Loving Your Enemies between the Christmases

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

Matthew 5:44

We love the Christmas markets this time of year.  They are such a big part of the Christmas season here in Germany.  So last night Linda, Steven and I went down to the one here in Frankfurt.  We walked around, ate come “kartofelpoffers”  (potato pancakes), had some dinner, walked through the various shops, and drank some “Gluhwein” (warmed, mulled wine).  We had a great time.  When we got home, I learned about the attack on one of the Christmas markets in Berlin.  Immediately my mood changed.   My first thoughts were that I was glad that our kids back home know that Berlin is a long way from here.  I thought about the people hurt, those killed, and their families. I thought, “That could have easily happened tonight in Frankfurt.”   There were a whole range of emotions – sadness, fear, and anger. 

Much of that was still in my heart this morning. I was making a post to Facebook asking people to “please keep the victims and families affected, as well as the people of Berlin and Germany in your prayers.”  Before posting I hesitated.  I thought about asking people to also pray for those who did this.  But I didn’t.  How could I ask people to pray for them?  They are evil.  They, whoever they end up being, are the enemy.  If I post that, it will just make someone mad.   So I left that out, made the post and took Molly for a walk.

This has bothered me all day.  As I walked Molly these words of Jesus were ringing in my ears.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”  Why would God ask us to do such a thing?  Because that is what He did for us!  Think of what Paul tells us in Romans 5 – “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…”    This is what Christmas is all about.  God sent His Son into the world to be born, to live, to die and to rise again in order to save His enemies.   Every person that will be in heaven will have thought, spoken and lived as one of God’s enemies – every single one.  That includes you and me. This is the heart of the good news of great joy that the angels brought to those shepherds – that God sent His child to be born in order to save His enemies. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He is only asking us to do what He has already done for us.  

Don’t get me wrong.  This doesn’t mean that such people should not be arrested and punished.  This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t fight terrorism.  Of course we should.  There are and should be temporal punishments and consequences or the evil things we do. Innocent people must be protected. This doesn’t mean we should make excuses for the horrible things people do.  Whatever the reason, there is no excuse.  When God forgives our crimes that forgives the eternal consequences but it doesn’t keep us from going to jail.  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be angry over what has happened in Berlin.  We have every right to be angry and/or sad.  This is a horrible crime.

Then how and why can we love our enemies?  Because God, who is justly angered by our sin, who builds into life consequences for our wrongs, at the same time loves us.  The Bible says, “God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.”   God’s word is clear that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  If those passages are about how God loves us, gave His Son for us and wants us to be saved, then they are also about how God loves our enemies, gave His Son for our enemies and wants our enemies to be saved.

So please forgive me and let me amend my post from this morning.  “Please keep the victims and families affected, the people of Berlin and Germany, and the people who did these terrible things in your prayers. Ask God to change their hearts, to forgive them, to bring them to faith.”