But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. -Matthew 5:44
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
My grandfather once told me, “Youth is wasted on the young.” I thought I knew what he was saying, but 50 years later, I understand better. As we grow older, we exchange youth for wisdom, but once we have wisdom, we’re too old to take advantage of it like we could when we were young. There are reasons lots of young people play sports and a lot less of us over 40 (except Tom Brady). Our bodies have grown older, weaker, and feebler – not to mention slower and more easily hurt. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about my younger days and wishing I had one more chance to catch a touchdown pass, or make a last-minute shot for a win.
I remember renewing my driver’s license at the department of motor vehicles when I turned 40. At that time, I still considered myself a young man. The clerk and I discussed the military and age requirements while she finalized my paperwork. I told her I would happily still serve my country if they needed me. She responded, “Honey, if they start drafting people your age, we’re all in trouble.”
Just as there are some things we can’t do once we get older, there are also some things we can’t do once we get to heaven. Many people I work with in spiritual counseling want this life over quickly so they can go home to heaven and be free of pain, difficulties, and problems. But the truth is, every moment of our experience on earth in material form is a gift for us to do things we can’t do in heaven. This life isn’t meant for us to get out of quickly, but for us to experience the power of Christ’s love and life in us and through us.
Christ discussed the things we can’t do in heaven in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:44. Let’s look and see why our time in this temporal, material world is so important.
Love an enemy
You can’t love an enemy in heaven because you’ll have no enemies there. That’s why it’s heaven. There’s only love, compassion, joy, and acceptance in heaven. The opportunity to love an enemy is in the here and now. To experience what it’s like to love someone who has made you their enemy is part of this existence. You’re here to experience and share that kind of agape love. It’s why you live and breathe.
A former coworker decided he didn’t like me because I had been a pastor previously for many years. He did everything he could for six years to get me fired, get under my skin, or sabotage my work. In time, I learned that the only weapon I had was the love of God living in me. I began to love that man through my actions, and God gave me opportunities to do it. By the time I left the company, we were not only friends, but this man was my biggest supporter at the firm. Everyone understands the language of love. The question is whether you’ll let love do its work.
Bless those who curse you
Everyone in heaven loves each other, so there’s no opportunity to bless those who curse you. The word “curse” in Greek is better translated as “condemn.” It means speaking badly about someone without reason. Instead, Jesus says to bless that person. The word for “bless” in Greek is the root of the word “eulogy,” which means to speak well of. When someone gives a eulogy, the purpose is generally to speak well of the person and their life.
In return for someone condemning you unjustly, your response is to speak well of them, whether they deserve it or not, according to Jesus. Why? Because that’s why you’re here in human form on this earth, to experience what it’s like to speak well of someone who condemns you. And when people condemn you, it’s also your opportunity to love them.
Do good to those who hate you
The word for “good” could be translated as “beautiful, lovely, or praiseworthy.” The term “hate” is better understood as “intimidation through threats and false accusations.” Early Christians experienced this from the Jews, who practiced Judaism, and the Gentiles, who were pagans. These Christians were misunderstood, intimidated, and threatened with false accusations. Jesus says let your actions toward them be beautiful, lovely, and praiseworthy.
What? Are you kidding me? Let me clear a few things up. No one is asking you to endure physical or verbal abuse in a cycle of domestic or other violence. What Jesus is communicating can’t be done through self-effort. It goes beyond your determination and wanting to do the “right” thing, whatever that is.
Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you
The word for “persecute” in Greek could be understood as “zealously persecute with all haste.” It’s the idea of a hunter pursuing his prey. In this case, to do so out of spite. Jesus says to pray for such a person. In the Jewish mindset of Jesus’ time, you only prayed for your family, friends, and the nation, which was always for their protection, health, and well-being.
When Jesus said this, it would have caused quite a commotion. But He wanted this. He was making a profound point and deliberately teaching something different than what their priest taught them from the Torah (law).
The conclusion: resting vs. trying
The Sermon on the Mount, and all its commands, weren’t given so you’d try to obey them. Jesus said what He did to create despair in His hearers so they’d stop trying (and failing). The law was not given so that Israel could keep it. The law was given so they’d learn that they could NEVER keep it (Romans 5:20). Jesus said these words so the Jews would change their minds about trying to keep the law through their own efforts, and instead, look to Him, the Messiah, as their righteousness.
Remember:
Grace means everything is done for free in Christ, and nothing is to be added. No works of faith, no evangelism efforts, no church efforts, no mission efforts, no giving efforts, no trying to be good, no stopping your bad habit. All in Christ is complete; you’re in Him, and He’s in the Father. United, one. What could you possibly give God that He doesn’t already have in Christ?
Give up trying and begin enjoying the finished work in Christ. His love, peace, joy, patience, and compassion live in you. As He is, so are you in this world, I John 4:17. Trust the Holy Spirit to love as you through you each moment. It’s not your burden to bear, just your privilege to participate.
One of the reasons you’re here is to experience love in all its facets. Each moment is a gift, an opportunity to express the love that lives in you. And, His compassion towards others, even when they’re lost in the confusion and darkness of their minds.
This material world is temporal, and our lives are like a mist that’s here and then gone. So focus on your union and life in Christ in the here and now; love will guide you into an adventure you never dreamed of.