out or worried and lashes out with a real zinger that hits us where we live.
Instead of returning our own zinger that we are certain will knock them off their high horse, we should respond with love. Instead of escalating knowing inside that the only place this is heading is for both spouses to be hurt and feeling separated and alone…instead, we say we love them. No excuse, no defense, no rebuttal. Just a quiet I love you. That’s how relationships last. That’s how we live out Jesus commandments.
How else and where else can we choose to live out our calling?
Maybe when others are rushing each morning to just get to work and whether it’s in traffic or the coffee shop …cut in front of us…we can smile, at least to ourselves, and ask for patience and give them room. Essentially allowing them not only to have what was ours but giving them more. We do not know their life struggles or torments. But we know they are loved by God.
Maybe when the waiter at the restaurant gets our order wrong, again. Then has the audacity to be snippy when we try and explain what we ordered. Maybe this time instead of escalating things by being indignant, we lower our voice and see them as a brother or sister or son or daughter and kindly apologize as we ask again for what we ordered. We can still be firm and charitable. We can be assertive and still loving. Loving someone doesn’t mean we are weak or foolish.
Show me a happy marriage and I will show you a couple where one or both know that the bigger fight begins with little words —-that they make sure are not said.
Show me a team of coworkers who have built a smooth-running organization even when each team has strong, assertive personalities and I will show you leaders who know how to listen and how to care enough about everyone to make room in the dynamics of the group for everyone.
When I managed global services teams for some of the largest tech companies in the world, the real leaders did not always have executive titles, but they knew how to deal with difficult team members, some who wanted to derail them and the whole project.
They had strength and compassion for even the worst teammate. And instead of escalating the problem or pushing the other out they worked with them, took them aside one on one to help them or listen to them. Maybe some might see them as weaker or more foolish managers than the manager who would discipline and shove them out the door. But I think they were strong leaders who knew and felt the value of each person.
Following Christ is like that.
In 2017 at the Dallas Marathon, Chandler Self, a New York Psychiatrist was running the marathon at fantastic times. She was well ahead in her age category.
But close to the finish line her legs began to give out on her. She started to fall, and stumble and it appeared she would not be able to make it. But Ariana Luterman, a high school relay runner, saw what was happening and instead of running past her went to help. She held her up and together they struggled to make it to the finish line. Step by step they struggled. Ariana holding her up. Chandler fell again and again. The exhaustion was too much. But Ariana never gave up and helped Chandler finally reach the finish line.
Weak? Foolish? I don’t think so.
As Paul Harvey used to say, now for the rest of the story.
This wasn’t even Ariana’s shining moment.
You see the year before she was recognized not only for her athletic feats as a high school athlete but for raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for homeless children. She has raised money for dozens of charities. She has been given honors and awards for her work helping others and inspiring young children. She is a top athlete on elite teams. But she also has compassion and love for others. Loved ones and strangers. She believes in teaching children to be their best, have integrity and humility and to help others. Weak? I don’t think so.
On the contrary, to love others, even our enemies, mean we have a strength to see the other person as a beloved and help them like Ariana did on the track and across the rest of her life.
Our job, our vocation, our calling as Christians is to love, knowing God wants every person with him one day. So, we love all. We reach out to all. We are charitable to all. Even when they are not kind to us.
We may sit and question how anyone could love enemies……but the real question is how could we not love all others, including enemies…or to turn it around, perhaps, how can we hate anyone….for hate cannot reside where there is love. And since God is love and we are made in his image we are called to live out love in our life.
We may not have deep-seated hate for anyone. But if we spend our time dwelling on the actions of others or hurts we have incurred. Stewing over damages. Sulking over how to get even, get ours, punish others for their actions, we are allowing evil to own us body and soul. We have not put Christ first.
Being Christian for most of us isn’t about dying a martyr’s death out of love for others.
But being Christian does mean giving our life to Christ and being Christ for others. Coloring our work, our play and our relationships with others with love.
Disciples ARE called to foolishness in the eyes of the world.
We are called to hold all people as sacred. To love with a love that offers respect, hope, charity, and mercy always. This isn’t a new command from Christ. It’s the same command he has always given us when he said, “To love others as I have loved you.”
Are we there yet? Does our life stink of foolish love for all people like Ariana? Have we made sure we did our best to love others as Christ loves us?
Author: Deacon Tony Pynes
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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